A Definite Definition (Dec 06)

The late Charles Schulz, of Peanuts comic strip fame, put it very well. Little Sally was all stretched out on her bean bag chair watching TV, while her little brother Linus was musing over a book and the real meaning of Christmas. "Listen to this, Sally," said Linus, "The census that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem was over the whole world—the wholeRoman Empire!" "And look at this," he continued, "The name 'Bethlehem' is interesting, too. It literally means 'House of Bread.' I think things like this are fascinating! What do you think, Sally?"

Sally responded, "I think if I don't get every single thing I want for Christmas this year, I'm gonna totally gross out!" And, indeed, that is what so many have done—redefined Christmas, to the point of grossness. What was supposed to be a time to focus on the glorious birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has turned into a materialistic hodge-podge of greed and self-fulfillment. Last year, the big push was to not even mention the word "Christmas" in the stores—it's offensive and not politically correct. The lit-up nativity scenes have been dwarfed by huge inflatable action-figures of Santa and Frosty the Snowman.

Don't be fooled, though—the problem is much bigger than Christmas. It is all through our culture, as well as our church—a massive redefinition of definitions. What the Bible calls sin, is now conveniently referred to as alternative life-styles and addictions. There are no absolutes, except for what I absolutely want—and that's true even within the church! Worship services have become venues for entertainment and fluff—and all to lure people in to where the truth isn't being preached anyway. Over 100 years ago, William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, saw it coming—"The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without the real Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell." Over 90% of people in the U.S. claim to believe in God, but when asked for their definitions, answers include "Mother Earth," a "higher power," and the "Great Spirit in the sky." Many so-called born-again Christians wont even assert that Jesus is the only way, as the Bible clearly states—"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

A recent polls reveals about 70% of Americans, 64% of those who call themselves 'born-again', and 40% of self-proclaimed evangelicals reject the idea of absolute truth. The Bible doesn’t, but they do! From evolution to psychology to newfangled Bible translations and commentaries that discard much of the Bible as "mythology," downplay the power of Scriptural prophecy, and even deny that Isaiah 53 foretells Christ's sufferings for our sin—a slippery slope indeed! Elijah warned the "church" of his day, "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him." (1 Kings 18:21) You see, if we can just redefine the definitions, then we don't have to come under the authority of those definitions!

Praise God—we can even see this amazing authority in the Christmas story! The question is, "Will we receive it and allow it to flow on down through every fiber of our beings?" The census that Linus was referring to, was indeed, for all—"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed."authority in even agreeing to be used by God in this amazing way, and now, they would go the whole way with it. Oh, sure, there was no room for them in the inn, but that didn't stop them—they knew that God's authority would open up a way, even if it was a manger filled with hay. Yes, there would be some road-blocks along the way, as well—like King Herod and his maniacal ego—absolutely intent on destroying Jesus. But God, in His authority, used the whole dramatic series of events for a glorious purpose—Joseph "came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene." (Matt. 2:23)
(Luke 2:1) Mary and Joseph had already come under the Lord's

Twelve years later would find the young family in Jerusalem—not as residents, but as worshippers during the feast of the Passover. As the caravan of travelers proceeded north to go home, Mary and Joseph assumed that Jesus was traveling with some cousins or neighborhood buddies. When the first day of travel was done, and they couldn't find Jesus, the young couple turned back to search for the boy. Luke 2:46-47 tells us, "And it came to pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers." Many today assume that Jesus took on the leadership position and "lorded" it over them. No, read it carefully—He did not! As a child, He placed Himself under their authority, as they were His elders. Some suggest that Jesus was taking the place of authority as He responded to His mother—"How is it ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my father's business?" (vs. 49) Jesus wasn't mouthing off to His parents, or being disrespectful in any way. Mary and Joseph were actually taking their place of authority over their child, but not fully comprehending the vastness of what His subjection would mean—that He would always be "of the Father!"

The next three verses, I believe, tell the whole story—"And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." (vss. 50-52) Mary and Joseph didn’t quite get it, but "getting it" was not the criterion—their continued obedience to the authority of God was! In the Greek, the on-going "subjection" of Jesus refers to lining Himself up in an orderly fashion. By definition, He made progress, cutting a path forward and driving on. With skill, tact, and expertise, given by His heavenly Father, Jesus proceeded in a very practical way—under the authority of the Father, as well as His parents. This would then reveal in Him a divine authority that could either be received or rejected by others. For example, when He preached in His own hometown, they "wondered" concerning His authority. Five minutes later, they tried to throw Him off a cliff. Yes, many will
submit, but many won't—we have a choice!

Do you see it? As the child Jesus submitted to the authority of godly parents, that authority began to flow down into His life. And as it did, the divine authority of the Holy Spirit began to be revealed in His life, and began to be evident to those around Him. Some wanted it and some did not. If they did, then that same authority began to flow down into every fiber of their beings, and Praise God—the church was born! Hebrews 5:8-9 tells us, "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him." It is so true today—just read Ephesians 5:22-6:24 to see how the authority of God cascades down through our families and other relationships, IF we let IT be our own personal authority—leading and guiding our decisions, our plans, and our purposes. As Christian husbands and wives submit to God's authority, they find themselves submitting to, loving, and reverencing each other—as unto the Lord! And as the children see and experience that authority, the molding and shaping begins—"Children, obey your parents intheLord; for this is right." (6:1) And then, it continues to flow down into relationships with co-workers, fellow students, neighbors, and even strangers. But on every level, this authority must be received and embraced—definitely!!!

The Christmas Carol, "O, Come all Ye Faithful," declares that He was born the King of Angels—He didn't become that, He was and is that! "Silent Night" tells us that Jesus was Lord at his birth! Someone once said, "His destiny was to change our destiny." Who is this Lord and King, and what real authority does He already have? Jude, speaking of his own brother, Jesus, once wrote, "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."Him be our all in all? His definitions are all very true, and, of course, very definite—and they won't change just because we want them to. Better yet, may we That sure sounds authoritative to me. Why don’t we just admit where we have fallen short, and, from that moment forward, let be the ones to do the changing—and that, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this, have a Blessed Christmas!!!

Fellowship of the Cross (Nov 06)

Robert Thomas spent many years preparing to be the first Protestant missionary to North Korea. In August of 1866, he sailed up the Taedong River on the American gunship, the General Sherman. As they traveled, he threw gospel tracts onto the river bank. When a sandbar stopped the ship rather abruptly, Korean soldiers along the shore set the ship on fire. All who tried to make their way to the river bank were slaughtered. Sensing that his own death was near, he held out one of his Bibles, and shouted, "Jesus, Jesus," in Korean. And then it happened!

A Korean soldier whacked off his head, and threw it into the river. Failure—absolute failure—not a single soul saved, and now he is gone! As it turned out, however, that soldier picked up the Bible the missionary was holding and started to read it, later dedicating his life to Jesus. Wanting to preserve the Bible, he pasted its pages on the walls of his guesthouse. He often declared, "Many people have come from all over Korea to read my walls." Today, there are nearly 100 local families who secretly worship Jesus Christ. Absolute failure?

I guess, if anyone looked like a total failure it would have been Jesus Himself. He had been so popular, with thousands following His ministry for quite some time. Even on Palm Sunday, He was hailed as He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey—"Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." (Luke 19:38) Some of these same words were used by angels some 33 years earlier to declare His coming at the first Christmas. John, the fourth gospel, adds the word "Hosanna" to the people's description, emphatically declaring that He came to save them from their sin. And now He finds Himself being led to a cross at the place of the skull—utterfailure! But was it really failure, or did God have something else in mind? Oswald Chambers once wrote, "After every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they really are, where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor thrilling. The height of the mountain top is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God."
You see, as it was for Jesus, so it will be for His true people. The death is not the only important thing—how we get there and the witness we leave along the way are so very crucial as well—the fellowship of the cross!

As we rapidly approach November 12^th, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, I think it would be a very good idea to spend some time considering the people with whom Jesus had fellowship that day. While subsequent messages on this subject will be found at our web site, the focus for us right now will be the Roman soldiers. Under the direction of a Centurion, four men were chosen out of 100 soldiers for the crucifixion detail that day. It may have been those very same ones who scourged Him with the cat-of-nine-tails, even before they left the Praetorium for Calvary. What were these men thinking as they planted the shards of bone and metal on those leather straps into His back? Surely they had heard the stories of the miracles that had preceded this "criminal." And then, as they led Him through Jerusalem, with a sign hung around His neck and a beam balanced on His back—did they have any doubts, or were they just mindlessly doing their job?

Scripture tells us that early in the death march, Simon of Cyrene was forced to take up and carry the beam for Jesus. Once they reached the top of the hill, they stripped this once-admired Rabbi and pushed Him to the ground. Most pictures of the crucifixion show Jesus in a loin cloth, but the Roman form often strove to totally humiliate the victim, even to the point of displaying him absolutely naked—this may have been the case with Jesus! And then came His true fellowship with the cross. In the Greek, this "fellowship" refers to a partnership and place of communion and communication. This is gruesomely depicted as one of the four held down Jesus' hand, while another soldier drove the six-inch spike right through His wrist and into the beam. Once this was accomplished on His other wrist and also His feet, Jesus was truly the cross' partner—vitally connected together for whatever purpose the Father was planning to communicate to mankind. Even now, could it possibly be that God's plan to save people from their sin had any chance of succeeding?

John 19 tells us what the soldiers did next. Each received their own part of His clothing—possibly sandals, tunic, headdress, and loincloth—but His special robe would be nothing but rags if ripped and divided among them. So they gambled for it! Surely we could wonder what each was thinking as this went on, but what about the "lucky" one? God must have been screaming into his ear, as He does into ours, "I want you to have this garment of righteousness—the wholeness of it—not the filthy rags of your own self-righteousness! You nailed Him to that cross—now forsake your sin and enter into the spiritual partnership I have for you. He is on that cross for you!" With all of this ringing in their ears, and in an effort to get this whole thing over with, they proceeded to brake the criminals' legs so they would go into severe shock and suffocate. John tells us, "But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was already dead, they brake not His legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." (19:33,34)—absolute proof that Jesus was dead! They had spent the whole day with Him—they had seen nothing but love emanating from this man. They were Roman soldiers—most likely pagan in their beliefs, so what was going through their minds at this time? They probably didn't know the Jewish Scriptures that they were helping to fulfill, but they had spent the day in fellowship with Him and His Cross. Though they were not submitted to Him, they were in partnership with Him and His Cross. They were trying to kill Him, but God was trying to communicate His love to all who were round about—even us!

Over and over again, whether Jew or Gentile, God was calling one and all to identify with Paul's passionate declaration—that he would "…know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Phil. 3:10) In other words, all who will die to their own rule over their own lives—in partnership with the sufferings of Christ—will also "partner" with him in having the resurrection life of Jesus within them on a minute by minute basis. This fellowship begins with a communication to the heart—heart conviction and change—and will also be seen in an ongoing rejection of sin. This is the love of God! Don't even begin the think or say that you love God if you are not in this fellowship with Him, which will be expressed in obedience to Him and His word. Jesus said clearly, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23)

I believe the spirit of this can be seen in the recent horror that rocked our nation from Pennsylvania's Amish country. As I write this, five little girls have been brutally murdered by a man who claimed in his own suicide note to hate God. And yet, the families of the victims have expressed nothing but love for God and for the family of the one who pulled the trigger. They have forgiven him!What a contrast! And with regard to these soldiers, what a contrast! Oh, we don't know whether any of the four actually turned to the Lord in true surrendered communion, even after all they went through with Jesus, but we do get a glimpse into the reaction of their commanding officer—the centurion. Luke 23:47 tells us, "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man." Both Matthew and Mark record him as declaring that Jesus was the Son of God! So, did any of them truly surrender to the Lord—not just in that moment—but in an ongoing, life-changing sort of way? We don't know, but we do know this—that is what God tried to communicate, both then and still now. He is very powerfully calling you and me into a partnership with His Cross—to die to our own thinking, and be raised with the mind of Christ—and all through the power of the Holy Spirit. Anything less is absolute failure! Hannah Whitall Smith once wrote, "Love gives all, and must have all in return. For your sake, He completely surrendered all that He had, and for His sake, you must surrender all that you have, without limitation or measure." Are you willing to lose your head for Him—as Robert Thomas—and have, in its stead, the mind of Christ? Are you willing to glorify God with everything that is in you, even in the tough times? Will you let your life be plastered with every page of the Bible for all to read? Oh, praise God, this will be the result of true fellowship with the Cross!

The Danger of More (Oct 06)

The story is told of a couple of east-coast counterfeiters, who inadvertently printed up a batch of $15 bills. One said to the other, "Man, what are we gonna do whit dese? Then came the bright idea—"I got it. We'll drive to hillbilly country and palm dem off on dos' backwoods storekeepers." Hours later, they pulled up to a dilapidated store on the side of a mountain. They haughtily winked at each other as they ambled up to speak with the elderly man sitting by the old pot bellied stove. "Hey, Mistah…"

"You got change for a $15 bill?" they asked. Without batting an eyelash, the storekeeper inquired, "How do you want it, Sonny? Five three's or a seven and an eight?" Being full of pride, they thought they had it all figured out—an easy mark! But Proverbs 16:18 tells us, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." We often think we have everything all figured out—even in uncertain times—and then God does something we don't expect—five three's or a seven and an eight—more than we can handle. Oh, the danger of "more!"

Lately, I have been noticing this in what is called the Intertestamental Period—the 400 year time span between the Old and New Testaments. If it had been up to me, I wouldn't have let that transitional time be there—the Old Testament foretold of Jesus' coming, why not just send Him right away? Praise God—I'm not in control, and He is—He knows what He is doing and He has a purpose, and what a powerful purpose it is! Throughout this time of uncertainty, several world powers ruled over, and even oppressed, the Jewish people. Now, that doesn't seem like a very good thing for God to do to His people, but watch—when all were under Greek domination, the whole world came to know the Greek language. And what was the original language of the New Testament? That's right—Greek—God does know what He is doing! Later, under Roman rule, the roads of the world had become amazingly safe to travel, in large part due to the "Pax Romana"—Roman Peace. Oddly enough, this was just in time for Mary and Joseph to make the grueling 90 mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Yes, God is indeed in control. And look at this—it was at this time that the entire religious landscape changed dramatically, as well. The largest group developing during this time was the Pharisees, "the separated ones." They probably had their roots in the Hasidim, the ultra-orthodox freedom fighters in the days of the Maccabean revolt. They developed many oral traditions, and proclaimed the way to God as being through obedience to the law—only it was their own made-up version! Yes, they taught the existence of angels and demons, and even had a very firm belief in a resurrection of the body; they believed that God did care about how people lived their lives—but, they added many more legalistic rules. Jesus plus anything is very dangerous. Yes, they believed and preached some truth, but they added something more—their own interpretations, and that is what put them in opposition to Jesus. Yes, "more" can be dangerous!

The Sadducees was another group that developed between the Testaments. They were the aristocrats, and claimed to be direct descendants of Solomon's godly High Priest, Zadok. They were the social conservatives, in charge of the temple, its services, and its ungodly concessions. They were, in many ways, the opposite of the Pharisees—denying angels and demons, as well as the resurrection. They opposed the oral law, claiming that the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Old Testament—were the only authority. They were materialistic in their outlook, not believing that it really mattered just how people lived each day. They tolerated no threats to their position and wealth, so they strongly opposed this new upshot Messiah. The Herodians was yet another faction. Though they are only mentioned three times in the Bible, their impact was great. They were the Jews who supported Herod Antipas, and sought to have a descendant of Herod the Great as the authority over Palestine for many years to come. And, in fact, this is exactly what happened—he and his descendants, however, left a murderous wake that included John the Baptist and James the disciple.

It would seem that this whole thing was nothing but a recipe for disaster! One day, after Jesus healed the withered hand of a man in the synagogue, …"the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him." (Mark 3:6) In Matthew 22, the Pharisees and the Herodians ganged up on Him again, asking Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Rome. Jesus turned it around, and asked them who's picture and name was on the money, and when they said it was Caesar's, He boldly declared, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (vs. 21) In other words, the government can have your possessions; God wants to possess you—heart, soul, mind, spirit, and life! The New Testament Scriptures are absolutely chock-full of such illustrations of Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, and even elders and Chief Priests, joining forces to defeat God's plan, even though they had such diverse beliefs and agendas. It is not only politics—but also false religion—that make for strange bedfellows!

Do you see the purpose of my original question—why in the world would God allow for such an ungodly transitional time, which would produce this abundance of self-oriented interpretations of God and His word? I believe, simply put, it was for the sake of contrast. There could not have been a clearer distinction between the falseness of these religious groups and the purity and truth of the holy Son of God. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 11:19, "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." And so it is today—so many churches and their pastors have drifted away from the truth of the Biblical Jesus and His gospel. Many today, like the Pharisees, hold to some Biblical precepts, but add much more to them—yet Jesus made clear that they have "…made the commandment of God none effect by…tradition…This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.""Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are really free."
(Matthew 15:6-9) Many others take it in the direction of a prosperity gospel, falling into the same trap as the Sadducees did—I can live as I want! A.W. Tozer once wrote,

The problem is pride! Claiming to be honest about where we are spiritually, and not surrendering to the truth, is actually the height of dishonesty. We think it is humility, but it is really nothing but pride and self—the contrast couldn't be more stark! If we let our personal time with the Lord go—the prayer, the Bible reading—in favor of our own busyness, down we will go! Paul said clearly in 2 Timothy 3, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly womenladen with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (vss. 1-7)

Another form this danger takes is when many insist on only having Jesus as their Savior, since He did come "to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) He is that, of course, but He also came to "baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Matt. 3:11) True Christianity isn't just about staying out of Hell and getting into Heaven; it is primarily an ever-deepening relationship with the Lord of lords and the King of kings—and all through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Churches and professing Christians that run from this Biblical reality, and thereby, deny it, are in a very dangerous place, for they deny the very power of God. It is not in wanting more of God, or in wanting Him to have more of us, wherein lies the danger. The true danger of "more" is in adding all of our own interpretations, and proudly assuming God doesn't care. Yes, the mixtures and additions do make the truth even more obvious, but they are still against God, and therefore, as counterfeit as a $15 bill. And taking five three's or a seven and an eight instead, will not make it right! Oswald Chambers once said, "Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. You can not think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey." Remember—God is in control, and He doesn’t want you to just "profess" Jesus; He calls you to possess Him! Now, how much of you will you let the Lord of Glory possess? All, I hope and pray!

A Willing Offering (Sep 06)

A husband was always telling his wife that if she just managed her time more efficiently and effectively, she could get so much more done around the house. One time, when his wife was away, he had the opportunity to try out his theories. Afterwards, he was bragging to his friend, "Yeah, I made a cake, frosted it, washed the kitchen windows, cleaned all the cupboards, scrubbed the kitchen floor, and washed all the walls, as well as the ceiling. I even had time to get cleaned up myself."

His friend, about to concede that he was a better household manager than his wife, then heard the real story as he sheepishly admitted, "When I was making the chocolate frosting, I forgot to turn off the mixer before taking the beaters out of the bowl, so I had to do all that other stuff." Herein lies the crux of the matter—not only in life in general, but in the quest for a truly spiritual life. Do we live for the Lord because we have to, whether out of duty, guilt, or pride, OR do we serve Him out of love, sincerely desiring every aspect of it to glorify His name?

Over these recent weeks, our church has been looking at the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, following the city's destruction and the Babylonian captivity. Through this, we clearly saw that it was a prophetic picture of the coming of the Holy Spirit in fulness at Pentecost—a powerful wall of protection around God's people. In Nehemiah 7, the focus was on the purity and holiness of the people who came down from the captivity to populate the city and the surrounding areas. Chapters 11 and 12 pick up that theme, having been interrupted by the narrative concerning their worship experiences and the signing of the covenant. But are these things really an "interruption?" Did they begrudgingly enter into those times of instruction and commitment, or did they want to give God the glory for what He had given? And what was the attitude of the leaders and the people as they looked towards getting settled? We are told, "…the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem." (11:1,2) Hmmm—interesting phrase, "willingly offered!"

You see, mostly it was the leadership that was residing in the city, but the "lay" people must also come and be apart of it—being poured out for others is for everyone! They were led of the Lord to cast lots in order to discover who else would come into that holy place. Today, the lot has already been cast—through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are allall—for God is "…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) A people willingly offered! Centuries earlier, when Moses asked the people to bring the supplies that were needed to build the tabernacle, they "willingly offered" them. Years later, when King David wanted to build an altar on the site of Araunah's threshing floor, the latter was more than willing to give everything needed. This willing offering is a major theme throughout all of the Scriptures.
called into that place of purity and holiness—not just out of duty or guilt, but all through faith in a loving God. Not just one out of ten, but

It is important to recognize here that we will not willingly offer anything until we have first willingly offered ourselves. And that only comes when we truly recognize that Jesus willingly offered His own life to take away our sin—not out of guilt or pride, but out of love. Simply receive that love by faith, and you will soon see yourself willingly and joyfully offering everything to Him and His glory. You see, life isn't all about you—get your eyes off of yourself, and onto Jesus and His Church. In Nehemiah 12, we see this as everyone gathers to dedicate the city walls to the glory of God. Notice how it all begins—purity! We are told, "…the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall." (vs. 30) Everything was willing to come into purity before a pure God, from the leadership on down—everything! It is then that Nehemiah tells of two great processions that he gathered at the southwest corner of the city wall. Ezra the priest led the first group eastward and then northward. The second group moved northward and then eastward around the city, with Nehemiah himself following them. Both processions were led by the Levitical singers, giving thanks to God for the wall— followed by the princes, the priests with trumpets, and finally, other Levites with stringed instruments. What an amazing sight that must have been!

As they joyfully marched, they weren't all wrapped up in themselves and their circumstances; no, they were "wrapped around" the walls, which God, in His mercy, had wrapped around them. And if you missed what the attitude of the day was, you will find it right here in verse 43—"Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off." That's right—joy; not that our focus ought to be on emotions or feelings, being totally governed by them. Quite frankly, emotions and feelings can be quite deceptive, and eventually, they will often lead us astray. This joy begins inwardly—not based on circumstances, but rather, on faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. That, I believe, is the great sacrifice—we are nothing in and of ourselves, but Jesus is everything. Get it? Our lives are to be Christ-centered, not self-centered!

As I contemplate how glorious that procession must have been, I remember another parade around another city's walls—those of Jericho. Remember? Only that time, it was not to thank God for the wall, but rather, to bring it down. Just before Joshua ordered a march on that city, he had a divine encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ—"…he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with His sword drawn in His hand; and Joshua went unto Him, and said unto Him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" (Joshua 5:13) His answer? Neither—He was the captain, and Joshua and the people must be on His side! And if they were going to be on His side, they would willingly offer themselves to do everything God's way. Instead of the usual battle, they were to march around the city a prescribed number of times, until, "…the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city." (6:20) Who took the city? God and His people! Don't think for a moment that they did that all by themselves—God did it through their willing offering to be faithful and obedient!

And I remember yet another joyful procession—some 2,000 years ago, they marched a man and His cross all through the city of Jerusalem. Joyful? How was that a joyous time? Well, it was for those who wanted to get rid of Jesus; for those who didn't want Him ruling over their lives; for those who were veryunwilling to offer themselves to the glory of God. Matthew Henry once wrote, "In all ages, men have preferred their own ease instead of the public good. Even in the Church, many too commonly seek their own, and not the things of Christ. Few have had such attachment to holy things and holy places, as to renounce pleasure for their sake." But, Oh, for that remnant that did—a people who willingly offer themselves to weep and grieve over their own sin and what it cost Jesus. In the immense and boundless love of God, Jesus willingly offered Himself at the Cross of Calvary. Remember—that Jesus died on the cross is history; that He died to take away the bondage of sin over us is "His-Story." He willingly offered Himself to be the living, indwelling Christ that makes it possible for God Himself to live His life within us!

So, in a very real sense, this last procession through the streets of Jerusalem was quite joyous after all, for look at all it provides—the possibility to surrender and to be born-again, forgiveness and remission of sin, holiness, purity, obedience, and last, but not least—the fulness of the power of the Holy Spirit that will lead us every step of the way into a willing offering of ourselves to His glory. Don't live for Jesus because you have to—turn from the frosting-splattered walls of selfishness and pride, and let Him surround you with the walls of His love and protection. As Paul put it, "…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1b) Admit it—after all He has done for you, what is reasonable?

Six Strikes and You're Out! (Aug 06)

Oh, the hazy, lazy days of summer! Two favorite pastimes for many in these days are fishing and baseball. Did you ever hear about the Sunday School teacher who asked little Johnny if he thought that Noah passed a lot of time on the ark by fishing? Well, Johnny quickly replied and said, "I doubt it—you can't do a whole lot of fishing with just two worms!" Even when it comes to worms, "more" is better!

So what about baseball and those six strikes? Well, recently, baseball's 2006 All-Star game was played just 35 miles from here in Pittsburgh, PA. The pre-game local hype was unbelievable, but by the next day, you would have thought it had never happened—hardly a word about it; a real flash in the pan. Such is the nature of such pastimes—no eternal value whatsoever. Perhaps it can, however, provide us with a lasting illustration—instead of the "three strikes and you're out" rule, what would it be like to be allowed six strikes? After all, more is always better, right?

Throughout the first five chapters of Nehemiah, we can see the team of Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and, of course, their captain, Satan, trying desperately to strike Nehemiah out as he is absolutely determined to stand on God's word and rebuild the city walls. The people of Israel had returned from their Babylonian captivity, and this wall would picture the protection of the Lord, exemplified in these New Testament times by the Holy Spirit. By Nehemiah 6, the "game" isn't quite over, as the doors and gates still need to be constructed. That is when Sanballat and Geshem came to Nehemiah and said, "Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono." (vs. 2a) Praise God—Nehemiah knew it was an ambush. In the Hebrew, "Ono" is a place of strength, symbolizing the power of the enemy to seduce us to come away from what the Lord calls us to, and just pass the time, getting friendly with those who don'tThat won't draw anyone to God; it only draws people unto us—and all under the pretence of serving Jesus!
want to be obedient to the Lord.

Nehemiah did not take the time to get chummy with the unsaved—he sent messengers who declared, "I am doing a great work, so that I can not come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?" (vs. 3) Indeed, why should the work stop, just because the enemy of the work wants it to? I think we find much of the problem today right here in this verse. Many do not see that their devotion to the Lord and His call upon their lives is a great work. So many other things have crept in and have taken center stage. Anymore, time is seen as something to just "blow"—not to the glory and honor of God, but for one's own amusement and satisfaction. And as we throw aside the things of God, we "cast our pearls before swine," (Mt.7:6) shouting to this unsaved world that the Lord is not important. Time is precious, for it will never pass our way again. Is your life a great work for God? If it isn't, do you want it to be? Do you recognize that the calling to be in the Body of Christ is a calling to a very great work? If you don't, repent, and turn your focus back on Him!

Satan was hoping to get a "strike call" on Nehemiah for that one, but it turned out to be just the opposite—the enemy got his first strike! Then in verse 4, we find Sanballat tried it three more times, and each time, it was a strike—now the count is 4-0. Be sure that Satan and his minions are not very quick to quit; they will take as many swings as they can—so the true people of God must persevere and not give in to the pressure. Each time, Nehemiah declared himself to be committed to the great work that the Lord had put before him. Four strikes, but Satan is not out yet! "Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand." (vs. 5) Same agenda; different method. Yes, the enemy can be quite creative—this time, the accusation comes that Nehemiah is manipulating the whole thing in order to become king, and has even chosen some prophets to support him in this endeavor. With all of this as the backdrop, Sanballat still wants to meet in order to "discuss" the whole thing. We often fall into that satanic trap, don't we? When we venture out to defend ourselves, we end up conversing and reasoning with Satan, like Eve did. No, you don't need to prove anything to him—just focus on Jesus!

Praise God—Nehemiah simply rebuked the enemy with the truth—"There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart." (vs. 8) In other words, it's all a big fat lie, for Satan is the "father of lies." STRIKE 5! Even though Satan does appear to be behind in the count, fear does start to creep in, for it is such a constant attack—"For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands." (vs. 9) Praise God—yes, Nehemiah is winning, but its not over yet, so he turns to the Lord who has coached him and kept him all along. Nehemiah was never content to sit in the bleachers and just watch from the sidelines—keeping his distance and staying away from the center of God's heart. Nehemiah was never content to be on the edges of a potentially life-transforming relationship with his Lord and Savior. And neither must we, for true Christianity will never be a spectator sport!

Five strikes! It would appear that Satan is down and almost out! And then along comes Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah—not from outside the city, but inside! No longer do the enticements and temptations come from out there in the world somewhere, but now from within—and yet the intention remains the same—Nehemiah's downfall. Shemaiah now wants to meet with him inside the temple, where Nehemiah would be "safe"—and all under the pretence of caring and concern. Spiritual discernment comes in again—Nehemiah perceived that Shemaiah was anything but caring. You see, as a layman, and not a priest, Nehemiah knew he would be in sin to enter into that "within" part of the temple—and, if he had done so, it would be a tremendous reproach on the honor of God and would ruin his own witness. Nehemiah knew that Sanballat and Tobiah were behind it all—they hired Shemaiah. It's true today, too! Those around you, who don't want to go all of the way with the Lord, will often try to trip you up in your quest to be centered on Jesus, for Satan "hired" them! You see, your desire to have Jesus in the middle of every aspect of your life is convicting to those who don't. So, Satan is quite ready to recruit them for his dirty work. He is trying to hit a home run for the Kingdom of darkness, but Satan swings at God's fast ball and misses—Strike 6!!!

Oh, Praise the Lord—Satan is out! He is done; finiti; washed up; over and out! With the new "six strikes and you're out" rule, that would seem to be true, but don’t forget—there is no truth in Satan and he cheats at everything! Even after fifty-two days of building the wall from start to finish, and even after the crucial doors and gates are installed so protection is ensured, and even after the "game" is seemingly over, verses 17,18, and 19, make it clear that Tobiah just kept it up and kept it up. But Praise God, to no avail! Why? Because Nehemiah's whole life was centered on the Lord! He didn't just tack God onto his life and figure that that was good enough—everything was for the One who gave His everything!

F.B. Meyer once wrote, "Paul declared that the love of Christ constrains us, but it does not constrain all who wear the name 'Jesus.' Many do not understand the profound significance of the Cross, and therefore, are not gathered unto the center of it. We sometimes hear people described as 'eccentric', or, literally, out of the center. A man is 'ex-centric' to the world when he is 'concentric' with Christ! This is the new creation—concentric around Christ, like the little waves that emanate from the stone tossed into the still pond." Oh, that wondrous Cross! Perhaps Satan thought he threw a spiritual monkey wrench into the plan of God when he influenced the religious leaders to hate Jesus, but that, too, was part of the plan—strike! And then he entered into Judas—strike! Through Herod and Pontius Pilate, Satan tried to get Jesus to back off and compromise—strike! When they raised that cross to the sky, and Jesus declared, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,"—strike! Just before He breathed His last breath, when Satan probably thought he had the victory, Jesus pronounced God's plan to be accomplished—strike! And now, because of that glorious Cross, the true Church of Jesus Christ can know that there is indeed a very great work set before them—not just to pass the time, but as a Christ-centered people, to see countless souls pass into eternity—strike! In the end, Satan will be out; God has already won! Yes, more is better—"more love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!"

Cupbearer to the King (Jul 06)

A man, who was stopped at a red light, was rammed from behind. When he walked back to the car that had hit him, he found a woman behind the wheel just sobbing—"Oh, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I did this! My husband's going to kill me—we just got married and he gave me this car as a wedding gift! And now, I've wrecked it—Oh, what am I going to do? Oh, my husband is going to kill me, I just know it!!!"

The man tried to calm her down and very nicely asked to see her insurance information. With that, she started crying again. "It's probably in the glove compartment," the man suggested, "that is where most people keep it." They looked, and sure enough, it was—it was in an envelope and attached was a note from her husband. It read, "Honey, in case of an accident, remember that I love YOU and not the car." Praise God—that is the freedom of the Christian faith! Through Jesus Christ, God is saying to us, "In case of any tragedy, a broken heart, discouragement, or any other hardship or tribulation, remember, I love YOU and I will be your vehicle through it all!

As the 4^th of July fast approaches, many will be thinking of freedom. But true freedom can only be found in the Spirit-led life, graphically forecasted in Nehemiah. Originally, in the Jewish Scriptures, Ezra and Nehemiah were one book. While the rebuilding of the temple is the focus in Ezra, Nehemiah stresses the importance of the rebuilding of the protective city walls. Once the "church" is built, God, out of pure love, does not leave it alone to fend for itself—He protects and empowers it through the Third Person of the Trinity—like a formidable wall against all worldliness! This "Trinity," of course, does not mean we have three Gods, for there is only oneor His Holy Word—just look at the baptism of Jesus in Luke 3:22 to see only one proof of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
God, who has chosen to express Himself in three persons—Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. I know some don't believe this, but that is because they don't "know" the One True God

So, who is this Holy Spirit, and how does He actually work in the Christian's heart and life? Let me begin with a very simple analogy. Take me, for example—many people know me, either by acquaintance or friendship. Several know me as pastor. Two people know me as son, and two people know me as father. But only one person knows me as husband. Just as it is possible to know one person in so many different ways, the Holy Spirit can be experienced on many different levels. On Easter Sunday night, Jesus breathed on His disciples and told them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." (John 20:22) In that moment, they were born-again under a New Covenant, but the Lord didn't leave them there. When we are born-again, we "have" or "receive" the Holy Spirit, but other levels of "knowing" are yet to come on the Christian path. In the Book of Acts, the disciples, and a whole host of others, are "filled" and even "baptized", or immersed, in the Holy Spirit and His sanctifying fire. (see Luke 3:16) Praise God—the Spirit has already come, but how many will want Him and even desire to be more and more intimate with Him? Perhaps an even clearer way of putting it would be, "How much of us will we let Him
have?"

As we turn to Nehemiah 1, all of this comes to the forefront. Nehemiah, whose Hebrew name means "Yahweh comforts and encourages," is a Jew among many still experiencing the Babylonian Captivity. Ezra had already returned to Jerusalem with thousands of others and rebuilt the temple. Now, in 444 BC, some 15 years later, Nehemiah grieves over the city's protective walls being in shambles. As the cupbearer to Artaxerxes the king, Nehemiah is in an amazingly trustworthy position and definitely has the ear of the Persian monarch. As the cupbearer, it was his job to "taste-test" all food and drink, in case an enemy had infiltrated the palace and poisoned the food—the king would live, but he would die. Imagine—the king putting his total trust in a Jewish "prisoner-of-war"—what an open window to the Godly character of Nehemiah! ALL was for the king! Now watch this—in the 2^nd Chapter, when Nehemiah doesqueen is by his side. You see, that would be quite the encouragement for Nehemiah—this queen is probably Esther! When she was called to risk her own life for the protection and the safety of the Jews, she said clearly, "If I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:16) This would be Nehemiah's attitude, as well!
approach the king, the

What an amazing picture of the Holy Spirit, and it can be all seen through Nehemiah's prayer before he approaches the king! Once the people of God are brought together, He does not leave them to worry and fret. Once the "church" is built, the walls of strength and safety are greatly needed. Such is the Holy Spirit's place in the church, and He is willing to go through "hell or high water", so to speak, for God's people. Nehemiah's initial focus is on the confession of sin, praying, "We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments…" (vs. 7) Even this proves the Holy Spirit is at work within, for He alone convicts us of sin, which should lead to confession and repentance. Jesus, referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit, tells us, "And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (John 16:8) It must begin in the heart!

Nehemiah's prayer also reveals a very deep concern for God's glory to be known and His purposes to be embraced. We see in the 5^th verse that He began by recognizing the majesty and greatness of God. Centuries later, when Jesus describes the coming ministry of the Holy Spirit, we see the same emphasis—"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." (John 16:13-14) A little later, Jesus would pray, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." (17:1) Praise God—He alone gets the glory when the Trinity's purpose is embraced!

Furthermore, Nehemiah, the "comforter," pleads that God will remember to keep His promises of deliverance and unity. Praise God—He proves that He did that and that He continues to do so, "…the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (14:26) You see, He shows His remembrance of His promises to us by causing us to remember His greatness and majesty. Many people today hear about this "Comforter" and automatically picture God as a consoling Grandfather-type, who just pats His little ones on the head and tells them they are fine the way they are. No, the Holy Spirit will never declare you to be fine in your sin. The Greek word for "Comforter" is "parakletos", and it speaks more of a counselor or an intercessor who is always calling and inviting us to draw ever nearer to the center of His heart, and, at the same time, ever further from sin. This is true freedom! Matthew Henry once wrote, "When we have entrusted our concerns to God, the mind is set at liberty; it feels satisfaction and composure, while all difficulties vanish." Maybe we need to stop telling God how big our storms are, and start telling our storms how big our God is. With such a great and wonderful inheritance laid out before us, just waiting to be received, the main obstacles that stand in our way are often rebellion and stubbornness. And it was the Holy Spirit Himself who inspired the writing of these powerful words—"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Samuel 15:23a) This is His merciful counsel—if you refuse to take it, there will come judgment; if you receive it, true comfort will abound! Oswald Chambers once wrote, "Stubbornness is an unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. The only thing to do with this barrier is to blow it up with 'dynamite,' and the 'dynamite' is obedience to the Holy Spirit."

Praise God—all is for the King! While Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, the Holy Spirit is the cupbearer to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It is the Holy Spirit who desires to keep the poison out of the palace. It is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of the truth of God's word, and places it around us like a fiery hedge or a massive stone wall—not only to keep us in the center of His will, but also to protect us from the outside influences that try to draw us away. Convicting, counseling, comforting—and all because He truly loves US…and not the "car!"

The Place to Hang Your Hat (Jun 06)

During the Second World War, a group of shipwrecked marines were thrilled to see land from their rubber raft. Once there, they kissed the ground and offered prayers of gratitude to God for saving them. They were now safe and secure on shore and an exuberant joy filled the beach. But as they ventured forth into the jungle, they began to see signs of life on that island—they were not alone. The island was inhabited…but by whom?

Immediately, they began to wonder—Are we safe? We are hungry and weak, and with no weapons, are we really safe? Will the other people welcome us or kill us on the spot? Soon, their joy was gone and fear filled their hearts. Then one of the marines climbed a tall palm tree to see what they could expect. Suddenly, he yelled, "It's OK, fellas, it's OK—we're saved! I see a steeple with a cross on it!"

What a picture of the redeeming and sanctifying influence the church is supposed to have! Now, I most certainly do not intend to infer that salvation is specifically in and through the church or its buildings, for it is not. I have even known people who thought that as long as they, or their families, were within those four walls, all would go to heaven. No way—the church is to proclaimand live the saving message of Jesus Christ and His atoning blood—He alone saves—not the church! In these past several weeks, our church has been exploring the amazing correlation between the Old Testament book of Ezra and the New Testament resurrection appearances of Jesus, focusing particularly on how the Lord intends to build His church and why. By the time we reach Ezra 9, the temple has been re-built and dedicated, and you would think all would be on track, but we find, instead, a lot of mixture—"…they have taken oftheir daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass." (vs. 2)

In other words, not only have God's people, His holy seed, not remained faithful—even after being delivered from captivity—but, now we hear, that their leaders were the worst offenders. Matthew Henry, the great commentator of the 17^th Century, once wrote, "There is not a surer [picture] of ruin, than turning to sin, after great judgments and great deliverances." Today, the church, which is supposed to be a safe haven of life-changing truth, is permeated with false preachers, from prosperity hucksters to authors and movie producers who will say anything
about the Lord Jesus Christ in order to turn a buck. Not to mention, the thousands, both pastors and parishioners, who invite these ungodly perversions of the gospel into their churches and homes every week—and especially right now, when all of this blasphemous hoop-la is at the forefront. Ezra was grieved over the people's embracing of their own self-interests, even including himself in his prayer of confession before God. So don't think that just because he was recognizing the sin of the people, that it was his sin as well. No, he had been given a spiritual discernment to see it in order to bring it before the Lord.

In the midst of this prayer, Ezra says, "And now for a little space grace hath been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage." (vs. 8) This "nail" is referring to a peg on the wall, symbolizing a constant and safe abode. Perhaps our own American euphemism is helpful here—"home is where you hang your hat." Ezra is picturing God's grace as a place of safety and security—a steeple with a cross! Grace is the home that God has prepared for His people—the only place you should desire to "hang your hat," for it is a holy place! His grace is the only place that illuminates our vision and revives our spirits. His grace mercifully calls us out of the world's philosophies and the false-church's self-interests, in order that we may see clearly that life isn't supposed to be all about us! You see, when we have our focus on self-gratification and pats-on-the-back, the true purpose of God's church becomes foggy, at best. Oswald Chambers once wrote, "If we give way to self-pity, we remove God from the thrones of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges—always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied." Haven't you noticed this? As long as life is all about you, you are never satisfied—you always want more! True peace comes when we are not self-consumed, but rather, through His Spirit, God-consumed for the sake of others.

Just as Ezra came to the people to draw them away from their plans and agendas, Jesus did so with His own followers. Shortly after Jesus had appeared to all eleven disciples, including Thomas, "There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples, Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a-fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee." (John 21:2-3) Notice Peter's "I", and the other disciple's "We"—even though they had already known the presence of the resurrected Lord, they were now slipping off into their own interests—perhaps to pay some bills. And even though it may have been the "logical" thing to do, Jesus has a Godly order, and He had told them on Easter Sunday night to "tarry" in Jerusalem.

When they had fished all night and caught nothing, Jesus appeared on the beach, asking them, "Children, have ye any meat." (vs. 5) In the Greek, He is calling them "infants, babies, perhaps even half-grown kids", implying that they were being immature, weak, and childish. Not exactly a pat-on-the-back! And concerning the "meat", He was not asking them if they had had any luck. On the evening of Easter Sunday, He asked them the same question, only without the reference to them being little kids. At that time, He took the food and ate it right in front of them—proving His resurrection! The "meat" is a picture of sustenance and nourishment—in a sense, He was asking them if they had grown up any in the past couple of weeks. In an effort to "grow them up," He told them where to put the net, like He had done in Luke 5. Wow!—153 huge fish—from nothing to everything! What did they do with them? Did they take them to market and pay their bills? We don't know, for the Bible does not say—and that is what matters—our eyes are illuminated by what the Bible says, not by what the media or anybody else tells us.

What I can tell you is that Jesus didn't use those fish right then, for He had already prepared their breakfast. Jesus would be their sustenance. Jesus would be their nourishment. Jesus, and only Jesus, would drive the nail into the wall, and in so doing, drive His point home. Only Jesus could shape them into the evangelists He wanted them to be. Perhaps you remember the Peanuts comic strip where Lucy says, "You know, Linus, I would make a good evangelist." "What makes you think that," he responded. "Well, you know the kid who sits behind me in class? I convinced him that my religion is better than his religion." "How did you do that," asked Linus. "I hit him with my lunch box." That may be the way other world religions approach it, beatingtrue Christianity. After breakfast, Jesus asked Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" (vs. 15a) LOVE is the focus! Three times Jesus asks him about his love, and three times Peter answers. Most people think that Jesus is pounding Peter for his earlier three-fold denial, kind of like Lucy with her lunch box. But He is not! In the Greek, Jesus asks him twice if he has the divine love, "agape," and Peter admits his love for Jesus is still a human one, "phileo." The third time, Jesus switches the word and asks if it really is "phileo," to which Peter admits. This is not pounding—in divine love, Jesus calls Peter away from his own interests, and into a deeper love for God.
people into submission—not

In effect, Jesus is saying, "Church, if you really do love me at all, you will let me fill you with a deeper love that will keep you out of the world and its ways and into the center of my heart and will—away from your self-interests, and into mine! Even when they haul you away, on my account, and throw you into the trash because they don't like the truth I have given you to share, I am in control. I will be with you if you will just follow me, and not the other influences that are all around you. Church, I have come, both in the Old and the New Testaments, to pull a people together and give you a holy place in which to hang your hat—a safe home at the foot of the Cross, a place of self-denial, and the fullness of my Pentecost Spirit. Well?

The Song of Resurrection (May 06)

Several years ago, a woman was cleaning her parakeet's cage when she accidentally sucked up the little guy with the vacuum cleaner. Absolutely horrified, she ripped open the machine and its bag, only to find her little Chippie stunned and shaken, but still alive. Chippie was absolutely filthy, so she rushed him to the kitchen faucet, and held him under the cold water until he was clean. Frantically, she ran to the bathroom and blasted him with the hair dryer.

Needless to say, it was a very traumatic morning for Chippie the parakeet. A couple of days later, the woman's friend asked her, "How's Chippie doing now?" "Well," she answered, "Chippie doesn't sing much any more—he just sits and stares!" When you think about it, you will have to admit it is true—many people are a lot like Chippie. They have been so knocked around by the harried circumstances of life, that they don't "sing" much anymore. Our society has a way of keeping us so hectic, telling us that that is the only way to truly succeed, that we often spend a good portion of our time just trying to cope. Pressed down and stressed out, we often feel as though we have been knocked for a loop. Life is intended to be so much more than that—much more than sitting and staring and just coping. God has a song for you—a glorious song of resurrection!

We must, first of all, admit it—we often feel as though the pressures of modern life have squeezed the song right out of us. This is graphically seen in the following prayer: "Dear Lord, So far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped; I haven't lost my temper; I haven't been greedy, grumpy or nasty or selfish or overindulgent. I'm really glad about that…BUT, in a few minutes, O Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help! Thank you, Lord. Amen!" A similar dilemma is voiced in a recent "Peanuts" comic strip—Charlie Brown says to himself, "I can't believe it—our baseball season starts today, and we haven't lost yet. Of course, I haven't gotten out of bed yet, either." No matter how difficult and depressing we may think we have it, I dare to say that the first followers of Jesus had it much
worse. They had been His close disciples and friends for over three years, and now He was gone. At this point, they had not understood any of His talk about resurrection, so they had every reason to be grieving and depressed. Life probably couldn't knock them around any more than this.

And then it happened! Matthew 28:1 tells us, "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." Looking at all the accounts, you find that these women had absolutely no expectation of finding Jesus missing, let alone, risen from the dead. They came to see the tomb—grieving the death of their Lord, hoping to further anoint His body for burial. If there was any song in their beaten-up hearts, it was a funeral dirge.

Then the earth shook violently and an angel descended from heaven and rolled away the huge stone from the opening of the grave, revealing it to be empty. The guards posted to stop any robbing of the tomb were terrified and fainted dead away. The angel, shining brighter than lightning, told the women, "Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you." (vss. 5,6,7) I believe that even this angel knew that "seeing" was absolutely crucial—he could tell them, and he must surely do that, but everyone would also need to see Him—really see Him for who He is! Yes, they would see the tomb empty, but before they got too far, they would also need to have a personal encounter with Jesus. "And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word…behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him."(vss. 8,9) Yes, they ran with joy, but they were also filled with fear—it was terrific news, but was it too good to be true? Lately, they have had nothing but
bad news—would their hopes and dreams be crushed again?

I believe this is why Jesus appeared to them as soon as they left the empty tomb. Before they would even get to tell the disciples about it, they would need to be rock solid in the good news themselves—and so do we! John tells us that a little later in the morning, Jesus and Mary meet up again—"Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."(20:17) This "touch", in the Greek, means to apply yourself and be connected to something. Now that sounds like a very good thing to do to the Lord, but it also implies a handling of an object in order to exert influence upon it. In other words, Mary was so thrilled to have Jesus back, she was trying to mold Him into what she wanted Him to be—not really seeing Him for who He really is. Today, the world is astir with books and movies about a romantic relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and the children they produced. It would be far better to believe the Bible's version—Jesus was her Lord and Savior, not her husband! And that will take a personal encounter, as well as a life-long experience of His sanctifying presence. People that concoct such "bunk", or even just believe it, evidently have neither.

Recently, I read a story that illustrates the point—a man decided to take a short cut across a field. While en route, he fell into a deep pit, and even with all of his own strength, he could not get out. As he screamed for help, a pop psychologist passed by and said, "I feel your pain; it must be somebody else's fault." A religious legalist happened along and said, "Obviously, you are in sin, for bad things happen to bad people." A neurotic came along and said, "You think your pit is bad; you should see mine!" An optimist said, "Things could be worse," while the pessimist remarked, "Things will get worse." Soon, yet another man came along, and seeing the man's problem, reached down with strength and grace and pulled the man out of the pit. Later, the rescued man was asked, "Who was it who pulled you to safety?" "It was Jesus!" "Well, how do you know that?" "Oh, I know it," he said, "because of the nail-prints in His hands." God's redeeming love can be known in that it cost so much, as evidenced in the death of His only Son on the Cross, with the expressed purpose of taking away our sin and freeing us from its destructive power and bondage right now. God's redeeming love is only seen as we encounter Him through repentance, a cleansing from sin, and having a personal relationship. This is the resurrected life—right now!none of them will bring true freedom to the spirit and a song to the heart. Only Jesus can do that, because only Jesus sees the problem—SIN!
Every corner of society will have a different point of view, but

One day, an artist walked along the beach, pointing out to friends the things she was seeing on the horizon, in the waves, in the clouds, and in the textures and shadings of light. A little girl, playing in the sand nearby, overheard the amazing descriptions. She ran over and asked if she could invite her mother over there to hear as well. "It won't take me long," she said, "we live right over there!" "Oh, I'm sure your mother has seen this all before," responded the artist. "But not like this," said the little girl, "I want her to see it all through your eyes." Yes, wouldn't it be something if we would let Jesus show us how to see through His eyes? Missionaries Jonathan and Rosiland Goforth did just that—they saw thousands mightily saved in China, because Jesus saw them that way first. And they didn't stop there; the Goforth's also called them into a deeper walk with the Lord. Referring to this, he said, "That which weighed most heavily on the consciences of all was that we had so long been grieving the Holy Spirit by not giving Him His rightful place in our hearts and in our work. While believing in Him, we had not trusted in Him, to work in and through us." Perhaps the hardest part came when his home presbytery rejected the very same message! Paul echoes, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." (2 Cor. 4:8-10) When we truly see Him for who He is, we are not reduced to sitting and staring like a beaten-up parakeet, but the song of resurrection fills our souls! Hallelujah—I know that my Redeemer lives; O the sweet joy this sentence gives!!!

The Empty Chair (Apr 06)

Many years ago, Leslie Weatherhead told the story of an elderly Scottish man who became quite ill. When the minister came to visit, he noticed an empty chair pulled up close to the other side of the bed. "Let me tell you about that," said the old man, "Many years ago, when I found it difficult to pray, my pastor then told me not to worry about kneeling or placing myself in some pious position, or about speaking an abundance of high-sounding words.

"Instead, just sit down, put a chair in front of you, and imagine God sitting in that chair—then just talk to Him as you would to your best friend. I've been doing that ever since!" Several days later, the daughter of the old man called the minister to tell him that her father had passed away peacefully. And then she said, "Odd thing, though—his hand was on that empty chair beside his bed. Isn't that strange?" "Oh, no," the minister responded, "I understand perfectly—he was reaching out to his very best friend."

What a powerful truth, but I would like to take it even further than that—empty chairs would be the key to the most important series of events in all of human history. Matthew 26:57 tells us, "And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled." This council of the Jewish faith was known as the Sanhedrin. Finding its basis in the appointment of the 70 elders by Moses in Numbers 11:16, it really was a product of the period of time between the Old and New Testaments. The council, in Jesus' day, was comprised of 70 men—23 priests, 23 scribes, and 23 elders, with the high priest presiding. In a rush to get rid of this Galilean trouble maker and have it go their own way, they may have only notified certain of their members—a secret meeting, for it only took one-third of them to have a quorum. If true, this would have resulted in some very"…there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (the same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;)" Was this "non-consenting" in personor was he not informed of the meeting and his chair was empty? Maybe there were even others, but even so, they were not nearly as important as the empty chair we are about to see!
conspicuous empty chairs. After the death of Jesus, Luke 23 tells us, as he voted "Nay,"

From beginning to end, what was about to take place was illegal—capital trials were not to be held at night, under the cloak of darkness; at least two agreeable witnesses were required, and they were to be the only prosecutors; if a guilty verdict was the result, it could not be pronounced for at least 24 hours in order to make sure that "cool heads" prevailed; on the third day, a second vote would be taken, and it had to agree with the first in order to proceed with the death penalty; and the list of legal infractions goes on and on. The initial intention was to insure fairness in the proceedings, but fairness was not their objective—they wanted Him dead! You see, there are two ways to want Jesus—dead or alive. Perhaps a graphic illustration will help—Every old western movie had a sheriff's bulletin board plastered with "Wanted: Dead or Alive" posters—remember? Spiritually speaking, we are presented with a very real choice—which way do we really want Jesus: dead or alive?

Oh, sure, most people would not admit that they want Jesus dead—even in the Church—but what else is it when we won't allow Him to be in total control of our lives? It really isn't all that different from these "religious" leaders as they "…sought false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses." (vss. 59-60) For a long time, they couldn't find two that would agree, but they finally did, and this was their story—"…this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days."at all! Check out John 2—He didn't say that He would destroy the Jewish temple; He said they would—AND He wasn't even speaking of the building, He was referring of His own body! Isn't it amazing how we will sometimes twist the truth to get what we really want? Even if we just "shade" the truth, we make it clear how we want Jesus—we want Him dead! And look how far we are often willing to go with it—in Jesus day, if the witnesses were found to be false, they, too, suffered the same fate as the accused.
(vs. 61) Now if you didn't know the Scriptures, you would think that they really had Him on that one, but that is not what He said

And then comes a very crucial verse—"And the high priest arose, and said unto Him, Answerest thou nothing?" (vs. 62) "And the high priest arose"—now I know that seems inconsequential, but it isn't. And if you will wait a minute, you will see the amazing truth that is in that often-ignored phrase. What is usually the focus is the fact that Jesus remained silent. In fact, they had no right to try to make Him testify against Himself—this was one of the protections, or safeguards, built into the system. But when the high priest said, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God." (vs. 63b), Jesus did answer, for what He would then say would give glory to that living God. He said, "Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (vs. 64) With that, the high priest, still standing, ripped his robes as a sign of disgust, and accused Jesus of blasphemy.

So why didn't He make His position even clearer? When the high priest stood up in the first place, why didn't Jesus run to the front, push him aside, and take his empty chair? He could"THE LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool…The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." (110:1,4) In the New Testament, in practically every chapter of the Book of Hebrews, Jesus is declared to be the ultimate High Priest—"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (4:14-16)
have, you know—In Psalms, King David describes it well—

Amazing! Not only did He have every right as the real high priest to take a hold of that empty chair and take it for His own, but the Scriptures also make clear why Hedidnot! Remember—God is in complete control! Just because the high priest and his cohorts think they have Jesus where they want Him, they don't—not really! They want Him dead, but the end result of this event would be life, even life eternal! God was using this whole scenario to accomplish His will—Jesus could not rise with resurrection power and ascend to sit at the right hand of the Father, if He had not first suffered and died in order to take away our sin. Before He could pass into the heavens, the sinless Son of God would do just that—provide the only way there would ever be for us to be forgiven and join Him there. Simply because He is LOVE itself, He was touched by our plight and went the only way that would remedy it—the Cross of Calvary!

Oh, Praise God—even before the high priest and his crew could do their dastardly deed to the fullest, Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, brought into view that empty chair in the sky, as well as His soon return in the clouds. Oh, what a Christ! Paul declares that God…"hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:6) If He hadn't done it all, including being resurrected from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven forty days later, where would we be? Actually, that is a very good question—you can't answer it for me, and I can't answer it for you. It is a very personal issue—where am I, even right now in this very moment? The message of most churches today is that Jesus suffered, died, and rose again, and because of that, everybody's fine. Some twist it a little bit and make church membership, or some other "good work", to be the criteria, but that is not Biblical. Everyone is not fine! There are many—even within the church—that still want Jesus dead. Most would not admit it, but if we don't let Him be our High Priest—not just the one who offers the sacrifice, but also is the sacrifice—we really do want Him dead. In the end, where will you be? Right now—in this very moment—are you raised up next to Him, with your hand on the throne of Grace, boldly reaching out to your very best friend? Remember—it is no longer an empty chair—it holds the resurrected Lord!!!

Somewhat to Say (Mar 06)

The story is told of a very wealthy man and his son who loved to collect rare works of art—from Picasso to Raphael. When the Vietnam War erupted, the son went to serve his country. In a valiant effort to rescue a fellow soldier, he took a bullet in the heart and died. The grieving father answered the door about a month later, only to find a young man on his doorstep with a large package in his hands. "Sir," he said, "You don't know me, but I'm the soldier for whom your son gave his life." He then held out his package.

"It's not much," he said, "I'm not the greatest artist in the world, but I think your son would want you to have it." Upon opening it, the father found it to be a portrait of his only son. He loved it and offered to pay for it. "Oh, no, sir, I could never repay what your son did for me—this is a gift!" From then on, the portrait of the son hung over the fireplace, and the father showed it off to one and all, treasuring it above all his other works of art. A few months later, the father died as well, and news spread everywhere of the great auction that would take place on the estate. The first item on the block was the painting of the son.

A shout came from the back, "Show us the famous paintings—just skip this one!" But the auctioneer persisted, "Who will start the bidding—$100, $200?" Another voice shouted, "We didn't come to see this one—get on with the real bids." But the auctioneer was undaunted—"The son! The son!" he cried, "Who will take the son?" Finally, the long-time gardener of the estate offered all he could—$10. As time passed, the crowd got very angry and demanded he move on. When the painting was sold for $10, the auctioneer laid down his gavel—the auction was over. "What?" they all cried, "What about the other paintings?" "I'm sorry," he explained, "but there is a secret stipulation in the will—this was the only painting to be auctioned, and whoever buys it, inherits the entire estate! The man who takes the son, gets all!"

What a crucial thought to wrap our minds around as we proceed through the season of Lent! Who will take the Son; who will take all? It doesn't really matter how important we think other things are—they aren't, Jesus is! A very powerful illustration of this can be found in the story of the woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive ointment. Each Gospel mentions it, but a careful look reveals that they are not the same accounts. The stories in Matthew 26 and Mark 14 do describe the same event, with the latter giving the added detail of it happening two days before the Passover. In John 12, we are told of Mary, Martha's and Lazarus' sister, anointing Him six days before the Passover—even before Palm Sunday—obviously, a different event! Then there is the one in Luke 7, distinct from the others, for it happened very early in Jesus ministry. I say all of this to make a paramount point—more than one person loved Jesus enough to be totally "poured out" for Him! Praise God—Jesus has somewhat to say about all this, even to us! But who will listen? Who will obey?

In Luke's account, we find a Pharisee named Simon, inviting Jesus to dinner in order to "check Him out." And then it happened—"And, behold, a woman of the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment." (7:37-38) Many try to label her a "prostitute," and I'm not saying that she wasn't, but the word "sinner" simply means that she had deviated and missed the mark. We have all done that—"for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) But this woman comes in humility to worship the only One who could save her. A.W. Tozer put it this way—"It is delightful to worship God, but it is also a humbling thing—the man who has not been humbled in the presence of God will never be a worshiper of God at all. He may be a church member who keeps the rules and obeys the discipline, and who even tithes, but he'll never be a worshiper unless he is deeply humbled."

What a picture! First, she stood behind Him weeping over her sin, recognizing what an abomination any sin is to a pure and holy God. Secondly, she humbly bowed down to Him and began to wash His feet with her tears, a loving response to what hadn't even happened yet—the washing of her own spirit in the waters of regeneration by the One who was the "Living Water." (John 7:37-39) Thirdly, she wiped His feet with her hair. Amazing! You see, in her culture, for a woman to reveal her hair in public was similar to a woman today baring her bosom. I don't say this to be provocative—she is, in a very powerful way, declaring that she was giving her entirekissed His feet—in the Greek, it speaks of an earnest expression of personal attachment to Him. And lastly, she anointed His feet with precious perfumed oil. It is important to note that when true tears of humbling repentance flow, and a complete surrender of everything we are takes place, the giving of the Holy Spirit—symbolized throughout the Scriptures by precious oil—is not far behind!
being into His control—even her most intimate thoughts. Fourthly, she then

When Simon the Pharisee objected inwardly in his spirit, Jesus said, "Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee." (vs. 40) The Greek word for "somewhat" is "tis," referring to a particular or a certain thing. When Simon agreed to listen, Jesus proceeded to tell him of two particular people who were forgiven certain debts—one equal to a day and a half of wages, and the other, a month and a half. Who will love the master more? Simon responded correctly—the one who recognized the depths of the love shown him! At that point, we are told that Jesus turned to the woman, but He spoke to Simon—she is now the object of the lesson! Simon, when I entered your home, you didn't have anyone wash my feet, which would have been a very normal thing to do. And yet, she did so with her own tears and her own hair. You didn't even give me the customary greeting of a kiss, but she is still kissing my feet, revealing her earnest desire to be attached to me. Normally, I would have had my head anointed with oil by this time as a sign of how much I was welcome in your home and in your life. But it didn’t happen—not until she did it! And then it was my feet—showing her desire to walk where I walk!

In their day, these were common courtesies. Why didn't Simon do some of the things that would have normally been done? He was trying to "get" Jesus without really loving Him. Much later, when Judas betrayed Jesus, he kissed Him, and, oddly enough, Jesus called him, "friend."(Mt. 26) This looks like love, but this "friend," in the Greek, is "hetairos," referring to being a companion in order to get something out of it. And so it is with this Pharisee—not really caringskip
about the Son (vs.39); not really desiring to be attached to Jesus in true love; not really seeing Him as far more precious than everything else on the auction block of life. He was willing to the one thing needful—true worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, the words still ring in our ears, don't they?—The Son! The Son! Who will take the Son?

It really is a very good question, and one that everyone on this planet must deal with before they leave it—so, in these last of days, now is a very good time! Many today, going beyond Simon, are willing to show Jesus certain common courtesies, like showing up in church or being a decent person. Many others yearn for "sinner-friendly" hype, entertainment, and fun, thinking that these are worship. Many think that because they have followed the pattern, keeping a list of do's and don'ts, that their worship will be accepted and they will get what they want out of it. But Jesus has somewhat more to say, both to Simon and to us—"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: and to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." (vs. 47) Lovereally is the key!!! Who will really take the Son? Those who realize that His entire life was poured out for them as a gift—the greatest gift ever given—that can never be deserved or repaid, but it can be responded to with the gift of love-motivated surrender. Who will really take the Son? Those who truly recognize that Jesus paid the price for their own sin at the Cross of Calvary, receive that price personally, AND let Him live and rule within, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the woman, "Thy sins are forgiven," and, "Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace." (vss. 48 and 50) It must be very personal! You can only have true forgiveness and true reconciliation, or peace, with a holy God, when it is your sins and your faith that are involved in the transaction. God does it, not you—but He does want somewhat more than one to come in humility, worshiping Him in love and devotion. Remember—everyone who takes the Son, gets all!