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This evening as I have sought to clear my mind and prepare a thought from the word of God for a mid-week service I have found myself contemplating a verse of scripture that I have read many times and even preached from on several different occasions. However, as the word of God is prone to do, this familiar passage is communicating to my heart in a new and refreshing manner tonight. I seriously doubt that there is any student of the word of God, on any level, that has not at least considered the poetically beautiful way that Solomon addresses the cycle of life in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes. With an insight that is hauntingly familiar to every heart, the writer shares a list of opposites that illustrate the truth that there is a time for every activity under heaven.
Anyone who reads that striking poem is quickly provoked to consider the rapid succession of this fragile thing we call life. It is, at the same time, bitter and sweet. It contains, sometimes in the same moments, both hope and despair. Life is made up of both glorious sunrises and long dark nights. It is all contained within Solomon’s brief poem: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to harvest; a time to kill and a time to heal. The list goes on and on: weeping and laughing; mourning and dancing; finding and losing; loving and hating. There is an intrinsic beauty to the whole of the passage, yet there is a stirring sense of the profound that echoes through it.
This is the fabric of the life that we live. Everything has a season and a time, everything happens according to God’s grand design. Life has both pleasures and disappointments, both triumphs and defeats and they happen to each of us with the simple passage of time. No single moment is eternal no matter how pleasant or horrific it may be, with the passing of every second we march steadily forward to a different season and a different time. Through the course of a life one experiences the myriad of extremes: love that sustains us; betrayals that debilitate us; triumphs that validate us and tragedies that overwhelm us. Through it all we are left to wonder at the meaning of our lives. Questions haunt our souls and fuel our doubts and fears. Who hasn’t raised their face to heaven and mouthed the futile words: Why me? Why here? Why now?
The poet makes a comforting statement in verse 11 when he says that God “has made everything beautiful in its time.” But he also acknowledges that it is beyond the scope of our understanding to grasp the plan and purpose of God in our lives. God makes everything beautiful but he doesn’t always reveal to us the mystery of the beauty in our lives. God works everything together for good, but all too often the scope of God’s good is obscured by the harshness of our present reality. We know, in our hearts, that He makes all things beautiful. We know, by our faith, that he gives beauty for ashes and joy for mourning but the reality of this present life sometimes seems to overpower that simple assurance.
Perhaps this is why the writer comes to the conclusion in verse twelve that there is nothing better than to be joyful and to do good as long as we live. The phrase “nothing better” is an understatement of sorts. The intended sense of the verse is that “the best thing” that we can do is to determine in our hearts to be joyful and do good, no matter what this life brings us. The best that we can do is to resolve, regardless of the season and the time of our lives, that God is good and He makes all things beautiful. I don’t always understand it, it won’t always make sense, some mysteries I’m never going to solve but the best that I can do in this life is to make up my mind to be joyful in all things. I have discovered, in the course of the sorrows and challenges of my brief life, that there is, indeed, a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. There is, in the presence of God, a joyfulness that surpasses all the trials and tragedies of my life. Perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve ever learned is that I can be joyful in all things.
So tonight, as look across the landscape of my life, I must acknowledge that not everything is good, not everything is perfect, and some things simply are not going to work out the way I would have wanted them to. However, even in the face of disappointments and difficulties, I’m reminded of the promise that He makes all things beautiful in his own time. Faced with that truth, the least I can do is turn my heart towards heaven and recognize the goodness of God in my life. According to Solomon, the best that I can do, in the highs and lows of this life, is to be joyful and to do good. The best that I can do is to mingle a measure of joy with my sorrow, mix some gladness with my heartaches, and merge a little praise with my multitude of pains.
Somewhere in the midst of all the mysteries of this life there awaits the simple understanding that, in time, God makes all things beautiful. With that truth in mind, I have determined to do the best that I can do…
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Matching Your Mountains
On July 4 1894, American folk poet Sam Walter Foss published a poem called “The Coming American”, and it went like this:
Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains;
Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains.
Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains;
Men to chart a starry empire, Men to make celestial claims.
Bring me men to match my prairies, Men to match my inland seas;
Men to sail beyond my oceans, Reaching for the galaxies.
These are men to build a nation, Join the mountains to the sky;
Men of faith and inspiration, Bring me men, bring me men, bring me men!
Bring me men to match my forests, Bring me men to match my shore;
Men to guard the mighty ramparts, Men to stand at freedom's door.
Bring me men to match my mountains, Men to match their majesty;
Men to climb beyond their summits, Searching for their destiny.
I have long been intrigued by the phrase “Men to match my mountains.” For many years the mighty mountain ranges of the Midwest served as barriers to the growth of the fledgling nation. Only after brave men and women forged trails through the mountains that opened the west to exploration and settlement could this great nation stretch from see to shining sea. Until that day, those mountians stood as defiant obstacles sending out a challenging cry for men to match their greatness and stature. Their very existence was a demand for "Men to match my mountains."
In religious circles we hear many references to mountaintop experiences as those high times of our lives when everything is going well. Likewise much is said about the valley as the times of trial and difficulty. However, the distinction is not nearly as simple as that. Mountains, in and of themselves, present both a challenge and an obstacle that must be overcome. The victory and reward of standing on a mountaintop is only achieved after the exhausting experience of conquering the mountain. The truth is that the mountains themselves are somewhat intimidating but their very presence calls out for men to match the mountains.
If you intend to live for God, if you have a desire to strive to do some great work for God, you might as well settle the issue right now: There will be mountains in your life. Mountains that defy you and challenge you to overcome them. Mountains that represent challenges, and struggles. Mountains that become obstacles and even, sometimes, mountains that are occupied by the enemies of your soul. It is these mountains that become the obstacles that stand between you and the things that God has for you in this life.
My desire today is to encourage you. Don't shrink away from your mountains. God has given you a faith and courage to match the mountains in your life. Blessing waits for you on the mountaintop. A fresh experience with God waits on the other side of the obstacle. A hard fought victory awaits the soul that will fight their way up the mountain. The conquering of some mountains will be a long difficult battle where every step forward is a small victory. Some mountains will be marked by the long lonely struggle of a solo climb to the summit. And some mountains will merely be obstacles in your path that simply must be overcome. Together they will challenge you, they will try your faith and test your commitment. But make no mistake about it, the mountain top is worth the struggle that it takes to reach it. If you are to obtain all that God has for you in this life, if you are to be everything He has called you to be, you will have to match the mountains that He has placed before you.
Can you hear their voices? The mountains in your life are beckoning to you. Come, climb, struggle and conquer. The mountain only yields its treasure to the soul that braves its dangers. Can you hear the cry? It echos from the hills and over the valleys, "Give me men to match my mountains..."
You, my friends are the men and women that can, indeed, match the mountains of your life. Why don't you make up your mind today to rise up and match your mountains?
Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains;
Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains.
Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains;
Men to chart a starry empire, Men to make celestial claims.
Bring me men to match my prairies, Men to match my inland seas;
Men to sail beyond my oceans, Reaching for the galaxies.
These are men to build a nation, Join the mountains to the sky;
Men of faith and inspiration, Bring me men, bring me men, bring me men!
Bring me men to match my forests, Bring me men to match my shore;
Men to guard the mighty ramparts, Men to stand at freedom's door.
Bring me men to match my mountains, Men to match their majesty;
Men to climb beyond their summits, Searching for their destiny.
I have long been intrigued by the phrase “Men to match my mountains.” For many years the mighty mountain ranges of the Midwest served as barriers to the growth of the fledgling nation. Only after brave men and women forged trails through the mountains that opened the west to exploration and settlement could this great nation stretch from see to shining sea. Until that day, those mountians stood as defiant obstacles sending out a challenging cry for men to match their greatness and stature. Their very existence was a demand for "Men to match my mountains."
In religious circles we hear many references to mountaintop experiences as those high times of our lives when everything is going well. Likewise much is said about the valley as the times of trial and difficulty. However, the distinction is not nearly as simple as that. Mountains, in and of themselves, present both a challenge and an obstacle that must be overcome. The victory and reward of standing on a mountaintop is only achieved after the exhausting experience of conquering the mountain. The truth is that the mountains themselves are somewhat intimidating but their very presence calls out for men to match the mountains.
If you intend to live for God, if you have a desire to strive to do some great work for God, you might as well settle the issue right now: There will be mountains in your life. Mountains that defy you and challenge you to overcome them. Mountains that represent challenges, and struggles. Mountains that become obstacles and even, sometimes, mountains that are occupied by the enemies of your soul. It is these mountains that become the obstacles that stand between you and the things that God has for you in this life.
My desire today is to encourage you. Don't shrink away from your mountains. God has given you a faith and courage to match the mountains in your life. Blessing waits for you on the mountaintop. A fresh experience with God waits on the other side of the obstacle. A hard fought victory awaits the soul that will fight their way up the mountain. The conquering of some mountains will be a long difficult battle where every step forward is a small victory. Some mountains will be marked by the long lonely struggle of a solo climb to the summit. And some mountains will merely be obstacles in your path that simply must be overcome. Together they will challenge you, they will try your faith and test your commitment. But make no mistake about it, the mountain top is worth the struggle that it takes to reach it. If you are to obtain all that God has for you in this life, if you are to be everything He has called you to be, you will have to match the mountains that He has placed before you.
Can you hear their voices? The mountains in your life are beckoning to you. Come, climb, struggle and conquer. The mountain only yields its treasure to the soul that braves its dangers. Can you hear the cry? It echos from the hills and over the valleys, "Give me men to match my mountains..."
You, my friends are the men and women that can, indeed, match the mountains of your life. Why don't you make up your mind today to rise up and match your mountains?
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Just For The Unjust
Easter 2010
Today, we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter sums up the significance of the whole weekend in a single, short but profound, verse: 1 Peter 3:18, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. This is the reason why we celebrate. Jesus Christ died on a cross for my sins and for yours, the just for the unjust. In order to bring us to God, he died in the flesh but was quickened by the Spirit.
Substitution
If we are going to grasp the significance of the cross we have to understand the biblical implication of substitution. That’s what Peter means by the just for the unjust. There are many facets to the meaning of Christ’s death, but the central element of the sacrifice that occurred at Calvary is substitution. This simply means that Christ died in our place, the just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous, heaven’s perfect lamb for the sins of the whole world.
The cross stands at the center of the bible. The whole biblical record, up to the cross, points to the cross and everything after the cross is dramatically influenced by it. The finished work of Calvary is, bar none, the single greatest act of God in all of time and eternity and it was in the mind of God from the very beginning. This is why Rev 13:8 and 1 Peter 1:19 agree together that Jesus was the lamb “slain from the foundation of the world.” The cross wasn’t God’s way of reacting to sin. It was God’s plan to deal with sin before the first sin ever occurred. God foreordained that he would purchase the church with his own blood, he knew, from the beginning, the price that he would pay for sin.
According to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death and Ezekiel 18 tells us over and over again that the soul that sins shall surely die. When Adam and Eve sinned, in the garden, death took a hold of their mortal bodies. It would take over 900 years for that death to be fully realized but it began to work in them immediately. However, at the same time they experienced spiritual death. The spiritual death was instant. They were no longer righteous; sin robbed them of spiritual life and severed their fellowship and communion with God. The price for sin is death. In order for Adam and Eve to be saved from their sins, something had to die. The problem is that Adam and Eve couldn’t pay that price because they were already dead. So something else had to die in their place, if they were to be saved.
Right there in the garden God introduced the concept of substitution. God slew animals and took from them bloody coats of skins that He used to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. From the very beginning God was spelling out the principle of the cross. Death, bloodshed, substitution and atonement, all occurred in those few moments at the beginning of it all. An animal became the substitute, it died, its blood was shed and its bloody coat made a covering over Adam and Eve’s sin. That’s what atonement is, it’s a covering for sin. It allows man to have fellowship with God by virtue of the fact that his sin is covered, or atoned for, by a substitutionary sacrifice.
That foundational principle is repeated throughout the biblical record. Its represented in the ram that was caught in the bush when Abraham prepared to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, out of obedience to God. The words of Abraham to his precious son ring with a strong prophetic tone down trough the pages of scripture. When Isaac inquired about the absence of a sacrifice, Abraham responded in Genesis 22:8 “God will provide himself a lamb.” Indeed, God did just that. As Abraham drew back the knife to perform the sacrifice that God had required of him, the angel of the Lord stopped his hand and revealed to him the ram that was caught in a bush, a sacrificial substitute for Abraham’s son. But the power of Abraham’s faith filled statement extends beyond that day to the day when God literally provided himself as the substitutionary lamb.
Over and over again the concept repeats itself through out the scripture. When Moses prepared to lead the Hebrews on the exodus form Egypt he was warned of God that the 10th plague would be a visitation of the death angel upon Egypt. On that dreaded night, when the death angel passed over he would claim the first born of every home. But Moses was given a promise in Exodus 12:13 that he relayed to the Hebrews, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Every Hebrew family was to select a lamb, a perfect spotless specimen, and that lamb was to be sacrificed for their family. On that night, the night of the first Passover, the lamb became the substitute for the children of Abraham. When the death angel saw the blood on the doorposts of the home he passed over that home because the price had already been paid. The death of a substitute was the only way to escape the judgment of God.
That Passover was the first of many as God instituted a covenant with Israel through Moses, the foundation of which was substitutional atonement for sins by the death of a lamb. From that point forward the pages of the word of God are soaked with the blood of countless sacrificial lambs. Every year on the Passover, the familiar scene was played out. Each family would sacrifice a lamb to atone for their sins. As many a quarter of a million lambs were slain each Passover. Each one is a substitute for sins. The blood that flowed from those multiplied millions of lambs provided a covering, an atonement, for sins.
However, all of that blood could never fully take away sins, it only provided a temporary covering for sins. Hebrews 10:4 tells us that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” The lambs of the Old Testament only pointed to the day when God would provide “himself” as the perfect sacrifice for sins. That’s why when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him that day in John chapter one, he looked beyond the millions of animal sacrifices and pointed to the true “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Redemption
The death of Jesus was substitutionary. Just like the lambs of the Old Testament, Jesus died for our sins. He became our substitute as he was offered in our place, the just for the unjust. However, his sacrifice accomplished more than the atonement of the Old Testament. The blood of Jesus was the vehicle of redemption. Redemption is the concept of being set free by the payment of a ransom price. It is built upon the application of a common legal transaction of biblical times. When a man became a debtor and owed a debt that he could not repay there was a legal system in place that allowed him to work off his debt as a slave to the person to whom he was indebted. It was a type of indentured servant hood, a means for a man to satisfy a debt that was too great for him to pay in any other way.
Once a man entered that obligation, he was bound by it. There was only one way to terminate that agreement and that was by the payment of a redemption price. In that special allowance of the law a redeemer could pay the price that was owed by the individual thus setting them free from their debt. There was only one catch. The redeemer had to be a kinsman of the person to be redeemed. He had to be a blood relative. There was no other kind of redeemer except the kinsman redeemer. This is why the blood of bulls and goats wasn’t sufficient to redeem sins. This is why millions of gallons of blood shed by millions of sacrificial lambs would never set man free from the bondage of sin. The price could only be paid by kinsman!
This is why John started his gospel the way he did. He establishes from the very beginning the validity of the blood of Jesus. “In the beginning,” he says in John 1:1, “was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.” And when he gets to verse 14 he says, “the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” It’s the same message that Paul broadcast in 1 Timothy 3:16, " And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.” In the person of Jesus Christ, God became our kinsman. He became a man so that He could become our redeemer. There wasn’t any other way. Because of sin, we owed a debt we could not pay. We were in bondage to sin. That’s why Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:34 that whoever commits sin is the slave of sin. Because sin is the slave master that each of us was bound to from birth. And we didn’t have the resources to purchase our own freedom. It was a debt that we could never overcome!
Thank God for the precious blood that was shed on Calvary’s old rugged cross. He purchased our salvation. The cross was about more than just covering up sin. The cross was about paying the price for sin. Jesus was a man just like you and me with one vital exception. He wasn’t born under the bondage of sin. He wasn’t born in debt to sin and, although he was tempted in all points just like we are, he never gave in to sin. So when he went to the cross he was still spiritually alive. He could do what no other man could do, he could die for sins because he wasn’t already dead.
That’s what happened at the cross. A legal transaction took place. Jesus Christ took upon himself the sins of the entire world and bore them to the old rugged cross. Because he knew no sin, he could stand in my place and in your place and pay the price that we each owed for our sins. This is what Peter means when he says the just for the unjust. It was more than just another substitute. This was my kinsman. This was flesh and blood. This was Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. And when he died, he died for me. Not just instead of me, but for me. He died the death that is the price of all my sins. He paid my price. He redeemed me at the cross and not just me but every man woman and child that ever lived. Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice for sins. He was heaven’s only spotless lamb.
That’s why Peter said, in our text that “Christ also hath ‘once’ suffered for sins.” The meaning conveyed by the original language is not “once upon a time” but rather “once for all.” That’s what the writer of Hebrews is so adamant about in Hebrews chapter nine where he says, in verse 26, that Jesus has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just two verses later he reiterates the fact that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. The cross was God’s final answer to sin, it was where God provided “himself” a lamb. The cross is where God put on human flesh and paid the price for sin all by himself! The Holy One of heaven laid down his own life for the redemption of all of fallen humanity: one perfect lamb; one horrific sacrifice; and one final victory. The just for the unjust!
Reconciliation
As wonderful as that truth is, its not the end of the story. Peter said, in our text, “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” This is the purpose of the cross. It’s about more than just atonement. It’s about more than just substitution. It’s about more than just redemption. It’s also about reconciliation. That’s the end goal of the cross. It’s the purpose that Paul gives, in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” God was in Christ and by his own death reconciled us to himself, he restored us to fellowship with God.
The sacrifice that happened on a hill called Golgotha was about making it possible for us to be reconciled to God. Peter said, He did it that He might bring us to God. The language there is interesting. The phrase “bring us to God” is a technical term that means “gain audience at court.” Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we now have an open access to God, we are able to gain access to his throne. We are able to enter into a relationship, a fellowship, a communion with God. The work of Calvary provides a way that we can come boldly before the throne of God!
What was accomplished at the cross allows us to have access to the marvelous grace of God to meet our daily needs. When Christ breathed his last and death claimed its only righteous victim, the veil of the temple was torn in two. That act of God symbolized the fact that the glory and presence of God that had been shut away behind the veil for all those years was now made accessible through Jesus Christ. We can enter into the Holy of Holies, we can come boldly before the very throne of God, we can bend our knee in his presence and make our very petition known and he will hear our cry and be faithful to meet all our needs. That access is gained through the application of the death of Jesus to our lives. He said of Himself, in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He is the way that we gain access to all the promises of God!
Quickening
Lets turn one more time to our text and see if we can catch a glimpse of how God, in Christ Jesus, reconciled us to himself. Peter said, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” To catch the significance of this we’ve got o back up to the reason why humanity needed a substitute in the first place. We, according to Ephesians 2:1, were dead in our trespasses and sins. We couldn’t pay the debt we owed for sin because the price of sin was death and, by virtue of our sin, we were already dead! But Jesus died in our stead; he died in our place. Going back to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 again, in verse 21, we learn that He, who knew no sin, became sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God, in Christ Jesus, became flesh so that He could be put to death in the flesh.
We were already dead because of sin. Death reigned in our mortal bodies and there was no hope for us without a miraculous resurrection. Dead things don’t have the ability to live again on their own. Only God has the power to speak to that which is dead and bring it back to life again. This is exactly what he did. He died for our sins. He tasted death, he laid down his life only to pick it up again 3 days later! Peter says, He was put to death in the flesh but He was quickened by the Spirit.
That’s why we celebrate on Easter morning, instead of on the day of the crucifixion. We are celebrating more than just the fact that He died for our sins. We are celebrating more than just the fact that He paid the price for our redemption. We are celebrating more than just the fact that He suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. We are celebrating the fact that he brought resurrection and life! We are celebrating the fact that he conquered death and the grave. His words echo from the pages of scripture (John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” That’s more than just a physical resurrection! Whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die. That my friend is a spiritual resurrection!
The spirit that quickened Christ and caused that dead body to live again after 3 long days in the cold clutches of death, that same spirit has the power to bring resurrection to the spiritual man. What Adam lost in the garden, Jesus redeemed at the cross! The garden introduced death in a twofold manner, spiritual death that was immediate and a physical death that was more long term. Jesus by his resurrection brought both an eternal life that is long term and a spiritual life that is immediate. This is what Paul is speaking of in Romans 8:10-11, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
Pentecost
That same spirit that quickened Christ from the dead, is this spirit that was poured out in an upper room in Jerusalem just 50 days after Easter. Acts 2 reads this way, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The spirit of God that quickened Christ, is the same spirit of God that filled the 120 believers gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.
That’s the day the church was born. That’s the day that the wonderful miracle of what happened at Calvary was finally realized. That’s the day that God poured out his quickening spirit on humanity, bringing spiritual resurrection to that which was spiritually dead! And that my friend, is the true miracle of Easter. Not only did he die, not only was he buried, but he rose from the grave. And when he rose from the grave he not only purchased eternal life, he also opened a door by which we could enter into fellowship with God. He purchased a spiritual resurrection that we must have in order to have eternal life.
Before too long a crowd gathered in the streets of Jerusalem to see what the excitement in the upper room was all about. And Peter preached to them about the death and resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, which is the spirit of God. When he was done preaching they were convicted and they asked him what they needed to do to be saved. My friend, I’m here to tell you this morning that it was no accident that Peter answered their question the way that he did. He said, in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Let me tell you, this morning, how you can experience the wonderful, transforming power of Easter in your own life. Easter is more than bunny rabbits and Easter eggs. Easter is about the resurrection and life and, most of all, its about a personal spiritual resurrection that you can experience for yourself. Its what the Bible calls being born again or a second birth because it consists of new life, a spiritual life. That which is dead in your spirit due to the bondage of sin can be resurrected back to life again by the spirit of God. That’s what the Holy Ghost is, it’s that quickening spirit of God that we’ve been talking about this morning.
The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we celebrate this morning, is the way that we come to God. We experience death in repentance. Repentance is all about dying out to sin. It’s about more than just being sorry that you got caught. Its about changing your direction, and reversing your course. Repentance is coming to God and saying, “I’m a sinner. And I want to change.”
After we’ve repented, we are buried with him in baptism. In repentance the old man dies with Christ Jesus. In baptism the old man is buried with Christ Jesus. That’s why Peter was very specific when he told the multitude to be baptized “in the name of Jesus.” Because we are buried with him, in his name. Peter promised that if we repented of our sins and were baptized in Jesus name, we would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That’s the quickening spirit of God and you will know when you receive it because you will speak in tongues just like they did in the upper room! The Holy Ghost is the resurrection and the life, it is the gift of God, and it, my friend, is the real meaning of the Easter story.
New Birth
The third chapter of John contains an incredible story of an encounter between a Pharisee, named Nicodemus, and Jesus. Nicodemus was convinced that Jesus was, indeed the Messiah. Jesus spoke to him about this second birth that I’ve told you about this morning. He said in John 3:3 that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was taken aback and asked how it was possible to be born again. Jesus, in his answer, confirmed the message that Peter had not yet preached on the day of Pentecost. He said that being born again consisted of being born of water and of spirit.
The next statement that he made was profound. He said, in John 3:6, that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. In other words, that which is born of the flesh is dead, but that which is born of the spirit is life. This morning the message of Easter is simple. If you want to make heaven your home, you must experience the resurrection power of Easter! You must be born again!
Today, we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter sums up the significance of the whole weekend in a single, short but profound, verse: 1 Peter 3:18, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. This is the reason why we celebrate. Jesus Christ died on a cross for my sins and for yours, the just for the unjust. In order to bring us to God, he died in the flesh but was quickened by the Spirit.
Substitution
If we are going to grasp the significance of the cross we have to understand the biblical implication of substitution. That’s what Peter means by the just for the unjust. There are many facets to the meaning of Christ’s death, but the central element of the sacrifice that occurred at Calvary is substitution. This simply means that Christ died in our place, the just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous, heaven’s perfect lamb for the sins of the whole world.
The cross stands at the center of the bible. The whole biblical record, up to the cross, points to the cross and everything after the cross is dramatically influenced by it. The finished work of Calvary is, bar none, the single greatest act of God in all of time and eternity and it was in the mind of God from the very beginning. This is why Rev 13:8 and 1 Peter 1:19 agree together that Jesus was the lamb “slain from the foundation of the world.” The cross wasn’t God’s way of reacting to sin. It was God’s plan to deal with sin before the first sin ever occurred. God foreordained that he would purchase the church with his own blood, he knew, from the beginning, the price that he would pay for sin.
According to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death and Ezekiel 18 tells us over and over again that the soul that sins shall surely die. When Adam and Eve sinned, in the garden, death took a hold of their mortal bodies. It would take over 900 years for that death to be fully realized but it began to work in them immediately. However, at the same time they experienced spiritual death. The spiritual death was instant. They were no longer righteous; sin robbed them of spiritual life and severed their fellowship and communion with God. The price for sin is death. In order for Adam and Eve to be saved from their sins, something had to die. The problem is that Adam and Eve couldn’t pay that price because they were already dead. So something else had to die in their place, if they were to be saved.
Right there in the garden God introduced the concept of substitution. God slew animals and took from them bloody coats of skins that He used to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. From the very beginning God was spelling out the principle of the cross. Death, bloodshed, substitution and atonement, all occurred in those few moments at the beginning of it all. An animal became the substitute, it died, its blood was shed and its bloody coat made a covering over Adam and Eve’s sin. That’s what atonement is, it’s a covering for sin. It allows man to have fellowship with God by virtue of the fact that his sin is covered, or atoned for, by a substitutionary sacrifice.
That foundational principle is repeated throughout the biblical record. Its represented in the ram that was caught in the bush when Abraham prepared to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, out of obedience to God. The words of Abraham to his precious son ring with a strong prophetic tone down trough the pages of scripture. When Isaac inquired about the absence of a sacrifice, Abraham responded in Genesis 22:8 “God will provide himself a lamb.” Indeed, God did just that. As Abraham drew back the knife to perform the sacrifice that God had required of him, the angel of the Lord stopped his hand and revealed to him the ram that was caught in a bush, a sacrificial substitute for Abraham’s son. But the power of Abraham’s faith filled statement extends beyond that day to the day when God literally provided himself as the substitutionary lamb.
Over and over again the concept repeats itself through out the scripture. When Moses prepared to lead the Hebrews on the exodus form Egypt he was warned of God that the 10th plague would be a visitation of the death angel upon Egypt. On that dreaded night, when the death angel passed over he would claim the first born of every home. But Moses was given a promise in Exodus 12:13 that he relayed to the Hebrews, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Every Hebrew family was to select a lamb, a perfect spotless specimen, and that lamb was to be sacrificed for their family. On that night, the night of the first Passover, the lamb became the substitute for the children of Abraham. When the death angel saw the blood on the doorposts of the home he passed over that home because the price had already been paid. The death of a substitute was the only way to escape the judgment of God.
That Passover was the first of many as God instituted a covenant with Israel through Moses, the foundation of which was substitutional atonement for sins by the death of a lamb. From that point forward the pages of the word of God are soaked with the blood of countless sacrificial lambs. Every year on the Passover, the familiar scene was played out. Each family would sacrifice a lamb to atone for their sins. As many a quarter of a million lambs were slain each Passover. Each one is a substitute for sins. The blood that flowed from those multiplied millions of lambs provided a covering, an atonement, for sins.
However, all of that blood could never fully take away sins, it only provided a temporary covering for sins. Hebrews 10:4 tells us that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” The lambs of the Old Testament only pointed to the day when God would provide “himself” as the perfect sacrifice for sins. That’s why when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him that day in John chapter one, he looked beyond the millions of animal sacrifices and pointed to the true “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Redemption
The death of Jesus was substitutionary. Just like the lambs of the Old Testament, Jesus died for our sins. He became our substitute as he was offered in our place, the just for the unjust. However, his sacrifice accomplished more than the atonement of the Old Testament. The blood of Jesus was the vehicle of redemption. Redemption is the concept of being set free by the payment of a ransom price. It is built upon the application of a common legal transaction of biblical times. When a man became a debtor and owed a debt that he could not repay there was a legal system in place that allowed him to work off his debt as a slave to the person to whom he was indebted. It was a type of indentured servant hood, a means for a man to satisfy a debt that was too great for him to pay in any other way.
Once a man entered that obligation, he was bound by it. There was only one way to terminate that agreement and that was by the payment of a redemption price. In that special allowance of the law a redeemer could pay the price that was owed by the individual thus setting them free from their debt. There was only one catch. The redeemer had to be a kinsman of the person to be redeemed. He had to be a blood relative. There was no other kind of redeemer except the kinsman redeemer. This is why the blood of bulls and goats wasn’t sufficient to redeem sins. This is why millions of gallons of blood shed by millions of sacrificial lambs would never set man free from the bondage of sin. The price could only be paid by kinsman!
This is why John started his gospel the way he did. He establishes from the very beginning the validity of the blood of Jesus. “In the beginning,” he says in John 1:1, “was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.” And when he gets to verse 14 he says, “the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” It’s the same message that Paul broadcast in 1 Timothy 3:16, " And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.” In the person of Jesus Christ, God became our kinsman. He became a man so that He could become our redeemer. There wasn’t any other way. Because of sin, we owed a debt we could not pay. We were in bondage to sin. That’s why Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:34 that whoever commits sin is the slave of sin. Because sin is the slave master that each of us was bound to from birth. And we didn’t have the resources to purchase our own freedom. It was a debt that we could never overcome!
Thank God for the precious blood that was shed on Calvary’s old rugged cross. He purchased our salvation. The cross was about more than just covering up sin. The cross was about paying the price for sin. Jesus was a man just like you and me with one vital exception. He wasn’t born under the bondage of sin. He wasn’t born in debt to sin and, although he was tempted in all points just like we are, he never gave in to sin. So when he went to the cross he was still spiritually alive. He could do what no other man could do, he could die for sins because he wasn’t already dead.
That’s what happened at the cross. A legal transaction took place. Jesus Christ took upon himself the sins of the entire world and bore them to the old rugged cross. Because he knew no sin, he could stand in my place and in your place and pay the price that we each owed for our sins. This is what Peter means when he says the just for the unjust. It was more than just another substitute. This was my kinsman. This was flesh and blood. This was Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. And when he died, he died for me. Not just instead of me, but for me. He died the death that is the price of all my sins. He paid my price. He redeemed me at the cross and not just me but every man woman and child that ever lived. Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice for sins. He was heaven’s only spotless lamb.
That’s why Peter said, in our text that “Christ also hath ‘once’ suffered for sins.” The meaning conveyed by the original language is not “once upon a time” but rather “once for all.” That’s what the writer of Hebrews is so adamant about in Hebrews chapter nine where he says, in verse 26, that Jesus has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just two verses later he reiterates the fact that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. The cross was God’s final answer to sin, it was where God provided “himself” a lamb. The cross is where God put on human flesh and paid the price for sin all by himself! The Holy One of heaven laid down his own life for the redemption of all of fallen humanity: one perfect lamb; one horrific sacrifice; and one final victory. The just for the unjust!
Reconciliation
As wonderful as that truth is, its not the end of the story. Peter said, in our text, “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” This is the purpose of the cross. It’s about more than just atonement. It’s about more than just substitution. It’s about more than just redemption. It’s also about reconciliation. That’s the end goal of the cross. It’s the purpose that Paul gives, in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” God was in Christ and by his own death reconciled us to himself, he restored us to fellowship with God.
The sacrifice that happened on a hill called Golgotha was about making it possible for us to be reconciled to God. Peter said, He did it that He might bring us to God. The language there is interesting. The phrase “bring us to God” is a technical term that means “gain audience at court.” Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we now have an open access to God, we are able to gain access to his throne. We are able to enter into a relationship, a fellowship, a communion with God. The work of Calvary provides a way that we can come boldly before the throne of God!
What was accomplished at the cross allows us to have access to the marvelous grace of God to meet our daily needs. When Christ breathed his last and death claimed its only righteous victim, the veil of the temple was torn in two. That act of God symbolized the fact that the glory and presence of God that had been shut away behind the veil for all those years was now made accessible through Jesus Christ. We can enter into the Holy of Holies, we can come boldly before the very throne of God, we can bend our knee in his presence and make our very petition known and he will hear our cry and be faithful to meet all our needs. That access is gained through the application of the death of Jesus to our lives. He said of Himself, in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He is the way that we gain access to all the promises of God!
Quickening
Lets turn one more time to our text and see if we can catch a glimpse of how God, in Christ Jesus, reconciled us to himself. Peter said, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” To catch the significance of this we’ve got o back up to the reason why humanity needed a substitute in the first place. We, according to Ephesians 2:1, were dead in our trespasses and sins. We couldn’t pay the debt we owed for sin because the price of sin was death and, by virtue of our sin, we were already dead! But Jesus died in our stead; he died in our place. Going back to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 again, in verse 21, we learn that He, who knew no sin, became sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God, in Christ Jesus, became flesh so that He could be put to death in the flesh.
We were already dead because of sin. Death reigned in our mortal bodies and there was no hope for us without a miraculous resurrection. Dead things don’t have the ability to live again on their own. Only God has the power to speak to that which is dead and bring it back to life again. This is exactly what he did. He died for our sins. He tasted death, he laid down his life only to pick it up again 3 days later! Peter says, He was put to death in the flesh but He was quickened by the Spirit.
That’s why we celebrate on Easter morning, instead of on the day of the crucifixion. We are celebrating more than just the fact that He died for our sins. We are celebrating more than just the fact that He paid the price for our redemption. We are celebrating more than just the fact that He suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. We are celebrating the fact that he brought resurrection and life! We are celebrating the fact that he conquered death and the grave. His words echo from the pages of scripture (John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” That’s more than just a physical resurrection! Whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die. That my friend is a spiritual resurrection!
The spirit that quickened Christ and caused that dead body to live again after 3 long days in the cold clutches of death, that same spirit has the power to bring resurrection to the spiritual man. What Adam lost in the garden, Jesus redeemed at the cross! The garden introduced death in a twofold manner, spiritual death that was immediate and a physical death that was more long term. Jesus by his resurrection brought both an eternal life that is long term and a spiritual life that is immediate. This is what Paul is speaking of in Romans 8:10-11, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
Pentecost
That same spirit that quickened Christ from the dead, is this spirit that was poured out in an upper room in Jerusalem just 50 days after Easter. Acts 2 reads this way, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The spirit of God that quickened Christ, is the same spirit of God that filled the 120 believers gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.
That’s the day the church was born. That’s the day that the wonderful miracle of what happened at Calvary was finally realized. That’s the day that God poured out his quickening spirit on humanity, bringing spiritual resurrection to that which was spiritually dead! And that my friend, is the true miracle of Easter. Not only did he die, not only was he buried, but he rose from the grave. And when he rose from the grave he not only purchased eternal life, he also opened a door by which we could enter into fellowship with God. He purchased a spiritual resurrection that we must have in order to have eternal life.
Before too long a crowd gathered in the streets of Jerusalem to see what the excitement in the upper room was all about. And Peter preached to them about the death and resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, which is the spirit of God. When he was done preaching they were convicted and they asked him what they needed to do to be saved. My friend, I’m here to tell you this morning that it was no accident that Peter answered their question the way that he did. He said, in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Let me tell you, this morning, how you can experience the wonderful, transforming power of Easter in your own life. Easter is more than bunny rabbits and Easter eggs. Easter is about the resurrection and life and, most of all, its about a personal spiritual resurrection that you can experience for yourself. Its what the Bible calls being born again or a second birth because it consists of new life, a spiritual life. That which is dead in your spirit due to the bondage of sin can be resurrected back to life again by the spirit of God. That’s what the Holy Ghost is, it’s that quickening spirit of God that we’ve been talking about this morning.
The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that we celebrate this morning, is the way that we come to God. We experience death in repentance. Repentance is all about dying out to sin. It’s about more than just being sorry that you got caught. Its about changing your direction, and reversing your course. Repentance is coming to God and saying, “I’m a sinner. And I want to change.”
After we’ve repented, we are buried with him in baptism. In repentance the old man dies with Christ Jesus. In baptism the old man is buried with Christ Jesus. That’s why Peter was very specific when he told the multitude to be baptized “in the name of Jesus.” Because we are buried with him, in his name. Peter promised that if we repented of our sins and were baptized in Jesus name, we would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That’s the quickening spirit of God and you will know when you receive it because you will speak in tongues just like they did in the upper room! The Holy Ghost is the resurrection and the life, it is the gift of God, and it, my friend, is the real meaning of the Easter story.
New Birth
The third chapter of John contains an incredible story of an encounter between a Pharisee, named Nicodemus, and Jesus. Nicodemus was convinced that Jesus was, indeed the Messiah. Jesus spoke to him about this second birth that I’ve told you about this morning. He said in John 3:3 that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was taken aback and asked how it was possible to be born again. Jesus, in his answer, confirmed the message that Peter had not yet preached on the day of Pentecost. He said that being born again consisted of being born of water and of spirit.
The next statement that he made was profound. He said, in John 3:6, that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. In other words, that which is born of the flesh is dead, but that which is born of the spirit is life. This morning the message of Easter is simple. If you want to make heaven your home, you must experience the resurrection power of Easter! You must be born again!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, March 29, 2010
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?
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?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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...
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...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
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}
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}
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