Luke 22:63 Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. 64 And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?" 65 And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.
Deut 18:15 "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.
It is hard to imagine any Jewish person thinking or acting in a way which they know to be directly contrary to Moses. Yet here we see the Temple guard acting in exactly that way, with the explicit permission and direction of the leadership of the church.
It is a horrible thing to see when church leadership goes bad. Unfortunately, it is the leaders of the church who are least-well depicted in the Gospels. (They are even depicted as relatively worse than the Roman governors, who were despised by the Jews.)
The question is, how could this happen?
Moses had predicted ‘The True Prophet’ would come. Church leadership knew it. The Jewish people knew it. What are we to expect when ‘The True Prophet’ comes? Joy! Worship! Yet, subservience!
Instead we see them place a bag over Jesus’ head and beat the tar out of Him - as the elders of the church look on approvingly. All the while taunting Him that if He really is ‘The True Prophet’ He should be able to say who it is who is hitting Him. Of all the hurtful things Jesus endured before and during His crucifixion, this may have been among the worst. Imagine God, having a purple robe placed upon His shoulders and a crown of thorns placed roughly on His head - thorns deeply implanted - and then taunted about His office as ‘The True Prophet.’
This suggests they knew exactly what they were doing. This was no accident.
Who would do such a thing? Are these inherently evil men? Are these thugs representative of some mob of local gangsters? No, they are the representatives of the church. They are, in fact, the ‘guardians’ of the church. (Indeed, The Church Guard.)
What does it say about the church when there is no longer a fear of God present within the church? I take this as a stark warning of how men seeking power eventually find themselves directly contending with God. And they willingly lead others into that same contention.
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Mother Mary
Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
It is hard to imagine the responsibility being placed upon this young teen-aged woman we know as Mary. She has found favor with God, and the ‘favor’ she has found is reflected in the personal ministry of the angel Gabriel. Reassurance. Concern. Provision.
I think back to the day Tina and I found out “we” were pregnant with James. There are a flood of emotions and challenges that overcome you in that moment – coupled with unbridled joy in new life.
But Mary’s situation was very different in a number of ways. In the first place, she was not yet married. Her pregnancy would be a shaming embarrassment in a time when unmarried pregnancy could be punished with death by stoning. At the very least, she would be shunned and made to be a social outcast. In the second place, since she has never ‘known’ a man, she has a great concern over how these things could happen to begin with? How can a woman be impregnated by the Holy Spirit? But yet – how can a woman be found in conversation with the angel Gabriel? All of this is stunning and alarming
These times in the life of Mary – and for the rest of her days for that matter – would be entirely supernatural times. Mary was about to head down a path in which she would be charged with the most important responsibility I could ever imagine. Mary is the one chosen to nurture and raise God’s Only Begotten Son.
If we were to choose an example of motherhood, how could we choose one greater than God Himself has chosen? What do we see in the life of Mary that we might seek to emulate, since what is revealed by her life is well known as being pleasing to God?
I think we may bring it down to one point, above all others: she is willing to allow God’s will to be done through her.
- Pastor Bill
It is hard to imagine the responsibility being placed upon this young teen-aged woman we know as Mary. She has found favor with God, and the ‘favor’ she has found is reflected in the personal ministry of the angel Gabriel. Reassurance. Concern. Provision.
I think back to the day Tina and I found out “we” were pregnant with James. There are a flood of emotions and challenges that overcome you in that moment – coupled with unbridled joy in new life.
But Mary’s situation was very different in a number of ways. In the first place, she was not yet married. Her pregnancy would be a shaming embarrassment in a time when unmarried pregnancy could be punished with death by stoning. At the very least, she would be shunned and made to be a social outcast. In the second place, since she has never ‘known’ a man, she has a great concern over how these things could happen to begin with? How can a woman be impregnated by the Holy Spirit? But yet – how can a woman be found in conversation with the angel Gabriel? All of this is stunning and alarming
These times in the life of Mary – and for the rest of her days for that matter – would be entirely supernatural times. Mary was about to head down a path in which she would be charged with the most important responsibility I could ever imagine. Mary is the one chosen to nurture and raise God’s Only Begotten Son.
If we were to choose an example of motherhood, how could we choose one greater than God Himself has chosen? What do we see in the life of Mary that we might seek to emulate, since what is revealed by her life is well known as being pleasing to God?
I think we may bring it down to one point, above all others: she is willing to allow God’s will to be done through her.
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Heads Up!
Luke 21:20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
Whenever a ball or other object is in the air, and someone is in danger of being hit, you call out, “Heads up!” It’s the quickest thing to say which properly allows the person to comprehend both imminent danger and to look out for something at the same time. (All of that communicated in one simple phrase.)
Jesus, similarly, has a warning for the church as He speaks of the end-times events in Luke 21. “Look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.”
What exactly does it mean for us to “look up?” Are we to be watching out for redemption to hit us over the head?
Not exactly. Jesus is telling us to live focused lives, especially in times like these…the end times. There is not much time left, and we need to be very careful and very aware of everything that is going on in the world, that we might likewise be prepared for what is going on in the spiritual realm.
I don’t know about you, but I have begun to “see these things happen.” What things? Oh, the upheaval in the world, the political instability and irritability, and the perplexity over how to solve the world’s problems – because in truth there are no solutions any more. The world seems to be spinning out of control, and it is only in knowing Jesus had predicted and prophesied exactly this do I find any comfort at all.
The world is being allowed to spin out of control that we, the Faithful, the True church, may see what time it is. And it is time to look up to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To see He is literally at the door. To see His time to return for His church is at hand. To see that time is short, and that our lives and the lives we intend to save must be impacted now. “Heads up!”
- Pastor Bill
Whenever a ball or other object is in the air, and someone is in danger of being hit, you call out, “Heads up!” It’s the quickest thing to say which properly allows the person to comprehend both imminent danger and to look out for something at the same time. (All of that communicated in one simple phrase.)
Jesus, similarly, has a warning for the church as He speaks of the end-times events in Luke 21. “Look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.”
What exactly does it mean for us to “look up?” Are we to be watching out for redemption to hit us over the head?
Not exactly. Jesus is telling us to live focused lives, especially in times like these…the end times. There is not much time left, and we need to be very careful and very aware of everything that is going on in the world, that we might likewise be prepared for what is going on in the spiritual realm.
I don’t know about you, but I have begun to “see these things happen.” What things? Oh, the upheaval in the world, the political instability and irritability, and the perplexity over how to solve the world’s problems – because in truth there are no solutions any more. The world seems to be spinning out of control, and it is only in knowing Jesus had predicted and prophesied exactly this do I find any comfort at all.
The world is being allowed to spin out of control that we, the Faithful, the True church, may see what time it is. And it is time to look up to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To see He is literally at the door. To see His time to return for His church is at hand. To see that time is short, and that our lives and the lives we intend to save must be impacted now. “Heads up!”
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Always Pray
Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, and ‘Get justice for me from my adversary’. 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' "6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Jesus is preparing His disciples for the fact He will soon be departing from His physically public ministry, and will be transferring Himself to a privately personal ministry. Since His ministry will soon be resident within each human heart who allows Him a home there, the practice of prayer becomes the primary means of personal contact, replacing His physical touch.
And so Jesus says, “Pray always and do not lose heart.”
This is vitally important instruction, as it seems we are most likely to lose heart when we have matters in our life we are least convinced prayer can handle. Jesus says, on the contrary, there are no matters in our life which cannot be handled by prayer, and that there is no difference in Jesus’ ability to handle our prayer requests than there would be if He was physically present.
We know of and long for Jesus’ physical presence. I would give anything I own to be able to have been one of those who had the opportunity to follow Jesus on the earth as He walked and worked in His public ministry some 2000 years ago. I long for the day when Jesus will return for His church, because I know there are no problems which currently exist that the rapture will not solve.
Essentially, Jesus is saying to His disciples, “Continue to talk to Me as if I were still with you – and the reason is because - I AM.”
What a friend we have in Jesus. What a friend in Christ we share. There is nothing beyond our reach, when we offer it in prayer. Would you be confident of His ability to heal should He be physically present? Be just as confident now. Would you be confident of His ability to save should He be physically present? Be just as confident now.
Most importantly, “Do not lose heart.” In the Gospel of John, in the sixteenth chapter, Jesus explains it is to our advantage that He be with the Father. “The Helper will not come to you unless I go away,” says Jesus, in John 16:8, and He continues, “but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” No matter where you are, or what you are going through, Jesus is presently with you in Spirit. When He returns, will He find us trusting in that fact? Will He really find faith on the earth?
- Pastor Bill
Jesus is preparing His disciples for the fact He will soon be departing from His physically public ministry, and will be transferring Himself to a privately personal ministry. Since His ministry will soon be resident within each human heart who allows Him a home there, the practice of prayer becomes the primary means of personal contact, replacing His physical touch.
And so Jesus says, “Pray always and do not lose heart.”
This is vitally important instruction, as it seems we are most likely to lose heart when we have matters in our life we are least convinced prayer can handle. Jesus says, on the contrary, there are no matters in our life which cannot be handled by prayer, and that there is no difference in Jesus’ ability to handle our prayer requests than there would be if He was physically present.
We know of and long for Jesus’ physical presence. I would give anything I own to be able to have been one of those who had the opportunity to follow Jesus on the earth as He walked and worked in His public ministry some 2000 years ago. I long for the day when Jesus will return for His church, because I know there are no problems which currently exist that the rapture will not solve.
Essentially, Jesus is saying to His disciples, “Continue to talk to Me as if I were still with you – and the reason is because - I AM.”
What a friend we have in Jesus. What a friend in Christ we share. There is nothing beyond our reach, when we offer it in prayer. Would you be confident of His ability to heal should He be physically present? Be just as confident now. Would you be confident of His ability to save should He be physically present? Be just as confident now.
Most importantly, “Do not lose heart.” In the Gospel of John, in the sixteenth chapter, Jesus explains it is to our advantage that He be with the Father. “The Helper will not come to you unless I go away,” says Jesus, in John 16:8, and He continues, “but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” No matter where you are, or what you are going through, Jesus is presently with you in Spirit. When He returns, will He find us trusting in that fact? Will He really find faith on the earth?
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Portfolio
Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Investment counselors teach us not to put all our eggs in one basket. Diversification is the key to protecting yourself from any potential for great loss. If you are invested in a broad spectrum of interest-bearing accounts, then you are gaining in one account as you may be losing from another. In the over-all sense, you keep moving forward by balancing your position across the entire market, and enjoying the wealth growth which comes from having as many angles covered as possible.
Jesus says otherwise. Jesus says to invest everything you have in Heaven.
The question is: Why do we find it so difficult to do that? Why do we find ourselves so protective of our earthly accounts and interests, while at the same time placing so little consideration in our eternal account?
The answer is: unbelief.
Everything pertaining to how we handle our finances is an act of faith. If we invest, it is because we believe there will be a return. If we take out a loan, then someone is placing their faith in our ability to pay them back with interest. All of us find ourselves investors and borrowers at some point in our lives - which is why we all relate so well to Jesus’ discussion of our resources.
Where we invest, or who we borrow from in the world expresses where we place our faith. Jesus is saying we must do likewise in our relationship with Our Father in Heaven…placing our faith in Him, that is…and He alone!
This is purely and fundamentally logical if we think about how long eternity is in relationship to the amount of time we have left on earth. If we are inordinately concerned about providing for our own future, it means we do not trust the Father to take care of us. If we are stingy with our resources, it is because we do not trust the Father to continue to provide. If we steal it is because we do not believe the Father has provided well enough, and we need to take matters into our own hands. Likewise, covetousness.
You cannot serve two masters. Jesus says which master you serve is plainly obvious.
- Pastor Bill
Investment counselors teach us not to put all our eggs in one basket. Diversification is the key to protecting yourself from any potential for great loss. If you are invested in a broad spectrum of interest-bearing accounts, then you are gaining in one account as you may be losing from another. In the over-all sense, you keep moving forward by balancing your position across the entire market, and enjoying the wealth growth which comes from having as many angles covered as possible.
Jesus says otherwise. Jesus says to invest everything you have in Heaven.
The question is: Why do we find it so difficult to do that? Why do we find ourselves so protective of our earthly accounts and interests, while at the same time placing so little consideration in our eternal account?
The answer is: unbelief.
Everything pertaining to how we handle our finances is an act of faith. If we invest, it is because we believe there will be a return. If we take out a loan, then someone is placing their faith in our ability to pay them back with interest. All of us find ourselves investors and borrowers at some point in our lives - which is why we all relate so well to Jesus’ discussion of our resources.
Where we invest, or who we borrow from in the world expresses where we place our faith. Jesus is saying we must do likewise in our relationship with Our Father in Heaven…placing our faith in Him, that is…and He alone!
This is purely and fundamentally logical if we think about how long eternity is in relationship to the amount of time we have left on earth. If we are inordinately concerned about providing for our own future, it means we do not trust the Father to take care of us. If we are stingy with our resources, it is because we do not trust the Father to continue to provide. If we steal it is because we do not believe the Father has provided well enough, and we need to take matters into our own hands. Likewise, covetousness.
You cannot serve two masters. Jesus says which master you serve is plainly obvious.
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Rejoice!
Luke 15:1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
How much time do you spend rejoicing?
Since rejoicing is a group activity, it is even more joyful than joy as a result of the multiplication factor. There remain some questions we might ask…
What do we rejoice for? Who do we rejoice with?
The answers to those questions determine how your life is directed. And if you find yourself NEVER rejoicing, perhaps you should spend more time counting your blessings!
The Lord desires His people to be a rejoicing people, and it is one of the qualifying characteristics of those who love Jesus. If you love Jesus, it is because He first loved you – and there is no greater reason than that to rejoice! And if you rejoice over the love you have for Jesus, than you will rejoice when even one lost person repents and comes into the Kingdom of Heaven because Jesus and all the angels are also rejoicing!
Part of the fun of going to a ballgame is the opportunity, (should your team perform,) of rejoicing in a group with like-minded people. Anyone who has ever been in a stadium can testify to the amazing power of thousands of people rejoicing at the same time.
In part, this is why the church exists: that we may rejoice together, and enjoy the wondrous power of collective joy – the unified joy of celebrating new life in Christ – which is much more amazing than winning any old ballgame. Ask Paul, who wrote:
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always!
- Pastor Bill
How much time do you spend rejoicing?
Since rejoicing is a group activity, it is even more joyful than joy as a result of the multiplication factor. There remain some questions we might ask…
What do we rejoice for? Who do we rejoice with?
The answers to those questions determine how your life is directed. And if you find yourself NEVER rejoicing, perhaps you should spend more time counting your blessings!
The Lord desires His people to be a rejoicing people, and it is one of the qualifying characteristics of those who love Jesus. If you love Jesus, it is because He first loved you – and there is no greater reason than that to rejoice! And if you rejoice over the love you have for Jesus, than you will rejoice when even one lost person repents and comes into the Kingdom of Heaven because Jesus and all the angels are also rejoicing!
Part of the fun of going to a ballgame is the opportunity, (should your team perform,) of rejoicing in a group with like-minded people. Anyone who has ever been in a stadium can testify to the amazing power of thousands of people rejoicing at the same time.
In part, this is why the church exists: that we may rejoice together, and enjoy the wondrous power of collective joy – the unified joy of celebrating new life in Christ – which is much more amazing than winning any old ballgame. Ask Paul, who wrote:
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always!
- Pastor Bill
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Look Again
Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
If you were to be judged based upon your life so far, would you merit heaven? On what basis?
Jesus is getting at that fundamental question as He addresses His disciples in Luke 13. The perspective of the question is the key. Who is doing the judging? We spend so much time judging others and making determinations about their eternal destiny while doing so little time judging ourselves. Jesus tells us to stop spending so much time looking outside ourselves, and start spending a lot more time looking inside ourselves.
Did those Galileans deserve death? And if they deserved death – did they merit eternal death? What about those 18 people by the pool of Siloam that were killed when the tower fell. Did they deserve death? Was there something so terrible in their lives that made death their providential fate?
Those are the kinds of questions that swirl around in our minds when we see great tragedy - epic depictions of death – the kind that make you remember where you were when you heard the news. 9/11. The Tsunami in Thailand. And then we see the great theologians gathered around on ‘The Larry King Show’ to discuss the question Larry King always seems to seek to have answered: “How could a loving God allow such a thing to happen?”
How could He…God that is…Allow such horrific tragedy, (knowing He alone could have prevented it.) Did those people deserve to die? Hmmm…I wonder…Deep thoughts and deeper controversy.
But Jesus says all of this overlooks a Godly perspective, allowing ourselves entry into judging those situations ourselves – as if we were God. But we aren’t. Jesus tells us instead to place ourselves in the position of those who died. If you had died, on what basis would you be worthy of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven? Unless YOU repent, you will likewise perish. Nothing else matters.
- Pastor Bill
If you were to be judged based upon your life so far, would you merit heaven? On what basis?
Jesus is getting at that fundamental question as He addresses His disciples in Luke 13. The perspective of the question is the key. Who is doing the judging? We spend so much time judging others and making determinations about their eternal destiny while doing so little time judging ourselves. Jesus tells us to stop spending so much time looking outside ourselves, and start spending a lot more time looking inside ourselves.
Did those Galileans deserve death? And if they deserved death – did they merit eternal death? What about those 18 people by the pool of Siloam that were killed when the tower fell. Did they deserve death? Was there something so terrible in their lives that made death their providential fate?
Those are the kinds of questions that swirl around in our minds when we see great tragedy - epic depictions of death – the kind that make you remember where you were when you heard the news. 9/11. The Tsunami in Thailand. And then we see the great theologians gathered around on ‘The Larry King Show’ to discuss the question Larry King always seems to seek to have answered: “How could a loving God allow such a thing to happen?”
How could He…God that is…Allow such horrific tragedy, (knowing He alone could have prevented it.) Did those people deserve to die? Hmmm…I wonder…Deep thoughts and deeper controversy.
But Jesus says all of this overlooks a Godly perspective, allowing ourselves entry into judging those situations ourselves – as if we were God. But we aren’t. Jesus tells us instead to place ourselves in the position of those who died. If you had died, on what basis would you be worthy of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven? Unless YOU repent, you will likewise perish. Nothing else matters.
- Pastor Bill
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