Forty three years ago I heard David Wilkerson at Urbana Mission conference. At that time some people became upset with his direct and no nonsense preaching. He passed away this last week and this sermon fits with what Daniel in Daniel 10. Watch.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
A Little Dry
April has been a dry month for me regarding blogging. First we went to California for our son's graduation from police academy then we have been busy preparing for Easter. This weekend our grandchildren (and parents) are here as well as our son and daughter-in-law from Ottawa.
However, this week we are looking at the second half of Daniel 9 and do we dare talk about the seventy weeks. Today at breakfast I was talking about mathematics with my grandkids and asked them to give me an irrational number. My grandson said "Eleventeen". His understanding of my question was about the same as my understanding of Daniel 9 when Gabriel says to Daniel that he is going to give him understanding and then talks about the seventy weeks. My head spins. Where is my understanding? I have listen to two different preachers, both of whom I admire for their wisdom and understanding, and they have totally different interpretations. Oh my, oh my. This is understanding?
However, this week we are looking at the second half of Daniel 9 and do we dare talk about the seventy weeks. Today at breakfast I was talking about mathematics with my grandkids and asked them to give me an irrational number. My grandson said "Eleventeen". His understanding of my question was about the same as my understanding of Daniel 9 when Gabriel says to Daniel that he is going to give him understanding and then talks about the seventy weeks. My head spins. Where is my understanding? I have listen to two different preachers, both of whom I admire for their wisdom and understanding, and they have totally different interpretations. Oh my, oh my. This is understanding?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Child of the King
We are the children of the King. It is only the child of a king that can ask the king to do something great for him/her while also able to wake the king at three o'clock in the morning for a glass of water. We can ask for great things as well as small things.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
What drives your prayer life?
Do our prayers grow out of our circumstances or are they based upon the Word of God? Does the study of God's Word move us to pray? Daniel's prayer rose out of a tension between God's written truth and the world he saw around him. Most of us experience no such tension. In fact we want to avoid tension but we need tension in our spiritual life in order that we may grow.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Unexpected Hanging
A prisoner had been condemned to be hanged. The warden knew that the prisoner enjoyed logic puzzles. So, he informed the prisoner of the execution date in this way:
"1. You will be hanged on one of the days of next week (Sunday through Saturday). And, 2. you will not be able to logically deduce which day you are to be hanged."
The prisoner realized that this is a puzzle which lends itself to working backward. He reasoned, "If today were Saturday (the last day), and I had not been executed yet, then I would know that today I would be hanged. In other words, if today were Saturday, then I could logically deduce that I would hang today. But, the warden stated that I would not be able to logically deduce which day that I would be hanged. Therefore, I will not be hanged on Saturday."
He reasoned further, "If today were Friday (the next to the last day), and I had not been executed yet, then I would know that today I would be hanged, since I won't be hanged on Saturday. In other words, if today were Friday, then I could logically deduce that I would hang today. But, the warden stated that I would not be able to logically deduce which day that I would be hanged. Therefore, I will not be hanged on Friday."
He similarly eliminated Thursday, since he had previously eliminated Friday and Saturday, and Thursday would then be no surprise. And, he similarly eliminated Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday, and even Sunday. He had eliminated Monday through Saturday. So, he could deduce that Sunday was the execution day, which eliminated Sunday, because of the Warden's original statements. So the prisoner had deduced that he could not be hanged, and still fulfill the Warden's original statements.
When the warden came to visit, on Sunday, the prisoner told him of his reasoning. He added, "You seem to have made a mistake. One of your two statements must be false. I don't see how you can hang me this week and still make it impossible for me to deduce which day it will be."
The warden replied, "Wrong! String him up, boys." And both of the warden's original statements were true.
This is like the coming of the Lord. We are busy making deductions about when it will happen or cannot happen and when it does we will be surprised. It will be unexpected because it didn't fit our deductions but it will fulfill prophecy.
"1. You will be hanged on one of the days of next week (Sunday through Saturday). And, 2. you will not be able to logically deduce which day you are to be hanged."
The prisoner realized that this is a puzzle which lends itself to working backward. He reasoned, "If today were Saturday (the last day), and I had not been executed yet, then I would know that today I would be hanged. In other words, if today were Saturday, then I could logically deduce that I would hang today. But, the warden stated that I would not be able to logically deduce which day that I would be hanged. Therefore, I will not be hanged on Saturday."
He reasoned further, "If today were Friday (the next to the last day), and I had not been executed yet, then I would know that today I would be hanged, since I won't be hanged on Saturday. In other words, if today were Friday, then I could logically deduce that I would hang today. But, the warden stated that I would not be able to logically deduce which day that I would be hanged. Therefore, I will not be hanged on Friday."
He similarly eliminated Thursday, since he had previously eliminated Friday and Saturday, and Thursday would then be no surprise. And, he similarly eliminated Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday, and even Sunday. He had eliminated Monday through Saturday. So, he could deduce that Sunday was the execution day, which eliminated Sunday, because of the Warden's original statements. So the prisoner had deduced that he could not be hanged, and still fulfill the Warden's original statements.
When the warden came to visit, on Sunday, the prisoner told him of his reasoning. He added, "You seem to have made a mistake. One of your two statements must be false. I don't see how you can hang me this week and still make it impossible for me to deduce which day it will be."
The warden replied, "Wrong! String him up, boys." And both of the warden's original statements were true.
This is like the coming of the Lord. We are busy making deductions about when it will happen or cannot happen and when it does we will be surprised. It will be unexpected because it didn't fit our deductions but it will fulfill prophecy.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett wrote a two act play in which five actors spend the entire time by a tree waiting for Godot. He never comes and we do not learn who he is and why it was important to meet him.
Someone described the play as a play in which nothing happens, twice.
Another said, "nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful."
This the way the world views the end times and Christ's return. Though Beckett denied that his play had anything to do with Christianity it is as if he is saying about life, "Nobody comes, nobody goes, nothing changes, life is meaningless."
As Christians we know that is not true. However, how we wait for God tells the world a great deal about what we believe about His return and the meaning of life.
Someone described the play as a play in which nothing happens, twice.
Another said, "nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful."
This the way the world views the end times and Christ's return. Though Beckett denied that his play had anything to do with Christianity it is as if he is saying about life, "Nobody comes, nobody goes, nothing changes, life is meaningless."
As Christians we know that is not true. However, how we wait for God tells the world a great deal about what we believe about His return and the meaning of life.
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