November 25, 2014

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."  Psalm 23:1-6

The 23rd Psalm, one of the most beloved Scripture portions of all time! 

It has comforted countless numbers of people over the ages and it will for ages to come.

Maybe you have never thought of it as a great expression of Thanksgiving. It is one satisfied sheep sharing his gratitude for his shepherd.

"THE LORD is MY Shepherd.....!" 

When you are a helpless dependent sheep it is vitally important to have a good shepherd. You can look at a sheep and tell what sort of shepherd he has.

The Psalm 23 sheep is thankful to have a good shepherd!

The Lord is a Good Shepherd! That is great news for all of us "sheep"!

Jesus identified Himself as a Good Shepherd in John 10:

"I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. Ad other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." John 10:14-16

I am very thankful the Good Shepherd found me and brought me into His flock. I am grateful I can pass under His rod each day as I enter His fold! 

Because the Lord is my Shepherd I know I will never want for anything I need! He will shelter me! He will sustain me! He will see that I am safe!

Having such a Good Shepherd makes me want to be a better sheep!

The Lord is my Shepherd and I am one thankful sheep!

Who do you have for a shepherd?

November 24, 2014

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

The best definition of discipleship that I have heard comes from Eugene Peterson, a prolific Christian writer and author of The Message translation of the Bible. He describes discipleship as "a long obedience in the same direction". Isn't that good? A long obedience in the direction of God and His Word and His will!

It sure fits with Jesus' call to His disciples here in this verse!

A disciple decides every day to aim his desires at God and shape his feelings, emotions and decisions around obeying Him. And then, the next day he awakes and does the same thing - and the next and the next and, well, you know. That is a "long obedience" in that direction.

A disciple daily chooses to deny himself of any desire, thought or habit that would tug the disciple in an opposite direction. Moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, he guards every thought and reigns in every action. And then the next day he awakes and does the same - and the next and the next and, well, you know. That is a "long discipline" in God's direction.

A disciple takes up his cross daily - not the necklace or the bracelet or the lapel pin - the one that hurts, the one that demands him to die to self and sin. The disciple doesn't actually carry his cross, he lays down on it and dies. He dies to self so Christ can live through him in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And then the next day he awakes and does it again. And the next day! And the day after that! That is what it means to die daily - a long obedience in God's direction!

As you begin this Thanksgiving week, where will you aim your life? How will you direct your way? Who will you follow? Who will you please? What will you serve? Will you have to get back on course? Have you back tracked or strayed in another direction? Will you aim yourself in God's direction - again?

November 23, 2014

Thursday night in his national prime time address, The President quoted a Scripture verse near the end of His remarks. The Verse was from Exodus 23:

 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.” Exodus 23:9

President Obama quoted this verse to lend the force of Scripture to his justification of an execute order many claim is illegal and unconstitutional.

To set the record straight allow me to put that verse in its proper context:

“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.  If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it. “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.  Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.” Exodus 23:1-9

When you see that verse in the context of the verses that preceded it, not only does the verse not support his argument but the truth and justice this passage calls for would, in fact, indict him!

Twisting Scripture to justify your point of view is a dangerous practice. And in fairness, the President is far from the only person guilty of using Scripture out of context.

Pastors have done it.

Lay people have done it.

Church denominations have done it.

Every one of us must follow the Biblical admonition to “study to show yourselves approved, a workman who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God.”

If a person has no qualms about twisting Scripture to fit his purposes, that person would probably have no problem twisting other highly revered authoritative documents like, for instance, the United States Constitution.

November 22, 2014

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:44-46

I have been commenting on the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price recently:

There are two popular and common interpretations of these parables given to describe the Kingdom of God:

• Parable of the Hidden Treasure

1) You are the man in the field and God/Salvation/Kingdom are the treasure.

2)  To possess His Kingdom you must sell all you have

3) When you sell all you have to possess it, you will find great JOY!

OR,

1) God is the man in the field and you are the treasure

2) God sold all He had (Jesus) to purchase you

3) Purchasing you gave Him great JOY!

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

• Parable of the Pearl:

Two popular interpretations:

1) You are the merchant and God/Salvation/Kingdom are the precious pearl

2) You must sell all you have to purchase and possess the pearl and the JOY

OR,

1) God is the merchant and the Church is the precious pearl of great price.

·       Pearls are precious because they are so rare

·       Most precious pearls are found in deep water

·       Pearls are found in oysters buried in the sea bed

·       Pearls are found in an “unclean” animal

·       Pearls are organic and are formed in response to pain

2) God JOYFULLY sold all He had to purchase the Church for Himself.

The second version fits the context better and is most likely the proper interpretation. But either way it clearly illustrates the marvelous grace of God and the blessing of His Kingdom!

Let me ask you, if Jesus gave His all to purchase you for His Kingdom, should you hesitate to surrender all you have in order to gain His Kingdom?

November 21, 2014

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:44-46

These are two of seven parables Jesus told about the Kingdom of God in Matthew 13:44-46.

The Kingdom exists where ever people submit to the authority and sovereignty of God.

In these three verses He makes the point that to buy into His Kingdom you have to sell out of yours.

You can't live in His Kingdom and in yours at the same time. You can only have one king and it shouldn't be you. 

By nature, you have a rebellious selfish will that strives against God's will and seeks to build it's own kingdom. That is the essence of sin arising from the fallen nature you were born with.

These two parables make it clear that God has called you out of your sinful rebellion and into His Kingdom. 

There are two ways these parables are interpreted.

Some claim the man or the merchant is you and the treasure or the pearl represents the Kingdom of God. In the parable, when the treasure/pearl was found they brought such joy that the man counted it a joy to sell every thing he owned in order to own the treasure/pearl.

Others, including me, believe the man/merchant in these parables is God Who counts you such a great treasure He was willing to give up His Son to purchase you from your sinfulness! And, He did it with great joy!

Think about that!

You are so treasured by God that He joyfully offered His Son to purchase your salvation and redeem you from the kingdom of darkness into His Kingdom of light!

Will you let His Kingdom come?

November 20, 2014

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:44-46

Like the other parables, these two are short stories long in truths!

Over the past several posts I have been unpacking some of those truths. Today I want to explore others.

First, there is the calling.

Jesus came to call you out of the world and into His Kingdom.

He calls you out of your darkness into His light.

He calls you out of your bondage into His freedom.

He calls you out of your lostness into His love.

He calls you out of your guilt into His grace!

He calls you out of your fear and into His faith!

He calls you out of your shame and into Himself!

He saw you as a lost treasure buried under your sins and the sinfulness of this world!

Second, there is the cost.

It might surprise you to realize that not even God can have it all! He had to give His Son in order to gain you!

He declared that, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin."

The price to atone for Adam's sin was the sacrificial death of the Second Adam, Jesus Christ the Son of God! Because you had been sold out you had to be bought back with a price. When you deserved God's justice He gave you His mercy. Rather than His judgment, He dispensed His grace!

You were able to receive His righteousness because he received your judgment on the cross.

Think about it, if God couldn't have it all without paying a price what makes you think you can?

Third, there is a condition.

You must answer His call to leave your kingdom and come into His.

You can't remain in the kingdom of darkness.

You can't construct your own kingdom.

You must renounce your pride, your self-dependence and your self-deception and humbly submit to His Sovereignty! You must cash out your self-righteousness, sell out your rebellion and buy into to a relationship with Him by faith!

To buy into His kingdom you must sell out in yours!

November 19, 2014

"But  you   should seek  God's  kingdom and His righteousness above all else, and He will bless you by completing your  life."  Matthew 6:33

The main theme of Jesus' teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount is the Kingdom of God. If He began His ministry teaching on that truth, it must be pretty important. Especially since He specifically instructs us to "SEEK IT FIRST".

Are you seeking His Kingdom above all else or are you preoccupied with building your own?

So, what's in it for you if you seek His Kingdom as your top priority? (Other than being obedient to His Word)

A King protects His Kingdom.

One of the main things a king does is to protect and defend his kingdom. Kings build walls and raise armies to protect their palace, their power and their people.

I believe if you study Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom, you will find the promise of God's protection. He promises that if you act justly and treat enemies gently, God will take care of you.

Throughout the Gospels and the Epistles are promises of God's desire and ability to protect His people physically and spiritually.

If you want the security of God's protection, surrender to His sovereignty and make Him your King!

A King provides for His Kingdom.

It is hard to have a kingdom without subjects, so a good and wise king will make sure his people are provided for. Kings are proud and powerful people and it doesn't serve their reputation well when their people are poor and needy.

A good king also understands that poor and needy people are more susceptible to revolutionaries or trouble-makers who might want to rise against the king.

Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom of God focused on His Father, the King of an eternal spiritual kingdom. He portrays Him as a powerful and loving God who delights in providing for His people! In our text, Jesus declares that He will provide everything needed by those who seek Him above all else! He provides out of love because He is an extravagant God Who delights in His people!

Unlike an earthly king who might fulfill felt needs or physical needs or even financial needs, God can meet your deepest spiritual need! That need is your need for righteousness - being made spiritually right before a holy God!

Stop trying to build your own kingdom. Your kingdom is just a zip code in the kingdom of darkness! Come out of the kingdom of darkness and into the glorious Kingdom of God where there is a King Who protects and a King Who provides!