Psalm 24

The Ascension of Christ
by Johan Ignatz Zimbal, ca. 1750
The Ascension of Christ
by Johan Ignatz Zimbal, ca. 1750
Image in the Public Domain

Psalm 24

The Bible is, seriously, one of the most interesting books ever written. Of course, many, many people would disagree with me on that point. To be honest, 30 years ago I would have disagreed with me. I believe that none of us are born with a natural love for heavenly things. In fact, quite the opposite. The Psalmist David spoke for all of us when he said, “I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5) Listen, he wasn’t insulting the woman that gave birth to him, he was just stating one of the most important facts of human existence and that is that we are all born with something seriously wrong with us: sin. What’s your point? In the unsaved state, the Bible will not thrill you. An unrepentant heart will find nothing of value in Scripture.

(1Jn 5:3)  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Now, having said all of that, the day you give your life to Christ is not the day you gain perfect knowledge of the things of God. That’s just the point where you’re given a heart open to what He has to say to you through His Word and through His Spirit. The moment you acknowledge Jesus as your Savior is not the day you can climb into any pulpit in America and start preaching the Gospel. It’s simply when the ability to grasp eternal things is unlocked. From that point, you must get to work. In order to truly capture the majesty of Scripture you HAVE to study it.

(Jos 1:8)  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein…

(Rom 15:4)  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

(Pro 2:3)  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
(Pro 2:4)  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
(Pro 2:5)  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

In this episode we discuss one of the most interesting sections in all the Bible: Psalm 24. (Without the Holy Spirit, you may not agree.) Many of the Psalms were written to celebrate or commemorate certain events from the long, diverse history of the nation Israel. Sometimes the event that inspired the Psalm is obvious and sometimes we have to guess. Psalm 24 belongs to the latter category. However, when judging from the content, most scholars will agree that it was likely written to commemorate the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem after being briefly held by the Philistines as a spoil of one of the many wars between the two nations. However, like almost everything else written in the Bible, the true meaning of Psalm 24 lies somewhere beneath the surface and THAT is what makes this Psalm so incredible. Can you guess what it is really talking about? I think you can.

Join us for this podcast as we attempt to unlock the eternal truth of this lovely gem from the Hebrew song book. But before you do, I urge you to prepare your heart and mind by going to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to open up His Word to you. Ask Him to help you to see in Scripture what seems hidden to so many. Pray that God’s Holy Spirit will shine His light on eternal things so that you may apply them to the calling He has placed on your life.

The Holy Spirit Doesn’t Talk Like That in Traffic

The Holy Spirit as a bird descending with spread wings at top center; the twelve Apostles standing below gesturing to it in front of an archway by Domenico Campagnola-1518
The Holy Spirit as a bird descending with spread wings at top center; the twelve Apostles standing below gesturing to it in front of an archway
by Domenico Campagnola-1518
Image in the Public Domain

The Holy Spirit Doesn’t Talk Like That in Traffic

Being a Christian is NOT what the world seems to think it is. In fact, strangely, being a Christian is NOT what most of the church world thinks it is either. There are several viewpoints. First let’s start with the world view. Simply being a Christian makes you their enemy; no matter whether they say it or not…but they’re saying it more and more these days. You may think I’m being dramatic. You may think I’m just trying to add Christians to the ever-growing list of populations bent on extorting those that don’t belong to our group into showing us blind, unquestioning respect and unfettered liberty to do as we wish. (Yes, that was social commentary.) Nonetheless, I stand by my statement. Well, it’s actually not mine. It’s Jesus’.

If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. John 15:19

It’s that hatred that shapes the world view or opinion of what a Christian is. The world disapproves of our outlook on life. They see us as intolerant or rigid or conservative or unloving and even racist! But then they refuse to let us be human. One failure and the label “bigot” is replaced with the equally ugly “hypocrite”. To the world, Christians are merely a people who claim to follow a set of rules they themselves disagree with but will quickly condemn when they see us misstep.

We’re actually not much better off inside the walls of the church, to be honest. There is just as much judgment and condemnation from the pulpit and the pews as there is from the populace. Our fellow parishioners are ever ready to point out our bunglings as soon as they become known while calling for patience when their own failures surface.

And then there’s that segment of the church world that seems to think that freedom from sin is the same as freedom TO sin. “If it feels good, do it because Jesus died to give you that right.” To that crowd, forgiveness is equal to permission. They view Grace as pre-payment for future self-indulgence. And then there’s that increasingly influential group within Christianity that declares that we must “evolve”; that we must throw away what we once thought was right and wrong and “modernize” our outlook on things we once held as immutably sacred such as the authority of Scripture and the sovereignty of God. They feel the church and God must yield to societal pressure when judging what’s just and holy. If we seek the answer to some thorny moral question don’t consult the Bible or the Holy Spirit, just ask the world; do an Instagram survey; post a Facebook question; tweet, text or tag. That’s the path to truth…but beware, that truth is subject to frequent change.

So, what’s a sincere Christian to do? How are those of us that are interested in what Jesus thinks supposed to live? Well, any of you who know this ministry will anticipate my answer. Like we do for ALL other matters, we turn to the Word.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16

“But, John, how does that apply to me? My problem isn’t sexual sin.” “I get angry.” Or “I have a drug problem.” Or “I just find myself going back to my old destructive ways.” Well, then this verse does apply to you. In fact, this verse applies to all of us. Galatians 5:16 is far more encompassing than you think. Although we talk in detail about this in today’s episode let me just say here that “lust” and “flesh” mean a lot more than we’ve been told. Whenever you are pursuing your own way…and the Bible makes it clear that we ALL do that (Isaiah 53:6, Philippians 2:21)…saved or not…then we are attempting to fulfill the lust of the flesh. Our sins don’t have to be prurient in nature for this verse to mean something to us.

In this podcast we discuss the persistence of sin in our lives, the need to remove it and how to do that. Sin must be dealt with both before AND after we’ve been saved by Grace and there is only one way to do that and that is what we talk about in this lesson.

However, before you begin, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pray that God will assist you in this most important aspect of the Christian life. Pursue God’s Mind on what sin is and how to handle it and He will most certainly open His Word up to you.

Christ Our Offering with Communion

Moses Consecrates Aaron and His Sons and Offers Their Sin Offering
Moses Consecrates Aaron and His Sons and Offers Their Sin Offering
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License.

Christ Our Offering with Communion

You know what I find tragically humorous? Although we humans have been sinning since the beginning, we still don’t know exactly how to define it. Even though there is probably nothing more consistent in the human condition, we still can’t agree on what sin is. We seem to bicker and debate about it. Sometimes the arguments are even with ourselves. Sometimes, in order to dampen a stinging conscience over something we did, we may try to convince ourselves that as long as no one dies, I’m still okay. We try to persuade our critical inner voice that an act or a behavior has to be salacious or violent or oppressing to be labeled sin; everything else can be ignored. The church doesn’t help much. There are places where saying a swear word or looking at a girl’s ankles will get you banished to the sinner’s bench. And, then, there are other places that like to tell you that there is some sort of sin hierarchy. There are “big” sins like murder and rape. No one is allowed to do those but then we also have “little” sins like taking a wee nip of whiskey for a sore tooth or telling little white lies like, “Yes, Pastor, I did get a lot out of that message”. Those aren’t too bad and most of us can get away with them and we wouldn’t be risking hell. It’s all so confusing and not a bit of it is Scriptural.

Now, the Bible has a much simpler (and far more inclusive) definition of sin. The Hebrew and Greek original words that get translated into the English word “sin” are both descriptive and plain. In essence the literal translations are “to fall short” or “to miss the mark”. The sense is not hitting a target, an ideal, a goal. In God’s Book, “a miss is as good as a mile”. There are no such things in the Bible as little sins or big sins. (Interestingly, however, there are big sinners and little sinners. We cover a little of that in this lesson.) God gives no “wiggle room”. God does not allow you or I to define sin. God does not allow you and I or anyone to decide whether or not what we do should be categorized as “mortal” or “venial”, major or minor. Falling short is falling short. You can’t “sort-of” fall short. You can’t “kinda” miss the target. That is precisely why Paul says:

(Rom 3:23)  For all have sinned…

In fact, Paul finishes that statement with a literal rendering of the Greek word. “For all have sinned, AND COME SHORT of the glory of God”.

The point? You and I are sinners and there is nothing we can do to hide our condition. God knows we’re sinners and for that we should be eternally grateful. You see, God not only knows we’re sinners but He has done something about it. Believe it or not, God loves you. You may not love yourself but He does and He has made it abundantly clear He does NOT want you apart from Him. The problem, however, is that darn sin condition. It stands between us and a Holy God. He cannot let a single sin go by; not even those sins you and I don’t seem too worried about. They must ALL be dealt with before we can be with Him forever and the Bible makes it clear (as does our own experience) that we are incapable of making any difference in our sinfulness…except make it worse.

So, then, how do we get reunited with God? We can’t approach Him with the stain of sin on us. Are we and God doomed to be eternally separated? Of course not. Nothing stands in God’s way. That’s what actually makes Him God. Nothing and no one can defeat Him, not even sin. So…and don’t ask me how but God, from the beginning, was prepared. He is our Creator and He knew we would fail so He devised a rescue plan and that rescue plan is His Son. The entire Bible speaks of this plan. The New Testament reveals the plan in Christ and the Old Testament lays it out in type and shadow so when His Son comes to rescue us, we’ll know it’s Him. No other part of Scripture paints a clearer picture of the work of Christ quite like the Book of Leviticus and, more specifically, the Law of the Offerings. Join us in this episode as we go over some of the details of this fascinating portion of God’s Word. God’s instructions to Moses on the offerings, when studied with an open mind, will greatly strengthen your faith in God’s power, mercy and love.

But before you begin, make sure to take a few moments to prepare your heart, mind and spirit by going to God in prayer. Ask Him to help you to make sense of eternal things. Pray that He send His Spirit to open up His Word so that you can apply its treasures to your life and, in the process, grow in your relationship to Him. One final note, this lesson includes a Communion celebration, so, please, pay close attention to the beginning portion for instructions.

The Temptation in the Wilderness

The Temptation of Christ by the Devil-Woodcut Panel-French Early 16th Century
The Temptation of Christ by the Devil-Woodcut Panel-French Early 16th Century
Image is in the Public Domain

The Temptation in the Wilderness

It has been said that it is as blasphemous to deny the humanity of Jesus as it is to deny His divinity. The more you understand your Bible the more you’re going to see that it could be no other way. In order for the Redemption of mankind to be possible, the Redeemer has to be both man AND God. Our aim is not to prove that in this lesson. Instead, the purpose of this episode is to show you that there is great comfort in knowing that Jesus was very much like you and me.

I think the one thing that surprises most “new” Christians is the fact that this regenerated life we have in Christ is no less challenging than the one we left behind. There are just as many setbacks, disappointments and obstacles as there were before we surrendered to Christ. Well, we shouldn’t be surprised. God’s Word never claimed it would be any easier. We all seem to assume that once Christ comes into our life that sin will no longer be a factor. We spend those first few brief moments feeling like we’re above failure, that we’ve got that “old man” beat and then just as we’re feeling pretty good about ourselves, temptation appears, we fall to it…and then it happens again…and then again and in the end we somehow come to the conclusion that we’ve failed or that our Salvation “didn’t take” or a thousand other foolish thoughts. We get tempted…and it doesn’t take very long…as our discussion today attests to…we get tempted and we think that there’s something wrong with us. We were just sure that accepting Christ was going to make the temptations glance right off of us and when it actually sticks to us like an ugly, smelly glue, we just assume we’re to blame.

The story of the Temptation in the Wilderness shows us that no one is safe from the tricks of the devil. When we read this very personal story from the life of Jesus we can actually see that temptation is just a part of the journey but instead of this being simply a reminder of our vulnerabilities, it is a clearly detailed battle plan. Certainly the devil didn’t intend this to happen, but when he decided to go after Jesus all he really did was give the Son of God the opportunity to teach us a vital lesson. Join us for this episode as we discuss the infallible tactic that Our Lord employed to fend off the foolish attacks of Satan.

But, before you begin the lesson, please, take a few minutes to speak to God and ask Him to help you to get to know His Ways better. Ask Him to show you, through His Word and through His Spirit what He expects from you and pray that He will inspire in you an unending desire to live for Him.

The Other Side of Faith

Man Protected by the Shield of Faith
by Maarten van Heemskerck, 1559
Man Protected by the Shield of Faith
by Maarten van Heemskerck, 1559
Image in the Public Domain

The Other Side of Faith

There is something really quite persistent in God’s Word that by virtue of its ubiquity we should not take lightly. Perhaps you know what I’m going to say that persistent something is. If you guessed “faith” then you win a prize…I really don’t have a prize for you but I can tell you this, ALL of God’s Plans hinge on Faith and no one is exempt. No one can exchange ANYTHING for faith. Well, let me modify that, a bit. You can substitute something for faith but you will not be successful. It is, honestly, the most difficult lesson to teach…and learn. Human beings are doers. I think we suffer from having really good imaginations. We can convince ourselves of just about anything. We see something in our way and think we can move it; no matter what it is. And, you know, not helping matters is the fact that, on the face of it, we’ve done a pretty decent job, so far. We’ve put together some pretty magnificent things. We’ve solved more than a few human-besetting problems (we’ve caused probably more than we’ve solved but stay with me). Humans have raised great cities and cured diseases and visited space and many, many other things. We are honestly the most successful species we know of. We “work” through our troubles. We “charge” toward our enemies. We “clear” our obstacles. Doing is what we do. Believing is not.

(Isa 55:8)  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
(Isa 55:9)  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Now, God does not say “Don’t do.” Let’s just make sure that’s clear. God doesn’t say action has no place in His Plan. This isn’t part of the lesson but I just want to make sure you’ve got that straight before we get to the point. God is not advocating you sitting around, waiting for Him to do all the building, planting and harvesting. “Doing” has its part to play but God wants you to know that “acting” is NOT superior to believing and in some things “working” will have no effect whatsoever. The details of all of that is for another time. This lesson is focused on the “believing” part.

In this ministry, we talk a lot about faith. You’ve heard us argue, from God’s Word, that faith is a commandment (1 John 3:23). God expects you to believe and like everything else, God has a very good reason for that. You see, there is something about faith. It has immense power. So much so that it would appear from Scripture that without faith God cannot (or will not) intervene into the lives of men. Jesus confirmed this when He lamented that “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house”. (Matthew 13:57) The original infers that His own people did not value who He was. They didn’t see Him as the One brought to save them and because of this unbelief, “he did not many mighty works there”. (Matthew 13:58) The lack of faith among the Israelites prevented Jesus from performing “mighty works”. The Amplified Version of the Bible says “works of power”.

Faith is the key to unlocking God’s power. There is no explanation in the Bible as to why this is, but it is clear, your faith in God will release His presence and power in your life. Yes, Faith saves. We all know that but faith also helps. When we need God’s power, the key to unleashing it is faith. This is not a “Prosperity Gospel” message. The power of faith is not released for your sake but for His. Can I ask for healing for myself? Yes, because you believe He is a healing God and in your healing He will be glorified. Can I ask God to help me with my bills? Yes, because you believe He is your Father and He will provide your “daily bread” and demonstrate to the world that He is true to His promises. When you are safe, secure and provided for you will show that God can be trusted. It always comes down to faith and that is why it is so important to God. Faith can do so much not only for the Kingdom but for us. That is what I call, “The Other Side of Faith”.

Join us, please, as we discuss the vitality and power of faith. In this episode we investigate what faith can do for us beyond our Salvation. This is a very important topic and it’s essential that, before you begin the lesson, you go to God in prayer and ask for His assistance in opening up His Word to you so that you can apply it to your life and calling.

Stillness

Pasture Scene by James Hart
Pasture Scene
by James Hart
Image in the Public Domain

Stillness

One of the most ironic truths about the life of Jesus is that He was almost universally seen as a blasphemer by His contemporaries and yet…here is the ironic part…all He ever taught from was Scripture. Down through the previous centuries the Word of God had become so corrupted and thereby completely misunderstood that the Messiah that was clearly spoken of in God’s Word was executed by the very people He was so clearly sent to in God’s Word because they thought He was a blasphemer. It was all because they misunderstood Scripture. Now, some may think that such a thing would not be their fault. They can’t be blamed for improperly perceiving truth and I would agree with that to some degree. However, the real blame, as God also makes abundantly clear, rests on the shoulders of the leaders of the congregation and more specifically the religious leadership. But, let me say, fixing blame for the misunderstanding, misapplying and misappropriating of Scripture is not my intention. My intention here is to simply point out that we have the same problem today. People don’t properly understand their Bibles and the results have been disastrous, just as they were for those Israelites who called on Pilate to have Jesus executed.

The difference now, however, is that we have opportunity, ability and access to fix our ignorance. Certainly the task is not an easy one. The vast majority of us today know only translations of Scripture. A very small number of us can speak the original languages of the Bible and no one does so natively. Sure there are people who were born into a Greek speaking or Hebrew speaking culture but remember, these documents are many centuries old and, for the most part, these languages are different than they were when the ink was still drying on those original pages. The point is, we must work to find the full meaning of these Sacred Books. Admittedly, there are portions of Scripture whose meaning still escape even the experts but that should only drive us even harder. After all, we love the Man that is spoken of here and no amount of effort is excessive when compared to the joy of discovering Him.

For millennia, Psalm 37 has comforted many an anxious child of God. However, can I say that perhaps we in our time may have been robbed of some of its beauty. Many of us today don’t derive the same peace that those closer to the original language may have. Again, can I say, it’s no one’s fault but we can trace the source of the problem directly to a misunderstanding. “Rest in the Lord” seems like a very discomforting thing to do for us modern folk and then add in the next statement “and wait patiently for Him” and you have an all-out 21st Century meltdown. The last thing a present-day man or woman wants to do when in crisis is “rest”. Then try and include “wait” with a sprinkle of “patiently” and you no longer have a comforting Psalm, you have a frustrating command.

Now, normally I don’t go for placating the modern masses but this is so discordant it’s worth investigating and that’s what we try to do in today’s episode. If you love God’s Word and want to get the most out of it you can, might I suggest joining us for this podcast. Perhaps you’ll see that taking an extra step in investigating Scripture is a worthwhile endeavor in your overall pursuit of getting close to God.

However, before you do anything else, take a moment or two and go to God in prayer and ask Him to help you gain a greater understanding of what Scripture is saying to you. Let God know that all of this is important to you. Convince Him that you want to get to know Him better and ask Him to send His Spirit to guide you into ALL Truth.

Knowing You’re a Christian

Moses and the Israelites
Moses and the Israelites
Image in the Public Domain

Knowing You’re a Christian

Although it is one of those things we talk most about in church, especially the evangelical church, Salvation seems to be one of the most misunderstood concepts in Christianity. Don’t get me wrong, we know HOW we’re saved but we don’t know WHY we’re saved. Now, of course, I know some of you can very easily give me the standard church-approved response when I ask “Why are you saved?” Most likely you’d say something very theological like, “We are saved so that we can be free.” Good answer. But what if I asked, “Free from what”, would you know? You see, this is especially a problem here in America because we think of liberty and freedom as meaning “independence”. Though that is probably correct…well, arguably correct politically, it is not correct Biblically. Let me shock you by declaring, “There is NO such thing as independence in the Bible.” Jesus once said of Himself…actually quoting Scripture, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…”(Luke 4:18). This is the key verse in understanding what our freedom actually is. We are set free, yes, but you see there that the King James says “set at liberty them that are bruised”. That is an odd statement…as written; wouldn’t you agree? The original word infers oppression or some sort of pressing down. Some Biblical commentators say the inference is the oppression of sin. Jesus says that He is sent to set us at liberty from the oppression, the pressing down, the bondage, the captivity of sin. But, here is my point, we are free BUT we are not INDEPENDENT. In fact, the opposite. Paul put it perfectly when he said, “…ye are not your own. Ye are bought with a price.” (1st Corinthians 6:19-20)

Therefore, there is a reason you were saved and I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s not so you can happily hop from one heavenly cloud to another upon your arrival in the hereafter. You were bought. The image is purposely that of a slave market. Slaves are NEVER bought to be set free. Slaves are bought to be put to work. If you don’t like that then don’t accept Jesus’ offer (but I beg you to reconsider).

So, why am I telling you this? Because you need to know. It is important that you know who you are. It’s important to know who you belong to because knowing who you are and who you belong to is necessary in finding your purpose…and don’t we all want to know our purpose? In today’s episode we go back to the days of the wandering in the desert. For 40 years the Israelites went from place to place in the barren wilderness region of Palestine. It was grueling and dangerous and the only way they were going to get through it was they had to listen to God and work together. Each man and woman had to know what their part was in God’s Plan and then do it. As is usual with God’s Word, this has application to us to this very day.

Please join us as we discuss this very important topic out of God’s Word. I trust you will find something in it that will help you discover what God has called you to. However, as I say each week, before you begin, make sure you take a moment of two…just you and God, seeking His help in finding His Will for you. Ask Him to open your heart and mind so that His Word can touch you and instruct you and bring you closer to Him.

The Violent Cost of Sin (with Communion)

Lamentation
Jan de Beer
Image in the Public Domain

The Violent Cost of Sin (with Communion)

The Christian world has gotten so tidy; wouldn’t you say? It’s so clean. It’s so refined. No harsh words. Not in the least bit upsetting. “All are welcome.” “Join us for a joyful experience.” “Come be comforted.” Those are just some of the more typical messages we see on the signs outside of our churches nowadays; right? We want people to get the impression that they can come in and get something that will make them feel good. We don’t want to offend. We don’t want to “ruffle any feathers”. You know what you won’t see on the church billboard? “Come get washed in blood.” “Enter here and leave your dead body at the door.” “Join us for today’s sermon: ‘You’re a Lowdown, Hell-bound Sinner'”. Guaranteed you won’t see THAT ONE. In fact, sin is hardly mentioned in most church services except perhaps in some mindless prayer chant written hundreds of years ago…LONG before we got so sophisticated. Fact is, we don’t talk about sin in church, anymore. Sin is not on the agenda. It’s too depressing and, well, no one wants to go to church to feel bad about themselves. Instead we talk about love and fellowship and glory (ours not His). Most church websites are overflowing with images of happy, smiley people hugging, high-fiving and pleasantly sharing a cup of coffee. Most of the “About Us” sections excitedly tell you about their “contemporary” music service, wide-open arms and modern, comfortable atmosphere. There are lots of screen filling photos of what look like rock concerts with the lights and the fog machines and the mood setting backdrops but are, instead, captioned, “Scenes from last Sunday’s Worship Service”. In all of the published literature you’ll struggle to find any mention of Jesus, hardly a picture of any sort of pulpit and nowhere will the word “sin” be found.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Revelation 3:17

“John, what’s wrong with love and fellowship and smiling, hugging and high-fivingly sharing coffee?” Nothing, but if you’re gonna invite people to your church, if you’re gonna invite people to Christ the honest invitation will say they must come broken. Jesus said He came to seek and save the LOST! I never met a smiling lost person. Jesus said the poor in spirit are blessed. They that mourn will be comforted. Most modern congregations would probably walk out on Jesus if He dared preach the Sermon on the Mount in their church. Too depressing. Too demanding. Too much sacrifice. Yes, Jesus jumped for joy (Luke 10:21) but He also wept. (John 11:35), He groaned. (John 11:33). He experienced agony (Luke 22:44) and hunger (Matthew 21:18) and thirst (John 19:28).

No, I don’t think we need to focus on the negative all the time. I don’t believe in staying in the shadow of the crucifixion. Joy DID come in the morning, the morning of the Resurrection. It is there that we should live BUT Jesus did purposely ask us to remember His Sacrifice. In that Upper Room, in one of the most touching moments in all the Bible, Jesus looked into the eyes of His friends with the symbols of His Body and Blood in view as tokens of the brutal price He would shortly thereafter pay and simply said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” He didn’t say slap each other on the back and split a doughnut with your neighbor or tell amusing golf-related anecdotes or jump up and down to earsplitting guitar riffs at praise and worship. Some of those things have their place but that place is NOT up front. His life and violent death should be honored as the most important event that has ever happened TO YOU.

I know this is not a popular view. That’s actually the entire point I’m trying to make, not only here in this intro but throughout the lesson to which it is appended. This is not a message people want to hear and, yet, it must be heard. Jesus was brutally murdered because of you…and me. There is no way around it. You may not want to hear it but you MUST hear it if you are going to properly remember Him. The cost of your sin is violence. The only way you can be liberated from your condition of inborn sin is death and it will either be yours or His. That’s what the Bible says. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

This is a powerful theme. I recognize it won’t be new to most of you but it is necessary for us to remind ourselves of the depth and importance of the sacrifice of Our Lord. Not only do we need it for our own spiritual well-being but if we are to fulfill our calling to spread the Gospel we must keep what He did for mankind in the very forefront of our thinking. In today’s episode we go into some detail on the lengths God has gone to in order to make sure we never forget the high cost of redemption.

Two more important points about this lesson. First of all, this lesson contains a communion. If you don’t know what that means I suggest paying very close attention to the first section of the lesson. It is designed to prepare you properly to share communion with us. (If you have heard it before and know what to do then you can skip ahead to 22:26 where the lesson begins.) The second important point is the same for all of our lessons. Before you begin this or any other lesson on Scripture take a moment or two to go to the Lord in prayer and ask for His Spirit to help you properly discern His Word so that you may apply it to your life in order that you will fully realize your purpose in His Plan.

The Faithful God

The Rock of Gibraltar from the 1880s
Artist Unknown
Image in the Public Domain

The Faithful God

Have you ever heard said of someone, “That guy is steady as a rock”? Perhaps you know someone like that. Maybe someone has said it about you. He’s as “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar”. That’s a well-known saying; isn’t it? It’s a compliment we give to people who can be counted on because we view the Rock of Gibraltar as the very emblem of unshakable reliability. In fact, a very old and very well-known insurance company decided to use the Rock of Gibraltar as their corporate symbol. According to their website, in 1896 this company adopted the marketing slogan, “The Prudential has the strength of Gibraltar”. If you’re in the insurance business you want your customers to know you’ll be around awhile; right? You want the insured to know you can be counted on; don’t you? To this very day, you will see the Rock of Gibraltar in the Prudential Insurance corporate logo.

Corporate Logo for Prudential Insurance

There are a few more interesting points I want to make about this famous natural landmark that have some relevance to today’s lesson. The Rock of Gibraltar, known in antiquity as one of the pillars of Hercules…no doubt adding to its legendary mystique of power and invincibility, was formed during the Jurassic Period according to a paper published by Earlham College. It was, most likely made when shells of sea creatures accumulated eventually forming a large limestone promontory. However, what we see today is NOTHING like it was millions of years ago. Here is the relevant point; the point that I want to make that relates to our podcast for today. One of the characteristics of limestone, the rock that forms “The Rock” (Gibraltar, not the actor) is that it is made up of calcite and calcite dissolves…albeit sometimes quite slowly, in water. The Rock of Gibraltar is now actually at the tip of a peninsula. You know what a peninsula is; don’t you. A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded, on three sides, by water and, over the many millennia, this surrounding water has significantly CHANGED this mighty formation that ironically stands as a symbol of permanence. Some have suggested that what now sits on one side of the Strait of Gibraltar may have, at one time, stretched all the way across it, cutting the Mediterranean Sea off from the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, one of the more popular features of the Rock of Gibraltar that draws so many tourists, year after year, are the many caves that crisscross its interior. Well, these caves have only appeared relatively recently (geologically speaking, of course). In other words, there were no caves in the Rock of Gibraltar when it was first formed. Slowly the inside AND the outside of the Rock of Gibraltar have changed, significantly. If you and I were around 4.5 million years ago and we decided to visit the Rock of Gibraltar, it would look very different than it does now.

“What’s your point?” The Rock of Gibraltar, that paragon of permanence, that shrine of stability, that rock-hewn chapel of unchangingness is, in fact, in a constant state of changing. Yes, the change is slow but it is changing. Time, wind and waves are slowly but steadily transforming this wonder of nature that we seem to think is immutable. I suppose we could even say that this momentous natural structure will eventually return to the sediment from whence it came. It’s just another example of the inevitable truth of the statement of the so-called “weeping prophet”, Heraclitus. He famously observed that “Nothing endures like change”. All created things change and, what’s worse is most of that change, is, in fact, deterioration. Everything changes. Everything eventually breaks down (see 2nd Law of Thermodynamics). Of all the things I have said to you over the years you must agree this is the least controversial. No one could argue with me on that point…except perhaps a Darwinist but, let’s leave that for another day. Everything changes, even the Rock of Gibraltar. Change is inevitable and inescapable for all things…except One. In all the Universe there is only one unchangeable entity, God. Only the created changes, never the Creator. That is where today’s lesson picks up.

But, of course, before you begin this or any Biblical study, take a few moments to pray that God will guide you through His Word so that you may receive it as He had intended it to be received. Ask God to give you the understanding that will allow you to apply His Word to your life and for His Glory.

The Parable of the Tenants

Sir John Everett Millais (British, Southampton 1829–1896 London) The Wicked Husbandman (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), 1864 British,  Wood engraving; proof on India paper; image: 5 1/2 x 4 5/16 in. (13.9 x 10.9 cm) sheet: 7 5/16 x 6 1/16 in. (18.6 x 15.4 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1921 (21.68.4(8)) http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/382273
Sir John Everett Millais (British, Southampton 1829–1896 London) The Wicked Husbandman (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), 1864 British,
Image in the Public Domain

The Parable of the Tenants

We Christians have been at “this” so long that we don’t even question what “this” actually is. Most of us walk into church every Sunday and, sometimes Wednesday, and we just do whatever we did the previous Wednesday or Sunday. We are told to kneel, we kneel. We are told to sing, we sing. We’re told to offer peace to the person sitting next to us and we robotically comply. But I suspect…with a high degree of confidence that if someone were to ask the kneeling, singing, peace offering church goer why they kneel and sing and offer peace most would point toward the pulpit and say “he told me to”. Church, to most of us, is not much more than following orders. Believe me, I know. I knelt, sang and peace-offered on cue for most of my life. I “toed the line” loyally, never once asking myself “why”. After all, I’m old enough to have witnessed the once-common stinging consequences of religious curiosity. Don’t ask, don’t swell. The church was in charge and they made sure you didn’t forget it. Though the methods may have changed, the philosophy has not.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not an anarchist. I believe in leadership. I believe God’s intention is to put men in leadership positions over His people. The Bible makes that clear. Jesus makes that clear and His Parable of the Tenants tells us that. Whenever Jesus told a parable He was trying to describe either what the Kingdom is like OR what it is not like. Theologians categorize them as Parables of Comparison or Parables of Contrast. The Parable of the Tenants, our topic for this week, is a Parable of Comparison and in it Jesus tells us that God’s Plan for His people includes assigning leadership roles. God intends you and I and His Creation to be led and administered by mankind. Why? We don’t know. For how long? We aren’t told but His current method of getting things done involves human leadership and, according to Jesus, we have made quite a mess of it. That’s the central point of the Parable of the Tenants. That’s why He told that story.

God’s Word is vital to our relationship with Him. He has called us all to produce fruit and He has provided everything we need to fulfill that calling. The Parable of the Tenants (sometimes called the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen) serves to warn us of the implications of misusing what He has given us. We were created to serve Him and He will, someday, return to collect His due.

I realize this little introduction is not very pleasant. I realize that what I put here may not motivate you to eagerly listen to this weeks podcast but, nonetheless, I encourage you to join us for this most important discussion from God’s Word. But, as always, before you get started, go to the Father in prayer and ask Him to open your heart and mind and make you receptive to all that He has to say to us: the sweet as well as the stern; the comforting as well as the corrective; the renewing as well as the rebuking.