Forgiveness

In his book, Cries from the Cross, Erwin Lutzer says:
"Should we forgive those who refuse to ask for it? Since God does not forgive those who refuse to ask for His forgiveness, why should we? The answer is that when our forgiveness is not requested, we must still grant it in the sense that we release our bitterness to God and commit our adversaries to Him.
"In human relationships, when forgiveness is requested, reconciliation is never a certainty. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." Luke 17:3 - 4 (NIV). The goal of forgiveness is always reconciliation, that is, the uniting of two divided hearts. But when forgiveness is not requested, the offended part must sill choose to "forgive" in the sense that the injustice is turned over to God. If not, the hurt and anger will destroy the human psyche and grieve the Holy Spirit. The perpetrator has caused enough pain already; the only way to be free from his or her continuing influence is to "forgive" by surrendering the matter to God." (Page 48)

A few paragraphs later he says:
"Should we forgive those who ask for forgiveness even when we doubt their sincerity or cannot trust their motives? The answer is yes, for we cannot see the human heart. Jesus told the disciples that they must be willing to forgive many times - seventy times seven - if they wished to understand God's forgiveness. However - and this is important - forgiveness must again be distinguished from reconciliation. A wife can forgive her adulterous husband, but that does not mean that she is required to blindly trust his lifestyle. There has to be counseling, the passing of time, and accountability. Regain trust is a long, often difficult process."

Question #3

I have appreciated the response to the questions. So here is number three which is more of a statement than a question.

We forgive but we feel by being nice we are approving the lifestyle?

Again I would say that forgiveness is not the same as approval. As a child of God I do not have a choice whether to forgive or not. Jesus makes it clear that we are to forgive unconditionally. When Jesus was hanging on the cross He did not say that if they sought forgiveness then He would forgive but He forgave them knowing what they were doing was wrong. Did He approve of what they were doing? There is no condition given for forgiveness.
Jesus says that we are to forgive before we go to that person. Then why go? Forgiveness has already happened. We go to let them know that what they did was wrong but you have released them, you have no power over them. You cannot make them repent. You have done your part.

Again, what do you think? Thanks Pastor for your comments.

Question #2

The second question was:

What is the difference between forgiveness and enabling?

Forgiveness is not about ignoring the sin but rather confronting it. However, it is willing to take liability for that sin ourselves. Forgiveness is not seeking to get revenge or payback. When one forgives, someone has to pay. If you forgive then you are willing to pay. There is another aspect of forgiveness that is different than enabling and that is the forgiver is not trying to be superior or control the other person.

Enabling is often just nothing more than ignoring the wrong and not looking for restitution either from the forgiven or the forgiver. Forgiveness is willing to go to the person having already forgiven that person.

What do you think? I love to hear your comments.

Question #1

Last night I was given three questions. Here is question number 1.

What if the son did it over and over just using the family?

I would appreciate any response to this question. Two things come to my mind. First, Jesus' words to Peter when he asked how many times should be forgive his brother and was told that basically he should keep forgiving without counting. The second is Mark 11:25, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Forgiveness is never about the other person. It is always your move. We must forgive even if there is no repentance. Forgiveness that keeps score is not forgiveness. There is no conditions on repentance.

Please respond. What do you think?

Keith Green

Last night after class one of class told me to watch Keith Green's song about the prodigal. Here is a copy.

Guard your heart.

I commented earlier that I was an elder brother prodigal and they are quick to judge. I used that as an illustration tonight in the class and at one time I had to stop and realize that I was judging again. My convictions didn't change but how I present them in a class was wrong. My heart has to be guarded. I am an elder brother.

Idolatry

Both brothers were guilty of idolatry. The younger brother wanted the father's things more than the father. This is the essence of idolatry. This idolatry leads to immorality. The elder brother was also guilty of idolatry. He wanted to protect the father's things for later. This shows in self-righteousness and anger. He also did not care for his father but for what he could get from the father.
It is the same for us. We either want things more than God so we reject God and follow our own lusts or we serve God for what we can get from God. Both are idolatry. We have put things (or gifts or service) above the Father.

The Prodigal God

I am doing a new series starting Sunday evening. I am using the familiar parable, the Prodigal Son as a base but I have borrowed Tim Keller's title, the Prodigal God.
Let me explain why the Prodigal God is a good ti tile.
First, God took upon Himself the shame of the son. He humbled Himself so that the son could be accepted as a son with no strings attached. This went against the culture of the day. A father would never submit himself to that humiliation but the father in the parable did and our God has also.
God as the Father was willing to be judged by the people around Him. This is a humbling of Himself. Jesus came to the cross to bear the same of our sins so that we might share in His glory.

Not me

I heard of a Sunday School teacher who had just finished teaching the parable of the Pharisee and the publican in the temple. She then added that she was glad that they were not Pharisees.
Oops, I think I just spotted a Pharisee.
If we don't see ourselves in the story of the prodigal son then we are just like that teacher.

Joy in Heaven

When you read the parables of Luke 15 you cannot help but notice that the theme is joy over the salvation of one person. The joy is not just the angels but in the very presence of the angels. God Himself. Zephaniah 3:17 reminds us that God takes great delight in the salvation of His people.

Three (or four) lost things.

In the three parables that Luke records for us in Luke 15 we see the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost sons. In the first parable the coin is lost by just wondering away. The writer of Hebrews warns us against that in Hebrews 2. In the second parable the coin is lost by carelessness. Again we see that warning in Hebrews when the writer tells us to guard our hearts. In the third parable the son was lost by deliberate choice. Whatever the reason they were all lost.
Interesting is the conclusion. In both of the first two parables Jesus draws the parallel of the joy on earth with the joy in heaven. In the third parable the conclusion is the same except where was the joy on earth when the son returned?

What do those outside the church want?

Outsiders have suggested the following:
Listen to me.
Don't label me.
Don't be so smart and pretend to have all the answers.
Put yourself in my place.
Be genuine.
Be my friend with no other motives.
What they want and what they need are not the same thing. However, we can't win them to Christ without being there for them. I know I cannot win anyone to Christ unless they are drawn by the Holy Spirit but I may be an instrument in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
The emergent church has their answers but it does not call for the invention of the church as they would suggest but rather allowing Christ to be head over the church and the church to be the bride of Christ.

Good bye Betty

Yesterday was Betty's last day with us as she is moving away this coming Friday. We have enjoyed having her as part of our class and she will be missed. Come back and see us sometime.
Betty has a real love for the Lord and His Word. Whenever she was able she was in the class. May God continue to bless you and make you a blessing.

Look who is thirty?

A couple of days ago our number two son turned thirty. He is a special man with special talents and he is using those talents to serve God in a church out west. He is gifted and his gifts are valuable to the church. Above all he is humble and because he is humble God will continue to use him. Happy birthday son.

Why a torn veil? Part 2

In class this morning one lady shared with us that the mercy seat is in the New Testament. When the stone was roiled away and the veil was torn the way was opened up for all to come into the mercy seat. Mary was fist. As she looked into the tomb there were two angels, one at the head and the other at the foot just as the two angels sat on the mercy seat. Further more, one could not enter the Holy of Holies without blood and there was the grave clothes I image that they were stained with blood. The way was now open for all. Come to the mercy seat.

Steve Bell

Last night we went to a Steve Bell concert. I was reminded that he was a prodigal that came home. As a young man he wanted to make a name for himself so he began playing in bars. One night his dad, who was a Baptist minster, came and sat in the bar to hear him play. That brought conviction to Steve's heart and like many prodigals they come home because they don't want to hurt their father. Listen to this song by Steve Bell.

Jesus but not the church

It is common today for someone to say that the like Jesus but not the church. I would like to investigate that statement over the next few days. I certainly would like to hear from you about this.
Here are some of the reasons that were given why people don't like the church.
1. Hypocritical - Christians say one thing but live something else.
2. Get saved. - Christians are only concerned with converting others.
3. Anti-homosexual. - Christians show contempt for gays and lesbians.
4. Sheltered. - Christians are boring, unintelligent, old fashioned, out of touch.
5. Too Political. - Christians are motivated by a right wing political agenda.
6. Judgmental. - Christians are proud and find fault with others.
Do you agree with these findings? Sadly some or all are true. The church is the bride of Christ but have we soiled the wedding garment?

Who was listening?

There were two groups of people around Jesus. The publicans and sinners and the scribes and Pharisees. So who was Jesus talking to? The parable was for the later group. The parable was to show them that they were quick to judge the publicans and sinners but missed the plank in their own eye.
This is not a sentimental story such as the Billy Graham movie, the Prodigal, but rather a very condemning story showing that the problem with the Scribes and Pharisees is that they are not what they should be where they are at. They were in the right place but with the wrong attitude.

Two prodigals

In my family there were two prodigals (that I know of). One that left home, one that stayed home. The younger left home when he was about 16. He quit school and disappeared for about a year. There were rumours but no facts. Why did he leave home? Only he and God knows. It may have been because of a legalistic father. It could have been because he wanted to experience another side of life or it could have been because of the legalism of an elder brother.
The other prodigal stayed home. He went to university to obtain a good education and he got a good job which he stayed with. Though he was near his parents he was far from them relationally. He never had a close relationship with his father because he saw his father as a legalist while he himself was a legalist. One day he heard about the runaway brother and passed that information onto to his parents. Why? It was he secretly felt he he was much better than his brother and his parents would see that too.
Then one day the younger brother came home, physically but not necessarily emotionally. The elder brother did not welcome him and resented that his parents welcomed him home even though they knew what he had done.
I am the elder brother. I am glad to say that relationally I did come home. I am not sure about the younger brother but I know that I have to guard my heart against being a legalist again.

Why Easter?

Over the past two weeks I have been asking questions about Easter and I have a few more that I would like to develop as well. They include:
Why the guards?
Why the Emmaus Road?
and any others. If you have ideas I would like to hear from you.

Why the torn veil?

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. Matthew 27:51

The veil between the Holy place and the Most Holy place was a veil or a curtain that said, "Keep out!" Once a year, on the day of Atonement, the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies with the blood of a sacrifice to make atonement for the sins of the people. It was a very solemn occasion and the high priest feared for his own life. On the fringes of his rove he had bells attached so that he could be heard outside the Holy of Holies as he moved about. Tradition has it that he also had a rope attached to his ankle so that if the offering was not accepted and he died in the presence of the Most Holy God that he could be dragged out rather than other priests going in for his body. This is only a tradition and has no Biblical support.
The veil was so heavy that it took thirty priests to hang it in place and it is said that thirty yoke of oxen could not tear it apart. However, when Jesus died the veil was torn in two from the top to the bottom. No one missed the significance of this. Man could not have done that, only something miraculous.
The veil that once said, "Keep out!" was now open and the invitation was to anyone to enter. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can come boldly into God's presence. We can come boldly because of what Jesus did on the cross. The invitation is now open to all, "Come".

Happy birthday

Today our youngest son turns 26 years old. My prayer for him is that he will always keep the joy of the Lord in his life.
So often when we pray for people we pray that their circumstances will change but we need to remember that more important is that they will have the joy of the Lord.
Yesterday I spent time with a man who had just recently been separated from his wife. Now I know that God wants to bring healing to that marriage but before that he wants healing for the parties involved. We need to pray that in spite of the circumstances that they would have the joy of the Lord.
That is why more than anything else I pray that each of my children will experience the joy of the Lord in their lives.

Why in secret?

Of the three major dates on the Christian calendar it is interesting that two of the three events took place in secret. When Jesus was born it was in an obscure barn in an obscure village and his first visitors were shepherds. When He was crucified it was in public where everyone could see Him. When He rose from the dead it was once again in secret. It was early morning following the Sabbath and no one was in the garden. Once again it was only a few women who came to see the place where He had been buried.
Today those events are celebrated by millions of people. Though there are many who would wish that the events of that solitary life would disappear the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are events that are universally celebrated by all Christians.

Did we miss it?

"LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." Habakkuk 3:2

Back in 2001 just after the attacks on the US there was a renewed interest in spiritual matters. It was a time when people were looking for answers. How did we pray as a church? Did we pray as Habakkuk prayed when the Babylonians were attacking Jerusalem, "Keep your work going"? I think we were more interested in our own comfort and safety so we prayed for protection. Now there is nothing wrong in praying for protection and safety but did we miss out on praying for a spiritual awakening?

Just wondering!

Why the Sanhedrin?

“The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.” Mark 14:55

When Jesus was arrested He was brought before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the Jewish governing body and was made of seventy elders and the High Priest. The number of members was seventy because Moses had appointed seventy elders to help him judge the people when they were in the wilderness. When a person who was charged with a crime was brought before the Sanhedrin the members of the governing body sat in a circle and the accused was set in their midst. The charges had to be confirmed by two independent witnesses who were interviewed by the Sanhedrin separately. The two witnesses had to agree on the charges or else the prisoner was to be set free. There were no lawyers and the accused acted as his own defense. The accused could also call witness to testify on his behalf.

The chief priests and elders could not find two witnesses that would agree on the accusations against Jesus so they bribed witnesses to speak against Jesus. The Sanhedrin was to have no contact with the witnesses prior to the trial but they had gone and found their own witnesses. There were many things that the council did that were illegal. It was illegal to bribe witnesses. However they bribed the witnesses. It was illegal to hold a secret trial and yet they met at night when no one would be able to witness what was going on. The whole Sanhedrin was to be aware of the trial and yet there were members who did not know. One of those members was Nicodemus who was excluded and we can only believe it was because he was a friend of Jesus. The Sanhedrin also contracted with Judas to betray Jesus to them.

The Sanhedrin held a hastily called trial in secret because they wanted to make sure that the charges against Jesus would stick. They did not care about the legality of the trial but only the outcome. They wanted Jesus silenced and the only way for that to happen was that Jesus be put to death.

Though the Sanhedrin came to a guilty verdict of Jesus they could not sentence Him. At that point they had no alternative but to send Him to the Roman governor so that he could bring the death penalty against Jesus. They also knew that the charges that they had concocted against Jesus would not result in a death penalty when they were brought to the Roman governor so they needed to bring additional charges of treason against the Roman government. Pilate could not ignore the charge of treason.

The Sanhedrin knew that if Jesus was allowed to continue then their position would be in jeopardy just as the position of the chief priest. Jesus had to be silenced and to do that Jesus had to be eliminated.

Why the ninth hour?

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:45 - 46

Everyday at the ninth hour which corresponds to our 3 PM a priest would slay a lamb then climb the Temple and sound the shofar to announce to the citizens of Jerusalem that the sacrifice had been completed and to call the people to prayer.

It was at the ninth hour that Elijah prayed down fire on the sacrifice on Mount Carmel 1 Kings 18. It was the ninth hour when Ezra led the people in prayer of confession and intercession Ezra 9:5. It was at the ninth hour that Daniel opened his window and prayed Daniel 9:21. It was at the ninth hour that Peter and John went into the Temple to pray and there they healed the lame man. Acts 3:1 Cornelius was praying at the ninth hour Acts 10:31. It is easy to see the significance of the ninth hour.

However, it was at this time that Jesus was on the cross. When the ninth hour came instead of the sound of the shofar there was the cry from the cross "It is finished." This signaled that the sacrifice had been completed. Not only was the sacrifice completed for that day but for all eternity. It was only fitting that as the Lamb that was sacrificed for our sins would die at the ninth hour the hour of sacrifice of a lamb for the sins of the people.

Why Pilate?

“Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.” Mark 15:1

The Jewish Sanhedrin had held an illegal court and found Jesus to be guilty of breaking their law. According to the Jewish law anyone who was found guilty of blasphemy was to be put to death. According to their illegal court Jesus was guilty of blasphemy and should be stoned to death. However, there was one problem. The Jews did not have the legal right to put anyone to death so they needed the help of the Romans.

Normally the Jewish leaders would have nothing to do with the Romans but this was a special situation. They needed the Romans to pronounce death on Jesus. They couldn’t go to Pilate the Roman governor with a charge of blasphemy. Pilate would have told them to deal with it themselves and would send them away. They needed a charge against Jesus that Pilate could not dismiss.

The Jewish leaders brought Jesus to Pilate because he was the only one who could pronounce sentence upon a criminal. They needed Pilate to help them with their trumped up charges against Jesus. The charges they decided to bring to Pilate were charges of treason. A governor could not ignore charges of treason against the nation for if he did then his own life would be on the line. They came to Pilate and told him that Jesus was setting Himself up as another king to rival Caesar. Pilate knew immediately that this charge was ridiculous and he decided to dismiss the charge and release Jesus.

However, Pilate had a problem. He was not secure in his own position and the Jewish leaders knew that. They knew that if word got back to Rome that Pilate had ignored a charge of treason then he would be banished from Rome forever. Pilate was caught in their trap. He tried to reason with the people. He tried to bargain with them but they ignored his efforts to release Jesus and demanded that Pilate sentence Him to death. Finally, Pilate succumbed to their pressure and going against the advice of his wife sentenced Jesus to death. Forever Pilate sealed his own place in history as the Roman governor that sentenced God to death.

Such is the snare of men. Pilate knew what he was doing was wrong but the people he didn’t respect trapped him. Because he was looking for a way out of Palestine he knew that he could not allow any unfavourable information to be sent back to Rome. Therefore, against his own conscience and against the advice of his wife he handed Jesus over to them to be executed. In signing Jesus’ death sentence he forever condemned himself as an example of a man whom was too weak to follow his own convictions.

Riches

Someone said that the truly rich are those who are satisfied with what money cannot buy and death cannot take away. Habakkuk understood what it meant to live by faith when he said that he would rest in the Lord, trust the Lord regardless of what the circumstances would be. To me this prayer of Habakkuk's is one of the greatest statements of faith in all Scripture. Read again Habakkuk 3:16 - 19.

Why Annas and Caiaphas?

“Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.” John 18:12-14

When Jesus was arrested the soldiers first took Him to Annas even though he was not the high priest. Annas was the father-in-law to Caiaphas who was the high priest. The Soldiers first brought Jesus to Annas because he was the one that controlled the priest hood. He had been the high priest and after his term was completed each of his sons served as the high priest. When their terms were completed then the office was passed on to his daughter’s husband, Caiaphas.

If Jesus had been a common criminal they would have taken Him immediately to Pilate and not bothered with the high priest. However, Jesus was not a common criminal and the accusations that were brought against Him were religious in nature. The Jewish law said that He should be tried before the Sanhedrin. Annas not only controlled the priesthood but he also controlled the Sanhedrin. He was the one that ordered Jesus arrest; he would be the one that would see that charges were brought against Him. Annas was the real authority behind the arrest of Jesus.

Annas and Caiaphas wanted Jesus arrested because He was bringing to light the corruption in the priesthood. Caiaphas had even gone so far as to make the prophecy that it would be better for one person to die rather than have the whole nation be destroyed. What he didn’t know was that what he had said was very prophetic. Jesus would die for the nation of Israel but He also would die for the entire world. Caiaphas did not know the truth of his statement.

Why were the religious leaders so intent on destroying Jesus? He not only challenged their authority but He challenged their practices. They had turned serving God into a business and they were profiting by their position.

Jesus told us that if we are going to be a ruler of all then we must be a servant. Jesus’ teaching went against everything that the world was teaching. The world said that rulers have servants but Jesus said that a ruler is a servant. Jesus’ taught that the way to greatness was through humility and service. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day could not accept that. They loved their position and they loved the honour that went with that position. For them to become a servant went against everything that they thought important.

Are we prepared to take on the role of a servant leader?

Why a Borrowed Tomb?

“At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” John 19:41-42

Throughout His ministry Jesus did not own anything other than the clothes that He wore. He depended upon the generosity of His friends for a place to stay, food to eat and any other physical needs that He and His disciples had. He was an example of what He taught when He said that they were not to worry about material things and that they were to seek the Kingdom of God first and then these things would be added to them. So even in His death He did not have a place to be buried.

The prophet Isaiah had prophesied that Jesus would be buried with the rich and Joseph of Arimathea was such a rich man. He was a supporter of Jesus and he was willing to give up his tomb in the garden so that Jesus could be burred there. The tomb was for he and his family and he was willing to include Jesus with his family.

The common people were buried in the temple plot and that is where Jesus would have been buried if it hadn’t been for the gift of a friend. If He had been buried in the temple the authorities could not have sealed His tomb and they could not have posted the guard over his grave as they did in the garden.

Also in the temple many were coming and going but the garden was a private area where there was not very much traffic. Jesus came out of the tomb that Sunday morning and no one was there to see. When Mary and the other women went to the garden they found that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus was gone. When the told the disciples they ran to the garden and went into the tomb. All of this was not possible in the common grave plot.

Even in His death Jesus showed that He took no thought for the future of His body but He had made provision for His soul. He depended upon others to supply even His burial place but He depended upon His Father for the perseverance of His soul.

I knew a man who instructed his children how to live a godly life. In his later years he developed cancer and he was dying. He told his children that he had taught them how to live and now he was showing them how to die. He put his trust completely in God for his life and he could trust God in his death. Jesus taught us that we should have no fear of death. He conquered death when He came out of the tomb. We know that death is not the end for us so we should not fear death but trust the One who has gone before.

When is a verb not a verb?

In Habakkuk 3 we see the prophet worshipping God. I find it interesting and sometimes disturbing that we have changed the word worship from a verb to an adjective or a noun. We have worship services, worship songs, a time of worship, etc. but worship is really a verb. Worship is an action. Jesus said that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Why a Garden?

“At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.” John 19:41

What do you think of when you think of a garden? I think of a peaceful place full of plants that have been cared for by a gardener. Often in a garden everything has its place and each plants adds beauty to the garden. The gardener carefully selects the plants that would best suit his garden. He plans where they will be planted and he waters and cares for the plants. He removes from the garden any unwanted plants that may take nutrients from the ones that He has planted and that may even choke them out.

When man was created God had already prepared a garden which was to be his home. He placed Adam and Eve in the garden and they were given the task of caring for the garden. The garden was a peaceful place but even in such a place there was sin. In such a perfect setting mankind committed his first act of rebellion against his God. The enemy of their souls came into the garden and caused them to sin against God. Even when we are in the right place doing the right thing the tempter can come and cause us to fall.

Jesus often went to a garden to be alone with His disciples. He took them there when he wanted time alone with them or His heavenly Father. The garden was a place of communion. However, even in such a place there was deceit and betrayal. Judas knew that Jesus often went to the garden to pray and so he took the soldiers to the garden to arrest Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethia took Jesus and buried Him in a tomb that was in the garden. There Jesus’ body lay for three days but the tomb could not keep His body and on the Sunday morning He came out of the tomb alive. The garden where Jesus was buried was a peaceful place and when He rose of the Sunday morning there was no one there to observe the miracle. After He rose a number of people came to the garden to visit the tomb but Jesus was no longer there.

As life began in a garden so does new life begin in a garden. When Jesus rose from the dead He was the prototype of all who would be raised from the dead to eternal life. Jesus rose from the dead with a new body, a spiritual body and someday we will rise with the spiritual body. Some day we will rise with Him and He will once again take us to a garden. This will be a new place prepared for those who love Him. In that garden there will never be any deceit or betrayal. No one will be there to tempt us to rebel against our God. God Himself will be in the midst of the garden and He will commune with us as one would commune with a friend.

It becomes He

In Habakkuk 2:3 we read, "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." It seems clear to me that this refers to the revelation that was given to Habakkuk by the Lord Himself. However, the writer of Hebrews quotes this verse in Hebrews 10:37 and he changes the pronoun to "he". "For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay." The writer of Hebrews sees this as a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. I know that some interpret the meaning of Habakkuk differently but to me the writer of Hebrews makes it very clear.

Why a Cross?

“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the Place of the Skull (which is called Golgotha.)” John 19:17

The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to be put to death for blasphemy and the method of execution for blasphemy was stoning. However, the Jewish leaders did not have the authority to put anyone to death so they had to appeal to the Roman governor. The Romans method of execution was crucifixion. Crucifixion was a cruel and painful method of execution. It usually took hours for the victim to die and during that time he could not even breathe properly.

The Bible had said that anyone who died by crucifixion was cursed. When Moses was leading the Israelites through the wilderness they were punished for their sin by having snakes coming and biting the people. Everyone that was bitten was certain to die. When Moses pleaded with the God for mercy for the people he was told to take a bronze image of the snake and put it on a pole. Everyone that looked at the bronze serpent on the pole would be healed. This was a picture of Jesus on the cross and what we as sinners needed to do to be healed from our sin. All we need to do is to look at the One on the cross and we will be healed from our sins.

However, there was one problem that developed. The people began to worship the serpent on the pole. In order to stop the people from worshipping the bronze serpent Moses had to take it down and destroy it.

Today we have great reverence for the cross because upon the cross of Calvary our Saviour died for our sins. There are people who worship the cross. Instead of being an object of scorn it has become an object of worship. Jesus never intended for us to worship the cross but we are to worship Him. So we wear a cross on chain around our neck or we put a cross on the collar of our clothes. If it is a symbol of our commitment to the Christ of the cross then that is wonderful but if it is just a religious symbol that we may treat as a good luck charm then that is wrong. We are no better than the Israelites worshiping the bronze serpent.

No one would wear a hangman’s noose or a guillotine as an ornament of jewelry on our clothes so why do we wear a cross? We wear a cross because it symbolizes the death of our Lord. The cross that we wear is an empty cross because Jesus is alive today. He may have died upon the cross but the cross was not the end. The cross became the dividing point in history for all man kind. Before the cross we were under the death sentence but our Saviour died on the cross for us and we are set free from the law of sin and death.

Why a Crown of Thorns?

“The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe.” John 19:1

In each of the Gospel’s Jesus is portrayed in a unique fashion. In Matthew’s Gospel He is called the King of the Jews. It was as the King of the Jews that Jesus stood before Pilate. Pilate asked Him if He was a king to which Jesus replied that His Kingdom was not of this world. If it was of this world then His followers would fight but His kingdom was a spiritual kingdom.

The soldiers felt that if Jesus was a king then He should look like a king. A king wore a crown and royal robes so they gathered together a few thorny branches and twisted it into a crown, which they put upon His head. The crown cut into His skin causing blood to run down His face. They then put a purple robe on Him and gave Him a rod, which they pretended was a scepter. A scepter was a symbol of power and a king always carried His scepter. When Queen Esther went into the king’s presence she would have been put to death if the king had not held out his scepter to her.

Once they had Jesus dressed as a king then they mocked Him. They pretended to do homage to Him and He just stood there. Scripture tells us that he could have called over ten thousand angels to come to rescue Him but He chose to take the abuse. The soldiers did not know that they were mocking the king of the universe. They felt that they were protected because they were part of the armies of Caesar. If Jesus was a king then He could have called His army to come to His rescue but since He did nothing they assumed that He was just another criminal.

Pilate didn’t understand the man that stood before Him. He did not understand that this was a king, the King of all kings including Caesar in Rome. The soldiers did not know that this was a king. They would never have treated a king in the manner that they treated Jesus. However, even the disciples did not know that Jesus was a king. They had thought that He might have been a king but when He was arrested then they knew that this was not an earthly kingdom. Even then they did not realize that the kingdom of which Jesus spoke was a spiritual kingdom.

Today we see the kingdom growing. Jesus’ kingdom has citizens from every tribe and nation in the world. To those who observe the kingdom from an earthly viewpoint it only looks like another organization. However, the kingdom of King Jesus reigns in the hearts of His followers from all over the world. Someday the kingdom that is invisible to the world will be made known and the King who wore the crown of thorns will wear the royal diadem. He will reign in power, majesty and justice. They soldiers may have thought that they were making sport of a prisoner but they actually were acting out what would someday be reality. He is king.

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Moses prays in Psalm 90 that we will be taught to number our days. The title of this post is the number of my days. I have reached the retirement age though I have been retired for ten years. God has blessed me by allowing me to live comfortably these past years. I have had ministry opportunities which is how a Christian should view retirement. Retirement should be a time to do ministry for the kingdom. Who knows what the next 1826 days will bring but as long as I am able I want to continue to minister for the kingdom.

Exploitation

The following is from New Jersey News:

Three pastors of a nondenominational church in Randolph used members' donations and proceeds from selling the $5 million church building to buy a $1.6 million mansion in Mendham Township, a $450,000 schooner in Jersey City and life-coaching classes, state officials said yesterday.

In chapter two of Habakkuk the prophet pronounces five woes.
Woe against selfish ambition
Woe against covetousness
Woe against exploitation of others
Woe against drunkenness
Woe against idolatry
We exploit someone when we take more than we give, when we treat people like things.

Why Thirty Pieces of Silver?

“Then one of the Twelve— the one called Judas Iscariot— went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.” Matthew 26:14-16

We do not know what motives Judas had in betraying Jesus. We know that he was greedy and he had been pilfering money from the common purse. He had recently become upset with Jesus for not rebuking the woman when she poured expensive perfume over the feet of Jesus. Whatever his motives were he was compelled to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins, the price of a common slave.

Zechariah had prophesied four hundred years before that one close to Jesus would betray Him for thirty pieces of silver. “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.” Zechariah 11:12 For the price of a common slave one of those closest to Jesus betrayed Him and handed Him over to die.

After Jesus was arrested and tried, Judas realized that he had committed a terrible sin. He then went back to the elders who had paid him the money and said that he had sinned. The rulers didn’t care. They had their man. Judas then took the money and threw it into the temple and went out and hanged himself. He did not see any way that he could be forgiven for what he had done.

Now the Jewish leaders had a problem. They didn’t know what to do with the money as it was “blood money”. They couldn’t put it back into the temple treasury so they decided to use it to buy a field that use to be used as a place where the potters would throw there broken pottery. The field would be used as a graveyard for those that couldn’t be buried in the regular cemetery as they had died by their own hand. The field was known as the potters’ field.

The value that Judas and the rulers had placed on Jesus was the price of a common slave. I suppose it was fitting that the King of the universe who came to the earth as a servant, who lived His life as a slave, should be bought and sold as a slave and die as a slave.

How do we treat the King of kings and Lord of lords? Are we selling Him for s few silver coins and the pleasures of this world? Are we any different than Judas when we betray the Lord for a few coins? Jesus demands our total commitment. He wants us to be a bond slave. He is the pearl of great price and we are selling Him for the price of a common slave.

Three Assurances

God gives Habakkuk three great assurances:
1. The assurance of God's grace
2. The assurance of God's glory
3. The assurance of God's government.
God tells Habakkuk that the righteous shall live by his faith. He then tells him that the world will be filled with the knowledge of His glory. His glory is over all the earth but not everyone sees the glory but there is coming a day when the whole world will know of His glory. Finally He tells Habakkuk that He is in His holy temple, He is in control, He is sovereign.
When we think about God's glory we are reminded that His glory is visible in creation, in the church, and in the cross. Often we do not see His glory but someday the whole world will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

Why Herod?

“When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.” Luke 23:8

Jesus never had any time for Herod. Herod was called the king but he really did not have any power. The only authority he had was given to him by Rome, but the Romans despised him. He had no backing from the Jewish leaders because they looked upon him as an impostor. He was not really a Jew.

Jesus was sent to Herod because Pilate didn’t want to make a decision concerning Jesus. When Pilate learned that Jesus was from Galilee he had Jesus sent to Herod who was the governor of Galilee. Pilate was hoping that that would be the end of his part in this mock trial.

Herod was delighted when Jesus came to him. He had often wanted to see Jesus but had never had the opportunity. Jesus had no use for Herod calling him that “old fox”. Herod wanted to see Jesus because he heard that Jesus could perform miracles. He was wishing that Jesus would perform a miracle for him. Maybe Jesus would turn water into wine or walk upon the water. Herod really didn’t care what miracle Jesus did as long as Jesus performed a miracle for him. Herod did not care about the message of Jesus or even the person of Jesus. He was only interested in being entertained by Jesus.

There are many people today who are like Herod. They are not interested in having their lives changed but they are interested in witnessing a miracle. These people love miracle healing services and they talk about how God healed them physically but they have never committed their lives to Him. Their interest in Jesus is like Herod’s interest. They will serve Jesus for what He will do and not for whom He is.

Jesus had nothing to say to Herod. He was willing to answer the High Priest or the Roman governor but He had nothing to say to Herod. Pilate was searching for the truth but Herod was only looking for pleasure. He was interested in Jesus if there was something in it for him. When Jesus did not perform a miracle he had no further interest in Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate.

Today there are many people who will serve Jesus for what they will get out of it. Jesus has called us to follow Him. He has not promised that we will be rewarded in this life for following Him. He has not promised that we will see miraculous deed performed. The only thing He has promised us is that He will be with us to the very end of the age. Why are you following Jesus?

Why Did Peter Deny the Lord?

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today – yes, tonight – before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” Mark 14:30

Peter was confident that he would never deny the Lord. He said that if all the others were to fall away he would not. Peter had confidence in the flesh. He was a strong, powerful fisherman who was not afraid of anyone. It seemed ridiculous to him that anyone, especially, Jesus would think that he would disown the Lord.

However, within a few hours Peter not only disowned Christ but he did it three times. What had happened to the brave man who was willing to die for Jesus? Peter showed in his life the principle that Paul had to learn, that is, we are only strong when we stand in God’s strength and not in ours. Paul knew the meaning of the phrase; “my strength is made perfect in weakness.” He understood that it wasn’t his weaknesses that caused his failures but rather his strengths. When he learned to give his strengths to God then God could work through his weaknesses for His glory.

Peter had to learn that truth as well. The day of Christ’s arrest made that very clear to him. He saw how he had been so strong when things were going well but when things went wrong then he turned away and denied the Lord.

It wasn’t until after the resurrection that Peter came to understand his dependency upon the Lord. He had failed but he was not cast out. He was cast down but he would rise up again. His own strength brought failure but Christ’s strength brought victory.

Did Peter ever fail again? One time the Judaizers had come from Jerusalem and condemned the Jews for eating with the Gentiles. Peter succumbed to their criticism and separated himself from the gentiles. It wasn’t until Paul came and rebuked him that he understood that he had once again succumbed to the old temptation. I am sure that Peter went to his grave knowing that whenever he depended upon his own strength then he was heading for a fall.

We are so much like Peter. We take pride in our strengths saying that we would never fail in those areas. We are not like others because we are strong. In our society we look down upon the weak and honour the strong. However, in our strengths we find that we don’t need God. Our weaknesses are the things that bring us to God. We need to take no confidence in our strengths but take confidence in the strength of our God. He is the One that can take our weakness and use them for His glory.

We so often find that we condemn people like Peter who deny their Lord but it was people like Peter that Jesus used to build His church. We are often too strong for God to use but we are never too weak if we give our weaknesses to Him and depend upon Him for His strength. Remember the Lord's words to Paul, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”