We who were born and raised in this wonderful country have created our own version of Jesus.  I do not think that we have done this with any kind of malicious intent; in fact, I think that our Jesus has just emerged over time and with compromise so that most of us have no clue that the Jesus we know is no Jesus but our understanding of Jesus as filtered through our culture.  I met this Jesus again last night at church.  He is very real to us.  We really do not want anybody messin’ with our Jesus, particularly the preacher or the prophet.  I met this American Jesus as I was teaching Jonah and was enthralled at how real he is to people and how much we will fight for him.  So, let me introduce you to this Jesus who is so very real to so many of us but so very unreal as the real Jesus is defined by Scripture.

Jonah as you know was the reluctant prophet.  He rebelled against the call of God to proclaim the Truth of God to a pagan people even trying to escape God.  God knew where he was, found him, and showed this preacher His great power which resulted in the preacher’s repentance and desire to please God.  He still did not want to go where God was calling him or do what God desired but neither did he want to return to the depths of the sea.  So he went to Nineveh and when the people responded with repentance, the preacher was angry.  He wanted God to punish them, to treat them as their sins deserved.  He did not want them forgiven because in his eyes they did not deserve it.  Nor did he.  But that he did not see.  And right there in chapter four is where we meet the American Jesus.  Jonah was mad with God for forgiving the Ninehvites who lived then in what is now modern day Mosul, Iraq.  The truth is that there are those in our world whom we believe deserve forgiveness and we pray that for them; they are in our family, among our friends or ethnic group, and they live in our town and move in our social circles.  But there are those who are clearly military and political enemies of our land and not only do we want them defeated, we want them destroyed; we surely don’t think they deserve forgiveness so that they would go to heaven where we are so sure that we are going to be.  It is hard to understand Jonah’s hard-hearted attitude toward the grace of God when we keep it at the level of our family and friends but it is not hard to see what he saw and feel what he felt when the name is Osama or Hitler or the child molester living down the street in your neighborhood.  But the biblical truth is that none deserves grace and it is the desire of our gracious God to give grace to all who come in faith and repentance confessing their sin and committming themselves to Jesus as Lord.  There is no other God than this nor is there another Jesus.  But start talking about this kind of God and this kind of grace out loud in the churches or our land and you will discover that there is another “god” and for sure another “Jesus.”

This Jesus is a capitalist.  He is on the side of those who are doing right.  Now doing right is defined by the value system of middle class anglos who are multi-generational Americans.  It means to work hard and to play fair. It means that we don’t do those things that we are supposed not to do, at least in public; and we do those things publicly that present to others the proper personna.  Now we may gossip so as to destroy people in private conversation.  We may use profoundly profane speech among our friends and we may be so deeply prejudiced against other ethnic groups that we use the “n” word for blacks and who knows what for others who are not like us.  But we are morally clean.  We are by public legal definitions good citizens and we live in decent homes, wear nice clothes and drive good cars and trucks.  We see this as  a sign both of belonging to God and being blessed by God.  When suffering comes we see it as evil and pray to our version of “god” and even in the name of our “Jesus” that we would get better soon.  Physical healing is seen as our right while sickness is both an interruption and an invasion.  The captialist Jesus takes care of us because we are good and we do what is right.

This Jesus is a consumer.  He wants us to have stuff, as much of it as we need and want.  He wants us to work hard, earn a lot, give legalistically to the church and then spend the rest on ourselves and those closest to us.  Our good works in the world are defined by the bracelet around our wrist, “what would Jesus do,” although we never even consider that a real relationship with the real Jesus rests on what He has done because we are so sinful that we cannot do what He did.  Even our very best works are tainted by sin.  At least, mine are.  Do you ever do good for others and then wonder why nobody really ever says, “thank you.”  Or do you ever do that which is good because of how it makes you feel about yourself.  Those whose Jesus is American see nothing wrong at all in the two sentences above.  But the real Jesus calls us to do what we do in gratitude for grace not wanting anything in return and doing what we are called to do even if it kills us for in killing us we will be brought the everlasting life that we are anticipating.

I could go on and on with this but let me just give one more.  This Jesus is caring at the level of taking care of us.  That is how we see Him.  Those who serve the American Jesus love to talk about praying “in Jesus’ Name” in the context of Psalm 37 [+/-]Psalm 37 [37:1]Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! [2]For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. [3]Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. [4]Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. [5]Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. [6]He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. [7]Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! [8]Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. [9]For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. [10]In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. [11]But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. [12]The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, [13]but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. [14]The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; [15]their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. [16]Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. [17]For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. [18]The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; [19]they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. [20]But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish--like smoke they vanish away. [21]The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; [22]for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. [23]The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; [24]though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. [25]I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. [26]He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. [27]Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. [28]For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. [29]The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. [30]The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. [31]The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. [32]The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. [33]The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. [34]Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. [35]I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. [36]But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. [37]Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. [38]But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. [39]The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. [40]The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
where we love to read that he will give us the desires of our heart.  And we know what those are and we can pray for them; most of them have to do with us and those closest to us.  We seldom even think about Chile or Haiti or Mauritania or Seoul or Paris (except to pray to go there).  We organize our lives around what we want to make us happy and pray in the name of our Jesus to get what we want to make us happy.  And sometimes we get it and are glad to come to church to praise this Jesus and sometimes we don’t so we pray more and make it point then perhaps to show up on a Sunday night or two (extra credit) so as to show God not how much we love Him but how much we want what it is that we are praying for.

I met the American Jesus again last night.  It scared me.  Not because I saw Him in others but because I saw him in myself.  Do you see this foreign god anywhere around you?

 

 The Suffering Servant [36:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Isaiah 52:13-53 [+/-]Isaiah 52:13-15 [13]Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. [14]As many were astonished at you-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-- [15]so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.
:12

One of the most unforgettable Springs of my life happened in 1980.  The highlight of that Spring and of that year was the birth of our first child, but prior to that May 25 date I had been involved in a most fascinating experience.  I met once a week with a Jewish Rabbi to read and to reflect upon Hebrew texts:  Genesis 1 [+/-]Genesis 1 [1:1]In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [2]The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3]And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. [4]And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. [5]God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. [6]And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." [7]And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. [8]And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. [9]And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. [10]God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. [11]And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. [12]The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [13]And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. [14]And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, [15]and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. [16]And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. [17]And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, [18]to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19]And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. [20]And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." [21]So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22]And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." [23]And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. [24]And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds--livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. [25]And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [26]Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27]So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28]And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." [29]And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. [30]And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. [31]And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (ESV)
, Deuteronomy 6 [+/-]Deuteronomy 6 [6:1]"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, [2]that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. [3]Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. [4]"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [5]You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [6]And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. [7]You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. [8]You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9]You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. [10]"And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you--with great and good cities that you did not build, [11]and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant--and when you eat and are full, [12]then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. [13]It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. [14]You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you-- [15]for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God--lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. [16]"You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. [17]You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. [18]And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers [19]by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has promised. [20]"When your son asks you in time to come, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?' [21]then you shall say to your son, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. [22]And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. [23]And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. [24]And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. [25]And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.' (ESV)
, Psalms 1, 23 [+/-]Psalm 1 [1:1]Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; [2]but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3]He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. [4]The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. [5]Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; [6]for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
and 103 and Isaiah 53 [+/-]Isaiah 53 [53:1]Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? [2]For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. [3]He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4]Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. [5]But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. [6]All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7]He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. [8]By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? [9]And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. [10]Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. [11]Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. [12]Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
.  I could hardly wait to get to Isaiah 53 [+/-]Isaiah 53 [53:1]Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? [2]For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. [3]He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4]Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. [5]But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. [6]All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7]He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. [8]By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? [9]And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. [10]Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. [11]Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. [12]Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
that Spring even though we had agreed at the beginning that the conversion of one of our ways of thinking to the others way of thinking was not our goal.  But during that week that we read Isaiah 53 [+/-]Isaiah 53 [53:1]Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? [2]For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. [3]He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4]Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. [5]But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. [6]All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7]He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. [8]By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? [9]And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. [10]Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. [11]Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. [12]Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
I just had to ask Rabbi Eprhaim Rosenzweig, “How is it that you can read this text and not see Jesus?  If this is not Jesus, then who is it?”  To which he responded in typical rabbinic style, “how can you read this text and see Jesus; if in fact it is Jesus then He could not have been the Messiah so you don’t want this to be Jesus, because the Messiah will not suffer but will bring to be the Kingdom of God upon the earth in which His people will live in perfection of body, prosperity of goods, and peace from all the pressures and problems of life.  This text speaks clearly of one who suffers immensely so that this text speaks of Israel who will delivered from all this pain when Messiah comes.  Blessed be He!”

Learn more about this message by downloading the sermon notes here!

James Montgomery Boice reminds us that Daniel 11 [+/-]Daniel 11 [11:1]"And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. [2]"And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. [3]Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. [4]And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these. [5]"Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. [6]After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times. [7]"And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. [8]He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. [9]Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land. [10]"His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. [11]Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. [12]And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. [13]For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies. [14]"In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. [15]Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. [16]But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. [17]He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. [18]Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. [19]Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found. [20]"Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. [21]In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. [22]Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. [23]And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. [24]Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. [25]And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. [26]Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. [27]And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. [28]And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land. [29]"At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. [30]For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. [31]Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. [32]He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. [33]And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. [34]When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, [35]and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time. [36]"And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. [37]He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. [38]He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. [39]He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price. [40]"At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. [41]He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. [42]He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. [43]He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. [44]But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. [45]And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him. (ESV)
is the longest and most detailed prophesy in the entire book.  It begins and 11:1 and extends through 12:4.  We must remember as we approach this chapter and the culmination of this book that Daniel is in exile during the sixth century B.C. and is writing here in detail of events that will begin to take place one hundred years after the time in which he is writing.  Boice has noted that this chapter can be divided into three units:  the period of time from Daniel to the time of Antiochus IV, the critical career of Antiochus and the events that are yet to come.  Every student of the Book of Daniel is challenged by this chapter with reference to the issue of the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture.  Conservative evangelicals have taken the position that God revealed detailed historical truth to Daniel before it came to be; liberal scholars have taken the position that the Book of Daniel was written in the second century B.C. looking back on these events and writing as if they are yet to be.  Which of these positions do you take?

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I am a strong advocate for believers in our day reading books from the period of the Reformation and the period of the Puritans.  Reading books from the nineteenth century and some into the early twentieth century can do us good too.  I am not against all books that are published in our modern era; there are writers like John Piper and R.C. Sproul and John MacArthur and Albert Mohler and I could go on that are very much worth reading.  I read everything the above men and others like them are writing.  But so many modern Christian writers with each publication become more and more prone to the self-centered and self-consumed orientation of our culture.  Many of them are writing books about how we can discover the secret to . . . and you can fill in the blank here:  financial success, a healthy lifestyle, staying youthful, etc.  And the whole thrust is the use (abuse) of Scripture to tell us how we can have what we really want.  And there is enough truth in the pages and enough of it really works that the books sell and people consequently believer more and more in themselves than in God.  Such books tend to tone down depravity and depreciate the grandeur of God.  If the secret of what I need is within me then I just need to unleash it and if I can unleash it then I am not really that bad as a sinner nor do I have that much need of God except in desperate situations.  Read many modern writers and then go read a Calvin or a Luther or a Bunyan or a Sibbes and you will conclude, “somebody is not telling the truth.”

Let me make a recommendation.  I have a book on my shelf that was edited by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson, Meet the Puritans. I simply select one of them like Bunyan or Sibbes or Baxter or Clarkson etc. and go to banneroftruth.org and order a couple of books by one of these men and read them.  You may want to start with Bunyan.  Read something from him with which you are not familiar or you may want to order John Flavel’s book on grief.  Read slowly because some of the reading is a little cumbersome for us.  But stay with it.  You will be blessed and you will be changed.  After doing this kind of reading for a year without reading anything modern except perhaps the men mentioned above and others like them, go read a book by a popular modern author.  I started to give a name or two, but thought better of it!! I think that you would be overwhelmed by the depth of what you were reading and the superficiality of so much that is being published in our day.  Happy adventures with old books.

C.S. Lewis is the one who is reported to have encouraged us to read old books.  I have followed that advice for some time now and find it quite challenging and comforting.  It is comforting to know that there have been times in the history of the church when we had a more correct understanding of the Lordship of Jesus than we do now and there was a time when we took far more seriously the work of the Spirit of God in sanctification than we do now.  It is challenging because I still from time to time dip around in some of the more modern “Christian” writing found in popular American writers and find it like moving from a profound theological treatise to a kindergarten primer.  For example, I walked into a Christian bookstore the other day and read the blurb from the writer of one of her recently published and already profoundly popular books.  This writer would tell us in the blurb how we could have a full and free life and “the key is in us.”  Isn’t that wonderful, I thought; that as a depraved sinner I have within me what I need to live a full and free life.  Jesus just became in that moment by her standards a nice addendum to life.  What I read in those few moments of the book made me wonder if we could in our culture even hear any more the kind of truth that really does constitute the essence of genuine Christianity.  So, let me step aside and let you read one quote from the great reformer John Calvin and a second from the Puritan David Clarkson.

The following from John Calvin is from the Institutes from chapter eight of the third book where he is dealing with the practical issues of what a life in Christ looks like.  He has addressed the issue of self-denial and now turns to what it means to “take up his cross.”  He writes, “The pious mind must ascend still higher, namely, whither Christ calls His disciples when He says that every one of them must ‘take up his cross’ (Matt. 16:24 [+/-]Matthew 16:24 [24]Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (ESV)
).  Those whom the Lord has chosen and honored with his intercourse must prepare for a hard, laborious, troubled life, a live full of many and various kinds of evils; it being the will of our heavenly father to exercise His people in this way while putting them to the proof.  Having begun this course with Christ the first-born, he continues it toward all his children.  For though the Son was dear to Him above all others, the Son in whom he was ‘well-pleased,’ yet we see,  that far from being treated gently and indulgently, we may say, that not only was he subjected to a perpetual cross while he dwelled upon the earth, but his whole life was nothing else than a kind of perpetual cross.  The apostle assigns the reason, “though he was a Son, yet learned he obedience through the things which He suffered’ (Heb. 5:8 [+/-]Hebrews 5:8 [8]Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. (ESV)
).  Why then should we exempt ourselves from the condition to which Christ our Head behooved to submit, especially since He submitted on our account, that he might in His own person exhibit a model of patience?”

And from Clarkson, “Some have questioned how Christ can love us when he denies many temporal blessings.  Outward blessings however are never a sign of love or hatred.  You cannot conclude that Christ hates you because He afflicts; or that He loves you because you are blessed with temporal blessings.  The smallest drop of grace is a greater sign of of Christ’s love than all the glory and pleasures of the earth.  Otherwise we could conclude that the rich man belonged to God and Lazarus didn’t.”  And he adds that if we would really experience and express the love of Jesus it would be seen entirely in a life of holiness wholly committed to Jesus paying the price for such obedience with jubilant joy and divine delight.  Do you see why it is that I read old books?  Try it, you may not like it; but it will be really, really good for you.

 

 Blaspheming the Holy Spirit [42:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mark 3:20-35 [+/-]Mark 3:20-35 [20]Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. [21]And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, "He is out of his mind." [22]And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." [23]And he called them to him and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? [24]If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25]And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. [26]And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. [27]But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. [28]"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, [29]but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- [30]for they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." [31]And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. [32]And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you." [33]And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" [34]And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! [35]For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." (ESV)

Nee Mee Okoka?  It is Swahili.  You could hear it if you were a new person attending for the first time a conservative evangelical church in Kenya or if you were encountered by a Kenyan believer in the marketplace:  Nee Mee Okoka.  It means, “Are you saved?”  And in response to this question you may hear, “bona saviewee, bona saviewee, I am saved and what would follow would not be a day and a time or a testimony about joining the church or praying the prayer or being baptized; what would follow would be a testimony to the work of the Spirit of God through the Word of God right now in your life.  And if you answered, no; it would because there would be no evidence in your life that you really were saved.  The first time I ever heard these two things was in a church in Kenya; I was struck by both and asked the pastor about both.  His response was simple:  what else would you talk about than what God is doing in your life if you are truly saved and why in the world would anybody say they are saved and not really be saved; only those who have no fear of God would dare do such a thing to which I would say to him that day, “or those by the thousands in our churches in our country who have a clear misunderstanding of what it really means to be saved.”  Where there is no fruit there is no faith.  Where there is no real hunger for the word of God, no real thirst for the worship of God and no real craving for the things of God among the people of God it is simply because there has been no real conversion.  Nee Mee Okoka?

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Luke 14:25-33 [+/-]Luke 14:25-33 [25]Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, [26]"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. [27]Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. [28]For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? [29]Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, [30]saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' [31]Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? [32]And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. [33]So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (ESV)

Jesus had invited to Sunday dinner with the lead elder or chief deacon.  Well, that is how we would portray it.  It was actually the home of a leading Pharisee who must have been very popular and very powerful.  The Pharisees emerged from among the common people and became both the interpreters and practitioners of genuine biblical piety.  Few of them would have been by noblemen by birth or rulers by right; they were like most of us just hard working men who loved the law of God and wanted to see others live it out.  So when a ruler was a Pharisee this was big.  He would have been very popular among the people and very powerful.  And Jesus had been invited to his house on the Sabbath.  And the Bible says in Luke 14:1 [+/-]Luke 14:1 [14:1]One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. (ESV)
that they, that is; the religious people were watching him carefully.  The word means to pay very close attention with no good purpose in mind.  They are watching him like a hawk; noticing every move He makes and listening to ever word He speaks.  So, what does Jesus do?  He begins His day of dining by embarrassing His host and insulting the guests!  He had not read the manual on how to behave at a luncheon given in your honor.

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