It Is Not For You

Acts 1:7 KJV
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

"It is not for you to know...."
One commentary says this was a reproof
Another says that the question was "irrelevant to both their present business and future work"

Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, we have a god complex. The nature of the fall was the desire to "become as gods knowing good and evil." It is inherent in our sin nature to believe we have a right to know. Jesus told these believers, "it is not for you to know."

Our place is to submit to the wisdom and will of the Father and, like Abraham, obey the Lord, going where God leads "not knowing whither" He leads.

We do it in our business
We do it in our spiritual lives

Sometimes we nearly demand to know or we refuse to obey the Lord.

Not that we cannot ask
Nor is it wrong to search out a matter
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
But after study and seeking the Lord, if God chooses not to answer, ours is still to obey and follow; trusting Him for the outcome and fruit.

The World In Our Heart

Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

My text for consideration is the phrase, "also He hath set the world in their heart." The word world can be used to refer to a great many things.

The material world: "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world."
The world system: "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life..."
The physical world: "the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and He hath set the world upon them."
The inhabitants of the world: "For God so loved the world..."

The word can also speak of something immense, without end, inestimable: "the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity."

It is in this last context the word is used in our text today. The Hebrew word translated world means, "concealed, the vanishing point, time out of mind" and it refers to eternity.

So in that context, the phrase means that God has placed within the heart of man an awareness of eternity.
We know there are things beyond us
We know there are things our minds can't conceive
We know there concealed from our eyes but nevertheless true and there
We know there is an eternity
We know there is life after death
Of course, there are those who pretend to have become educated past what they know in their heart. Their hearts tell them one thing; their educated (worldly) minds tell them something entirely different. I am convinced that for all the smoke they blow, in the end, what God has placed in their hearts is never completely squelched out. In the quiet moments; in those moments of pain and loss, the volume of the heart is turned up.

There are still others who seek for eternity in the wrong places. Satan has done his best to provide fallen man with as many substitutes for the truth about eternity as mankind might need to prevent them from finally arriving at the truth.

Thank the Lord for the Holy Spirit of God who convinces us of the truth. The mission of the Christian is simply to present God's truth about what God has already placed in the hearts of man.
Some will deny it is truth
Some will prefer a false truth but
Others will see the truth and be saved

He Saith True

John 19:35 KJV
And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

One of the most miraculous things about the apostles is that they would have this sort of confidence. John says he knows what he saw and knows that what he says about what he saw and heard and experienced with Jesus Christ is true.

I wonder how many people are not so confident. Such deception fills the minds of people today. We are influenced by such worldliness that even when we "think we do God service" so much of it is merely the wishes and whims of men.

John knew what he said was true. I see the importance of having a first-hand relationship with the Lord. As a pastor, I do not want to repeat the words of some other preacher. I can't afford to mimic or rehearse some other's work. I must hear from God personally. I must spend the time with Him to know that I have a message from Him. As church members, while God has ordained preachers to help us in our faith still. There must be that personal walk.

O Lord, grant that the people I pastor may know that what they say about you is true, not just because the trust me, but because they have personally witnessed the truths!

Are they of the truth?

John 18:37 KJV
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.


The first thing that strikes the attention when I read this is the purpose for which Jesus said He came, "...to bear witness unto the truth." But the thing that I want to try to think about is this phrase, "Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."

It seems very obvious to me that not everyone hears the voice of Jesus Christ. There are so many different views and opinions and etc about Jesus. It can even be seen in the bunch involved in His capture and trials....

Caiaphas and his crowd were blinded by their religion to Jesus Christ.Their concern wrapped up in thinking they did God service (so said Paul) was not for the glory of God, but for the good of their system. In this case, God became the obstacle to their established faith.

Judas Iscariot had walked with Christ three and a half years.
Yet he had no problem betraying Jesus with a kiss.

Pilate seemed sympathetic to Christ.
Not that he was interested in saving faith, but that he was not that interested in putting a man to death merely at the whim of the Jews.

In the end, though, none of them heard His voice.

There was one though. Peter had followed the Lord all of those years, and in a crucial moment had denied Christ. As the cock crew, Peter remembered the words of Jesus and God did something in his soul. There was a process of time that brought Peter through first his denial, then the devastation that Christ was dead, then the shock that He had risen, and finally, Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and never denied the Lord again.

The fact is we can never make someone who is not of the truth hear the voice of Jesus. But there are some, who might have to go through a process before it bears fruit, but who hear His voice and follow Him.

Not Alone

John 16:32 KJV
Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

Here is my thought today; "I am not alone, because the Father is with me."

The statement, of course, is made by our precious Saviour. He is speaking to His very closest disciples. There can be no mistake to whom He is addressing. No one else is there. Even Judas Iscariot is gone by this time. It is Jesus and it is His eleven remaining apostles. Included in Peter, James and John; the inner circle. And Jesus says to them, "ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone..." And that is exactly what happened. Within hours the guards came, led by Judas Iscariot, Jesus was taken and the eleven fled. One of the disciples, presumably John, did go with Jesus into the palace of the high priest (John 18:15) but with that one exception, Jesus was alone to face the accusations, the mockings and the trials of the evening. Alone that is, but for the Father.

It might be important to consider the difference between the companionship of that one disciple, and the Father.

The companion is never named.
We almost always have someone in our lives who is there for us. They may be praying for us, they may be keeping an eye on us. They may be very concerned for us, but sometimes we don't know it. On the other hand, we can be assured that our Heavenly Father is always right there. He never leaves. We can call Him out by name as right with us.

The companion was as liable to the officials (and more vulnerable) than Jesus was.
Jesus could have called a legion of angels to save Himself if He chose. The companion's life was on the line just being there. God the Father, on the other hand, is invulnerable to the whims and wickedness of this world. We can call out to Him and He can help.

The companion was able to into the high priest's palace, but it is unlikely he went anywhere else.
Could he have gone back and forth to see Herod? Unlikely Was he with Jesus when He was given His cross? Probably not. He was limited in where he could and could not go with the Lord. The Father, on the other hand, was with Jesus every step of the way. During the trials, during the mockings, in both the house of the High Priest and the house of Herod. As Jesus walked up Calvary, His Father was with Him. When the soldiers pounded those nails into His hands and feet. The Father was there.

We are not Jesus, but we can experience the same assurance that we are never alone. Our Heavenly Father
Never leaves us
Never forsakes us and
Never forgets us

There is, in the account of Christ's passion, one exclamation of utter abandonment; when He cried, "My God, My God; why hast thou forsaken me?" And in that moment God the Father did, and Jesus Christ experienced, the most awesome act of grace man can ever learn of. Jesus Christ so identified Himself with our sins that His holy Father could not look upon Him. God the Father turned from Christ so that He would never have to turn from us. Our sins have been fully and finally judged in Jesus Christ.

An Excellent Oil

Psalms 141:5-6 KJV
Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
This passage reminds me of
Proverbs 27:6 (KJV)
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The Psalmist says those rebukes and reproofs of the righteous are “an excellent oil.”
· They minister healing and balm to the soul.
· They bring refreshment to the faith. and
· They do no harm to the relationship between the one smitten that the righteous man who has smitten him.
What a shame it is when we come to the place in our lives where there is no man who has such authority as to smite us in love. What damage we do to ourselves when we stiffen our necks at the faithful wounds of a friend.

May our Saviour make us tender and sensitive towards such rebukes that we may grow thereby.

God's Thoughts

Psalms 139:17 KJV
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
These are the thoughts God has. The Psalmist say that the thoughts of God are precious to him.
Jer 29:11 (KJV)
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

That God has thoughts toward us is humbling. That those thoughts are good thoughts and not evil is supremely joyous.

John Gill
God's thoughts are infinitely beyond ours, and infinitely more valuable and more important, and are concerning our welfare and happiness:

C H Spurgeon
He thinks upon God's thoughts with delight; the more of them the better he is pleased. It is a joy worth worlds that the Lord should think upon us who are so poor and needy it is a joy which fills our whole nature to think upon God; returning love for love, thought for thought, after our poor fashion

I only know one source to learn God's thoughts; so this must be a reference to the very Word of God. And the Psalmist says from this Word he learns more of God's thoughts than he can even number. How rich and wonderful is God that He should give us this blessed book from which to know His thoughts. How we should delight in those thoughts written therein!

Longing for Home

Psalms 137:2 KJV
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
This whole Psalm speaks of Israel and their experience in the captivity of Babylon. The circumstances were the will of God. And God used those circumstances for
The good of Israel
The good of Babylon and
The good of future generations, through the prophecies that were written during that time and of that time

I see in this Psalm and in Israel's captivity a type of being Christian in our world today.

This world can mock our relationship with ChristThey "require of us a song." They don't believe in the God of the Bible, and they mock that we believe.

Sometimes we don't feel like singing the Lord's songs. But we have to remember that God gave them to us to help us through these times of captivity in this world. The world may mock our song, but we would do best to sing them even when the heart is so heavy we do not believe we can sing them.

We must fight forgetting our true home.
The Jews were tempted and indeed some of the Jews did forget that Jerusalem was their true home. When the decree went forth and they were allowed to return, many of them did not want to go. They had made their homes in the strange land.
What a tragedy when a Christian or a Christian's children forget our heavenly heritage. May God help us to have our hearts so set on heaven that it never escapes our thoughts and our lips speak so sweetly of it that our children learn to long for it as well.

This world will have its day of justice
Sometimes we, who are strangers and pilgrims, are so mistreated. This world can be a very cruel place for the children of the king. But there is coming a day when the Lord will pour out his wrath on this world. Ours is not to gloat over that day but to remember that if it had not been for God's saving grace we would be facing that day and so - by the grace of God - do all we can to spread God's grace through this world.

Unity

Psalms 133:1 KJV
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

This Psalm was written by King David and it is an interesting one to meditate upon because David experienced very little of the unity he expresses is such a good and pleasant thing.
He was separated early from his brothers as they condemned him for challenging the soldiers to take on Goliath.
He was a part of the separation of Israel when God chose him king of Saul. David always attempted to maintain the unity of the nation but was unsuccessful
He was separated from His wife, Michal when Saul gave her to another man
He was separated from the people when he was forced to flee to Achish
He led a divided kingdom even during those years when he was king of all Israel in that the northern tribes were always ready to take up a grudge against David.
He was separated from Amnon and then Absalom

Spurgeon marks that there is no hint of bitterness in this Psalm, but all is sweet and pleasant. A person may not experience the joy of unity to be able to sing of its wonderful praises. There is wisdom in singing about that which is right even when we don't see it for ourselves. There is wisdom in singing and worshiping God concerning what could be, even when it is not yet a reality. I see in this Psalm a picture of the saint's longing for heaven. We do not yet have it, but we know it will be wonderful, and we sing glad things about it.

Perhaps only in heaven will we see this unity among brethren genuinely fleshed out.

That We Believe and He Be Glorified

John 11:14 KJV

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

Lazarus, with his sisters, were some of the closest people in the Bible to Jesus Christ.

Yet Lazarus got sick onto death. (Yet Jesus said is not unto death.) And not only was Jesus not there, but He did not come right away when He heard. Not only that, but He also stayed away until Lazarus had died. It was Christ's intention that Lazarus die. But it was not Christ's intention for him to stay in the grave. Jesus both promised he would rise again and then Jesus made good on that promise.

Jesus said this entire episode took place according to verse 15

And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe....

As close as we may be to Christian there are those times when we feel like we are spiritually "sick unto death." In many of those times we call out to the Lord but we sense He is so far away. We might question

• Why He is allowing this to happen
• Why He won't answer our prayers
• Why He won't draw near and help us

 But His intent is that we might believe.

• Through our spiritual illness
• Through the death of whatever would have been our dream
• Then through the promises of God and
• Through His eventual resurrection of that spiritual hope

We believe and the Son of God is glorified thereby.

Illness, the spiritual kind, is never ever pleasant. But it has the potential of such great glory after a while. Oh, that we would trust in Christ in those times!

It is Jesus

John 10:9 KJV
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

I can't help but be reminded through this passage that our life's focus should be on the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the door of salvation vs 9
He is the good Shepherd vs 14
He is plainly the Christ vs 24-25
He is one with the Heavenly vs 30
The best of pastors can only be mere hirelings. We may stick with our flock most of our lives. We may do our best to protect and feed them, but we will always be merely underlings behind Jesus Christ and we will often fail the flock. Not so, Jesus.

It is Jesus
It is Jesus
It is Jesus

Confrontational Activity

John 9:14 KJV
And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

As offensive as it was to the Pharisees that Jesus would heal on the Sabbath, it is remarkable how often He did just that. And it could not have been accidental for nothing is an accident with God.

In John 7:23 Jesus said
If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? (KJV)

He was in fact, healing people on the Sabbath day on purpose. And I see at least two reasons why He would have done so...

First, to confront the Pharisees with their misuse of the Word of God
Over and over again Jesus brought this issue to the forefront. And over and over the Pharisee would have been confronted with whether their laws were the Word of God or just their own rules.

Secondly, to force them to consider the doctrine of the supremacy of Jesus Christ.Jesus is the "Lord of the Sabbath" He is not subject to the Sabbath, He created the Sabbath. He is God. He is Master. He is the Almighty. And the Pharisees needed to know that. Not that they ever got the lesson (at least for the most part; John 9:16 does say there was a division among them concerning Christ, whether He is a sinner or not.)

Truth does not necessarily have to be received for it to still be important to give it. Jesus did not shirk from delivering the truth even though the majority of men would not receive it. Some did.

Disciples Indeed

John 8:31 KJV
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

A few things caught my attention with this;
First, this is a bunch unique to those multitudes that had followed Him and then left Him in chapter six. We get distraught when those who claim to be followers walk away, but if we are true to the Word of God, there will be others.

Secondly, and more importantly, Jesus cautioned these that believed on Him. Believing on Him was not His only criteria. He was looking for people who would continue in His Word.

John Gill has this to say
This is the true test of Christian character. ; “he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.” In this place, Jesus cautions them against too much confidence from their present feelings. They were just converted - converted by a single sermon. They had had no time to test their faith. Jesus assures them that if their faith should abide the test if it should produce obedience to his commandments and true life, it would be proof that their faith was genuine, for the tree is known by its fruit. So we may say to all new converts, Do not repress your love or your joy, but do not be too confident. Your faith has not yet been tried, and if it does not produce a holy life it is vain....

True discipleship can only be proven with testing. Until such testing, we do not know if a professor is a disciple indeed.

Our Response to the Proud

Psalms 119:51 KJV
The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.

Psalms 119:69 KJV
The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.

Psalms 119:78 KJV
Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.

The Psalmist identifies his "enemies" as "the proud." These are those who have blinded eyes to Gods truth. These are they that lift themselves up above the Lord. These are they that refuse the reproofs of the Word of God for they view themselves as above them. Anyone who attempts to submit their lives to the Lord and His Word will find that the proud are against them.

The Psalmist says the proud have
Had him greatly in derision
Forged a lie against him and
Dealt perversely with him without a cause

But in every case the Psalmist's response was exactly the same. He leaned upon the Word of God. This is exactly what the Lord did when tempted by the devil. Even when Satan used the Word of God as his tool, and the proud can often use the Bible as their weapon, Jesus continued to lean upon the Word of God. A twisted use of God's Word does not negate the validity of the Word of God. It is valid and useful to debate the Word of God with the Word of God.

He did not decline
He determined to keep and
I determined to meditate upon
The Word of God despite the attacks of the proud.

Living On The Promise

Psalms 42:11 KJV
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

This Psalm ends with the Psalmist still cast down.
He has hope
He has prayer
He even may have confidenceThat he will praise God again in the future. But at this very moment, He does not have that answer.

There is a kind of Christian endurance that continues its course regardless of either circumstances or emotions.
There is a kind of Christian testimony that is only developed when we continue on even though both body and mind are attacked.
Hope that is seen is not hope. So we cannot demonstrate this kind of hope when all is well in our world. And sometimes there are those who are able to point out in us that even though our life might be troublesome, if we have the propensity to be happy anyway, and so discount the joy and hope we have because it is our nature. So God must "cast down" even our souls or emotions, and our minds to demonstrate the testimony of the grace to continue even though the body and the mind and emotion are all overwhelmed.

“I shall yet”....we shall yet “praise Him....”
This is a promise that is sure and secure. I shall yet. I shall yet. Praise Him.

He Himself

John 6:6 KJV
And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

What comfort!
What assurance!
What peace of heart!

Jesus Himself knew what He would do.

I know very few things that will happen. I know very little about what Jesus will do. But Jesus knows Himself what He will do.

This world is confusing.
The world is distressing.
This world is discouraging.

Things happen in this world that do not seem to make much sense to those of us who look at them with contemplation. There is so much that is contradictory to righteousness, holiness and to the plan of God.

But Jesus Himself knows what He will do. We can trust that. We can count on that.

Seeking Honor

John 5:44 KJV
How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
Gill says"...the honour that comes from him is, that
of being born of him;
of being a son or daughter of his, having that new name, which is better than that of sons and daughters of the greatest princes on earth;
of being made all glorious within, and clothed with gold of Ophir, with raiment of needlework, with the robe of righteousness, and garments of salvation;
of being translated into the spiritual kingdom of Christ, and made kings and priests unto God by him; of being set on the same throne with Christ, having on a crown of life and righteousness, and enjoying a kingdom and glory; being heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ..."

How deceptive are our hearts in that even we, who claim to serve the Lord and long for His honor only, have developed our own system of self honor. We become more interested in what our contemporaries in "the ministry" think of us than of whether we are doing right. We determine our course too often by what is accepted in our own circles than by what the Bible says.

Oh, to seek the honor that cometh from God only!

A Conversation With a Sinner

John 4:7 KJV
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

There is a ton of great instruction in Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well. Today I am considering Christ's means of conversation and how He drew her to the truth.

First, Jesus spoke socially
Vs 7
He went to a social place and asked a social question. He asked for water. It is interesting that her first response was to ask what Jesus was doing in a place like that asking her a question like that. I wonder how often we as Christians go out of our own comfort zones to speak with sinners?

Second, Jesus spoke spiritually
Vs 10 and forward
The conversation moved from subjects of mere social consequence to subjects of spiritual nature. It is fine and good to begin conversations with sinners on subjects that are social, but we should not stay there. Jesus quickly transitioned the conversation into a spiritual one.

Thirdly, Jesus spoke scripturallyVs 19 and forward
Of course, everything Jesus said is the Word of God. But here the woman recognized she was speaking to a prophet. And the conversation transitioned again from a matter of a spiritual nature to specific matters of doctrine and Biblical truth.

While I doubt that we ever need to be too scripted in our conversations, yet to take note of this model in the Word of God, and to let it mold our conversational patterns would make a huge difference in our impact in our circles of influence.

The Lord Is...

Psalms 118:14 KJV
The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

There is a natural three-point outline right here in this verse. The LORD is:

My Strength
God gives us the strength to endure those trials that are a part of the Christian life. God gives us boldness to press forward in the battle to win souls and to declare God to the nations. God gives us the power to live victorious over sins in our lives.

My Song
The reason to have joy and praise and song in our hearts is all because of the Lord.
This world will always disappoint us. There will always be trials and tragedies to deal with. The poor person struggles to eat and provide a roof over his head. Sometimes he neglects his children in his efforts to feed his children, which results in his children turning from their own father. The rich are plagued with all sorts of emotional and moral issues resulting often from the processes by which they have either made themselves rich or maintain their wealth. Their children often have difficulty justifying their prosperity, knowing they did nothing to earn it and are many times more rebellious than those who grew up with little.
But the Lord is the same yesterday and today and forever. He is always a grand reason to rejoice and breakthrough in song.

My Salvation
I think it is significant that it says, "...and is become my salvation." None of us are born saved. We must be saved. Salvation comes before the strength and the song, but salvation must happen. It is not automatic. It is not inherited. It is not accidental. When we know that the Lord has become our salvation, then there is strength and there is a song.

THEIR Help and THEIR Shield

Psalms 115:9-11 KJV
Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

We have to be careful about applying passages that speak of Israel to the New Testament Christian, but there is in the Word of God a definite correlation as we are also the seed of Abraham. Our promises are somewhat different but God has not changed. It is interesting that the verses speak in the first person in the early part of each verse and in the second person in the last part.

So I find here an ever enclosing circle of admonition to trust in the Lord.

O Israel
This would be the household of faith, the family of God. These are those called out and chosen of the Lord. It is specifically true of Israel as a nation. But it is also true of all who have called upon the Lord as Saviour. Israel is not the only people who may trust in the Lord. I thank God that He has opened the way for people of every race and tongue to be born into His family. God is their help and their shield too.

O house of AaronWithin the people of Israel is a subgroup, the house of Aaron, the priestly family. All New Testament Christians are priests and ministers unto the Lord. But it is also obvious and true that God has called within the called, those He sets aside to minister unto the Lord by equipping and training the believers for the work of the ministry. God is their help and their shield as well.

Ye that fear the Lord
Among the people of Israel, there were those who were merely a part of the nation and those who feared and served the Lord. In our day, and among those who have called upon the Lord and Saviour there are those who are happy to live out their lives with Christ in the peripheral. But there are also those who love and fear and devote their lives to living for God. I am thankful that it is not just the full-time ministers who pour their lives into Christ, but that God has those faithful and loving believers who day after day go into the working places of the world and live out a life of christlikeness. God is their help and their shield also.

Fuller Proof

John 1:50-51 KJV
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

My attention is on the phrase in verse 50, "greater things than these."

Jesus goes on to tell us what those greater things will be. He says, "...ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

These words were spoken to Nathanael (and I suppose Philip may have been there to hear them.) If Nathanael could see the angels of God ascend and descend upon Jesus Christ it would have had to have happened with spiritual eyes. The only references I can think of that would have hinted at this would be
When the Spirit of God descended like a dove at Jesus' baptism
When the angels ministered unto Jesus in the wilderness temptation
When Moses and Elijah spoke with Him on the Mt of Transfiguration
In each of these cases, it is unlikely that Nathanael would have been a witness. In one of them, it is sure that he was not.


Albert Barnes says these greater things would be a "Fuller proof, of His Messiahship, especially what is mentioned in [verse 51]"

John Gill says, "....sense is, that there would be immediately made such clearer discoveries of his person, and grace by his ministry and such miracles would be wrought by him in confirmation of it, that it would look as if heaven was open, and the angels of God were continually going to and fro, and bringing fresh messages, and performing miraculous operations; as if the whole host of them were constantly employed in such services...."

As we read the life account of Jesus Christ we too may see the angels ascending and descending upon Christ as each new event in His life gives us fresh and clearer discoveries of His person and grace. How I long for the Lord to open my eyes to see the spiritual workings of His hand, both in the Word of God and in our world today.

And I long to be able to impart that same vision to the people the Lord blesses me to pastor in this life.

Seeking God's Work

Psalms 111:2 KJV
The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
This Psalm highlights the works of the Lord as objects of a reason for praising the LORD.

Those works are said to be
Great
Honorable and Glorious
Wonderful
Powerful
Verity and Judgment

Verse 2 says these works are "sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

Those who would have pleasure in the works of the Lord seek them
In the sense of studying those works of the past
All that God has done and is recorded especially in the Bible but also throughout history become the source of study for the one who finds pleasure in them. We want to know
What God has done
Why God has done it
How God has done it and
In what ways we might apply the lessons in our own lives

In the sense that we look to see what God is doing in our own dayIt is easy to get so busy in life that we fail to observe the hand of God at work around us. Too often we misinterpret the events of our day and God's part in them.
We ascribe to Satan what God may have done or
To God what Satan has done.
We see the works of a man and say that God has done it

Or we do not acknowledge God's pat in anything we do. We claim credit for things that could not have happened had it not been for God.

The one who has pleasure in the works of God strives to see what God is doing around him.

In the sense that we long for and beseech God to work in our lives.
The one who takes pleasure in the works of God realizes that he can never be fully blessed unless God is working in him and through him. He desires not to do what he can and then feign humility in giving credit to God. He longs to see what only God can do.

And when we see God work and we have no explanation other than God has done it. We have great reason to praise the Lord.

Seek the Lord Even When Contending

Psalms 109:21 KJV
But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
David is writing under the obvious occasion of some betrayal of one he had loved.
Psalms 109:4-5 KJV
For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

It could be Saul or it might be Absalom or another unknown friend, turned against him. It happened a number of times in David's life and career of serving the Lord. It is used of Peter to speak of Judas' betrayal of Jesus Christ.

David's prayer is quite vindictive. So strongly so that it would likely be unwise for us to make this a matter of personal prayer except to see it as a prayer against those who betray Jesus Christ - and even in those cases we might continue to pray for their soul's salvation and repentance.

What I did notice is that even though David had this intensity against his enemy, he still had his heart set upon the Lord. Life brings enemies our way; especially if we live godly in Christ Jesus. We may have to deal with the enemies in one way or another.
In some cases, they may need to be turned to the police
In some cases, they may have to face the discipline of the church
In some cases, their might have to be confrontation and a strong rebuke

In none of those cases should we lose our sincere desire to seek the Lord and to see His hand of blessing in our lives. Christ is the focus. Christ alone. There are things we must attend to, but in the midst of them, we can still have Christ as the focal point of our hearts.

May it ever be so.

Observe

Psalms 107:43 KJV
Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

A wise person, one who understands the lovingkindness of the Lord, is the person who observes those things God does. The Psalm is a litany of the works of God
How He redeems His people from the hand of the enemy vs 2
How He gathers His people from the four corners of the world vs 3
How He delivered them out of their distresses vs 6
How He leads them to His habitation vs 7
How He satisfies the longing soul vs 9
How He binds those in affliction who rebel against His words vs 10-11
How He saves them who cry in their distresses vs 13
How He commands the stormy winds vs 25
How He turns rivers into wilderness vs 33
How He turns the wilderness into standing water vs 35
How He blesses those who are multiplied greatly vs 38
How He brings low those who are oppressed and afflicted vs 39
How He pours contempt upon the princes vs 40 and
How He sets the poor on high vs 41
As we study these things we are warned
As we study these things we are urged to cry on the Lord
As we study these things we come to know the power of God

The wise man will observe and study them and
Then that wise man will come to know the love and kindness of the Lord

Our Glory

Psalms 106:20 KJV
Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

Years ago I heard a preacher mockingly talking about a man's hair as his "glory." Really we have a lot of things that are our "glory."

For Israel, they made a molten calf their glory
Some of us strive so hard for worldly positions because they are for us our "glory." We measure ourselves by those possessions.

Our glory might be a motorhome
Our glory might be an immense house (or in some cases hoses)
Our glory might be our money and our ability to influence people with it
Our glory might be our boat
Our glory might be our skills at a hobby
Our glory might be a car

But the shame of it all is that we have something that could be so much more glorious. The passage tells us that God wants to give us His glory. He wants to be such a part of our lives that our true glory is our relationship with Him.

And what else could be more glorious than that?

My Meditation

Psalms 104:34 KJV
My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

John Gill says of these meditations
Of the glories, excellencies, and perfections of his person;
Of his offices, as Mediator, King, Priest, and Prophet, the Saviour and Redeemer
Of his works of creation, providence, and redemption
Of his word, the blessed truths and comfortable doctrines of it
Of his providential dispensations, and gracious dealings with his people in the present state

How weak and anemic our meditations of Him often are. We spend so little time in meditation in the first place. We are too busy rushing about
To see the next person
To plan the next event
To hear the next entertainment
To make the next dollarWe save very little time in our lives for slow, thoughtful meditation upon spiritual things. It is one of the reasons fewer people seem to seek after God. Busy-ness crowds out deeper thought that inevitably leads to thoughts of eternity.

And when we do meditate upon the Lord too often those thoughts are on the most shallow of subjects;
How has he cared for me today?
What has He done for the world today?
Who has He brought to help me today?

No wonder our meditations are not as sweet as we would wish and no wonder we cannot be "glad" just "in the Lord."

I want to make my faith deeper than that. I want to come to that place in my life where God’s glory is all that I really need to delight in. Where I can “be glad in the Lord.”

The Generation To Come

Psalms 102:18 KJV
This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
There are, throughout the Word of God, passages similar to this one that reminds us that both the writers of the various portions of the Word of God and God Himself knew that what was being written was written for generations to come as well as to those who were the very first readers of these Words.

This verse, and ones like it, give me reassurance that the Book is
As fit for more
As appropriate for me
As application to me
As it was for the people who lived in the days when these words were originally penned.

And I live in amazement to think that some 3000 years ago, this writer, under the divine inspiration of God; saw into the future and said in effect, "This shall be written for [Marvin McKenzie] and [Marvin McKenzie] shall praise the Lord.”
Thank God for His omniscience, and care to reach into the future generations, of which we are a part, and make the Word come alive for us.

Holy

Psalms 99:3 KJV
Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.

Holiness is the grounds of the seraphim's praise in Isaiah six. We, His people ought to praise Him for that same holiness.

God is holy in His person
vs 5
God's nature is holy, pure and separate from sin.
God's character in holy and pure and separate from sin

God is holy as the LORD
vs 6
I am reminded I have a Saviour. I am reminded that God became man and dwelt among us, taking on Himself the nature of man and becoming sin for us. And yet even in that state, He is holy.

God is holy in His name
vs 3
Just the name of God is so holy that we must bow and give praise. We have lost our reverence. We have lost our fear. We have lost the attitude of praise in the smallest aspects of God's personage.

God forgive us and restore us.

Marvellous Things

Psalms 98:1-3 KJV
O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Truly God has done marvelous things! And those things all resound around Salvation

Salvation is His victory.Salvation brings glory to the Lord first and foremost. God is the one who designed salvation, God is the one who provides salvation and God is the only one who is honored in our salvation

Salvation is open to the heathen.Meaning those who are not of Israel. God would never have had to save us but God has openly shown the way of salvation to us. No one is outside of the mercy of the Lord. No one is so lost as they could not be saved in Jesus Christ.

Salvation remembers Israel.God has set Israel aside for the time being and is calling out a people out of every nation and tongue. But Israel is still the apple of His eye and God's plan still includes the complete rescue and restoration of His people.

He hath done marvelous things! Therefore I will sing and rejoice in Him!

He is Coming

Psalms 96:13 KJV
Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
A few things are for sure

The Lord is coming
It has seemed like a long while. Many things have happened in this world since He first made the promise He would come again. But He is coming.
He came the first time as a babe in the manger. They would not accept Him as their Saviour and they crucified Him. But He said He would come again. He is coming.

He is coming to judge
The first time He came as a lamb. He came to take away the sins of the world. He came not to condemn but to save. The next time He comes it will be as a lion. He will come to judge. He will come to deliver His own and He will come to deal with the wicked.

He will judge with righteousness and truth
Jesus is our righteousness and Jesus is our truth. When we come to Him in faith all our judgment is done away in Jesus Christ. What a Saviour. What a Redeemer!

More than Over ninety and Nine

Luke 15:7 KJV
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
All of us who become believers and strive to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord eventually become the ninety and nine. When we first get saved and begin to live for Christ it can often seem like there is a celebration going on for us. Everything about the Christian life seems new and it seems so promising and refreshing. But sooner or later, we are the ones left so the shepherd may go out and find other lost sheep.

So what about the ninety and nine? Does God have no real joy in them? Is there no consolation on their behalf? The answer I think may be found in Luke 15:29-32 KJV
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
The elder son would be likened to the ninety and nine. He did not leave, into a life of sin. He did not go lost. When his brother came home and his father celebrated the elder son did not understand. There had never been a celebration for him, though he had done right.

His father told him in verse 31 where the elder was to gain his satisfaction:
Thou art ever with me
What joy a child of God may have if he meditates upon this thought. Ever with God. He is always there; we have access to His throne at any moment.
We have His counsel
We have His company
We have His comfort andWe have it ever with us.

All that I have is thine
We are joint heirs of all that belongs to Christ and all that is Christ. We will share in His glory. Paul said Romans 8:18 KJV
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Growth in spiritual maturity comes about when we get past having to need a celebration and we find instead satisfaction in being with Christ and sharing in His inheritance in heaven.

First Second and Third Persons

Psalms 91:9-10 KJV
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

I see in this passage three persons;

First, there is the Lord
He is the object about which the Psalm is given.
He is the refuge
He is the Most High.
Later in the Psalm, the Lord becomes the speaker in through prophetic speech, but here He is the subject about which the speaker speaks.

Secondly, there is the Psalmist
While the penman is not now certainly known, many believe this was King David and I see little reason to question it.

And thirdly there is the reader/hearer
As this was a song, it would have been originally meant to be heard. The speaker or singer, whichever, makes this bold assertion;
"Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."

I am reminded of Paul in the sinking ship telling the rest of the people on board, "fear not, for I believe God." Paul's faith, he believed, was sufficient for them all! The Psalmist says in very similar tones, "Because you have made the Lord, my refuge, your habitation, no evil shall befall thee."

This is the worker of the preacher and the Christian witness. We share our faith. We pass it out. We tell people what we know to be true from God's Word and as they place faith in it, God does for them what He has already done for us.

Are There Few?

Luke 13:23-24 KJV
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

I am reminded of the human tendency to think that bad things "won't happen to me." In other words;
I know that reckless driving can lead to tragic accidents but if I drive recklessly, it won't happen to me. Or
I know that eating certain foods is linked to getting cancer, but I can eat them and it won't happen to me.
That type of mentality.

Here is one who assumes he is saved. If he is, or not; I know not. But I know a lot of people who assume they will go to heaven; who in fact assume really everyone will go to heaven.

This is a valid question and one that students of the spiritual do well to think upon. Is it the many or the few who will be saved?

Is salvation merely a formality because in fact, God will save everyone?
Is salvation the choice of man and any attempt to approach God will be accepted?
Is grace so free that God does not care what we believe in order to save us?
Or is the gift of salvation really strait as Jesus said?
Jesus said, "strive." And while there is no work in salvation, it is clear there is a "struggle" that must be overcome in order to be saved. We must finally come to the place where we place no confidence in the flesh and good works. So long as we think we have any thread of goodness that could make us deserve heaven, we aren't to the place where Christ saves.

Few are saved because few ever give up the battle to earn their own way instead of trusting Jesus Christ.

Sparrows

Luke 12:6 KJV
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

John Gill's Commentary says, "....a single sparrow, a bird of little value and worth, is taken notice and care of by him; it has its life from him, and is provided for with food by him, and is under his protection; nor does he ever forget it, nor can anything be done to it, without his permission; it cannot be struck, so as to cause it to fall on the ground, or be taken in a snare, or be killed in any shape, without the knowledge of God: his providence reaches to the minutest creatures and things, and much more than to rational creatures, to men; and still more to his dear children, ministers, and apostles."

Could we not learn much of the grace of God in simply pondering the little things He has created. God's Word says that even those sparrows of such little financial value, have such importance to God that He never forgets them.

It was fine to use the animals for food or otherwise, for that is the reason God placed them upon this earth.The sparrow was used as a poor man's sacrifice to the Lord. This passage is not admonishing us for taking their lives. Only reminding us to value their lives (the point of the sacrificial system was to see the great cost of sin. If the worshipper placed no value in the life he was about to take, the sacrifice would be meaningless.)

I am of the opinion that if God so appreciates the sparrow as to never forget those that were slain in the sacrifices, then we could appreciate the Lord more by studying and appreciating his creatures.
We may, as it were, see through them to God.

And of course, the Lord's purpose in using this illustration was to demonstrate God's value in us.
If He will never forget the sparrow, we can be assured He will never forget us. Just as the sparrow's life was still expended, our lives on earth may also be sacrificed for the cause of Christ. One sparrow may go free and another be taken. So God has different and unique plans for each of us; some will pay a greater price for their faith on earth. Some will possess a lesser degree of trial. In each case, however, God never forgets.

And God will present the true rewards for the faithful, not on this earth, but in heavenly glories.

Time and Time Again

Psalms 86:4-5 KJV
Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Yesterday I read a piece that reminded me that God's mercies are new every morning. Time and time again we may come to the Father and lift up our souls unto Him. And time and time again we find that He gives rejoicing and joy and wonderful grace.

Our Lord truly is
Good and
Ready to forgive and
Plenteous in mercy

As a freshwater spring, ever bubbling with new, fresh and pure refreshment; so the Lord offers new, fresh and pure mercy each and every time we call upon Him.

And I find that is how I need it. It would never have done if we had gotten all we could want in one fell swoop. Because I find that I have fresh reasons to need both God's mercy and grace each and every day.

Many times it is because I have discovered a new sin in my own life.
It is amazing how we can go for years blind to some sin, hidden away in our hearts. We arrogantly go forth as if we have become somebody in Christ's family; only to discover one day that our sins are hidden deeper than we could have imagined and those petty things we put off early in our faith were mere pebbles in comparison to the wickedness that is buried in our hearts.

Sometimes and oftentimes I need fresh mercy and grace because of the changes in life circumstances.
This world is a roller coaster that I was in no way designed to enjoy. Things change. Some of those things are the things that I cling to for security and peace of mind. My world gets rocked frequently as those things that have been my stay and stability seem to be removed from me one after the other.

In the midst of this I find great joy in knowing that the Lord is good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Him.

Rejoice in This

Luke 10:19-20 KJV
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

The Lord gives us a real piece of wisdom in these verses. He tells us that as believers we will have power.
Power to see souls saved
Power to encourage those who are down
Power to see families turned around again
Power to see marriages strengthened
Power to see young people make right choices in life

Spirits will be subject unto us.
We will have the ability to change a sour spirit to a joyful one.
We will have the ability to change a mean spirit into a generous one
We will have the ability to change a wicked spirit into a righteous one

And it is thrilling to be used in this way. We see it happen fairly frequently in the church setting.

But Jesus said not to find our joy in these things. "Rather," He said, "rejoice because your names are written in heaven." The results we see in our ministries and Christians often come in waves. Just as the miracles of the Bible do not happen to the same intensity in every generation, so the results of our ministries will vary in their intensity. If we find our joy in the results of our ministries only, then we will find times when joy is dull. But being saved, having our names written in heaven; that will never ebb and flow and thus it is something that may bring consistent joy to our souls.

I have resolved therefore to spend more time studying and meditating upon salvation and the great doctrines surrounding it. It is not enough simply to accept I am saved. If I would rejoice in it, I believe I must become expert in all that is a part of it as it is found in God's Word.

Soon

Psalms 81:11-14 KJV
But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
God desires that we would hearken to him and do so continually. We must not faint. The answer to our needs will soon be here.
Soon God's promises will be kept
Soon our hopes will be realizedSoon.

But Israel did not hearken so God gave them up to their own lusts. There is little worse than being left to our own devices.

God help us hearken and wait. Soon Jesus will come for us.

Waiting for Him

Luke 8:40 KJV
And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

This passage struck me this morning because of its contrast with
Luke 8:37 KJV
Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.
These Gadarenes investigated and found that Jesus had healed the demoniac and that the demons had entered into the swine and they had drowned in the sea. Having such a powerful witness to the nature of Jesus Christ, they wanted Him to depart.

And yet there was another crowd waiting for Him and who gladly received Him.

In life today there are
Those who want Jesus to have a place in their lives and
Those who want Jesus completely out of their lives
But there is a third group, not mentioned in the text but nevertheless present; they are
Those who just ignore Jesus altogether

And they believe that by ignoring Jesus they escape either condemning themselves by asking Him to depart from their lives or being confronted with needing to turn to Jesus in their lives.

I want to be among those glad wait for Jesus and gladly receive Him day after day.

Set Our Hope in God

Psalms 78:4-7 KJV
We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
I read the other day that church life, or the life of a pastor, is like a carousel; it goes up and down and spins around (but we are supposed to enjoy it.) I can sure see that same principle lived out in this Psalm. God told Israel to teach these things to each generation of children so they would set their hope in God and not forget the works of God.

Throughout Israel's history we find
Periods of rebellion against God followed by
Periods of chastening from God followed by
Periods of turning to God

And then the carousel would spin all over again.

When we consider the history of Israel since the writing of this Psalm, we can see that little has changed with the exception that at this point in their history God has set them aside - meaning that He likely is not chastening them to the degree He did at one time. For this season God has another purpose and He is carrying it out. One day His attention will turn again to Israel and the book of Revelation informs us that they will once and for all set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep Him commandments.

The challenge for us today is, do we create for ourselves this very same type of carousel ride?
Are our spirits not steadfast with God?
vs 8
Do we tempt God by asking for things for our lust?
vs 18
Do we just flatter God with our mouth and lie to Him with our tongues?
vs 36
Do we turn back and tempt God limiting Him and seeking signs?
vs 41
Do we deal unfaithfully with the things of God?
vs 57

If we would set our hope in God we would want to remember
Psalms 78:38-39 KJV
But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Building

Luke 6:46-49 KJV
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

There are some things assumed in this parable

That we all build a house.
Jesus is speaking about the life we have and our use of it; what we do with our life and what we build with our life. Paul tells us that he laid a foundation and other men build thereon.
We build our lives with the education we obtain
We build our lives with the relationships we create
We build our life with the choices that we make

That the floods will come and beat upon that house.
Some of those flood obviously happen in this life.
Illness
Economic hardships
The loss of friends and family
The ultimate fulfillment of this truth has to do with the judgment we all face after death.

To these assumptions Jesus said
First that some build deep foundations that will survive the floods and other build perhaps beautiful structures, but that are all on the surface and are soon ruined in the storms.

Secondly, that the difference between the two is whether we hear and do what Jesus said. This is most significant to those of us who attend church or who grow up going to church. We are the ones who hear, we are the ones who say Lord, Lord but the question is, will we be the ones who do the things He says.

It is not enough to only hear. Hearing is good because faith cometh by hearing. But it is not enough to stop at that. In order to build a life that survives the floods of this life and the judgments of the next we must take heed and do.

Forsaking All

Luke 5:10-11 KJV
And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

The Bible says of Peter James and John, who were all three partners in a fishing business, "...they forsook all and followed Him." The term seems radical. Webster's 1828 dictionary says that it means, "to abandon, to renounce, to reject." Not only did they forsake the business, but the Bible says they forsook all. Gill says this would have included the fish they had just caught, their nets, their ships, their servants, their relations, their friends. All were abandoned; not simply carefully laid aside in such a manner that they could be taken back again if and when they elected to do so. These were forsaken to follow Jesus.

This kind of Christianity is radical and in most cases Christians rationalize it away. Indeed, in some cases maybe it is not necessary. However it is at least interesting to note that these were the three Apostles in the inner circle with Christ. They saw and heard things that the others did not Peter was the great evangelist on the day of Pentecost and John is the only one of the Apostles believed to have died of natural causes (although he was also persecuted). James, of course, was the first of the Apostles to be martyred - not the first Christian, the deacon, Stephen holds that place. One could consider that to be a negative, but in fact it can also be considered an honor.

My point is simply that radical Christianity is what leads to a radical relationship with Jesus Christ.

Who Only

Psalms 72:18 KJV
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
I found it interesting that both only and wondrous have in their definition the concept of separation. God is a God of separation. He is holy and separate from this world. He is distinct. God is above and easy to spot. He is not hidden camouflaged in our world but near at hand and so different from this world that anyone looking may see Him.

God alone does the wondrous things
There is none like God. As in Moses day, the magicians may attempt to imitate but they can never even duplicate, let alone originate the wondrous works of God. The doctors and lawyers of this world; the philosophers and religious gurus of history none have done the wondrous things that God alone can and has done.

God does only wondrous things
The works of God are all wondrous and good. They are unique from anything that men have done. God has made nothing ordinary and common. All He has done is wondrous in all ways.

We sometimes lose sight of that. We grow accustomed to the wondrous and when we do we can see God as we ought. God give us eyes to wonder!

Labor

Colossians 4:12 KJV
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Ephaphras was one of them most likely in the sense that he was from that church. But he is also one of them in the sense that he is not above them. He is not out of touch and out of reach. He is a real man they really know and who really knows them.

Epaphras is representative of any Christian because we all know someone and some church in the same way that Epaphras knew them.

Epaphras laboured fervently for them. What a great testimony that is! We need believers who will labour fervently one for another.


Epaphra laboured fervently in prayers. We seldom see prayer as being such fervent labor or as being something that is that effective. We are thankful when we hear that someone prayed for us; but I doubt that we see it as the great boon it really is.

Epaphras had this goal in prayer; that they would stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. His prayers were not on the earthly plane so to speak. He wasn't praying for their jobs, or their health. He wasn't even praying for the protection from the enemies of the Gospel. He prayed fervently for them for spiritual things.

How I want to learn to pray the same.

The God of Israel

Psalms 68:35 KJV
O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
It is important that we see this not only as a mere doctrinal but as a practical fact. God gives strength and power unto His people so

We want to be His people.
We want to make sure that we are saved. God gives strength and power unto His people but only really unto His people. While all are His by virtue of the creation the Word of God makes it clear that His people are those who are His through a personal relationship with Him.

We want to seek His strength and power.
He is the right source and the best source for strength and power.
Not the authorities of this world
Not a union of many people
Not the political process
God gives us strength and power

We must rest in and rely upon that strength and power
God promises to give it so we must expect it and rest upon it. We must believe we have it and act in accordance with it.

In those times when strength seems weak and our power seems low, we must come to promises like this one in God's Word and get a refill.

Reasons to Praise

Psalms 65:4 KJV
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

The Psalmist goes from here to recount over and over the praises of the Lord. This is one of those good passages to keep in mind when we want to give the Lord praise but perhaps our situation has made giving praise more of a difficulty. Dwelling on a passage like this has wonderful praises built into it.

That God has chosen us and caused us to come to Him
That we shall be satisfied with the goodness of His house
That He is the God of our salvation and through it given us confidence
That His strength set the mountains in their place
That He stills the seas and the tumult of the people
That He settles the furrows and sends the showers for our necessary food
Give God the glory He deserves. Give it to Him every day. Give it to Him went you don't feel like it. And if you can't find other things to praise Him for, praise Him through this Psalm.

Better Than

Psalms 63:3 KJV
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Here is a reason to praise God every day; "Because [His] lovingkindness is better than life."

Better than life itself is the fact that God loves us and expresses that love through salvation offered in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The greatest of all our possessions is our life. And if God's lovingkindness is better than life.

Then it is also
Better than health
Better than wealth
Better than success
Better than having what we want
Better than a great job
Better than a loving spouse
Better than obedient children
Better than ease and luxury
Better than a new car
Better than a bigger house
Better than good friends
Better than having no enemies
Better than world peace
Better than visiting family
Better than a dream vacation
Better than a warm sunny day

God's lovingkindness is better than everything. And since we have that in the midst of anything, we always have reason for our lips to praise Him.

Point to Christ

Proverbs 6:20-23 KJV
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

I am attempting to apply the New Testament principle that the law was given to lead us to Jesus Christ to this passage of the Bible.....

Verse 21
It is Christ I want to attach myself to, rather than the laws of the OT. It is Christ I must seek. It is Christ I want to walk with and abide with.

Verse 22
Then; Jesus shall lead me, Jesus shall keep me and Jesus shall talk with me.

Verse 23
Christ is a better lamp than the Old Testament law; Christ is a better light than the Old Testament light and Christ is a better way than the Old Testament way.

It is very common and much easier to claim to understand that the Old Testament's work is to lead us to Christ but then still insist that righteousness comes through obedience to the Old Testament laws. It seems to me instead that Christ is all and in all. Ours is not to ask Jesus to save us and then clean up our lives by obeying the Old Testament. Ours is to depend upon Jesus Christ completely.

All of the law of the Old Testament are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ who then said
Mark 12:30-31
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (KJV)

If we will bind ourselves to Christ alone so that He leads us, keeps us and talks to us, and if we will obey thes two simply commandments; Christ will do the rest.

Lesser Matters

Mark 14:4 KJV
And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

It struck me today that while the Pharisees were plotting to kill the Lord and Judas was planning to betray the Lord, the disciples were busy getting upset over a petty piece of money.

The disciples may have thought they were justified in their indignation. They may have seen this as a righteous bit of business. But in the scheme of things, considering the weight of what was on Jesus' shoulders, it was trivial and paltry. So too, we are prone to have our minds occupied upon things of little worth. Those things we think have such matter and importance
Matters of money
Matters of politics
Matters of business
Matters of commerce
Matters of justice
Are mostly wasted matters in contrast to matters of eternity and matters of the spirit.

It was true that they did not yet know what Judas was thinking or what the Pharisees would do to the Lord. They were occupied upon the temporal because they could not see the eternal contest that was about to begin. But even that is just like our case. We argue over these lesser matters because we are not capable of seeing the greater ones. And that might be the exact reason we ought not let ourselves get caught in that trap. Our minds and spirits must be purposely freed from earthly matters so we are available to witness the eternal ones when they do show themselves. And we never know when they will so we must be available at all times, which means unencumbered with the trivial things at all times.

An Appropriate Prayer - Anywhere

Psalms 57:5 KJV
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

This is something the child of God can pray at any time and under any circumstances. Regardless of the situation we may find ourselves in:
If it is a good time in our lives when victories are pouring in
If it is a more difficult time when it seems like the enemies are overwhelming us
If the sky is sunny
If the clouds have overtaken
If we are surrounded by friends
If we are encompassed by foes
Still, we can pray, "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth."
Sometimes we know we ought to pray but we do not know how to pray as we ought. We lean on the Holy Spirit of God to pray with groanings which cannot be uttered. But what are we to do? I have been on my knees speechless. I have known times when I had no word to say. And sometimes probably the best thing we can do is remain, still speechless and quiet. But at other times it would be very appropriate to pray, "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth."
Once in a while, we are called upon to pray in a public gathering. I am loathe in those times to pray some trite nothing. This would be a very appropriate request in those times. For certainly there is no time when our heart does not desire that God would be exalted and that His glory would be known. "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth."
And it is no vain repetition for David repeated it twice even in this Psalm.
"Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth."

Therefore they fear not

Psalms 55:19 KJV
God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
My focus is on this phrase, "because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God."

Gill's commentary says, "...this is to be understood of sinners, ..... who have no changes in their hearts, nor in their lives, but continue in their natural and sinful estate, without any impression of the power and grace of God upon them. Or they have no changes in their worldly circumstances, from good to bad, ..... things go well with them, and they are not in trouble as other men; they are at ease and quiet, and are settled on their lees; ... Or they have no regard to their last change by death; and are not afraid of that, .... they put away this evil day far from them; think nothing about it, as if it would never be, and as if they had made an agreement with it that this change should never come upon them."

I think it is significant who David is referring to. He says of him,
Psalms 55:12-15 KJV
For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
I think this is very likely a reference to King Saul, or to Ahithophel or even to his son, Absalom. David says that the reason they did not fear God as they ought was that they "have no changes." Life was too predictable and passive in their case. Because they did not have appropriate conflicts, they did not come to appreciate a relationship with the LORD.

We must never despise the days of difficulty but praise God for them as they draw us to Christ.

Pre-Cross Inspection

Mark 11:11 KJV
And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

This is His triumphal entry. Once the pomp was finished the Bible says Jesus "...looked around about upon all things..." before leaving the city for the night.

I see this as a kingly inspection
Jesus Christ had every right to see that everything was where it belonged. He is the legitimate king of Jerusalem.

I see this as a precursor to His crucifixion
Jesus made a last-minute check to make sure everything was in place for the most important event that would happen in human history; the cross upon which the sins of all mankind would be taken away.

I see this as perhaps a melancholy moment
Although I do not like to use that term so much with the Lord; certainly He was not depressed about what was about to happen, but surely the weight of His cross was already bearing heavily upon Him.

I see this as a touching momentI sometimes like to enter the auditorium of the church by myself and simply enjoy the quiet. I will walk through the room, touching the chairs and praying for the people who will sit in them. In many cases, I will even know the name of the person who most often sits in a particular place. Perhaps Jesus was visualizing some of the wonderful people He knew and praying for them.

David's Reaction to Doeg

Psalms 52:8-9 KJV
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

David wrote this, according to the superscript, when Doeg the Edomite told Saul that David was in the house of Ahimelech. This was no doubt a trying time in David's life. And he does proclaim that judgment will be upon his enemy. But David ends the Psalm with confidence in his God. Several things can be noted

He would grow
Like a green olive tree, David intended to grow and produce fruit for the Lord. His growth would be the direct result of the fact that he was planted in the house of the Lord. Nothing will produce spiritual growth for the Christian except continual presence in God's house.

He would trust
In both those times of success and those times of trial, his plan would be to trust in the mercy of God.

He would praise
The mark of the Christian needs to be thanksgiving to his God

He would wait
God is good before and to His saints. We need both the times of success and the times of tribulation in order to build our walk with the Lord. In those times of difficulty, our proper place is to wait in God's name. He will do us good.