Where's The Image? Part 2

 

“DA 9:1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-- 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”

 

          Seventy years before this passage was written the kingdom of Judah along with its capital city, Jerusalem, had been conquered by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar.  As was the military and political custom of that time, many of the people of the kingdom of Judah were removed from the land and relocated elsewhere. This was in accordance with the prophecies of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah also prophesied that after 70 years the people of Judah would be allowed to return to their land.

 

          In Daniel chapter 9 Daniel tells us that a time came when he understood it was time for Jeremiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled.

 

          Now the question for us is, “How did Daniel respond to this understanding?”  What did he do and what didn’t he do?  And let’s remember, this is a man who has had unusual encounters with God, a man who has been given dreams and visions about the future, the flow of history, right up to the consummation of history.  So how did this man respond?

 

          He didn’t produce a chart with every detail of how the people of Judah were going to return to their land.  He didn’t make a public proclamation of his newfound knowledge.  He didn’t write a series of books. He didn’t hold conventions on prophecy. He didn’t make himself the center of attention. He didn’t seek to financially profit from his understanding.

 

In fact, the only thing we know that he did was what?  He prayed.  He engaged in intercessory prayer for his people, confessing their sins, and while we aren’t going to read this entire chapter, toward the end of the chapter, as a result of his humble praying which was focused on God and others, Daniel received even more understanding about God’s purposes in the flow of history.

 

          Had Daniel been presumptuous, with a “know it all” attitude, I seriously doubt he would have received anything else from God.

 

          If Daniel’s attitude and response was one of humility and prayer, then I think we ought to take our presumptuous charts off the wall and follow his example.

 

 

          What are the prophetic patterns we see in Scripture?  There are many, many patterns, some are hopeful and upbeat and some are on the downside of history.  God has a purpose and His purpose will not be defeated, it will not be stopped, it will not be delayed.  Next week we’ll look at the upside of His purpose, we’ll look at His plan for you, His destiny for you, because He has things for us and a destiny for us that most of us have never even thought about, never even heard about.  Most of His people on this earth are living on spiritual welfare when God has given them the riches of His glory.

 

          Back to Revelation chapter 13.  We’ve got a beast, a dragon, another beast who looks like a lamb but which is a false prophet, we’ve got an image of the beast and we’ve also got the number 666, a number which has generated much speculation for the past 2,000 years.

 

          We’re going to take a quick look at this chapter and if you haven’t read the entire book of Revelation you’ll need to do so in order to put this chapter in its context.  The characters in this chapter are seen elsewhere in Revelation, and the dragon and the first beast are seen throughout Scripture. Look for the patterns, always look for the patterns and images and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through them.

 

What are the patterns represented in this chapter?  Now to some of you this is old stuff and so you’ll just have to be patient, and you can be like Daniel and pray while we go through this.

 

Verses 1 & 2.  The heads, the horns, and the crowns are images that represent heads of state, governments and power.  If you’ve read the book of Daniel you’ll know that animal images such as the leopard, the bear and the lion represent characteristics of governments and rulers.

The dragon represents Satan, this is interpreted for us in Revelation 12:9 and elsewhere.

 

We see in verse 2 that the dragon gives the beast his authority and power.  In other words, the beast is energized and motivated by Satan.

 

People worship the beast and in verses 6 – 10 we see that the beast is opposed to God and that he makes war on the saints.

 

In verse 11 we see another beast who looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon and it is his job to cause the world to worship the first beast.

 

This second beast, we’ll call him the False Prophet, for this is his designation elsewhere in the Book of Revelation, causes mankind to make an image of the first beast, who we’ll call the Antichrist, and he gives life to this image; if people don’t worship this image they are killed.  If you’ve read Daniel this will remind you of the image Nebuchadnezzar made and of Daniel’s three friends refusing to worship that image and the fiery furnace they were placed in.

 

Then in verse 16 we see the mark of the beast and in verse 17 we see that if you don’t have the mark you can’t engage in commerce and then in verse 18 we have the number 666.

 

Now we know that there were times in the Roman Empire in which people were required to offer sacrifice to the Emperor.  The Emperor was considered a god, and to demonstrate your loyalty to the Emperor you appeared before an official and offered a sacrifice or incense, affirming that you indeed worshiped the Emperor.

 

Without this affirmation you could not engage in commerce, you could not buy or sell.  So while there indeed may be a future and more comprehensive fulfillment of this element concerning buying and selling in Revelation 13, we do have historical examples of it.

 

(We can find many examples of this throughout history – it takes many forms. If you do not conform to the system you are in, the system can be unmerciful and shut you out, making economic survival difficult or impossible.)

 

Christians were not so much persecuted by the Roman Empire because they worshipped Jesus.  Let me repeat that, Christians were not so much persecuted by the Roman Empire because they worshipped Jesus.  They were persecuted because they worshipped Jesus only.

 

Roman society was both and syncretistic and polytheistic.  You could worship 80 or 800 gods and have no problems, as long as you also worshipped the Emperor.  But Christians worshipped Jesus ONLY.  My dear dear friends, we can worship Jesus all we want, as long as we don’t consider Him to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and people will leave us alone. This is, in fact, why they do indeed generally leave us alone – because we worship the gods of the world alongside Jesus.

 

What are the patterns?

to be continued...

Where's The Image? Part 1

 Where’s the image?

 

This was our second Sunday morning after 9/11. The first Sunday I had a handout for the congregation that listed Bible passages and bullet points, I didn’t preach a sermon that first Sunday because it was more a time of reflection for us than anything else. How does a person or a people process and respond to such a tragedy? I wanted to guide our dear people to Jesus and away from the reactions of the world, as well as away from cheap popular Christian thinking. I wanted our people to see themselves as “citizens of heaven” (Phil. 3:20) before anything else – our calling was to display Jesus and bring others to Him.

A companion passage, which I do not refer to in this message, is 2 Thessalonians 2:1 - 12. If we grasp the essence of this passage we will "see" that self-exaltation, both individual and collective, is a hallmark of Satan; and rather than embrace it and justify it, we will flee from it and from all who propagate it. The "man of lawlessness" exalts himself and works to pull us into drinking the poison of that cup...woe to us that we see and flee from this evil.  

 

Can you see what I was doing in this message?

This is lightly edited.

 

 September 23, 2001; Revelation 13

Becket, MA  

Bob Withers

 

            When I was in property management, a lady worked for me who was the manager of a cooperative community of 400 families just outside Washington, D.C.  One year I sent her to a conference in San Antonio, Texas, thinking that it would be a great experience for her and help advance her career.  When she returned, she walked into my office and cursed me up one side and down the other, she was really upset.

 

          She was upset because I’d sent her into unfamiliar territory, unfamiliar people, and unfamiliar subject matter.  She was frustrated, highly frustrated.  Though, all in all, she came out just fine.

 

          A number of people who worked for me over the years had that same experience to varying degrees, that experience of frustration, because I would not dumb down for them, I wanted to bring them up, not allow them to remain where they were.

 

          And so, my dear friends, you have lots of company, your frustration has been shared by many over the years, I love you too much to dumb down.

 

          Last week we looked briefly at a number of questions that have been raised as a result of the attacks in New York and Washington and the tragedy in Pennsylvania.  Among the Biblical references on last week’s handout were the books of Daniel and Revelation, and in reading them I suggested that you ask yourself the question, “What patterns do I see in these passages?”

 

          God communicates to us through patterns and images.  Yes, He also gives us commandments and principles to live by, but much of His communication is through images and patterns.  Sometimes we’re apt to think that the idea that we’re a visual people only came about with the advent of movies and television, but we’ve been visual from the beginning of our existence.  In fact, in the beginning we were God’s visualization of Himself to the universe in that He created us in His image; now He is about the restoration of that image through and in Jesus Christ.

 

          We are told that Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God.  Yes, Jesus taught many things, but He first and foremost lived among us and, as the apostle John writes, “He is full of grace and truth.”  This is why Jesus could say, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me…He who has seen Me has seen the Father” This is why the primary issue with Jesus is not His teachings, but His Person, Himself.  He is God, God manifested in the flesh, God’s perfect representation, His perfect image.

 

          The other day as I was channel surfing, I happened upon one of the religious channels on which the preacher was talking about Biblical prophecy.  Behind him on the platform was a massive chart that took up most of the wall.  The chart showed this preacher’s conception of history from the dawn of time through the last chapter of Revelation.  I’ve seen charts like this since I came to Christ as a teenager.  Those charts used to fascinate me with all their knowledge and detail and Biblical references, I was intrigued by them.  After all, for many of us, knowing the future and having the answers is important, it’s a natural tendency within many of us.

 

          A few weeks ago, I was at a house party when the hostess walked up to me with another woman and said, “Bob, do you know Mary Scammon?”  And I replied, “Of course I know Mary, but Mary, I didn’t recognize you.”  And the fact was that I hadn’t recognized this woman who’ve I’ve seen and talked to on a number of occasions.  In spite of the fact that she had a wide brimmed summer hat on, and that I don’t recall her ever wearing a hat before, I still think I should have recognized her.  But why didn’t I know who she was when I first saw her?  Why did someone have to remind me who she was?  Because I saw her out of context. 

 

Has this ever happened to you?  You’re accustomed to seeing someone in a particular context, perhaps work, or church, or school, and then you see them in an aisle at Walmart, and you draw an embarrassing blank and don’t know what to say?  I was accustomed to seeing Mary Scammon in the context of my relationship with her husband, pastor Warren Scammon.  Since the function we were both at had nothing to do with church ministry, I didn’t recognize Mary.

 

          By the same token, when people draw elaborate charts about Biblical prophecy and insist that the future is going to follow the detailed path they have laid out, they leave themselves and their students open to the almost inevitable experience of not understanding what is actually occurring because they can’t recognize events outside of their pre-determined context.

          If we’ll study and understand the patterns and images of Scripture, then we’ll have the tools that the Holy Spirit can use to help us understand events, otherwise we’ll be like the baseball player at the plate who is looking for a particular pitch, maybe a 95 mph fast ball but he gets a 70 mph change –up and swings long before the ball reaches the plate. 

 

             If you’ve read the book of Daniel, you’ll know that God showed Daniel a number of visions concerning the prophetic flow of history.  Daniel saw some pretty weird images and patterns, in fact, some were quite frightening.  Therefore, we might rightly think that if we could discover how Daniel responded to the contemporary flow of events in his own life, especially if he thought the events were in accordance with Biblical prophecy, that then we might have a pattern to follow in our lives and in our time.

 

          Well, we do have an outstanding example of this and it is found in Daniel chapter 9, so

let’s turn to it briefly, Daniel chapter 9, which will be page 788 in most of the pew Bibles.

to be continued...

The Invitation – testimony

 

The Invitation – testimony

LeAnna

 

I received this email in response to the message, The Invitation; it is from LeAnna. Since testimonies ought to be shared, I thought I’d pass this along. O dear friends, we must always be on mission for Jesus, always for Jesus. How we are distracted about many things, when people around us…and in our pews…truly need Jesus.

 

A worldview doesn’t save people, an economic system doesn’t save people, a political system doesn’t save people – only Jesus saves people, only Jesus brings light and life – and our lives are to belong only to Him…only to Him.

 

Let us be devoted to, and in love with, Jesus.

 

Much love,

 

Bob

 

Thanks for this. Surely I would never forget... I had been attending church that year since February 2001 my ears and heart were being opened...

9/11 was the catalyst for me to dig deeper... and that revival weekend I clearly remember saying to myself "well let me go to church for Friday night instead of partying for the first time."

I met Jesus that weekend

 the veil was taken away

you prayed for me after the service because I told you I wanted to go up to the alter call but was reluctant to be the only one,

 you simply prayed for me and  when I went home I said let me read the Bible for myself; and said well I might as well start where we were reading tonight the book of Revelation and finished it.

 i didn't have any idea what was coming

I was so eager to talk to you the next morning.

9/11 for me was the catalyst to dig in for the gold.

My experience for 9/11 was life-changing and you were an assigned helper on my path at that time in those days.

I’m forever grateful.

Stay blessed and favored.

Love to you both.

I know for sure the message that is/was relentlessly resounding in my being is "come, now is the time to awaken, let The Bride arise, let the bride start moving like the bride" where is the Bride of Christ? It is time.

The Invitation - Part 3

 

“Take up his cross…and…follow Me.”

“Oh yes pastor…I know about the cross.   I have this family member that God has put in my life…I have this co – worker who is a trial to me…I have this boss who is always on me…oh yes pastor…I have this problem with my finances…I have this illness that has invaded my life…oh yes pastor…God has given me great understanding about spiritual things but people don’t acknowledge my importance…oh yes pastor…I am so very gifted but no one pays proper attention to me…oh yes pastor…I know about the cross…”

“Oh no…my friend…oh no…my friend…you do not know about the Cross…the Cross of Christ…for the Cross of Christ is not about me…it is not about you…it is not about us…it is about…it is all about…Him…the Lamb of God Whom we have all nailed to the tree…nailed to the tree of our hearts…the tree of our minds…the tree of our souls…

Can we hear the words of the apostle Paul ringing from eternity in our hearts…?

“I count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus…my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things [I have denounced myself, I have denied myself, I have repudiated myself] and count them [and myself] as rubbish that I may gain…Christ…and be found in Him not having my own righteousness…that I may know…”

Religious jargon?   That I may wear spiritual medallions?  That I may be admired by others?  That I might fill up my ego and feed on my self importance?

NO!!!!

“…that I may know HIM…and the power of HIS resurrection and the fellowship of HIS sufferings…being conformed to the image of HIS death…”

Jesus has given the invitation…and to those who accept it He gives an imperative command…not an option…that we deny ourselves…take up our cross…and follow Him.

Oh we love to follow…we often do it discretely…yes we are masters of discretion when it comes to following the latest fads or fancies…the latest religious and spiritual fashions…we walk down the Parisian runways of American religious life strutting our jargon…wearing designer labels…I am pre – trib, I am post – trib, I am charismatic, I am Congregational, I am Presbyterian, I am Methodist…well…have you read all of so and so’s books?  I have.  Well no, I haven’t read those because he’s only written 6 books, I read this other person’s books because he’s written 12.

The invitation does not say, “He who would follow a fad or a fancy…” The invitation says, “If anyone will come after Me.”  Then the imperative command, “Let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow….ME.”

Why were those people on that road in Galilee?  Why are we here tonight? 

35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

The answers to these questions are self – evident, self – evident unless we have been intoxicated by sin and by self…self – evident unless we have lost the invitation…

Do you know where your invitation is tonight?  How have you RSVP’d?

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

This invitation…just what does it invite us to attend?  What is our part should we respond?  What role are we to play in the proceedings?

It is…as I read the invitation…an invitation to a wedding…

Jesus looks at the crowd…the crowd following Him to see wonders…to fill themselves with loaves and fishes…to gawk at healings…to pass judgment on His words and actions…the crowd to see and be seen…they are so very fickle…like butterflies moving from one flower to another…never remaining anywhere very long…they are an adulterous and sinful generation. 

They are sinful because they are full of themselves…they are the “be all and end all” of life, of history, of humanity.  Their Creator is among them and they do not see. Their means of deliverance walks with them, the Lamb of God…their salvation…talks with them…but they do not hear.  They may walk the same physical road as Jesus does…but there the similarity ends.  They may talk the religious talk, they may walk the religious walk, they may think themselves capable of judging the words and deeds of the carpenter from Nazareth…ah yes…it is a sinful generation that sits in judgment of God.

Of course, our own generation is not like that…far be it from us to sit in judgement on the words and deeds of God…far be it from us.

What does this invitation invite us to?  Where does it bid us go?  What role are we to play when we arrive?  Why were those people on that road in Galilee?  Why are we here tonight?  Where are we going?  What shall we do with this invitation?

Do we know the difference between cohabitation and marriage?  How many times this past week, this past month, this past year have you sat before a TV screen watching programs in which cohabitation or causal sexual encounters were the norm…and you never even flinched because it has indeed become the norm…in your thinking…in your way of life?

Do we know the difference between cohabitation and marriage?  Cohabitation says, “What’s in it for me?  Let me try this shoe on and see if it fits.  Let me keep the door open so that I can leave if things get too rough.  Give me a way out.”

Cohabitation says, “Convenience.  Let me be as the butterfly, flittering from one flower to another.”

Oh but someone says, “No pastor, you don’t understand, I’m in a committed relationship.”  Ah but no, my friend, you don’t understand, a committed relationship between a man and a woman – in the sense of which you speak – is something ordained by God that He has named marriage – one husband, one wife, a union of a man and a woman.

What is this invitation that we have received?  What does it require of us should we accept it?

“Would you take this man…or this woman…to be your wedded spouse…understanding that the commitment is contingent upon the ebb and flow of life?  Understanding that there may be days in which your spouse will be more attracted to another than to you, and that if so…your spouse will act in thought and deed on these attractions?”

“Will you take this person to be your wedded spouse, understanding that from time to time he or she will slip the ring off his finger and pursue his own interests and will return to you at his pleasure?”

Is this a picture of marriage or is it a picture of adultery…of an adulterous generation?

Are we married to a doctrine or are we married to Jesus?  Are we wedded to a form of worship or are we wedded to Jesus?  Is our commitment to a musical style or is it to Jesus?  Does our wedding band say, “Charismatic?  Fundamentalist?  Evangelical?  Congregational?”  Or does its say, “Jesus.”  Does our marriage certificate indicate a particular doctrine, denomination, or view of prophecy, or does it say “Jesus”?

When Jesus invites us to follow Him, the imperative command is to deny ourselves, take up our cross…and follow…HIM…follow HIM…be joined to HIM.  And just as a woman assumes her husband’s name and the two meld into one identity, one person…a fact recognized by law…so we are called to deny, renounce, repudiate ourselves and follow HIM.

For the invitation we hold in our hands this evening, in this place, is a marriage invitation…and we are called not as invited guests…but as the bride of Christ.  You are not called to sit at a table apart from the Bridegroom, you are called to walk down the aisle with the Bridegroom waiting for you and to say to Him and to this generation, “I accept your invitation of marriage, I repent of my self-centered way of life, and I give myself to you Lord Jesus.”

AMEN.

The Invitation - Part 2

 

Behind Jesus and the band of disciples, walking a respectful distance all this time…is a crowd…the ever present crowd of lookers – on, hangers – on…some are there so they won’t miss the next healing service…others are there lest they miss a good meal of loaves and fishes…and others…well others are the vocational kibitzers…the ones who hover around the religious goings on of the day and provide a running commentary to friends and neighbors.

This latter group equates religious vocabulary with spirituality, with knowing looks they quote Scripture as if every time they do so God looks down upon them with immense pleasure…as military men wear medals on their uniforms their religious knowledge and jargon represent their perceived place in God’s chain – of – command.

As Jesus places one foot in front of the other…as He moves deliberately towards His appointment in Gethsemane, His appointment with the High Priest, His appointment with Pilate, His appointment on Golgotha…He stops…turns…and beckons the crowd to draw near with His disciples.  It is time to bring the reality of God home to these people…it is time to bring the reality of the Son of God home to His generation…

Were there any disciples with Jesus that day?  Where were those people going?  Why were they there?  Why are we here tonight?  Where are we going?   Are there any disciples here with Jesus tonight?  Who do we say that Jesus is?

Please take your Bibles and turn with me to Mark chapter 8, Mark chapter 8, verses 34 – 38…Mark chapter 8:34 – 38.  Let’s stand as we read…

MK 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

All of these people surrounding Jesus…all of these people here tonight in this building.  All of these people walking with Jesus…walking behind Jesus…one foot in front of the other…but where are they going?  Why are they there?  Why are we here?  Why are those people on that road in Galilee?  Why are we on route 8 this evening?  Jesus knows where He is going…do they know where they are going?  Jesus has an appointment with suffering, rejection and death…Jesus knows where He is going…do they know where they are going…do we know where we are going?

“If anyone would come after Me…” There’s the invitation…open to all…open to all on that road in Galilee…open to all here tonight…

This is not an invitation to a spiritual or religious carnival…it is not an invitation to display one’s spiritual knowledge…not an invitation to sit at the front of the class…not an invitation to gorge ourselves on loaves and fishes…it is an invitation to follow Jesus…it is an invitation to be bound to Him.

It is…an invitation…and we can choose to accept it…or reject it…it has an automatic RSVP attached to it…Jesus knows…He knows…how we have handled this invitation…oh yes…we have a choice…the invitation has been given…it has been received…sent certified mail…return receipt requested…certified mail…God has come to earth…God has walked this earth…God has spoken on this earth…and we have nailed Him to a tree…and He has taken our sins upon Himself…and we have heard the Good News of God’s love…we have received the invitation…and He knows that we have received it…what have we done with it? 

Is it on our desk of life buried beneath the clutter?  Have we misplaced it on a workbench in the basement?  Must we dig through our glove compartment to retrieve it?  Must I ask my wife where she put it?…after all…I knew where it was before she cleaned my office.  What have we done with the invitation?  Why are we here tonight?

“Let him deny himself.”  Here we have not an invitation, here we have not a choice…but here…for those who accept the invitation…we have a command…an imperative.  An imperative command to utterly denounce oneself without regard to one’s own advantage or convenience…because to accept the invitation is to relinquish ownership of one’s life to Jesus Christ.

“And take up his cross and follow me.”

What are we doing in this place?  What are you doing in this place?  What was that crowd doing on that road in Galilee?  Following for loaves and fishes, following to receive “things” from Jesus?  Following to be seen by others?   Following to be in the forefront?   Following to obtain more religious medals and accolades to wear on their religious personas?  Who among them would surrender these trinkets of a temporal life, who among them would denounce himself…herself…who would accept the invitation to follow Him?  Tonight…why am I here?  Why are we here?  Why are you here?  What is it that you seek to satisfy your life…what feeds the hunger for significance within you?  What satisfies your heart, mind and soul?  What do you look to for fulfillment?  Where are you going when you leave here tonight?

to be continued...

The Invitation - Part 1

 

The invitation

 

September 21, 2001 Manuscript (Berkshire Revival, Dalton, MA) Bob Withers

 

            Where are you going this evening?  Why are you here?  When you leave here what road on the

 path of life will you be taking?  Where are you going this evening?

            Jesus and His disciples are in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi…He has been teaching them for over 3 years…walking with them, talking with them, eating with them, sleeping with them.  They have known the hostility of the religious leaders, the fickleness of the crowds.  There have been weeks of such long hours that one day has run into another day.  “Was that Tuesday we did that or Wednesday?”  There have been weeks of crowds pressing upon them so that they had no rest.

            Three years of walking with the Master.  Three years of watching Him, listening to Him and telling others about Him.

            And now in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus and his disciples…walking along the road together, as one foot goes down before the other on their way to a particular mountain that will hold an unique experience, as one foot goes down before the other…perhaps they were talking about fishing, or about their families, maybe about the recent healing of the blind man who at first saw men looking like trees walking, or as the Middle Eastern sun beat down on them could it be they were reminiscing about the water turned to wine years ago at Cana?

            As they are walking…walking to a mountain…and beyond the mountain to the city of Jerusalem…to that city where Jesus has an appointment to keep…an appointment with a crowd in a garden, an appointment with the religious leaders and a kangaroo court, an appointment with the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, an appointment with hammer and nails, an appointment with darkness…

            As they are walking Jesus speaks… “Who do men say that I am?”  An easy enough question…an easy enough question.  “Oh, some think you’re John the Baptist back from the dead, they’re really freaked out about You.  Others think you’re Elijah come back to earth.  And still others think you’ve just got to be one of the prophets, though they’re not sure which one.  Oh yes, Master, there is a lot of speculation about you, a lot of discussion about You.”

            And as the disciples were displaying their knowledge of contemporary thought as proud as a courting peacock or tom turkey, as they were trying to outdo each other in their display of knowledge in the presence of their Teacher, as their chests were getting puffier and puffier as they vied for pre-eminence before the One whom they had lived with for the past three years…as they jostled to be in the front of the class…to be the top honor student…Jesus asks,

            “But…who do you say that I am?”

            And the clucking of hens stop, the peacock’s fan folds, and the eyes of the students avoid the Teacher’s gaze…because now it’s not enough to talk about what others think…it’s not enough to talk about what others believe…it’s not enough to make others the target of the conversation…the question has come home to each of the disciples individually.

            Why were they there?  Where had they come from?  Where were they going?  What were they doing there?

            And then a bolt of unseen lightening strikes one of their number…and Peter speaks those words that have echoed down the centuries, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

            All is well it seems, all is well, He is the Christ and they are with Him, walking down the road in Galilee in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi…all is well…the Teacher’s question is answered…one foot in front of the other…step by step they walk…the tension is relived…on they walk…but do they know where they are going?

            Do they know of the appointment in Jerusalem?  Do they know of the crowd…the mob…with torches in the garden of agony?  Can they see the kangaroo court in the official residence of the high priest?  Do they recoil at the flesh being torn from the back of Jesus by a Roman flogging?  Can they hear hammer striking nails through flesh into wood?  Do they know where they are going?

            And Jesus begins teaching as they walk…putting one foot in front of the other…

            “The Son of Man must suffer many things…and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes.”

            Suffering and rejection?  Rejection by the elders, chief priests and scribes?  Rejection by the religious leaders, by the leaders with the fancy titles before their names and the alphabet soup which follows their names?  Can this be true?  Well, if it is true no doubt they’ll come to acknowledge their mistakes as the Christ demonstrates Who He really is…they’ll come to their senses.

            And as one foot is placed in front of the other Jesus continues, “The Son of Man must suffer, must be rejected and must be killed and after three days rise again.”

            “Now we don’t know about this rising again thing, but we do know about the idea of being killed.  Jesus must not know the plan, being killed is not part of the plan.”

            So Peter takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke Him.  “Yes Peter, do it, straighten Him out about this business of being killed.  We haven’t invested three years of our life so that He can be killed.  Bring Him to His senses.”

            Jesus turns about…looks at His disciples…His eyes fasten of Peter…and His heart connects with this most impetuous of His followers…and Jesus rebukes Peter saying, “Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God but the things of men.”

            The disciples reel backwards as a boxer who has suffered a severe blow falls into the ropes.  The unexpected punch has knocked the wind out of them. 

“Suffering, rejection, being killed…these are the things of God?  These are the things of God?”

to be continued...

The Invitation - Introduction

 

The invitation – introduction

 

Yesterday, September 11, 2026, I awoke about 4:00 A.M. thinking of 25 years ago. While I am always aware of a 9/11 anniversary, this year it was especially poignant, perhaps because it has been 25 years, perhaps because the chaos continues; domestically, internationally and within the professing church. Indeed, the chaos appears exponential, faster than a human can process, faster than humanity can process.

 

As a rule Vickie and I cannot handle watching retrospectives on 9/11, they are too sorrowful, too tragic…how many times have we all relived them? How many times can we watch the videos and hear the voices?

 

The one retrospective that we did watch was the story of Steve Scheibner, the American Airlines pilot who was scheduled to fly the first hijacked plane, but who was bumped from the flight by another pilot who had seniority. You can find his story on YouTube, “In my Seat.”  His wife also wrote a book with that title.

 

The evening of 9/11 our church hosted a community time of prayer and reflection, and since we were the only church in our Massachusetts township, the sanctuary was filled. I knew, as pastor, that I needed to provide comfort in Christ, hope in Christ, and to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ. As many of you who are reading this know, if you didn’t live through that day you can no more adequately describe it, capture it, for others, than our parents (of my generation) could describe their experience of December 7.

 

A few days after 9/11 what was known as The Berkshire Revival occurred. This was an annual multi-day meeting of churches from various traditions in the Berkshires, to worship Jesus, encourage one another, and witness to our regional community. Each evening a different pastor would preach, and a different church would provide music and lead singing. In 2001 the Dalton United Methodist Church, with is large sanctuary, hosted the event.

 

There was absolute unanimity among the pastors that we were going to focus on Jesus Christ, and worship Him and Him alone. For sure there was pressure by some in the community to focus on issues and movements other than Jesus, but we affirmed one another in our calling to serve Jesus and only Jesus; we would lead our collective flocks to the Christ of the Cross. I still recall witnessing an attendee verbally attacking a pastor after his evening message because the pastor spoke of overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21; Matthew 5:43 – 48), and saying, “I’m glad you’re not my pastor!”

 

Well, it was a challenging time and today is no less challenging. If Jesus isn’t our focus, our heart’s desire, our One True Love, our Compass; then we are like weathervanes at the mercy of the winds. You can’t navigate using a weathervane, or at least you shouldn’t.

 

Yesterday I was wondering what I preached in the aftermath of 9/11, 25 years ago. What follows in the next post is my message during the Berkshire Revival, on September 21, 2001.

 

Much love,

 

Bob

Two Healings, Two Responses (5)

 

 

In our previous reflection I asked how Chapter 10 might relate to chapters 9 and 11. Let’s ponder a couple of intersections; perhaps you will see more for there are many facets in this diamond.

 

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life,  and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:9 – 11).

 

When we read Jesus’ words, are we reminded of Psalm 23? “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures”? Perhaps we also recall Psalm 100, “It is He who made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

 

Then there is, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20 – 21).

 

To “see” Psalm 23 is to “see” John 10, and to see John 10 is to see Psalm 23. The Shepherd of Psalm 23 loves and cares for His own by laying His life down for them, we may not see this in Psalm 23 until we arrive at John 10, but it is there. The Shepherd of Psalm 23 can prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies because He has conquered death, defeated our enemies, and in Him we have nothing to fear (see Hebrews Chapter 2).

 

One of the points – counterpoints of John’s Gospel is the Good Shepherd caring for His sheep with love and care, drawing them into relationship with Himself; and then the Good Shepherd among wolves, protecting His sheep, eventually being torn and devoured by the wolves for the sake of His sheep. The wolves mock Him, the soldiers take His clothes, His body is entombed – the wolves think they have won. The wolves are fools, the enemy has been broken and doesn’t know it…yet.

 

In other words, Jesus cares for people and is then attacked, He cares for people and is attacked, He cares for more people and is attacked – we see this in all four Gospels. The Good Shepherd fends off wolves throughout the Gospel. The wolves eventually bring Him into their den (John 18:12 – 13), from their den they bring Him to Pilate, and from Pilate He goes to Golgotha.

 

The resurrected Shepherd then leads His flock to victory, as we see in Revelation, by teaching them to also lay down their lives for others, by being…as is the Shepherd…both shepherd and sacrifice. The Good Shepherd teaches His sheep to overcome evil with good, to overcome violence with peace, to love in the face of hate, to embrace poverty so that others may have wealth, to die so that others may live.

 

Can we see that it is the Good Shepherd who anoints the eyes of the blind man in John 9, and who calls Lazarus from the dead in John 11? Jesus calls Lazarus’s name and Lazarus comes forth, for He calls His sheep by name and they know His voice (John 10:3 - 4).

 

Can we see Jesus shepherding Andrew and Peter, and Philip and Nathaniel in John 1? Can we see Him caring for the people at the wedding in Chapter 2? Can we see Him protecting His sheep from money-hungry wolves in the Temple (cp. 2)?

 

Do we see Jesus shepherding Nicodemus along in Chapter 3? The woman in Chapter 4? Do we see Jesus attempting to shepherd the sick man by the pool in Chapter 5? Do we see the kindly Good Shepherd feeding the thousands, and bidding them to partake of Him in 6? Jesus is saying, “I have given you loaves and fishes, but I want to give you Myself. You have eaten perishable food, I bid you to eat the food and drink that will abide in you forever.”

 

But not only does the Good Shepherd walk with the blind man and Lazarus, not only does He care for the sheep of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; but He lives and walks among us! He is ever with us, always guiding us, comforting us, listening to us, watching us; and desiring that we would love Him even as He so deeply loves us.

 

“A am the Good Shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:14 – 15).

 

Jesus, the Door, is open; we are to know Him “even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father”! O dear, dear friends, can we not leave behind the elementary things of this pilgrimage and press on to know Jesus intimately, and in knowing Him make Him known to those around us? Why, O why, do we lay foundations again and again, week after week, sermon after sermon, lesson after lesson (Hebrews 5:11 – 6:3).

 

Why do we insist on living in such woeful insecurity, seldom accepting His incredible love and His work of reconciliation and maturity within us? (Hebrews 10:10 – 14).

 

For the Good Shepherd says to us all, “Even as the Father sent me, I also send you” (John 20:21; 17:13 – 19).

 

Well, my friends, as Jesus is the Good Shepherd to the blind man and to Lazarus, He calls us to be good and faithful shepherds to those around us, ever and always living in and out from our Great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Who are we caring for today?

For whom are we laying down our lives?"

All In For Jesus

 

 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44 – 46).

 

I have been blessed to know musicians over the years, I don’t mean people who can play instruments, I mean people who play and often write music as their way of life. Musicians live in music and music lives in musicians. I have a neighbor friend, Mike, who is a musician. Mike had a career in the Postal Service, from which he retired; but he has never retired from being a musician – that is impossible; Mike’s soul is in music and music is in his soul.

 

When Mike and I talk, music is usually a part of the conversation, music can drive the conversation. Mike will talk to me about the composition of lyrics and music, he’ll talk to me about the creative process, he’ll share about what he is working on in his home studio. I am not a musician, but since I have loved music all my life, I love not only listening to Mike and asking questions, but I can usually understand what he is talking about because of my love for music; and also because there is much similarity between music and storytelling, good preaching and teaching, and thoughtful writing. When I am with musicians, I expect them to talk music, that is just who they are…they can’t help themselves.

 

I had a dear friend who was an artist and a photographer. When we rode motorcycles together he always brought his camera, he was always watching the light and looking for a photo opportunity. He rode in front of me and I rode a safe distance behind him, especially on country roads. I did this because I never knew when he would abruptly stop, grab his camera, and start taking photographs. Light was everything and light on an object or landscape didn’t wait for anyone, it changed by the moment and time was of the essence. If he saw a “shot” he needed to take it right then, not 30 seconds from then.

 

He rode in front so that I wouldn’t crash into him. He also rode in front so that I wouldn’t keep tooling down the road, leaving him behind, not knowing that he had pulled over to take pictures. When I rode with my friend I knew what to expect, I knew not to be in a hurry, I knew to pay attention to him, I knew we’d likely pull over a few times. I knew this because my friend was an artist and photographer, this is who he was. There are those who take photos for a hobby, then there are those who are artists and photographers.

 

There are different ways to view the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great value, both are like diamonds with facets, the light is refracted and they may catch our eyes differently. Sometimes we can be so concerned about not reading something the “wrong way” that we never read it any way, we never enter into it and allow it to enter into us.

 

Let’s learn to ask ourselves, “What are the possibilities here? How is the light catching me? What am I seeing in this moment?”

 

Can we see Jesus giving Himself for the field, for the world (Matthew 13:38)? Can we see Jesus giving Himself completely for His Bride, the pearl of great price? Can you see Jesus giving Himself for you, can you see yourself as His treasure?

 

Can we also see our own lives and our response to Jesus? Note that in both stories the people sell all that they have to obtain the treasure. Whether we see Jesus or ourselves in these stories, the core of them both is the selling of all to obtain the treasure; the core story is an overriding passion and commitment to obtain the treasure at the cost of everything else.

 

Jesus gave His all for us, and we are called to give our all for Him and for others. Unreserved surrender to Jesus, unreserved commitment to Him, is our calling, our purpose, our destiny.

 

It is not a matter of Jesus being a part of our life, it is a matter of Jesus being our life. If a musician’s life is music, how much more ought our life to be Jesus?

 

“He who eats My flesh, and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him” (John 6:56).

 

Consider that Jesus says, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

 

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

 

Can we find anywhere where Jesus says, “Ease into discipleship. Take your time and test the waters, carefully wade out into the depths of commitment to me.”?

 

When the man found the treasure hidden in the field he sold all he had to purchase the field. When the other man found the pearl of inestimable value he sold all that he had…and he did it right then…and bought the pearl!

 

Suppose after the purchase of the pearl his friends saw him and asked, “Where is your house? Where are all the nice things you had? Where is your ornate chariot? Where are your fine wall hangings? Where are your works of gold and silver and precious stones? Where is your stable of racehorses? Aren’t you dining with us tonight in your favorite five-star restaurant? Where is your wealth, where is your treasure? You had so much, where did it all go? Where are all the many pearls you used to have?”

 

The Scripture says, “He went and sold all that he had.”

 

Let us be honest, are we not like the disciples crying, “Why this waste?” (Matthew 26:6 – 13). What is the sense of taking everything we have and everything we are and pouring it out on Jesus? Is it not a waste? Does it not make better sense to give Jesus a little, as much as circumstances warrant, and keep the rest for ourselves (of course we tell ourselves that we are “stewards”)? After all, we can give Him everything in eternity, can we not?

 

Is not single-hearted devotion to Jesus Christ a bit unreasonable? What would people think?

 

Are we “all in” for Jesus as Jesus was “all in” for us?

 

One of my fondest memories is of our visits to the saints in Warrenton VA many years ago. The songs sung were accompanied by the flutter of angels’ wings and, it seems to me, heavenly voices. This particular song has remained with me over the years, and I think I’ll close with it:

 

 

YOU FILL UP MY SPIRIT

(to the tune of John Denver’s Annie’s Song)

 

You fill up my spirit

As I stand here inside You

And call on Your name,

You come and You love me,

You’re my joy

and my sorrow,

I sit in Your presence

And love you again.

 

My Jesus, I love You.

I will always be with You.

Let me cry in Your presence,

Let me die in Your arms.

It’s all my desire

To give my life to You.

You fill up my spirit,

I’m Yours evermore.

 

(This can also be sung in the plural – we/us).