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Sunday rest and reflection

March 3, 2023

Greetings!  Hopefully, you are spending part of this day with God’s family in a place of worship!  God redeemed us from slavery to sin to lead a life of worship!  We are to worship personally and corporately.  We come together to meet with God and His family and prepare ourselves for a week of ministry and witness. We come together to hear the Word of God preached and taught by those with gifts of teaching and preaching.  We use our gifts to encourage other believers and pray. The gifts in the body help us to become equipped to do the work God has for each person and the church family.  (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Moses is one of my favorite Old Testament characters.  He was strong and vigorous at 120 years of age.  Evidently the manna and water diet kept him healthy and strong!  Moses was greatly concerned for the next generation.  He wanted them to be blessed and and take by faith all that the Lord had promised as their inheritance.  He clearly understood how their sinful human nature was a danger to them.  He shared that nature and because of his own anger and dishonoring of God would not be able to go into the promised land himself.  Deuteronomy is the record of his last messages preached to this next generation before he died.

God chose the preaching of His Word to be the vehicle of teaching and inspiring this next generation. (1st Corinthians 1:21)  Faith comes by hearing God’s Word!  (Romans 10:17)  Faith also works by love and God calls them to love Him and love each other! (Galatians 5:6) Love is not a feeling, but a commitment to act for the highest good of another.  God’s promises show His love and our faith and obedience show our love in return!  God’s love hasn’t changed!  He is still using preaching to reach people and inspire faith in them. (Romans 10:14-15)  He still desires faith and obedience as a show of our love for Him.   (1st John 5:2-4)  When we walk in faith and obedience and love Him, His face shines on us! (Number 6:22-27)   Have a great day of rest and reflection! In His Love, Pastor John

Easiest choice ever offered?

Scripture Reading for February 28: Deuteronomy 27-30

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord Your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.  For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

This verse has always baffled me.  God so clearly spelled out His desire for His people’s blessing and life.  He had redeemed them and shown them His love by the signs and wonders and continuous provisions.  Their clothes and shoes had not worn out.  They ate the manna each day for forty years and had meat too.  They drank the water from the rock. (Deuteronomy 29:2-6)  Their enemies had been defeated and God had cared for them. (Deuteronomy 29:7-8)  Moses asked them to make a choice.  Do they want “life and blessing”?  Or would they prefer “death and curses”?  He even gave them the answer: “Choose life!”

But we often think that God’s way is too narrow and too restrictive.  It’s too difficult to try! Moses told the people it wasn’t too hard for them (Deuteronomy 30:11-14) and the Apostle Paul quoted him in Romans:10:6-12.  It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we can be saved from the curses of the Law and the penalty of death.  It is our confession of faith in Jesus Christ’s work for us on the cross that saves us. 

“But what does it say? “The word is near you: it is in your mouth and in your heart”, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  For it is with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:8-10

Have you made excuses for not making the choice of ‘life and blessing’ in Jesus? What is hindering you today from applying your faith to make a choice for life? Jesus is the only ‘Way’ and ‘Life!’ (John 14:6)

Sunday rest and reflection

Greetings in Jesus’ Name!

The story of Balaam, a prophet who was hired by Balak, King of the Moabites is my reflection today.  Balak was afraid of the Israelites and had heard the reports of how they had completely destroyed Sihon and Og, two other kings that opposed them.  God had given them this victory.  Balak sent a delegation to hire Balaam to come and curse the Israelites.  Balaam, to his credit, sought God as to what he should do.  God told him not to go and not to curse Israel. (Numbers 22:12)

A short time later, Balak sent more distinguished men and more money to try and entice Balaam to come and curse the Israelites.  Balaam was tempted and, not satisfied with God’s first instructions, he sought a second opinion.  Money and men have a way of clouding God’s instructions.  This time God told him to go, but do only what He instructed him.  This led to the incident where Balaam’s donkey talked to him and warned him about the Angel of the Lord who was waiting on the way to kill him!  God’s mercy and justice are evident here in this tension.

Balaam goes to curse the Israelites and as he stands to act, a spirit of true prophesy comes on him.  Each time, he blesses God’s people instead.  These blessings speak of Jesus Christ and God’s desire to bless his people.  Numbers 23:6-10 records the first blessing and verses 18-24 the second blessing.  God has blessed his people, who can curse them?  (Numbers 23:20,23)

The tragedy of Balaam is what he did later.  In spite of God’s desire to bless, he figured out a way to help out Balak.  He told them to send in the women and seduce the Israelites and get them into idolatry, bringing a curse on themselves.  In Revelation 2:12-14 Jesus Christ used this incident to warn the New Testament church against bringing a curse on themselves.  God desires to bless and has blessed His people with everything needed for life and godliness through Jesus Christ!  We must be watchful against Satan’s attempt to seduce us.

In His Love,  Pastor John

Are your children ‘impressed?’

Scripture Reading for February 23: Deuteronomy 5-7

“Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is One.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your foreheads.  Write them on the door-frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

This passage is known by faithful Jews as the “Shema”, which means “listen”. The Shema is quoted twice daily by devout Jews around the world reminding them of the importance of a relationship with the One true God.  This passage was quoted by Jesus in part when he was asked which was the greatest commandment.  He answered with “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.”  (Matthew 22:37-38)  This ancient word from a sermon of Moses around 1500 years before Christ was foundational in the devotional life of God’s people and has great application for believers today.

Hearing is important!  God wants us to have ears to hear His voice!  Remember that the nation of Israel did not want to hear God’s voice speaking His commandments.  They had asked Moses to hear for them so they would not die.  Moses was repeating what God had told him.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God! (Romans 10:17)  God sends His people out to speak His Word to bring faith and obedience and the resulting blessing.

There is no other God but God!  He is the creator of heaven and earth.  He is holy and complete in Himself.  He desires the love of His children and loves them infinitely, desiring the best for them.  His love is expressed in his Word and commandments.  When we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we will actively respond to His Word in a life of daily obedience.  (John 15:9-11) If we love Him, we will pass them on to the next generation.   His joy will be in us and our life will be full!

How would you evaluate your hearing of God’s Word? How do you show your love for God and seek to impress it on the next generation? Take time this week to listen to God’s Word and take action towards one of your offspring, if you have them.

Ancient snake-bite remedy!

Scripture Reading for February 16: Numbers 21-25

As they were guided by God through the desert wilderness, the Israelites were doing what they did best–grumbling!  As they grumbled against Moses and God, God sent poisonous snakes which bit the complainers and caused death.   (Numbers 21:5) The Israelites asked Moses to pray for them and confessed their sin. (Numbers 21:7)  God answered Moses as he prayed with some strange instructions. He was to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole in the camp.  Anyone who was bitten by the poisonous serpent could look at the bronze snake on the pole and he would be healed! (Numbers 21:8-9)

What can we learn from this ancient story?  One lesson is that sin causes death!  God has repeated this over and over but His people seem to forget!  Another lesson is that grumbling against leadership isn’t pleasing to God.  When we do, we are actually grumbling against God.  A third lesson is that when sin’s consequences come, we run to our leaders for help and prayer–and God does answer.  We then must have faith to do what God asks in order to be saved or healed!  True faith is obedience to God’s revealed truth.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus referred to this story.  The snake that was lifted on the pole is a picture of Jesus Christ crucified.  He was made sin, Who knew no sin, that we might be healed from the serpent’s poisonous bite.  If we will look with faith to Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we will be saved and healed!  God loves His people and wants to save them from the poison of sin’s bite and the consequence of sin–eternal death! (John 3:14-18)  If we refuse the remedy provided by God, then we will die!  This ancient snake-bite remedy turns out to be the only remedy for all mankind!

Have you been obedient to God’s Word in dealing with sin in your own life? Was there a time in your life when you asked another believer or Christian leader to pray for you?  Thank God today for providing His “snake-bite” remedy through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Being intentional with unintentional sins

Scripture Reading for February 2rd: Leviticus 4-7

Leviticus 4:27-29 “”If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.””

What is the difference between an “intentional” sin and an “unintentional” sin?  Does ignorance excuse us?  How does God look at the person who doesn’t know anything about God’s law?  Is there really such a person who is totally ignorant of God’s basic laws?  If after we “ignorantly” sin, someone informs us that what we “ignorantly” did was a sin in God’s eyes and reads us God’s view from the Bible, are we thereafter guilty of an “intentional” sin?   Is there any sacrifice for a willfully defiant sin?  These questions come to my mind as I read these chapters of Leviticus. (See Leviticus 4:1, 13, 22, 27.)

God has made his basic laws known to all men through the conscience.  Each person has a conscience and it must be trained to know and recognize sin. (Romans 2:12-16)  Each person will be judged by God according to the light he has.  The conscience can be seared by repeated sin.  We are to keep a “clear” conscience by walking in love towards others. (1st Peter 3:16)  Deacons must hold the deep truths of the faith with a “clear” or “pure” conscience. (1st Timothy 3:9)  The conscience is the elementary voice of God that acts like a stoplight, letting us know when to stop and when to go and when to be cautious! All have sinned and sin must be confessed and turned away from to be covered by Christ’s sacrifice.

“If we confess our sins, , He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1st John 1:9) 

Our priest, Jesus Christ, has already made the blood sacrifice for us.  He offered his own blood as atonement for our sins and bore them on the Cross!  We can “intentionally” be made clean from our “unintentional sins”!  Praise the Lord!  What amazing love! 

Follow the pattern!

Scripture reading for January 28: Exodus 25-27

Men are particularly prone to trying to put something together from trial and error.  We like the adventure and take pride in being able to do complex projects from our memories or experience.  We often feel that instructions are unnecessary.  This attitude usually gets us into trouble and we either get lost or end up with left over parts from the project!

Moses was given a pattern for the Tabernacle.  God gave him specific instructions as to how this “dwelling place” was to be constructed.  He told them numbers, lengths, weights and the type of materials for each part. It was a mobile dwelling because God was moving with the Israelites and leading them as they journeyed.  God reminded Moses four times to make everything after the pattern shown on the mountain!  (Exodus 25:9,40; 26:30; 27:9)

The instructions for this Tabernacle started with the Ark of the Covenant, a special representation of a heavenly reality.  It was a chest of acacia wood about 4 feet long.  It was to be coated with pure gold.  Two gold cherubim were to be beaten out for each end and they were to face the lid of this box.  The box was to have two rings on each side where poles of acacia wood would be used to transport it. Everything was coated with pure gold.  It was to be carried by priests who were consecrated for this job.  The tablets of Testimony, the ten commands, were to be placed inside of this box.  Later a jar of manna was placed there as well as Aaron’s rod that had budded in God’s presence.  (Hebrews 9:1-5)

This ark of the Covenant is a type of Jesus Christ, God dwelling with us.  John 1:14-15 tells us that Jesus came and “pitched his tent” (tabernacled) among us and we beheld His glory!  Jesus kept the law of God, the tablets of Testimony, perfectly.  (Hebrews 4:15-16) He was the living Bread (manna) come down from heaven, that if any man eat of this bread, he would never die!  (John 6:47-50)  He was the One chosen by God to have all authority in heaven and on earth! (Aaron’s rod!) (Matthew 28:18)  He was worshiped by angels at His birth, and now is in the presence of holy angels in heaven. (Revelation 4:12)

Exodus 25:9 “Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.”

The Lion Roars!

Scripture reading for January 17th:  Genesis 48-50

Genesis 49:10-11 “You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son.  Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness–who dares to rouse him?  The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”

Have you ever been at the bedside of a loved one who was soon to enter eternity?  If they are alert and able to talk, we listen for every word and thought.  Joseph or someone in the family took down  Jacob’s  last words to each family member.  He gave a special blessing to Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  He then spoke a word, also recorded, over the other sons.  (Genesis 49:9-20)

The blessing of Joseph’s sons effectively made Joseph the first-born, who by law was to receive a double portion of the inheritance.  Israel blessed Joseph and adopted the boys. The other brothers had tried to kill Joseph and cut him out, but God re-established his place and doubled the inheritance!  Israel also chose Ephraim over Manasseh.  The younger over the older.  All blessing and God’s reward comes not from birth order but Divine order!  God alone knows the hearts and the end from the beginning!

One other blessing is worth noting.  Judah also received a word in Genesis 49:8-12.  Judah was told that his brothers would praise him. (His name means “praise”.)  His hand would be on the neck of his enemies and his father’s sons would bow down to him.  He was called a “lion’s cub”.  Jesus was the offspring of Judah in the genealogy of Matthew 1:3.  He is known as the “Lion of Judah” (Revelation 5:5)  He triumphed over all God’s enemies!  Israel finally made Joseph swear to take his bones back to the promised land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel).  He believed in God returning and that land his property that he wanted to be buried there.   

What would you say if you just had a very short time left here on earth?  What words would you leave with those closest to you?  Would your faith be evident in you life and statements?

“When Jacob had finished  giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.” Genesis 49:33