Good Morning,
It is going to be one of the best and most brilliant days of November. I trust you had a blessed week and are ready for a worshipful and restful weekend. I have a wedding this weekend and celebration of our Lord's supper this coming Sunday. I have put a link to a song by Hillsong of Australia. I used the song as part of morning devotion this morning. You just click the link. You will be blessed. I met the pastor of the church,located in Sydney, last January in Crystal Cathedral, in Californian. I also had met in person Darlene Sczech few years ago. One of my nephews who lives in Australia worships in Sydney. It is a small world indeed. The kingdom our Lord Jesus is vast and eternal.
As part of my undergraduate studies in mid 1960's I majored in English literature. One of early dreams of life was teach English literature in college.
The 18th century English poet, William Ernest Henley, expressed unconquerable confidence in himself,when he wrote his famous poem, Inv ictus. Henley writes,
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul. (William Ernest Henley)
Throughout history there have been legions in every generation who claimed to be the captain’s of their own soul, the makers of their own destiny. They had faith in nothing, nor anyone, but themselves. One of the most well known spokesmen for this resistance to God was the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, the man who proclaimed, “God is dead.” Nietzsche saw no value in placing faith in God. His passion in life was to eradicate faith in everything except himself. He once wrote, "The strong individual...has the strength to recognize--and to live with the recognition--that the world is valueless in itself and that all values are human ones. He creates himself by fashioning his own values; he has the pride to live by the values he wills." (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Nietzsche’s descendants are still with us. We are all living by faith. We may have faith in God, but then again we may have placed our faith in someone or something else. When we are sick and the news is grim we may place our faith in the best doctor we can find. When the market dips, and then dips some more, as it has been doing lately, we may place our faith in our financial planner to help us navigate the perils of poverty. Rather than trusting in the protective hand of God to preserve our lives, we may be trusting in the military might of our nation. We may have faith in our mate, our husband or wife. We may have faith in science to eventually eradicate all of the ills that plague us in society. We may have faith that if we do the “right” things that everything will work out. We all have faith, but what are you putting your faith in today?
There are many churchgoers today who say that their faith rests in God and yet there isn’t enough evidence to convict them in a court of law. When the sun is shining and the birds are singing, when their team wins and their bottom line is booming, then they proclaim the glories of God. He is so good! When the tide turns, then our shaky faith in God is exposed for what it truly is…empty words with no foundation. When hard times hit we fuss and fume; we shrink back and our faith swivels up like a raisin in the sun.
We can’t believe God only in the good times. We can’t praise Him when the getting is good and question Him when the tide turns. Spurgeon once said,
I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for much. - C. H. Spurgeon
Biblical faith is something altogether different than being a fair weather fan. God calls us to live by faith in every situation, in every condition. We are to live like the little boy who was sleeping one night when his house caught on fire. The young boy woke up and when he smelled the smoke he remembered what his parents had told him to do if they ever had a fire and they couldn’t get to him. He climbed out the window and up onto the roof. In just a couple of minutes the boy heard his father calling out from the ground below. The father cried out to the son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flames, smoke, and darkness. You can only imagine how afraid the little boy was with the flames rising from his room. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy cried as he yelled to his dad, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.” Knowing his father’s love the boy jumped into the swirl of smoke and into his daddies arms. Faith jumps even when our eyes can’t see the ground. Faith hears the Father’s voice calling us from destruction and responds in faith.
As we look at Habakkuk, God makes plain to us that His ways are not always understood by us. As a matter of fact, God made very clear to us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His ways are not our ways and neither does He think like we think. As we move into chapter 2 of Habakkuk it is God’s turn to speak. Habakkuk has gotten brutally honest with God and asked some tough questions about how God could use the ruthless Babylonians to discipline His chosen people? 2 Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith— 5 indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. (Habakkuk 2:2-5 NIV)
In the very first verse of our study for this morning we see that God told Habakkuk to write down the revelation and to make it clear so that everyone would be able to understand it. The Hebrew word used here means, “to make plain, distinct, to make clear, or to declare.” The same word is used in Deuteronomy 1:5 where we are told that Moses began to “expound” upon the Law given to him by God.
What was Habakkuk to make plain for the people? He was to let them know that God was getting ready to discipline them by bringing the Babylonians in to wreak havoc on the nation. Habakkuk was to let his countrymen know that the Babylonians weren’t coming in on their own; God Himself was sending them. Habakkuk was also to let them know that God would judge the Babylonians for their sin, just as He was getting ready to judge the Israelites for their sin.
In verse 3, God tells Habakkuk that the revelation is for an appointed time. All throughout Scripture you find that God has His time and His plan. The judgment of God will come, but it will come at the time that God has set for it. God doesn’t want Habakkuk or the people to think that the hand of discipline will not come just because it hasn’t happened yet. God tells Habakkuk,
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3 NIV)
“Waiting” was as big of a problem for those in Habakkuk’s day as it is for us today. We, as people, are not wired to wait, we want action and we want it now. If something is going to happen, then let it happen. We don’t like crock-pots, we like microwaves. We don’t like country roads, we like expressways. We like the drive thru, one-hour photo development, and instant oatmeal. We don’t like to wait and yet over and over again in Scripture God calls us to wait, to patiently wait in faith. The Hebrew word that is used here means, “to wait.” Plain and simple. You can’t expound upon it. No need to try and decipher it. In the face of urgency we are called to wait upon the Lord. In the wake of destruction we are called to wait upon the Lord. In the light of impending doom we are called to wait upon the Lord. When the masses begin to move to their own cadence and call, we are called to wait in expectation of the Lord. Waiting upon the Lord is not the same as inactivity. In waiting for the Lord we prepare by seeking Him with all of our heart, digging into His Word, listening for His lead, and being ready to move when He moves.
During Isaiah’s ministry judgment was coming to Judah and Israel and it was going to be a hard thing for the people to understand because their understanding of being God’s “chosen” people was different than God’s purpose for choosing them. “Chosen,” in their minds, meant they could get away with most anything. Many would fall away during the Day of Judgment, but Isaiah says that regardless of what happens, he will wait on the Lord. In Isaiah 8 we read about this powerful testimony of faith.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 14 and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” 16 Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. (Isaiah 8:13-17 NIV)
This is not the only place in God’s Word that those who live by faith are found waiting on the Lord. Again in Isaiah, we read about the importance of waiting upon the Lord. 4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. (Isaiah 65:4 NIV)
The Psalmist chronicled the mighty miracles that God brought about in delivering the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and how easily they forgot God once they were freed. The Psalmist makes it clear that there are consequences for not waiting on the Lord. Read along with me in Psalm 106. 7 When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. 8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert. 10 He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them. 11 The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived. 12 Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. 13 But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. 14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. 15 So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them. (Psalm 106:7-15 NIV)
Whether we are talking about the situations present in Moses’ day, Habakkuk’s day, or our day – we must wait upon the Lord! Every generation in every time faces situations of uncertainty. When we rush to judgment and act without waiting upon the Lord and His timing we are certain to bring disaster upon ourselves.
Habakkuk 2:4-5. 4 “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith— 5 indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.
There are two kinds of people described by God in verse 4. First, there are those that are “lifted up” and their desires, their heart, is not right within them. To be “puffed up” is to be arrogant, conceited, and full of one’s self. They have no need for God, they trust only in themselves and as a result their desires are not right.
Every person knows this mind set because at one time or another, maybe even now, we have lived this philosophy of life. The Bible clearly teaches that we were sinners from birth. It is not that we “do” sinful things – we are sinners. From the moment we were born we were busy declaring our independence from God as we sought to live life on our own terms. Michael Horton, in his book, “Putting Amazing Back Into Grace,” writes,
Humans have always been sinful, have always been prone to shaking their fist in God’s face – and that includes you and me. The Genesis account teaches us that since the Fall there never has been an era somewhere in the past known as the ‘good ol’ days.’ (Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back Into Grace, pg. 53)
There were no good old days where people were basically “good.” Since Adam and Eve rebelled against God every one of their offspring have been a chip off the old block. We are born to be wild. We are rebels without a cause from the moment of birth. The hardness of our hearts, the rebellious attitudes of our soul, and our determination to get what we want above all else has come about as a result of the Fall. Michael Horton says that we can see the effects of the Fall upon every area of life.
He writes, "Our fall was complete. Every area of human life was affected and nothing created by God was left untouched. Consequently, the stain of sin corrupts us physically, emotionally, psychologically, mentally, morally, and spiritually. That doesn’t mean, of course, that we are all brute savages who always carry out every possible evil; it does mean that each one of us is capable of doing so. Further, it means that there is no hope for human beings to recover themselves or to make amends. God demands perfection of the qualities with which he endowed us, and we are corrupted in every chamber. No part of us can rescue or heal the rest of us." (Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back Into Grace, pg. 54)
We are inherently, innately, sinners from birth and there is absolutely nothing that we can do to change our nature and orientation. Asking us to change our nature, apart from being transformed by Almighty God, is like asking a fish to fly like an eagle or asking a lion to become a vegetarian. It just is not happening!
There is a second group of people described by God in verse 4. God says, “the righteous will live by his faith.” Those who are rightly related to God live for the desires of God and not their own desires. The righteous trusts in God even when there is no evidence for God’s presence present. This kind of person knows that God is at work regardless of the circumstances or situations of life.
Hudson Taylor carried the Gospel to China, but for many years he was labeled as a failure because of his lack of productivity in seeing people come to know Christ. Hudson Taylor continued to be obedient to God even though he was not seeing results. During an especially trying time in the work of the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor wrote to his wife, “We have twenty-five cents—and all the promises of God!
“The righteous will live by his faith.” Those who have come to Father out of their desperation, with full knowledge of their helpless state before His holy presence are given a new nature, a new purpose, and a new hope for this life. This verse, found in Habakkuk, has been the source of renewal and reformation through the ages.
Martin Luther was a monk who sought God’s approval by doing all of the right things. When Martin sinned he acted as quickly as possible to repent of his sin and seek God’s forgiveness. When Martin discovered this verse the Lord showed Martin that it was Christ’s righteousness and not his goodness that set him in right standing before God.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans and Galatians about the importance of living by faith. Paul writes, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17 NIV)
“The righteous will live by his faith,” The righteous believe God and He supplies them with faith to believe. What do they believe? In whom do they trust? The object of their faith is God. So God is the source of our faith and He is the object of our faith. The bottom line is that He is the beginning of our faith, the source of our faith and He is the one in whom we trust in any and all situations in life. What a mighty God we serve!
In Jesus our Righteousness,
Brown
Click here
http://www.godtube.com/view_video?viewkey=7ceedafdff83bb8ea471
Those of you live in the area, join us this evening at 7p.m. on Cable CH 4.
The St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble
Sunday, November 11, 2007
The St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble will be in concert at the Union Center United Methodist Church during the 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship services, and in full concert at 7:00 p.m. This group consists of four gifted and talented male vocalists, who sing a cappella. They sing a wide repertoire of musical styles, including classic songs of the Christian faith and Russian folk songs.
The church is located at 128 Maple Drive, Endicott, NY. For information, please call (607)748-1358.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 11-1-07
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for the first day of November. Happy All Saints Day. Those who are in Christ, saved by His grace, are called saints. We are His saints called out and set apart to be His people, worshipping Him and proclaiming His glory. Here we are, on the verge of Thanksgiving season and the Advent season. Our grand- daughter Micah will be 2 years old on the third of this month (Saturday). We just got an e-mail from Sunita this morning. She doing well, and she is having productive days while she is in Burundi. She will be returning to Washington, DC on Sunday. A few more photo have been posted on This link http://proofs.AyerPhoto.com
Link:Naik-Groth Wedding... Password : Sun7Andy
I am reading from prophet Habakkuk this morning. Do you sometimes get frustrated? If so, you are not alone. The prophet Habakkuk did as well! Habakkuk was in a minority of those who still held to the old truths of God’s revelation to Abraham and Moses, but it was hard to be a servant of Jehovah. Everywhere he looked there was violence and corruption in church and state. Justice and honesty were regarded as being old-fashioned. Habakkuk could stand it no longer! There was a pressure building up in his spirit and like a volcano which suddenly erupts, Habakkuk’s frustration exploded into words which astonished his hearers, "O Lord", he cried, "how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear?" (1:2). It’s almost an accusation of God’s indifference, but in reality it was a confession of the prophet’s momentarily wavering faith.
I’m sure Habakkuk felt better after his probing, perhaps impertinent question to his God - at least it relieved the tension! Faith in God is a developing experience and its pathway sometimes comes across rough stretches when hard questions have to be asked. Habakkuk asked this question of God, not because he didn’t ultimately trust God, but because he was honest before him. Faith is all about relationship, and for a relationship to survive it must be real. The problem that nagged Habakkuk is one that confronts all believers in God. Why does God allow evil to continue? In Habakkuk’s time it took the form of God’s apparent inactivity in a world of increasing wickedness. This is how Habakkuk summed it up: "the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails" (1:4). It’s the old problem that the Christian finds hard to answer: Why does the wicked prosper and always gets away with it and God never seems to intervene? Why does God tolerate the false religions and cults? Why does he permit the tremendous inequalities that exist in the world? The famine, the suffering, the fires in California? If we want modern day examples we have only to think of Darfur in Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. Why didn’t God appear to be listening to Habakkuk’s cry for help? Was God unmoved by the injustice and wrongdoing? Why, oh why?
But then a word from the Lord comes to Habakkuk telling him that he is to "look among the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed." (1:5). God was working out Habakkuk’s problems even as he uttered his words. How? God’s solution was in a most unexpected means. It was through the invading army of the Chaldeans, poised to sweep through the countries of the whole region, including the Assyrians who were the traditional enemies of Israel.
We must never underestimate the power of God. Towards the later part of last century, we’ve seen how the Communist regimes have crumbled. It seemed impossible that the cruel East German regime could collapse almost overnight and the same happened with the Soviet Union - but they did! God went on to say to Habakkuk, "I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told" (1:5). Let’s never lose hope of seemingly impossible situations - God can do it again and again! He can do it in His Church; he can do it in our lives.
God’s message startled Habakkuk and his people, but eventually what had been predicted was confirmed by travellers from the East. The Chaldeans were the rising force and what terrible stories were told of their brutality and ruthlessness. But it posed a problem: how could a holy God consider using such unholy and idolatrous instruments to do his will? Habakkuk puts the question like this: "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?" (1:13). It’s a good question!
Habakkuk looked at this problem but he could see no light. He was faced with the fact that God was going to take up those appalling Chaldeans, people altogether worse than his own nation, and was going to use them for his own purpose. God sometimes uses evil people to accomplish His purposes. But He never condones evil, and those who do evil He holds accountable for their actions.
Habakkuk just couldn’t understand it, nor reconcile it with God’s holiness. But he could and did take the problem to God. At times like this we can take to heart the words of William Cowper’s hymn, "God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform." We may not understand his ways, but the person of faith will say "Amen". Habakkuk had a living faith in God and he was prepared for the possibility that his questions would not be answered. Faith asks, then waits and listens.
Habakkuk is known as "the prophet of the Watchtower". This is taken from his own words, "I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower, and look forth to see what God will say to me" (2:1). An answer came, but it wasn’t the answer to what had been asked. It was a word from the Lord that went to the root of his problem. It separated the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the evil, and pointed the way forward to eternal values - "The righteous will live by his faith" (2:4), or as the apostle Paul translated in writing to the Romans, "The just shall live by faith" (1:17).
Paul is telling us that the Gospel of God is that “those who are righteous by faith shall live.” “When it comes to salvation, our faith in Jesus is not our righteousness. Faith is simply the instrument by which we receive forgiveness of sin and Christ’s righteousness. It is His righteousness that puts me right with God, but it comes through faith” (D Martyn Lloyd Jones). Having been saved through faith in the Cross of Christ, how shall we live?
God’s answer to life’s problems don’t come in the form of neatly pre-packaged solutions, like strips of shrink-wrapped capsules labelled for each anxiety we have - health, wealth and happiness. Like Habakkuk we can only stand, watch and wait, knowing that God’s revelation will come to us at his appointed time.
We don’t know how long Habakkuk had to stand in his watchtower and wait for his particular answer. It could well have been over a long period. But notice his determination and persistence: "I will look to see what he will say to me" (2:1). He was prepared to seek God for as long as it would take. Habakkuk was a man of faith. He had a problem, yes, but he asked the right question, and he was going to look for the answer from the true source of knowledge until the answer came.
When we’re faced with some situation, let’s be sure to follow Habakkuk’s example of climbing into the watchtower of faith, and like him, station ourselves there for a long watch if need be, and wait expectantly to see what God has to speak into the situation. It will take time. Things of lesser importance will have to be sacrificed, but how worth while when the answer comes.
Habakkuk’s probing is a dialogue. There is question and answer. We read, "And the Lord answered me, ‘Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so that he may run who reads it’" (2:2). Habakkuk is telling us that God has revealed a truth to him. Certainly it came to Habakkuk through his thought processes, but it was more than a mere insight into the religious and political situation of the day. It was a revelation. It was what the New Testament apostle Peter would call "a more sure word of prophecy" (2 Peter 1:19).
The vision Habakkuk received from the Lord was important and it had to be made known. He was told to make it plain. What a word to all whom have the responsibility to teach others - the young or the adult. The message was to be inscribed on tablets so that it could be clearly read and understood. This reminds me of the saying that most people do not read Scripture but they do read the lives of those who do. How important it is that our lives tell a message that cannot be misunderstood.
And now we come to the center piece of the vision, "He whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4). What does it mean that "the righteous ... live by faith"? The truth of these words is that there are only two possible ways of life in this world: that of faith and that of unbelief. The way of the world is to ignore God’s revelation of himself as a God of holiness and justice who cannot tolerate sin. On the other hand, the way of faith is the guiding principle in life for those who seek to please God. Faith is the basis on which they stand, and faith is the principle by which they live.
In practical day to day life: what is meant by "faith"? Faith means taking the Word of God and acting on it because it is the Word of God. It means believing what God says simply and solely because God has spoken. But the faith that Habakkuk spoke of was more than something in the mind; it had to be expressed by the heart as well. The righteous are those who live by faith. In other words, it means basing the whole of our life upon faith in God - faith in Jesus as our Saviour; faith in our heavenly Father as our Provider; and faith in the Holy Spirit as our source of Spiritual Power.
What does living by faith mean today? It means deciding what is the controlling principle in our lives.
God longs for us to join Habakkuk as watchman, to be honest before him in our questioning, to hear God’s voice through Scripture and the circumstances of life, to believe that God will indeed work his purposes out although we may not fully understand his ways. Habakkuk began with a wail of despair but through prayer and the word of His God, he ends the book with a shout of confidence: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Saviour” (3:18). He begins with an inquiry but ends with an affirmation of trust in God. We can trust God in spite of appearances because He has established a flawless record of faithfulness to His promises.
Habakkuk’s experience is a journey from ‘near despair to liberation’; from ‘prayer to praise’ and from ’why? to worship’.
In Him,
Brown
Praise the Lord for the first day of November. Happy All Saints Day. Those who are in Christ, saved by His grace, are called saints. We are His saints called out and set apart to be His people, worshipping Him and proclaiming His glory. Here we are, on the verge of Thanksgiving season and the Advent season. Our grand- daughter Micah will be 2 years old on the third of this month (Saturday). We just got an e-mail from Sunita this morning. She doing well, and she is having productive days while she is in Burundi. She will be returning to Washington, DC on Sunday. A few more photo have been posted on This link http://proofs.AyerPhoto.com
Link:Naik-Groth Wedding... Password : Sun7Andy
I am reading from prophet Habakkuk this morning. Do you sometimes get frustrated? If so, you are not alone. The prophet Habakkuk did as well! Habakkuk was in a minority of those who still held to the old truths of God’s revelation to Abraham and Moses, but it was hard to be a servant of Jehovah. Everywhere he looked there was violence and corruption in church and state. Justice and honesty were regarded as being old-fashioned. Habakkuk could stand it no longer! There was a pressure building up in his spirit and like a volcano which suddenly erupts, Habakkuk’s frustration exploded into words which astonished his hearers, "O Lord", he cried, "how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear?" (1:2). It’s almost an accusation of God’s indifference, but in reality it was a confession of the prophet’s momentarily wavering faith.
I’m sure Habakkuk felt better after his probing, perhaps impertinent question to his God - at least it relieved the tension! Faith in God is a developing experience and its pathway sometimes comes across rough stretches when hard questions have to be asked. Habakkuk asked this question of God, not because he didn’t ultimately trust God, but because he was honest before him. Faith is all about relationship, and for a relationship to survive it must be real. The problem that nagged Habakkuk is one that confronts all believers in God. Why does God allow evil to continue? In Habakkuk’s time it took the form of God’s apparent inactivity in a world of increasing wickedness. This is how Habakkuk summed it up: "the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails" (1:4). It’s the old problem that the Christian finds hard to answer: Why does the wicked prosper and always gets away with it and God never seems to intervene? Why does God tolerate the false religions and cults? Why does he permit the tremendous inequalities that exist in the world? The famine, the suffering, the fires in California? If we want modern day examples we have only to think of Darfur in Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. Why didn’t God appear to be listening to Habakkuk’s cry for help? Was God unmoved by the injustice and wrongdoing? Why, oh why?
But then a word from the Lord comes to Habakkuk telling him that he is to "look among the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed." (1:5). God was working out Habakkuk’s problems even as he uttered his words. How? God’s solution was in a most unexpected means. It was through the invading army of the Chaldeans, poised to sweep through the countries of the whole region, including the Assyrians who were the traditional enemies of Israel.
We must never underestimate the power of God. Towards the later part of last century, we’ve seen how the Communist regimes have crumbled. It seemed impossible that the cruel East German regime could collapse almost overnight and the same happened with the Soviet Union - but they did! God went on to say to Habakkuk, "I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told" (1:5). Let’s never lose hope of seemingly impossible situations - God can do it again and again! He can do it in His Church; he can do it in our lives.
God’s message startled Habakkuk and his people, but eventually what had been predicted was confirmed by travellers from the East. The Chaldeans were the rising force and what terrible stories were told of their brutality and ruthlessness. But it posed a problem: how could a holy God consider using such unholy and idolatrous instruments to do his will? Habakkuk puts the question like this: "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?" (1:13). It’s a good question!
Habakkuk looked at this problem but he could see no light. He was faced with the fact that God was going to take up those appalling Chaldeans, people altogether worse than his own nation, and was going to use them for his own purpose. God sometimes uses evil people to accomplish His purposes. But He never condones evil, and those who do evil He holds accountable for their actions.
Habakkuk just couldn’t understand it, nor reconcile it with God’s holiness. But he could and did take the problem to God. At times like this we can take to heart the words of William Cowper’s hymn, "God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform." We may not understand his ways, but the person of faith will say "Amen". Habakkuk had a living faith in God and he was prepared for the possibility that his questions would not be answered. Faith asks, then waits and listens.
Habakkuk is known as "the prophet of the Watchtower". This is taken from his own words, "I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower, and look forth to see what God will say to me" (2:1). An answer came, but it wasn’t the answer to what had been asked. It was a word from the Lord that went to the root of his problem. It separated the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the evil, and pointed the way forward to eternal values - "The righteous will live by his faith" (2:4), or as the apostle Paul translated in writing to the Romans, "The just shall live by faith" (1:17).
Paul is telling us that the Gospel of God is that “those who are righteous by faith shall live.” “When it comes to salvation, our faith in Jesus is not our righteousness. Faith is simply the instrument by which we receive forgiveness of sin and Christ’s righteousness. It is His righteousness that puts me right with God, but it comes through faith” (D Martyn Lloyd Jones). Having been saved through faith in the Cross of Christ, how shall we live?
God’s answer to life’s problems don’t come in the form of neatly pre-packaged solutions, like strips of shrink-wrapped capsules labelled for each anxiety we have - health, wealth and happiness. Like Habakkuk we can only stand, watch and wait, knowing that God’s revelation will come to us at his appointed time.
We don’t know how long Habakkuk had to stand in his watchtower and wait for his particular answer. It could well have been over a long period. But notice his determination and persistence: "I will look to see what he will say to me" (2:1). He was prepared to seek God for as long as it would take. Habakkuk was a man of faith. He had a problem, yes, but he asked the right question, and he was going to look for the answer from the true source of knowledge until the answer came.
When we’re faced with some situation, let’s be sure to follow Habakkuk’s example of climbing into the watchtower of faith, and like him, station ourselves there for a long watch if need be, and wait expectantly to see what God has to speak into the situation. It will take time. Things of lesser importance will have to be sacrificed, but how worth while when the answer comes.
Habakkuk’s probing is a dialogue. There is question and answer. We read, "And the Lord answered me, ‘Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so that he may run who reads it’" (2:2). Habakkuk is telling us that God has revealed a truth to him. Certainly it came to Habakkuk through his thought processes, but it was more than a mere insight into the religious and political situation of the day. It was a revelation. It was what the New Testament apostle Peter would call "a more sure word of prophecy" (2 Peter 1:19).
The vision Habakkuk received from the Lord was important and it had to be made known. He was told to make it plain. What a word to all whom have the responsibility to teach others - the young or the adult. The message was to be inscribed on tablets so that it could be clearly read and understood. This reminds me of the saying that most people do not read Scripture but they do read the lives of those who do. How important it is that our lives tell a message that cannot be misunderstood.
And now we come to the center piece of the vision, "He whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4). What does it mean that "the righteous ... live by faith"? The truth of these words is that there are only two possible ways of life in this world: that of faith and that of unbelief. The way of the world is to ignore God’s revelation of himself as a God of holiness and justice who cannot tolerate sin. On the other hand, the way of faith is the guiding principle in life for those who seek to please God. Faith is the basis on which they stand, and faith is the principle by which they live.
In practical day to day life: what is meant by "faith"? Faith means taking the Word of God and acting on it because it is the Word of God. It means believing what God says simply and solely because God has spoken. But the faith that Habakkuk spoke of was more than something in the mind; it had to be expressed by the heart as well. The righteous are those who live by faith. In other words, it means basing the whole of our life upon faith in God - faith in Jesus as our Saviour; faith in our heavenly Father as our Provider; and faith in the Holy Spirit as our source of Spiritual Power.
What does living by faith mean today? It means deciding what is the controlling principle in our lives.
God longs for us to join Habakkuk as watchman, to be honest before him in our questioning, to hear God’s voice through Scripture and the circumstances of life, to believe that God will indeed work his purposes out although we may not fully understand his ways. Habakkuk began with a wail of despair but through prayer and the word of His God, he ends the book with a shout of confidence: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Saviour” (3:18). He begins with an inquiry but ends with an affirmation of trust in God. We can trust God in spite of appearances because He has established a flawless record of faithfulness to His promises.
Habakkuk’s experience is a journey from ‘near despair to liberation’; from ‘prayer to praise’ and from ’why? to worship’.
In Him,
Brown
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 10-31-07
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord, for it is the eve of All Saints Day. Jesus came to transform sinners into saints. He came to transform the rebels in to worshippers. He came to welcome home the repentant prodigals. He came to guide the pilgrims home. He is the Light of the world. As we read John 1:5, "And the Light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not" " The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out. " He is the Lord of the second chance.
Jonah is the patron saints of all of us who follow the Lord reluctantly, those of us who have the propensity to wander away from the Lord who loves us, those of us who have dislike for those are who are outside fold. Jesus retold the amazing account of Jonah as something which actually happened (Matt 12:38:41; Luke 11:29-41), so there’s no reason to say it’s only a fable. Jonah was one of God’s chosen men, commissioned with a message. He lived in the eighth century BC as a contemporary of his fellow prophets Elisha, Hosea, and Amos. So what is Jonah’s message, both for the people of his time and us in the 21st century? It all has to do with repentance and the solemnity of God’s judgement.
The story of Jonah is all about God’s goodness to people who don’t deserve it – to the Assyrians, to Jonah himself, and to you and me. Jonah was a messenger and herald of Jehovah but his story concerns not his own people, but the fate of Nineveh. At this time, Nineveh was the capital city of the cruel nation of Assyria, to the east. Jonah was commissioned by Jehovah, “Arise, go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it; because its wickedness is come up before me.” He could hardly believe his ears! But the call was clear, “Go … preach.” “Go and convert the people of Nineveh!”
God was telling Jonah to be a missionary to the first worst people on earth. We also are told to live out our faith wherever God places us, whether in a foreign country or at home, and to be His witnesses in an unbelieving world. God had made it abundantly clear what He required of Jonah, but Jonah wasn’t having anything to do with it: he wanted Nineveh to be blasted, rather than blessed, by Jehovah, paid back for their evil deeds and wicked ways. Jonah refused point-blank to follow instructions. Instead of setting out to travel eastwards, he did the opposite and took a ship with the westward destination of Tarshish in Spain, in those days the end of the known world! Why?
It is written, “But Jonah ran away from the Lord”, perhaps not literally, but certainly deliberately. He had clearly thought out a plan, taking money to pay his fare, choosing a ship going as far as possible from Nineveh. Jonah’s reaction was not so much due to cowardice or timidity as his conduct on the ship proved. No, it was because he thought he had a theological problem. How could God have anything to do with the nasty people of Nineveh, the “evil empire” of his day? Jonah regarded Jehovah as the exclusive God of Israel, to be jealously kept for their blessing only. In his opinion, God should not be concerned for the lives and spiritual well-being of those outside the fold of Israel; they had no share in the divine revelation. How wrong he was! God loves His creation, and as the New Testament tells us, He is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
If Jonah could have been sure that God was going to judge Nineveh and wipe it out, he would have been quite happy. But he suspected that if he obeyed God’s call to go and preach repentance to the people, they would turn back from their wicked ways so that He could show them His mercy. Jonah wanted nothing to do with that! The story of Jonah’s wrong thinking is surely a reminder that Christians, God’s people, can get it wrong sometimes. Yes, we have been saved by God’s grace, born again, but it’s all too apparent that we are far from infallible. In fact, although we have been forgiven, we are still sinful people, prone to wrong motives, failure to follow God’s commands .
Jonah hardened his heart against God’s call because such was his intense distaste for the task. He compounded the wrong by trying to distance himself from the city to which he should have gone. But the God we have to serve is the omnipresent One from whom there’s no escape. The psalmist declared that there was no place to which he could flee to escape the presence of God (Psalm 139:7-12). The same applied to Jonah – and still applies to us as well. Jonah traveled 60 miles south to the port of Joppa to board his ship for Spain, but God did not intervene to stop him. It had been so easy to desert – the first step downwards was easily taken.
In giving us free-will, God often allows us a long lead before He determines that enough is enough! Like Jonah, we cannot run away from God. God exists everywhere. For Jonah the moment of truth came as we read, “But Jehovah sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.” The Authorized Version is even more expressive, “God hurled a great wind … a mighty tempest.”
We may deliberately choose our own way but we cannot evade the consequences of our actions. Sooner or later we must face the One we have wronged and render account of what we have done. Sometimes God, in His mercy, places a road block in the path to arrest the backslider before it’s too late, and may even give a fresh opportunity of fulfilling God’s plan. Thank God that He’s the God of the “second chance”.
The sailors became increasingly concerned for their lives and “each cried to his god” but the storm only got worse. Sometimes, to the shame of believers in God, unenlightened pagans can act with a greater sensitivity than the children of God. The captain sensed something was seriously wrong and aroused Jonah from his slumbers. “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us.”
Jonah, the servant of the true God, was placed in the undignified position of being urged to pray by a heathen captain! The world around us is beset by enormous problems. Evil abounds. But what are we doing about it? Are we like Jonah so relaxed about it that we close our eyes to it? Our Christian duty is to pray to the living God for His intervention and for those in authority over us and for the Christian leaders who have some influence for good in society. The violent storm that battered the ship had a supernatural origin.
C S Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our health and prosperity, but, being hard of hearing, we fail to hear God’s voice in both. It’s then that God turns up the amplifier by means of suffering. Then his voice booms.” We mustn’t be surprised at the means that God uses to teach us the lessons of life.
The situation was getting desperate and Jonah was asked, “What should we do to you, to make the sea calm down for us?” Jonah told them to throw him into the sea “and it will become calm … it is my fault.” He accepted responsibility for the storm because of his disobedience. Jonah knew that his folly had brought its own penalty and that we cannot trifle with the Almighty. To the credit of the mariners, they did their best to avoid the certain loss of Jonah’s life, by rowing all the harder but it was hopeless. They offered a prayer to Jehovah that they might not be accountable for the life of the prophet, then, reluctantly, they threw Jonah into the raging sea.
What happened then was miraculous! Immediately the storm died down and the sea was calm. There was only one explanation: the Creator God, Jehovah had said the word which Jesus would say centuries later, “Quiet, be still!” (Mark 4:39).
But there was another act of Providence taking place beneath the waves. God had “provided a great fish” to be at the right place at the right time, “to swallow Jonah” and thus to save his life and to fulfil his God-given mission. One can only marvel at God’s forbearance with sinful, undeserving humankind. Every Christian humbly has to acknowledge that fact; it’s all of His grace and mercy. It’s something we need to return thanks to God every day of our lives.
It was in the interior of the sea creature that Jonah prayed, “In my distress I called to the Lord.” He had been willing to be drowned, but the prospect of death by gradual digestion in the sea monster was something he had not anticipated! It was an urgent prayer! But it was also a prayer of faith. He knew the Lord could and would hear his prayer if it was offered sincerely, penitently, with confession and with faith.
Jonah’s prayer was wonderfully answered. It’s wonderful to read, “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.'” Jonah did, with the result that “The Ninevites believed God … He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened.” Who can tell what a blessing we can be if we are humble enough to be used by God in our own sphere of service?
In Him,
Brown
Halloween Should Celebrate Saints, Not Sin
Sarah Jennings
“The Church identifies blesseds and saints not for their benefit but for the Church’s sake — to show that holiness is possible in every century, every walk of life, every part of the globe and every circumstance of life.”
On Oct. 31st, an estimated 36 million children ages 5-13 will don spooky or silly costumes as they roam neighborhood streets in search for “tricks or treats.” While the nation participates in rousing festivities, Christian parents wrestle with how to celebrate Halloween. Are we compromising our children’s faithfulness to the Gospel by allowing them to dress as witches and vampires? Are we destroying our witness by showing up at the neighbor’s doorstep disguised – thinly – as ghosts and goblins? Are we risking spiritual attack by participating in festivities that make light of sorcery, death, and demons?
The modern Halloween celebration certainly does not have the appearance of a Christian holiday. Every October the nation is bombarded with images that in fact, represent the very things the Christian faith warns believers against. Yet with the widespread celebration of Halloween, sitting at home is easier said than done. And opting out may result in even more guilt as parents remember their own innocent childhood revelry on October nights long ago. So many go in a third direction - hosting Christian or seasonal alternatives to Halloween.
The truth is, Halloween – in spite of its seemingly pagan appearance – is not only an ancient Church holiday but remains an important feast day in the Christian calendar to this very day. There’s no need to ignore Halloween – instead, Christians can celebrate it in a manner consistent with the original purpose.
The Meaning of “Halloween”
The name “Halloween” is derived from the phrase “All Hallow’s Eve.” In A.D. 741, the Church set aside Nov. 1st as “All Saint’s Day” in honor of the great Christian heroes from the dark and bloody days of the early Church. The feast of All Saints is one of the earliest Christian holy days and was originally set on May 13th . But officials moved it to November to counteract the popular pagan festival Samhain that dominated Roman culture at that time.
In keeping with Jewish tradition, early Christian feast days began at sundown the night before. October 31st was set aside as “All Hallow’s Eve” or the eve of “All Hallows.” Over the centuries and throughout various cultures, Halloween festivities have adopted customs and lore from many different traditions. By the time Halloween became popular in America around the mid-1800’s, its Christian focus was crowded out by myths, legends, and superstitions. But if we wade past the stories of Jack and his Lantern or witches cackling over brew, we will find real stories of lives lived for good in the face of evil.
Celebrating the Feast of All Saints
Those who get to “know” the early Christians are often surprised – and comforted – when they see past the old-fashioned robes to discover joys and struggles that sound familiar to our modern ears. Much wisdom can be gained from those who have “finished the race” (2Ti 4:7) and arrived at the finish line.
Families can pick a few Christian heroes of interest, and teach their children about their lives as well as the eras in which they lived. Then, as Halloween approaches, parents can throw an “All Saints’ Party” to celebrate – requesting that attendees dress as their favorite Saint or Biblical character. Or families and friends can wear these costumes as they venture out into local neighborhoods for some old-fashioned trick-or-treating. Who knows what opportunities to share the Gospel could come your way?
Here are some Saints you might want to learn more about:
The Early Martyrs
The Church faced much persecution in her infancy – and where there is persecution, there are opportunities for heroes to emerge. Countless Christians – young mothers, nobles, slaves, Roman guards, and every day men and women -- gave their lives in the name of Christ.
From the early Church fathers to 20th century poets, there are countless Christians whose stories weave a vibrant tapestry of Christian history. These three are noteworthy, but barely scratch the surface, so check out the resources at the bottom for more.
Maximillian Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Polish priest who came of age in the days building up to Nazi Germany. As a pastor, he boldly proclaimed the Gospel message to the world through his writings and ministry, traveling as far as Japan. He is most known for his final heroic act at Auschwitz where he was imprisoned for his faith. One day, his captors decided to kill ten prisoners as punishment for an escape attempt. Chosen among the ten was a Jewish husband and father who pleaded for his life. Kolbe stepped out of line, offering to take the father’s place. He was the last of the ten prisoners to die, ministering to the other nine as they withered away of starvation. Costume: Thick, round-rimmed glasses. Traditional Franciscan robe (A long, dark robe tied with a rope at the waist, sandals).
Kateri Tekakwitha, or “Lily of the Mohawks.”A Native American, Kateri was born in 1656 in New York.. Her father was a Mohawk warrior. When she was four, her mother died and two aunts and an uncle adopted her. She was baptized Christian at age 20 having accepted salvation in Christ as a teenager. Kateri’s faith was a source of suffering for her, but she never abandoned her Christian beliefs. As a young woman, Kateri traveled to a Christian colony of Native Americans located in Canada. She showed much devotion to the Lord through her prayer and service to those in need. On April 7th, 1680 Kateri died at the young age of 24. Her life and death inspire Christian devotion among the Native American population to this day. Costume: Traditional Native American (preferably Mohawk) dress, braided hair, accompanied with a cross around the neck.
Joan of Arc’s story is filled with tumult and controversy. She was born in France in 1412 to faithful, peasant Christians. At age 17, Joan felt God communicating to her, ordering her to help the King of France take his kingdom back from England and the Duke of Burgundy. Joan experienced much military success after French officials set aside their reservations of the young, zealous woman, and placed a small army under her command. She was eventually captured by the opposition and tried as a heretic. She died a martyr’s death at age 19. It was only after her death that officials cleared her declaration of guilt and recognized her as a Saint. Costume: Armor, shield, accompanied by a flowing skirt, and carrying a battle flag.
Praise the Lord, for it is the eve of All Saints Day. Jesus came to transform sinners into saints. He came to transform the rebels in to worshippers. He came to welcome home the repentant prodigals. He came to guide the pilgrims home. He is the Light of the world. As we read John 1:5, "And the Light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not" " The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out. " He is the Lord of the second chance.
Jonah is the patron saints of all of us who follow the Lord reluctantly, those of us who have the propensity to wander away from the Lord who loves us, those of us who have dislike for those are who are outside fold. Jesus retold the amazing account of Jonah as something which actually happened (Matt 12:38:41; Luke 11:29-41), so there’s no reason to say it’s only a fable. Jonah was one of God’s chosen men, commissioned with a message. He lived in the eighth century BC as a contemporary of his fellow prophets Elisha, Hosea, and Amos. So what is Jonah’s message, both for the people of his time and us in the 21st century? It all has to do with repentance and the solemnity of God’s judgement.
The story of Jonah is all about God’s goodness to people who don’t deserve it – to the Assyrians, to Jonah himself, and to you and me. Jonah was a messenger and herald of Jehovah but his story concerns not his own people, but the fate of Nineveh. At this time, Nineveh was the capital city of the cruel nation of Assyria, to the east. Jonah was commissioned by Jehovah, “Arise, go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it; because its wickedness is come up before me.” He could hardly believe his ears! But the call was clear, “Go … preach.” “Go and convert the people of Nineveh!”
God was telling Jonah to be a missionary to the first worst people on earth. We also are told to live out our faith wherever God places us, whether in a foreign country or at home, and to be His witnesses in an unbelieving world. God had made it abundantly clear what He required of Jonah, but Jonah wasn’t having anything to do with it: he wanted Nineveh to be blasted, rather than blessed, by Jehovah, paid back for their evil deeds and wicked ways. Jonah refused point-blank to follow instructions. Instead of setting out to travel eastwards, he did the opposite and took a ship with the westward destination of Tarshish in Spain, in those days the end of the known world! Why?
It is written, “But Jonah ran away from the Lord”, perhaps not literally, but certainly deliberately. He had clearly thought out a plan, taking money to pay his fare, choosing a ship going as far as possible from Nineveh. Jonah’s reaction was not so much due to cowardice or timidity as his conduct on the ship proved. No, it was because he thought he had a theological problem. How could God have anything to do with the nasty people of Nineveh, the “evil empire” of his day? Jonah regarded Jehovah as the exclusive God of Israel, to be jealously kept for their blessing only. In his opinion, God should not be concerned for the lives and spiritual well-being of those outside the fold of Israel; they had no share in the divine revelation. How wrong he was! God loves His creation, and as the New Testament tells us, He is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
If Jonah could have been sure that God was going to judge Nineveh and wipe it out, he would have been quite happy. But he suspected that if he obeyed God’s call to go and preach repentance to the people, they would turn back from their wicked ways so that He could show them His mercy. Jonah wanted nothing to do with that! The story of Jonah’s wrong thinking is surely a reminder that Christians, God’s people, can get it wrong sometimes. Yes, we have been saved by God’s grace, born again, but it’s all too apparent that we are far from infallible. In fact, although we have been forgiven, we are still sinful people, prone to wrong motives, failure to follow God’s commands .
Jonah hardened his heart against God’s call because such was his intense distaste for the task. He compounded the wrong by trying to distance himself from the city to which he should have gone. But the God we have to serve is the omnipresent One from whom there’s no escape. The psalmist declared that there was no place to which he could flee to escape the presence of God (Psalm 139:7-12). The same applied to Jonah – and still applies to us as well. Jonah traveled 60 miles south to the port of Joppa to board his ship for Spain, but God did not intervene to stop him. It had been so easy to desert – the first step downwards was easily taken.
In giving us free-will, God often allows us a long lead before He determines that enough is enough! Like Jonah, we cannot run away from God. God exists everywhere. For Jonah the moment of truth came as we read, “But Jehovah sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.” The Authorized Version is even more expressive, “God hurled a great wind … a mighty tempest.”
We may deliberately choose our own way but we cannot evade the consequences of our actions. Sooner or later we must face the One we have wronged and render account of what we have done. Sometimes God, in His mercy, places a road block in the path to arrest the backslider before it’s too late, and may even give a fresh opportunity of fulfilling God’s plan. Thank God that He’s the God of the “second chance”.
The sailors became increasingly concerned for their lives and “each cried to his god” but the storm only got worse. Sometimes, to the shame of believers in God, unenlightened pagans can act with a greater sensitivity than the children of God. The captain sensed something was seriously wrong and aroused Jonah from his slumbers. “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us.”
Jonah, the servant of the true God, was placed in the undignified position of being urged to pray by a heathen captain! The world around us is beset by enormous problems. Evil abounds. But what are we doing about it? Are we like Jonah so relaxed about it that we close our eyes to it? Our Christian duty is to pray to the living God for His intervention and for those in authority over us and for the Christian leaders who have some influence for good in society. The violent storm that battered the ship had a supernatural origin.
C S Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our health and prosperity, but, being hard of hearing, we fail to hear God’s voice in both. It’s then that God turns up the amplifier by means of suffering. Then his voice booms.” We mustn’t be surprised at the means that God uses to teach us the lessons of life.
The situation was getting desperate and Jonah was asked, “What should we do to you, to make the sea calm down for us?” Jonah told them to throw him into the sea “and it will become calm … it is my fault.” He accepted responsibility for the storm because of his disobedience. Jonah knew that his folly had brought its own penalty and that we cannot trifle with the Almighty. To the credit of the mariners, they did their best to avoid the certain loss of Jonah’s life, by rowing all the harder but it was hopeless. They offered a prayer to Jehovah that they might not be accountable for the life of the prophet, then, reluctantly, they threw Jonah into the raging sea.
What happened then was miraculous! Immediately the storm died down and the sea was calm. There was only one explanation: the Creator God, Jehovah had said the word which Jesus would say centuries later, “Quiet, be still!” (Mark 4:39).
But there was another act of Providence taking place beneath the waves. God had “provided a great fish” to be at the right place at the right time, “to swallow Jonah” and thus to save his life and to fulfil his God-given mission. One can only marvel at God’s forbearance with sinful, undeserving humankind. Every Christian humbly has to acknowledge that fact; it’s all of His grace and mercy. It’s something we need to return thanks to God every day of our lives.
It was in the interior of the sea creature that Jonah prayed, “In my distress I called to the Lord.” He had been willing to be drowned, but the prospect of death by gradual digestion in the sea monster was something he had not anticipated! It was an urgent prayer! But it was also a prayer of faith. He knew the Lord could and would hear his prayer if it was offered sincerely, penitently, with confession and with faith.
Jonah’s prayer was wonderfully answered. It’s wonderful to read, “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.'” Jonah did, with the result that “The Ninevites believed God … He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened.” Who can tell what a blessing we can be if we are humble enough to be used by God in our own sphere of service?
In Him,
Brown
Halloween Should Celebrate Saints, Not Sin
Sarah Jennings
“The Church identifies blesseds and saints not for their benefit but for the Church’s sake — to show that holiness is possible in every century, every walk of life, every part of the globe and every circumstance of life.”
On Oct. 31st, an estimated 36 million children ages 5-13 will don spooky or silly costumes as they roam neighborhood streets in search for “tricks or treats.” While the nation participates in rousing festivities, Christian parents wrestle with how to celebrate Halloween. Are we compromising our children’s faithfulness to the Gospel by allowing them to dress as witches and vampires? Are we destroying our witness by showing up at the neighbor’s doorstep disguised – thinly – as ghosts and goblins? Are we risking spiritual attack by participating in festivities that make light of sorcery, death, and demons?
The modern Halloween celebration certainly does not have the appearance of a Christian holiday. Every October the nation is bombarded with images that in fact, represent the very things the Christian faith warns believers against. Yet with the widespread celebration of Halloween, sitting at home is easier said than done. And opting out may result in even more guilt as parents remember their own innocent childhood revelry on October nights long ago. So many go in a third direction - hosting Christian or seasonal alternatives to Halloween.
The truth is, Halloween – in spite of its seemingly pagan appearance – is not only an ancient Church holiday but remains an important feast day in the Christian calendar to this very day. There’s no need to ignore Halloween – instead, Christians can celebrate it in a manner consistent with the original purpose.
The Meaning of “Halloween”
The name “Halloween” is derived from the phrase “All Hallow’s Eve.” In A.D. 741, the Church set aside Nov. 1st as “All Saint’s Day” in honor of the great Christian heroes from the dark and bloody days of the early Church. The feast of All Saints is one of the earliest Christian holy days and was originally set on May 13th . But officials moved it to November to counteract the popular pagan festival Samhain that dominated Roman culture at that time.
In keeping with Jewish tradition, early Christian feast days began at sundown the night before. October 31st was set aside as “All Hallow’s Eve” or the eve of “All Hallows.” Over the centuries and throughout various cultures, Halloween festivities have adopted customs and lore from many different traditions. By the time Halloween became popular in America around the mid-1800’s, its Christian focus was crowded out by myths, legends, and superstitions. But if we wade past the stories of Jack and his Lantern or witches cackling over brew, we will find real stories of lives lived for good in the face of evil.
Celebrating the Feast of All Saints
Those who get to “know” the early Christians are often surprised – and comforted – when they see past the old-fashioned robes to discover joys and struggles that sound familiar to our modern ears. Much wisdom can be gained from those who have “finished the race” (2Ti 4:7) and arrived at the finish line.
Families can pick a few Christian heroes of interest, and teach their children about their lives as well as the eras in which they lived. Then, as Halloween approaches, parents can throw an “All Saints’ Party” to celebrate – requesting that attendees dress as their favorite Saint or Biblical character. Or families and friends can wear these costumes as they venture out into local neighborhoods for some old-fashioned trick-or-treating. Who knows what opportunities to share the Gospel could come your way?
Here are some Saints you might want to learn more about:
The Early Martyrs
The Church faced much persecution in her infancy – and where there is persecution, there are opportunities for heroes to emerge. Countless Christians – young mothers, nobles, slaves, Roman guards, and every day men and women -- gave their lives in the name of Christ.
From the early Church fathers to 20th century poets, there are countless Christians whose stories weave a vibrant tapestry of Christian history. These three are noteworthy, but barely scratch the surface, so check out the resources at the bottom for more.
Maximillian Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Polish priest who came of age in the days building up to Nazi Germany. As a pastor, he boldly proclaimed the Gospel message to the world through his writings and ministry, traveling as far as Japan. He is most known for his final heroic act at Auschwitz where he was imprisoned for his faith. One day, his captors decided to kill ten prisoners as punishment for an escape attempt. Chosen among the ten was a Jewish husband and father who pleaded for his life. Kolbe stepped out of line, offering to take the father’s place. He was the last of the ten prisoners to die, ministering to the other nine as they withered away of starvation. Costume: Thick, round-rimmed glasses. Traditional Franciscan robe (A long, dark robe tied with a rope at the waist, sandals).
Kateri Tekakwitha, or “Lily of the Mohawks.”A Native American, Kateri was born in 1656 in New York.. Her father was a Mohawk warrior. When she was four, her mother died and two aunts and an uncle adopted her. She was baptized Christian at age 20 having accepted salvation in Christ as a teenager. Kateri’s faith was a source of suffering for her, but she never abandoned her Christian beliefs. As a young woman, Kateri traveled to a Christian colony of Native Americans located in Canada. She showed much devotion to the Lord through her prayer and service to those in need. On April 7th, 1680 Kateri died at the young age of 24. Her life and death inspire Christian devotion among the Native American population to this day. Costume: Traditional Native American (preferably Mohawk) dress, braided hair, accompanied with a cross around the neck.
Joan of Arc’s story is filled with tumult and controversy. She was born in France in 1412 to faithful, peasant Christians. At age 17, Joan felt God communicating to her, ordering her to help the King of France take his kingdom back from England and the Duke of Burgundy. Joan experienced much military success after French officials set aside their reservations of the young, zealous woman, and placed a small army under her command. She was eventually captured by the opposition and tried as a heretic. She died a martyr’s death at age 19. It was only after her death that officials cleared her declaration of guilt and recognized her as a Saint. Costume: Armor, shield, accompanied by a flowing skirt, and carrying a battle flag.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 10-30-07
Good morning,
Robert Robinson had been saved through George Whitefield’s ministry in England. Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three, Robinson wrote the hymn “Come, Thou Fount.”
Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
While many begin their race with the Lord well, often at some time along the way they stumble and fall, and find themselves wandering off the trail. They end up running from God. Jonah is the patron saint of all of us, those who love the Lord and are prone to run from Him. Jonah is called the "disobedient prophet" and is typical of someone who is running from God. Sometimes this is called backsliding. It is one who has fallen back from a previous position, like someone on a slippery hill.
God told Jonah to go East, so Jonah went West. He went in the opposite direction of God’s calling. Why do you think he did that? The basic answer is that Jonah questioned God’s plan.
Nineveh was the capital Assyria. The Assyrians were known for their brutality and evil. To travel there was risky enough. To preach the judgment of God against them would mean certain death. Even if he wasn’t killed and they did repent, Nineveh would be saved from God’s wrath and Israel would still face destruction. To Jonah it seemed like a lose/lose situation.
Remember when Israel was lead out of Egypt by Moses and they complained the whole way? First it was the army, then it was no water, then it was no food, then it was that the people In the promised land were too powerful. At every turn they doubted God’s plan.
We learn from Jonah that we can’t run from our problems and that we cannot hide from God. Jonah tried to run to the farthest place he could get a ticket. Often people think that they can run away from their problems. People think, "This marriage is hard so I’ll leave and find a new one. This church has problems so I’ll find a new one." This does not work because often the problems we face are not a result of our surroundings but they are from within us and we take them wherever we go. Until we deal with ourselves, they remain.
Keith Green wrote a song called "Run to the End of the Highway", that said:
"Well you can run to the end of the highway and not find what you’re looking for,
Moving won’t make your troubles disappear.
And you can search to the end of the highway and come back no better than
before
To find yourself you’ve got to start right here."
God knows us and sees us wherever we go – whether that is in the bottom of a ship or in the belly of a whale. Sometimes people try to hide from God, but they cannot. Saint Augustine wrote “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” When we run from God our fellowship with Him is broken. Running from God puts us in a struggle with Him. As Jacob learned, you cannot wrestle with God and expect to win.
Keep Sunita in prayer. She is back in Burundi after a brief stay in Rwanda. She returns to Washington, DC on Sunday.
Pray for Linda Ayer, who is going to consult a surgeon today.
Pray for Jack Black, Jack Hoppess, Irving Rosenbarker, and Mahlon Tewksbury.
Pray for our friend, Lauren Helveston (with the Mission Society), as he travels on a mission trip to Russia in November.
Those who live around here, please join us for a special day of worship and celebration on Sunday, November 11. The St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble will be with us for worship at 8:30 and 11:00, and then will be presenting a special concert at 7:00 in the evening. These men are very gifted, talented, and anointed. You will be blessed.
In Christ our Lord and Saviour,
Brown
Just click here:http://www.godtube.com/view_video?viewkey=8b47551ad4a26ce3f11a
Robert Robinson had been saved through George Whitefield’s ministry in England. Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three, Robinson wrote the hymn “Come, Thou Fount.”
Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
While many begin their race with the Lord well, often at some time along the way they stumble and fall, and find themselves wandering off the trail. They end up running from God. Jonah is the patron saint of all of us, those who love the Lord and are prone to run from Him. Jonah is called the "disobedient prophet" and is typical of someone who is running from God. Sometimes this is called backsliding. It is one who has fallen back from a previous position, like someone on a slippery hill.
God told Jonah to go East, so Jonah went West. He went in the opposite direction of God’s calling. Why do you think he did that? The basic answer is that Jonah questioned God’s plan.
Nineveh was the capital Assyria. The Assyrians were known for their brutality and evil. To travel there was risky enough. To preach the judgment of God against them would mean certain death. Even if he wasn’t killed and they did repent, Nineveh would be saved from God’s wrath and Israel would still face destruction. To Jonah it seemed like a lose/lose situation.
Remember when Israel was lead out of Egypt by Moses and they complained the whole way? First it was the army, then it was no water, then it was no food, then it was that the people In the promised land were too powerful. At every turn they doubted God’s plan.
We learn from Jonah that we can’t run from our problems and that we cannot hide from God. Jonah tried to run to the farthest place he could get a ticket. Often people think that they can run away from their problems. People think, "This marriage is hard so I’ll leave and find a new one. This church has problems so I’ll find a new one." This does not work because often the problems we face are not a result of our surroundings but they are from within us and we take them wherever we go. Until we deal with ourselves, they remain.
Keith Green wrote a song called "Run to the End of the Highway", that said:
"Well you can run to the end of the highway and not find what you’re looking for,
Moving won’t make your troubles disappear.
And you can search to the end of the highway and come back no better than
before
To find yourself you’ve got to start right here."
God knows us and sees us wherever we go – whether that is in the bottom of a ship or in the belly of a whale. Sometimes people try to hide from God, but they cannot. Saint Augustine wrote “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” When we run from God our fellowship with Him is broken. Running from God puts us in a struggle with Him. As Jacob learned, you cannot wrestle with God and expect to win.
Keep Sunita in prayer. She is back in Burundi after a brief stay in Rwanda. She returns to Washington, DC on Sunday.
Pray for Linda Ayer, who is going to consult a surgeon today.
Pray for Jack Black, Jack Hoppess, Irving Rosenbarker, and Mahlon Tewksbury.
Pray for our friend, Lauren Helveston (with the Mission Society), as he travels on a mission trip to Russia in November.
Those who live around here, please join us for a special day of worship and celebration on Sunday, November 11. The St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble will be with us for worship at 8:30 and 11:00, and then will be presenting a special concert at 7:00 in the evening. These men are very gifted, talented, and anointed. You will be blessed.
In Christ our Lord and Saviour,
Brown
Just click here:http://www.godtube.com/view_video?viewkey=8b47551ad4a26ce3f11a
Monday, October 29, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 10-29-07
Good morning,
What a beautiful morning! The Lord blessed us with a bountiful and beautiful weekend of fellowship, worship, and service. Saturday began with a gathering of men, for a hearty and all homemade breakfast followed by worship and service. Praise the Lord for the way the Lord of the Church shows up when His people gather with a desire to honor Him.
We were asked to offer a memorial service for a young toddler who died last week. He was just under 3 years old. His is mother is in jail. His father is in prison. The church provided a place for mourning and grieving, and a place to seek the Lord in the midst intense grief and pain. The church provided a meal after the service. We sensed the Lord's very presence in the midst of brokenness and death.
It was a very special day yesterday. It was Pastor's appreciation day in our Church. Alice preached at Wesley. I preached at Union Center. Our church spoils its pastor and the parsonage family. It was great day of worship, and feasting and giving thanks to the Lord for great faithfulness and mercy. The students from the Binghamton University that meet at Wesley joined us for sharing in the sumptuous meal and a very sweet fellowship in Jesus our Lord.
The epistle reading for yesterday was taken from 2 Timothy 4. Writing from a Roman jail, with the certain knowledge that he would soon be dead, Paul looked back at his journey with Christ, and then he looked forward to what would happen after he died. Then he wrote his own epitaph: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (II Timothy 4:6-8).
After an exhaustive study of the men and women of the Bible, Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary concluded that there are approximately 100 detailed biographies in the Bible. He notes that approximately two-thirds of those men and women ended poorly. Either they turned to immorality or they drifted away from the faith or they ended their life in a backslidden condition. The Apostle Paul was not among them. He finished well. Once when John Wesley was asked to explain the spiritual strength of the early Methodists, he replied, “Our people die well.” But in order to die well, you have to finish well. Our text tells us how that happens.
Finishing well doesn't happen by accident. My wife reminded me that Mother Teresa finished the race well. Princes Diana finished her race in disgrace. Jim Elliott , Nate Saint, and Graham stains and many others finished the race well.
As Paul approached his own death, he drew some conclusions about his own life and what would happen next. Based on his words let us think about three questions together.
When Paul says he is being poured out like a drink offering, he is referring to an Old Testament ritual that accompanied certain sacrifices. The Law mandated that when a worshiper brought an offering, part of it was consumed upon the altar and part was given to the priest for his own use. When the offering was consumed by fire, the worshiper would sometimes pour a “drink offering” of wine upon the burning sacrifice. All the wine was to be poured out. None was to be given to the priest. As the wine hit the burning coals, it evaporated and a sweet smell rose from the altar. Keep in mind that wine was a symbol of joy in the Old Testament. The drink offering was a symbolic way of saying, “I gladly give all that I have to the Lord. This sacrifice that I offer is given as a symbol of my wholehearted commitment to God. Nothing is held back. All that I have, I gladly give to my God.”
Paul knew that his death was close at hand. He was on death row in Rome and he would never be set free. By speaking of his death as a “drink offering,” he was saying to Timothy, “When you hear of my death, don’t think that Nero has executed me against my will. I gladly lay down my life for my Lord. Nero cannot take my life; I gladly offer it to Christ. My own blood will be like the wine of the drink offering, gladly given to the One who loved me and gave himself for me.” It was Paul’s way of saying, “Don’t weep for me, Timothy. Know this: When I die, I will die smiling.” Paul had already given everything to Jesus. The only thing left to give was his life—and that he gladly gave.
The word “departure” in verse 6 has three word pictures behind it. It refers to a ship hoisting the anchor, raising the sails, leaving the harbor, and setting sail for a distant port. It also refers to an army that has made camp near a battlefield. To “depart” means to break camp, leave the battlefield, and head for home. It also pictures a man who has been carrying a staggering burden. Now the call comes, “My friend, lay your burden down. It’s time to come home.” For Paul, death was like setting sail, breaking camp, laying down his heavy burden, and finally going home to be with the Lord.
Was Paul afraid to die? Not at all. Write over his whole life these two words: NO REGRETS. Since he had no regrets, he viewed his death as simply going home to be with the Lord. What kind of departure will you have? Do you have that same confidence about your own death? You can face death with that buoyant faith if you will do what Paul did—offer your life as a “living sacrifice” to the Lord with nothing held back.
First, he lived a disciplined life. “I fought the good fight.” This speaks to the continual struggle that he faced. Think of the words Paul used to describe his own life: trouble, distress, tribulation, trials, hardships. In II Corinthians 6:4-5, he described the normal Christian life as including these elements: “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings.” In other passages he spoke of the spiritual opposition he faced—Satan, the forces of darkness, the indwelling power of the flesh, and the spiritual darkness of paganism. Whatever else you can say about Paul, you can’t say he had an easy life. He never stopped fighting for Jesus until the day he died. Now at last the struggle is almost over. Soon his Commander-in-Chief will grant an Honorable Discharge from the battles of life. He will be promoted from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant. By God’s grace, he had fought well and for him, the battle would soon be over.
Second, he lived a directional life. “I have finished my course.” We must not read that and think that Paul means, “I did what I wanted to do.” This is not like Frank Sinatra singing, “I did it my way.” Paul means that he followed the course the Lord Jesus set out for him the day he saved him on the road to Damascus. Ever since that day, he had been following the Lord, doing whatever the Lord had for him to do. Whether in good times or bad times, whether in happy circumstances or in the midst of pain and suffering, Paul had walked in the way of the Lord. Now the journey was almost over. He could look back and say, “It wasn’t easy, it was often hard, and sometimes I wondered if I would make it, but now I can see that Jesus led me all the way.” He had reached the finish line at last.
This was Paul’s approach to the Christian life. No matter what happened to him, he just kept moving forward by the grace of God. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, one day at a time. He wasn’t deterred by opposition because he knew it was coming eventually. Our problem is that we’re surprised by trouble. We think the Christian life ought to be easy. It’s not easy, and it’s not supposed to be easy. Today is the day of struggle, combat, warfare. Today we march to battle in the name of the Lord. The day of rest comes later.
Third, he lived a doctrinal life. “I have kept the faith.” This simply means he refused to compromise the truth. When other people fell away, Paul preached the Word. When the world was against him, Paul paid no attention. When it would have been easy to trim his message to save his own life, Paul proclaimed the whole counsel of God. He did not back down, he did not compromise, and he would not preach what people wanted to hear. He kept the faith.
Because Paul knew that nothing could touch him that did not come from the hand of God, he never gave in to discouragement. He truly believed that everything that happened to him was for his good and for God’s glory. Therefore, he kept on going for God to the very end. Even the chains of a Roman jail could not destroy his faith or shatter his confidence in God.
He never stopped fighting!
He never stopped running!
He never stopped believing!
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (II Timothy 4:8).
Here we see Paul’s faith shining so brightly that the darkness of the Roman prison cell seems to disappear. By faith he sees beyond his own beheading. The pain of that moment is now past and the suffering of this life is left far behind. By faith he sees a day (“that day”) when he will receive his reward from the Lord. What will that reward be like?
It will be a guaranteed reward. It is “laid up” or “stored” in heaven for Paul.
It will be a glorious reward. It is the crown of righteousness. It will be a personal reward. Paul will receive his reward from the Lord himself. Note how specific he is about this. It is the Lord, the righteous Judge, who will reward him. In just a few days Nero, the unrighteous earthly ruler, will have him beheaded. But in “that day” the Lord himself will reverse Nero’s earthly judgment. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Universe will weigh in on Paul’s case—and his judgment will be final.
It will be personal. Paul won’t be awarded his crown by mail and he won’t receive it from a committee. He will receive it directly from Jesus Christ.
It will be a future reward. Paul will receive his reward on “that day,” the day Jesus Christ returns from heaven.
It will be a shared reward. It is not just for Paul but also for everyone who loves the Lord and longs for his appearing.
This is what is ahead for you and for me if we will faithfully serve Jesus Christ in this life. Be encouraged . The Lord is not so unjust as to forget your suffering for him. He sees all that you go through. He knows all about your struggles. He sees how hard the fight is, how you are sometimes tempted to quit, and how you keep on going when others around you throw in the towel. He sees and he knows and in “that day,” the Lord himself will reward us if we are faithful to him now.
So the word of Lord is this: Keep on fighting. Keep on running. Keep on believing. And the best of all is yet to come. This hot battle won’t last forever, this long road will soon come to an end, and this old world full of “dangers, toils and snares” won’t last much longer. Let us Hold on to our faith. Let us Keep believing. Let us Stay strong. Let us Put on the whole armor of God. Let us Hold on to our faith and never give up. There’s a finish line out there somewhere, and it’s closer than any of us realize.
By the grace of God, let’s finish strong for Jesus.
In Him alone,
Brown
The Lord afflicts us at times; but it is always a thousand times less than we deserve, and much less than many of our fellow-creatures are suffering around us. Let us therefore pray for grace to be humble, thankful, and patient.
... John Newton
What a beautiful morning! The Lord blessed us with a bountiful and beautiful weekend of fellowship, worship, and service. Saturday began with a gathering of men, for a hearty and all homemade breakfast followed by worship and service. Praise the Lord for the way the Lord of the Church shows up when His people gather with a desire to honor Him.
We were asked to offer a memorial service for a young toddler who died last week. He was just under 3 years old. His is mother is in jail. His father is in prison. The church provided a place for mourning and grieving, and a place to seek the Lord in the midst intense grief and pain. The church provided a meal after the service. We sensed the Lord's very presence in the midst of brokenness and death.
It was a very special day yesterday. It was Pastor's appreciation day in our Church. Alice preached at Wesley. I preached at Union Center. Our church spoils its pastor and the parsonage family. It was great day of worship, and feasting and giving thanks to the Lord for great faithfulness and mercy. The students from the Binghamton University that meet at Wesley joined us for sharing in the sumptuous meal and a very sweet fellowship in Jesus our Lord.
The epistle reading for yesterday was taken from 2 Timothy 4. Writing from a Roman jail, with the certain knowledge that he would soon be dead, Paul looked back at his journey with Christ, and then he looked forward to what would happen after he died. Then he wrote his own epitaph: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (II Timothy 4:6-8).
After an exhaustive study of the men and women of the Bible, Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary concluded that there are approximately 100 detailed biographies in the Bible. He notes that approximately two-thirds of those men and women ended poorly. Either they turned to immorality or they drifted away from the faith or they ended their life in a backslidden condition. The Apostle Paul was not among them. He finished well. Once when John Wesley was asked to explain the spiritual strength of the early Methodists, he replied, “Our people die well.” But in order to die well, you have to finish well. Our text tells us how that happens.
Finishing well doesn't happen by accident. My wife reminded me that Mother Teresa finished the race well. Princes Diana finished her race in disgrace. Jim Elliott , Nate Saint, and Graham stains and many others finished the race well.
As Paul approached his own death, he drew some conclusions about his own life and what would happen next. Based on his words let us think about three questions together.
When Paul says he is being poured out like a drink offering, he is referring to an Old Testament ritual that accompanied certain sacrifices. The Law mandated that when a worshiper brought an offering, part of it was consumed upon the altar and part was given to the priest for his own use. When the offering was consumed by fire, the worshiper would sometimes pour a “drink offering” of wine upon the burning sacrifice. All the wine was to be poured out. None was to be given to the priest. As the wine hit the burning coals, it evaporated and a sweet smell rose from the altar. Keep in mind that wine was a symbol of joy in the Old Testament. The drink offering was a symbolic way of saying, “I gladly give all that I have to the Lord. This sacrifice that I offer is given as a symbol of my wholehearted commitment to God. Nothing is held back. All that I have, I gladly give to my God.”
Paul knew that his death was close at hand. He was on death row in Rome and he would never be set free. By speaking of his death as a “drink offering,” he was saying to Timothy, “When you hear of my death, don’t think that Nero has executed me against my will. I gladly lay down my life for my Lord. Nero cannot take my life; I gladly offer it to Christ. My own blood will be like the wine of the drink offering, gladly given to the One who loved me and gave himself for me.” It was Paul’s way of saying, “Don’t weep for me, Timothy. Know this: When I die, I will die smiling.” Paul had already given everything to Jesus. The only thing left to give was his life—and that he gladly gave.
The word “departure” in verse 6 has three word pictures behind it. It refers to a ship hoisting the anchor, raising the sails, leaving the harbor, and setting sail for a distant port. It also refers to an army that has made camp near a battlefield. To “depart” means to break camp, leave the battlefield, and head for home. It also pictures a man who has been carrying a staggering burden. Now the call comes, “My friend, lay your burden down. It’s time to come home.” For Paul, death was like setting sail, breaking camp, laying down his heavy burden, and finally going home to be with the Lord.
Was Paul afraid to die? Not at all. Write over his whole life these two words: NO REGRETS. Since he had no regrets, he viewed his death as simply going home to be with the Lord. What kind of departure will you have? Do you have that same confidence about your own death? You can face death with that buoyant faith if you will do what Paul did—offer your life as a “living sacrifice” to the Lord with nothing held back.
First, he lived a disciplined life. “I fought the good fight.” This speaks to the continual struggle that he faced. Think of the words Paul used to describe his own life: trouble, distress, tribulation, trials, hardships. In II Corinthians 6:4-5, he described the normal Christian life as including these elements: “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings.” In other passages he spoke of the spiritual opposition he faced—Satan, the forces of darkness, the indwelling power of the flesh, and the spiritual darkness of paganism. Whatever else you can say about Paul, you can’t say he had an easy life. He never stopped fighting for Jesus until the day he died. Now at last the struggle is almost over. Soon his Commander-in-Chief will grant an Honorable Discharge from the battles of life. He will be promoted from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant. By God’s grace, he had fought well and for him, the battle would soon be over.
Second, he lived a directional life. “I have finished my course.” We must not read that and think that Paul means, “I did what I wanted to do.” This is not like Frank Sinatra singing, “I did it my way.” Paul means that he followed the course the Lord Jesus set out for him the day he saved him on the road to Damascus. Ever since that day, he had been following the Lord, doing whatever the Lord had for him to do. Whether in good times or bad times, whether in happy circumstances or in the midst of pain and suffering, Paul had walked in the way of the Lord. Now the journey was almost over. He could look back and say, “It wasn’t easy, it was often hard, and sometimes I wondered if I would make it, but now I can see that Jesus led me all the way.” He had reached the finish line at last.
This was Paul’s approach to the Christian life. No matter what happened to him, he just kept moving forward by the grace of God. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, one day at a time. He wasn’t deterred by opposition because he knew it was coming eventually. Our problem is that we’re surprised by trouble. We think the Christian life ought to be easy. It’s not easy, and it’s not supposed to be easy. Today is the day of struggle, combat, warfare. Today we march to battle in the name of the Lord. The day of rest comes later.
Third, he lived a doctrinal life. “I have kept the faith.” This simply means he refused to compromise the truth. When other people fell away, Paul preached the Word. When the world was against him, Paul paid no attention. When it would have been easy to trim his message to save his own life, Paul proclaimed the whole counsel of God. He did not back down, he did not compromise, and he would not preach what people wanted to hear. He kept the faith.
Because Paul knew that nothing could touch him that did not come from the hand of God, he never gave in to discouragement. He truly believed that everything that happened to him was for his good and for God’s glory. Therefore, he kept on going for God to the very end. Even the chains of a Roman jail could not destroy his faith or shatter his confidence in God.
He never stopped fighting!
He never stopped running!
He never stopped believing!
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (II Timothy 4:8).
Here we see Paul’s faith shining so brightly that the darkness of the Roman prison cell seems to disappear. By faith he sees beyond his own beheading. The pain of that moment is now past and the suffering of this life is left far behind. By faith he sees a day (“that day”) when he will receive his reward from the Lord. What will that reward be like?
It will be a guaranteed reward. It is “laid up” or “stored” in heaven for Paul.
It will be a glorious reward. It is the crown of righteousness. It will be a personal reward. Paul will receive his reward from the Lord himself. Note how specific he is about this. It is the Lord, the righteous Judge, who will reward him. In just a few days Nero, the unrighteous earthly ruler, will have him beheaded. But in “that day” the Lord himself will reverse Nero’s earthly judgment. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Universe will weigh in on Paul’s case—and his judgment will be final.
It will be personal. Paul won’t be awarded his crown by mail and he won’t receive it from a committee. He will receive it directly from Jesus Christ.
It will be a future reward. Paul will receive his reward on “that day,” the day Jesus Christ returns from heaven.
It will be a shared reward. It is not just for Paul but also for everyone who loves the Lord and longs for his appearing.
This is what is ahead for you and for me if we will faithfully serve Jesus Christ in this life. Be encouraged . The Lord is not so unjust as to forget your suffering for him. He sees all that you go through. He knows all about your struggles. He sees how hard the fight is, how you are sometimes tempted to quit, and how you keep on going when others around you throw in the towel. He sees and he knows and in “that day,” the Lord himself will reward us if we are faithful to him now.
So the word of Lord is this: Keep on fighting. Keep on running. Keep on believing. And the best of all is yet to come. This hot battle won’t last forever, this long road will soon come to an end, and this old world full of “dangers, toils and snares” won’t last much longer. Let us Hold on to our faith. Let us Keep believing. Let us Stay strong. Let us Put on the whole armor of God. Let us Hold on to our faith and never give up. There’s a finish line out there somewhere, and it’s closer than any of us realize.
By the grace of God, let’s finish strong for Jesus.
In Him alone,
Brown
The Lord afflicts us at times; but it is always a thousand times less than we deserve, and much less than many of our fellow-creatures are suffering around us. Let us therefore pray for grace to be humble, thankful, and patient.
... John Newton
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