Lectionary for 4/17/08

Today's readings are Leviticus 17.1-16 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lev.+17.1-16 ) and Luke 10.23-42 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+10.23-42 ). 

In our reading from Luke today, we find a passage that is frequently misused.  Do you want freedom from the Law?  Do you want to know how easy it is to do what is pleasing to God?  Jesus tells us right here what to do.  In fact, it isn't even Jesus who says this.  It is a teacher of the Law, interrogated by Jesus.  Jesus affirms that the lawyer is right.  Luke 10.27b-28 says "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.'  And he [Jesus] said to him, 'You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live'" (ESV).

 

That's all it takes.  And so often we, unlike this lawyer, blithely go along our way, assuming that we are in fact doing what God has commanded us.  Thanks be to God for this lawyer, who, understanding what Jesus has just affirmed, tries to figure out how he can avoid some of the demands.  He doesn't even try to avoid the demand of loving the Lord with the entirety of his being.  He knows that is impossible.  But maybe, just maybe, he can find a restrictive definition of a neighbor which will exempt him from some of his obligation.  Jesus goes on to define the neighbor quite loosely, as anyone with whom we are in contact.

 

Here we find the whole weight of the Law of God.  If we can love and trust God and our neighbor, we will live.  Yet we must realize that we cannot even begin to accomplish this command.  We love God, indeed.  But we reserve ourselves within that love, depending on our own strength and wisdom.  We love our neighbor, some of the time, to some extent.  Not like we love ourselves.  We don't really care what our neighbor thinks about when he daydreams, do we?  But we do care about the intimate details of our own lives.  In the final analysis we fail miserably.

 

What is the answer?  We have Jesus, who does love and trust God and who has shown his loving kindness to us, his neighbors.  He has lived the life we must live and he has died in our place.  Through his resurrection, he grants us salvation and new life to all who believe.  It doesn't depend on our faithfulness.  We've already proven ourselves faithless.  It depends on Christ's perfect faithfulness, imputed to us.

 

Look to Jesus and live.

Lectionary for 4/16/08

Today's readings are Leviticus 16.1-24 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lev.+16.1-24 ) and Luke 10.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+10.1-22 ).

 

The concept of the "scapegoat" comes from Leviticus chapter 16.  We all know what a scapegoat is, the person who is blamed for everything.  And in most households, there is someone or something to serve as a scapegoat.  For years in our household it was Bob, my children's "invisible enemy" who was responsible for all sorts of wrongdoing.  Nowadays it is usually the cat.  Someone has to receive the blame.  Someone has to be punished.  It's only fair.

 

When Aaron had made sacrifice for himself and the sins of the people, he would come to this one remaining goat.  By laying his hands on the goat and confessing the sins of the people over the goat, the Scripture says he places the sins of the people on this goat.  While it may be allowed to escape and go free, it is also going to its death as it passes outside of the camp into the wilderness.  When the goat goes "free" it takes the sins of the people of Israel with it, to be sent outside of the camp, away from the people who once bore their sin.

 

Someone has to take the blame, right?  What does this have to do with me and my Christian life?  Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, has become sin for us.  He has taken the sin of his people upon himself.  He has provided the offering for their sin in himself, and has gone outside of the camp - outside of the city of Jerusalem, to die for the sin of his people in an unclean place, the place of execution.  And all those sins which are confessed are sins he receives, poured out on his head, as the sins of Israel are poured out on the head of the goat.  Jesus has taken our sin, has taken our blame, has died in our place, a place of uncleanness, pain and suffering.  Yet Jesus was not held by our sin.  Death itself could not hold our Lord and Savior, who, having died in our place, also lives that we might live.

 

Rejoice!  Christ is risen!  The Lord who died in our place now brings us eternal life!  Thanks be to the Lord who would take our sin upon himself and remove it from us!

 

 

Lectionary for 4/15/08

Today's readings are Leviticus 10.1-20 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lev.+10.1-20 ), Luke 9.37-62 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+9.37-62 ), and Leviticus 11.1-15.33 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lev.+11.1-15.33 ).

 

Let's draw our attention to the longer reading, from Leviticus 11-15.  Notice the unifying factors throughout this passage, giving laws which appear to protect the hygeine of the people of Israel. 

 

First, the vast majority of situations dealt with in these chapters are situations the individual Israelite cannot prevent.  God has provided a means of relief for the symptoms of those situations we find ourselves in due to no fault of our own.  Much of the suffering we endure is not due to our own sin, nor due to the sins of others around us, but due to the fact we live in a sin-cursed world.  We live, we suffer, we die, and our Lord has provided comfort and relief for us, on his own terms, following his own rules.  And we see that God's directives here for restoration are not the kind of directives we would come up with.  The sacrifices made, with variations depending on the relative wealth of the person making the offering, don't seem closely related to the actual situation.  They don't fit according to our wisdom.  But they fit according to God's wisdom.

 

Second, see the role of the priests in all restoration.  We don't work out our troubles ourselves.  A walk with God is not an individualistic thing.  We would like to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, go find ourselves, get our lives under control - all in vain.  Our individual strivings bring death and destruction.  Thanks be to God who has provided means of grace including other believers who can see our struggles, look at them rightly before the Lord, and move us toward the divinely provided restoration.

 

Finally, we see that the kind of offerings prescribed are different for different people.  Those who are wealthy may give noble and expensive offerings.  Those who are poor will give less.  God does not exclude people from his kingdom and a relationship with him based on wealth or poverty. 

 

If we should doubt God's provision and love for his people, let us consider our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who owns all heaven and earth yet was born into poverty, of a mother who was able to give only the least expensive offering after he was born.  He has lived in community, subjected himself to his parents and the priests and teachers of his day, corrected the priests and teachers, served as our sacrifice, and risen from the dead to deliver to us the promise of eternal life.  Let us trust on God's provision in Jesus.

 

 

Lectionary for 4/14/08

Today's readings are Leviticus 9.1-24 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lev.+9.1-24 ) and Luke 9.18-36 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+9.18-36 ).

 

Look how in Leviticus God gives commands for sacrifice.  Aaron and the other people of Israel can follow God's commands, giving the animal without blemish, according to the command of God, not according to their own wisdom or commands.  The Lord has commanded it.  His command is trustworthy.

 

As we look at Luke's Gospel, we see that Jesus is making commands to those who would follow him.  These commands are serious.  Our Lord and Savior has made the commands and we are obligated to follow them.

 

See the heavy demands of the Law given by our Master.

1) Deny yourself.

2)  Voluntarily take up an instrument of torture and death.

3)  Leave your comfort and even life to follow God's command.

4) Lose your life counter to your own reason in order to save it.

5) Endure shame and condemnation on this earth.

 

If we do not do these things, we have no hope.  We are not able to follow Christ, there is no redemption.  The wisdom of God goes counter to our wisdom.  The will of God goes counter to our volition.  We are called to do the very things we avoid by nature.  And even when we try, we will fail.

 

What hope then do we have?  Trust in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has become the perfect sacrifice for our sins, according to the good will and decree of his Father.  See how Jesus has lived this life that he commands us to do.  See how he has given his life for our salvation.  He has both lived the life we are to live and has died the death that we deserve.  Jesus has fulfilled his law and has taken away the condemnation.

 

What shall we do then?  In hope, love and trust we should throw ourselves on the mercy of our Lord and Savior.  Let us trust in his word.  His commands were good and right, so good and right that he followed them when we could not.  Let us strive to follow his commands and rejoice that he has done what we cannot do.

 

 

 

Lectionary for 4/6/08

Just a reminder that the lectionary readings are easy to access at www.pottersschool.org/MrSpotts/lectionary.html .

 

I'll be in a little and out a lot in the upcoming week so won't make my comments.

 

May the word of God dwell richly in your hearts and minds.

 

Alex

 

Lectionary for 4/5/08

Today's readings are Exodus 32.1-14 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+32.1-14 ) and Luke 6.20-38 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+6.20-38 ).

 

We've all heard stories about people who do things because they just know they are right.  "It feels so right it can't be wrong."  "Trust your heart."  "Use the Force."  "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

 

This tragedy in Exodus 32 is full of people acting just that way.  Moses has gone up to the mountain.  The leaders, who have very recently glimpsed the presence of God, do not know what has become of Moses.  Or rather they are impatient.  Their own hopes, their own desires, their own priorities are taking charge.  What has happened to Moses?  The people are going to be restless.  We'd better do something.  It wouldn't do to let these people have no hope.  We've brought them out into this wilderness with the promise of God's deliverance.  What will we do?  Hence the creation of a false god and the attempt to persuade the people using the tools of human religion.  And in response to this, Aaron, who has been intimately acquainted with the works of the true God, establishes the forms of worship for this false god.  How like us.  We've got to do something. 

 

How many times has this same pragmatism dragged us down in our lives, in our households and congregations?  We can't just stand there and let it happen, we must do something, so we design a solution that will pacify some other people.  We try to persuade ourselves that we are doing God's will when in fact we are putting forth a shabby substitute for that.

 

Charles Dickens, not exactly a good theologian, but certainly an astute observer of humans, created just such a character in his novel, Bleak House.  In Bleak House the characters are all somehow intertwined in a longstanding legal dispute about a will.  At one point, one character hires a different lawyer who promises to make more progress, though it will cost a great deal.  When the young plaintiff is tempted to relinquish his case, the lawyer dissuades him, telling him that they are making progress.  They are active.  They are doing things.  The case is in motion.  Of course, the case was in motion for some forty years before this lawyer began his activity.  Within the world of Bleak House, like in our real world, we find that our human striving is often, even always, a sorry substitute for divine activity which has begun processes and will bring them to completion.

 

Let us look to God's plan.  Let us look to divine mercy and provision.  Let us await his timing, being obedient to his stated desires.  When we try to create a "unique worship experience" or set up the situation for "life changing" ministry, usually including the latest in opinion polls, demographic statistics, and architectural fads which will make people feel at home, we are doing exactly what the Israelites were doing.  We are trying to manufacture spirituality based on our understanding.  We are backwards.  We bring grief to our Lord and give him reason to pour out his wrath.  Rather than our plans based on our understanding, let us look to the Christ who died on our behalf, who rose again as a forerunner, the one who brings us to God.  Let us come on his terms.  He's the real thing.

 

Don't just do something!  Stand there!

 

 

 

Lectionary for 4/4/08

Today's readings are Exodus 31.1-18 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+31.1-18 ) and Luke 6.1-19 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+6.1-19 ).

 

God's Sabbath commands are often hotly debated and disputed.  How do we deal with these difficult commands?  What does it mean to keep the Sabbath?  Does this change in some way in our modern, 24/7, technological world? How would the early Christians in the Roman Empire deal with a calendar involving a seven day week, a Sabbath, and the conflict with a civic and work calendar which had days for rest and merchandising on Kalends, Nones, and Ides?

 

When we review the Old Testament we see that God makes no bones about it.  The Sabbath is to be kept, those who don't keep the Sabbath are stoned or cast out, no fuss, no muss.  Theonomistic Christians will assert that we are still to keep the Sabbath.  Some will make philosophical arguments that it changed from the sundown-Friday to sundown-Saturday period to start at sundown Saturday, midnight Saturday night, or sunup Sunday. 

 

Jesus makes this issue more difficult as he goes around purposely violating the Sabbath by allowing his disciples to do what their culture classified as harvesting (picking handfuls of grain), by healing people, even by having formerly crippled people pick up their mats and carry them home. 

 

A good understanding of this concept is that Jesus is the mighty God who gives a new covenant in his blood, and who has fulfilled the old covenant.  While Jesus restated all the other commandments, he did not restate the Sabbath.  He fulfilled it and calls believers to enter into his rest, a rest from sin, fear, guilt, doubt, and striving with this fallen world.  Jesus has instated a permanent Sabbath. 

 

 

Lectionary for 4/3/08

Today's readings are Exodus 25.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+25.1-22 ), Luke 5.17-39 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+5.17-39 ), and Exodus 25.23-30.38 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+25.23-30.38 ).

 

I'd like to focus briefly on Jesus' teaching in Luke 5.  It is common to find local churches which emphasize teaching.  You can go to this church and hear a seminar on fifteen ways to please God with your money.  You can go to another church down the street and find seven key elements to spiritual growth.  Maybe there's another local church with a Sunday evening series on family relationships.  How about the forty Sundays of purpose?  Then there's the movement recently that encouraged local churches not to meet on Sunday mornings but rather to do community service projects for a month so as to relate to the community.  Churches have studies on this, studies on that, Christian education for all ages, complete with study notebooks.  We are probably the culture that spends the most time and money ever in history on education.

 

In Luke 5 Jesus is teaching people.  We don't know the content of his teaching.  But people are coming from miles around to hear him.  They are hungry for this teaching that Jesus gives.  While we don't know much of what Jesus was teaching, we do see in two instances here, verses 20 and 32, Jesus makes his purpose very clear.  Jesus is all about forgiving sins.  He heals people by forgiving their sins.  He restores their relationship with God by forgiving their sins.  He celebrates with people as he forgives their sins.  The teaching of Jesus clearly has something to do with sin and salvation, and he points over and over again to the idea that we don't know either the depth of our sin or the riches of his forgiveness.  We are sick indeed.

 

In our education-heavy society, have we forgotten the central issue of Christian education?  Have we forgotten that Christ crucified for sinners is the heart and center of all our teaching?  Have we chosen to consider ourselves the righteous people who can bring healing to other people by telling them the seven habits of spiritually effective business managers?  All our striving toward relevance counts for nothing.  All indicators are that the only times in history when the Church has grown have been times when God's servants fearlessly proclaim Christ's atoning death for sinners.  If we are proclaiming anything else,we are simply marking time.  It's doing no good and it is eroding the society's perception of Christ.

 

Let us rather turn ourselves in desperate obedience to the Christ who died for us.  Let us beg him to have mercy on us.  Let us be filled with repentance knowing that our Lord and Savior will indeed bring us healing, grace, and forgiveness, provided at his cross.  Let us celebrate the redemption Christ has given us through our assembling together, through Word and Sacraments, as we meet from house to house, sharing in one another's needs.  Let us bring Jesus to this world.  That's what our world needs.

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 4/2/08

Today's readings are Exodus 24.1-18 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+24.1-18 ) and Luke 5.1-16 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+5.1-16 ).

 

I observe today that in Exodus 24 Moses erects altars and sacrifices animals to the Lord, pouring some blood on the altar and the rest on the people of Israel, who agree to hear and obey all the Lord has commanded.  He has a book of some sort which details what God demands.  When does this happen?  It happens before God gives his commands to Moses on the tablets.  I also see that God calls Moses and a crowd of witnesses to see his gracious presence at a distance on the mountain before he calls Moses to go receive the Law.  The leaders of Israel have been confronted with the presence of the Lord.

 

Some quick applications of this passage - that's all I have time for though I would love to pursue it farther.

 

First, even before the giving of the Commandments, God had revealed himself to his people, even in a written manner, presumably through Moses, so the people would have a definitive statement of his righteous demands.  Our Lord has never left his people to guess at his will, like the pagan gods.  He has always revealed himself in clear and understandable ways.

 

Second, since Adam's sin, the shedding of blood has been a required part of keeping the covenant of obedience to God.  Here the blood is shed at God's command, is an offering to him, and is also used to cover sinful people.  When we enter into worship and fellowship with God, we should be conscious that it happens only through blood shed on our behalf.  We have life in Christ through a covenant that involves death.

 

Third, God's person and presence is not without witnesses.  We will see in subsequent chapters how faithful those witnesses are.  But we must remember for now that they have witnessed God's presence, they have agreed to live in covenant with him, obeying his commands.  These are not casual observers.  God is not distant from his people.

 

Finally, God provides means to approach him, even for sinful people.  In these last days, he has provided a means to approach him, and that means is named Jesus, called the Christ, who shed his blood on our behalf, died that we might have life, and has covered us with his death, making us also partakers of his resurrection.  We and a great cloud of witnesses testify to this.  We have received testimony from people and directly from God through his inspired word.  Let us rejoice, believing that indeed God is calling us out of this world of death to live in him.

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 4/1/08

Today's readings are Exodus 23.14-33 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+23.14-33 ) and Luke 4.31-44 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+4.31-44 ).

 

In Exodus 23 we see God establishing festivals for his people Israel.  We'll just take a moment to notice a few important features about the festivals God has appointed.

 

1)  There are three at the outset.  Maybe this has something to do with the trinity, maybe not. 

2)  Two of the festivals have to do with ongoing routine events - the first and last crops of the year.  Our Lord gives us annual reminders of his faithfulness to us as he provides for our needs.  Our worship returns thanks to the God who gives us all we have.

3)  One of the festivals is an annual celebration of God's power and desire to deliver his people from bondage.  Like we would die if we did not receive food from the hand of God, we would also not find release from bondage and slavery without his mighty hand exercised on our behalf.

4)  Through the festivals the Lord establishes, he makes a distinction between his people and the people around them.

5)  God provides what we need for worship, he provides the reason to worship, and he tells how we are to worship.

 

Things have not changed much.  God's people still come to him to worship his mighty act of deliverance and sustenance, using the means he has established and the resources he has given.  Need we seek something new and different?  Let us rather seek the Lord and giver of all through the means he has given us.

 

 

Lectionary for 3/31/08

Today's readings are Exodus 22.20-23.13 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+22.20-23.13 ) and Luke 4.16-30 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+4.16-30 ).

 

Commands, commands, commands.  We get rules everywhere we go.  And as we observed yesterday, the commands of God, things he genuinely wants us to do and which are undisputably good, are things we really can't do, at least not fully and wholeheartedly all the time.

 

Look with me now at the reaction Jesus got when he proclaimed the truth in a synagogue in Luke 4.  The people heard him, even seemed to respect him and wait for him to finish telling them what they should know.  Yet when he proclaimed God's truth, they were offended and wished to kill him.  Jesus by his command brings division and controversy.  Likewise, when we speak the word of God we can end up bringing no small amount of division and controversy.  How ironic that the very word of God which  is provided to bring life and reconcilation between God and man is that which divides our human communities through the hardness of our heart.

 

I pray we may look to the revealed Word of God - both written and the living Word, Jesus Christ, as our authority.  When the Scripture says things which go against our logic, our reason, our desires, let us cling to the veracity of God.  Let God be true and every man a liar.  May the Lord plant in us a desire to hear him, to love, trust, and obey him.  May the Lord use us as instruments of his grace on this world, that we should not become objects of his wrath.

 

Thanks be to God, who has laid his judgment and wrath on our Lord and Savior for our unbelief and disobedience.  Thanks be to God, who has raised Jesus from the dead and has also raised us from the death of sin.

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/30/08

Today's readings are Exodus 20.1-24 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+20.1-24 ) and Luke 4.1-15 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Luke+4.1-15 ).

 

I saw a very discouraging church sign recently.  "Feeling bad?  Take two tablets.  The 10 commandments."  Yes, I'm afraid it had a period after the sentence fragment.  Yet that wasn't the most discouraging feature of the sign.  When we read God's commands in Exodus 20 we find remarkably few promises of God's blessing, and all those promises are contingent upon our obedience to God's commands.  When I'm feeling bad, all I have to do is look at God's commandments to feel worse.  Start out at the beginning.  Have no other gods besides the one true God.  What is a god?  A god is anything that you serve, that rules your life, that makes a difference in the way you would act and think.  Every day we find we have innumerable false gods clamoring for our attention.  We do serve those false gods, time and time again.  Do we need to go farther?  What about misuse of the name of the Lord?  Remember that God's goes by many names, which all describe his character and attributes.  Do we mistrust God?  Do we claim our goodness and doubt God's goodness?  Do we call people and things other than the Lord our God awesome?

 

Let us not take the ten commandments to make us feel better.  Let us take them to convict us of sin, to restrain evil, and to show us what is pleasing to God.  Let us take God's law in all its force to show us the unfathomable gulf between man and God.

 

Feeling bad?  God's commandments should make us feel bad.  Want to be good?  Look to Jesus, who is the righteousness of God incarnate and who has become sin for us so that we may become God's righteousness.  Observe how Jesus fought Satan by using the Scripture.  Watch how he overcame the devil on our behalf.  And see that he came back into society after his temptation, teaching and preaching by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Are you trusting in Christ?  If you are, the power of the Holy Spirit is living in you, making you God's righteousness in Christ.  Remember Jesus, the cure for the commandments which were written against us.

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/29/08

Today's readings are Exodus 19.1-25 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+19.1-25 ) and Hebrews 13.1-21 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+13.1-21 ).

 

We're surrounded with all sorts of things.  Good things, bad things, indifferent things.  If you have lived in the same location for more than a year or two, it is very likely that you have things that you don't remember, haven't used for a long time, and probably will never use again.  We have keepsakes, treasures, and junk, probably all mixed together.  When is the last time you looked through a filing cabinet and found things you put away in case you would need them later?  And how about that drawer, which is probably located in the kitchen of almost every house in the world - affectionately called the "junk drawer"?  Did you ever wonder why the garage that you never use to park a car and which you hardly ever enter needs cleaning because it is full of things?  Did you ever observe what can happen to a desk or workstation while you are away from the job for a week or two?  It seems we have a never ending collection of stuff.

 

Again, some of the things we collect are useful, even valuable.  There are many things around my workspace that I use on a daily basis and that I would have trouble doing without.  I work long and hard to earn the money that keeps me and my family in a house, current on our obligations, and allows us to save a little and give a to those in need.  I try to save money on big and small expenses because it is a lot of work to earn more money.  It's a lot easier to avoid buying something than to earn money to buy it.  And there is a seemingly endless list of things in this world which cost money and which we won't have without money.  Many of them are good things.  And good things are decidedly, well, good.

 

But how often are we ruled by a desire for more good things?  While I'm not saying that it is a good thing to live in poverty, to be lacking in comforts, adequate and interesting food, good things to drink and wear, and countless other trappings of our society without which we would find life decidedly less pleasant, we are not to be ruled by that desire.  If only I had (fill in the name of the electronic gadget), then I would be able to enjoy myself.  If only my children could (fill in the activity), then they would be happy and fulfilled.  Even within the local church.  If only we did (name the program) then we would have a (bigger, more spiritual, relevant, you name it) congregation. 

 

Hebrews 13.5 (ESV) says "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"

 

We have Jesus.  What riches we have!  There is no greater wealth in heaven or on earth.  In Christ Jesus the riches of God have been poured out upon us.  In Christ we have no fear of condemnation.  In Christ's real presence with us we know that we will be protected from all true harm.  Trusting in the salvation our Lord has purchased for us we know that he will bring us safely to our heavenly reward where we will be ensconced with him in the riches of heavenly bliss.  There is nothing better.  There is no greater enjoyment than to see real godliness and to know Christ's presence.  My children will never be happier than when they know that God is faithful and Jesus is with them.  Our local church will never be happy with a program, it needs a person, Jesus.  And he will never leave us.  That's why we baptize people into Christ - he will not forsake them.  That's why we claim that Jesus is very really and truly with us in the divine worship.  He has promised that he is with us.  That's why we make disciples, teaching them to obey the Lord.  He is with us and loves it when we love and trust him.  And we show that love and trust as we obey him, desiring that he will cleanse us and change our heart.  Jesus is with us.  He will never leave us.  He will never forsake us.  We need nothing else.

 

Need fries with that?  No.  But I think I'll have some anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/28/08

Today's readings are Exodus 18.5-27 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+18.5-27 ) and Hebrews 12.1-24 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+12.1-24 ).

 

I confess to having a life and career which are often tiring.  Like Moses, sometimes I wonder why all these stubborn stiff-necked people in my work, local church, neighborhood, and family won't quite bugging me with their needs and desires.  I expect we all feel that way, especially when we're tired or would rather be doing something other than what we are doing at the moment.  Just think how much you love being called on the phone right when you are about to drink your tea, eat your ice cream, or see your favorite basketball team win a championship.

 

Like all the people who are reading this blog, or ever will, or the other people who don't read it, I live in a world full of sin and trouble.  On the rare occasions when I have some wisdom and could make a difference in the world, it seems there are so many things tugging at me in every direction that I can't make much headway.  I think about Moses and his various layers of helpers.  While this is a great plan, and one that bears a lot of good fruit when implemented not only within the body of Christ but within business, education, and all the rest of society, we still have to wonder how frustrating it must have been for Moses to lead a large nation in this manner.  I'm sure he was constantly interrupted, dragged in different directions, and frustrated in his attempts to proclaim God's riches to Israel.  "Why can't they just do what they should?"

 

When we realize we are in such a world, leading some parts of it and causing trouble for people in other parts of it, let's be thankful for what we read right at the end of our passage in Hebrews.  We don't go to the mountain where God gives his commandments.  We go to the fulfillment of that mountain.  We are citizens in God's city, along with the angels.  And it's the time of a festival.  Our God is out to make things pleasant for us.  He's lavishing us with food and drink.  We are invited into the ruling assembly, and it's the assembly led by and conformed into the image of Jesus.  We don't bear the responsibility for judging, and we ultimately are delivered from sin and the fruits of sin ourselves since we are in the very presence of God.  But the picture gets better yet.  We have come "to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant" (v. 24a, ESV), who has borne our sin for us and received the penalty for our sin.  His blood shed before God speaks deliverance, unlike Abel's which spoke condemnation.  Ultimately, our hope in Christ is hope in his perfect redemption, his perfect righteousness, and God's perfectly righteous judgment.

 

It doesn't matter who interrupts me.  I am at the festival of my God.  May he graciously grant that I draw the person who interrupts me next into the very presence of the living God, the ruler of the festal assembly, through Christ's blood shed on my behalf.

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/27/08

Fell behind again.  Readings for 3/27/08 are Exodus 17.1-16 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+17.1-16 ) and Hebrews 11.1-29 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+11.1-29 ). 

 

Hebrews 11.1-3 sums up both readings.  "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the people of old received their commendation.  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible" (ESV).

 

Faith is not some sort of blind leap.  It isn't some sort of poorly defined hope that everything will work out all right one way or another.  It isn't some sort of mystical thing we can pump up ourselves to a sufficient level to accomplish something. 

 

What is faith, then?  It's a gift of God.  And in this gift, God gives us assurance.  He tells us that all his promises are true.  He tells us that the world really does work the way he said it does.  This is faith.  It is clearly defined, though it is not measurable.  It is solid and sure.  It is built on the promises of God, not on our transient hopes. 

 

As we look at the various people of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, and as we look at the works of faith in Exodus 17, we see that all those people were people like us, full of sinful desires and full of faults.  The critical issue is not the quality of the person's faith.  It's the quality of the person's God.  In other words, faith is not really useful for anything.  But the object of faith is critical. 

 

Let us look to Jesus, the object of our faith.  Let us trust in his ability to bring all things to pass according to his will, as he always has in the past.  Let us trust in his wisdom.  Then we have assurance.  We know that while we are faithless, he remains faithful.  When we doubt, we know that God's ability has never changed or decreased.  Walk in faith - faith in Christ.

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/26/08

Today's readings are Exodus 16.13-35 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+16.13-35 ) and Hebrews 10.19-39 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+10.19-39 ).

 

Today we read about God's miraculous provision of manna in the wilderness.  Recall that the Hebrew word "manna" is sort of a question, meaning "huh?"  What is this stuff God has put on the ground here?  It's like bread, but not quite.  And it can be cooked in lots of ways, though it doesn't seem to need cooking.  It's real nourishment.  Tastes good too.

 

Isn't it just like us to go bargain hunting?  If someone were giving out food, lying on the ground all around, and my job was to collect it, I'm pretty sure I would try to stockpile it.  What?  Just collect enough for one day?  Why?  That's silly.  It's dry stuff.  It will keep for days, even weeks!  But what happens when we doubt God's provision and God's command?  The manna turns wormy and inedible.

 

Once that lesson is learned, we just collect enough for one day.  But one day God commands us to collect twice as much.  It seems a foolish thing to do.  We know what will happen.  Some people collect enough for two days, but some don't.  Some trust God's providential command, and some don't.  And those who don't trust God's command are out searching for manna, showing clearly that they didn't take God at his word.  See how this moves God's anger against the people of Israel.  How long will they doubt him?  What more does he need to show them?

 

Aren't we the same?  God has given us provision for our daily needs.  He gives us our daily bread.  All that we have is the work of his hands.  Yet we doubt his word.  We decide that our reason and logic is better than his.  We decide that our ways, not his ways, are superior. 

 

As the passage in Exodus calls us to repentance by showing us our faithlessness and God's providence, the passage in Hebrews gives us assurance.  We can live trusting in Jesus, the high priest we have.  We know that his cleansing, the propitiation that he has made on our behalf, his perfect life, death and resurrection is what brings us life. 

 

How long are we going to rebel against God?  How long will we mistrust his provision?  The grim reality is that we will be doing that as long as he gives us life on this earth.  Yet our Lord has given us this promise in the person of Jesus, the bread of life.  He is indeed faithful.  Let us encourage one another in this. 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/25/08

Today's readings are Exodus 15.19-16.12 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+15.19-16.12 ) and Hebrews 10.1-18 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+10.1-18 ).

 

Day after day the Israelites got up in the morning, just like we do.  They took care of themselves, their animals, their breakfast, their families, they went about their occupations, in short, they lived a life very much like everyone else in the world.  The reality of their failing, their sin, was always with them, as they had offerings to make regularly.  Day by day, there are constant reminders of sin and forgiveness.  In many respects, this is like what we see in our own lives.

 

Or is it?

 

Shouldn't be.

 

When there is a daily offering for sin, we are given evidence that sin is not taken care of.  When there is a daily sacrifice for sin, we are constantly being reminded that sin kills, that death has not been done away with, that we are under the curse of God for our unrighteousness.  The offering for sin doesn't bring real forgiveness.  It simply reminds us of sin, death, and judgment.

 

How many days have we gone about our daily business, prayed about the same sins, and pledged to work harder at avoiding the same sin in the future?  How many days have we gone unchanged because we are pledging our future obedience to God, rather than pleading for his perfect righteousness and obedience to be imputed to us?  How often have we taken this Christian life into our hands, by our own rules, and bungled it?  How many daily reminders of sin, death, and judgment do we need?  That is living under the law.  It brings hopelessness.  It brings death.  Our life in Christ is not governed by the death that the law brings.

 

Look again at Hebrews 10.14-18.  Look what our Lord is doing.

1) He gives a single offering, not multiple offerings.

2)  That offering is sufficient and completes us in righteousness.

3) He plants his perfect law in our hearts so we are able and willing to keep it.

4)  He writes his law on our minds so we know what is pleasing to God.

5)  He forgets our sin.  And since he is giving us his mind, we can forget it as well.

6)  He reaffirms to us that there is no additional offering for sin to be made.

 

When I keep God's law without being aware that I am keeping it, I have the mind of God.  When I strive with sin, I apparently am suffering from my fallen human nature.  My awareness of sin drives me back to Christ.  In belief and faith, I should realize that he has taken that sin away and cleansed me from sin.  In my sin I always seem to grab it back.  But that isn't the mark of Christ, it's the mark I bring to life.

 

Let us look to and rejoice in Christ, who is able to change us.  He has completed righteousness.  May he ever show that holy life in and through us more.  And as we realize that we are unable to sanctify ourselves, let us realize that he plants his perfect righteousness in our lives.  He has given himself for our sin.  We can walk in that righteousness.

 

We're kind of like the Israelites.  We end up walking in sin, remining ourselves of our failure.  But unlike the Israelites, we have this great high priest, Jesus, who has become sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God.  And as we remember the resurrection, let us remember that he will make us to rise as well, when our mortality (sin brings death) puts on immortality.  Then we will remember sin no more.

 

Thanks be to God.

 

 

Lectionary for 3/24/08

Today's readings are Exodus 15.1-18 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+15.1-18 ) and Hebrews 9.1-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+9.1-28 ).

 

Hebrews 9.27 is one of the most often misused verses I know of.  I think we'd better look at it carefully.

 

First off, look with me at the context of this verse.  Jesus has shown himself to be the mediator of a new covenant (there's lots we could say about that, of course).  By shedding his blood, by dying, he has established the validity of the testament God has provided for us.  By entering into the holy place of heaven, he has gained access for us into that holy place as well. 

 

Very often we are told, "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment."  Actually, people often leave out the "just as," preventing the statement from looking like the start of a conditional statement.  This text in Scripture is then used as a moral hammer to tell people to obey the Bible, to repent, to see if they can believe well enough to escape from the judgment of God.  We had best flee this coming judgment.  And we'd better flee it now, by turning from our wicked ways and believing on Christ.

 

While we do need to turn from our wicked ways and believe on Christ, that is not the force of this passage of Scripture.  Keep looking at the context, now a little closer.  Jesus is the one who dies once and faces judgment on the behalf of his chosen people.  He has borne our sins.  He has taken our imperfect obedience.  He has taken the hateful attitude we showed toward him, which drove him to his death.  Jesus has become sin for us and has faced judgment.  It is appointed for man to die once.  And Jesus is the only person in history who has died ready to face judgment. 

 

Look at verse 28 with me now.  Christ will come a second time.  He has shown himself to be the victor over sin.  And when he comes again, had we better watch out for his judgment?  Is he coming to destroy us for our ongoing sin?  Is he going to bring us to judgment as well?  No.  He's going to gather us to himself.  He will take us to be with him, our sin blotted out by his righteousness. 

 

I confess, and you probably do also, that I don't eagerly await his coming.  I don't love and trust the Lord perfectly.  Yet he died for that sin too.  There is nothing I have ruined in this world that Jesus didn't die for.  There is nothing that I need to repent of that Jesus, in his perfect love, mercy and grace has not already atoned for.  Does the love of God not call us to repentance?  It should.  As I close, let us rejoice that our Lord and Savior has given us repentance through and faith in Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/23/08

The readings for Easter Sunday were Exodus 14.10-31 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+14.10-31 ) and Hebrews 7.23-8.13 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+7.23-8.13 ).

 

Hebrews 7.23-25 (ESV) says, "The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

 

On the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we also remember that Jesus is the one who will never leave his priesthood, bringing us to God.  He is the one who always prays for his people.  He is the one who pleads on our behalf and whose prayers are heard and answered by God, since they come from the heart of God himself.  Jesus is the one saving people "to the uttermost."  While Moses brought the people of Israel through the water of the Red Sea, which is in itself symbolic of death, Jesus has brought his people through death into life, by means of his death on our behalf and his life as the firstfruits of the resurrection.

 

Look at the new covenant God has established with his people.  He has written his law on our hearts.  He has fulfilled it through his own son.  He is establishing a people for his name, to bring glory to himself.  He is using his people for his own purposes, according to his own will, to bring them to the perfection which he alone knows.  And we have the utmost confidence that he will be able to bring all this to pass becasue we see he has brought it to pass in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

 

Do we doubt God's care for us?  Do we fear death?  Do we wonder if the Lord is truly able to save his people completely?  Then the day we celebrate the resurrection, the first day of the week, and particularly this most important first day of the week in the whole year is the day of particular hope.  Christ is risen.  He is risen indeed.

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/22/08

Today's readings are Exodus 13.17-14.9 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+13.17-14.9 ) and Hebrews 7.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+7.1-22 ).

 

 

In Hebrews chapter 7 we have a compelling argument about the superiority of Jesus and his priestly ministry and covenant over Moses and the priests and covenants established through the Mosaic Law.  See how Jesus is made a priest forever, as opposed to the Old Covenant priests.  He is indestructible, as opposed to a frail, human priesthood which is liable to corruption and failure.  He is appointed by a divine command which the Lord will not rescind, a priest forever.  He is established regardless of human lineage.

 

This new covenant priesthood, the priesthood of Christ, assures us that the law of sin and death, which bound and condemned us, has been made obsolete and been replaced by the law of life in Christ.

 

This day, as we contemplate the death of Christ and look forward to his resurrection, let us rejoice that through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus has become the mediator of a better covenant.  The Law is written against us.  The Gospel is written in our very hearts.

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/21/08

This post was delayed due to a computer tech crisis.  Maybe it was a very small way for me to fill up the sufferings of Christ in commemoration of Good Friday?

 

The readings for 3/21/08 are Exodus 12.29-32 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+12.29-32), Exodus 13.1-16 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+13.1-16 ), Hebrews 6.1-20 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+6.1-20 ), Lamentations 5.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lam.+5.1-22 ), and Psalm 22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps.+22 ).

 

As we remember Christ's death for our sins this day, we turn our attention to Psalm 22.  This is clearly a Messianic Psalm, as we see many prophecies which were fulfilled on the day of our Lord's death.  Look especially at the derision people heap upon our Lord and Savior.  And as you look upon that derision, reflect for a moment.  Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.  Christ gave his life for us when we were people who hated him.  In fact, through our sin and rebellion we daily poured out derision on Jesus in thought, word, and deed.  I'll even go one step farther than that last statement.  As believers on Christ, we still daily pour out derision on Jesus in thought, word, and deed.  How we love our Lord!  With the same mouth we bless God and doubt his providence.  With the same heart we trust him and make our own plans for our security.  With the same body we worship our Lord and do that which is destructive to ourselves and others.  Oh, yes, we love our Lord.  We love him so much that we pour hatred on him daily.  We are those who mock, despise, and reject him.  Did love hold Jesus on the cross?  Maybe his love, but it was our hatred that drove the nails into his hands, that drove the spear into his side, and that mocked him as he suffered, barely able to breathe, racked with pain. 

 

Jesus has died for our sin.  He has died at the hands of sinners, like you and like me.  Yet the death of Christ was not in vain.  Look to the good news in Hebrews 6, verses 19-29 (ESV). "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."  Without the death of Christ for our sin, there would be no resurrection to newness of life for our righteousness.  Without the death of Christ for our sin, there would be no atoning sacrifice to make peace between man and God.  Without the death of Christ for our sin, we would not have a high priest forever.  But Jesus has died for our sin . He has taken the hatred that we bear for him upon himself.  He has suffered in our place for sin.  He has become sin for us, that we may become the righteousness of God in Christ. 

 

This is indeed a good Friday.

 

 

Lectionary for 3/20/08

Today's readings are Exodus 12.1-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+12.1-28 ), Hebrews 5.1-14 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+5.1-14 ), Lamentations 4.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lam.+4.1-22 ), and Psalm 31 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps.+31 ).

 

Rejoice, Christian!  The Lord has proclaimed a sacrifice, the death of a lamb, to ransom the believing family.  The angel who brings destruction sees the blood already present and does not bring us to sorrow and woe.  While in Exodus, God decreed an annual sacrifice, now in these last days, our Lord Jesus Christ has become the perfect lamb of God, giving himself in the place of those he came to save, the just for the unjust, dying in our place.  In Christ the annual sacrifice is no more, for he has given himself once for all.  In Christ we have rest from the ravages of sin and the commandments, which required us to do the work of our own hands, in obedience to God, over and over again.  We have entered into the rest of the Lord who has gone before us.  Indeed, our Lord and Savior has been good to us.

 

How far does this sacrifice, this Passover of the Lord extend?  It extends to all who believe.  If you are believing on Christ, walk in confidence and joy today because his blood has been seen on your doorposts.  He has surely accomplished his good will in you.

 

What of the complaint, currently rampant among the militant atheistic community, that it doesn't make sense that God would send his Son to die in our place?  Is this tantamount to divine child abuse?  Not in any way.  It was the good pleasure of God to create the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, through his living Word.  It was the good pleasure of Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, to come and accomplish this death, resurrection, and ascension we are soon celebrating, in order to redeem a people to himself.  Simply because we don't understand the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice, simply because we don't understand the full implications of our sin and the substitutionary atonement, does not give us right or reason to proclaim it wrong.  The earth is the Lord's.  All the earth.  Let us rejoice that he has redeemed it according to his plan and perfect will.  Let us not impose our little wills and plans on the mind of God, that we would think he must obey us.

 

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/19/08

Today's readings are Exodus 10.21-11.10 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+10.21-11.10 ), Hebrews 4.1-16 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+4.1-16 ), and Lamentations 3.1-66 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lam.+3.1-66 ).

 

Here's a quote from Hebrews 4 (ESV).

 

"11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 

 

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

 

Have you ever asked the Lord to show you your heart as he sees it?  He does that all over the place in the Scripture.  We have just been reading numerous exhortations in Hebrews to hold fast to our confession of faith, to avoid having an faithless and unbelieving heart, to strive to hold to Christ rather than to go our own way and depart from the Lord.  That's our heart.  We get to strive with it every day we live on this earth.

 

Thanks be to God, we have the Scripture - the written word, as well as the Holy Spirit - the spirit of the living Word of God.  As we open our lives to this inspection, the Lord will be faithful to work in us through the surgical instrument of his word, making plain to us our need for repentance and forgiveness, as well as his provision of repentance and forgiveness through Jesus' perfect life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection.

 

Verse 14 points one step farther, to the ascension of Christ to the right hand of the Father.  Jesus lived that perfect life on our behalf.  He was crucified, dead, and buried for our sin.  He understands all about our weaknesses.  He has watched us fall prey to sin since the Fall, and knew all about our weakness before that. 

 

As the loving Lord, Jesus has established a throne of grace for the believers to come to.  While we see ourselves in light of His word as filthy, vile sinners, without a hope in this world due to our own righteousness, we can also see our Lord and Savior, sitting as the King on his throne of grace, and calling us to come to him.  There he himself will proclaim his mercy, as he does in the Scripture.  There he himself will impart his grace to us, as we see the enormity of our need.  And there he will remind us that, as the Master who understands our weakness, he has provided forgiveness for our every sin.

 

Rejoice, not only is Christ crucified for us, he has also ascended, is enthroned, and calls us to his side for our protection!

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/18/08

Today's readings are Exodus 9.29-10.20 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+9.29-10.20 ), Hebrews 3.1-19 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+3.1-19 ), and Lamentations 2.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lam.+2.1-22 ).

 

Our Exodus reading continues to unfold God's deliverance of his people from Egypt.  Observe that he delivers his entire nation, though that nation consists of those who believe on him.  Those who reject God's deliverance and side with Egypt will not be delivered.  Likewise, some Egyptians certainly were among the Israelites.  They always accepted proselytes.

 

As we look at Lamentations, we see continued mourning for the people God has rejected and cast out due to their unbelieving disobedience.

 

Hebrews gives us a tremendous caution.  This passage in Hebrews 3 is one I personally would love any Calvinist who reads this post to discuss, as it addresses people who are clearly Christians (v. 1 "you share in a heavenly calling") yet warns them, us, rather, starting in verse 6, about departing from the faith due to a growing heart of unbelief.  This is, of course, one of the passages that causes the Calvinist view of the perseverance of the saints to be problematic, as it clearly depicts genuine believers who can genuinely lose their faith and depart from the living God, to their destruction.

 

Yet, now that I have said that, lest anyone become concerned, I want to remind us all, myself included, that the Bible is a book of GOOD news and that we do have confidence in Christ.  Let's look at some of the good news in Hebrews 3.

1)  Christ is the son over his house, and we are his house.  He cares for us.

2)  We are given every expectation that we can hold onto our boasting in Christ, who is the good master of his house.

3)  Christ's voice can be heard by his people, encouraging, exhorting, and proclaiming forgiveness and restoration.

4)  We are warned against an unbelieving heart so that we will strive to trust in Christ.

5)  We are given one another as means of grace to encourage each other.

6)  We are given every expectation that we have a share, an inheritance, in Christ, not by our righteousness by by clinging to his righteousness.

 

Thanks be to God, who has provided atonement for our sins through Christ, our righteousness.

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/17/08

Today's readings are Exodus 9.1-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+9.1-28 ), Hebrews 2.1-18 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+2.1-18 ), and Lamentations 1.1-22 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Lam.+1.1-22 ).

 

We can look at these readings in canonical order and see a picture of our lives.  In the Exodus reading, after God has poured out more plagues on Egypt, finally Pharaoh admits that he has sinned and resisted God, that he is wrong, and that the people of Israel should be allowed to go worship God according to their customs and laws.  Of course, when we read on beyond the end of today's reading, we will see that Pharaoh continues to harden his heart, thus going back on his word by not releasing Israel from bondage.

 

In our reading in Lamentations we see a confession from God's people, Israel, who have resisted God's will and have received the punishment due them.  The author confesses that God is absolutely right and just in imposing penalties on those who refuse his mercy and grace.  And the penalty is just because it is the penalty for sin.  Let us never harden our hearts like Pharaoh or like the people of Jeremiah's time who refused the Lord's self-revelation and love.

 

Hebrews caps our reading by warning us.  Under the Mosaic Law we had sufficient revelation of the righteous demands of God.  But now in Christ, the giver of the New Covenant, we see our redemption face to face.  We see that we cannot keep the demands of God's holy law.  We see that Jesus has kept God's commands in our place, then has died to bear the penalty for our sin.  He has become sin for us.  If God's wrath was revealed against those who did not keep the demands of his law, how much more deserving of God's wrath are we for whom Christ kept the demands of the law and for whom Christ died, the righteous for the unrighteous?  Salvation is of the Lord.  It was begun by him and brought to conclusion by him.  Let us hold diligently to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by faith, rejoicing that he has rescued us from the bondage of the law, and brought us under his hand of grace.

 

Jesus walked toward the cross so that we would not have to.  We would not have done so, even for ourselves, not to mention for strangers who hated us.  What a wonderful savior we have!

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/16/08

Today's readings are Exodus 8.1-32 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+8.1-32 ), Hebrews 1.1-14 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Heb.+1.1-14 ), and Psalm 118 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ps.+118 ).

 

Today's readings, prepared for Palm Sunday, show a progression of events in the life of the believer.  Notice how in Exodus we see God revealing his power through plagues.  Are we not also confronted with the plague, the curse of sin, which confronts us over and over again, calling us to repentance?  And like those who observed the plagues in Egypt, some continued to harden their hearts and some found their hearts broken by God's grandeur.

 

Do we wonder about God's grandeur?  Look no farther than Hebrews chapter 1, where we see that God has revealed himself through his son Jesus Christ, the firstborn over creation, having the power and authority to rule and judge, who will finish his use of the world and roll it up like a spare piece of clothing.

 

How does the believer respond to this great revelation of God in the presence of his son?  Look again at Psalm 118, where we call on the Lord, the stone rejected by builders but who by God's will has become the corner stone, the one rejected and despised who is our hope and salvation.  Give thanks to the Lord, who abounds in never-changing love!

 

Lectionary for 3/15/08

Today's readings are Exodus 7.1-25 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+7.1-25 ) and Mark 16.1-20 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+16.1-20 ).

 

In Exodus we see Moses performing miracles before Pharaoh.  Although Pharaoh's magicians do similar miracles, theirs are clearly less powerful.  The serpents they make are eaten by Moses' serpent, for instance.  God is showing the Egyptians that he is the mighty God who can accomplish whatever he desires.

 

In Mark 16, we see a similar thing, but extended beyond specifically called prophets to all believers.  Beginning with the eleven and spreading to all who believe, he makes this promise.

 

15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover" (ESV).

 

While we won't advocate purposely engaging with demons, poisonous snakes, and poisonous drinks, as that could be viewed as testing God, we can look at the confidence we have in the trustworthy command of Christ.  I'll make a bit of a list of what we can and should learn from this passage.

1)  We have confidence that the proclamation of the Gospel and the means of grace established by our Lord is effective.

2)  We can expect that believers will be endued by the Holy Spirit to have different observable characteristics than unbelievers.

3)  Believers can act in the name, i.e., in the authority of Jesus to assert his dominion over evil spirits.

4)  Believers somehow speak differently than unbelievers, perhaps with the authority of Christ, perhaps with supernatural courage, etc.

5)  Believers can expect to receive supernatural protection against physical dangers which are found in this sin-cursed world.

6)  Believers exercise God's healing power as they act in the name and authority of Christ.

 

Surely our Lord and Savior has appointed his people to serve their neighbors in love and act for the redemption of creation!

Lectionary for 3/14/08

Today's readings are Exodus 5.1-6.1 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+5.1-6.1 ) and Mark 15.33-47 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mk.+15.33-47 ).

 

Pharaoh required the Israelites to manufacture bricks for governmental building projects.  When the Israelites stated their desire to go out and worship, that request was refused and the Israelites were ordered to gather the straw they needed to make the bricks by themselves.  Of course, they were unable to keep up their level of productivity.  At the end of the passage in Exodus, God promises to have Pharaoh send the Israelites out by himself.

 

Christians often confront difficulties on the job.  How many times have you said or heard something to the effect of, "I wish I didn't have to work so hard at work.  I'd like to be able to spend more of that time in 'real' work, ministering for Christ."  And it is all too common for employers to wonder about Christians, who often seem more inclined to engage in the work of an evangelist than in that work for which they were hired.  When we do that, are we in fact trying to make bricks without straw?

 

To put it bluntly, if you work as a billing clerk, your ministry before Christ during your work hours is to serve Christ by getting your employer's bills out and trying to make sure they are paid.  And you do it, like everything else, with a cheerful attitude that gives evidence to those around you of the hope that is in you through Christ.  If you work as a carpenter, your ministry before Christ is to build things.  If you work as a bus driver, your ministry before Christ is to get people to their destination safely.  This is doing God's work.

 

Occasionally the Lord will bless you with opportunities to do the work of an evangelist, to encourage, exhort, and comfort people through the Scripture.  Frequently, the vast majority of the work we do is not of that nature, but may lead to it if we do it as a faithful service to Christ.  There's our calling.

 

In this new covenant, the covenant of grace, our Lord and Savior has given us work to do, and it is all a way of serving him.  Let's go serve our Lord today and every day.  We don't need to leave the office to worship and serve the Lord.  We can do it by reviewing those reports that we need to understand to keep the company healthy.

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/12/08

Today's readings are Exodus 4.1-18 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+4.1-18 ) and Mark 15.1-15 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+15.1-15 ).

 

There is a stark contrast in today's readings.  In Exodus 4, God sends Moses to Pharaoh, giving him the power to show several signs which will prove that he was sent by the Lord.  Moses clearly does not wish to go.  He doubts God's provision and fears the situation he will be placed in.  He wishes to have not only God's defenses, but some of his own, which he does not seem to have.  Moses is failing to love and trust God's provision.  He is essentially exalting himself as the judge of whether the wisdom of God is wise or not.  This brings God's anger upon Moses, as it brings God's anger upon us when we fail to trust the Lord.

 

In Mark 15, we see quite a different picture. Jesus, on trial before Pilate, affirms that he is the "King of the Jews" and then refuses to defend himself against the charges the priests bring against him.  No doubt, some of the charges brought against him are true and some are false.  But Jesus steadfastly refuses to answer the charges, leaving his affirmation that he is the King of the Jews as his final defense.  Jesus is trusting the Father's provision perfectly.  He does not need further wisdom.  He does not need other intervention.  He does not need to make a defense separate from that made by the Father. 

 

How different our Lord and Savior is from us.  While we strive to defend ourselves, cover our tracks, make sure we are, or at least appear to be, in the right, our Lord simply states the truth and leaves it at that.  How many of our life struggles, theological disputes, and church conflicts would be resolved if we would allow God to be God and see ourselves as subject to his command and his wisdom!  We need not defend God's wisdom.  We cannot do so adequately, and in doing so we often go beyond what our master has said.  And when we strive to defend our beliefs and practices, how often we try to do it using our own reasoning rather than simply standing on what the Scripture says. 

 

Lord, change our hearts, that we may love and trust you, knowing that all you have done and said is good and sufficient.

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/11/08

Today's readings are Exodus 2.23-322 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ex.+2.23-3.22 ) and Mark 14.53-72 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+14.53-72 ).

 

Look closely how the passage in Exodus begins.  God knows and cares about the sufferings of his people.  He is not too far away to hear and see, he is not too high and mighty to care for the needs of his people.  The mighty God cares about our trials and intervenes in the affairs of man to bring his deliverance, to rescue his people, to preserve them for himself.

 

How does God rescue Israel in Exodus?  He comes to Moses and tells him, in effect, "I have heard and I will rescue my people.  Go get them."  So often we, like Moses, are surprised and even disappointed by God's statement that he will change the world and that we are supposed to get busy.  We build this dichotomy and don't know how to function when the Lord breaks down the nice tidy theological walls we have built.  Salvation is of the Lord.  Now go pray for people to be converted!  Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works.  Now be baptized to wash your sin away.  Nobody comes to the Lord in faith unless the Holy Spirit draws him.  So go tell people about the Lord and persuade them to believe.  The nice theological walls, categories like grace, faith, and works have broken.  And they have broken because the God of the Universe has just come and stepped all over them.

 

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, called the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, has come indeed to rescue this lost and dying world from sin, death, and eternal separation from God.  He indeed died for the sins of the world.  And we are told that he particularly died for those who believe.  Now, like Moses, let's get busy about his commands.  Believe on the Lord!  He is delivering the world all by himself!  Now go tell someone.

 

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/8/08

Today's readings are Genesis 49.29-50.7 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+49.29-50.7 ), Genesis 50.14-26 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+50.14-26 ), and Mark 14.1-11 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+14.1-11 ). 

 

We see here the death of Jacob, the death of Joseph, and Jesus being anointed for his burial.  As long as we have this mortal life, we are moving closer to death.  And while we look at death as a negative thing, often painful, most always involving people we love and who love to be with us finding themselves left alive and missing us, we should also view death in a positive way as the Scripture does.

 

When the believer dies, he is joining the great company of believers who have died beforehand.  He is entering a place of bliss and rest, where there will be no sorrow, pain, or suffering.  He is entering into the eternal presence of God in Christ, seeing him face to face.  This is a place of blessing, which will last forever.  What a joy to the believer is the hope of Christ collecting him in death.

 

Most all of us will have loved ones who precede us in death.  For those who are in Christ, let us rejoice greatly, as they will face their God and Maker unafraid, covered in Christ's righteousness, entering into bliss.  While we will miss them, they have gone to receive the reward earned for them by Christ.   And at the same time, let us be as those we read about today are.  We should honor our departed, considering the good that God has done in and through them in this life, rejoicing that we knew them.

 

Sadly, we must face the reality.  Death isn't good news for everyone.  For all those who die outside of trust in Christ, they face eternal judgment and condemnation.  Let us pray urgently for those who are not in Christ, those who are not ready to die.  Let us exhort people to turn, to trust Christ, and to rely on the Lord's righteousness rather than their own goodness

 

The good news?  Christ died for you.  The bad news?  We're awfully good at rejecting the work of Christ.  Let us not despise His death, knowing that ours is on the horizon.

 

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/7/08

Today's readings are Genesis 47.1-31 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+47.1-31 ), Mark 13.24-37 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+13.24-37 ), and Genesis 48.1-49.28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+48.1-49.28 ).

 

In our readings in Genesis, we find that God places blessings on his people, in accordance with his will and desire.  When people proclaim God's blessings on others, look at and consider how they say what God is planning and desiring, not what they themselves are planning and desiring.

 

In the same way, when we look at God's various proclamations throughout Scripture, we need to realize that God is saying what He is saying, regardless of what we think about it.  His wisdom is greater than our wisdom.  He knows all of his creation intimately, unlike we who have just a passing knowledge of it.

 

When we look to the commands of our Lord, let us consider them not according to our wisdom or our desire to obey, but according to his holiness and perfection.  When we look at the promised blessings of our Lord, let us do the same.  Has he promised forgiveness, healing, cleansing from sin, and protection for the believer forever?  Yes.  Does this come about in accordance with our wisdom?  Not really.  We wouldn't come up with the idea of Christ's substitutionary atonement.  We wouldn't come up with the idea of salvation by grace alone through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone.  It's foolish to us.  But it is the wisdom of God the giver of the promise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/6/08

Today's readings are Genesis 45.1-20 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+45.1-20 ), Genesis 45.24-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+45.24-28 ), and Mark 13.1-23 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+13.1-23 ). 

 

As Jesus paints the picture of the final days of life as we know it on this earth, he gives us a fascinating contrast.  At some point, we are to be confident, knowing that the Lord will protect us in every way, even giving us words to say as we are dying.  Yet at a critical point near the end, one that we don't fully understand how to identify but presumably will, our reaction is to be to flee in order to save our lives.  This seems counter to Christ's statements in verse 12 about believers being killed for his sake.

 

What can we make of this?  First, it is clear that this mortal life will come to an end, and that the Christian should not be surprised if it comes to a violent end.  Second, there is a time and place for seeking to avoid those who will try to kill us.  We do not seem to be told to try to be arrested and put to death.  We are more able to love and serve our neighbor when we are living than when we are dead.  Finally, we realize that the time of the end is firmly in the providential hand of our loving God, who will draw his people to himself.  The days are shortened for the sake of the elect.  He will not let his people perish, though their bodies may be killed.  There is a coming resurrection.

 

Pray for those enduring persecution.  Pray that they may be able to faithfully love and serve their neighbors and that they will see the eternally protective hand of the Savior.

 

 

 

 

Lectionary for 3/4/08

Today's readings are Genesis 44.1-18 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+44.1-18 ), Genesis 44.32-34 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+44.32-34 ), and Mark 12.28-44 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+12.28-44 ).

 

In our Genesis passages we see that the sons of Israel are placed in a situation where they cannot win.  Judah has promised his father that he will bring Benjamin back safely from Egypt.  Joseph has arranged that Benjamin will be held captive.  And Benjamin's brothers have even stated that the person who has the cup that Joseph had placed in Benjamin's sack will die.  It is impossible to stay true to all the promises that they have made.  Judah offers to stay as a prisoner instead of Benjamin.  He is willing to do anything, even to his great harm, which will protect his brother and fulfill his promise to his father.

 

We are often tempted to avoid making promises or, once we have made promises, to go back on our word.  But our Lord and Savior has given us a higher standard than that.  He reminds us of the importance of keeping our word.  We are truthful, because our God is truthful.  That means that when we have promised to do something, we do it.  It means that when we promise to protect someone, we protect him, even if doing so will harm us. 

 

Jesus talks about this idea in Mark 12.  We love our neighbor as ourself.  Do we wish to bless our neighbor?  Probably not.  But what are we commanded to do?  We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourself.  We strive to understand what is good for that neighbor and then we strive to do it.  This is our holy obligation before the living God.  And it isn't always pleasant.  Sometimes it is a lot of work.  Sometimes it may even bring some level of harm upon us.  Yet that's the command we have from our Lord.

 

Thanks be to God, that Jesus has come, to love us as he loves himself, to do what is good and right for us, and to give us his forgiveness when we sin by not loving our neighbor as ourself.  Through Jesus' example we see what loving a neighbor may consist of.  Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we are enabled to lay down our lives for our neighbors.  And by the washing of the blood of Christ, we have forgiveness when we fail.  One final promise, made by Jesus in Matthew 28.  "I will never leave you or forsake you."  There's a great promise.

Lectionary for 3/4/08

Today's readings are Genesis 43.1-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+43.1-28 ) and Mark 12.13-27 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+12.13-27 ). Mark 12.17 says "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (ESV). When we look at our world, it's really easy to have a grumbling attitude toward our government. I remember vividly going to mail something on April 15th a few years back. As I got out of my car at the post office, there was a man taking a big fat envelope to the mail box in front of the post office. He was cursing and obviously angry. He inserted the envelope in the mail box and gave the box a really hard kick. Tax day had struck again. Over the years of paying quarterly taxes, annual taxes, taxes on this, taxes on that, it has become difficult for me to pay my government the things they demand. And this verse has often been used with the emphasis that we need to pay our taxes. That's even the question the Pharisees and Herodians were asking Jesus. But let's look more closely at Jesus' answer, which amazed his questioners. Not only do we pay Caesar, but we give "God the things that are God's." Talk about difficult! What does my government require of me? Some money, and that I keep some laws, most of which are generally things I would do anyway. That isn't difficult. What does God require of me? Only perfect righteousness, complete dedication, perfect love, trust, and obedience, hope in eternity counter to the evidence of death and destruction in this fallen world . . . I suppose the list could continue even longer than all day. How can I give God the things He demands and deserves? I can't. Thanks be to God who has sent his Son to live a perfect life in my place, to die in my place for my sins, and to fulfill the demands of the Law on my behalf.

Lectionary for 3/4/08: Gen. 43.1-28; Mk. 12.13-27

Today's readings are Genesis 43.1-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+43.1-28 ) and Mark 12.13-27 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+12.13-27 ).

 

Mark 12.17 says "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (ESV).  When we look at our world, it's really easy to have a grumbling attitude toward our government.  I remember vividly going to mail something on April 15th a few years back.  As I got out of my car at the post office, there was a man taking a big fat envelope to the mail box in front of the post office.  He was cursing and obviously angry. He inserted the envelope in the mail box and gave the box a really hard kick.  Tax day had struck again.  Over the years of paying quarterly taxes, annual taxes, taxes on this, taxes on that, it has become difficult for me to pay my government the things they demand.  And this verse has often been used with the emphasis that we need to pay our taxes.  That's even the question the Pharisees and Herodians were asking Jesus.

 

But let's look more closely at Jesus' answer, which amazed his questioners.  Not only do we pay Caesar, but we give "God the things that are God's."  Talk about difficult!  What does my government require of me?  Some money, and that I keep some laws, most of which are generally things I would do anyway.  That isn't difficult.  What does God require of me?  Only perfect righteousness, complete dedication, perfect love, trust, and obedience, hope in eternity counter to the evidence of death and destruction in this fallen world . . . I suppose the list could continue even longer than all day.

 

How can I give God the things He demands and deserves?  I can't.  Thanks be to God who has sent his Son to live a perfect life in my place, to die in my place for my sins, and to fulfill the demands of the Law on my behalf.

 

 

Lectionary for 3/4/08: Gen. 43.1-28; Mk. 12.13-27

Today's readings are Genesis 43.1-28 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Gen.+43.1-28 ) and Mark 12.13-27 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Mark+12.13-27 ).

 

Mark 12.17 says "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (ESV).  When we look at our world, it's really easy to have a grumbling attitude toward our government.  I remember vividly going to mail something on April 15th a few years back.  As I got out of my car at the post office, there was a man taking a big fat envelope to the mail box in front of the post office.  He was cursing and obviously angry. He inserted the envelope in the mail box and gave the box a really hard kick.  Tax day had struck again.  Over the years of paying quarterly taxes, annual taxes, taxes on this, taxes on that, it has become difficult for me to pay my government the things they demand.  And this verse has often been used with the emphasis that we need to pay our taxes.  That's even the question the Pharisees and Herodians were asking Jesus.

 

But let's look more closely at Jesus' answer, which amazed his questioners.  Not only do we pay Caesar, but we give "God the things that are God's."  Talk about difficult!  What does my government require of me?  Some money, and that I keep some laws, most of which are generally things I would do anyway.  That isn't difficult.  What does God require of me?  Only perfect righteousness, complete dedication, perfect love, trust, and obedience, hope in eternity counter to the evidence of death and destruction in this fallen world . . . I suppose the list could continue even longer than all day.

 

How can I give God the things He demands and deserves?  I can't.  Thanks be to God who has sent his Son to live a perfect life in my place, to die in my place for my sins, and to fulfill the demands of the Law on my behalf.