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A Picture of Christ in the Old Testament – Chapter Two – In the Law

April 28th, 2016

This is Chapter two of a New Study I developed at Faith Baptist Church on Wednesday Nights. I’d love to hear what you think.

A Picture of Christ In the Old Testament
Session Two: In the Law

Defining a Couple Terms

Last week in my excitement for our new study, I sort of jumped right into our looking for Christ in the Old Testament, and while we referred to a couple of things, we didn’t really define them.

There are three words that we need to define. All Three are Jesus Revealed in the Old Testament. The words are Theophany, Christophany, and Christ Type or Typology http://www.gotquestions.com says: “A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period, often, but not always, in human form.”

So, if a Theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible either actual physical or perceived physical, is unclear and actually unimportant. What IS important is that a Theophany is something that CAN be perceived with the Human Senses, not just a dream, a vision, or our inner self or spirit.
It is God manifesting himself in a way that people could receive with their senses.
Genesis 2:15-16 – “took man … put him in the garden … commanded him”
Genesis 3:8 – “heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden …”
The Lord made garments. The Lord spoke to Noah. The Lord Appeared to Abram in Genesis 12:7, to Isaac in Genesis 26, to Jacob in Genesis 35 …
And on and on …

So what is a Christophany? Then this more specifically is an appearance of the 2nd Person of the Trinity to man in a sensory perceptible fashion, before his Incarnation at Bethlehem.

So, that begs the question is a Theophany different from a Christophany or is it possible that these are different? Are some of the Theophanies, Christ-centric, and others Father-centric?

Notice this distinction made about the Father and Son by Paul to Timothy
1 Timothy 6:12–16 (NIV84)
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
What does it say about the Father … He lives in unapproachable light, who no one HAS seen or CAN see … “lives” = dwells or builds his tent in “a” = without “psoseimi” = to approach … together “aprositos” – God sets his tent up in an unapproachable zip code … and NO ONE HAS seen him and no one CAN see him.
When did Paul write this? In the middle of the 1st Century … no one HAD seen him or CAN see him YET … in History … Including the Old Testament …
John said the same thing in the last decade of the 1st Century when he wrote his Gospel
John 1:18 (NIV84)
18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

The Only one who has seen God is the one at his right hand and that is Jesus and Jesus reveals God to us … He did in the his Incarnation … but he has ALWAYS been the Revelation of God, the Word of God … the Articulation of God …
So,
http://www.gotquestions.com says
“While there are no indisputable Christophanies in the Old Testament, every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23)

So, I believe EVERY Theophany in the Old Testament is a Christophany … it is JESUS … so let your heart run, and dance, and be encouraged by these pictures of Christ active in Creation for ALL of Creation.

What then is a TYPE of Christ? A theophany is Christ actually interacting with man in a perceptible fashion. A TYPE according to http://www.Theopedia.com:
“Typology is a method of biblical interpretation whereby an element found in the Old Testament is seen to prefigure one found in the New Testament. The initial one is called the type and the fulfillment is designated the antitype. Either type or antitype may be a person, thing, or event, but often the type is messianic and frequently related to the idea of salvation.”
“Typological interpretation is specifically the interpretation of the Old Testament based on the fundamental theological unity of the two Testaments whereby something in the Old shadows, prefigures, adumbrates something in the New. Hence, what is interpreted in the Old is not foreign or peculiar or hidden, but arises naturally out of the text due to the relationship of the two Testaments. ^ [1]^”
Then there are really three kinds of types: Historical, Legal, and Prophetic types
Historical
Adam – by one man sin and death came to the world; Jesus by One man Life Came
Moses – Led God’s people from Slavery in Promise – as would the Messiah
Noah – provided a way in the ark, to all who enter in
Abraham – Father of blessed People
Isaac – Substitutionary Sacrifice
Joseph – from hated to heralded, from prison, to the palace, surrendered to evil men to savior of all men.
David – was God’s anointed for a time before he was truly seen as King
Esther – saved her people though God didn’t appear to be there — isn’t even mentioned in the book about her
Elisha – raised the dead and fed hungry

Legal Types
Sacrifices
Offerings
Rituals
Pointed to the Cross
Prophetic
The Seed of the Woman – Genesis 3:15
Prophesies of the Prophets like Isaiah’s Suffering Servant
Zechariah’s Visions

Now … we COULD say that all of these similarities are incidental, analogical, interesting but not intentional. Or, we could believe that God always was telling a story. HIS Story is always being told in History, and so he shaped History to tell HIS Story. If so, then we can conclude that God intentionally told his story through types, even when we did not understand them while they were happening.

So … the picture of Christ in the Law is Exhaustive … and I will tell you up front that we aren’t going to cover it all … but let’s see a few of them and see Jesus with us … God with us …

Exodus 3
Now Moses had been protected in a little ark crafted by his mother when the Pharaoh was killing every little boy in Egypt. Hmm I seem to remember someone being protected when the King was trying to kill every little boy. But anyway, he was taken into and grew up in Pharaoh’s house. But while his people were slaves, he was a prince. He knew who he was and one day he killed an Egyptian who was beating a slave. That act of Righteous indignation put in him danger of being killed so in Exodus 2:15, Moses fled to live in Midian … south of Canaan, the region of Sinai, East of Egypt. North of the Red Sea. He met and married Zipporah and became a shepherd with his Father in law, Jethro.
READ Exodus 3:1-9

The Angel of the Lord – That is JESUS … appeared In the flames of fire within the bush. Though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Please note this … God did not NEED the Wood of the Bush as FUEL … He was his OWN Fuel. He USED the Bush as a Vehicle to Display his Fire … but he did not NEED the Bush FOR Fire … God uses us but he does not NEED us. If we will not be used, he can use someone else or he can use an inanimate object if necessary.
God Called from within the Bush … This “angel” wasn’t a simple Messenger, this was GOD in the person of the 2nd person of the Trinity
The Place where you are standing is Holy Ground
Take off your sandals – this “Angel” received worship … Angels do not receive Worship if they are but messengers. But this Messenger was GOD himself. Read Isaiah 48:12-18 — The Lord is both mentioned as being The Lord and being Sent BY the Lord both Saving and being Sent to Save … that is Jesus … Sent and yet God … Saving and Savior
I Am the God of Abraham … Isaac … Jacob … i.e. I know you, I know your family, I am the one who has made promises and will keep promises
I have seen the misery of my people … I have heard them crying
I am concerned about their suffering
So I have come down to rescue them …

That is what happened when Jesus came. It may have seemed like God was not aware. It may have seemed like God was silent. It had been 400 years since God has spoken to them in both cases …

When Zechariah was informed of the birth of John the Baptist he prophesied
Luke 1:68–72 (NIV84)
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

V9 The cry has reached me … I have seen … So now, go, I am sending you

Moses struggled with confidence … Who am I. He asked v13 Suppose they ask me who you are … what shall I tell them … tell them I AM WHO I AM (will be what I will be) you say I AM has sent me …

Jesus said “hayah asher hayah” I AM WHO I AM
Say this … “I Am has sent me to you” – Hayah
Say this to the people I AM has sent me – yhwh (Yahweh or Yehovah) This will be my name forever
The Angel of the Lord took ownership of this name …
So, how radical it was when Jesus said … John 8:58 “before Abraham was, I Am”

And then continuing in Chapter 4 of Exodus God gives Moses signs to give to the people and he turns his staff into a snake and he turns his hand to leprosy, diseased flesh, and returns it … and he gives further instructions and Moses questions his own ability to speak and begs God to send someone else. So God tells him that his brother Aaron, who IS a great speaker, is already on the way. When God calls he has already made provision for your weakness … trust him …

If you read further in the chapter you see “The Lord” speaking multiple times, just realize that this is Jesus … and they came to the people of Israel in Egypt and 4:31 says
Exodus 4:31 (NIV84)
31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Oh there is a sermon there …
1) When they Heard (Proclamation)
2) They Believed and Bowed (faith and repentance)
3) They Worshipped (Commitment and Consecration)
That’s a free outline for you preachers …

We couldn’t begin to cover all the times God Speaks … it is 301x in the NIV alone … more than 60x in Exodus alone …

Oh there are plenty of types of Christ …
The Priests were a type of Christ … mediator and Intercessor between God and Man
The Altar – the Vehicle by which sin is atoned
The Sacrifice – Holy, Pure, Innocent, Completely given to God and laid on the mercy seat
The Law itself – showed our inadequacy but provided a way for us to be in relationship with God
The Passover Lamb itself a Type… what a beautiful picture
– The Passover Lamb was a “male without defect” … so was Christ … like us in every way yet without sin …
… In addition, when the lamb was roasted and eaten, none of its bones were to be broken. This fact was also prophesized for the Messiah, whose bones were not to be broken. It was customary during crucifixion to break the leg bones of the person after a few hours in order to hasten their death. But Jesus’ legs were not broken.

We often miss the symbolism of Christ’s sacrifice simply because we don’t know the details of the Passover.
The Lamb
Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem five days before the lamb was killed in the temple as the Passover sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel.
Five days before the lamb was to be sacrificed, it was chosen. Therefore, Jesus entered Jerusalem on lamb selection day, as the lamb of God. It was called the “Triumphal Entry” but really it was the entry of the lamb of sacrifice.
ON the Passover day, the priest would blow the shophar (ram’s horn) at 3:00 p.m. – the moment the lamb was sacrificed, and all the people would pause to contemplate the sacrifice for sins on behalf of the people of Israel.
On Good Friday at 3:00, when Jesus was being crucified, He said, “It is finished”
– at the moment that, the Passover lamb was sacrificed, and the shophar was blown from the Temple. The sacrifice of the lamb of God was fulfilled at the hour that the symbolic animal sacrifice usually took place.
Jews would bring a grain sacrifice of first fruits at sunset on Friday, and at that time, Jesus was being buried or planted and his resurrection would be the first fruits of all who would follow him and also receive resurrection from the dead

In the Passover, there were Four Cups that were drank as each cup was filled four times during the meal
The CUPS
The 1st Cup was the Cup of Sanctification at the beginning of the meal – they prayed and blessed what was to come and set themselves apart
The 2nd Cup
the cup was filled again and they would dip their finger in it 10 times and drop a drop on the plate to symbolize the 10 plaques in Egypt before their Exodus
The 3rd Cup was the Cup of Redemption and Blessing Anticipating the coming of God’s forgiveness and blessing through the Passover Lamb
Finally 4th there was the Cup of Praise – During this time they read from The Psalms … particularly the Hallal Psalms … that is the Great Psalms of Praise
It was tradition to read from Psalms 113-116

The Bread was without yeast … i.e without sin … Spring Cleaning comes from the cleaning of the house before the Passover and getting rid of every bit of yeast in the house
The bread for the Passover was 3 Pieces of matzah unified as the Bread of Affliction. The middle piece, the Afikomen … was taken out and broken in half, wrapped in a cloth, hidden away. During the meal the children would search and bring it back and it would be given to all to eat.
And so Christ, the center of the triune God, Singular, yet three, was broken, wrapped in a cloth, hidden away, brought back and received by all who would eat.
Can’t you see Jesus carrying out the Passover meal … and when he picks up the “Afikomen” the bread of affliction that is broken, buried, and brought back to be shared by all … he says “This is my Body which is Broken for You” …

And then at the conclusion of the meal when it is time for the 3rd Cup, the Cup of Redemption, he says “This is my blood which is a covenant with you” … do this in remembrance of me
Because it says when we do … you proclaim the Lord till he comes
We remember him to proclaim him

Let’s look at two more pictures of Christ in the Law … just two … one is a Christophany the other a Type
The Pillar of Fire and the Pillar of Cloud
So … after all the plaques after the Passover … the Egyptians “freed” them and they left for the Land of Promise
But v17 of Chapter 13 in Exodus says
Exodus 13:17–18 (NIV84)
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.
And here is The Lord again …

Exodus 13:21–22 (NIV84)

21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

Day or Night, you can follow the Lord because HE is our Light

Then chapter 14 says that the LORD directed them into a tight spot … between Migdol and the Sea … They were almost to Mt Horeb (Sinai) the place that God said they were going to worship him … but God took them on a detour … Ever known God to take you on a detour? Has God ever put you in dire straits, in harms way? In this case God doesn’t even hide what he is doing to Moses … he tells him what he is about to do to Pharaoh … This was about Judgment on wicked Pharaoh and about showing God’s people just what he could do …
4:9-10 what Happened? They pursued Israel, caught them … and the Israelites were terrified and cried out … “what have you done to us?”
What Did Moses say?
Exodus 14:13–14 (NIV84)
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
And The Lord said “why are you crying … MOVE ONE … Raise your staff … divide the water … I will gain glory”
V19 Then the Angel of God … withdrew and went behind them … between the armies … throughout the night … darkness to one side, and light to the other … all night east wind blew and the waters divided … why all night? I don’t know but doesn’t God know how to tell a story, doesn’t he know how to build a scene?

Now I had a professor in College that told us that the Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire weren’t really God. He said it was a Basin of Coals carried by the People and it was a symbol of God’s presence … Now when he said that in my Old Testament Survey … Before I could get my little indignant, young preacher hand in the air … he then read from v24 … “The Lord Looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving”

And I asked the professor, “the Lord looked down from the symbol of his presence?” I think I just got a look …
It was no SYMBOL … it was JESUS …
Jesus Before them …
Jesus Behind them …
Jesus With them … and
Jesus FOR them …

The Pillar of Fire and Pillar of Cloud … Like the Bush … Were God Himself in the Person of Christ, revealing himself to them … Remember no one can see The Father … no One has seen the Father
Numbers 14:14 says – they have already heard that you, O Lord, are with these people and that you, O Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night

This pillar had been the visible presentation of God with them. It came over the Tent of Meeting when Moses would go in and speak with God (2nd Person of Trinity) face to face
It was evidence of God’s compassion that caused him to give them his presence with them …
Nehemiah 9:19 (NIV84)
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.
They were alone, without knowledge, guidance, or protection, and God provided all by his presence with them …
Psalm 99:7 says it was the vehicle by which God spoke to them giving them the Law

The Cloud would come over the Tent of Meeting and God would speak to Moses
Exodus 33:7–11 (NIV84)
7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. 11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
From the Cloud he summoned Miriam and Aaron to speak to them … it says the cloud stood at the entrance and he summoned them …
The Cloud enveloped Mt Sinai in Exodus 24:15-18 … God’s glory settled there for 6 days … and it looked like a Consuming Fire … Deuteronomy 4:24 says that the Lord is an All Consuming Fire …
Hebrews 12:28–29 (NIV84)
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
And So the Cloud was on Sinai and Moses said in 33:18 “Now show me your glory” …
Oh be careful what you ask … Moses had seen him “face to face” but obviously God wasn’t really showing him all … and Moses knew it and he wanted more. I hear people say “I want MORE of God” … More is a dreadful thing be careful …
Exodus 33:19–23 (NIV84)
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
I can’t imagine what it is Like when the LORD says his own name … what that majesty is like … how the ground will shake … the earth tremble …

Exodus 34:4–8 (NIV84)
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” 8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.
… Well I’m sure he did … Moses bowed down to the ground at ONCE and WORSHIPED …

You know … we have the ISAIAH 53 picture of Christ as the Suffering Servant … because that’s what he was on this earth … Perhaps we have a hard time imagining the Revelation 19 Jesus who is riding a white horse with a sword coming from his mouth … you want to see that picture in the Old Testament?
Exodus 19:16–20 (NIV84)
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, 19 and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. 20 The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up

Well … I need to finish … but let me give you one other TYPE of Christ … that is a picture of Christ …

John 1:14 says about Jesus … The Word became Flesh and made his dwelling among us …
Literally it means the Word “tabernacled” among us. What was John talking about? The people knew what the Tabernacle was.
Exodus 26 gave the instructions for building it. It was to be exactly by the pattern that God had. God doesn’t need a designer to tell him how to do it … he had a pattern.
It was the Dwelling Place of God among the People …
– 10 Linen curtains over a frame 45x15x15 feet … It was called The Tabernacle
– 11 Goat Hair Curtains covered that and were called The Tent … the Extra Curtain covered the opening in front and back to ensure that it wasn’t open and visible to those outside
– Over that with a covering of Ram Skins dyed Red
– Over that a covering of sea cow (dugong – like a manatee)
It was placed not outside the people, but they would camp AROUND it … it was in the center of the people.

This was God’s Stamp of Approval … these are MY People, uniquely related to me
This showed God’s Choice … they were his because he chose them. Jesus told his disciples you didn’t choose me but I have chosen you. Repeatedly in the Old Testament God says “I have chosen you”

If this is a TYPE … a PICTURE of Christ … What is the Picture?
The Tabernacle was a Picture of God’s Provision for relationship with and forgiveness for his people.
Did you see it in the Covering?
Four Coverings … Linen, Goat’s Hair, Ram’s Skin Dyed Red, and Sea Cow …
– Linen – made from flaxseed it was a symbol of purity and righteousness. In this instruction it was woven with thread dyed Blue, Purple, and Scarlet. Blue was a color worn by Priests. Purple was worn by Kings, and Scarlet was worn by the wealthy and the warrior.
Jesus Christ came and Tabernacled Among us as our High Priest, our King, our Wealthy Warrior, and our Righteousness.
– Goat’s Hair … Black Goat’s Hair would have been what they used … Leviticus 16 gives instruction for the “scapegoat” … You know what that is right, the innocent guy who gets stuck with the consequences for someone else’s actions … After the High Priest had offered the sacrifice for the sins, he selected a live goat and takes it by the head and sprinkles blood from the sacrifice on the head of the goat. He confesses the sins of his people over the goat and sends the goat out into the wilderness carrying the sins of the people on his innocent head away from the people.
Jesus tabernacle among us to be our scapegoat and carry away the effect of our sin

– Ram’s skin dyed Red … do I really need to explain this one? Abraham had been told to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He was told to take him to the top of the mountain and put him to the knife. He made the altar, he laid his son down, raised his knife and the Lord stopped his hand and there in the thicket, the thorn bush, was a RAM, caught in its branches. And the ram then became the sacrifice. The Ram’s blood was shed in place of Isaac.
Jesus our Righteous Linen, our Scapegoat, our Substitutionary Sacrifice … and

– A Smooth Sea Animal for the Outer Covering … pretty strange huh? Where did they come up with THAT? They are in the middle of the desert and they’ve got to come up this SMOOTH material made from a sea animal’s skin. I think of an Old Man named Nicodemus and Jesus said “you must be born again” … you must be NEW, you must be transformed into a soft smooth new born creation. HOW? How do we come up with a sea cow? How can we be a new creation, fresh smooth, clean, Holy …

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Left Heaven and came to earth and Tabernacled among us, so that, in the middle of the desert we can be made new. Anyone that is in Christ is a New Creation, yes in the middle of the desert, in Christ we are born again, we are smooth as a newborn baby, forgiven because of the Sacrifice of our Ram, Christ Jesus, our sins taken away from us by our scapegoat and now we stand in the Righteousness of Christ because of Royal, Priestly, Warrior Jesus Christ who tabernacled among us.
A picture … yes a picture of Christ making us a fresh, new, clean creation. He came from some place else, Heaven, to us in the wilderness, to make us new.

Oh Doesn’t God know how to tell HIS Story?

Oh there is so much more of Christ our Lord in the Law and the period of law giving … even a funny story in Numbers 22 about a funny little prophet from a pagan country named Balaam who tried to deceive God’s people … Oh there is nothing like when people who don’t know God try to mess with God … ask Sceva’s seven sons who messed with a demon and found themselves beaten, stripped and bloody in the book of Acts … so imagine coming against God’s People. If you come against God’s people you have to face God FIRST …
So Balaam … said he’d get an answer from God and he sure did … And Jesus, the Angel of the Lord stood in his way … Balaam didn’t even see him … but his donkey saw him and the donkey wouldn’t move. Poor girl, Balaam beat her, probably with a switch, but Jesus had a drawn sword and she didn’t move. She finally just laid down. And Numbers 22:28 says the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said … ‘what have I done to you to make you beat me these three times’ … Balaam said you have made a fool of me if I had a sword I would kill you … to which she replied “am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden … Have I been in the habit of doing this to you” Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the Angel of the Lord … Sword drawn and he bowed down … and then God told him what he was doing …

Well I guess if God can speak through a donkey maybe you have seen something tonight through this preacher …

Let’s pray …
A Picture of Christ in the Old Testament – Chapter One – In The Beginnings

April 28th, 2016

This is a new study I developed at Faith Baptist Church on Wednesday Night. Let me hear what you think.

A Picture of Christ in the Old Testament

Session One: In the Beginnings

Genesis 1:1 says In the Beginning

John so beautifully tells us that “in the beginning was the Word” – logos¬ – John 1:1

The first to use this word for a force in life was a philosopher from Ephesus, Heraclitus, about 500 BC. He described the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe as “the logos”. It is literally “a word uttered by a human voice, the embodiment of a concept or idea”. It can mean “word, account, principle, plan, formula, measure, proportion, or reckoning”

Heraclitus says “no man steps in the same river twice” … He was often called “the Obscure” because his concepts were hard to understand. He was also called “the weeping philosopher”. Maybe it was because it is hard to put this life together. He understood that life and this world always change. He said “ever newer waters flow on those in the same rivers”. Plato quotes him as saying “all entities move, nothing remains still”. Elsewhere he says “we both step and do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not.” Sounds like a fly fisherman to me …  he also sounds a bit confused. I can understand why he was always crying. Without Christ you can’t understand this life. And so without Christ you cannot understand the Old Testament.

Heraclitus in Ephesus introduces a concept that was picked up by Socrates, Plato, Stoics, and on. Then 600 years later, in Ephesus, the Apostle John, an old man, says “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” So that’s where we start with Jesus, in the Beginning. While the river ever changes … Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Genesis 1:1 – In the Beginning God

That statement is not just God the Father. That is Father, Son, and Spirit. Standing when time began is a God who Is. The Uncreated Creator God, in his Triune Glory … always existed.

In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth

I believe that Father is the Purpose of God on the Throne; and the Action, Creating, happened by the Word of God. Jesus, speaking, “God said ‘Let there be …’ and there was …” And you see the Spirit of God v3 “hovering over the water” How? I can only speculate, but John tells us in John 1:3 through him (Jesus) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made”

So, there is Jesus … The Word of God … Speaking the world into existence, according to the Purpose of God, by the Power of the Spirit

Genesis 1:26 – So God created light, water, sky, seas, vegetation, planets and stars, sea creatures, birds, land animals … and it was all good …

Then God said …” v26 “let US make man in OUR own image … 27 So God created man in his own image … male and female”

There is the Trinity, there is Jesus, as we are created in his image, in their image, the image of God. “Us” is not the Heavenly hosts’ image, it was God’s Image, and that is wonderful

Psalm 8 (NIV84)

For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David. 1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Oh how majestic that while Jesus spoke all things into existence “amar” … yet there in the middle of day six … He stopped and stooped to the dust and “created” “bara” (shaped / formed) 1:27 and “created” yatsar (squeeze into shape) and he FORMED MAN … from the dust.

That was Jesus … The same hands that would bled for us on the cross, got dirty as he “squeezed and formed” us into shape from the dirt

But man couldn’t just follow the rules could we?

Genesis 2:17 “but of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”

Then God makes Eve and together they live and work. Until the day satan questions the word and goodness of God and Eve eats of the tree and gives to Adam and he eats

Genesis 3:7 then their eyes opened and they knew they were naked

They then made an attempt to cover themselves … clothes never mattered till sin entered. Clothes are evidence that we are naked without God’s Righteousness to cover us, and our covering is always insufficient.

So God comes to find them hiding … they make a weak human finger pointing confession …

And God pronounces judgment first on satan … God’s desire is to banish sin first and deal with sin. If we will let him deal with sin, he will deal with us graciously as we respond in faith, even when there are consequences.

So, in judgment on satan / the serpent we have the 1st promise of Jesus coming

Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman and your offspring and her offspring” the word “zerah” literally means “sowing seed” … This is an interesting statement. Criswell says that Jewish Theologians have struggled with this for 1000s of years. Why? Because women do not have “seed”, men have “seed”. So God, who means every word in scripture, says the “seed of the woman”. Why? Because the virgin will be with child and bear a son and his name will be called Immanuel (God with us) Isaiah 7:14

So, in Genesis 3:15 – we are promised God with us, Immanuel. But not only that but he will bruise the head of the serpent .. .Not the Tail … but the head … the place he can do damage, the sting, the bite, the venom is crushed by Christ.

Wow there is Jesus in the 1st three chapters of Genesis

Well we move quickly forward THE Ark

Genesis 6:5 (NIV84)

5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

And so the Lord was going to start again so he found the only blameless man on earth, Noah … Noah preached repentance and the coming of Judgment. Jesus came preaching repentance “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.

Noah built an ark, that was the only salvation for those who would come in. So, if anyone is IN CHRIST (2 Corinthians 5:17) and there is NO OTHER NAME by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12) … and There is no condemnation for those IN CHRIST (Romans 8:1)

So Noah created an ark that COULD save ANY, but ONLY SAVED those who entered in. Jesus Came … the only Righteous one called us to repent and then provided a way for ANY who would COME IN, and they could be saved from God’s coming Judgment.

Going forward to Genesis 12 … God comes to a man living in Ur of the Chaldeans … A long way from the Land of Promise … and says

Genesis 12:1–3 (NIV84)

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

There it is … in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed – v3

V4 So Abram Went – oh the simplicity of Faith … Abram WENT … he said “OK” he didn’t ask to understand it all … he went as the Lord had told him

And that simple act resulted in the birth of Isaac, and Jacob, and his 12 Sons … And a people and a King, David, and a woman Mary, and her Seed was a Baby, Immanuel, Jesus, in her by the Spirit, not by the seed of her husband … and the world has been blessed. And there is 2000 years in a paragraph …

And so one night in my bed, I received Christ by faith, and all that God has is mine, though I haven’t received it all yet … but it will come in time.

So a few pages forward to Genesis 14 … Abraham wins a battle and then Melchizedek enters … The King of Salem, carrying bread and wine. His name means “King of Righteousness”. His title was King of Salem (Peace) and he was a priest of God. And he blesses Abraham and receives tithes from Him and he seemed to have no parents … Though of course he did.

So Jesus … seemingly came from nowhere … truly he had no parents genetically on this earth, nor in reality. Hebrews 7 tells us he also is a priest not by the law, but by his life. He was not a Levite but a Judahite … He was a priest but also a King. He brings us Peace with God

Romans 5:1 (NIV84)

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

He is the King of Righteousness, and having battled sin … he comes to us with Bread and Wine … his Body broken, his blood spilled

Then Genesis 16 … “The Angel of the Lord” appears to Hagar … we will see that this person is always Jesus … he is always the manifestation of God to Us

16:13 – “you are the God who sees me”

Then Genesis 18:1 “The Lord appeared to him by the Oaks of Mamre” … then we see 3 men … is this the Trinity? No … I believe it is JESUS, the Lord, and 2 Angels because we see the 2 Angels in chapter 19 in Sodom. They come, though only in this passage, as 3 together. This is serious 1) Isaac is announced 2) judgment is announced on Sodom/Gomorrah

The Lord asks v17 “shall I hide this thing from Abraham” … What a close relationship Abraham has with God … one James calls a friend of God

So Isaac is born and then as a teen in Genesis 22

God tells Abraham to Sacrifice his Son … Not for Sin … but he just asks him to give it back to him.

V7 “Dad, we have fire, wood, where is the Lamb?”

V8 God himself will provide the Lamb

He then bound his son on Mt Moriah to the altar, raised his knife … but God stopped him … wait … WHO stopped him … 22:11 – The Angel of the Lord called out to him … BY NAME …

Oh it is Jesus who calls out to us by name, and offers that we don’t HAVE TO DIE …

V13 there in a thicket he saw a ram caught … he took and sacrificed. And Abraham called the place “The Lord has Provided”

So, then Isaac long promised finally came. So Christ long promised finally came

Isaac was willing to offer himself. So Christ …as Isaac was led like a lamb to slaughter Isaiah 53 says of Christ also led like a lamb to the slaughter.

Isaac had two sons … you can read the story. But Jacob, the younger, was estranged from his brother Esau … And on his way home after a long time away in Genesis 32

V24 a man wrestled with him till daybreak

V25 the man touched his hip and dislocated it.

V26 I will not let you go unless you bless me (make me happy)

The man asks “what is your name” – Jacob = supplanter.

Your name will be “Israel” = strives with God

He spent his life striving with everyone for happiness until he wrestled with Christ and found his peace, God’s happiness.

And he never walked the same again. Christ blessed him there and he named the place Peniel because he saw God face to face and lived.

V31 the sun rose on him as he passed Penuel LIMPING because of his hip

Jacob had 12 sons, his favorite was Joseph

Joseph was most loved by his father.. So Jesus was the beloved ONLY son of God.. Joseph was hated by his family and turned over to Gentile people. So Jesus was given over to the Romans by his own who hated him.

Joseph suffered unjustly but then became ruler of all

So Jesus, suffered death on the cross but has been given a name, LORD. Then all things will be under his feet and now he is at the right had of the father in heaven.

Joseph saved the region from death by famine

Jesus saved the world from death to sin

Joseph forgave his brothers

Jesus forgave his executioners and all who will come to him

So Let me take you back to Genesis 3:21

After the consequences of sin pronounced v21 says:

the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them …

The same hands that had squeezed them into shape from dirt, brought them garments. They had clothed themselves but inadequately.

What kind of clothes did the Lord bring? Animal Skins.

Where did they come from? Dead Animals.

Who killed the Animals? Jesus.

He who formed them now came … I believe with hands still stained by the blood of sacrifice … He offers them clothes.

Romans 13:14 clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:22 (NIV84)

22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

They could have stayed with their own clothes … but I believe by Faith they received Christ

The Lord who had dirty hands to make us … Had blood stained hands to clothe them.

One day those same hands were stained again to clothe us in God’s righteousness at the Cross. Those hands forgave and offered us cleansing and to bring us to the family of God … can you see his hands reaching out?

IN the Beginning was Jesus, The Word
If you had only known what would bring you peace

April 4th, 2016

Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem standing on the mount of olives
Luke 19:41-44 “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

if you’d only known what would bring you peace …

What would bring peace is a faith in a who not a what?

The coming of the Messiah was referred to as a “Mystery” that is something that is hidden. But Jesus came as the revelation of God. Jesus was the unveiling of the love and provision of God. In a world without peace, the arms of God or open wide there’s why does the arms of Christ on the cross as wide open as the empty tomb. John 14.27 Jesus says “peace I leave with you my peace I give you I did not give to you as the world gives do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”

What is the peace that he leaves? Chapter 14 verse 1-3 says “do not let your hearts be troubled and trust in God trust also in me in my fathers house are many rooms if it were not so I would’ve told you I’m going to prepare a place for you …I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am”

What is the peace three things: 1) there is a place there is room for you inGod’s plan in God’s house 2) Jesus has made provision for you 3) Jesus is coming. if you only knew … the peace people need to hear from us is that there is room for them. There is room for them in our lives, room for them in the church, more importantly there is room for them in God’s kingdom through the provision of the work of Christ! The piece that the world needs is that he knows, he cares, and He is coming! The fact that we will be attacked is a reality. The reality is we will experience hardship. Jesus said “I n this world you will have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world.” It is not going to be easy for us. When we become Christians we do not become invincible superheroes we are just fragile vessels with the hope of glory in us. In our brokenness, God’s glory shines through us.

So, 2 Corinthians 4:6 says that the same God who said “let light shine out of darkness” May the light shine in our hearts to give light of the knowledge of God in the face of Christ Jesus. And sometimes the only way we see his face is when we are not down and have to look up. Then verse seven says we have this treasure -that is the light of God’s glory – in jars of Clay to show that the surpassing power is from God and not us. Then 2 Corinthians 4 goes on to say “we are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed we always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed”

If only they knew… We need to weep for those around that do not know. But do not weep without telling them. If we tell them and they will not receive them and weep for them because it is only hidden by their unbelief, by their circumstances that wall them in. Pray for the breaking that will let the light shine. Be willing to be personally broken and vulnerable to allow the light, to shine into their lives. Pray for illumination and revelation to come forth for their transformation.
Practicing Your Faith

January 13th, 2016

Message Delivered for Men of Faith – Breakfast, 9 January, 2016

James 1:22-25; Ezekiel 33:30-32

Practicing Your Faith

Well, men, as is my case, I ask the coordinator of our meetings, now Troy, what God is saying and then I work forward from there.

Well Last week, Troy emailed me this … the topic is:

PRACTICING – God’s man learns how to apply God’s Word to all areas of life. It is essential to allowing room for accountability within the men’s ministry for the purpose of consistency and obedience to God’s Word (James 1:22-25; Ezekiel 33:30-32)

Now we haven’t read the passage yet, you are perhaps familiar with it “be doers of the word, not hearers” is the way you may remember it … … and remember I didn’t pick this topic … TROY DID … Take it up with him, but remember he is a BIG GUY.

But before we break it down a bit … I sent a note to a couple of people yesterday. One a Pastor and One a Doctor. Let’s listen to their responses

First the Pastor … Here is an email response from Pastor Ken Ansell, a friend of mine from High School, a pastor for about 15 years. We regularly talk, email, tweet, iron sharpening iron. His twitter name is … @hearanddo, So, I thought it would be good to ask Ken what he thought since it is his chosen moniker. So I asked him to give me his personal “musts” and personal “pet peeves” regarding James 1:22-25 …

Not sure this helps and all just very, very quick thoughts:

James 1:22 requires intentionality. Love is the foundation: both love of God and therefore love for people.

Tangibility. Our love, the kingdom, as we practice obedience it will be tangible. So often in our heads we are evangelizing, serving, etc. but not in our hearts or with real action.

John (the Baptist) said some good stuff in Luke 3, the biggest one that I drove the stake and “did” was the 2 coat thing,(John says if we want to SHOW we are God’s people, someone with 2 Coats should give to those who have none) Ken says it’s deeper than 2 coats, and my theology on it has evolved, but I had two coats, and gave one away, still just have the one, might seem silly, but that has changed my life. Being obedient is joy. Disobedience robs us, we always focus on the sin of disobedience but some never know the consistent joy from daily obedience.

People are undeserving, love them anyway, give to the one who asks, Matthew 5:42, stop being judge all the time … Give, do it!

This is tricky but in friendships I have to have no real agenda but love. Yes I want to share Jesus or be a catalysts for spiritual growth, but I have decided to just love and be in a permanent relationship with both non and Christian people. My two new gay friends can really make me want to back out on this but I’m hanging in there I’m not giving up when they have no movement if that makes sense.

Eph. 4:1 (“as a prisoner of the Lord … live a life worthy”) following Jesus is our vocation, I just preach to pay the bills. This gives me perspective.

The golden rule compels me, if I would like someone to bring me a Starbucks, or mow my yard, or pray, or send me an encouraging card, guess what? I have to spontaneously do those things for others.

Well, that probably does not help but my thoughts are free … I had to stop being a theorists and start being a practitioner, stop waiting on others to go with me and just go and do.

Love ya brother, hit it out of the park as always!

The Red Letters have made James 1:22,

So what did he say?

Intentionality

Love

Tangible Action

Obedience is Joy

Disobedience robs us

Stop being a Theorist

Start being a Practitioner

Just DO

So I told you I sent a note to a Pastor and a Doctor … Because we all know that Doctors “Practice Medicine” …

So here is the Response from my brother, Dr. Thomas Goforth, D.O. New York City, About “practicing” as a Doctor:

The practice of medicine is an art as well as a science. As a science we are responsible to practice “evidence based medicine,” doing things because they have evidence to support their effectiveness and safety, e.g. Knowing when is appropriate or not appropriate to give antibiotics, knowing which screening tests to recommend, which blood pressure medications are appropriate given unique medical conditions and demographic predispositions… We have to continually read, keep up with latest evidence, replace old practices with new based on current evolving knowledge of disease processes, safety/harm, side effect profiles, etc. if end points are not shown to improve, or harms outweigh the risks, we have to be willing to abandon previous traditional ways of practice. We are held accountable by standards within the medical community. Now, the is a paradigm shift of reimbursement based on outcomes. I am not only reimbursed based on volume, but based on whether or not my diabetic patients have good numbers, hypertension patients have BP controlled, children have vaccines, over 50y have colonoscopies, etc. we have peer chart reviews…

But medicine is also just as much an art. What works for one patient may not work for another, doses are not uniform in effectiveness… If you just shut up and listen to patients you will often find all the answers you need to diagnose and often even to find the solution. Like ministry, people often aren’t impressed with how smart you are if they don’t sense that you care and listen to them. My art of practice is to talk to each patient about “balance.” I call it the 4 legs of our chair. If all four legs of our chair are firmly on the ground, we will generally feel well. When legs are not in place, we don’t feel well. Our legs are: proper diet, daily physical activity (exercise), proper amount and quality of sleep, and the inner spiritual/emotional life. We generally feel well in proportion to how many legs are firmly on the floor…. Yada yada

So what did he say about Practicing?

Art and Science

Responsible to Practice Knowledge Appropriately

Continually Read to continue to Know

Accountable to Accepted Standards and Peer Reviews

Practicing is an Art … not every situation is the same though standards ARE

Listen

Balance

Yada Yada

Hmmm some pretty great advice from a Pastor and a Doctor … well, what does the Word of God say … do we really want to know?

Troy picked two VERY related passages from the Old Testament and the New … because God does not CHANGE … Let’s read them … I’m going to make some application

Ezekiel 33 begins by telling Ezekiel he is a watchman on the wall.

Gentlemen my job as a Pastor is to be a Watchman on the Wall … What do watchmen do? When they see something wrong, see danger, they SOUND the Alarm. If the people don’t respond, that is on them, but if the Watchmen doesn’t do his job it is on him. So that is what Ezekiel was doing, sounding the Alarm.

Now men, that is MY JOB every week, and people come here because they WANT to hear the message …

Ezekiel 33:30–33 (NIV84) “As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ ³¹ My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. ³² Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. ³³ “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

V31 they come … sit … listen …

Then … what does it say? They do not put them into practice

With their mouths they express devotion – is that talking about our worship services?

But their hearts are greedy – is our lack of obedience because it will cost us too much?

One who sings love songs

Then God tells Ezekiel what he feels like … and boy can I relate … he feels like someone who sings love songs or plays great music, everyone claps … but no one leaves CHANGED …

So …

James 1:22–25 (NIV84) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Gentlemen … don’t make me into a Pop singer … Oh I’m a musician and I love singing and playing for an audience, but the difference is that I have always wanted to CHANGE the World NOT Entertain the world …

Do not merely listen … WHY because that is the ULTIMATE Deception …

Do what it says … the only way to be truthful with the messages you hear is to DO it. Sometimes that takes great effort, sometimes it is simple, but it will ALWAYS COST you … that’s where we often stumble in the COST.

When you listen but don’t do you are lying to yourself, you are like the guy looks in the mirror knows he doesn’t look right but goes out confident in how good they look.

I saw a lady in the airport in Houston wearing Hot Pink wind shorts, a t-shirt, and cowboy boots … and I thought “she looked at her self this morning and said ‘This looks good’” … LIE … but she was walking confidently … believing the lie.

So how do we become DOERS?

V25 – looks intently into the perfect law

Doing without hearing, without knowing is selfishness, is arrogance. We MUST come and hear, we must read and study, we must KNOW

We won’t know by accident we won’t know without effort. He says don’t “merely listen” or ONLY listen. That is listening as to the radio but not doing. And that starts by Looking Intently parakupto two words – para meaning – beside and kupto which is – to bend stoop down near. Some of us don’t look at the word intently, come along side it, we just remember our favorite passages, our best times and think “that’s who I am” … it is like replacing your mirror with an Olan Mills Picture of yourself at your best. You walk up first thing in the morning and look at the “Mirror” but all you see is your best picture and you walk away and change nothing … We must STOOP Down Beside the Word, and take it in …

– the perfect law that gives freedom – oh the lie we have believe, that if we follow Jesus, if we obey him, if we are doers it is going to lock me up. I hate hearing the term that married men use when they call their wife an “old ball and chain”. Being in a loving relationship with my wife doesn’t bind me, because she loves me with her whole being, and I love her with my whole being then our relationship gives me the greatest freedom.

So the world is full of lies about what freedom is and where we can get it, but I’m going to look intently at God’s word because that’s where freedom lives.

Then just like Doctor Goforth said

– And continues to do this … this isn’t a one time thing, I was there when my Brother Graduated from Medical School, but he couldn’t stop reading and learning that day or any day.

How do we be people of TRUTH?

People of truth live by truth … By not forgetting what we had heard … but doing

Not DOING is Forgetting … we are called to remember to be DOING – word is poietes – to make. One who makes something, a DOER, a PERFORMER, a POET.

The Poetry, the Performer, the Singer, that we need is NOT the one on the stage, that preacher is only the WARM UP ACT … He is only the Inspiration … What we need is the singer on the street, the doer on the block, the Poet in the Workplace, the one who makes the gospel Real and Relevant in the world … that is YOU.

That’s what our friends have told us ….

Intentionality

Tangible Action not THEORY

Obedience is JOY

Be A Practitioner

Art and Science = that equals Faith, Feeling, and Action

Knowledge

Balance – like Likes on a Chair …

How about Spiritual Legs to Our Chair

leg 1 – Biblical Knowledge

leg 2 – Prayer

leg 3 – Witness

leg 4 – Service

And then

Worship is the chairback we lean on

So how is your Balance?

Did I give you enough answers today? Did I give you a big HOW to?

Could it be that we don’t need Answers as much as we need DOING

If we would spend time doing what we KNOW, we would find more answers

The answers are in the DOING …

That’s all gentlemen … that’s my song … are you going to applaud, are you going to throw tomatoes … or are you going to make a change?

I don’t want to be a Rock Star

I want to be a Watchman on the Wall

You are WARRIORS

Literally Warriors

Rise up like Warriors

Rise up

Nuf said … my guess is some we have some work to do …
My Kingdom Is From Another Place

October 26th, 2015
John 18:36 My Kingdom is not of this world … my kingdom is from another place

Where is your territory? What do you fight to protect? Do we sometimes fight for things that are of THIS world?

Things of this world
- are about me
- will not last
- may not glorify God
- will give temporary returns on investment
So often we are involved in “turf wars” and we want to set up fences and fight. In the southwest, there were cattle herders and sheep herders. Cattle were managed by cowboys on horseback and they grazed. Sheep though would strip a place bald and were fenced in and so territory wars broke out over the sheep and cattle and fences or no fences. The question for us is what are we fighting for? Are we battling for territory or treasures, souls or surface things? Are we fighting for things WE own or things we manage?

Jesus said “My Kingdom is NOT OF this world.”
I think the great challenge for us in ministry is to keep our battles in the right realm and keep our attacks focused on the right enemy. What does Ephesians 6:12 say? We struggle NOT against FLESH and blood … So if we are fighting an enemy with a human face, we are missing the real enemy. Why was Jesus able to face Caiaphus, Herod, and Pilate and remain calm, at peace? It was because his enemy didn’t have a human face. His enemy was not flesh and blood. Our enemy is our own selfish desires, and satan’s desires. My kingdom is not of this world, my battle is not in this realm. If we have our heels dug in, fighting for earthly territory, we are fighting in the wrong plain.

Strive for Souls … battle the real enemy.

Psalm 42:2-11 NIV84

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

We easily are downcast when we have our heart and focus on earthly things

Put Your hope in God.

David closes out Psalm 17 with the correct perspective. After talking about the fleshly one who seems to always have enough, though God’s child might seem to be left out … David says

But as for me, I will behold your face in righteousness, and be satisfied when I wake with your likeness
How Do We Allow The Spirit To Transform Us By the Word?

March 17th, 2014
I was asked a question today that prompted my devotional thought. The question was “How do we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us by the Word of God?”

My immediate though was to a particular passage of Scripture and the words of Jesus. These words of Jesus are NOT hard to understand but that doesn’t mean that they are easy to do, But it isn’t complicated.

In John 8:31 and 32 Jesus says “to the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

So how do we allow transformation to happen? Remember Romans 12:1 says “do not be conformed to the pattern of the world but be transformed” … So how do we allow that to happen?

1. Believe In Him

Jesus didn’t tell unbelievers that his Word would change them, though the principles of truthy are good for all. Yes I’ve often told people that even lost people would benefit from living by the principles of the Word of God, but that’s not what it’s saying here. This promise was given to people who had already heard and believed in Jesus. Those who had “believed” (pisteuo = think to be true, have Christian faith, entrust) – and is in the perfect active tense. So these are people who are actively believing in Jesus Christ. Transformation cannot happen if we are not IN Christ. We become IN him as we act in Faith to receive the Grace of Jesus Christ.

So then Jesus says “If you hold to my teaching”

2. Hold To / Continue In His Teaching

“hold to” – meno = stay, wait for continue to exist, keep on“teaching” – logos = statement; speech; gospel

Jesus is saying, “keep on, stay in, what I have actually said, the essence of who I am” –

It doesn’t say, “if you believe the Word, or Understand it, or even want it.” This is a conditional declaration that: as one who believes in, confesses, has entrusted your life to Jesus Christ, if you will stay, wait for, keep on, continue in, his teaching, actual instruction that comes from the essence of who He is, THEN ….

It doesn’t ask us to lie it, fine it easy, normal, believe that it works, it just says, “do it” … Nike didn’t invent the concept of “just do it.” and so IF … Then

3. You Are Really My Disciples

“disciples” – mathetes = follower; pupil “really” – alethos = truly

Reality is that we can call ourselves whatever we want. We can live in a garage and call ourselves cars, but we aren’t REALLY cars. We can call ourselves disciples but if we don’t walk in his Words and Ways … we aren’t really his disciples, followers, pupils. We can call ourselves servants but if we don’t serve … we aren’t servants. We can call him our “lord” but if we don’t obey him …

Our lives are often full of excuses and contingencies. Often I counsel people and bring them a word of life from the Word of God, yet their response is “that’s right, makes a lot of sense, but … well … you see … I …” or they say “yes I know I shouldn’t do ‘x’ but … well … it’s just that …”

So the question is … will we DO what he says? Will we continue in his ways? His ways are life, hope, and peace. In the preceding verses of our text, John 8:28-30, Jesus says “‘… I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’ Even has he spoke, many put their faith in him.”

It was the fact that Jesus says and does the will of God that we trusted him in the first place. But transformation is stunted in our lives because we stop short of following him. Perhaps we never truly believed, but at the very least we are failing to trust and do.

But as a believer in this Jesus, who does the will of the Father, we know his Word, and actually do it as “imitators of Jesus” (Eph 5:1) – Continuing when it is hard to do, or hard to understand, then we PROVE we are disciples in actuality not just converts in our hearts.

A convert in heart should be a convert in deed

James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”

So, how does transformation happen? There it is …
- “Look intently into the word” – parakypto = bend over, desire to learn
- “continue to do this” – parameno – same root word that Jesus used to tell us to do and keep on doing to stay and keep on staying
- “not forgetting” – this combines the word for forgetfulness with the word for to become – transformation will not come when we hear the word but become something else because we forget what was said
- “but doing” – poietes = doer, poet – We hear the word, but move on to something else, we have the words but won’t allow them to form together in beautiful poetry of obedient and application
- Then you will be blessed – markarios = happy
Jesus said

4. You will know the Truth

“figuring it out” often doesn’t come until we DO it.

I was coaching my oldest son in 1st grade soccer. One day I brought a piece of 12 foot long pvc pipe to practice and made them run drills holding the pipe. They didn’t know why but I said “just do it, and trust me”. Come the next game, the biggest issue with 1st grade soccer is that they all clump together in a big circle around the ball and just kick it. I wanted to spread them out. the first time the kids clumped around the ball, I hollared “pipe, remember the pipe”. The boys looked at each other and spread out 12 feet apart. While the other team clumped around the ball, my boys were spread out, one kick to get the ball free and we were running away. It didn’t make sense at first, but in the doing, we became a different team.

As we DO what our teacher, example, Lord, and Christ does, we find, TRUTH in experience. Jesus said you will “know”, that’s the word ginosko = to know by experience.

THEN

5. The Truth Will Make You Free

The Truth, reality, has a natural result of freedom, liberation. Romans 8:2 says “through Christ Jesus, the Law of the Spirit of Life set me free (same word) from the law of sin and death.”

The only way to be set free from the trap you are in, doing what you are doing, following old patterns, is to STOP IT, and do something else, DO what Jesus is teaching in his word, follow his example, be an actual disciple, a pupil of Jesus.

And then, in the action that follows faith, we look up and the chains are gone, we are set free from the old bondage, transformation has taken place in the light of truth and reality in action.
Praying on your Spiritual Armor

December 17th, 2013

I am not one who uses written prayers very often. But I wrote this many years ago as a tool to help me and others to focus on putting on the armor of God
Perhaps you would use this in response to my previous blog to help you “put on the armor or God” in your morning prayers.
This isn’t a substitute for your own prayer but a jumping off point a starter prayer. I hope it is a help and a blessing. Maybe you could print it out and put it on the fridge or on your mirror or in your Bible

DAILY ARMOR PRAYER

Dear Lord,
To the best of my ability with the power of God’s Spirit within me, I intend to enthrone Christ as Lord in my life this day.
Lord I take on the MIND OF CHRIST, as commanded in Philippians 2:5, that is to be an obedient servant seeking only to please God.
I take on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, may I be faithful in heart, motives, and emotions.
I take on the BELT OF TRUTH, may your integrity within me keep everything else in my life in place.
I take on the SHOES OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, may the message of Christ be the force that carries me through the day.
Lord when attacked today by the evil one, I will hold up the SHIELD OF FAITH, knowing that you have already won the victory for every battle that I will fight today.
Finally Lord, I give you free reign to use the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, in my life today. I understand that it is powerful, to cut and to heal. I promise to practice and become familiar with it so that you may use it effectively in my life.
Thank you Lord, for loving me enough, to always equip me for the task of being your soldier, your sheep, and your sheltered child. I love you because you loved me first. Now, by the power and the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, God Almighty, I pray. Amen.

Be strong in The Lord in his mighty power

49.490810 7.907648
The 10 On Prayer

November 16th, 2013

The 10 on Prayer

Men’s Breakfast Bible Study

Faith Baptist Church November 16, 2013

Prayer Is … Prayer does …

I’ve always loved the nature of Abraham’s relationship with God. The Lord appears to him in Genesis 18 and I love what he says, it would be a great way for us to begin a prayer session, v3 says “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by”.

But then down in verse, God is heading down to destroy Sodom for its wickedness and he says “shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” … I LOVE and am in continual desire for this kind of relationship with God. I want the lines of communication open. I want to know and sense God’s presence so that if he did something around me, I would know it, unless he hid it from me?

So, some simple thoughts on prayer, on fellowshipping with God, like a countdown to Liftoff …

First

10. Prayer Is Communication with God –

I know this states the obvious but we make prayer into something we can’t figure out what to do. But do we know how to Communicate don’t we?

What our prayer involves in the nature and person of God should help us determine HOW to Pray and to Whom we address.

If your world has fallen apart, if you need recreation, restoration, restoring of order, Address God as Creator God … “Creator, Create in me” …, “Creator, maker of everything, designer of the world, sustainer of all things, Jesus Christ please …”

If you need strength, direction, inheritance, family business, address the Father. If you are hurting, crawl into his lap “Abba, Daddy, Father, hold me close”

If you need to understand scripture, to remember the words of Christ, strength in prayer, knowledge in how to pray, pray to the Holy Spirit our Intercessor, our Guide, “Spirit, Intercessor, Teacher, Guide me Holy Spirit”

Communicate with God … when you start the day off, instead of “Lord it’s morning”, why not “Good Morning Lord”, Talk to him as you would talk to the one who has all you need, who knows the answer, who meets our needs … Communicate … it is simple as “hello”, “simple as Lord do you see this, do you hear me, I’m struggling …”

Communication is TWO way … God spoke to Moses like a man speaks with a Friend

God revealed to Abraham his plans around him … so, we have to ask, listen, tarry.

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Countdown, 10 …

09. Prayer is Worship –

We tend to separate out so much of our life.

This is Worship, this is preaching, this is Bible Study, this is Prayer, This is Obedience … Can I say that it is ALL Worship …

When we pray, we are worshipping God by saying “You are God, and I am not” – “You are Able to meet my needs” – “I Love you and You Love Me” – “You have the answers I seek” that is all worship

Psalm 86:8-12 “Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours, all the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever”

That is beautiful worship in prayer from David. See how he began with worship, then spoke of his desire for the world to come to Christ, because he is great and there is none like him. Then he asked God to Teach him how to live, a promise to live according to him, and give me a single hearted desire to live that way and I will give you the praise and glory. That is a comprehensive prayer of worship4

Countdown, 10 … 09 …

08. Prayer Relieves My Fears …

When I realize God is on the throne, He is aware, He loves me, He is able, He makes me able, He shows me how … Prayer confesses those things

Psalm 27:3 Though and army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock”

Communicating with God in worship, relieves my fears

Countdown 10 … 09 …08 …

07. Prayer Is Instruction from my Sovereign and Savior –

God has a plan, God is doing something … If you think that God is not at work in your office, on your block, in your home, in your like … you need to hear from him

Jesus said John 5:17 “My father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too am working” … God is busy … HE IS at work … do we stop long enough to hear from him, to know what he is doing. Do you receive instruction from him for the purpose of joining him?

Jesus told the Father John 17:4 “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do”

“God reveal to me your plans and I will complete them”… “you are my Sovereign and my Savior and worthy of my grateful obedience”

Countdown 10 … 09 … 08 … 07 …

06. Prayer is an Exercise in Trust

1 Tim 1:5 says Jesus is the mediator between God and Man. But put that verse in context. It is in the middle bookend instructions on prayer.

Jesus is the ONLY reason that I can ask God ANYTHING,

read vv1-8 “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – 2 for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 this is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men – the testimony given in its proper time 7 and for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle – I am telling the truth, I and not lying, and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles 8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing”

Prayer is trust on display. When we know who Jesus is and what he has done for us we can come to him with every kind of prayer – determine to trust

Ps 56:3 when I am afraid, I will trust in you

Ps 91:2 I will say of the Lord ‘he is my refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

Lord I Believe … I trust you

Countdown 10 … 09 … 08 … 07 … 06 …

05. A Means to Which God Changes Me …

We think that prayer is about changing God, getting God to do our stuff …

As if HE is the branches while we are the vine … we command and he does … we need and he provides … apart from us he is still God … but apart from HIM we can do NOTHING

Yes FAITH is a critical aspect in prayer. And we must believe and not doubt. But sometimes the reason we doubt, is because the thing we are praying for is not in the Lord’s plan. We can believe all we want but God is trying to change our plans so that we come in line with what HE is doing. If I’m “at the table” with the Lord and telling him my heart’s desire, but he is saying “But Jim, I have a different plan, I have a plan that will transform you into the image of Christ and will bring me glory and advance the kingdom”… At that point, I need to HEAR my Sovereign Savior and CHANGE to his plans.

On the flipside, if my nature is to be weak, and doubt, but God is telling me clearly to press in and press on … BELIEVE … CHANGE

Prayer receives instruction from God … So prayer is me saying “God, shape me mold me, direct me, inform me, change ME

Countdown 10 … 09 … 08 … 07 … 06 … 05 …

04. Prayer IS the Battleground,

it doesn’t prepare us FOR the battle ground. It is where the battle is fought and often won or lost.

Let me take a little liberty and remind you that in our spiritual armor the belt is truth, but the belt included the skirt that held it up which went down to the knees … Prayer is where we discern the TRUTH of our circumstance … Prayer is where we defeat strongholds and pretenses set up against us

2 Cor 10:4-6 the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 and we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, one your obedience is complete

The battle is in the mind and heart through prayer, deciding to fight for obedience

Take CAPTIVE every thought. When a thought enters that is contrary to the Lord, that thought is a temptation to turn away from the Lord … if we dwell on it, play it out, it becomes sin in our heart and eventually sin in our actions … Take CAPTIVE every thought and make it obedient … Philippians 4:4-9 is a great companion passage. Rejoice, always … don’t be anxious … prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God … whatever is true … noble … right … pure … lovely … admirable … excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things … put it into practice and the God of peace will be with you.

Take captive every thought … Prayer is the battleground

Jesus succeeded on the cross because he had already died in the Garden

Countdown 10 … 09 … 08 … 07 … 06 … 05 … 04 …

03. Prayer is a Lifeline –

We all get down, we get we get over the cliff hanging on by a thread … who’s your thread? Are you hanging on to the scarlet thread? The Cross of Jesus gives us hope …

Ps 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 28:2 hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place

Reach Out, Cry Out, Look Up … “Lord pull me up, set me right, set my break, sooth my wound”

The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need

Countdown 10 … 09 … 08 … 07 … 06 … 05 … 04 … 03 …

02. Prayer Is a Means to Grace Being Alive in My Life –

When I fail to pray … I miss the active grace of God all around me

Every good and perfect gift is from above … we don’t deserve any of it so that makes everything grace …

When I don’t pray I miss the grace that is active around me. I don’t realize what God is doing for me and for others. I don’t come in line with what God is doing. I am not aware of his active grace. I am not aware and actively living gratefully in the Grace around me

When we pray and seek his answers for life, the grace around us then

Pro 1:8-9 listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck

Gal 6:18 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers amen

1 Peter 1:13 prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed

Countdown 10 … 09 … 08 … 07 … 06 … 05 … 04 … 03 … 02 …

01. Prayer is an Opportunity to Touch ETERNITY From my place in TIME

I have wanted to change the world, my whole life. Maybe that’s you. But sometimes I get so myopically focused on my moment in time and don’t realize that I have an opportunity to get off the Launchpad. I fail to realize that prayer is an opportunity to break out of the gravity of my situation and blast off into the realms of the Heavenly, the Eternal

Psalm 144:3-7 O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? 4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow 5 part your heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke. 6 Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and rout them. 7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners

Psalm 6:9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.

Prayer is my change to touch the one who is IN Eternity. “Lord … Part the Heavens and Come down …”

Get out of the realm of the now and then and when, and into the realm of completed. Jesus Christ is out of time and he sees my situation completed. God sees us as known, called, justified, glorified. When we pray we break out of the possibilities and into the realm of what God knows is done and we can live according to faith which is the substance of the things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. When I touch eternity I give God the chance to tell me how to act how to live, to be what He wants me to be.

Daniel 10:12 Do not be afraid, Daniel, Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your god, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 but the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. I have come to explain to you what will happen …

When Daniel prayed something happened in Eternity but it wasn’t until later that it came into Time and Daniel experienced it. Fear not, wonder not if God heard … He IS at work

Communicate – commonly and continually

Worship

Fears Gone

Instructions from Sovereign

Exercising Trust

God changing me

Fighting the battle on our knees

Holding on to our lifeline

Laying Hold of Grace

Touching Eternity

We CAN …
Veteran’s Day 2013

November 10th, 2013

According to Barry Loudermilk’s book “And they Prayed: Moments in History Impacted By Prayer”, Captain Nathan Hale was not unlike the men and women I see every week at Faith Baptist Church in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He was good looking, fit, intelligent, and bright eyed, with the cause of freedom firmly rooted in his heart.

Historically he is paraphrased as having said “I regret that i have but one life to give for my country.”

Yet I believe his greatest commitment to freedom was that of the freedom we have in Jesus Christ. He was a well known and devout Christian. He prayed for the souls and bodies of men. He was a teacher by trade, graduating from Yale at just 18 years of age. But when the Revolution began, he requested and received a commission in the army. Then he volunteered for a mission from General George Washington to gather intelligence on British positions on Long Island.

He was captured by British General Howe and ordered to be executed the following day. He spent the night praying and quoting scripture though denied the service of a chaplain and the request for a Bible. So the next day he was taken to an apple tree, climbed the steps of a ladder and a noose was placed around his neck. Standing there, noose around his neck, seconds from death, he spoke. His actual last words, as recorded in Loudermilk’s book, were “You are shedding the blood of the innocent. If I had Ten Thousand Lives, I would lay them all down, if called to do it, in defense of my injured, bleeding country”

I stood in our church today and looked at men and women with the same commitment. I shake their hands, hug their necks, I pray and laugh with them. I am in awe of them, men and women who would have traded places with Nathan Hale. So for all of them and to all who have served our country, on behalf of a grateful nation I say “Thank You.”

Freedom demands a response and we are accountable for what we do with freedom

In similar commitment I heard Adrian Rogers say “If I had a thousand lives to live, I’d give every one to Jesus Christ”

I too, since giving my heart to Christ on a Saturday in 1969, then hearing God’s call to ministry on a Sunday morning in 1975, have laid down my life, one step at a time, one “yes Lord” at a time for the Cause of Eternal freedom ever since.

Freedom is a trust, Salvation is a trust. Because we have been set free in Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility and we must be faithful stewards of the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ

Thank you to all the veterans of Freedom, National, Physical, and Spiritual
Godward

September 16th, 2013

Where are your eyes?

Oswald Chambers begins the writing recorded for September 16 in “My Utmost for His Highest” with the statement: “the main idea in the region of religion is – your eyes upon God.”

Where will you look today? I wrote a praise song several years ago entitled “Look Up”

Look up! Don’t look down. Look up! don’t turn around. Look up! Don’t look here or there, God’s everywhere, Look up!

Isaiah 51:6 says “Lift up your eyes to the heavens (skies) look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail”

Stop for a moment right now, look up, down, and around. Look to the person near you, over you, ever pursuing you. All of that will fail, will fall, but our salvation, our righteousness will last forever, it will never fail.

Psalm 121:1,2 says “I lift my eyes toward the mountains, where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth“ Then verse 4 says “Indeed … (He) … does not slumber or sleep”

I am choosing to “LOOK UP”. When I am in the Valley, surrounded by darkness, when the shadow of circling storms comes over me and I’m looking for help to come over the mountain tops … My help is in The Lord.

Psalm 123:1-2 says “I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We Keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal”

We often look to the Lord, but if he doesn’t respond as we want immediately, our gaze goes elsewhere. However, the act of worshipful faith comes as we keep on looking in expectation and confident hope. We look too often in the wrong direction. We want the help of man. We desire man’s approval and pleasure. All the while, things of this earth and people with their eyes on earthly things disappoint us.

Look Beyond!

Determine today, I Will Look. I will KEEP ON looking to the Lord. Faith is not faith if we can touch it, explain it, and understand it. Faith is the certainty of Hope until tactile reality shows up in my front yard.

Yet, sometimes I can’t see to look. David said, in Psalm 88:9, “My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day i beg for your help, O Lord, I lift my hands to you for mercy.” There is a lot of truth for us to see there, not the least of which is that every earthly problem is ultimately our fault because of the scope of human sin. We started this wildfire so we are culpable. We have no right to ask God for anything. But we beg for his mercy, for him to give us grace we don’t deserve. We deserve death and every result of our sin, but we cry out for mercy.

When your eyes fill with tears so you can’t see, then lift up your hands, reach up to your loving daddy “Abba” Father.

When your arms are too tired, lift your voice and cry out to him

When your voice fails, be still and know that he is God, lift your heart.

Ultimately the point is to keep your whole being, eyes, hands, voice, Godward

Godward

Godward, what a beautiful one word vision of the foreseeable future. What a beautiful one word mission objective, that every intent, passion, thought, look, step, exertion, be ever

Godward

Where are your eyes? Godward?

Where are your hands? Godward?

Where is your heart? Godward?

Godward

Godward

Godward!