Our High Priest

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You." 6 As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"; 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The great sign God cares for us is His provision. We think of how He feeds us, or how He provides us with water, or of warmth, or of family or occupation. The list of the things God provides us by His goodness is vast and probably endless, (if we were to seek to name them all from a human perspective.) Who, for example, knows where their next heartbeat is coming from? Or how about life itself?

Of all the things God has provided us, however, the greatest is His provision of a High Priest.

In order to fully understand the nature of the importance of the position of High Priest, you have to go back to the Torah, to discover what God had in mind for how He would relate to His people. God related to the Israelites through the office of the High Priest. It was the High Priest who would go into the Holy of Holies once per year to make atonement for the people. It was the High Priest who would hear from God and speak to the people about God’s desire for them.

In short, the position of High Priest existed to allow people to know and understand the love God had for His people, and that He desired to be in loving relationship with His people – rather than being followed by those under coercion in some sort of religious fanaticism.

The position of High Priest indicates to us how it is Holiness can relate to lowliness. The High Priest stands between God and man. Of course, our High Priest is Jesus Christ.

-  Pastor Bill

Immanuel

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

A question: If you were God, and your plan was to enter the world, how would you accomplish that?

When you think of the crush of celebrity - and everything that takes place when the public is aware of the presence of a huge celebrity - would it be like that? Could it be like that? Would that work? Would it not be the greatest event in the history of the world? Would it not draw the greatest crowd in the history of the world? Wouldn’t it be great to draw a huge crowd – so all could know at once that God had entered into His creation?

God chose an alternate path of entry. Fascinating. It had always been planned this way, and now it was accomplished. At Bethlehem, a wide spot in the road. In a stable, apart from the maddening crowds. The very antithesis of what may have been expected.

It must have been very troubling for Mary to know that she was giving birth to the Son of God in such a mean estate. Can you imagine? We want the very best circumstances and environments for the birth of our children.

But God’s plan was to come into the world to a world unawares. Rather than appearing in grandiosity, God would depend on men to get the word out about His birth. He still does.

-  Pastor Bill

Heeeeeeere’s John!

Luke 1:57 Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. 59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John." 61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." 62 So they made signs to his father--what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.

It is amazing what a year can hold. It was just a year ago that Zacharias and Elizabeth were serving out their elderly years, faithfully accomplishing God’s plan for their lives. Perhaps nothing much more to look forward to than the proverbial, “death and taxes.” In a word, their lives could probably be characterized as ‘uneventful.’

After all, what can a senior citizen expect from life that may bring about any sort of change - let alone a radical one?

It was in the midst of faithful humble service that the Lord arrested Zacharias’ life, and it is important to note all that happened in this ‘no-longer-normal-at-all’ life that he and Elizabeth lived together before the Lord.

His prayer (for a son) had been heard, (by God) and it was the angel Gabriel who told him so.

But his question about how he could know this had been silenced and his ears deafened since he last heard anything at all. (And the last thing he heard was that his wife would bear him a son!) I suppose if you were immediately deaf and dumb at the mere pronouncement of an angel you may also sense and trust God’s power to design conception even in those far too old to conceive.

And then, indeed, there WAS a conception. Elizabeth was pregnant. I’m pretty sure that in the midst of his imposed silence Zacharias was now living a life of awe in addition to the life of reverence he had previously lived.

Nine months is a long time to spend in silence, but isn’t it wonderful we don’t have to be able to audibly speak, or physically hear in order to speak to or listen to God?

And now, a son is born. What a difference THIS year had made. What would his name be? Would it be to the glory of his father – a little Zacharias junior? Or would it be to the glory of his father’s Father? Yes! His name would be JOHN!

-  Pastor Bill

Let It Be?

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. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

In the words of rock-poet Paul McCartney, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me…”

I am so glad that isn’t true.

We have a greater than Mary who DOES come to us in times of trouble, and His name is Jesus.

Think though, of the investment God has made in Mary…His only begotten Son, the One Who is to come, born of woman, born of a virgin, born of this teenaged woman, Mary.

To truly consider all that has been entrusted to Mary is pretty incredible, and it speaks of the wonder of God’s trust in man, even though man has a history of completely disregarding and breaking that trust.

But there could be no other way. For The Son of God to be The Son of Man, He must be born of woman.

Her name was Mary. We can thank God for her, but not worship her. What of her parents who raised her and prepared her for this role? What of her grandparents and all of the community that prepared her for this?

Mary, the one who would hold the Savior of the World as her very own child – all the while knowing He was the child who belonged to the ages…

Let it be…Jesus!

-  Pastor Bill

Progressive Revelation

Luke 1:1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 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.

You awake in a darkened room and stagger groggily into the bathroom. You flip on the light switch – and – youch! Severe eye pain. It’s more than your eyes can stand…

The way God has designed our eyes is amazing. The pupil opens and closes depending on the brightness of the light source. Natural light provided by God has a gradual brightening and darkening. (We call those ‘morning’ and ‘evening.’) God understands the need for our exposure to light to be gradual rather than sudden.

John the Baptist IS “Elijah who is to come.” He is the gradual lightening to come before the Light of the World.

John the Baptist is key for the ministry of Christ for two reasons. 1.) He would be the fulfillment of prophecy spoken by Isaiah, (40:3-5,) and Malachi, (3:1 & 4:5.) 2.) He would be God’s emissary whose mission would be to prepare the ‘eyes’ of man for the Light of the World - Who is Christ the LORD.

God is gentle with His revelation before man. He knows our sensitivity to His Divine Light, and so the ground is well-prepared long before the light switch is flipped. (A mixed-metaphor for sure!) But you get the drift…2,000 years of prophecy followed by the birth of John the Baptist, followed by Christ. Do you see God’s prep work?

Who is the person who was your own personal, ‘John the Baptist?’ Whose personal ‘John the Baptist’ will you be? How fascinating God uses man to introduce men to God. We are not that Light, but we are those who bring others gradually to it.

-  Pastor Bill

Only You Know and He Knows

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

If we were to carefully examine ourselves we might be surprised by what we would find. (Especially if we were left with nothing but self-interest to examine ourselves by.)

There are so many things I cannot know about myself. I can’t see the back of my head, and I never would without the aid of a mirror. Can it be possible my soul has blind spots as well?

That would be a, “Yes!” Again, imagine if the only perspective of self-examination was self-interest. Where would that leave us? There are so many things we cannot see about ourselves, (blind spots,) and the things we can see that we don’t like can be covered up. (Camouflaged.)

The problem with the effectiveness of camouflage, (and it does work,) is that in deceiving others about our weaknesses we also deceive ourselves. Take our eternal condition for example. It is VERY easy to look the part of a Christian. Go to church. Smile. Carry a Bible. Call yourself one. Done.

The worst part is by doing those things I may even convince myself I am a Christian. Millions upon millions of people are in that exact position. Look the part. Be the part. I am the part.

The Word of God teaches otherwise. In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul writes in verse 5: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.

But here’s the deal – what am I to use to examine myself by? (Knowing my blind spots, self-interest and extensive knowledge of camo.)

Answer: The Word of God is the ONLY impartial tool of examination known to man. Note: ALL other religious treatises deal with the actions of the flesh. ONLY God’s Word deals with the attitudes of the heart. You know…the part way down inside that cannot be seen by anyone…the part we may even hide from ourselves for as long as we choose…

When Jesus taught me to love my enemies, I knew I was guilty as sin. Here I was thinking I was a pretty good person, and along comes The Word slicing me open and showing me my heart in a way I had never seen before – or even desired to. The blessing is with the revelation of Truth comes the application of forgiveness and salvation. Unless you would rather not look. The choice is yours.

-  Pastor Bill

Resting Place

Heb 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; 5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest." 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

“Resting” is an interesting concept. Obviously, everyone needs it. You can’t go for too long without it.

The really curious part is how ‘resting’ recharges our batteries? Renews our strength. How does that work? How is that all I have to do is lay down for a bit – say 8 hours – and all of the sudden I’m as good a new?

When I was in college, part of my fraternity initiation was to be kept awake for 5 straight days, from Monday through Friday. The guy who designed our initiation had been a POW in Viet Nam, and he designed our initiation to incorporate sleep deprivation because he saw how powerful an influence it was. Being kept from sleep for an extended period of time makes you real loopy, and your brain stops functioning properly. It gets hard to think straight, and your body gets fuzzy and weak.

When you’ve been away from physical rest for a long enough period of time, you find yourself absolutely craving it, imagining it, practically dying for it. “I need rest!”

The same is true in the spiritual realm. God has designed us to require rest, both physically and spiritually.

In the same way physical rest is only found in sleep, spiritual rest is only found in Jesus. There is no other name under heaven which is given by which men may have rest. Don’t harden your heart to this fact – delight in it!

How wonderful it is at the end of a long exhausting day to climb into bed and just drift away! Equally wonderful is how at the end of a life-long tiresome search we can open our hearts to Christ and receive the eternal rest we have been seeking.

-  Pastor Bill

The Rest is His Story

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, 'They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.' 11 So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' " 12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God…

God is inviting everyone everywhere to enter His “rest.”

There are lots of ways we could probably think about exactly what that “rest” is.

It could be a certainty of God’s power always present in the life of the believer so they know they have no need to strive to accomplish anything for the Lord. It could be a confidence in His creation power capable of bringing healing in physical sickness and in relationships. It could be His ability to direct the heart of the king like rivers of water so we no longer have to worry about government being anything more than an extension of God’s will.

It can be all of those things and more. It starts at the beginning: “In the beginning God  created the heavens and the earth.” Believe that and the “rest” is easy.

I can rest in the knowledge of how good God is because I see how good His use of power has always been. His power has always been used for good in the midst of an evil world in which Satan has been provided latitude for degradation to bring us all to the place where we are allowed to make an obvious choice: Good? Or evil?

That people choose evil is undeniable. The question is: Why? An even greater question may be: Why would anyone choose evil after having seen how good God is? And this is the question the author of Hebrews poses in chapter 3.

The answer to both those questions is the loss of long-term focus brought about by the distraction of an immediate situation. Facing impossible odds. Hunger for present reward. Fear of failure. Any of those. All of those. Satan is a master of distraction. We so easily forget God’s story. For God so LOVED the world…

We choose what we see that will be lost over what we cannot see that cannot be lost. And so we refuse to enter His rest, because we forget how good God is.

-  Pastor Bill

Know Your Enemy? Know Your Friend!

Matt28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

It has always been an important strategy to “know your enemy.” After all, if you are to defend yourself from an attack, it is wise to know your enemy well enough to be able to anticipate when the attack may come, and also where it may come from.

Our enemy, THE enemy of all, walks about like a roaring lion, looking for those whom he may devour. It’s good to know that about Satan, so we are not caught off-guard by his attacks and accusations.

One of the attacks Satan likes to launch has to do with how we think about others. If it can be shown we have a physical enemy, then we understand the need to be at war with them until they are no longer a physical threat. We can take that further into the Spiritual realm, especially when those we perceive to be our physical enemies also espouse a religious philosophy which poses a threat to Biblical Christianity, and to Christians and Jews.

The Muslim world has been portrayed as such, and we have begun to understand the need to “know our enemy,” and to be wise about how to defend ourselves from a people group who seek to destroy us and our way of life.

But more important than knowing our enemy is to know our Friend. What a friend we have in Jesus! How important it is to know His heart, and to know His ways, and to know His love for all – including those we have commonly thought of only as enemies.

It is the love of Christ that, “binds the strong man.” How important for us to understand what Jesus had to say about our enemies. We are not free to hate them, we are called to love them and to pray for them. After all, Jesus died for their sins as well…

Our guest speaker this morning is Samy Tanagho. Samy was born and raised in Egypt where he worked as an attorney before he came to the United States in 1980. He studied Islamic Law and Islamic Religion at Ain Shams University, School of Law, Cairo, Egypt. Samy serves as the Director of Ministry to Muslims “Good Shepherd World Evangelism - Ministry to Muslims.” He has been involved in the Ministry to Muslims since 1976. You can visit them at www.muslimministry.com.

He is the author of the book, “Glad News! God Loves You My Muslim Friend.” He is currently a frequent guest speaker at various Bible Colleges. He teaches on the topic, “How to Communicate the Good News of the Christian Scripture Effectively to the Muslim People.” He has given seminars in conferences and churches throughout the United States and other countries on this subject.

-  Pastor Bill

A Great Salvation Plan

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? 5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Imagine being presented with the truth of eternal life and walking away from it. Probably wouldn’t happen, because KNOWING the truth, you’d have a hard time turning your back on it.

“Drifting away” is the problem. Drifting away is a much more common issue. Not a whole-sale sell-out, but a bit-by-bit incremental letting-of-the-sand-slip-through-the-fingers kind of event. An event that cannot really be seen. An event even the one allowing it to happen may not be aware of.

The author of Hebrews, (Paul, I think,) says, “Don’t let that happen!” That it does happen - even among those who are completely convinced of the truth is inarguable. Jesus’ warning to the church at Ephesus in Rev 2 is succinct: “Return to your first love!”

How could you leave your first love – especially when your first love is the guarantor of your salvation? It happens in various times in various ways…the drifting away…

The danger comes with a creeping emphasis of the creation over the Creator. What I can do becomes (in time) more important than Who I do it for. I drift back to establishing a personal sense of righteousness based upon the righteousness I perform rather than Who I am accounted righteous by. (Especially in comparison to others.)

Since grace is superior to the Law, (which is “the word spoken through the angels,”) we revel in the simplicity of grace and, well, the grace of grace. But there is no external framework for grace, which is its greatest power while at the same time its potential for an excuse to “wander” away. Grace takes hold only from the inside, which is the basis of its great superiority. The problem of a loss of love is this: it is invisible, it is odorless, and it is tasteless. No one else knows…and perhaps not you…that you have drifted. After all, you are still in church, and you are still serving the Lord. We must CONSTANTLY remind ourselves how GREAT our salvation is.

-  Pastor Bill

King of Kings

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son"? 6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him." 7 And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire." 8 But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions." 10 And: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

You have had an audience with The King. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to speak with a king – not knowing he was a king?

It might be like going to a foreign country and meeting someone who is a celebrity in that culture - but you have no idea who that person is - and so you pay them no mind. Without knowing who they are, you cannot relate to the importance of meeting them. How strange it may seem to see people surrounding that same person to seek an autograph – or to just be near them, when that person means nothing to you…

Jesus appeared to have this problem. As He ventured out from Galilee, teaching and healing, He had a difficult time convincing some, (especially the religious leaders,) of Who He was. Certainly, Jesus could have easily overcome this problem, but He chose not to. On several occasions He instructed those whom He had healed to, “not tell anyone.”

The reason, as Jesus’ life in ministry demonstrated, was that He would be found by those who were looking for Him by the Word of God. The witness of His miraculous works would confirm what had been announced beforehand in the Word. His works would be a confirmation for those who knew what they were looking for…

Which is why so many people missed Him. His own people, the Jews, missed Him almost entirely. He was crucified not by the Romans, but by His own people. Tragic.

But was this a totally lost cause? Would the Jews have a second chance to recognize their own Messiah?

This is the Book of Hebrews. The book to the Hebrews. This is their second chance to recognize their king. And not just their king, but The King of Kings.

-  Pastor Bill

Slavery and Freedom

Philemon 8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you--being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ-- 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. 14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. 15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave--a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay--not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides. 20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord. 21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

How would you go about advising someone to give up something very valuable in this world for the sake of Jesus Christ?

In Philemon’s case, he “possessed” another human being, by some sort of contract. (He was a slave-owner.)

In Onesimus’ case, he “possessed” freedom. His own.

Which of those is more valuable is beyond debate, but it does not lessen the point – especially for Philemon.

In order to gain his freedom, Onesimus had to “steal” it. He was a runaway slave. He was a fugitive of justice. I guess the question is: Was Onesimus really free?

Somewhere along the way, Onesimus, in his runaway state, ran into the apostle Paul. Paul evidently led Onesimus to Christ, and then an amazing transformation began to take place.

You have to wonder how long it may have taken Onesimus to confess to Paul he was actually a runaway slave. You can imagine some time had passed, as Onesimus had become a trusted ministry associate of Paul, and enough time had passed that he had become beloved and valuable to Paul – so much so Paul regretted having to part company with Onesimus.

Paul was sending Onesimus back to his owner, Philemon. He could not be certain how Philemon may respond. Would he have Onesimus jailed? (That would have been his right under the law.) If Onesimus had also stolen from Philemon before running away, Philemon could have possibly had Onesimus put to death. How Philemon would respond was uncertain.

Even without making any judgments about slavery, this is still a remarkable story of difficult moral choices Christians – and not the world – are faced with. Both Onesimus and Philemon are being forced to give up something very valuable to receive something much greater…

It always amazes me the changes Christ brings about in others, let alone myself. Onesimus became so concerned over his relationship with Christ he was willing to face loss of freedom and punishment to maintain it. How would Philemon respond to his former slave – but now brother in Christ?

-  Pastor Bill

How Can I Be Saved?

Titus 3: 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

“How did I get here?” might be a reasonable question. Or, “How can I get there?”

Our notion of what it means to be ‘saved’ began with Jesus’ late-night discussion with Jewish religious leader and scholar, Nicodemus. (Some refer to their discussion as, ‘Nick at Night.’)

Nicodemus came to visit with Jesus because he had seen and heard of the works Jesus was doing. This was an incredibly humbling action for Nicodemus to take, because, by all rights, and according to religious status and culture, Jesus should have been coming to him. After all, Jesus was the commoner, and Nicodemus was the religious leader.

But, in deference to the works, of which Nicodemus said, “no one can do these works unless God is with him,” Jesus answered and said, “I tell you the truth, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.”

To which Nicodemus responded, “How can a man be born again?”

This is THE question of salvation. Entry into heaven can be had only by being born again, and by being born again, a person is prevented from – or saved from – going to hell.

Being saved is a ‘from – to’ arrangement. I am saved from hell, and saved to heaven. Therefore, being saved is THE most important thing about my life, or any life.

But, how can a person be born again?

The Bible does a great job of answering all the questions it presents. The question of HOW a person is born again is answered right here in Paul’s letter to Titus.

We read it is NOT BY WORKS, but by MERCY, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

I am fascinated by the process of regeneration. I was generated once, but now I have been re-generated through the mercy of the God of heaven. I am saved by believing on the Lord Jesus, and asking Him to save me according to His mercy. I am aware of His answer to my request for salvation by the new life He creates in me. I am saved!

Now my justification – (or my ability to gain entry to heaven, and to be saved from hell) - is not provided by my works, but by His grace. This is how a person is born again.

-  Pastor Bill

Pass It On

Titus 2:1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. 6 Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

There are two primary influences in every life. One is the world, and the other is The Lord God Almighty and His Word.

We have to resist one to have the other.

Some propose man has no say-so in the choice of influence. I say experience teaches us otherwise.

The question is: How are we to learn which influence is in our best interest, given that we are literally made of the world – and that our default position is to follow after the world?

This, in essence, is the role of the church. (The true church.) It is the duty of the church to provide guidance for the young in the choices they make. This is to take place everywhere, in all phases of life.

We sometimes think of the church as a place we go. At its best, we may imagine the church to be the place we go to learn God’s Word and God’s ways. It is the responsibility of the pastor to teach us about how God’s Word fits our lives, and it is our responsibility to listen and determine whether or not what the pastor is saying applies to us.

When God’s Word is being taught plainly, it is good that we listen and consider – but there is so much more to the ‘life’ of the church than listening and, perhaps, doing what the Word of God says…

Here Paul teaches us we are to pass along what we have learned to the younger generation coming up next, and perhaps even to the generation coming up after them.

How helpful it is when those who have experienced the tragedy of worldly influence take the time and loving energy to pass along to the younger men and younger women exactly how beneficial it can be to follow ONLY God’s influence in this world.

There is SUCH a gravitational pull against the Christian tide, perhaps never more so than right now. How we need the older experienced folks to teach the younger inexperienced folks. The Word is life. The world is death. Pass it on…

-  Pastor Bill

Who Do You Trust?

Titus 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; 4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. 5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you-- 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.

How many people do you trust with your most important possessions?

I have always been amazed Jesus trusted the growth and expansion of the church to men, especially since the men He chose had not exactly demonstrated competence in the time Jesus spent with them. One betrayed Him, one denied Him, and one of them was very forthright in his doubt.

Of those gathered as Jesus pronounced His great commission in Matthew 28, the gospel writer even notes, “some doubted.”

This is the history of the church.

Jesus knew His example coupled with man’s weakness would be a powerful combination - even if men were dubious about that being true.

Now comes Paul, following that same program. Invest and divest. Distribute. Share leadership roles. Allow others to run things too.

The Book of Titus is yet another example of how Paul followed and implemented Jesus’ example. In Titus, Paul saw a young man with a desire equal to his own. Titus had been a traveling companion of Paul’s for several years, and now Paul turns over to him his most priceless and crucial possession: Jesus’ church.

Paul was a church planter. Of that we are certain. There is probably no greater example of church planting than what we see of Paul’s life as a missionary in the Book of Acts. But Paul did not just preach the gospel - he planted churches.

First, Jesus trusted Paul to plant churches, and now Paul trusts Titus to manage the churches which have been planted at Crete. This is a wonderful distribution of command and giftedness which is founded in the trust of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer who has shown himself faithful.

The Lord can do a whole lot with a faithful man, and Titus is another wonderful example. That the Lord trusts men with His most priceless possession on earth is amazing enough – but even more amazing is the kind of man in whom He places His trust. Never discount faithfulness in comparison to ability.

-  Pastor Bill

Well-Done

2 Tim 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Incentive. We work for incentive. We are motivated by incentive.

Paul, if nothing else, is a man with GREAT and GOOD incentive. He super-blesses me by his example. It is hard for me to imagine a better example among men to follow.

I know that when I work, I desire some kind of reward. Some kind of fairly immediate reward. The more I work, the greater I desire that reward to be. Now.

Paul’s reward, on the other hand, was prison. A Roman dungeon. Worse, he was abandoned by all of his friends except Luke - as a direct result of the trouble he found himself in.

For Paul’s leadership in the church, he was arrested and falsely charged. Sentenced to death. Rather than be identified with Paul, his friends abandoned him.

Now there’s a reward for you, eh? Paul finds himself in about as backwards a situation as you could possibly expect considering his strong moral courage and conviction.

Yet, in his last extant communication prior to his beheading, all Paul speaks of is his reward. He has allowed himself to be poured out as a drink offering before God, he has run his race - it is finished! – Now he finally looks up to his reward.

Of which he is certain.

Sometimes it really bothers people that Christians are SO certain of their reward. They think it arrogant to make this kind of “presumption.” They sort of extrapolate their own uncertainty upon everyone else, and chafe at the one who “thinks he knows.”

But hey, Paul does know for certain. Paul does KNOW his reward – the crown of righteousness – which the Lord of Righteousness will give. The reason he knows is because he never sought reward in this world.

-  Pastor Bill

End-Times Church

2 Tim 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

Ten years ago this morning we had a clear view of what the end of the world will look like. When those 2 planes flew into the Twin Towers in New York City, they shook, they staggered, and then they fell. It was as if the whole world was exemplified by what happened to those buildings.

Majestically they stood. They were the symbols of everything we trust in this world. Capital. Power. Strength. Steel. Concrete.

It becomes difficult to look at buildings such as those, in all their majesty, to see the humanity housed inside. The life inside becomes invisible, until…

Churches were flooded with people in the days immediately following 9-11. People were seeking certainty in what had suddenly been revealed to be a very uncertain world. Why was church the automatic destination for those seeking a safe harbor?

It didn’t last. Churches emptied back out, and eventually became even smaller in attendance than they had been before.

Now Ground Zero is re-born. The Freedom Tower is rising daily, and the Memorial Plaza and the new Grand Central Transit Station are rising – once again all very majestically. The sense is about the power of architectural design, and how the soaring open-span spaces can lift the spirit of man.

We are unquestionably in the last days of mankind, and of the church.

It is remarkable the Bible can so reliably predict the physical and historical events which take place during the end-times. We can read the Bible these days like a road map or history book of the events transpiring before our eyes…

More remarkable is how the Bible predicts the condition of the heart of man during the end times. Could there be a better, more concise description of the condition of mankind during the last days? Doesn’t it look like today?

-  Pastor Bill