Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever."
Known of as ‘The Magnificat of Mary,’ this portion of scripture is the profession of a new believer. As professions of new believers go, this one is classic – maybe even the classic.
There is something profound that happens to a life when New Life is found within. Of course, we know the story. Mary has conceived of the Holy Spirit, and is with child. She has gone to visit her near-relative Elizabeth, who is also miraculously pregnant, (in her old age,) and there has been a glorious exchange between the babies in the respective wombs, with John the Baptist leaping for joy in Elizabeth’s womb, in the presence of Christ in Mary’s womb. A phenomenal occasion.
The Spirit fills Elizabeth, and she speaks wonderful prophecy over the life of Mary.
Mary, obviously filled with the Holy Spirit as well, follows suit, praising the Lord for all He has gone. How glorious the praise of one filled with new life! We don’t know a lot about Mary’s life, but we do know this: she loves the Lord! Mary is blessed among women as THE one to bear God’s only Begotten Son. As THE one to be responsible for His upbringing. As THE one to be the mother of The Messiah.
As the bearer of New Life, Mary understood completely this had nothing to do with her. This is all an act of God’s grace being poured out upon a humble, observant servant. As she considers all of this, and the enormity of the condition she finds herself, there is one thing certain: soon everyone will know. She knows this is not something that can be hidden – or even should be hidden. This is an amazing miraculous act of The Father. Mary’s declaration is a revelation of her understanding.
When Christ is inside you it cannot be hidden. You may try oversized baggy clothes, you may even try to stay away from people, but eventually everyone will recognize the presence of The New Life within. Mary understands.
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Let It Begin!
Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
There is a great deal of difference in what may appear a minor difference of expression. Responses may differ only slightly as far as the world or our own perception may be concerned. But to God, perception is not part of the equation. He knows the reality of every situation, and the attitude behind every response, and there is no way for us to conceal our intentions or our attitudes from God.
And so, in Zacharias’ response to the angel Gabriel, rebellion or lack of faith is barely perceptible – to us.. One thing is clear, even to us - and that is unbelief. And why not unbelief? After all, Zacharias is well advanced in years, “stricken with age.” Here an angel stands before him proclaiming his prayer is heard – and that he and his wife Elizabeth will be having a son! What a dramatic message for those so far beyond child-bearing years. In essence, Gabriel has informed Zacharias something impossible is about to happen.
How well do you respond to the “impossible?”
Life in Christ is one impossibility after another. We live on a planet spinning at 1000 miles per hour, revolving in our galaxy at 200,000 miles per hour, hurtling through the deep vastness of space which is billions and billions of miles across. We perceive none of this. The space present within the atom is so vast, everything we touch or perceive as a solid mass is exactly not. Solids are mostly space. An atom blown up to the size of a tennis ball would have a space between the neutron and the electron roughly the distance from San Francisco to New York. None of this can be discerned by any of us. No way. No how. Even when informed of the facts, we are still incapable of perceiving them.
Yet when it comes to distinguishing what is ‘possible’ from that which is ‘impossible’ we consider ourselves expert. Nothing is impossible for God - and the birth of John the Baptist is meant to illustrate that point to a belligerent people. So let it begin!
- Pastor Bill
There is a great deal of difference in what may appear a minor difference of expression. Responses may differ only slightly as far as the world or our own perception may be concerned. But to God, perception is not part of the equation. He knows the reality of every situation, and the attitude behind every response, and there is no way for us to conceal our intentions or our attitudes from God.
And so, in Zacharias’ response to the angel Gabriel, rebellion or lack of faith is barely perceptible – to us.. One thing is clear, even to us - and that is unbelief. And why not unbelief? After all, Zacharias is well advanced in years, “stricken with age.” Here an angel stands before him proclaiming his prayer is heard – and that he and his wife Elizabeth will be having a son! What a dramatic message for those so far beyond child-bearing years. In essence, Gabriel has informed Zacharias something impossible is about to happen.
How well do you respond to the “impossible?”
Life in Christ is one impossibility after another. We live on a planet spinning at 1000 miles per hour, revolving in our galaxy at 200,000 miles per hour, hurtling through the deep vastness of space which is billions and billions of miles across. We perceive none of this. The space present within the atom is so vast, everything we touch or perceive as a solid mass is exactly not. Solids are mostly space. An atom blown up to the size of a tennis ball would have a space between the neutron and the electron roughly the distance from San Francisco to New York. None of this can be discerned by any of us. No way. No how. Even when informed of the facts, we are still incapable of perceiving them.
Yet when it comes to distinguishing what is ‘possible’ from that which is ‘impossible’ we consider ourselves expert. Nothing is impossible for God - and the birth of John the Baptist is meant to illustrate that point to a belligerent people. So let it begin!
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, January 17, 2008
A Sorry State
2 Chron 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, "In Jerusalem shall My name be forever." 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.
We all have high hopes our children will follow in our footsteps, especially if we are following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Hezekiah was a man of God, led by God, who had been a great influence on the nation of Judah. But for whatever reason, he had seemed less of an influence on his own son Manasseh, who succeeded him.
And so one of the longest reigns for good, (29 years,) had been followed by the longest reign for evil, (55 years.)
Under Hezekiah, the nation had returned to God, had re-established the priesthood in its order and provision throughout the land, and had re-established the celebration of the Passover to the Lord. Under Manasseh, the nation dis-established all that had been established under Hezekiah in rapid order. It seems as though no stone was left unturned in seeking after evil, as if to do everything possible to cause offense to the Lord.
Was Hezekiah such a poor father that this was bound to happen? The Bible remains silent about Hezekiah’s fathering, and so we cannot make a judgment – but we do know this: Manasseh was living in full-on affront to the Lord - and he was leading the nation likewise. Judah was “Cruising for a bruising,” as my earthly father used to tell me when I was acting out. Manasseh soon found himself exiled to Babylon – one of the first to be taken. He was imprisoned, having been led away by hooks in bronze chains.
Alone with his thoughts in a Babylonian prison, we finally see the influence of his father Hezekiah. Here we see the importance of Godly fathering. We can never know when or where our influence will take hold, but we do know this – when we are at the end of ourselves, outside influences predominate. However and whatever had been done by Hezekiah to influence Manasseh did not show up until it was needed most – and only when Manasseh had been emptied of himself. Manasseh repented, and was restored to right relationship with God – despite all he had done for evil. He was TRULY sorry. God’s grace abounds when our sin is at an end.
- Pastor Bill
We all have high hopes our children will follow in our footsteps, especially if we are following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Hezekiah was a man of God, led by God, who had been a great influence on the nation of Judah. But for whatever reason, he had seemed less of an influence on his own son Manasseh, who succeeded him.
And so one of the longest reigns for good, (29 years,) had been followed by the longest reign for evil, (55 years.)
Under Hezekiah, the nation had returned to God, had re-established the priesthood in its order and provision throughout the land, and had re-established the celebration of the Passover to the Lord. Under Manasseh, the nation dis-established all that had been established under Hezekiah in rapid order. It seems as though no stone was left unturned in seeking after evil, as if to do everything possible to cause offense to the Lord.
Was Hezekiah such a poor father that this was bound to happen? The Bible remains silent about Hezekiah’s fathering, and so we cannot make a judgment – but we do know this: Manasseh was living in full-on affront to the Lord - and he was leading the nation likewise. Judah was “Cruising for a bruising,” as my earthly father used to tell me when I was acting out. Manasseh soon found himself exiled to Babylon – one of the first to be taken. He was imprisoned, having been led away by hooks in bronze chains.
Alone with his thoughts in a Babylonian prison, we finally see the influence of his father Hezekiah. Here we see the importance of Godly fathering. We can never know when or where our influence will take hold, but we do know this – when we are at the end of ourselves, outside influences predominate. However and whatever had been done by Hezekiah to influence Manasseh did not show up until it was needed most – and only when Manasseh had been emptied of himself. Manasseh repented, and was restored to right relationship with God – despite all he had done for evil. He was TRULY sorry. God’s grace abounds when our sin is at an end.
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Weight Lifting
2 Chron 29:7 "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
We all understand strength does not come automatically, or even easily. While some may be relatively more physically strong than others, it is still a matter of physical exertion which builds muscle mass, and therefore strength.
It is no different when it comes to faith. Faith cannot be strengthened without being exercised. In many ways we exercise our faith without even knowing it just by our daily activity, as we do with our muscles. Just as the walking we must do is exercising our muscles in a way we don’t necessarily recognize, simple activities indicating our relationship with God do likewise for our faith.
Attending church, for example, is an exercise of faith in a similar way to the way walking down a flight of steps exercises our leg muscles. If I’m a believer, my church attendance is an exercise of faith, as is my attendance at home fellowship or prayer meetings. I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ, and even though it may not seem a major stretch, I am indicating that faith by my ‘faithful’ attendance at church events. I am showing everyone, including myself, this is important to me.
But just as normal daily activity will not necessarily bring our muscles into the shape they need to be to accomplish very much in the physical realm, our ‘Spiritual muscles’ need to be tested as well. Sometimes this is a painful process. We are tested by God to see how ‘fit’ we really are. This test is more an indicator to ourselves than it is to God. (After all, He already KNOWS how Spiritually fit we are.) How exciting it can be for Him to prove our fitness to ourselves by the things He allows into our lives which provide the Spiritual testing which is necessary for true growth.
And so we find king Hezekiah in exactly this kind of test. How will he respond to an overwhelming Assyrian force on the verge of destroying Jerusalem? As the political leader of the people, his response will determine much about how they respond.
Hezekiah has just led a revival and reformation in the nation of Judah. With all sincerity of heart and diligence, the people have rallied around Hezekiah’s desire to drive out all forms of pagan worship and evil practices. They have re-instituted the Passover feast, and the people have rejoiced in a way they have not in over a hundred years. They have fallen in love with the LORD all over again! Would it be for naught? Would it be shallow? Here we see the depth of Hezekiah’s ‘soil’ on display for all to see and rally to! His faith in God is tested and proven – and now God will prove Himself faithful to those who place their faith in Him. He always does.
- Pastor Bill
We all understand strength does not come automatically, or even easily. While some may be relatively more physically strong than others, it is still a matter of physical exertion which builds muscle mass, and therefore strength.
It is no different when it comes to faith. Faith cannot be strengthened without being exercised. In many ways we exercise our faith without even knowing it just by our daily activity, as we do with our muscles. Just as the walking we must do is exercising our muscles in a way we don’t necessarily recognize, simple activities indicating our relationship with God do likewise for our faith.
Attending church, for example, is an exercise of faith in a similar way to the way walking down a flight of steps exercises our leg muscles. If I’m a believer, my church attendance is an exercise of faith, as is my attendance at home fellowship or prayer meetings. I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ, and even though it may not seem a major stretch, I am indicating that faith by my ‘faithful’ attendance at church events. I am showing everyone, including myself, this is important to me.
But just as normal daily activity will not necessarily bring our muscles into the shape they need to be to accomplish very much in the physical realm, our ‘Spiritual muscles’ need to be tested as well. Sometimes this is a painful process. We are tested by God to see how ‘fit’ we really are. This test is more an indicator to ourselves than it is to God. (After all, He already KNOWS how Spiritually fit we are.) How exciting it can be for Him to prove our fitness to ourselves by the things He allows into our lives which provide the Spiritual testing which is necessary for true growth.
And so we find king Hezekiah in exactly this kind of test. How will he respond to an overwhelming Assyrian force on the verge of destroying Jerusalem? As the political leader of the people, his response will determine much about how they respond.
Hezekiah has just led a revival and reformation in the nation of Judah. With all sincerity of heart and diligence, the people have rallied around Hezekiah’s desire to drive out all forms of pagan worship and evil practices. They have re-instituted the Passover feast, and the people have rejoiced in a way they have not in over a hundred years. They have fallen in love with the LORD all over again! Would it be for naught? Would it be shallow? Here we see the depth of Hezekiah’s ‘soil’ on display for all to see and rally to! His faith in God is tested and proven – and now God will prove Himself faithful to those who place their faith in Him. He always does.
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, January 3, 2008
What’s In It For You?
2 Chron 26:16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord--valiant men. 18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God."
There are two hearts on display here in 2 Chron 26. One is very self-centered, focused only on its own kingly aggrandizement, and the other is focused on the Word of God and recognition of the King of Kings.
One has a king-sized ego to stoke, and the other has a king-sized problem to deal with.
This dichotomy is interesting in a season when so many are making so-called ‘New Year’s resolutions’ - attempting to deal with personal short-comings of the past by making a vow for the future. (Of course, we typically find those who make New Year’s resolutions have a great deal of difficulty keeping them.)
Perhaps the solution to the problem with the resolution deals with the intent of the resolver. Perhaps we see evidence here in the difference between the life of king Uzziah and the life of the priest Azariah. The key seems to be: What’s in it for you?
Uzziah was moving into new territory, seeking even greater recognition. He had proven a very successful king, rising to the throne at age 16, and going on to be victorious in battle while at the same time building up the defenses of the nation. His wealth and personal stature had grown mightily. He was famous from Jerusalem on down even to Egypt. What new areas remained to be conquered? And so he resolved (within himself) to take on the mantle of great spiritual leader as well – but to what purpose? Again, his primary goal seems to be enlargement of self, and personal esteem. Be it resolved!
Fortunately that day there was another man present who had an entirely different resolve – to protect the rites of the temple according to the Word of God – that no one other than a priest and a descendent of Aaron was to burn the temple incense. No one – not even a king! And at great personal cost and risk of life, Azariah withstood king Uzziah to his face. Be it resolved!
The Lord weighed in in a powerful way, permanently marking Uzziah’s flesh with leprosy (V19) – because the flesh is what he resolved to serve. Azariah, on the other hand, resolved to serve the Lord at all cost, and was rewarded by preserving a type which would only be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Who do you resolve to serve?
- Pastor Bill
There are two hearts on display here in 2 Chron 26. One is very self-centered, focused only on its own kingly aggrandizement, and the other is focused on the Word of God and recognition of the King of Kings.
One has a king-sized ego to stoke, and the other has a king-sized problem to deal with.
This dichotomy is interesting in a season when so many are making so-called ‘New Year’s resolutions’ - attempting to deal with personal short-comings of the past by making a vow for the future. (Of course, we typically find those who make New Year’s resolutions have a great deal of difficulty keeping them.)
Perhaps the solution to the problem with the resolution deals with the intent of the resolver. Perhaps we see evidence here in the difference between the life of king Uzziah and the life of the priest Azariah. The key seems to be: What’s in it for you?
Uzziah was moving into new territory, seeking even greater recognition. He had proven a very successful king, rising to the throne at age 16, and going on to be victorious in battle while at the same time building up the defenses of the nation. His wealth and personal stature had grown mightily. He was famous from Jerusalem on down even to Egypt. What new areas remained to be conquered? And so he resolved (within himself) to take on the mantle of great spiritual leader as well – but to what purpose? Again, his primary goal seems to be enlargement of self, and personal esteem. Be it resolved!
Fortunately that day there was another man present who had an entirely different resolve – to protect the rites of the temple according to the Word of God – that no one other than a priest and a descendent of Aaron was to burn the temple incense. No one – not even a king! And at great personal cost and risk of life, Azariah withstood king Uzziah to his face. Be it resolved!
The Lord weighed in in a powerful way, permanently marking Uzziah’s flesh with leprosy (V19) – because the flesh is what he resolved to serve. Azariah, on the other hand, resolved to serve the Lord at all cost, and was rewarded by preserving a type which would only be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Who do you resolve to serve?
- Pastor Bill
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