Morning Devotional Time

Here is something I just wrote for the guys in my Tuesday morning group - maybe there is something here for you.

Dear brothers,

In our group this morning some of us expressed a desire to cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ in our experience with the Bible in the morning. Here are some thoughts that might help:

1.    Don’t turn on anything but the lights and the coffee maker. I have found this to be critical because once I turn on the TV or the computer or look at a smartphone it is pretty much all over – my mind is moving at warp speed as soon as I open my mind to the outside world.

2.    A visual image I use is of a blank sheet of white paper. What do I want written on that paper? How do I want to begin my day? What do I want my first impressions of the day to be? That paper represents my heart, my mind, my soul – I want our Father and Christ to have the first imprint on my day as I invite the Holy Spirit to speak to me through God’s Word.

3.    Choose a place in your home that is conducive to quiet and use the same place every morning.

4.    Have two pads of paper or notebooks with you. One is to write down any wandering thoughts like, “Don’t forget to take the trash out. Don’t forget to make a dentist appointment.” Once we write these things down we don’t need to worry about forgetting them – it gives us some immediate closure. The other paper is to write down any impressions and thoughts you get from Christ in His Word in your devotional time. I use a journal or composition book to write my thoughts and impressions during the quiet time. I don’t write things down every day, or even every week – (some folks do and that’s great) – but when I do write something down it’s nice to be able to go back and look at it.

5.    I am a big advocate of reading one Psalm a day. No matter what else I’m reading I want to read one Psalm a day. Actually I start with Psalm One and read 30 Psalms a month – this means that in February I double up on some days, and in 31-day months I don’t read a Psalm on the last day. Why? Because this way I read through the Psalms every five months – there are 150 Psalms. It also helps me keep track of where I am reading since every month begins with either Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91, or 121. I am simple and need a simple system. You’ll be amazed, I hope, at how you’ll begin to feel at home in the Psalms.

6.    I also recommend taking the Gospel of John and reading a passage during your devotional time – not necessarily an entire chapter – and go with the flow.

The above is, I think, a good way to begin. Make it a time of talking to our Father and Lord Jesus and listening – in motorcycle riding there is the idea of “letting the road come to you” and finding your “line” in the road – you don’t want to force things on a motorcycle or you will soon have road rash at best, or a bad accident at worst. When I was riding and I learned to find my own line and not try to be someone else I learned to enjoy riding.

Start the road trip, fire the bike up, and see where God takes you in 2020.

Our Father and Lord Jesus love YOU with all that they are. Relax, take your time – let your time be God’s time – let God surprise you – He will…He absolutely will.

And remember please – there are only two things you should turn on – the coffee maker and the lights – trust me on this boys, I know from experience.

I love you,

Bob

War in the Temple

I suppose things have always been this way, but when I ponder the divisiveness within the professing-church I am reminded of Josephus’s account of the siege of Jerusalem – even though a Roman army had encircled the city, even though there was famine within the city – Jewish religious factions were fighting each other – literally fighting each other, people were dying – within the Temple precincts.  

I wonder if we can learn anything from this.

Advent?

First Advent? Second Advent?

Perhaps the Second Advent is but the capstone of the First Advent; in the sense that His First Advent continues in His People and it is consummated at what we call the Second Advent. That Second Advent is one of completion - when He shall be admired in all those who believe in Him (2 Thess. 1:9).

A Christianity Today Editorial

As some of you likely know, yesterday Mark Galli, editor of Christianity Today, wrote an editorial about President Trump. This is an unusual step for Christianity Today.

I still have a copy of a CT editorial that is well over ten years old in which the editor reminds us that the US Constitution is not the Bible, something I thought important to say then and perhaps even more important to say now. 

As Galli points out in yesterday's editorial, we ought to apply the same standard to Mr. Trump that we (Evangelicals) applied to Mr. Clinton. Many of us (whoever "us" is these days) have rightly been accused of hypocrisy for the way "we" acted with vitriol toward Mr. Clinton and the free pass "we" give Mr. Trump. 

"We" were checked-out during the Civil Rights Movement and "we" are checked-out in terms of moral and ethical and spiritual consistency during the current presidency. 

This morning I read about a mega-church pastor who has prophesied that God will intervene on Mr. Trump's behalf. I see a lot of this kind of thing publicized, but I see little mentioned about other Christian leaders who have grave concerns over the current administration...as well as over our government in general - including both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill. 

This mega-church pastor might want to take a look at the false prophets in the employ of King Ahab - and others of their Biblical ilk. 

It seems to me that if we are to have a credible prophetic voice that it must be without regard to red or blue.

Galli also points out that Billy Graham, one of the magazine's founders, (and one of the founders of my seminary, Gordon - Conwell), in later life regretted his uncritical relationships with Presidents Johnson and Nixon - a lesson his son Franklin does not appear to have learned. Galli does not make the obvious connection between father and son, but it is there for those who have eyes to see. 

Click to go to the editorial

The Magi

Here is what I've written for our small men's group to ponder, maybe there is something here for you. 

For December 24^th, lets please take a look at Matthew Chapter 2.

Where do you see yourself in this passage?

Herod? The priest and scribes? The magi? (Wise men – “magoi” is the word used in Greek – it is plural).

I imagine that I’ve played each part in my life, let me rephrase that, I know that I have played each part in my life. What about you?

The important thing is where we are today…isn’t it?

Some observations and questions:

It is likely that when Matthew wrote his Gospel that his immediate audience was the Jewish people. Throughout his Gospel, including in this chapter, Matthew appeals again and again to the prophets of ancient Israel. While the other three Gospel writers also work with the prophets, this is a primary focus for Matthew – more so than Mark, Luke, and John.

This being the case, Matthew is somewhat “in your face” by bringing Gentiles (the magi) into the story at the beginning. This reminds me of when Jesus spoke in His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:14 – 30) and His hometown folks wanted to kill Him because He spoke about God’s grace to two Gentile women. Furthermore, Luke also introduces a promise to Gentiles in Luke 2:32.

We don’t know how many magi there were, we may think there were three because they brought three gifts that were mentioned, but we don’t really know. In fact, there is a lot we don’t know about this chapter – but at the end of the day Matthew tells us what we need to know.

The magi were likely from Persia, and they were likely of a caste that studied the heavens and natural sciences. We see glimpses in the Old Testament of non-Hebrews with special knowledge of the true and living God: I am particularly thinking of Balaam in Numbers chapters 22 – 24 (fool though he was, and evil as he went), and of course Melchizedek in Genesis Chapter 14. My point here is that God seems to be always revealing Himself to the peoples of this world who are open to Him (Romans 2:12 – 16).

The magi were looking to the heavens with expectation and hope – they had some understanding of the birth of Messiah (“Messiah” is Hebrew, “Christ” is Greek). Psalm 19 is one of many places in the Bible that tells us that God reveals Himself in Creation – see also Romans 1:20 (most of us, including me, have lost our “sight” to discern God in Creation – at least in the manner Paul and David wrote of, and which the magi practiced).

The magi were willing to make a long journey – it may have taken around two years (Matthew 2:16) – the were willing to go on pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is an important Biblical concept – 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11; Hebrews 11:13; Genesis 47:9; Psalm 119:54.

Are you on pilgrimage? What does that mean? What does that look like? Just as a ship’s captain maintains a log, are you keeping a log of your pilgrimage?

Are we looking to the heavens, to God’s Word, to guide us in following Christ? What does that look like?

How is God molding you into the image of Jesus Christ as you are on pilgrimage?

We put our time and energy and money into the things that matter to us – what does that look like in our lives?

I guess the magi assumed that the people in Jerusalem would know about the birth of the King of the Jews. Here Matthew introduces two themes found in the Gospels – the antagonism between government and God’s Kingdom, and between “self-righteous religious leadership” and God’s Kingdom.  The magi went to the center of civil and religious power and didn’t find the Messiah…that is typically the case throughout history…and in current events. We ought to know better (James 2:1 – 7; 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 31). Pilgrims keep moving toward Christ and His Kingdom, they tend not to be seduced by earthly centers of power, wealth, and prestige – they learn to see them for what they are – things that are passing away.

Are we seduced by what the world considers power, prestige, religious knowledge; or are we following Christ?

During this Advent season I have been particularly struck by the magi’s reaction to finding Christ (Matthew 2:10). Matthew didn’t just write, “They rejoiced exceedingly.” He didn’t write, “They had great joy.” Instead he wrote:

ἰδόντες δὲ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐχάρησαν χαρὰν μεγάλην σφόδρα.

“When they saw the star, rejoiced joy great exceedingly.”

Or in good English, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

Matthew is emphasizing the joy the magi experienced – it must have been overwhelming.  They were filled up with joy, they were overwhelmed with joy. Every fiber of their being was filled with joy.

Gold, frankincense, myrrh – worship is divine (gold) and fragrant (frankincense and myrrh).

Is there a Divine fragrance is my worship of Jesus Christ? Am I falling on my face before the Face of God in Jesus Christ?

What about you? What does your worship of Christ look like? What does it smell like?

Ted Williams used to ask young sluggers, “Can you smell it?” He didn’t explain what he meant; he simply asked the question. You either knew what he was talking about or you didn’t.

There are times when the bat hits the ball so hard that the wood of the bat gets so hot you can smell it – you have either had that experience and know that smell or you don’t.

What does our worship smell like? (Revelation 5:8; 8:3).

Just some closing observations:

Jerusalem is six miles from Bethlehem, yet the religious leaders didn’t even make the trip, just in case the magi knew what they were talking about. This is a characteristic of religious arrogance – “if it didn’t come from us it can’t be true.” This is a dumb jackass attitude – don’t you think?

People can know the Bible and be dead in their sins – the religious leaders exhibited this truth throughout the Gospels (a good example is John 8:31 – 59).

Herod – Governments, at the end of the day, will never tolerate the worship of anyone or anything but the State. (Psalm 2).

This is all about worship – this is all about who we give our hearts to, this is all about falling on our faces before the Living God, this is all about loving God with all our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength.

This is all about giving Christ everything we have and everything we are. This is worship.

The Magi rejoiced with exceeding joy. We joy over the people and things that mean the most to us. Are we rejoicing over Jesus Christ? Are we falling down on our faces to worship Him?

What is in your wallet?  Who is in your heart?

What does the Incarnation look like in your life? Is Christ born in us as He is born in Bethlehem? Is the Incarnation continuing in us, and in our churches?

As St. Athanasius says, “He became like us so that we might become like Him.”

I love you!

Merry Christmas,

Bob

A Christmas Carol Poem

Gilbert Keith Chesterton, 1874 - 1936

The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary's knee,
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down

The Best House?

A day or two ago I had a mental picture of this neighborhood. I hope we are not being foolish during this Advent season - carried away by the insanity of materialism. 

What Is The Best House In The Neighborhood?

Robert L. Withers

What is the best house in the neighborhood?

Is it the one with exotic cars in the driveway and garage?

Is it the one with the Olympic-size swimming pool?

Is it the one so large that it takes many maids to clean?

Or perhaps the one with professionally landscaped and maintained grounds?

Maybe it is the house with thousands of Christmas lights?

Surely it could not be that little house at the end of the road,

At the end of the subdivision.

That is the house whose owners refused to sell

when the developers came to town.

That is the house modest in size, modest in appearance.

Surely it cannot be considered as even a remote candidate

For the best house in the neighborhood.

A day however comes when the river floods and the waters

Break its banks.

The levies collapse with a terrifying rush as the storm surge

Pushes them aside.

The hurricane spawns tornadoes, and the winds carry houses away,

And as the flotsam and jetsam assault the neighborhood

Only one house will remain that day.

It is the one that was there before the developers came

The one modest in every way, the one the neighbors were

Embarrassed about, the one they wished would go away.

But it did not go away, in fact it stayed, through the floods

And the storms that day, for that modest house had something that

The others didn’t, and so it did not float away.

It had a deep foundation you see, built upon the Rock; deep down

Through the earth it was laid – a firm foundation, that is what it was –

And that House is still there today.

So my friend don’t measure your life by things, by possessions

Or by what people say, there is only One measure in life,

Only One my friend – and of Him we need not be ashamed.

A life whose foundation is Christ is a life, though modest it may be,

That has eternal treasure, and that without measure;

With Him we ever shall be.

(Luke 6:46 – 49)

In The Bleak Midwinter

BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,

The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Slaves? Perhaps.

I could not pass this quotation up, it is from poet James Russell Lowell:

They are slaves who fear to speak

For the fallen and the weak;

They are slaves who will not choose

Hatred, scoffing, and abuse,

Rather than in silence shrink

From the truth they needs must think; 

They are slaves who dare not be

In the right with two or three.

As King Lemuel's mother taught him (Proverbs 31:8 - 9):

Open your mouth for the mute,

For the rights of all the unfortunate.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,


And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

Are we, God's People, speaking up for the disenfranchised today?

Or, are we slaves?

Highly Favored

“Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28.

“Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30.

These words of Gabriel to Mary are the words of God to all who belong to Jesus Christ. Can we hear the words of the Apostle Paul, over and over again, to the recipients of his letters, “Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ”?

The favor bestowed on Mary was the favor of mercy and grace, just as that conferred on us is the favor of mercy and grace; God’s sovereign and unmerited mercy and grace given freely to us according to the pleasure of His will.

Christ is born of Mary without the participation of a man; Christ is born in us without natural means: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12 – 13).

As Jesus says, “That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6).

As with the individual, so with the Church; the Son of God cannot be formed within His People by natural means – only the Life of the Son can reproduce the Life of the Son – the flesh cannot produce the spirit nor understand the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians Chapter 2).

Those in Christ are highly favored with their Father’s mercy and grace – O that we might hear God speaking His Word to us in Christ Jesus, and O that we would respond in obedience to His Word.

The Incarnation

In December my men's small group that meets Tuesday morning will be pondering the Incarnation. Here is the material for December 3 - perhaps there is something here from you.

Good morning brothers,

I’m going to ask us to keep two questions in the forefront throughout December, “What does the Incarnation look like in my life? What does it look like in the life of my church?”

If the Incarnation is frozen in time, that is, if we view Christ Jesus being born in Bethlehem and living on earth approximately 33 years as simply an historical event, then we are leaving Christ Jesus in the grave.  

Of course “incarnation” is a compound word, with the “carnation” part meaning “flesh” and the prefix being the preposition “in”. As John writes (John 1:14), “And the Word became flesh.”

But, and this is a very BIG but, this is more than simply the idea that God put on human flesh, that He took on a human body to live in for 33 years. When Christ became flesh He not only took on a body (Hebrews 10:5), He also became a man, a human, a member of Mankind. (Hebrews 2:9 – 18; 4:14 – 16; Philippians 2:5 – 11).

While the Virgin Birth is a miracle and mystery, if we limit our conception (no pun intended, but since I wrote it I’ll leave it) of the Birth to the physical miracle we miss the overwhelming miracle and holy mystery that God in Christ was not only born of a woman who did not “know” a man, but that He became a man while still remaining God. And so we have the saying that “Christ Jesus is fully God and fully Man.”

Words are not adequate to convey and encompass this holy mystery. I’ve attached the Nicene Creed as an example of how the Fathers grappled with expressing this mystery – knowing that their own words fell short; they were doing the best they could and they knew that their own words were inadequate. This is truly beyond words, but we do the best we can by the grace of God.

What do you see in the above passages?

What do these passages help us see about Jesus Christ and the Incarnation?

What does Hebrews Chapter 2 teach us about who we are in Christ? What does this passage tell us about how the Father sees us? What language does this passage use to describe our relationship with Jesus and the Father?

Do you think about yourself and other Christians in the way Hebrews Chapter 2 portrays us?

In Hebrews Chapter 2, why is the Incarnation critical?

God came to live in His People on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), we are the place where God lives (Ephesians 2:19 – 22) – time and time again in the Upper Room Jesus said that He and the Father and the Holy Spirit were coming to live in us (John chapters 13 – 17).

This is one reason we ask the questions, “What does the Incarnation look like in my life? What does it look like in the life of my church?”

I love you,

Bob

C.S. Lewis

Today is the anniversary of Lewis’s death (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), he didn’t quite make it to 65 years old. I can’t recall just how long I’ve been acquainted with Lewis, one’s memory begins to fade, but I’m pretty sure I first read him as a teenager.

While I am drawn to Lewis the writer, to his understanding of the world, of God, of the Church, of the cosmos, as communicated through the written word; I am perhaps more drawn to Lewis the man – to his life, his journey, his passions, his friendships. Can I separate the one from the other? Not really. But I make the distinction because I don’t pretend to be a Lewis scholar, nor do I pretend to be able to marshal Lewis’s apologetic arguments in a finely tuned intellectual array.

But I do so enjoy Lewis’s company – even when I can’t keep up with him. I do enjoy his simple faith, simple in the sense of Mere Christianity (both the book and more importantly the concept). I love visiting Narnia and look forward to being there. I stumble through Till We Have Faces and keep thinking that the next time I read it that the light will go on inside of my understanding. The Great Divorce continues to be a pleasant daytrip, and his essays are good companions. The Weight of Glory is something I think we should all read once a year, and the Space Trilogy is well worth the ride (in terms of stretching what can still be stretched of my thinking and imagination Perelandra is right behind Till We Have Faces). That Hideous Strength is being played out today – I’m sure there are elements that offend sensitivities, perhaps Lewis pushed some stereotypes too far.

As with all of us, Lewis had his flat spots, there are some in Mere Christianity and some more in The Four Loves, and I think in That Hideous Strength. Well, hopefully Lewis and the rest of us do the best we can in the light we have in the grace of Jesus Christ.

The best thing I ever did in terms of Lewis was to invest two or three years reading his letters – ranging from childhood to his final week in November 1963 – I felt as if I had traversed the decades with him and when I came to his last few letters I sensed that I had lost a friend…but of course he is still with me.

I look forward to seeing Lewis in Cair Paravel .

As True As His Own Existence

"Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." (2 Peter 1:1 – 4, italics mine).

In considering 2 Peter 1:4, Charles Spurgeon said, “This word of His that you are now considering is as true as His own existence.” (italics mine).

This reminds me of Hebrews 6:13 - 14, “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”

Then we have Titus 1:1 – 3, “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,…”

God’s Word “is as true as His own existence.” If God’s Word were to fail then it would mean that God would fail, and if God were to fail then there would be no existence, for Christ “upholds all things by the Word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3) and Christ “holds all things together” (Colossians 1:17).

Consider what assurance we have; the very Word of God that lives in us, that is on the pages of Scripture, is and was and is to come – it is rooted in the I AM THAT I AM (human language fails in these things). To encounter the Word of God is to encounter the Face of God, for the Word of God reveals Jesus Christ, He who is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:14 – 18).

The Word that lives in us is the Word that will carry us into eternity. This Word came into our lives from eternity past, into time and space, and this Word will bear us in its arms into eternity future – carrying us into that City whose Builder and Maker is God (Hebrews 11:8 – 16).

This Word is to live in us, breathe in us, flow through us; animating every fiber of our being – permeating spirit, soul, and body – drawing us into the Throne Room of our Father, unveiling the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God. The Living Waters that we see in Revelation 22:1 are the Living Waters that we see in John 7:37 – 39.

As the Throne of our Father and Lord Jesus is established in us, from beneath that Throne Living Waters will flow from us, in Christ, to others. The headwaters from the New Jerusalem are to be gushing from His Bride unto the peoples of the world, there are to be fountains in us, springing up into eternal life (John 4:14).

His Word in us, “is as true as His own existence.”

Patriotic Songs in a Worship Service

Here is a thoughtful article from Richard M. Gamble, professor of history at Hillsdale College, on the place of patriotic songs in church, with a particular focus on the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Please
Click here to go to the article.

A Cloak or Character?

            “It’s true I may be an apparent loser by declining evil company, but I would rather leave my cloak than lose my character. It isn’t necessary that I be rich, but it’s essential to me to be pure.” Charles Hadden Spurgeon.

            Spurgeon wrote this in commenting on Genesis 39:12, “He [Joseph] left his cloak in her [Potiphar’s wife] hand and ran out of the house.”

            What about this cloak? Was it the cloak he wore when sold into slavery, perhaps given to him by his brothers after they robbed him of his coat of many colors? Was it a cloak given him by the slave traders on the way to the slave market in Egypt? Or was it a cloak given to him by his master, Potiphar, as Joseph was promoted to oversee Potiphar’s household? Surely the overseer of Potiphar’s household must dress the part.

            Is it likely that Joseph regained his cloak before Potiphar delivered him to prison? We can only speculate, we don’t know. We do know Another who had his cloak stripped from Him as He was delivered to the Cross. Christ was bereft of His cloak as He endured the shame of accusation and the Cross for us. Joseph was bereft of his cloak as he endured the shame of accusation and prison for his brothers.

            Joseph could only commit his obedience to the God of his fathers as he left his cloak in the hands of evil and temptation. We cannot engage in a tugging match with temptation, we cannot attempt to compromise, we cannot seek to salvage worldly power and wealth and respectability and at the same time have our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. We cannot serve two masters.

            As Spurgeon reminds us, it isn’t necessary that we be rich in the things of the world, but it is vital that the son or daughter of the living God be pure in Jesus Christ. We are to be holy as our Father is holy. In Jesus Christ are riches beyond measure.

            As we look back over our lives, are there times we have left our cloaks for the sake of Jesus? Are we prepared to do so today?

Using Christ, Missing Christ

Times without number I have heard Christians say, “Most of the Jews didn’t recognize that Jesus was the Messiah because they were looking for a conquering Messiah who would deliver them from the Romans.”

Yet, how many of us are looking for that same type of Messiah? We want Christ to defeat the opposing political party. We want Christ to further our economic policies. We want Christ to exalt our nation above all other nations and to further our foreign policy. We want Christ to destroy our domestic and foreign enemies.

Well then, if that is the kind of Messiah that we are looking for, that we are promoting…perhaps, just perhaps, we are missing the True Messiah in our lives and in our churches.  

A Little

This morning I found much comfort in these words:

“I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name” (Revelation 3:8, italics mine).

I admit that sometimes, perhaps many times, I lament my lack of effectiveness toward others in Christ. Yes, yes, I understand that “unless Yahweh build the house, they labor in vain who build it”, and I hear Jesus saying, “Without me you can do nothing.” Yes, I know that it isn’t the measure of my faith but rather the object of my faith that is critical.

And yet, I still struggle at times with the idea that after all these years I am not a more faithful servant of Christ, toward Him and toward others.

So then, the thought that we can be those who have but “a little power” and yet keep His Word and not deny His Name; the thought that He sees us and sustains us, that Christ loves us (Rev. 3:9), that Christ keeps us in this hour of trial (Rev. 3:10), and that He has a wonderful inheritance for us (Rev. 3:12) – well, this thought is comforting to me.

To have but “a little power” is enough, yes it is enough, if it means that I am in Christ and He is in me.

It Seems to Me…Christ-centered or Not?

Once again, I’m being encouraged to embrace a popular speaker and author on the basis of his positive and loving and life-changing message. To purchase his books, to attend his presentation, to get on the bandwagon.

In response I ask the question I always ask, “Is this about Jesus Christ? Is this Christocentric (Christ-centered)?”

So, it seems to me that if I go to this person’s website that I should readily find the answer – but I don’t. I have to look for the answer, I have to look for Jesus, I have to keep looking; I am still looking.

Now then, my question is whether this author’s message is Christocentric, that means, “Is it Christ-centered?” If it is Christ-centered then it seems to me that I would see Christ Jesus just as soon as I land on the author’s webpage. It seems to me that once I begin clicking through webpages that Jesus would be front and center, but I keep clicking, I keep reading, I am looking for Jesus. It seems to me that if I have to look for Jesus that I just may have answered my question about whether Jesus is the center of the author’s message.

But of course this is against the grain and I should not be unreasonable; after all, the message does others so much good, and it has changed lives, and people are better off for it, and, after all, it really is about Jesus after all, how could it not be if it helps so many people. It just feels so good and right.

Few people, men or women, commit adultery with someone who repulses them.

Golden Calves

I wonder how many golden calves I have made to placate people (Exodus 32)? The people couldn’t see Moses, he was up on the mountain, and they couldn’t see God – they wanted something they could see.

How many pastors, priests, elders, deacons, trustees make calves to placate the people? How many have I made? Have I become an artisan of calves?

Did I make one yesterday? Did I affirm an already-existing calf?

Am I like the Alec Guinness character in The Bridge Over the River Kwai, who as he is dying asks, “What have I done?” Have I given the people what they want?

Have I proclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

What have I done?

Temptation - A Triad (2)

Continuing to contemplate a triad of Scripture passages that may help us to better understand temptation; 1 Corinthians 10:1 – 22; James 1:2 – 8; 2 Peter 2:4 – 10:

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials [temptations], knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2 – 3 NASB.

James begins his letter by addressing the dynamics of the trial of temptations; this introductory focus (1:2 – 1:18) is the setup for the balance of the epistle. He begins by pointing out that the Divine purpose in temptation is that we “may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” and later makes the point that on the other side of temptation is “the crown of life” (James 1:12).

The trial which temptation brings is the “testing” of our faith. This testing should produce “endurance” (steadfastness, perseverance). Consider Peter’s words (1 Peter 1:6 – 7 NASB):

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof [genuineness] of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”

Temptation is an opportunity for us to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, being made perfect and complete in Him, as our faith is tested to the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. We can either primarily view temptation as a struggle against potential sin, or we can view temptation primarily as an opportunity to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ as our faith in Him is being purged of impurities and strengthened. Temptation and trials have a purpose¸ and when we understand that purpose to be our transformation into the image of Jesus Christ we have a Biblical context within which to negotiate the trials of life.

We’ve all heard that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28), but most of us hear it and read it out of context. Paul is not writing of some nebulous indefinable “good”; consider what follows in 8:29:

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (NASB).

The ”good” of verse 28 is the transformation into the image of Jesus Christ in verse 29. This in turn means that during temptations that we ought to “fix our minds on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1) and that we should be “looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Why then does James write that we are to “count it (consider it) all joy” when we face temptations? It is because Christ is working in us for His glory, to conform us to His very own image.

This suggests that our first response to temptation ought to be thanksgiving and rejoicing. At any rate, it should be part of the fabric of our attitude when we are in trials, and yes, it does have a sacrificial nature to it (Hebrews 13:15).

James teaches that we are to “let (allow) endurance have its perfect result.” The thought that we are to “allow” endurance to work in us means that we are to cooperate with it, and even submit to its working – for it is indeed the working of God “to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). We are to live in obedience to Jesus Christ and we are to submit to the Holy Spirit and God’s Word working in us and through us. We resist temptation as we submit to Jesus Christ.

Notice James 1:5, a verse often quoted but, much like Romans 8:28, usually quoted out of context:

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…”

The context of this is temptation. When we are faced with trials and temptations and endurance is doing its work within us we need wisdom to traverse the treacherous landscape. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that when we are tempted, God will “make a way of escape so, so that you will be able to endure it.” We need wisdom, and often common sense, to identify and utilize the “way of escape”. We cannot endure temptation in our own strength or in our own wisdom – we need the life and strength and wisdom of Jesus Christ.

This brings us to a curious thought in James 1:6 - 8:

“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (NASB)

If we are to honor the context of these verses, then we must ask, “What does this have to do with temptation?”

I suggest that, at least in part, what we have here is the question of whether we really want to be delivered from temptation. Are we single-minded in our belief that God wants to deliver us, and do we really want to be delivered – or are we going back and forth in deciding what we really want? Are we singled-minded in our belief that God wants to deliver us, that giving into temptation results in sin, and that sin results in death – or are we attempting to justify giving into temptation? Do we believe that God is holy and hates sin, and that we are to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:14 – 16), or do we think that somehow God will make an exception for us if we dance with temptation and consummate it with sin?

A promiscuous church is a double-minded church, teaching double-mindedness to its people; teaching its people to give into temptation, to accommodate sin, to live outside the holiness of the holy God of the Bible. A promiscuous church teaches people strategies and tactics to embrace temptation and sin, to rationalize it. Such a church, and such a people, ought not to think that it will receive anything of the Lord without repentance.

But, let us leave that thought and remind ourselves that God desires to use temptation to perfect us and complete us in our Lord Jesus Christ, that He desires that we be conformed to the image of His Son, so that Jesus will be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

No matter what our trials, Jesus says, “Come to me. I will perfect you through them. Allow Me to work within you, producing endurance, completeness, and giving you My wisdom.”

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NASB.

“For whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” 1 John 5:4 NASB.

Our Souls Married to Christ

Reflections on Isaac Ambrose in his book, Looking Unto Jesus:

“Worldly honour keeps many back from Christ. But why must we look off [look away from] everything that diverts our looking unto Jesus?” (Ambrose).

As I ponder this I’m reminded that Jesus says (Mark 4:18 – 19), “And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

John writes concerning those in positions of power (John 12:42 – 43), “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

We have a fundamental choice to make, and by the grace of God we will make it in favor of Jesus Christ. Peer pressure is great. The fear of man can be paralyzing, if we do not seek the grace of Christ, if we do not submit to Christ, if we do not, by His grace, obey the Word of Christ. We can live in the prison of peer pressure, of pleasure, of temporal safety – or we can live as captives of Jesus Christ. Captivity to Christ is a greater freedom than the freest of the free outside of Christ – for the freest of the free outside of Christ is a prisoner of himself, while those who are captive to Christ have eternal and vibrant freedom in Him.

“Because whilst we look on these things, we cannot see the beauty that is in Christ.” (Ambrose).

This is such a fundamental principle that I don’t understand why we don’t understand it. If our eye is single our body will be filled with light (Matthew 6:22).

“Because all other things, in comparison of Christ, are not worthy a look... "I count all things but loss,” saith St. Paul, “For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord – I count them but dung that I may win Christ.” (Ambrose).

Shouldn’t we live on earth as we will live in heaven? Shouldn’t we desire and yearn for greater dimensions in our relationship with Jesus Christ? Deeper love? Higher delight? Greater wonder? (Ephesians 3:14 – 21).

“Because it is according to the very law of marriage: “Therefore shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave unto his wife.” The Lord Christ marries himself to the souls of his saints; and for this cause the soul must forsake all, and cleave unto Christ. [Italics mine]. (Ambrose).

“Because Christ is a jealous God. Now jealousy is a passion in the soul, that will not endure any sharing in the object beloved.” (Ambrose).

Paul writes (2 Corinthians 11:2 – 3), “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Do we live as if our souls are married to Christ? Or are we promiscuous in our affections? Do we put our wedding rings to Christ on for an hour or two on Sunday, and take them off as we leave our weekly gatherings? Do those who watch us, who live with us, who work with us, know by our words and actions and decisions that we are married to Jesus Christ, that we are devoted to Him, that we love Him with all that we have and all that we are?

What about our churches?

“Because all other things can never satisfy the eye. “All things are full of labour,” saith Solomon, “man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing”: it is but wearied with looking on divers objects, and yet still desires new ones; but once admit it to that glorious sight of Christ, and then it rests fully satisfied.” (Ambrose).

We live in a culture of seduction. We are seduced into thinking that Christ is not enough for us. We are seduced into thinking that our churches must reflect the world in order to attract the world. We are seduced into watering-down the Gospel. We are seduced into thinking that God will lower the glory of His holiness to accommodate our hedonism. We are seduced to believe that “just a little bit more” of this world will be enough to satisfy us.

O Lord Jesus, by Your grace, teach us to see You, desire You, pant after You as the deer pants for the water brooks, to be faithful to You, to live our lives looking unto You and only unto You.

May we live as those whose souls are married to Jesus Christ.

The Bride or the Whore?

From Isaac Ambrose in his book, Looking Unto Jesus:

“Just so much as the world prevails in us, so much is God’s love abated both in us and towards us. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses,’ saith St. James, ‘know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?’ When we have [had] enough of God and Christ, and yet desire to make up our happiness in the creature [the things of fallen humanity, the things of this age which is passing away], this is plain spiritual whoredom.

“We must look off [away from] the world in respect of its honours. What is this desire to be well thought of, or well spoken of? As if a man should run up and down after a feather flying in the air. It is a question whether ever he get it; but if he do, it is but a feather: such is honour, it is hard to obtain it, but, if obtained, it is but the breath of a few men’s mouths but what is worst of all, it hinders our sight of Christ.”

The language and syntax may be archaic, but the truth of what Isaac Ambrose writes remains with us today. Jesus teaches us that we cannot serve two masters, and that if our eye is single that our entire body [being] will be full of light. Paul teaches that we are to fix our minds on that which is above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God.

(I think the idea that God’s love towards us is “abated” is perhaps problematic. Is the shepherd’s love for the lost sheep abated? Does the shepherd not leave the ninety-nine sheep and go after the one lost sheep? As for whether God’s love “in us” is also abated, as Ambrose writes above, I’m not certain what he means by “in us”. If Ambrose means God’s love expressed in us and through us towards Him in worship and obedience, and through us to others, then he is right – the spirit of this age cannot worship Him nor can it truly love others).

Over the past year I’ve been downsizing; included in the downsizing are awards and mementos of recognition I received during my business career in the form of plaques and framed documents. I also had some issues of a publication that had articles I’d written, a speech I’d made, and photos of yours truly. While they meant a lot to me at the time, and while I hope I used my career as a platform to witness for Jesus and to help others – the fact is that that season of life has passed and were all of these things to be found in an attic by someone decades from now they would mean nothing. I’ve saved a future someone the trouble of disposing of these items by placing them in the trash can. Do not misunderstand, I am thankful for God’s blessing on my career, and I am thankful that I had positions where I could help people – but the platform I had was given to me by our Lord Jesus for His glory, not mine – and the lasting elements of my career will only be known in eternity, they will not be found in publications, on plaques, or written on framed certificates.

Perhaps Ambrose offends our religious sensibilities when he points out that when we look for fulfillment and meaning and satisfaction beyond our Lord Jesus; that when we say, “I’ve had quite enough of Jesus for the moment, let me put Jesus on hold and seek additional sources of fulfillment,” that we engage in “plain spiritual whoredom.” Should Isaac Ambrose offend us, how would we react to what God says through Ezekiel (Ez. Chapter 23)?

Jesus says, concerning His followers, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

Is Jesus enough? Is He truly our Bread from heaven? Are we looking for more than Jesus when we gather on Sundays? Have we imported the world into our churches? Are we seeking the honor and approbation of the world? Am I? Are you?

In eternity we shall see the face of Jesus Christ, we will be in His Presence, and we will know the glory of the Trinity in such a fashion as is beyond our comprehension. Isaiah had a glimpse and taste of this glory when he saw, “…the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple,” (Isaiah 6:1).

In the Day when we see the fulness of Him (Christ) who fills all in all we will wonder how we could have ever desired anything other than Jesus Christ, anything in addition to Jesus Christ, any honor but the honor and glory that belong to Jesus alone. We will wonder (I speak with human speculation) how we could have been so foolish as to desire and value the approval of this world, which is passing away.

Should we not live now, as we shall live on that Great Day? Should we not be married to Jesus Christ now, as we shall be married to Him on that Great Day? Should we not speak of Him now, glorify Him now, as we shall do on that Great Day? Should we not see “plain spiritual whoredom” for what it is now, as we shall see it on that Great Day? Shall we be ashamed of Jesus on that Great Day? No! A thousand times No! Then why are we ashamed of Him now? If we will fall on our faces on that Great Day, then how can we resist falling on our faces now?

“But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life; and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Revelation 3:4 – 5).

“Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.” (Revelation 19:6b – 9).

Temptation - A Triad

There is a triad of Scripture passages that may help us to better understand temptation; 1 Corinthians 10:1 – 22 (note verses 12 -13); James 1:2 – 8 (note verse 4); 2 Peter 2:4 – 10 (note verse 9). We’ll consider these passages in the next few meditations.

In 2 Peter Chapter 2, Peter is warning his readers about false prophets and assuring them that God will judge false prophets and those in rebellion against Him. In 2 Peter 2:4 Peter reaches back into ancient times to write of an angelic rebellion that God judged and will judge. In 2:5 Peter writes of God judging Noah’s generation and preserving Noah and his family, note that Peter styles Noah “a preacher of righteousness.” If we will, by God’s grace, live and preach righteousness we will certainly be tempted, but we will also be equipped in Christ to endure temptation – for obedient and consistent living and speaking in Jesus Christ, by the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, is a foundational element in the life that overcomes temptation, and the world, the flesh, and the devil.

In 2 Peter 2:6 – 8, Peter focuses on Sodom and Gomorrah and on God’s deliverance of Lot, who lived in Sodom. Peter tells us that Lot’s righteous soul was oppressed and tormented day after day by the sensual and rebellious conduct around him. Lot lived among a people who were in rebellion against the Holy God; in the midst of the trials and temptations that were a daily part of Lot’s life – God protected Lot and delivered him. This provides us with a link to 1 Corinthians Chapter 10 and to the point of this reflection.

1 Corinthians was written to a church which had significant sin and rebellion in its midst. 0In this context Paul turns to ancient Israel to illustrate the consequences of succumbing to temptation and rebelling against the Holy God. Consider 1 Corinthians 10:5:

“Nevertheless, with most of them [the Israelites in the Wilderness] God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the Wilderness.”

An entire generation perished in the Wilderness, with the exceptions of Joshua and Caleb, due to its rebellion against God and its failure to believe God’s Word and obey it. It was a generation which sold-out to temptation, which produced sin, which in turn produced death.

While there were disciples in the Corinthian church who were faithfully living for Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 16:15 – 18), considering the overall corrective nature of Paul’s letter and the number of areas of sin and disobedience that Paul addressed, we might not be too far off the mark to think that the ethos of the church in Corinth contained a broad and deep element of sin and rebellion – not unlike that of Israel in the Wilderness.

Looking at 2 Peter Chapter 2 and 1 Corinthians Chapter 10 we see the following: Noah was faithful in a wicked generation; Lot was faithful in the midst of a wicked people: and with “most” of the generation of Israelites that came out of Egypt “God was not well – pleased”; with the word “most” pointing us to Joshua and Caleb who were faithful.

God delivered Noah, He delivered Lot, and He delivered Joshua and Caleb; God delivered these men from the temptations and wickedness that surrounded them. Peter is telling his readers that God will also deliver them from the temptations surrounding them; Paul is telling his readers the very same thing. Noah and Lot lived in generations whose wickedness multiplied day after day. Caleb and Joshua lived in a generation that was called to be a holy people unto the True and Living God, and yet which was judged and died in the Wilderness. Whether we live in a hostile world, or in a hostile apostate church, God knows how to deliver us from temptation.

Our environments are hostile and opposed to obedience to the True and Living God and His Son Jesus Christ. If we are members of a local congregation which is betrothed in faithful holiness to Christ (2 Cor. 11:1-3) we have much to be thankful for – but let those congregations live in the awareness that they are living in the midst of the hostility of both the world and of Satan.

A failure to obey God’s holy and righteous Word leads to a failure to see the present age for what it is – hostile to God and under His judgment. John writes (1 John 5:19), “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

If we are going to resist temptation then we are going to go against the grain of the world and often against the grain of the professing church. As John writes (1 John 2:15), “…If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father in not in him.” Consider what James writes (James 4:4), “You adulteresses [an unfaithful church is styled an adulteress], do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

If we are not willing to go against the grain of the world and an unfaithful church (when we encounter it) then we will succumb to temptation rather than resist it. We must be willing to go it alone with Christ if that is what is required to be obedient to God’s Word.

We cannot be chameleons, blending in with the world and thinking that we are being faithful to Jesus Christ; to blend in with the world is to deny Jesus Christ and therefore to succumb to the temptation to deny the Lord who purchased us with His blood.

The temptation to question the Word of God regarding the world around us, this present age, is akin to the temptation that Eve succumbed to – we don’t really think we’ll die if we eat its fruit, we’ll just eat the pretty fruit, not the ugly fruit. Once we buy into that temptation we quickly lose our discernment regarding the holy and the unclean, righteousness and unrighteousness, obedience and disobedience.

Noah was not a chameleon, nor was Lot; nor were Caleb and Joshua. What about me? What about you? What about our churches?

Temptation - The Great Reenactment (3)

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

“On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (From Matthew Chapter 4, NASB).

In the Garden of Eden, when tempted by the serpent Eve responds, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.”

In Genesis 3:1 – 7 the serpent questions God’s Word, Eve gives one response to the serpent, the serpent counters her argument, the woman succumbs to the deception (compare 2 Cor. 11:1 – 3), and the temptation is consummated in sin and death.

In Matthew Chapter 4, after forty days of temptation in the Wilderness, Satan attacks with a temptation and Jesus responds with God’s Word; Satan attacks with another temptation and Jesus responds with God’s Word; Satan attacks with another temptation and Jesus responds with God’s Word. Satan’s sustained attack is met with Jesus’ sustained response with God’s Word.

In each of His responses Jesus speaks from Deuteronomy (Dt. 8:3, 6:16, 6:13).[i] This raises the question, “How can we possibly resist temptation without a living (incarnational) knowledge of the Word of God to which we are living in obedience?”

Also, let us keep in mind that Jesus is driven into the Wilderness after His baptism, at which the Holy Spirit descended upon Him – it was the Holy Spirit who drove Jesus into the Wilderness to be tempted. Jesus resisted temptation by the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the Word of God – we cannot separate the Spirit from the Word or the Word from the Spirit. The Bible must be illuminated by the Holy Spirit for us to understand it and see Christ in it. To withstand temptation and live in obedience to Christ we need the union of the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures in our lives. We must call on our Lord Jesus to work His will within us, to live His life within us – for in and of ourselves we are not sufficient to obey God and face temptation.

Should someone say, “What of young Christians who are just learning the Scriptures?” We have the promise that “…God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). The critical point here is that “God is faithful.” We can trust the character of our Father.

Sadly, there are some today who disregard what we call the Old Testament; the Law and the Prophets and the Writings. Yet, it is from Deuteronomy that Jesus took all three of His responses to the enemy in the Wilderness. It was through the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms that the risen Christ revealed Himself to His disciples (Luke 24:27, 32, 44 – 47). How foolish to reject the revelation of Christ in Genesis through Malachi. How foolish to disregard the foundation and backdrop of the New Testament. I don’t use the word heresy lightly, but this is heresy as old and older than Marcion.

In the Great Reenactment in the Wilderness, Jesus is living by the Word of God; He is living in obedience to the Word of God and not tempting God by attempting to manipulate the Word (note that Satan traduces Psalm 91 in Matthew 4:6, we see this ploy in heretical teachers); He is worshiping and serving God and God alone.

Knowing God’s Word as our sustenance. Living in obedience to God’s Word. Worshiping and serving God and God alone. This is our daily calling. By God’s grace, faithfulness to this calling will see us through the Wilderness of temptation, trial, and testing as we participate with Jesus Christ in the Great Reenactment.

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[i] I write from a human perspective for I don’t understand the mystery of the Incarnation; certainly the Word of John 1:1 has always been the Word and therefore the Word of Deuteronomy which Jesus “quotes” in Matthew 4 is His own Word which Moses recorded in Deuteronomy. It is difficult, at least for me, to understand in most any measure the union of God and Man in the Incarnation. I “see” it more clearly at some times than at others – but it is ever a mystery.