Cornerstonekaty: Recent Episodes
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Ephesians 4:11-16
If you remember we started this series on discipleship with a question: What is God doing in your life? You’ve had several weeks to think about that. Have you been able to come up with a list? Remember, the gospel is the power of God for salvation at work in you. So let me ask you another important question.
What do you need to reach full maturity?
If we were talking about your physical maturity, you might answer that in a variety of ways. Some of you might need better nutrition. Maybe you don’t have very good eating habits and your bodies are unhealthy as a result. Others of you might need better exercise routines. You might eat well but your lack of exercise leaves you weak and lethargic. Others might be sick or have something broken and need intervention to get on the right track.
Do you know where we find good spiritual food? In the church.
Do you know where we find good exercise? In the church
Do you know where we find good corrective help to get on the right track? In the church.
To reach maturity in Christ, which means to grow into Christlike character, we have been knit together as a church. Spiritual maturity for you, as an individual, is tied together with the spiritual maturity of the Church body as a whole.
This is why Paul writes in verse 15-16,
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Let that sink in. Your spiritual maturity and my spiritual maturity are not mutually exclusive. They are tied together. What does that mean? It means that if you want to grow toward spiritual maturity, then you have a vested interest in me and I have a vested interest in you.
Spiritual maturity, therefore, is only found in the Church. You must find your place in it.
Colossians 3:12-17
Last week my son Mercer, who lives in Oregon, surprised us with an unannounced visit home. We had a great week together and it was sad to see him go. We talked the next day and he shared with me what he had come to realize: being part of a loving community is vital. He moved there 4 years ago and has worked in a variety of places and met a variety of people. He has plenty of friends. But he still feels the weight of loneliness often. During those four years I’ve encouraged him to find a church home, and while he’s agreed it’s a good idea, he hasn’t done it. But after this last trip home something clicked. He said to me, “dad, it’s beautiful up here in Oregon. There are so many amazing sights to see and things to do that I love, but without people who love you, its just not worth it. Having a healthy community around you is more important.”
My oldest son experienced something similar in the Spring of his freshman year of college. He called one night feeling homesick. I could hear it in his voice. I packed a bag and went out to visit him for a few days.
There experiences are far from unique. What were they missing? They were missing the love that can only be found inside a loving family. Now I recognize that not everyone has a positive family experience. For some, that sense of belonging has come within other forms of community. And if we don’t recognize our need for it, we will sooner or later find ourselves sinking.
Mark 2:23-28
After last week’s message on Sabbath Rest, one of our elders loaned me a book that describes in far more detail the things I was saying about the importance of sleep for your health, written by preeiminent neoroscientist and sleep expert, Dr. Mattew Walker. He concludes,
Sleep is of vital importance. It enhances our ability to learn and to make decisions, recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, and regulates our appetite.Those are all pretty significant aspects of life, wouldn’t you say? So Let’s take another poll this week, though slightly different from last, now that you’ve had a week to consider the importance of sleep in your own life. How many of you did something different this week to try and get enough sleep, which is said to be between 7-9 hours a night?
Of course, last week the focus wasn’t on physical sleep but Sabbath Rest. Hopefully you walked away last week with some motivation to experience Sabbath Rest. So how many of you did something different this week to experience Sabbath rest?
If you didn't, I don’t blame you. We didn’t really talk about how you could. We talked about some important principles of Sabbath rest. We talked about how it is a gift from God. And we talked about how it is received by faith. And then we talked about how we are to “strive” to enter that rest. In other words, we were achowledging that God’s Sabbath given to us, is something we must work hard to enter. It seems paradoxical, I know. I hope, at the very least, that you walked away last week wanting to enter God’s rest; wanting to experience this rest for your soul. To help you in that, this week I want to spend more time talking about practicing the Sabbath. Because the reality of our need for it still exists. We need an answer to our soul’s weariness.
So, how do we practice it? We walk with Jesus. He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
This is what we see the disciples doing in this text from Mark 2. I chose this text because a window is open to see both activity of Jesus and the disciples on the Sabbath, and Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath. Through this we can derive guidelines for practicing the Sabbath in light of its goal, as we walk with the giver of rest.
Hebrews 4:9-13
There may be no greater need in today’s busy world than rest. People everywhere tap into this as a market with the rise of airbnb and vrbo, cruises, and timeshares. They are all selling rest and most of us are buying it. We buy it believing that it will somehow wipe away the weariness of our daily grind. And we love these times. We come home with good stories to share and memories to savor. We call them vacations. Who is not looking forward to a vacation?
As much as we love them, how much did they help in your need for rest? In my experience they seem to have one or two impacts. Which of these are like your own experience. You need a vacation from your vacation. When you get home from family outings and sight seeing, you’re often exhausted and you need more time to unwind. Or, you feel a bit of heartache because it creates more of a desire to escape your everyday life.
The reality is, our vacations, as much as we might love them, don’t satisfy our need for rest. So, what will?
The Sabbath. It is why God gave it to you as a gift. So why don’t we feel rested as Christians? Why don’t we feel rested even when we are faithful to come each week to worship? Because we really don’t understand the Sabbath.
Genesis 6-8 Selected verses
In the story of Noah's faithfulness at the end of the world we see the faithfulness and power of our covenant God, who is at work today in his church to gather a people for himself from all nations.
Psalm 96
Last week we started a series on discipleship. We’re looking at this because every Christian is on this road. Where is this road leading? It’s leading to the land of promise. That’s how we defined the gospel last week. The gospel is the good news that God has come to his people
- to set them free from their enslavement to the false gods of the world,
- bring them into a relationship with himself, and
- prepare them for the land of promise.
We can also say it like this: God loves you just as you are, but his love won’t leave you just as you are. Why not? Because you are not yet ready for this land of promise. We have to come to grips with this perspective of the gospel or the New Testament is reduced to helpful, though not necessary information. So if we are being prepared for the land of promise, what has to change in you? Lots of things!
There is a tendency to describe these things in terms of behavior. After all, there is a lot of instruction on how you are to live. We talked about some of those as examples last week. In the sermon on the mount Jesus teaches an ethic that associates calling your brother a fool with murder, lustful looks at a women as adultery. These are behavioral changes that our preparation for the land of promise must bring about.
If these are going to change, what’s has to change in us? Is it simply more resolve? Are we short of will power? Are we lacking motivation? Self-help books can help you with all of these. However, Paul tried them and they didn’t work. This is his story in Romans chapter 7. So, what has to change in us? I don’t think its a matter of will power. I think it is a matter of desire. Aren’t we, in the end, driven by our desires?
We we are to be prepared for this land of promise, he doesn’t start with a change of our behavior. He starts with a change of our desires. It is why the New Covenant promise was for a new heart, and it is why we find so much in the New Testament around this idea of being a new creation. Paul explains, you were taughtEphesians 4:22–24ESV
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
If we are to put on this new self—the one that is being prepared for this land of promise—then it begins with a renewal of the mind and a breaking free from our enslavement to deceitful desires.
Imagine coming here this morning to play the guitar and find that the strings have become out of tune. That happens a lot. If you pay attention you’ve seen Jeremy turning to tune his strings (or even change them) to make sure they are playing true. We must do this with our desires.
This begins with worship. Whether we realize it or not, worship is something we naturally do. We just don’t necessarily worship God.
Let me explain. When I went to the Grand Canyon as a child, I remember leaning against the rail of a lookout that gave you sweeping views to the North and the South. It was a breathtaking sight. It is not something you can snap a photo of and just leave. You must give it a moment to take it all in, to wrap your mind around how deep it is; how spectacular it is; how grand it is. That’s called worship (with a little “w”). We can’t help but give “worth” to that which we see is so grand before us. And it leaves a lasting impression. I was 12 years old when I saw it and I still remember it to this day.
Three ways we renew our minds and retune our worship to the Lord. We sing, we ascribe, and declare.
Romans 1:16-17
You are here this morning hoping to hear good news. I have good news for you. You’re going to hear good news. That’s what the word “gospel” means, which is our particular focus this morning.
But let’s take a step back for a moment and talk about the relative nature of good news. It is relative. News effects people differently. For example, if I was the one to tell you that the Texans were favored to win the superbowl this year (which I’m not), many of you would consider that good news. But not all of you. Some of you don’t like the Texans. If you were a fan of the Cowboys, my news would be bad. Some of you don’t care at all about football, so the news is indifferent and you would tune out what I had to say about it.
When it comes to the gospel, people have the same reaction. To some, it is the greatest news in the world and they eat and breathe by it everyday. Others, however, may hear it as terrifying news. And still others may have no to little interest about it.
While it is unlikely any of you hear it as terrifying (you would have stayed at home), I would be willing to bet that some of you are indifferent. You get the concept that it is good, but it doesn’t really grip you and so, more than likely, you’ll tune out at some point this morning. Maybe you already have. To you, especially, I ask:
What do you want God to do in your life?
What is God doing now in your life?
What has God done in the past in your life?
These are questions that you ought to be asking on a regular basis, if not everyday. Why? Because you should have great expectations for God to work in your life.
Why? Because the gospel is the power of God for salvation. If that doesn’t grip you like news of the Texans prospects for the superbowl (assuming they have any), then we need to see it from the right perspective.
Revelation 3:1-6
It is a tale that is all too familiar: A new rescue station is built on a dangerous mountain. A new seminary is founded. A new community center is constructed. A new charity comes on the scene. A new nation emerges from the fires of revolution. A new church is planted; usually these new ventures begin with great hopes and a clear, passionate purpose to save, teach, support, aid, liberate, worship. They tend to exist in their proper state long enough to grow in their influence, gain a reputation of great value and prestige, but as the attention grows, so does the pressure from the world around them; Investors come with lofty promises of better experiences, and over time, the original purpose is slowly forgotten and forsaken, as if those who founded it have slipped into a coma, ignoring the slow decay. The rescue station becomes a ski resort. The seminary becomes a secular college that spurns the idea of God. The community center becomes a trade hub for drugs. The charity pays out more to its CEO than it does to those in need. The nation that once loved freedom falls into the very tyranny it fought to be freed from… The church plant becomes… Well, we’ll come back to that.
All too often, the few left in the organization, nation, or church, etc, who still remember the original purpose take action far too late. They are eventually forced to conform, or forced to leave. Often choosing the latter, they found a new seminary, start a new charity, fight for a new nation, plant a new church, maybe a new denomination…. and the cycle continues. This is the risk being faced by the church of Sardis. If it were not but for a few remaining individuals, a few small signs of life, this church would be completely dead. But as it were, there is still a chance to break the cycle, a chance to come out of the coma, and return to the former state of life it once had. Now, what can we possibly learn from Sardis? Stay awake and stay alive. How do we do this? I’ll present 3 headings 1. Learn to recognize when the church is in a coma. 2. Wake up if you are “dead”. 3. Experience the rewards of being awake.
Ezekiel 40-48
Ezekiel 43:1-9, 47:1-12.
In 1941 CS Lewis gave one of his most famous sermons entitled, “The Weight of Glory.” In that sermon he challenges the Christian’s pursuit of God. Most of us, it would seem, are far too apathetic in our faith. We make too many compromises with it and approach it with such a measure of casualness that one who observed you might wonder why you believe at all, as it makes so little difference in your life. What about you? Would your neighbor say of you, “wow, he really believes in something more” or would he have no idea you believe anything different from him.
The resurrection of Jesus should mean something to you so powerful that it upends everything about your life. It should turn it upside down. And if it doesn’t, you ought to be asking, “what do I really believe about it?”
In his sermon Lewis wrote this famous line,
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
His point was that if a Christian really knew what the resurrection was about, then his life would look radically different because his desires would be radically changed.
The world says you ought to pursue a good career with good pay and you will be happy. The world says sign your kids up for sports and extra curricular activity because that will put them on the path to success. The world says join a gym, eat healthy and get shredded and people will admire you. Jesus says, “take up your cross and follow me.” Which seems the better option?
As Christians we say we should take up our cross and follow Jesus, but it is often the promise of these other things that drive our decisions. Why is that?
We get caught up on the “take up your cross” part of Jesus’ teaching. We remember the story of Jesus and see that those who followed Jesus, his disciples, did that and suffered for it, just as Jesus did. No wonder what we do doesn’t match what we say we believe.
This morning I want to turn things upside down for you. I want to show you the other side of that statement. Yes, we take up our cross, but we do it that we might “follow Jesus.” Jesus didn’t end on the cross. Not at all. The cross was cosmically important, but it was just a stop on the way to something greater. And we forget that. If we really understood there was something greater, then taking up your cross would be a piece of cake.
Take up your cross, and follow Jesus because it leads to resurrected life.
Ezekiel gives us a vision of what is so great about life promised by the resurrection.
Ezekiel 38-39
This week is often called Holy Week. This week we remember the final week of Jesus some 2000 years ago beginning with his triumphal entry on a donkey end ending with his resurrection. In between was a whirlwind of events that led to his arrest, trial, beating, crucifixion, and finally resurrection. If you had been one of Jesus’ disciples during that week, you would have been through the gamut of emotional ups and downs. The good news is that the week ends with the resurrection, the highest of notes. What is the lesson of holy week? One important lesson is simply this: getting to the resurrection is not easy. It was a hard road for Jesus. The gospels make that clear. If it was a hard road for Jesus, it is a hard road for you. I’m not talking about just this week. I’m talking about your life on this earth. It is and will be filled with difficulties, some of which will try and drive you to despair.
It helps knowing the resurrection is coming. That can keep you going. We will look at resurrection life next week on Easter. This morning, instead, we will learn some things about the enemies that make this road so hard.
What do we learn about God’s enemies? They will have their day and then the end will come. They will be no more. On that day God will have his final victory and that road, once filled with despair, will end.
Ezekiel 36:16-28
When you’re growing up, there are some things you simply don’t want your parents to know. For example, you don’t want to tell them about embarrassing things that happen in junior high. The last thing you want is for your parent to make things worse by going down to the school and trying to make things right. They may have good intentions, but you know their mere presence will make things worse. You don’t want to tell them about that party you went to when bad things took place. You can fill in the blank as to your own set of “bad things.” You don’t want them to know because 1) you don’t want to get into trouble, and 2) you don’t want them to have a worse opinion of you than they might already. As kids, we like to maintain that idea that our parents see us as angels for as long as we can.
Of course, parents know a lot more than you think they know. We’re not as good at hiding things as we think we are. That’s true of God, our heavenly father, too. Of course he knows more than we think he knows. He knows it all. And yet, those same fears are there. We don’t want to get in trouble, that is punished, and we don’t want God to have a bad view of us.
While there is, justifiably, some overlap in our view of our parents to our view of God, they are not the same.
For example, now that I’m a parent, I’ve learned enough about my kids’ bad choices that I’d rather not know the full extent. I’d like to hold onto some measure of ignorance about them. Right? A little ignorance is bliss. But that is not the case with God. He has no limit to what he knows about you and yet, contrary to your fears, he doesn’t pull back from knowing you, no matter how bad your choices have been.
How do I know? Because there is no limit to the lengths he will go to save his children.
Ezekiel 33:10-20
Is there still time to turn to the Lord? Yes! There is! We are called to trust in a gracious and long-suffering God. Even when it seems all is lost, that you’re too far gone, that God couldn’t possibly accept you because of your long history, whether that is a history of shameful living or simply a history of agnosticism toward God, there is still time. We are called to a good and beautiful God.
Ezekiel 28:1-19
When I was young, there were public service announcement commercials that promoted the importance of children having a sense of pride in themselves. According to the PSA, pride was good. I remember it because it conflicted with what I had been taught about pride from the Bible. Pride was bad. There are no shortages of passages that speak of the dangers of pride.
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him… (Proverbs 6:16–17)
The first of which is pride (haughty eyes).
In CS Lewis book, Mere Christianity, he writes about pride as “the great sin”:
There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I have heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I have very seldom met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is Pride… (The Great Sin, Lewis, Mere Christianity)
It struck me, even as a child, that something about our culture’s view of self was out of sync with the Bible’s teaching. I just couldn’t untangle it. Should we or should we not have a sense of pride?
Perhaps the best way to approach it is to define what pride is, what pride seeks, where pride leads, and pride’s solution.
Ezekiel 26
Before we look at Ezekiel 26, let me give you some context. Ezekiel can be most easily divided into two parts. The first part is chapters 1-24, which we finished last week. The 2nd part is chapters 25-48, which we are beginning this week. The dividing event is the fall of Jerusalem, the darkest moment in the history of God’s people in the Old Testament.
Why was it so dark? Jerusalem represented the dwelling place of God in the midst of his people. These people were God’s treasured possession, a people who would prosper under God’s care so greatly that the rest of the world would be drawn to them. This was their intended destiny. And so, it was believed that Jerusalem could never die. This was why the exiles listening to Ezekiel prophesy over and over again that Jerusalem would be defeated was not believed. Jerusalem was their hope.
With the fall of Jerusalem, the foundation of what they believed was suddenly shaken. What did this mean? Was their any hope left? The answer is Yes! And the 2nd half of Ezekiel’s book spells it out, though it doesn’t look like it at first glance.
The next several chapters, from 25-32, talk about more judgment. Specifically, judgment upon the nations around Jerusalem. We’re going to look at a sample of these judgments. In chapter 25 we see the judgment of Ammon, Moab and Seir, Edom, and Philistia. In chapters 26-28 we have a judgment against Tyre and Sidon, and in 29-32 we have judgment against Egypt. I chose to look at Tyre because the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy is best understood historically and it is fascinating.
Ezekiel 24
When I was young, my parents smoked cigarettes. It seemed that most people smoked back then. Cigarettes can be terribly addictive. I recently asked someone who stopped smoking over 40 years ago if they ever had a desire to do it again and their answer surprised me. “Everytime I smell a cigarette I want one.” It reminded me of an episode in the sitcom Frasier when one of the characters on the show was trying to quit smoking and wanted Frasier’s help. So, he brought this character to his home where he and his family could help.
One scene unfolds at the dinner table:
You're wrestling with an unhealthy and disgusting habit.
It isn't disgusting. It's wonderful.
Oh, now, tell me: what is so wonderful about smoking?
Everything.
And she goes on to describe the experience in such a seductive manner that everyone around the table is craving a cigarette. It serves as a great example of the seductive nature of sin. It provides a cheap thrill that captivates only to capture you.
Israel’s history shows their struggle with an addiction to idolatry. They have times of great repentance, such as under Hezekiah or more recently under Josiah. Josiah followed Manassah, who was arguably the most wicked king in Judah’s history. He was the one who erected the image of jealousy in the temple gate and setup altars on high places throughout Israel to foreign gods. He offered some of his own children as sacrifices to these gods and led Israel to do the same. It had become part of their lifestyle; part of their culture. When Josiah came, he turned things around. He removed the image of Jealousy and the many idols that had found their way into Jerusalem and the temple. He tore down the altars on the high places to the foreign gods and spread ashes upon all of them to desecrate them so they couldn’t be used again. And he reinstituted the proper offerings in the temple and led the people to participate and celebrate the great feasts that commemorated the mighty works of God in their history. It was a great moment. But after his death, these addictions were too powerful to the people of Judah and they reverted back to them.
He cleaned up the outside cultic practices of the nations, but he was not able to remove the inclination on the inside to worship these foreign gods. Our inclination to sin runs deep and no matter how hard we try and clean up our lives; no matter how many reforms we embrace; no matter how many resolutions we make, our fundamental nature still plagues us and the idols of this world still hold us captive. It is a devastating reality to face.
It begs the question: is there any hope to break free from our addictions? From our idolatry? Yes there is, but only if God intervenes. It is beyond our efforts. But it is drastic and it is terrifying. It is the message that Ezekiel has been given to preach to the exiles in Babylon. It was such a terrifying message that they have refused to believe it even though he has repeated it in so many different ways. What was that message? Jerusalem has to die. Our only hope lies beyond this death.
What we see in this chapter is the devastating necessity of God’s wrath to be poured out. This should give us a wake-up call as to the way we choose to live today.
Psalm 139:1-16
Did you know that God ordained not only the day you were born, but the day that you die? That’s what this means. Death does not surprise God like it surprises us.
Ezekiel 20
The Boston Red Sox have one of the most passionate fan bases in the nation, evidenced by their reverence for Fenway Park. It is considered one of the most beloved and historic stadiums in all of sports. The emotional well-being and “mood” of the city hinges on the Red Sox performance. Sadly, most of their history has been one of disappointment. In fact, they felt that they lived under the “Curse of the Bambino” having not one a WS for so many decades, attributed to their trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees all the way back in 1919. That curse seemed to rear its ugly head time and again. The Red Sox would make it to the playoffs only to get beat and disappoint their fans. The farther they got in the post-season, the harder the loss was felt.
When the team looked good in 2004, fans wondered if they dared hope for a trophy. That hope grew as they reached the postseason, and then blossomed when they reached the American League championship against their bitter rival, the team that brought about the “curse of the bambino” and their 86 year championship drought, the Yankees. Would it be another heartbreaking loss? The Yankees had beaten them the year before for the championship. And It was looking that way again. They lost game 1, then game 2, and then game 3 in dramatic fashion, 19-8. No team had ever come back from 3 games down. As loyal as Boston fans ordinarily were, the emotional heartbreak that loomed was too much for some who sold their tickets to that 4th game, angry at their team for letting them down.
But not all were fair-weather fans. Those that kept their tickets were witness to one of the most dramatic comebacks in sports history. The Red Sox went on to win the next 4 games to win the championship and then went on to win the World Series.
The God of Israel too appeared to be 3 games down, so to speak, against the world as his people suffered under the rule of the Babylonians. God’s people were on the verge of collapse. And many of his followers had lost their faith. Yet, those who kept it to the end would see the most dramatic comeback in world history. For God would not forsake His name.
So do not give up on your faith, no matter the circumstance. For God will not forsake His name. That is the theme in this chapter. We find it summarized best in verse 44
And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.
Ezekiel 18
“God is not just.” is a sentiment that has caused many to reject the Lord. Have you ever run across this? It can happen in a variety of ways. For some who grew up in the church and were part of a church for a time saw or experienced things that shouldn’t have happened; things that brought pain, and went unchecked. That’s a tragedy. They feel justified in leaving not only the church, but the faith they once thought they had.
There are others who see the way of the world around them, the great inequities of people. When George Floyd died in May of 2020 it brought attention to social injustice and how black people did not have the privilege that white people had in society. This is just the tip of things, however. It isn’t limited to black people in Western societies, it is true when you compare one country with another. It is why so many people desire to immigrate the United States. As a whole, there is more wealth and comfort in the US than in many other countries in the world. That rubs against our innate desire for justice. Shouldn’t everyone get to start with an equal footing? Shouldn’t we seek to spread the wealth equally if life is to be fair?
While we may not like it, but we recognize that this is the way it is. You can’t escape the economic conditions of your birth, or the stigmas that society pins on you because of your birth. This reality has been the justification for many to reject or turn away from God and try and find their own way in the world.
This is a bit like what was happening in Israel. Frustrated by their situation, but recognizing it is the way things are, they sought to justify their rejection of God’s calls for repentance. “Why bother?” was their attitude. This is at the heart of this proverb that was popular in their day,
‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’ (Ezekiel 18:2)
It was something they accepted as true and used it to make their case against God. “Your justice, God, is wrong!” God addresses this proverb in this chapter and concludes, “no, you’re confused. It is your ways that are unjust.”
the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? (Ezekiel 18:29)
What are we to do in light of this? Turn and live. That’s how the chapter ends.
Ezekiel 16
God’s wrath is understood when we can empathize with him as a betrayed husband to his people; how his heart is broken over our unfaithfulness. Breaking the law is not the breaking of some rule written on paper, as a judge might evaluate in a courtroom. Breaking God’s law is personal with God. It is like a spouse’s betrayal. And so, we understand his atoning work, completely underserved, as all the more an expression of how wonderful his love is.
Ezekiel 10-11
One of the most tragic moments of the Old Testament is seen by Ezekiel in this vision. In case you don’t remember where we are in the book of Ezekiel, we’re looking at his 2nd vision. We find it in chapters 8-11. In this vision Ezekiel is carried away to Jerusalem where God shows him the abominations that are going on in the temple and the judgment that is coming as a result. It’s been a pattern for centuries: the people of God forsaking their covenant obligations and facing the judgment of God through their enemies. But this time is different. It ends not with repentance and God’s rescue. Instead it ends with the glory of God departing from the temple.
Matthew 2:1-11
How do you respond to the news that Jesus has come? Herod saw him as a threat and disdained him. The chief priests knew the details of prophecy that told of his coming, yet ignored him when he came. Others risked their lives to come and worship. What about you?
John 1:29-37
Some of you are here this morning with a desire to change. You feel the frustration of trying to live a better life but struggle to change. Two steps forward are often followed by two steps back. How do you break free from this cycle? That’s a good question. John has an answer for you and his name is Jesus.
Before we look at his answer let’s spend a moment reflecting upon the problem, for it isn’t a new problem. In fact, it was the principle problem that God’s people experienced through their history up until the time of Christ. Their story started with Abraham, when God chose him and his family to be His people. It was a future filled with great promise. Specifically, “Go and see a land that I will give to you and your children after you. I will make you into a great nation and through you all the people of the earth will be blessed. You will be my people and I will be your God.” Such high hopes! Abraham obeyed. Two steps forward. And yet, it wasn’t long before Abraham’s descendants reached a low point when they sold their own brother into slavery. In just a few generations they found themselves enslaved to the Egyptians for 400 plus years. Three steps back. Eventually God sent Moses to lead the people out of slavery. God entered into a covenant relationship with him. They would be his people and He would be their God. Two steps forward! But when they got to the border of the promised land, they were afraid of the people there. And so God took them back into the wilderness for 40 years. Two steps back. When that generation died off, he led them once again to the promised land and this time brought them into it. Two steps forward! But they soon forgot God as they blended into Canaanite culture, and as a result, God allowed their neighbors to overcome them. Two steps back. They repented and cried out for another deliverer. God answered and raised up a judge to lead them out of trouble. This was a repeated cycle we see in the book of judges, summed up
Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. (Jdg 2:18–19)
Two steps forward, two steps back.
Eventually, the people asked for a king and so God answered. They took two steps forward with King David and two steps back when the kingdom was divided two generations later. There were occassional steps forward with kings such as Jehoshophat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, but they were short lived. One step, two steps, three steps back until God had enough and drove them into exile. But in their exile God promised something new; something better. The cycle would end when the promised one came.
They assumed the cycle would end by once for all conquering their enemies around them. One day this will be true. But Jesus had another mission first. He came to solve with the root of the problem. The cause of all the enemies rising up around them was not because their enemies were too strong, but because God’s people were guilty of sin. Jesus came to deal with take away their sin. This is why he is introduced the way he is: “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” This was the key to Jesus accomplishing his mission. This was the key to that cycle ending. Jesus takes away our sin.
Luke 1:46-55
Right off the bat, in the accounts of Jesus we find that Christianity stands apart from the religions of the world. Religion is the practice of living in such a way as to find your way to God. The reward is for the wise, discerning, and disciplined person who has managed to live a good enough life to win the reward of god. In ancient Egypt the dead would be weighed on the scale to see if they were worthy. In ancient Greece the dead lived on through the glory of their accomplishments. Similarly in Norse mythology, where you went after death was largely a result of how well you lived and died. In Eastern religion you move closer and closer to oneness with the universe when you live a better life. But in all of these, there is no reward for the undeserving. Things only get worse.
But Christianity stands apart. It is good news for those who are least in society. It is why we find Jesus saying such statements as,
"So the last will be first, and the first last." (Matthew 20:16)
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
Mary’s song shows us this.
Every year, in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, my wife would become suddenly aware of how cluttered and dirty our house had become. On most days it was organized enough for us, or we didn’t notice the dust piles along the edges of the room or the pile of papers on the dining room table, or the dark stains on the patio. But every thanksgiving, Rhonda’s mom and dad would come and stay with us. We always had a great time together. But in those days prior to their coming, my wife became the tasmanian devil in the clean-up effort. You’ve probably had similar experiences. Rhonda’s dad kept a tight ship. He was the definition of organized and clean. Even his garage was spotless. Everything had a place. Any grass and dust that might blow in was quickly blown back out. We loved that about their home when we visited them. It was also what made us uncomfortably aware of how dirty our house was in comparison.
Now, multiply that times 10 or 100 or 1000. That is the sense for Mark’s readers as he opens his gospel. It isn’t just your organized dad that’s coming, it’s Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The holy one.
God was coming to visit in person. That’s introduced as good news and it was! Just as in the days of Moses, Israel was looking for God to come and deliver them from their oppression. But it was also terrifying news for those who are ill prepared. And in the case of Israel, the house was a mess. And so, God sends a messenger ahead of time that Israel might be ready for the visit. That was the role of John the Baptist.
To understand the significance of such an event, let’s put it in context historically. Jesus is the hinge on which history turns. The Old Testament points us forward to the coming of Jesus, and the New Testament points us backward to the impact of Jesus’ coming. Even our calendar recognizes this, regardless of whether you use BC and AD or BCE and CE. The date upon which they hinge is the birth of Jesus Christ. It should not surprise us in the sovereignty of God that this is the case.
Jesus himself highlights this in verse 15 when he says, “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand…”
The writers of the New Testament build on this,
Galatians 4:4 (ESV) 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…
Ephesians 1:7–10 (ESV) 7 In him we have redemption…which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time...
Just as he might be the focal point of history, he is also meant to be the focal point of his people. Your life is meant to hinge upon Jesus Christ. So, if Christmas is the celebration of his coming, how do we prepare for that? To borrow from the images of Mark’s introduction, We go into the wilderness, we get baptized, and we live by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18-25
Christmas has become more than a day. It is a season. Why is that? Christmas has a way of pushing out the darkness and filling us with hope.
Ezekiel 9:1-11
In this part of Ezekiel’s vision, we see the sentence and judgment brought upon the city. Judgment is not a popular theme in our society. And the idea of judgment coming from God to many seems counter to him being the embodiment of love. So, how do we make sense of such sweeping, pitiless striking dead of men, women, and even little children. This is shocking. How do we reconcile it to a good God?
Ezekiel helps us do this. I wasn’t expecting that when I started studying the book. I knew it spoke of strange visions, judgment and restoration, but finding a helpful answer to God’s justice was a surprise. And the interesting thing about it? It is so simple.
God’s judgment is…just.
That can be hard to embrace. It seems harsh and terrifying. It certainly was for Ezekiel. So, how do we get there? We must understand his justice, escape his justice, and appreciate his justice.
When I was growing up, I loved to play outside. I looked forward to getting on my bicycle and riding around town with my friends. We often rode through a ditch in the neighborhood that took us under the highway and out into the woods and the often dry river bed. We would catch crawdads (as we called them), build forts, and make jumps for our bicycles. Sometimes homework would get in the way. Can you relate? I can’t tell you how many reading assignments I attempted to shortcut so that I could get outside and play. Rather than read textbooks, I would jump to the questions and scan the text for answers. With book reports, sometimes I found cliffnotes to help the process. Through this, I could get the homework finished. The problem was, I got little out of it. My heart was somewhere else.
Has worship ever been that way for you? Do you come to check off the box, while all the time your heart is elsewhere? Do you find your thoughts on the football game in the afternoon or the work you still have to complete? Do you think about other places you would rather be?
What if you approached your relationship to your spouse like this? Men, what if you took your wife out on a date because you know its important while all the while your mind is elsewhere? What if, while on your date, you find your eyes wandering to the cute waitress? Do you think your date will accomplish what you hoped? Why is that? Your wife wants your heart, not merely your duty.
Worship is an important thing and how we approach it tells us so much about how we understand our relationship to God.
Ezekiel 6
God is just. One of the hard things for the world to hold together is the problem of evil and the existence of a good God. They seem incompatible. If God is good, then why would he allow evil to exist? The people in Ezekiel’s day couldn’t fathom the idea that their god, a good god, would allow the Babylonians to have the upper hand for long. Surely, he would set things right. We often think that too about our trying circumstances. And then when it doesn’t happen soon enough, doubts as to God’s goodness, or our own, creep in.
Sometimes the difficulties we face are the very tools God uses to reveal himself, and through that revelation of himself, to shape us as his people. That’s what he is doing in the case of these exiles. He repeats more than 60 times in the book, “they/you shall know that I am the LORD.”
In essence, he reveals that He is a just God in bringing this great tragedy about. This is a call to unwavering faith in the face of tragedy.
Ezekiel 4-5
This morning we come to the first message that Ezekiel was given. We’ve talked about the timeframe of Ezekiel’s life and ministry as he was among the exiles taken captive during the 1st siege of Jerusalem in 597 when the king and 10000 were carried away. He was there among the captives for 5 or so years before receiving his call as a prophet by way of his vision of the glory of God coming in a whirlwind from the North. His call was so powerful upon him, it struck him mute for the first six years of his prophetic ministry, unable to speak except when given words by God to speak. His message would be received by a stubborn people, largely unwilling to receive it. But what was that message? Here we have it and it comes to us in 3 acted out parables followed by an interpretation. We’re going to go through these because they are both strange and interesting. And the meaning that God gives to them will be our guide in interpreting them.
Ezekiel 2-3
Last week we talked through the historical context of Ezekiel’s ministry. He was exiled from the land of Judah along with 10,000 men of valor and craftsman, including the king, to the Babylonian empire, many of whom were settled in this suburb of Babylon, Tel-abib, near the Chebar canal. They were exiled after King Jehoiachin rebelled against the king of Babylon who thus laid seige to Jerusalem until his surrender, which he did. The Babylonians installed another king, Zedekiah, who would continue to pay tribute and afterward they left Jerusalem in tact.
All of this was a surprise to the people of Judah, unless they had been listening to the prophet Jeremiah who had been warning of such a thing. They assumed that God’s promises were everlasting and that this was a minor setback. Soon, they would return. But it was a false hope. This wasn’t a minor setback, as though God had temporarily let his guard down. This was God’s own doing, and that is the message that Ezekiel has been called to reiterate to the exiles.
In this passage, we see this call come to Ezekiel. Through his prophets, God makes his Word known. The question for you is this: what will you do about it?
Ezekiel 1
This morning I want to do two things. I want to layout some background to the book of Ezekiel and explore this first vision we find in the book. Ezekiel is a difficult book. It is filled with visions and enacted parables that are not always explained in enough detail for a reader to fully understand what an observer what have understood. It is difficult also because it has to do with prophecy and prophecy has, historically, invited a variety of attempts to interpret. It is cited or alluded to in the New Testament 65 times, 48 of which are in the book of Revelation. The visions of John have many connections to the visions of Ezekiel. So, it is no surprise that Ezekiel is a difficult book.
On the other hand, Ezekiel isn’t as difficult to understand as it might seem on the surface. Yes, the visions are hard, if not impossible to fully visualize, but that is okay. They are visions, not reality. In a vision, just as in a dream, you can see things that are hard to describe but make sense within the dream. I think that is going on here to a degree. What Ezekiel sees has meaning that we can discern, even while we can’t get a clear picture in our minds.
Revelation 2:8-11
Remember, our enemy is a defeated foe, our citizenship is the coming kingdom of God, and our promise is found in the resurrection of Christ.
Psalm 97
History is filled with stories of conquest. Alexander the Great conquering Greece, Asia Minor, the Middle East and the Persian empire, even into India. His conquest was shockingly swift. He brought a hellenization to his conquered lands, seeking to unite the East and the West with a common, syncretistic culture.
A few centuries later, Rome conquered the Greeks and extended their conquest of Europe under Julius Ceasar. They brought a common law and roads to facilitate trade across the new empire.
There were the Islamic conquests in the 7th and 8th centuries that conquered the Arabian peninsula, North Africa, Persia, and Spain.
Then there were the Mongols in the 13th and 14th centuries; perhaps the most brutal of all, creating the largest contiguous land empire in history from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan.
There are more: the Ottomon empire, the Spanish conquest of the Americas, the Brittish empire, Napolean, and Hitler.
Conquests turn the world upside down as they impose new cultures, customs, laws, and ways of life to the people. They sweep in like a tidal wave that threatens everything in its path, sweeping it up, turning it over and over, and settling it in a shifted landscape. Sometimes it works out well for people, other times it destroys. Sometimes the conqueror is viewed as a liberator, other times, as a destroyer. How he is viewed, depends upon the allegiences of the people.
One thing that a conquest does: it proves the power of the conquerer. Nothing can stand in his way.
This psalm was written to sing the praises of God as THE great conquerer. This isn’t a popular view of God in today’s culture. More often you hear about God as merciful, which he is; or holy, majestic and transcendent, which he is; or as savior, which he is. The idea of God as conquerer puts him in the same category as Hitler, and Napolean, Genghis Khan, Julius Ceasar, and Alexander the Great. These are not figures that history looks kindly upon because of their brutality and hardness. Nonetheless, their conquests are mere shadows compared to the great conquest that God will accomplish.
God is the ultimate conqueror. And that pushes away the darkness and ushers in joy. For those that belong to Him, it is the hope we cling to and drives us forward in faith. For those who bow before other gods, it is the ultimate terror.
Psalm 95
Worship is ascribing worth. What is the worth of the Lord? His worth is beyond the universe, which is merely a reflection of His glory.
Psalm 94
One of my favorite movies over the years is Gladiator. It tells the story of a Roman General who has been faithful and effective in his service to Rome and the Emperor. But when the emperor is killed by his son, the general is viewed as a threat and is betrayed. His family is killed and he is sold into slavery. You feel the wrongness when you watch and you root for the general to find his revenge. When he finally gets it, you can’t help but feel a release of satisfaction. Most movies that deal with a revenge stir you up in this same way. It is a popular genre.
Have you ever thought about why it is such a popular genre? Why are those desires for vengeance so strong? It is a universal sentiment. So, is it wrong for a Christian to have desires for vengeance? Not according to the Bible. This morning’s psalm is a plea to God, in the context of corporate worship, to bring vengeance. This is not incompatible with the character of God.
In the past few psalms we’ve seen a great emphasis on the steadfast love of God. His “hesed.” We think of his great mercy. We will also worship him for his holiness and majesty as the psalmist highlights these attributes of God. We resonate with these.
But here the psalmist calls upon God, as the God of vengeance. How do we reconcile this with what we know about God?
The Westminster Divines define God as: infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. (WSC4)
Where does vengeance fit in? It fits into his justice. What does it mean that our God is a God of vengeance?
Psalm 93
Niether my mother or mother-in-law will drive in Houston. The size of I-10, the volume of the traffic, and the chaos of bringing drivers together from all over the world with their imported driving habits is terrifying. You can attest. So when my mother-in-law comes to town and we pick her up from the airport, we’ve learned to ask her to close her eyes while we drive. Otherwise she wears out the imagined brake on the passenger side of the car and fills the silence with the sound of bracing yourself. However, by the time she goes back to the airport, she is a bit more calm as she’s had time to trust the driver. Have you experienced that?
Jesus shows us a similar experience he had with his disciples one day when they were out on a boat in the Sea of Galilee.
The disciples were learning that if Jesus is with them, they need not fear. Why? Because Jesus was Lord of the storm. In fact, he is so much so, they could have gone to sleep even with the storm raging around them. How do you get to this point in your life? There is only one way. With a sovereign God who is for you.
That’s what we see in this Psalm. It is a celebration of God’s absolute governorship of the world. God is in control.
Psalm 92
I think I will write you a prescription for joy this morning. I can do it. I have been granted access to it, only it isn’t in pill form. I’d like to write you a prescription to join me in corporate worship every Sunday. Worship of the Lord leads to joy and a glad heart. This is the testimony of the Psalmist. He writes in verses 1-5.
Do you think about coming to worship with this expectation? Do you experience it? Let’s talk about why this is statement is true. Worship of the Lord leads to joy and a glad heart.
Psalm 91
When I was in the 5th grade, my family moved into a house in which my room shared a wall with my parents’ room. That’s when I realized my sister was scared of the dark. She is 3 years younger than me and on some nights, I would be laying in bed and could hear her the pitter patter of bare feet slapping the parquet wood floor down the hallway as she ran from her room into my parents’ room. She had taken shelter with mom and dad. That, I knew, was a safe place. No matter what terror was hiding under the bed, we knew that if you could just get to mom and dad’s room, you would be safe. Nothing could get you.
The key was getting there. When I was younger, before we moved into that house, there were times I would get scared at night of the monsters that I believed were hiding under my bed. But I rarely made it to the shelter. I was afraid the monsters were faster than me; that if they even knew I was in the bed above them, they would get me. So I often layed there, not moving, barely breathing, hiding under the covers, enduring the sweat from the heat, for hours. I wanted to reach the shelter, but rarely made it. Did you ever have moments like that when you were young?
When you get older you eventually realize that there were no monsters under the bed. They were just figments of your imagination. However, you also discover that there are real monsters lurking about in the world today. If I asked you to make a list, what would you put on it? Politicians who threaten your freedoms? Viruses? Vaccines? Ideologies? Corporations? Hollywood? Climate change? In 2020 so many people let their fears keep them from taking shelter. We saw this literally with the shutting down of churches and the demands that people made to stay at home rather than come together for corporate worship. Society had become like me as a child, too afraid to make the dash from my bed to my parents’ room for shelter. Instead, like me, they tried to “shelter in place” and hope for the best. You know how long that works? Only as long as you can tiptoe through life quiet enough to never, ever get the attention of those monsters. That’s untenable long term.
We need a real shelter. And that’s the focus of this Psalm. God is our safe space. He is the only shelter that can withstand every danger that exists. If you take shelter with God, nothing can harm you. Period. End of story. The end.
Psalm 90
Wisdom. If I could bottle it, would I make a fortune? It’s what everyone knows they need. But it isn’t at the top of many people’s list. Most of us are more eager to pursue things that are exciting, interesting, or attention grabbing. Wisdom can seem like broccoli: good for you, but much less of a draw than ice cream. We ignore her as we walk past her in the streets.
It should, however, be at the top of our list. So how do we gain a heart of wisdom? That is the focus of Moses' prayer in Psalm 90. Wisdom leads us to life.
Mark 15:1-39
As you may have noticed, the world we live in is increasingly divided. People are divided over politics, practices, and faith perspectives. And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. When we look across the world we see Biblical Christianity growing. And we also see devout secularism growing. The middle is losing ground. Instead of having reasonable discussions on these opposing views of the world, whether because of hostilities or fear, the dominant approach is to mock and denounce the other side because they have “closed their eyes to the truth.”
That is not a healthy thing to do, however. It may feel good in the moment, but it doesn’t bring people together. It further divides.
The reality is your worldview isn’t just a matter of the head. It is also a matter of the heart. Facts are important, as all worldviews must fit the facts. But facts aren’t enough. There is a heart component. We are driven by that which captivates our heart. This is why the truth we find in the Bible is found in stories. The stories invite us to feel, not just to think. And the ultimate story we find in the Bible is the story of Jesus. And the ultimate action we find by Jesus is found in his death. Jesus death invites us to believe.
Revelation 2:1-7
Back in 2007/2008 I had a few friends in college who were marines that had recently returned from a tour in Iraq and, naturally, they had many stories to tell. I remember one story where my friend and his squad were set up around a city that they were preparing to invade at night. The city’s power supply had been knocked out so everything was pitch black, and they had split up on opposite sides of a street, hiding behind some buildings while waiting for the command to advance. The commanding officer was using his night vision to look for threats when, from the squad across the street, a source of light was created. It brightened suddenly, then dropped down, dimmed, then came back up, then brightened again. Immediately recognizing what that was, the commanding officer darted across the street, snatched the …cigarette… out of some very surprised hands, shoved it into the dirt… “ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US ALL KILLED??? A SNIPER COULD SPOT YOU FROM A MILE AWAY WITH THAT!!!” Shining light in the darkness can be dangerous.
The church of Ephesus is no small cigarette, and neither is the church at large. Their letter opens with a reminder that they are one of the 7 lampstands among which the Lord walks, as established in Revelation 1. But what does that mean for them? How about us? What is a lampstand supposed to do when there are enemies in the darkness who hate the light? Let me suggest 3 headings for you this morning: 1. A lampstand must keep its light pure. 2. A lampstand must keep its light bright. and 3. A Lampstand must trust in the source of its light. Let’s start walking through our text.
Mark 14:22-72
I know this is a long passage and we’re not going to explore each verse but rather make some observations of the overarching story. It begins with the institution of the Lord’s Supper, something we celebrate each week. It is the reason that Jesus endured this fateful night. I think it is grossly under-appreciated and poorly understood. This morning we will address this. Whether you realize it or not, you need spiritual food as much as physical food, that your spirit and your faith may be revived and refueled. The Lord’s supper is given to us as a means toward this.
There is a good example of this in the life of David. Before David was king he and his band of mighty men returned home one day to find that it had been raided and their wives and family had been taken. It was a devastating blow to their morale. They were already worn out from their battles and in need of rest and recovery when this took place. And now “they raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.” David’s men were so upset they were ready to stone David. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. How did David do that? The clue is in “his God” at the end of the sentence. David had a personal faith in his covenant God. That, is where he began. The Lord’s supper points us to this covenant God and invites us to him through personal faith.
Mark 14:1-21
With chapter 14 the plot to kill Jesus takes an ominous step forward and his final hours are described in great detail. It’s as if Mark has been rushing us to this moment with his familiar phrase, “and immediately…” until this moment that all of redemptive history has been preparing for, when Jesus would be put to death.
It is set in motion with the plotting of the scribes and chief priests.
It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” (Mark 14:1–2)
In the meantime, Jesus and those close to him have their own preparation to do and that is what we see happening in this passage. In particular, we find two actions set in stark contrast to one another, one from a woman who interrupts a meal, and the other a disciple who sought an opportunity to betray Jesus. It’s such a stark contrast we can’t help but consider the actions and reflect upon the relationship each had with Jesus. And at the end of the day, it invites you consider your own relationship with Jesus. What does yours look like?
As we explore these two people, one important difference stands out, and that is the value Jesus has to them. Jesus taught about the value of the kingdom of God with parables. The first that brings this out is Matthew 13:44.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)
Another parable is found in Mark 10:17-21
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Mark 10:17–21)
Why did he need to sell all that he had? It wasn’t that this would earn his way. It was to show his devotion to Jesus. That’s what it means to have eternal life. It means to be fully devoted to Jesus.
The woman in our passage was devoted to Jesus. Judas used Jesus. Which are you? What should our devotion look like?
Mark 13:3-23
“Signs of the Times” is a phrase that has weaved its way into our culture. Every time we hear of some new disturbing thing taking place in the world someone asks, “is this the end? We must be seeing the signs of the times. What else could it be?” Why has this penetrated our culture so deeply? In part, it is because of this passage. In it we find Jesus describing things that will take place before “the end.”
The principle call to the disciple in relation to these things we call “the signs of the times” is to endure. We would be wise to take this exhortation to heart. When hard things happen that threaten the peace and security of our world, we are called to endure in our faith. We recall the words of Jesus,
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:4–9)
“Signs of the time” became a popular buzzword about 50 years ago after the reemergence of Israel as a nation in 1948 and the great emphasis that the system of teaching we call Dispensationalism has placed upon this event. According to this system of teaching, it meant that we are the generation that will experience the last days and should be on the lookout for the signs of the times. As a result, it has been an area of particular interest and a major focus. Dallas Theological Seminary is the principle promotor of such system which has been the training ground for pastors. If you listen to radio teachers, this is likely the system that you will hear. It would seem to be the only viewpoint because it is the system of teaching that is hyperfocused on eschatology. There are other perspectives, but they haven’t given the attention to eschatology that dispensationalism has because modern events don’t necessarily carry the same weight.
So, are we seeing the “signs of the times”? To answer that I want to look to Scripture before we look to the newspaper. In other words, instead of getting caught up in the events going on around us and looking to see if we can find them in the Bible, we ought to look at the Bible to see where it is in history we ought to be looking for the signs.
Mark 13
This morning we come to the Olivette discourse. It’s called that because it takes place on the Mount of Olives between Jesus and four of his disciples. We’re going to spend 4 weeks looking at this passage for a couple of reasons. One, it is an important topic, filled with important exhortations for his listeners. Two, it has been understood in a variety of ways and therefore been the source of no small amount of controversy. So, right off the bat I want to warn you, we’re walking into a mine field.
But we must walk through the minefield. It’s part of the Bible and has been given to us for a reason. This teaching of Jesus is found in all three of the synoptic gospels. In addition to Mark 13, we also find it in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. And with so many parallels in the book of Revelation, some have called Revelation John’s way of explaining the Olivette discourse. The point is, it is something the apostles considered of vital importance. It may be a minefield for us, but it is clearly important enough for us to take the time to walk through it.
So, how ought we to walk through it? That is what we will lay out in this introduction.
Mark 12:13-44
God calls us to enjoy a relationship with Him, and that relationship is ultimately defined by trust. As we learn to trust God, that trust manifests itself in the form of obedience. This section of Mark gives us a lesson on authority, trust, and obedience as it walks us through different stages of our relationship with God. We see it as Jesus engages with different groups from the religious rulers in the temple.
Mark 11:27-12:12
Not long after I moved to Katy I got a shocking call from my mother. My dad was in the hospital being prepped for open heart surgery. I remembered poking fun at him during our last visit as he was struggling to mow the yard. After mowing a couple of rows, he was out of breath and asked me if I could take over. I ribbed him about being old. It got so bad he eventually went to the hospital and discovered that his arteries were over 90% blocked. Needless to say, they wouldn’t let him leave and immediately scheduled him for open heart surgery. When my mother told me the news, all I could think about was getting up to Oklahoma City in time to talk with him. Open heart surgery is extremely invasive and full of risk. I might not see him alive again, was my driving thought. I threw some clothes in a bag and raced up to see him. Thankfully the surgery was a success. He had quintuple bypass. After it was over we were thankful for it. It not only saved his life, it deepened our relationship.
I tell that story because it is not unlike the spiritual state of Israel at the time of Jesus. It may have looked healthy, but it was dying. Jesus likened the leaders to whitewashed tombs and compared the fruitless Israel to the fruitless fig tree. It was in need of heart surgery.
The good news is that the Old Testament prophets had pointed forward to such thing. Ezekiel 36, for example,
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)
Jeremiah calls this a new covenant.
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:31–33)
It is the climactic moment of history and it is a shocking and drastic change. For the heart of Israel, as a nation, was the temple, the sacrificial system, and the leadership of the priests as these were the means by which the people were to approach God. By the time of Jesus, this had become utterly corrupt. The time had come for open heart surgery on the nation of Israel. This is the scene unfolding in this final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He’s prepping the nation for this surgery.
Psalm 85
Have you ever had one of those moments when you sit back and take stock of your life and find that it is not where you want it to be? Or worse, not only is it not where you want it to be but you feel so far removed from that place that you just want to curl up inside and disappear. These are times when you need revival. Psalms like this breathe life into us at times like this. They remind us that there is real hope. This psalm seeks revival. It seeks revival for a nation. But in so doing we see the reasons for hope that also speak to our weary souls.
Psalm 46
Be still and no that I am God. In the midst of trials, we need to understand what this verse means. How do we live faithfully as followers of Christ? How do we counter our fear with faith? These are questions that we will consider as we head into a new year.
Genesis 2:5-24
When it comes to preparing for marriage, you have to know why marriage exists in the first place. If you try to force fit a round peg in a square hole, it won’t work. Something has to give. With marriage, if you try and force it into being something it isn’t meant to be, something’s going to give. Unfortunately, that’s what happens to most marriages that fail. It’s why we have the increasingly common idea that marriage is a seasonal thing. That’s redefining marriage around our fallenness rather than our function.
It’s like the familiar image of a fish out of water. In water, a fish thrives. Out of water, he dies. So what is marriage supposed to be? Why does it exist in the first place? To answer that we’ll look at a creation passage from Genesis, and a redemption passage from Ephesians.
Psalm 36
“What’s the harm in it?” “What’s the big deal?” Have you ever heard this from someone trying to convince you to do something that you’re hesitant to do? There is a reason for that hesitancy. More than likely your conscience is sending up a warning flare. “This isn’t right” is the sense of it. But then questions like this come and it is hard to say no. You don’t want to disappoint or be contrary and it perhaps does look a little exciting and fun. So you do it. Do you know what happens the next time a similar opportunity comes along? You don’t hear that voice of hesitancy anymore. The voice of conscience has been silenced, at least when it comes to this particular activity. Instead, your voice becomes the one egging on the other hesitant ones. Has this ever happened to you?
David teaches us something about this in this psalm. He helps us understand ourselves and the difficult path we find ourselves on without the intervening love of God.
Psalm 29
A great thunderstorm is the backdrop to this psalm. The psalmist helps us see this storm in a broader light. It provides a picture of the raw power of God, the scope of his reach, and the peace it brings in its wake. Each of these, in turn, ushers us into worship.