The Breach and The Paths

The nation of Judah and the city of Jeruselam were conquered and carried into Babylonian captivity in 606 BC because they failed to keep their covenant with God. There were many reasons for the judgment that came upon the people of God, they were involved in all kinds of idolatry and immorality. However, the breach between Israel and God began long before open sin found its way into their lifestyle. II Chronicles 36:21 points back to the foundation of the judgment when it states that the captivity of Judah would last until the land had enjoyed all the Sabbath years that it had missed – seventy years worth of rest for the land.

In order to grasp the significance of that you must understand a little about the Land Sabbath that God instituted in His law. God commanded Israel to let the land rest every seven years. When Israel failed to do that she opened the door to evil, greed, and oppression. The law of the Land Sabbath freed every Israelite from their debts every 7 years and prevented their downward spiral that would lead to destitution. The endless cycle served as a check and balance to keep the rich from taking advantage of the poor. It also enabled those with financial problems to have another chance and eliminated the rich from forming monopolies. It was an ingenious method of governing a nation.

At the end of every 7 Land Sabbaths or every 50 years there was mandated a year of jubilee. In that year ownership of all lands reverted back to their original owners. The price of land was determined in relation to the year of jubilee. Its value was derived from the expected harvest between the time of purchase and the year of jubilee. This promoted a good work ethic and exalted industry. Land was not viewed as mere real estate but was regarded as the source of food, its value was based upon its ability to produce. If Israel had continued in God’s plan then eventually their nation would have known no poverty and every person would have been a productive part of society.

However, they broke God’s law. If you count backwards from the year of captivity, counting 7 years for each of the 70 sabbaths that God declared had to be fulfilled you discover that the breach of God’s law began in the first year of King Saul’s reign. If you will remember the people wanted a king so that they could be like other nations. But, apparently, they wanted a king so they could cast off God’s laws. Saul usurped the land, debts were no longer cancelled and the land was no longer returned to its rightful owners.

Shortly after Saul became king we are introduced to a new problem in Israel, problem they never had before. When David hid in the caves in his effort to escape Saul, just 40 short years after Saul became king, the bible tells us in 1 Samuel 22:2 that the group of 400 men that gathered around him to make him their captain were discontented, distressed and in debt. They were outlaws because of their indebtedness. The whole situation never would have existed under God’s original plan, their debts would have been canceled every 7 years.

The countdown to captivity began when Saul cast off God’s laws creating a breach between God and his chosen people. It culminated 70 Land Sabbaths later when the Babylonians invaded. In the course of that 490 years the Nation of Israel was so transformed and broken down by sin, idolatry, immorality and greed that it was barely recognizable from what it once had been.

The prophecy of Isaiah 58 takes place as the 70 years of judgment is drawing to a close. God is setting the stage for the return of Israel to her beloved promised Land. Ezra is on the scene, anointed by God, returning to Israel with priests and other Jews with a promise to turn back the hands of time and restore the former glory. God has raised up a Nehemiah and he is following in Ezra’s footsteps returning with pilgrims and a desire to rebuild what had been laid to ruin. God has even given him the favor of a Pagan king that will finance his expedition, underwriting the whole thing at his own expense. And Isaiah has found his prophetic voice and begins to prophecy that about the restoration of Israel. There’s a certain feeling in the air, it is evident to all that revival is immanent. God is getting ready to restore what the canker worm has eaten, to return the years that have been stolen from the people of God. Restoration and healing are coming to the people of God.

Isaiah 58 reveals dramatically the keys to this process. He admonishes the people of God to seek the Lord, to cry out to him and not to forsake his commandments. Remember, they got into this situation because they ignored God’s commandments. So Isaiah stresses how important it is to ask the Lord to show them the right way, to delight in approaching the Lord. To seek his face and find his favor. Then he begins to pronounce blessings upon them. They are going to shine. They will grow in strength. The Lord will return to them. He will restore his glory and majesty and he will prosper them in all that they do. In the curse of his prophecy, Isaiah bestows upon them two titles. They shall be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths. (Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of the paths to dwell in.)

Today, you and I live in a world that has cast off the laws of God and is reaping the results of that. We live in a world that is held captive by sin, immorality, idolatry and greed. Many years ago the laws of God were usurped and today the world is reaping the effect of the breach that exists between man and God. As the church we have a kindred calling to that of Nehemiah and Ezra. God has determined in us to restore his glory and his majesty in this present world. God has chosen us to be light in the darkness, and he desires to crown us with his glory and majesty. I believe that, in the year 2010, we find ourselves in much the same atmosphere as the one that Isaiah prophesied in. There’s a certain feeling in the air, it is evident to all that revival is immanent. God is getting ready to restore what the canker worm has eaten, he’s getting ready to return his glory to the church. He’s getting ready to turn lose a revival the likes of which we have only dreamed. Those people that followed Nehemiah back to Jerusalem were embracing a land they had never known, they were putting their hopes into a dream that they had never experienced for themselves. They lacked the wealth, they lacked the prosperity, they probably lacked even in the skill but they determined to build a city and a tabernacle that would be worthy of the glory of God. And that humble temple that they built would be crowned with a glory like none before it, because it would be the temple that would see God manifest in the flesh walking through its doors.

God’s calling the church of this generation to go to a place we’ve never been. To embrace a dream that we’ve never experienced. We’ve heard about old time revival, we’ve celebrated the stories of brush arbors and moves of God that transformed entire regions and impacted whole cities. I believe that God is calling you and I to commit ourselves to a move of God that will far outshine anything God has done before. Sure, times are different. Sure, the it’s a different generation. Sure we are up against a different mindset and culture. But god is still God and my bible still says that the latter shall be greater than the former. God can, and God will build a church in this last day that will tower far above anything he has ever done before.

In light of that I want to take a short look at the two titles that are characteristic of the people that God will use in this endeavor.

Repair The Breach
First they will be repairers of the breach. A breach is the perfect definition of the condition that exists between humanity and God. It speaks of a rupture, a gap, a broken relationship. We live in a world that is separated from the mercy of god and the grace of God by a breach. It’s a breach that results from breaking God’s law. It’s a breach that results from discarding God’s commandments. And it permeates every aspect of life in this world.

You and I, if we are going to see the revival that God has reserved for us, must embrace the role that he has given us. We are the repairers of the breach. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Its our job to stand in the gap between lost people and heaven and bring them together! We are called to make up the hedge.


The Bible is filled with examples of people that fulfilled this calling. The most striking example is Abraham who stood between God and Sodom, pleading not just for the life of his nephew but for the lives of a whole region that steeped in sin and immorality. Abraham cared enough to stand in the gap, even though he knew how thoroughly wicked Sodom was. Moses also stepped in when God was angry, standing in the gap in the most literal sense : offering his own life for that of his nation. What this world needs is more men and women of God who are willing to lay their lives aside in order to see a lost people saved! This is what it means to be a repairer of the breach. Somebody that is willing to set aside your selfish pursuits and pour out your life that someone else might be saved. God is looking for that kind of person in this generation:

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, 
and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; 
but I found no one. Ezk 22:30

So often we question why revival tarries. Many times the answer lies in us. Before the Glory of the Lord would be renewed in Jerusalem, somebody had to step up and become the repairer of the breach! God is looking for a man that will make up the wall, that will stand in the gap. God is looking for a Lady that bridge the breach that exists between this world and God! Ezekiel portrays a God that is reluctant to judge, but has no choice since he can find no intercessor. I believe it breaks God’s heart every time a soul slips into eternity lost. God will judge, because he is just. But I believe mercy weeps when God looks for a man to make up the hedge and fails to find one before its too late!

We have a calling. We are the repairers of the breach! Its our job to stand in the gap, to make up the wall, to connect people to God! I want to challenge you to renew yourself in the role of repairer of the breach.

Restore the Paths
The second thing that Isaiah calls the generation that will see this great revival is the restorer of paths to dwell in. At first glance it would appear that God wants them to restore paths so folks can live in the paths. But the intention of the original language was not paths that became dwellings but rather paths that led to dwellings. The paths that were to be restored were the paths that would lead them to dwelling in the land. They were the paths by which they would obtain the revival that God had promised. They were old paths, they were neglected paths, they were the once well-traveled roads home. But years of neglect have caused them to fall into disrepair. Isaiah prophesies that the generation that will experience the restoration of God’s glory will be a generation that will restore those old paths.

If we are going to see the revival that God longs to give us, it will be because we restore some old paths. The same roads that led to revival before are still the only way to get there today. They are roads that are paved with sacrifice. They are the old paths of prayer and fasting. They are the old paths of becoming students of the word. They are the old paths of denying the flesh and taking up the cross. As much as the world changes, some things will always remain the same. The roads that lead to revival are still the same today as they always were.

If we are going to see the move of God that He longs to give us, we will have to make a conscious effort to get back to the old paths. We need to restore things like the Word and Worship. We need to restore paths like Righteousness and Anointing. You can’t sidestep them if you hope to see revival. We need to be diligent to restore the paths of Prayer and Fasting. These are the old paths that must be restored. Paths like Godliness and Sacrifice are still the only roads that lead to a move of God.

If we are to fulfill our role as repairers of the breach then we must embrace the role of restorers of the paths.

I truly believe that God has prepared us for such a time as this. Just as he raised up Ezra. Just as he called out Nehemiah. I believe that God has positioned us. If we will repair the breach and restore the paths, God will move.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Worth and Waste

Yesterday was the Sunday before Easter and on this week, some 2,000 years ago, the Easter story unfolded. If you were to follow a chronological timeline of events you would discover that this past Saturday night was the night that Jesus sat with his friends at a feast in the home of one Simon who had once been a leper before he met Jesus. What unfolded at that feast was one of the most talked about events in the life of Jesus. The fame of that special act of worship was declared by Jesus to be as unforgettable as the gospel, in that everywhere the gospel was preached, that story would be told too.

It was an incredible event but it was not a unique occurrence. What happened that night in Simon's house was a reenactment of sorts of something that happened much earlier in the life of Jesus at the home of a Pharisee in Galilee. On that occasion a forgiven prostitute, out of the overflow of a grateful heart, brought her most valuable treasure, her life’s savings in the form of a precious ointment in an alabaster box. In an act of unselfish love she fell upon the feet of the master and as she kissed them without ceasing, she poured the precious perfume upon the feet of Jesus, washing them with her tears and her hair. The self-righteous Pharisees at that dinner sought to condemn Jesus because of the manner of woman that she was. But Jesus reminded them that, because she had been forgiven much, she loved him much in return. And her offering was not extravagant but was simply the product of an overflowing heart!

Mary was a close follower and friend of Jesus and, no doubt, she knew of this incident. She had heard the story and marveled at the pure unadulterated worship that drove that nameless woman to pour her love upon Jesus. Mary was a worshiper herself; she was the one that was scolded by her sister, Martha, for sitting at the feet of Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, we know from that narrative that she hung on his every word. She listened to what he said as if his words were, indeed, the words of life itself.

Lately the words of Jesus had changed somewhat in tone. Many times they had heard him say, when threatened, that his time had not yet come. But now, as this final week of his life was upon them, Jesus was doing everything he could to warn his followers that the time was at hand. Now he was saying things like. “My time has come.” But no one was listening. No one was getting it. No one, that is, except for Mary. Mary heard him and Mary understood, what perhaps no one else understood. She realized that something pivotal was about to take place. She sensed the subtle change in the things Jesus was saying and how he was saying them. It is doubtful that she recognized that his death was so near, it is doubtful that she fully understood just what he meant, but it is certain that she felt motivated to lavish upon Jesus some profound display of worship in this critical hour.

So she drew from whatever resources she had. She robbed her penny bank, cashed in her savings, scraped together all her extra money and purchased the costliest fragrance she could afford. Both John and Mark record that the ointment was worth 300 Denari – about a years wages. It was encased in an alabaster box, just like on the previous occasion, and the box itself was quite expensive. When Mary came into the room that night, the Saturday evening before the crucifixion, she had in her hands the very most expensive gift that she could afford. It was everything she had and it cost her very dearly to obtain it. But she had only one thing on her mind. In the midst of the increasing tension, in the face of the upcoming Passover, with a sense of urgency to the hour, she wanted nothing less than to make an undeniable statement of worship and praise. Mark says she broke the alabaster box, which further increased the value of the offering. With tears of worship and adoration she started with his head and proceeded to anoint his feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. She was a woman driven by worship, her heart was filled with gratitude, and the fragrance of her praise filled that room.

Her sense of the value of Jesus, told her that the sacrifice of ointment wasn’t enough. He was worth so much more than that, but that was all she could afford. His worth to her dictated that, not only would she anoint him with the oil, but she would sacrifice the alabaster box as well! His worth to her is what was on display that evening; His value to her. She was saying, in her worship, Jesus you are worth so much more than this to me. You are priceless beyond comparison; your worth knows no measure. This is the best that I have to offer and I’m bringing you my very best, but my tears declare the fact that I know that even my best isn’t good enough! You deserve this many times over. You are worth this and so much more! This was the greatest display of worship that Mary had ever seen and she wanted to emulate it that night. It wasn’t about eclipsing what had previously happened. Rather, it was about saying from her heart, you are worth that much to me... I want to be a part of that kind of praise. I want to render to you that kind of worship.

It was a beautiful scene. But, in the midst of such an incredible display of worship, that was the place that Judas weighed worth against waste. At the same time that Mary was declaring the worth of Jesus, Judas was lamenting the waste. She was enthralled with the worth of the word made flesh. He was angry over the waste of such a precious ointment. Where Mary saw worth, Judas saw waste! John’s account lets us know that Judas was the ringleader in the effort to discredit Mary’s offering. But John also informs us that Judas’ motivation was less than noble. John tells us in John 12:6 that Judas didn’t care for the poor but, rather, he was a thief. He kept the moneybox, he was the treasurer for the disciples and, unknown to anyone (except Jesus), he had made a habit of stealing from what went in the moneybox. Because of that, what Mary, and millions of bible readers since, have seen as the ultimate statement of the worth of Jesus, Judas saw as a lost opportunity for personal financial gain. If the gift had been given to him in order to sell it and distribute it to the poor. He would have been able to pilfer a large sum of money from the exchange. His anger at the display of worship was rooted in his deep sense of greed.

However, at the time, he was one of the twelve and they all trusted their friend Judas. He began to stir the disciples to anger, saying, “What a waste!” What a way to squander such a valuable resource. Eventually this bitter reproach found its way into a sharp rebuke aimed at Mary. But Jesus stepped in. He quickly let them know that Mary wasn’t being wasteful at all. Mary was right in the center of the divine will of God. Mary didn’t fully realize it yet, and the disciples hadn’t come to understand it yet, but the death of Jesus was at hand. And, since he wouldn’t be in the ground quite long enough for the traditional means of anointing the dead, it was needful that his body be anointed while he was yet alive! God used Mary, due to her sensitive spirit and her willingness to express the worth of Jesus in her life, in an incredibly significant gesture. Jesus said, “She has anointed my body for my burial!” She didn’t even know that was what she was doing. But the one thing she did know was that He was worth more than anything she could ever do for Him.

If you read the book of Matthew, this story is told out of context. Matthew doesn’t tell it in the chronological manner that Mark and John do. He, in the context of Jesus’ final night with his disciples, inserts this story into the narrative just before Judas goes to the High Priest and offers to sell Jesus. It seems as if Matthew is telling us that this incident was what motivated Judas, it was the thing that opened his heart’s door for Satan to come in and use him. It was the greed. He was consumed with the material wealth. He couldn’t see the worth for the waste! He couldn’t see the worship because he was to busy morning the loss of the perfume. In the face of incredible worship, in the presence of declaration of unparalleled worth, Judas could only shake his head and mutter, “What a waste!

Perhaps it was this act and the Lord’s approval of it that made Judas willing to betray the Lord. From this scene Matthew returns to the narrative and tells us that Judas went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus. Talking about worth and waste: Judas agrees to sell Jesus for the paltry sum of thirty silver coins. Thirty pieces of silver was the sum due as compensation to an owner for the loss of a slave. It was worth only about a third of what Mary’s ointment alone had been worth! Oh what a waste! Jesus, the healer, the teacher, the savior of the world and the precious lamb of God was sold for the price of a slave!

It is highly doubtful that the money alone is what induced Judas to sell Jesus. But it seems abundantly evident from the way that Matthew chooses to tell the story that something transpired in Judas’ heart when he ascribed a value to Jesus and determined that he wasn’t worth the sacrifice being offered to him. I doubt that, at that time, he valued Jesus as low as the slave’s ransom that he would eventually sell him for. But the truth is that he made his great mistake when he exalted something -- anything -- over the value of Jesus in his life. That’s when he turned worth into waste.

Today, that’s a trap that we should all endeavor to keep from falling in. Because, before people lose out with God they first reach the place that they weigh worth against waste. They first come to the conclusion that something in this life is more precious to them than Jesus. I want you to know tonight that you are walking in a dangerous place when you begin to look longingly upon the things that you have to given up in order to be a part of the church. When you begin to look at the cost of your praise and the price of your devotion with regret you are walking the same dangerous path that Judas walked.


I have a simple question for you: What is Jesus worth in your life? How much is too much. Where do you draw the line. Is it asking too much to spend a few minutes each day in reading your bible? Is it asking too much o spend an hour each day in prayer? Is it asking too much to push away your plate and fast one day a week? What is the worth of Jesus in your life? What if he asked you, like the rich young ruler, to sell all you have and give to the poor and come follow him? What if he asked you to swallow your pride in an act of complete worship? What if he asked you to forsake your occupation to serve him? How much is too much?

I don’t ever want to get to the place where anything in my life is worth more to me than my walk with Jesus! I don’t want to ever get to the place where I value anything over my worship. I don’t want to ever get to the place where I set anything about the value of my salvation. My desire this evening is to give the Lord anything he might desire from me. My desire this evening is, like Mary, to pour out my very best for him whether he requires it or not. You understand, nobody asked Mary to make that sacrifice. It came from her heart and lowed from her incredible sense of the worth of Jesus. That’s the way I want to live. I want to pour out my whole life to the glory of Jesus. I want to give everything that I have that he might be glorified.

Judas serves as a warning to all of those that start out with good intentions but let this life capture their heart. Judas started a journey away from God long before that fateful night in Simon’s house. I don’t know exactly where and when he started stealing from the treasury. I only know that somewhere along the way he exalted himself over Jesus. That’s where the true question of worth and waste came into play. Judas valued himself and the desires of his own flesh over his relationship with Jesus. Because of that he wasted his life, his opportunities and even his soul. Perhaps this is why Jesus referred to him in John 17:2 as the son of perdition. That literally means the “son of waste.” This was Jesus’ way of echoing Judas’ words. Oh, what a waste… Oh, what a tragedy. Judas had so much going for him, so many opportunities before him. But he wasted it all because he failed to realize the worth of Jesus in his life!

I can think of no more tragic epitaph for a life than to have it recorded that Jesus said of you, “Oh what a waste!” After all the preaching you have heard, after all the bible studies you’ve partaken of, after all the opportunities you’ve had… Oh, what a waste. What a waste it is to lose out with God. What a waste it is to lose your soul over things in this world that really have no worth.

Don’t let your life be wasted. Recognize the worth of your relationship with God. Recognize the value of God’s will and his desire for your life. Most of all, you need to recognize the value of the gift of salvation that He has given to you. Nothing in this world is worth as much as His presence in your life. Nothing in this world is worth the price that has been paid for your soul.

Perhaps this is what Paul had in mind when he admonished the church in Thessalonica to “walk in a manner worthy of God.” To do anything else would be to waste the precious gift of salvation that God has given you. How will your walk with God be characterized? Worthy or wasteful? It’s up to you to make that choice. Why don’t you choose worth over waste?

Of Shipwrecks and Sin

I have long been amazed at the grace and beauty of the old wooden sailing vessels. Few things in this world compare to the splendor of one of those old ships with all of its sails deployed. And few images are as striking as the image of that old sailing vessel enduring the ferocious wind and riding the fury of the waves. The marvel of it all, in my mind, is that they were built with nothing more than rudimentary tools and raw wood. Years of labor, many acres of hardwood, and centuries of hard earned knowledge went into the crafting of those mighty sailing vessels of old. When the work was finally finished the majestic thing that sailed away from the shipyard was more than just a boat, it was a floating work of art, a weapon of war and a tool of trade.

With the striking beauty and majesty of the seafaring ship, there must have been nothing more tragic, in ancient times, than the horror of a shipwreck. I recently read the story of a Swedish Warship, the Vasa, that was shipwrecked on her maiden voyage in 1628. Three years of steady labor, 40 acres of hardwood, tons of cargo and weaponry -- all lost just a few hundred yards from the shipyard. After firing her farewell salute, the Vasa was struck by a brief storm with strong cross winds and she listed heavily to one side. The gun ports were still open and they sank below the water level. In just a moment of time, the ship was flooded and took only minutes for her to sink.

The water was relatively clear and only a 100 feet deep where she sunk, it was said that her masts and deck were somewhat visible below the surface of the water. What a tragedy! This remarkably beautiful vessel, the product of long years of hard work, the pride of her King's fleet, now lay at rest on the ocean floor. Until she settled into the mud and silt on the ocean floor and finally fell into the obscurity of the ocean, every ship that sailed in and out of the shipyards could see the majesty of the Vasa caught in the cold wet fingers of the deep. I have no doubt that many a sailor looked upon that stricken ship as on of the greatest tragedies of his time.

With all of its masterful handiwork the ship below the waves was a constant testimony to unfulfilled potential. It was built to master the wind, yet they watched as it shifted with the tides. It was crafted to ride the waves, yet it lay buried in the deep. Below the waterline, eerily visible through through the deep, the ship was a hollow reminder of what could have been. Oh the battles that might have been won! Oh the mighty voyages that might have been undertaken! Oh the glory and fame that might have been claimed. The hopes and dreams of years of craftsmen were held captive by the dismal grave of the deep.

Paul, in the opening chapter of his first letter to Timothy, said that some have made a shipwreck of their faith. What a dreadful word picture, shipwrecked faith! Faith that was once full of potential. Faith that was once full of dreams and hopes. Faith that has now been relegated to the graveyard of the deep. It is a terribly illustrative statement of a life that was once full of faith but is now just a hollow shadow of what it once was. It represents the greatest tragedy of the ages. Lives that were were molded for some greater undertaking, hearts that were called for a higher purpose, people that somehow got sidetracked along the way and now lie shipwrecked in the oceans of life. What a tragedy!

The pertinent question is how does one shipwreck their faith? Paul says that they did it by rejecting a good conscience. Ships were built to be the master of the seas. Barring some flaw in the workmanship, they aren't very fragile or easily capsized. As a matter of fact, in most cases one has to ignore some critical realities in order to wreck one of those mighty vessels. Somewhere in the makings of the tragedy of a shipwreck are the sailors who failed to close the gun ports, or the navigator who ignored the depth readings. somebody failed to heed the warning signs and sailed their vessel into treacherous waters.

The same is true for those that shipwreck their faith. Faith is shipwrecked when a good conscience is ignored. Faith is shipwrecked when an individual ignores the warning signs and chooses to proceed through treacherous waters. In order to shipwreck your faith, Paul said, you've got to ignore the innate sense of right and wrong that God has placed in your heart. In order to shipwreck your faith you've got to turn a deaf ear to that small still voice of warning that speaks to your heart. That's the real tragedy of shipwrecked faith -- it isn't accidental. No one intended to end up shipwrecked but the master of the vessel ignored all warnings and recklessly ventured into waters that were known to be dangerous.

When you ignore your conscience the result is always sin. And sin, my friend, is the offensive obstacle that does devastating damage to faith. It is sin that strikes the life below the waterline and results in shipwrecked faith. You can't afford to flirt with sin. You can't afford to play with sin. You can't afford to give place to sin in your life. Because, inevitably, sin will sink you. If you ignore the warnings of your heart, if you press on beyond the comfort of your convictions, sin will devastate your faith. And, when it is finished it will leave behind the sad tragic evidence of a shipwrecked, that empty shell of lost potential and forgotten dreams.

Thankfully, shipwreck doesn't have to be the end of the story. After 333 years in the deep, the Vasa was hauled from the water in pretty good condition. Because of where she sank and the very unique conditions of the water where she came to rest, the ship was, against all odds, preserved by the very water that had claimed her. Instead of rotting the old timbers of oak heartwood, which had a high iron content, were largely preserved. It took 6 years to raise her from the ocean floor and bring her to dry dock but, eventually, a massive restoration project began. Very few ships are as fortunate as the Vasa, very few find life again after the watery grave of shipwreck. But the Vasa will stand as a testimony through time that shipwreck doesn't have to be the end of the story.

In the case of shipwrecked faith, just as in the story of the Vasa, there exists a hope of restoration. There is an answer for sin. Paul declared a few verses later that Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all. There is hope today for hurting hearts and shipwrecked faith. Jesus, by his blood, has made a way, where there seemed to be no way, that faith can be restored and hearts can be made brand new. Sin may result in shipwreck, but mercy can lead to the restoration of the soul. I am reminded this morning of the hope that is found in redemption. By the grace of God, even shipwrecked faith can sail again...

I Run The Race -- Guest Blog

I begin to run
Mountains and cliffs rise above me
I climb them
Streams and ravines cut through the land
I cross them
My muscles burn
I run faster
My feet ache
I run on
Sometimes I stumble
I get back up
I lose my way
I correct my course
I pass the finish
I stop
I begin to run again
No obstacles rise above me
I run free
I no longer have pain
I run quicker
I am running through open fields
The eternal race goes on

*********

Author's note: Life is a race, we run into problems, but the race goes on. One day we will die, and the race will end. But then we will begin the easy, painless, unstrained, eternal race of heaven.

{Written by my oldest son, Rocklan McCall. Age: 11}

Like A Thief In The Night

They were warned but they were not ready. They knew it was coming. One could easily argue that it was, for the most part, public knowledge that the threat was looming before them but life continued as if it would never happen. However, it did happen and it happened in a big way. The world was rocked Tuesday as a devastating earthquake suddenly struck the nation of Haiti. It was the largest earthquake ever recorded there and its epicenter was situated very close to the densely populated capital city. The results of the massive quake are horrific. All day long the press reports and photos have been streaming out of that Island nation and they tell a tragic story of death and destruction.

Scientists have warned for years that the island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, was at risk for a major earthquake. But I was intrigued today by a CNN article that shared the fact that less than two years ago five scientists presented a paper during the 18th Caribbean Geological Conference, stating that the fault zone on the south side of the island posed "a major seismic hazard." Their findings followed a study in which two geologists found a heightened earthquake risk along the fault zone. "This is seismically a very active area of the world," one of the geologists, said. "Geologists should not be surprised by this earthquake."

Indeed, few were surprised that the earthquake occurred but the tragedy is that even fewer were ready for it or, in all reality, were even expecting it. The problem wasn’t the nature of the warning. It was specific enough. The problem wasn’t the timing of the warning. It was recent enough. The problem wasn’t the validity of the warning. It was substantially validated by the data available. The problem was the nature of the event. One geologist explained that it can take hundreds of years for the threat to manifest itself, making it incredibly difficult to predict the timing of an earthquake.

The problem was that they had all heard this warning many times before and, though it had often been forecast, it had been over 60 years since the region had seen a significant earthquake and hundreds of years since one has actually struck in this particular vicinity. So people did what people do, they processed the warning, recognized the threat it forecast and quickly returned to life as normal. They knew it was possible, they knew it could happen at any moment but they were predisposed to believe that, because it hadn’t happened yet it wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon. Somewhere within the psychological make up of humanity there exists a bias towards the normal, the belief that things will always be as things have always been.

Peter introduces us to the same line of thought regarding the Second Coming of the Lord. In the last days, he says in 2 Peter 3:3, there shall come scoffers, walking after their own lusts and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. Right up to the rapture of the church there will be that feeling that, because it never has happened before, it isn’t going to happen any time soon. Right up to the very moment that the trumpet sounds, human reasoning will be saying nearly 2,000 years have passed since he said, “I come quickly.” Surely, this won’t be the day.

Peter calls them scoffers. A scoffer is someone who treats lightly that which ought to be taken seriously. When Noah began to build his ark and preach the message that God had given him, they scoffed then as well. Noah was a preacher of righteousness; no doubt he called men to repentance. But the idea of judgment seemed far-fetched and rain was a concept that was hard to grasp. It had never happened before. Nobody had ever seen such a thing. The human bias for normalcy kicked in. Things will always be as things have always been. So they mocked him. They scoffed at him. Some literal translations render scoffers as “mockers with mockery.” They rejected the truth, they failed to heed the warning, they ignored the preacher and they buried any hint of conviction under the heavy-handed humor of mockery. And in all of their bravado they sacrificed truth on the altar of public opinion. They scoffed and mocked because they weren't willing to make the change that wold have been required if they had accepted the message of Moses at face value.

There are those that shrug off the announcement that the Lord is soon to return because it has been such a long time and he hasn’t come back yet. But Peter points out the fallacy in this kind of thinking. He says in verse nine that the Lord isn’t slack concerning his promises, he’s just longsuffering, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Some have interpreted God’s patience as a leniency towards sin. God hasn’t delayed his coming to embolden sinners. God has provided time to give every opportunity for men to repent! God hasn’t held back judgment and wrath because he’s soft on sin, God has held back judgment because of His great mercy.

This perceived delay of God is actually an indication that He has a plan for this world and that He is working His plan. He doesn’t move according to man’s timetable and he isn’t influenced by cultures that mock him or governments that ignore him. He has a plan. He set it into motion before he ever laid the foundations of the earth. And he will bring his plan to pass in his due time. Meanwhile those that aren’t yet ready to repent, scoff at the coming of the Lord. They treat lightly that which should be treated seriously. They ignore it, as if by failing to acknowledge it they somehow can escape it. But those who hear the call of mercy and are moved by the love of God, take advantage of the patience of God and find a place of repentance.

The church stands somewhere between the scoffers and the repentant and, I believe that the church is in a very precarious position. If we aren’t careful we will be lulled into a sense of complacency by the very patience of God that has given us an opportunity to reach a lost world before its too late. If we aren’t careful the same cavalier spirit that has gripped the world will grip our minds also causing us to adopt a mindset that allows us to live as if his return is some distant thing. We must be vigilant. We must remain ready. This is and always has been the posture of the church. The church is forever embodied in the image of Israel on that first Passover night – partaking of the lamb while fully clothed and ready to go! We are to live our lives in a constant state of readiness. His coming will take this world by surprise. But, to the church, it should come as no surprise. We are admonished over and over again in scripture to watch, to be ready, to anticipate the return of the Lord.

This is why the parable of the 10 virgins is in scripture. Its not there as a warning to the lost. Its there as a warning to the church. Its there to put forth the fact that it is possible to sit on a church pew, be faithful in attendance, to look right on the outside and appear right in word and deed but be lulled to sleep and lose out with God. The truth of that parable is that there will be some that thought that they were a party of the wedding party but will discover too late that they have allowed the fire to burn out. I don’t want to be among that number and I don’t want any in this church to be either! We must be ready! You must make sure you are ready. Don’t be complacent about it. Make sure, every day of your life, that you are ready to meet the Lord!

There is a spirit of complacency that would seek to find its way into the church. An attitude that treats serious things lightly and makes a mockery of the things of God. This cavalier spirit is the same spirit that produces the attitude that the return of the Lord is a far distant thing. We simply can’t afford to give place to that spirit in our lives. The absolute truth is that each of us must be ready for the coming of the Lord every day of our lives.

I can’t tell you when he’s returning. No man knows the day nor the hour. However I can tell you that some will meet him long before he returns. For somebody, today was that day of judgment. For thousands of souls in Haiti, Tuesday was that day. The crux of the matter is that I must be ready at all times because I have no guarantee that I will ever see tomorrow! I must live my life as if this is the last day I will ever have and I simply MUST be ready for the coming of the Lord!

The May 1984 National Geographic showed through color photos and drawings the swift and terrible destruction that wiped out the Roman Cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in A.D. 79. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil. They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day.

The saddest part is that these people did not have to die. Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record--weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been able to read and respond to the warning! I have no doubt that the same cavalier attitude gripped the people in those doomed cities then as the spirit that has gripped our world and has tried to make inroads into the church. The seductive reasoning that compels people to ignore the danger signs and warnings and continue on as if nothing will ever change.

This is one preacher who will stand before you and declare that it’s all going to change someday. And that day is going to come to some sooner than it comes to others. In light of that fact we owe it to ourselves to search ourselves in the presence of God. We owe it to ourselves to find our way to an altar and insure the condition of our souls. God is not slack concerning his promises, but he is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Don’t let the patience of God be in vain…

Don't Sleep Thru The Harvest!

It's harvest time, here in Northeast Arkansas. Normally this is the time of year that all of the farmers are in high gear getting their crops out of the fields. However, this year we've had an excess of rain with another 4"-6" in the forecast. Many fields have standing water in them and their crops are simply inaccessible to the harvesters. The abundance of rain around here is quickly becoming a tragedy.

Around here, there’s only a narrow window of opportunity during which the crops can be harvested. However, that’s not true everywhere. Many parts of the world enjoy a continuous harvest season. One can visit southern Florida, portions of the Rio Grande Valley, Southern California, or other tropical areas and discover a continuous process of sowing and reaping. Those regions represent the spiritual realities that we, as Christians enjoy. We have a continuous harvest season in the spiritual realm. There is never a time when one can say that due to bad weather or to the season of the year it is impossible to labor in the spiritual harvest fields. There is always, every day of your life, the opportunity to work in the harvest field.

With that in mind I want to share some rambling thoughts about the harvest. First of all, it is a law of nature that before there can be a harvest there must be a time of sowing and cultivation. You can't reap where you don't sow. However, every farmer knows that his responsibility doesn't end when he puts the seed into the ground. There are months of cultivation between the sowing and the reaping. Farmers will plow up the soil. Then they will plant the seed. After that, proper care will be given to the cultivation of the crops in order to reap an abundant harvest in the fall.

The church should, likewise, be in a continuous process of sowing the seed. The harvest is in our hands. It exists in the form of seeds that have not yet been sown. It is our continual responsibility, as sowers of the seed, to be busy, everyday, sowing the seeds of the gospel. Careful and continuous efforts need to be put forth to cultivate the confidence and the friendship that enables you to reach someone for the kingdom of God. If we are faithful in sowing, in due time we will be successful in harvesting.

The passage of time from spring to fall is long and slow, but the process is necessary in order to produce a harvest. Likewise, winning a soul can be a lengthy, time consuming process, but if we grow not weary in well doing eventually our labor will pay off. One important thing to remember is that harvesting is not a thing that can be rushed. You can’t harvest corn while it is still green and you can’t pick cotton before the bolls open up. This is also true with a soul. It takes time for people to become “ready” for harvest. That amount of time is different for every man. Sometimes we have great difficulty discerning the seasons of a life and if we aren’t careful we grow frustrated. The simple truth about the harvest is that, if we will remain faithful, when the time is right, God will open the door.

While it is true that the church should be continually involved in sowing seed, it is also true that the church should be in a continual harvest season. Where there is a time to sow, there is also a time to reap. To neglect the harvest in the time of reaping is to waste all of the previous effort put forth. It is a law of nature that the harvest must be gathered when it is ready. Cotton will lose its weight and color and quality if it is not picked at the proper time. Corn will fall over and rot if it is not harvested before the winter winds and rain come. The golden yellow wheat fields will turn white and will soon rot if not harvested. The same principle holds true in the spiritual realm. When men and women are ready to be reached with the gospel, there exists an ever shrinking window of opportunity in which we can reach them.

Because farmers recognize this principle, harvest season is a critical season. There’s never enough hours in the day. When a farmer gets a break in the weather and a chance to get into the fields he may run his tractors long into the night or even into the wee hours of the morning because the harvest simply must be gathered while it is ready. So it is with the souls of men. When they are ready to be reached, there may be but a short window of opportunity in which to reach them. The church we must realize that the harvest is urgent! There is an inherent urgency to the hour. We must redeem the time, doing everything we can as urgently as we can to reach those who are ready with this gospel truth!

Right now, in homes across our community farmers are fretting and worrying about the crops that are still in the fields. The quality and value of cotton is degraded every time it gets rained upon after the bolls are open and ready for harvest. However, even more tragic is the fact that it is entirely possible that some of these fields won’t be accessible until the cotton has already been ruined! As the church we should be gripped by that same knowledge. An opportunity is passing from us, even right now. Some soul that is ready to be reached is going to slip into eternity before we reach them if we don’t launch ourselves into the harvest with all that we have. I promise you that, if we can catch a dry spell, the farmers will labor 24-7 to get those precious crops out of the field. How much more urgent should our efforts be? Harvest time is right now!

In Proverbs 10:5 we are confronted with the uncomfortable truth that there are those that choose to sleep during harvest time. "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” During this urgent moment when the opportunity is there and souls are ready, there some who would rather be idle and careless as an open door slips away from us. The tragic truth is that, while we sleep, the harvest is going to waste in the fields. Won’t it be a tremendous catastrophe if all those beautiful white cotton fields can’t be harvested this year because of the rainfall. What a wasteful shame it will be to watch those fields go to ruin when it is readily evident that they are ready for harvest.

Unfortunately, the farmers can’t help it, but the church has no excuse. There is no spiritual obstacle stopping us from getting into the harvest. The only thing that impedes us is our own casual laziness. It would be a shame if, after years of cultivating the harvest field, we failed to seize the opportunities that are before us and allowed the harvest to go to waste in the field. The pressing truth is that we don’t have the time to be casual and indifferent about the harvest. We can’t afford to sleep through the harvest. This is our hour and if we do anything less than give it our very best then, according to the proverb, we are a son that causeth shame!

I want to admonish you this morning not to sleep through the harvest! It's high time that we stirred ourselves to wakefulness and realized the opportunity that is before us. A harvest stands ready around us, the only thing missing are the reapers. When Jesus saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion toward them and said to his disciples (in Matt. 9:37 – 38), “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

It doesn’t take long, as you drive down the roads, to recognize that it is harvest time. As a matter of fact, it is with no small degree of disappointment that we see that the tractors are not yet in the fields. However, as the church, we need to take another look at our world and recognize the same truth. The fields are white already to harvest. How it must disappoint our heavenly father when he looks and sees no laborers working the harvest. Today, I want to encourage you to stir yourself, awaken yourself, and make a fresh commitment to the harvest.

It is harvest time. The harvest is ready. Who will go reap it?

Mercy and Judgment (Part 3)

In Psalm 101:1 David declared that he would sing of mercy and judgment. In that declaration, this was the thing that David discovered: Judgment mingled with mercy produces the sweet sound of praise. I’m no musician, but I know that Harmony is created in music when treble mingles with bass. When high mixes with low, it produces the sweet sound of harmony.
 David, in this moment of reflection, looked back upon his life and recognized the sweet harmony produced by the intermingled threads of mercy and judgment.
 David had learned that no praise is so sweet as the praise of the one that has encountered both judgment and mercy in his life. The sweetest praise is the praise of one that can sing of judgment and mercy together.


No doubt, We are all familiar with the story of Esther, perhaps one of the greatest love stories of all time.
 However, one, often overlooked detail of that story is the process of preparation that Esther endured before her night with the King.
 Twelve months were required in preperation before she was ready for her date with the king. There were six full months of bitter, where she was soaked in and saturated by the pungent bitterness of the oil of myrrh.
 However, during the second six months of her preparation, Esther soaked with sweet odors. She was lavished with exotic perfumes composed of the sweet odors of cinnamon, aloes, cassia and calamus.

The incredible thing about this lengthy process is that the Persians had discovered that the bitter blended with the sweet produced the loveliest of aromas.
 However, while it may have been a breakthrough discovery for the Persians, it was part of the prescribed formula, given by God for the oil of anointing.
 In the oil of anointing, Myrrh was blended with Cinnamon and Cassia, along with other ingredients, to produce the substance that was the vehicle of God’s anointing.
 God has long recognized the irresistible attraction of the mingled aroma of bitter and sweet.
 Even in the Jewish Passover celebration the Bitter herbs that cause them to remember the years of bondage and pain are dipped in the sweet mixture of fruits and nuts that reminds them of the goodness of God.


Bitter and sweet blended together is a theme that echoes through the scriptures.
 Revealed within it is the tremendous truth that Judgment and Mercy mingled together give birth to the sweetest praise.
 This is the wonder of a life lived for God! The hard times mix with the easy times.
 Dark nights give way to bright days.
 Terrible storms of chaos and confusion yield the stage to beautiful sunsets of peace and contentment.
 It is the blending of it all together that produces the song of praise.
 I will sing, David said, I will sing of Mercy and Judgment.


It’s the mingling of judgment and mercy that gives birth to the most pleasant of all praise.
 It’s in the night, when the darkness comes crashing in that your heart truly learns to sing.
 Its in the turmoil and trouble of this life, that you really learn that you can trust in God.
 And it’s the thankfulness for mercy that born in the darkness of judgment that gives rise to the song that moves the heart of God.
 Don’t let the storm steal your song!
 Don’t let the trial rob you of your praise!
 The sweetest sound that heaven will ever hear is the voice of hope that rises from the darkness of the night and declares its faith in the mercies of God.


It’s mercy and judgment mingled together that produces genuine praise.
 This is why the misguided notion of praising a God of mercy but dismissing the idea of judgment will never produce a genuine relationship with God. You can’t know God’s mercy, and truly appreciate his provision, if you never recognize his judgment.

 And the beauty of it all is the wonderful fact that mercy and judgment, working together, produce the wonderful aroma of praise.
 It was the lingering scent of the burnt offering combined with the blood applied to the mercy seat that produced the cleansing fire of atonement in the old tabernacle.
 It was the blending of suffering and mercy that produced our own precious salvation on the cross of Calvary.
 Today, no matter where you are in your life, it is the mingling of mercy and judgment that will produce the sweetest praise in your life.