Mountain of Glory; Valley of Need Part Two

“After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transformed in front of them. . .” (Mark 9:2 HCSB)

The sermon outline—RBC Ministries pastor resources at http://pastor.resourcesforyourministry.org/— is broken into two parts. The first part examines Mark 9:1-8, the transfiguration of the Messiah. We are told that this is one of three times that our Lord’s identity has been displayed to some of His followers. The outline for part one concludes with the following statement: “We need time away from the demands of the ministry to commune with the Lord of glory. It is the only fitting preparation for ministry.”

Part two of this outline comes from Mark 9:14-29, which tells of Jesus and the three disciples descending the mountain and confronting desperate need. The outline briefly discusses the challenge of three great needs: A desperate parent; a demon-possessed child; and the defeated disciples.

These outlines are great for providing starting points for our sermons and teachings. What I think is so very special is that there are lots of other stimuli that occur during the week to augment the outline. For instance, a song on the radio tells of a mother whose three-year-old child died. We are told of her pain, and the singer says he doesn’t know what to say to this women in her anguish. All the singer knows is that the Father in Heaven will turn this pain into joy some day. The singer allows us to feel the anguish and the hope.

In a news report I am told of all the marvelous drugs that are prolonging the lives of people who are HIV positive. Unfortunately, according to the report, there are no drugs helping children who are born HIV positive. These children die in agony, early.

And if all this isn’t bad enough, anti-Christian activists in the United States are so happy that the tide is turning in American culture and politics. The “religious right” have been defeated and a new, liberal regime is in power that declares the United States is no longer just a Christian nation. A newspaper article informs us that the traditional view the Bible and Christian faith is seriously being challenged. A professor is declaring that the Bible is not the literal word of G-d. There are simply, according to him, too many inconsistencies. This professor even declares that the early apostles thought Y’shuaJesus was coming back, but later realized, when He didn’t, that the world was just going to go on and on. This professor tells us that it was only later that the idea of a second coming was brought out.

It is fascinating to me that the professor is doing exactly what Peter warned: “First, be aware of this: scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, following their own lusts, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” They willfully ignore this: long ago the heavens and the earth existed out of water and through water by the word of God.” (2 Peter 3:3-5 HCSB)

In thinking about seeing needs, it is clear to me that one of the dangers of this seeing is becoming overwhelmed at the immensity of the need. So it seems that we come off the hill of glory after revelations of Y’shuaJesus are given to our hearts, our eyes are opened, and we face a needy world. We face this needy world until we no longer can do so. Then we go back up the hill, to regain our selves with Y’shuaJesus. We go back to the roots of our faith, gaining strength from our encounter with Holiness. Thus we walk in a cycle of communion and service.

So let us climb the Mount and be transformed with Messiah. Let us see Him anew. Let us be changed, too. And let us come down to see the needs, know how to proceed, have the strength to work. And when finally we feel finished and used up, let us once again return to the Mountain of Glory. All the while, let us keep watch for Y’shuaJesus’ appearance, for He comes like a thief in the night.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Mountain of Glory; Valley of Need

“After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transformed in front of them. . .” (Mark 9:2 HCSB)

Computers and the world-wide web offer us tools we can us to enhance our understanding of the Word of G-d and help us in our ministries. For years I’ve received and enjoyed Our Daily Bread. It is a monthly pamphlets containing devotionals by various staff writers of a ministry in Michigan, USA. Our Daily Bread is also available, updated daily, on the internet at http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml .

The same ministry, RBC Ministries, has pastor resources at http://pastor.resourcesforyourministry.org/ . The sermon outline titled “Mountain of Glory; Valley of Need” caught my attention this morning. It is an expository on Mark 9:1-28 in two parts. The background for the sermon introduces the scriptural connection between a mountain and a need waiting in the valley below. This sermon is based upon a book, Mountains and Valleys, by G. Campbell Morgan. Some examples of mountains and valleys are: after Moses ascended Mt. Sinai, he descended into the valley to face a people in need of discipline; Y’shuaJesus gave the Sermon on the Mount and a very needy man with leprosy waited in the valley below; in the transfiguration story, the glory of the Mount is followed immediately by a great need in the valley below—a demon-possessed boy and his desperate father who hopes for deliverance that the nine other disciples of Y’shuaJesus are unable to give.

The author of this sermon outline takes us through the transformation providing some interesting points about it with some supporting details. The following are key points: 1) The Experience; 2) The Appearance; 3) Celestial Visitors; and 4) The Suggestion. Furthermore, the outline author points to various “affirmations” of the identity of Y’shuaJesus as Messiah. This question is one that is put to the disciples, as told in the preceding chapter of Mark. “Who do people say I am? Who do you say I am?” In the conclusion to part one, we are told: “We need time away from the demands of the ministry to commune with the Lord of glory. It is the only fitting preparation for ministry.”

I don’t think the outline is meant to provide a sermon-in-a-can for us. It is, however, a great way to begin our own thinking process, and it provides references to help us out. For instance, I came to the following conclusion from reading this outline: During the times in which we are refreshed, there is a tremendous communion with Y’shuaJesus, and His identity as Messiah is affirmed to us as well as our identity in Him. It is a transformation of seeing Y’shuaJesus in a different, holy way. Y’shuaJesus isn’t the man we’d seen before. He is elevated into the heavenly realm, made pure and shining white. He is neither the baby in the cradle nor the man dying on the cross. He is G-d. And we stand before Him.

As we too make this connection, this communion with the Apostles who stood on the Mount with Y’shuaJesus, another transformation occurs. It is us who are transformed in the way we see ourselves. We are elevated to a heavenly status, too. We are in the company of angels and martyrs and saints. We are included in the people of G-d, with our names written in the Book of Life.

Finally we are transformed in another way as well. We now see others differently than before our elevation with Messiah. We were in the valley before coming to the Mount. There in the valley were needs. Desperate fathers, demonized sons, poor, outcasts. All were there. But we didn’t see them. We didn’t have the eyes. Then we stood on the Mount with Y’shuaJesus. He was transformed. We saw Him anew. And we, too, were transformed. We come down the Mount and we see the need around us. And now we are empowered by the Messiah to meet that need.

Let us climb the Mount and be transformed with Messiah. Let us see Him anew. Let us be changed, too.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

I am no better; I am no worse.

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10 NASB)

Some memories remain vivid despite their age. It’s been nearly twenty years since the day I began to like myself. It began in a terrible way. I’d been on a train from the north of India going to New Delhi. I’d been literally on my knees, bent over my backpack, as there were no seats in the fourth-class car on which I rode. The train arrived at my station, but people were crowding into the car. I was trapped by a mass of bodies preventing me for getting off. I yelled and thrust my 6-foot- 4-inch body out the door. As I stepped upon the platform, I realized I’d nearly trampled an old man. I looked down at his hat, fallen on the steps. I can see steps even now, yet don’t know if I picked up the hat or not.

As I walked toward the exit of the station, it dawned on me all that could have happened in my rage to leave the train. I felt badly. Horrible. If I could do that, of what else was I capable? Was I any better than a murderer? I’d tried all my life to do right, to live the law of holiness. Yet here I was stumbling on one point. How was I treating people? Putting myself before others, thrashing about exiting a train, was this righteous?

James writes that if we are guilty of one offense, we are guilty of all offenses. I am no better than the worst of the worst. And if that is true of me, then it is true of all. Oddly enough I started to like myself. I realized that I’d compared myself to others without thinking about it. I was better than the man in prison, but not as good as the preachers whose works I read or listened. But if I’m no better than the worst, I’m as good as the best because of Y’shuaJesus, who makes us all equal in Him.

I began to understand what James writes to us about not esteeming one person more highly than another. Y’shuaJesus is present equally in all that believe in Him. James calls to us to show mercy for “mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13) Y’shuaJesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

Mercy, as defined in my Bible, is “special and immediate regard to the misery which is the consequence of sins.” As believers, we can be merciful to ourselves, for Y’shuaJesus showed us mercy. We can be merciful to others, for Y’shuaJesus showed them mercy, too.

“We exercise this mercy through our compassion for the misery of sin,” or so the lexical aid in my Bible states. I wonder about this statement. Perhaps it means I’ll treat a person mercifully if I understand deeply that person is caught in the misery of sin. After all, how easily I could be caught, trapped, by some sin.

Thank You, LORD, for the grace shown to us, the undeserved mercy we’ve obtained from You. Enable us by Your Spirit to show mercy to others, to love others, to love ourselves. AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Flowers Bloom in the Desert

“And the child grew and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts until the day of his showing to Israel.” (Luke 1:80 MKJV)

A few weeks ago we celebrated Succoth, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. Jewish people, along with Messianic Jews (believers in Y’shuaJesus) remember and celebrate forty years of desert wandering after the exodus from Egypt. There are Christians who celebrate The Feast in Jerusalem each year, too. They do so to show kindness to Israel when so many of our world have turned cold shoulders to our brethren of the Bible. During The Feast small tents are built near homes, where meals are eaten and many sleep. Even Y’shuaJesus came to The Feast (John 7).

Once, years ago, a man told me that when The Messiah returns He will make the whole world a garden. I admit to arguing with him just to argue, saying I liked the desert. I was being difficult. Yet there remains my rather fond recollection of the beauty of Death Valley and the rain that enables flowers to sprout and grow, quickly flowering. There is a place called Bicycle Lake, near Death Valley, that is dry until the summer rain comes. The rain last only a short time, but fills the lake. Soon shrimp hatch, mate, and the offspring remain dormant as the water retreats, until the next rain. I remember the beauty of the Joshua trees and 100-foot- (32-meter-) high piles of boulders in the southern California desert. And there are the dunes near the Salten Sea, too. And I remember the way the wind caressed the sands of the Sahara.

But I’ve not lived long in such places. And I didn’t have to search from my water, for my food.

It was a harsh desert in which Israel wandered, in which a generation of disobedient people died. Yes, the LORD provided for His people while they wandered. But nonetheless, the wandered. We who know Y’shuaJesus as our savior realize we once lived in a sort of desert, too. Our old spiritual flesh had to die that we might cross the river into a spiritual promised land. Thus we were born again, spiritual re-birth.

The desert is also a place into which we escape. We get away from modern distractions, modern ways of living, get back to basics with G-d. Monks made pilgrimage to deserts to live in the harsh climate, to rely upon prayer and the Word of G-d for their sustenance. Y’shuaJesus went into the desert, where He was tempted after fasting forty days.

When we read of Israel’s wanderings in the desert we learn to look for things in our own life we must die to, things we must leave behind. When we remember things of our own lives we remember the way G-d has changed us. It is in this remembering that The Feast can have meaning for us today.

Reading the Book of Joshua, I was struck by this: when Israel crossed the Jordan, they had lost the mana of the desert, and ate the produce of the new land. It made me think about spiritual gardens and spiritual fruit. We are to cultivate our spiritual garden, fertilizing it with the Word of G-d, watering it with our tears. Furthermore, it seems to me that the spiritual fruit we grow, we are to give away. We are to plant and replant, letting our fruit grow, harvest it, and give it away. Is the fruit patience? We remember the times we were not patient. We read G-d’s Word on patience. We give patience away in our dealings with our family, friends, and (yes) our enemies.

Charles H. Spurgeon wrote: “. . . we are married unto Christ. He hath betrothed us unto himself in righteousness and in faithfulness, and he who is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Oh! marvelous mystery! we look into it, but who shall understand it? One with Jesus, so one with him that the branch is not more one with the vine than we are a part of the Lord, our Savior, and our Redeemer! While we rejoice in this, let us remember that those who are made partakers of the divine nature will manifest their high and holy relationship in their intercourse with others, and make it evident by their daily walk and conversation that they have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. O for more divine holiness of life!”

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Dunes at Death Valley, Ca looking east towards... — Image via Wikipedia

Encountering Y’shuaJesus

“Whoever comes to Me and hears My Words, and does them. . . .”
(Luke 6:47 MKJV)

Some came to hear Y’shuaJesus speak, just because they yearned for something they couldn’t define. Some came to ridicule, to test this Teacher from the hills. Some came to the Master for what they needed—healing, cleansing. Men carried a friend on a stretcher, dropping him through the roof when they couldn’t get through the door. A man climbed a tree just to see Y’shuaJesus. A woman encountered the Lord at a well. They were rich. They were poor. They were members of the religious elite. They were uneducated farmers, fishermen, housewives, and widows. All were sinners, though some didn’t think so.

The Man from Galilee could not be ignored.

I’m fascinated with the contrast between the following encounters:

“And the man out of whom the demons had gone out begged Him, desiring to be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your own house and declare what God has done to you’. And he went his way and proclaimed throughout all the city what great things Jesus had done to him.” (Luke 8:38-39 MKJV)

“And after these things He went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax-office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ And leaving all, he rose up and followed Him.” (Luke 5:27-28 MKJV)

The man cleansed of demons wanted to follow Y’shuaJesus, but was sent away. We don’t know what was in the tax collector’s heart, but he was called right out of his office. I think with the cleansed man, Y’shuaJesus has work from him right away, that the miracle was enough to provide him with a testimony. And courageously, the man responded by going throughout the city proclaiming Y’shuaJesus. Perhaps that was his calling, and it was enough. In the tax-collector, Y’shuaJesus saw great potential, and a heart that was ready to be shaped through very close contact with the Master.

Now take a look at these two:

“Therefore neither did I think myself worthy to come to You; but say a word, and my servant will be healed.” (Luke 7:7 MKJV)

“Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, why cannot I follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.’ ” (John 13:37 MKJV)

The first man wasn’t Jewish. He says he thinks he’s not even worthy to come to Y’shuaJesus. But he did so for the sake of his servant. And he is rewarded for it. And then there’s Peter. It seems to me these two represent the two extremes of our own thinking of Y’shua. On one end, we think we are too sinful to go to the Lord, and on the other, we think we’re fully ready to do all that we are called to do. The Centurion overcame his own unworthiness, and boldly came forward. Peter learned more work was needed before he’d be able to walk in the Master’s shoes, or sandals, if you prefer.

Take a look at the following:

“Still, however, even out of the rulers, many did believe on Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.” (John 12:42 MKJV)

These believers, I believe, represent the most common of all; they believe but aren’t willing or able to proclaim. They’re straddling the fence. They believe but aren’t acting on that belief.

The Y’shuaJesus of the scriptures was not ignored. There are times when I wonder how I would encounter Y’shuaJesus, had I lived two-thousand years ago. Would I have been one of the religious elite that was envious of this prophet? Would I have been called that I might be trained directly by the Master? If Y’shuaJesus healed me and sent me away to give my testimony, would I have done so? Would I have been afraid to obey Y’shuaJesus? Am I afraid today?

I pray, Lord, give us wisdom to hear Your voice, a mind to know Your will, and the courage to obey. AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Encountering Strangers

strangers are — Image by AdamAtom via Flickr

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2 NASB)

It is impossible for me to not encounter strangers each and every day. Even while living a very small town, there seem to always be strangers about. While driving truck,

nearly all I spoke to, encountered daily, were strangers. There are the men and women that work at where I fueled my truck. There are those I saw and spoke to where I spend the night, even though I slept in my truck. There were people at the shippers and receivers of the commodities I transported. There are those I met at restaurants. There were other drivers I encountered while I’m at my company’s terminal, too, as the company had several thousand drivers. And then there were those infrequent and annoying times when people banged on the side of my truck, awaking me often in the middle of the night, asking for money or offering sexual favors.

What hospitality do I show to strangers I encounter? So many people, so many in need. A smile. A friendly greeting and parting blessing. Some seem to need to talk, to have someone listen. Do I take the time with them they need?

After chatting briefly with a man one evening, I handed him a “Road Home: New Testament for Truckers.” He looked at me for a second. Then he said he’d just been told by his wife that he needed to read the Bible. G-d is so good! I was exactly where I was suppose to be, at exactly the right time. Thank the Lord!

When someone asks for money, I must consider carefully what G-d would want to provide. Sometimes I would hand over some change, as requested. Once I bought a man a couple of hot dogs to eat, rather than giving money. Some times I give nothing, for I don’t often carry money into the fuel stops–too many drivers are robbed just walking though parking areas.

My most memorable encounters are those at restaurants and terminals. At restaurants, sitting with open Bible, I’ve been approached by people. Sometimes the conversation has been a great blessing. For when two Children of G-d gather together. . . Well, it’s church.

It was like that with Warren, whom I met in Sacramento, California. Warren saw me reading the Bible, and said, “That’s a great book. . . except those words in red.” He laughed at the look on my face. He loved the Lord, and took the words of Jesus, printed in red in my Bible, very seriously. We had a lovely time talking. He told how his pastor was asking for mentors during a Sunday service. His wife asked the pastor what was required of a mentor. The pastor replied, “someone who’s made a lot of mistakes and is willing to share them.” Warren’s wife said, “That’s Warren,” and promptly volunteered him.

There are other encounters, however, that are more difficult, challenging, requiring careful discernment. Jude writes: “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” (Jude 1:22-23 NASB)

Not long ago a man approached, seeing me reading the Bible, and said he had a question for me when I finished eating. Not waiting to complete my meal, I invited him to join me. He did so, bringing his desert to my table, as he’d already eaten. He said he’d asked many pastors which church to attend, and they’d all said their particular church was the true one. He then said, “What do you say is the true church?” I didn’t hesitate, saying that the church isn’t a place or an institution, but is the Body of the Christ, his people, on Earth.

We spoke of many things, and he began to tell me how he’d found no real Christians in his travels. I offered some examples, which were immediately refuted. I felt the Spirit of G-d within me reminding me of my status as a Child of G-d, and to guard my heart. As we talked, I became aware that he had a script of things he would say. He’d ask a question. I’d answer. Regardless of the answer, he explain his version of a scripture, then say if I’d read the Bible, I’d know the correct answer.

It came to me that I was not to argue with this man. I was also not to be led away from my own faith to follow his path. We are told by Y’shuaJesus, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:7) Paul wrote, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel. . .” (Gal 1:8). And Peter warns us to “watch for false. . . swelling words that are empty.” (2 Pet 2:18) We are to “test the spirits. . .” (1John 4:1) and “all things, hold fast what is good.” (1Thes 5:21)

Each encounter is an opportunity to give, receive, and grow. Each encounter with others is a moment in time to be a beacon of light in a dark world. It is also a moment to grow closer to our Lord whose Spirit fills us and will guide us into all truth.

Lord watch over us. Let Your light shine upon our feet and our path. Fill our hearts with Your Spirit.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Works Accomplished

“LORD, You establish peace for us; All we have accomplished You have done for us.”
“LORD, You will ordain peace for us; for You also have worked all our works in us.”
(Isaiah 26:12 MKJV)

At first reading of this two versions of Isaiah 26:12, I immediately interpret them differently.

When I read the NIV version I immediately think of a child doing something like building a model or arranging a doll house. The father’s told is to encourage the child while putting little touches here and there, unknown to the child, to make it work correctly or look realistic, even to just make the dolls stand up without falling over. The child says, “Look what I’ve done!” In reality it was the father’s doing. Eventually, as the child grows, he/she realizes the Father’s work in the projects. This father and child working together is one I want to keep in my mind when something I do, I do well. I want to remember that it is the Father’s work accomplished through me.

Now when I read the MKJV at first glance, I read that the work is a work done in me, rather than something done through me. As I ponder this a moment, it flies in the face of many “step” plans and self-help teachings that seem to emphasis all that I can do to change myself. Self. I am reminded that changing ourselves may be overemphasized in our current culture. Are we not called to die to self?

In a closer look at the operative word in this scripture–WORK–I can look at its definition from Strong’s:

מעשׂה

ma‛ăśeh mah-as-eh’

From an action (good or bad); generally a transaction; abstractly activity; by implication a product (specifically a poem) or (generally) property: – act, art, + bakemeat, business, deed, do (-ing), labour, thing made, ware of making, occupation, thing offered, operation, possession, X well, ([handy-, needle-, net-]) work, (-ing, -manship), wrought.

When Webster’s Dictionary is consulted, the number three definition is fascinating: “To be in action or motion; as the working of the heart.” The working of the heart! Interesting!

I apply this scripture to me in both ways: G-d’s works in me are His accomplishments; righteous works through me are also His accomplishments. It’s a bit freeing, too, that it’s the LORD that is responsible for making things perfect on my inside and outside of me. Sure, I still feel a responsibility to make some attempt at working out things inside me but the end result is this: it is Y’shuaJesus who will wash me through and through and accomplish things through me too.

Thank You, LORD. Thank You for Your Work in and through us. Let us meditate upon Your scripture Word that it might work its way into and through our lives, that our hearts would glow and our minds ignite. Bless us this day in our walk with You. In the Name of Y’shuaJesus. AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

The Legacy of a Life Well Lived

Legacy Parkway shield — Image by CountyLemonade via Flickr

“. . .but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:20 ESV)

“It’s not what you take with you when you leave this world, but what you leave behind,” sang Randy Travis in his Christ-centered ballad, “Three Wooden Crosses.”

Legacy is a topic of interest these days in the United States. Marketing campaigns promote “scrap booking” as a way to leave a mark on family that follow us in life. “Baby Boomers”–adults born in the post-WWII decade–want to use skills learned in their lives to give something to emerging generations. Volunteerism is at an all-time high these days, promoted as something that just must be done to be successful.

While these are all noble pursuits, I wonder if they are not still doing works that might be subject to the destructive forces of both moth and rust. Where is our heart when we build our scrapbook? What do we want to accomplish when we obtain work that “gives back something”? What do we expect when we volunteer.
Y’shuaJesus says we are to lay up treasures in heaven, for where our treasure is there will be our heart. It’s all in attitude. Whom do we desire to glorify in our photo album left to our children? When we give our expertise to young people, what do we want in return? When we volunteer is it a stepping stone to other benefits? What’s in our heart?

We know that G-d looks upon our hearts. Our true intentions and motives are known to G-d. For our treasure to be stored in heaven, our intention, our motivation, must be such. We are not to journey through life leaving no trace on this Earth. Our faith itself is displayed in our works.

There is within in us a desire to make a difference with our lives. There is also a desire to be remembered. We make the most of our lives when we are at peace with our Creator, when His Spirit is free to work within us, and to flow through us. We need not strive then, but stride with our Lord. We are free to do all manner of works in the Name of our G-d.

Yet it can be discouraging not to know if we are making a difference. Some time ago I visited with a friend who is an artist, writer, and poet. His wife had recently consoled him at the meager sales of his work. She told him that his work would be something to leave his daughters, and their children, for generations to come. Just as G-d breaths a part of Himself into His creation, an artist puts a bit of life in his or her work, a piece of heart. I think my friend needed encouragement to continue his work even in the face of discouragement.

There’s another song that comes to mind that is titled, “I can Pray.” The singer laments in the song that he has not talent, no gift to offer the Lord. Then he remembers that he can pray. He tells us we, too, if nothing else, can pray. I would add that we can praise our Lord for His works. I would add that we can worship our Creator for Who He is. I would add that we can let the Holy Spirit guide us in our demeanor and our behavior. We can choose to rejoice in the Lord, always.

Thank You, Lord, for You work in us to work in the world You gave us to live within. Let us hear Your voice and respond. Build up, through us, treasures in heaven. AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Is G-d an Impartial Judge?

“However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterwards they will go out with many possessions.” (Genesis 15:14 HCSB)
“They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:5 HCSB)

A thought popped into my head one morning a couple years ago as I prepared oatmeal for breakfast. Is G-d an impartial judge?

The previous year I served on a jury. I, along with eleven other jurors, determined the guilt of a man accused of several crimes. We listened intently as various pieces of evidence, both for and against the defendant, were carefully put before us. We even watched a video of the arrest. Then deliberated, which means we discussed the evidence to determine the defendant’s guilt or innocence. The man’s guilt or innocence lay in our hands.

In this trial, the judge acted neither for nor against the defendant; he acted impartially. The judge followed legal protocols and standards in the conduct of the trial. If the either prosecuting attorney or defendant’s attorney objected to what the other attorney said, the judge decided if the statement was eligible for our consideration. What the judge did not do was to decide the outcome of the trial. He did not determine guilt or innocence. He arbitrated between the defense and the prosecution, gave instructions to the jury, and followed standards set by our laws. This was a typical trial, as held throughout our United States.

Trials are not conducted in this manner in all countries. And during the time of our Messiah’s bodily Earthly visit and during the times of the first apostles, a judge did, indeed, determine the outcome of a case—even determining if a person accused of a crime would live or die. A citizen of Rome, during those times, could appeal the decision, however, and another might overturn it. An example of this is Paul’s appeal to Caesar, and his subsequent journey to Rome. But generally, the role of judge meant determining guilt or innocence, and appropriate punishment, including death, as penalty for guilt. Judges didn’t simply go on the word of the accuser or the accused, but heard witnesses also. Witnesses then had to be trusted for their accurate testimony. It is clear from our scriptures that false accusation, giving false witness, is a terrible wrong and punishable in itself.

So in today’s scripture in Genesis, G-d is the judge of nations. Of this Matthew Henry wrote: “Though God may suffer persecutors and oppressors to trample upon his people a great while, yet he will certainly reckon with them at last; for his day is coming, Psa_37:12, Psa_37:13.” G-d judges the nations based upon their performance as He observes. G-d is the witness and judge and jury. And in Peter, we are told that individuals will give account to G-d for their actions and acts and the evil they say against G-d’s people—which is slander. Peter is saying that G-d’s people are being accused of being evil. As Matthew Henry wrote: “they speak evil of their persons, of their way, their religion, and their God.”

Is G-d impartial? As I looked into these things, the answer is no longer particularly important to me. What is important is what I’ve learned by looking into the Word and thinking about judging and judgment. Some points are clear: 1) G-d judges nations; 2) G-d judges people; 3) G-d uses a perfect standard—His Standard; 4) G-d’s people have come out of the world by their faith, and are covered by the blood of Y’shuaJesus in the final judgment–being made righteous with Messiah, through Messiah.

Thank You, Lord Y’shuaJesus, Messiah. Bless us, Keep us, Shine upon us. Amen

A Balancing Act

“And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.” (Acts 14:13 ESV)

At a pastors conference at which I attended in Lake Tahoe, California, some years ago, a music minister spoke about Christian musicians that, after some years of performing, found themselves well apart from G-d, many falling into trouble. He said that it is the very crowd of followers that surround musician that contribute to this fall. The music minister went on to say that as artists, we are obligated to give all glory to G-d. He said that artists tend to listen to the adulation of the audience, and take a little glory upon them. This they do to their downfall.

Now take a look at how Paul handled things. In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas preached in Lystra, and a miracle occured. The crowd immediately decided Paul and Barnabas were gods. Paul kept his cool, diverting the developing situation, and at the same time shifting the glory to G-d, away from the two of them. Paul’s cry was “We are men also. . .” I think one of Paul’s greatest asset was his ability to keep things in perspective. He played well the balancing act of allowing himself to feel appreciated while also remembering his humanity, his mortality.

It seems to me the type of failure the music minister spoke of can and does happen to pastors, evangelists, teachers, any one who serves G-d in any capacity, even those closet prayer warriors. Any time we begin to think we are doing some good, we are subject to an inflated ego, to pride, to ruin. Yes, G-d works through us and does really amazing things. But let us always remember that G-d can speak through a donkey. He is the potter, we are the clay. With all those great rewards, like little pins in our hats, let’s remember Who enabled us to attain them. And when we meet the Lord Y’shuaJesus face to face, let us remember to knell and lay at His feet the rewards He won for us. Let us remember our Lord Y’shuaJesus is G-d, and we are humans after all.

And I pray the Love of Messiah be in your heart and seen in your eyes, and that your remember it is, after all, His love in you. AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . . until we next meet.