Calvary Hanford Transcripts

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The Talking Dead (Psalm 12)

May 18, 2025

Did you know Hollywood has been making zombie movies for almost 100 years? They were first brought to the silver screen in 1932’s White Zombie.[1] We’re fascinated by stories of how the uninfected will survive in a world that has been overrun by the living dead.

Often those stories begin with one individual who believes they are the last healthy human on earth. I Am Legend, Omega Man, there are many others. Even though they think they’re alone, they hold out hope for a cure, hope that they will make it out alive.

By the end of these movies we always discover that the protagonists are not alone. There are others still alive. Together they do what they can to avoid the plague and escape danger.

Believe it or not, David paints a similar image in Psalms 11 and 12. Of course, his world wasn’t reeling from a global pathogen or nuclear fallout. David looked at the spiritual state of of the world and it looks like Omega Man. In Psalm 11 he wrote, “When the foundations have collapsed, what can the righteous do?” In Psalm 12 he says, “The Godly have all disappeared from the human race.”

Today’s Psalm serves as a soundtrack for the children of God living in a crumbling world – a world plagued by sin and suffering its consequences. But it is not a song of resignation. It’s not It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine), it’s a song of confidence that God is a Savior and He not only moves to protect us, but He has provided us with a cure that can undo the devastation this plague has wrought on the culture and institutions around us.

Psalm 12:1 – 1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race.

Did David really think he was the last faithful believer in the entire human race? Well, apparently he felt that way. We have these sort of hyperbolic feelings sometimes in our lives, right? Flashes of hopelessness or confusion, even complaint against God? This song begins as a complaint.

We don’t have to pretend like we never feel this way. We don’t have to fake our prayers or act like we’re never frustrated or discouraged. There’s a whole category of Psalms called lament Psalms. This is one of them.[2] A lament is an expression of some sort of complaint or hurt or sorrow to God.

Now, we don’t stay in an attitude of complaining. We’ll see David moves from confusion and complaint to clarity and confidence. But God wants you to be open and honest with Him when you pray to Him, when you sing to Him. He already knows what you’re thinking and feeling, anyway.

David’s song opens with a simple word: HELP! God, SAVE! What would we do if right now, from outside, we heard someone screaming for help? I imagine a whole bunch of people would go outside to see what they could do. And David knows that God not only has power to save, but that He is listening for the cries of His people.

The Psalms are very clear on this fact. God listens closely and carefully to us.[3] Our calls, our needs, our desires, our questions. God hears them and answers.

David’s assessment was that the Godly were fast disappearing from the human community. The result was not pretty. He realized we have an urgent need to be saved not from a comet hitting the planet, not from a virus, not from alien invasion. We need to be saved from ourselves.

But what does it mean to be faithful or loyal? These terms refer to people who keep covenant with God.[4] Those who believe God and respond with faith and obedience and go His way through life according to the principles and directives and leading He gives. And that can apply to anyone.

Psalm 12:2 – 2 They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.

In the movies, zombies are usually identified by how they look. In this song, they are identified by what they say. Their words are categorized as lies and deceit and flattery. The term here literally means, “a lip of slipperiness.”[5] The human tongue spouts empty talk, smooth talk, and double talk.[6]

The problem is we’re all naturally infected with this condition. You don’t have to teach a child to lie. Humans are so prone to lying we have to start judicial questioning by making people promise they won’t lie. David wasn’t immune. He lied to Achish. He lied to Ahimelech. He lied about Bathsheba.

Lying is a part of the human condition. But it’s something we need to be saved from. It’s a malignancy we must partner with God to root out of our lives if we want to bear spiritual fruit.

As David moved through the hordes of humanity, he heard lie after lie. Why do we lie to people? Our friends and family and neighbors? Sometimes it’s because of jealousy, sometimes fear. Sometimes we’re trying to manipulate others for our own purposes. But lying is destructive to societies and to relationships and to our own hearts. It is a deadly virus.

Flattery is a form of lying that doesn’t feel like a big deal to us. But God’s Word gives us warnings even about this lesser type of lying speech. Proverbs explains that flattery causes ruin.[7] Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians that it is not a tool we should use.[8] Our relationships and institutions cannot survive if they aren’t built on truth and trust and honesty and genuine unity. So, if you give your language life an audit and discover traces of flattery or manipulation, allow the Lord to deal with it in a loving, cleansing way, because we don’t want Him to deal with it this way:

Psalm 12:3 – 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully.

That escalated quickly! But this plague has to be dealt with. We see in Acts how Ananias and Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit and to the church and what does God do? He cut them off by killing them. Now, that isn’t what He usually does these days, but it illustrates the seriousness of this issue.

It’s not actually about the words themselves, it’s about what’s going on in our hearts. From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.[9] And what we see is that, among the ungodly, the plague of pride has infiltrated their hearts and spread to their lips and then corrupts their relationships and their whole perspective. Look at verse 4.

Psalm 12:4 – 4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own—who can be our master?”

The truth is, our tongues do have power. The words you say can change lives. James says your tongue can set the course of a life on fire.[10] Or we can use our words also to build up and draw people out of darkness by preaching the truth that will set them free.

The people speaking in verse 4 are so impressed with their powers of speech they say, “Who can be our master?” The term they use is a play on Adonai.[11] “Who’s my God? I’m my own God and master!” That’s what the person who is not in covenant with Jesus has convinced themselves of.

But here’s the truth: You are not your own master. Your tongue is not your own. In fact, it’s not even your breath in your lungs. It’s God’s. The Bible makes that very clear in Job and Isaiah and Acts. You’re alive by God’s grace and mercy. And you belong to Him, not only because you are His creation, but also because He bought you with the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

Today, if you’re not a Christian, you may think you’re your own master, but you’re not. In reality, you are enslaved to sin. You are held captive by the Devil. You are a citizen of the kingdom of darkness and will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire unless you are rescued and the only way for you to be rescued is by being in covenant with Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You can be saved today, right now, by believing and calling out to this rescuing God.

Psalm 12:5 – 5 “Because of the devastation of the needy and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”

“Longs for” here can also mean the person who puffs or pants for it.[12] Those who realize they don’t want to stay trapped in the plague of sin and the devastation it brings to life.

You see, it’s not just about little white lies, it’s not just about a little flattery here and there. Words lead to actions. This plague has led to a world where violence is done to the helpless. Where the weak are crushed and left defenseless. But God will not allow that to continue. He hears their cries. He sees their suffering and He moves with power and compassion on their behalf.

You Christians, be encouraged that God still hears your groanings. Paul tells us in Romans how the Holy Spirit is here to help us in our weakness, interceding for us with inexpressible groanings.[13]

But notice that David is no longer alone. In verse 1 it was as if he was the last man standing. But now we see there are others. God sees them and He is mindful of them all.

Psalm 12:6 – 6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.

The antidote to the plague of proud hearts and corrupted tongues is the eternal word of God. His word is not proud, it is pure. In fact, “seven times” here is actually the dual form. So David is saying that God’s word has been refined and purified seven times twice.[14]

Why does that matter? Well, here we are in a sin-ridden world, a world where the truth of God is often under attack. A world where we sometimes face pressure for being in covenant with Jesus.

What happened when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were faced with pressure and opposition and attack? They told Nebuchadnezzar they would not bow to him as master. They remained faithful to the Lord. They trust His promises. So what did Nebuchadnezzar do? He had the furnace heated seven times hotter. And what happened? God intervened to save these faithful ones. His word, His promises not only withstand the furnace of life, they withstand a furnace heated seven times hotter. They could’ve gone another seven times hotter still and God’s truth would’ve remained just as pure, just as valuable, just as reliable in any circumstance.

We sing God’s words, we decorate our homes with them, that’s good. But they are not only good for melody or decoration. They are as beautiful and useful and valuable as the purest silver.

Psalm 12:7 – 7 You, Lord, will guard us; you will protect us from this generation forever.

Which generation? The one we’re in. David sang this song many centuries ago. We can still sing it today. Because God is always faithful in every generation. His mercy, His power, His goodness, His care for us is never diminished.

David is no longer alone. Now it’s “us.” What a good thing that God connects us with one another, as living stones knit together for strength and encouragement and cooperation and community.

The complaint has given way to confidence. Though at times we may be outnumbered, we are never outmatched because our God is with us and He says that He is ready to perform His word.[15]

Psalm 12:8 – 8 The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

We get one more similarity to the zombie flick here. The wicked, we’re told, “prowl all around.” They’re wandering in the dark, not really going anywhere, just looking for victims. That’s what sin does to humanity – to the sons of Adam. That’s the second time David uses that terminology. Where we read “human race” he says the sons of Adam.

Christians were sons of Adam, but we’ve been born again thanks to the work of the Second Adam. Now, we are sons and daughters of God. So great is the love of God that He allows us to be called His children.[16] And we do not wander through life aimlessly, trying to satisfy cheap and worthless desires. Now we walk with God toward glory, toward life, toward the future He has set aside for us.

The ungodly heart elevates what is worthless. It exalts insignificant things. Cheap and gluttonous and shameful excess.[17] That’s what a heart and a society dominated by sin celebrates and worships and builds up for itself. But we don’t have to be infected with that plague. We are people who walk with purpose – people who know where we’re going, and so we lift up and build and worship that which is eternal.

In most zombie movies, the hero’s goal is to kill as many of them as they can. Or, at least, the goal is to get as far away from them as possible. God’s way of doing things is not like that. Yes, He rises up to protect His people and fight for them when need be, but He has delivered the cure and then sends us out to try to rescue the infected so that they, too, can join our assembly of the living. Because His merciful, loving care extends to all the lost of this world. They need help just like we do. And before He rises up in ultimate judgment, He sends us out with the cure of the Gospel, to seek and to save others just as we were sought and saved. So they, too, can become children of God.

What do the righteous do when the foundations are crumbling? When it seems like the Godly are fast disappearing? Go and make disciples, knowing that God is with us, protecting us, caring for us, sending us out in His grace and His life and His power.

 

References
↑1 https://www.library.cmu.edu/about/news/2017-10/legacy-dead-history-zombie
↑2 Frank Gaebelein, Willem VanGemern, Allen Ross, J. Stafford Wright, and Dennis F. Kinlaw. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. Vol. 5.
↑3 See Psalm 10:17, 4:3. 66:18, 116:1
↑4 C. Hassell Bullock   Psalms, Volume 1: Psalms 1-72
↑5 James Waltner   Psalms: Believers Church Bible Commentary
↑6 Derek Kidner   Psalms 1-72
↑7 Proverbs 26:28
↑8 1 Thessalonians 2:5
↑9 Matthew 12:34
↑10 James 3:6
↑11 Bullock
↑12 Kidner
↑13 Romans 8:26
↑14 Bullock
↑15 Jeremiah 1:12
↑16 1 John 3:1
↑17 Kidner

Every Rule You Break, We’ll Be Watching You (Mark 3:1-6)

May 14, 2025

Would You Rather is a staple in our house. Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible? Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck? Would you rather always have bad breath or always have BO? These are hard choices kids love to wrestle with at the dinner table.

I’ve got a different Would You Rather for us tonight: Would you rather have a hobbled hand or a dead heart? Both of those maladies are put on display in this text. But this story isn’t just about a physical healing. It’s about spiritual condition and whether you and I will respond to the Great Physician with obedience and faith or with resentment and fury.

Mark 3:1 – Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a shriveled hand.

This is the last of five stories Mark put together which show the growing conflict between Jesus and those Jews – particularly the religious leaders – who did not like what He was all about.

We would say Jesus went to church that Saturday.[1] Obviously this is a Jewish gathering, not a Christian one, but in many ways a synagogue service was similar to a normal church service.[2]

Worship in synagogues was not the same as worship in the Temple. There was no animal sacrifice in the synagogues, no priests there giving atonement. The Temple was in Jerusalem, synagogues were in any city where there were at least ten Jewish men. They developed during the Babylonian exile and were local gatherings for education, prayer, worship, and fellowship.[3]

That’s what they were supposed to be. Sadly when Jesus went to synagogue, conflict and tension usually followed. In chapter 1, Jesus goes to synagogue and a demon confronts Him, saying, “What are You doing here?!?” In chapter 6, Jesus is in a synagogue teaching wonderful things unlike anything they had ever heard and the people say, “Isn’t this that Nobody from Nazareth?”

And yet, despite the problems, Jesus kept going to services, week after week. He wanted to be there and, as always, He conducted Himself with patience and grace despite being misunderstood.

Churches are not perfect and some churches should be avoided because of the kind of damage they do to hearts and lives. But no matter where we go, we’re called to be a part of the regular gathering of God’s people, knowing that they bring their shortcomings with them and we bring our shortcomings with us. God commands us to dwell together in peace and harmony and growth.

That Sabbath, there was a man in the crowd with a shriveled hand. Luke says it was his right hand.[4] It seems that, as a result of disease or an injury, his hand had become shrunken and paralyzed.[5]

Mark 3:2 – 2 In order to accuse him, they were watching him closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath.

The “they” will be identified as Pharisees down in verse 6. Mark has shown us a withered hand, but from the start of this scene, the diseased paralysis of their hearts is absolutely astounding.

They knew Jesus could heal. They weren’t watching to see if He could heal the man, but whether He would on Saturday.

They were at synagogue that day, not to worship, not to pray, not to hear this historic Rabbi, Whose fame filled the whole region – they didn’t care that He was a miracle worker. No, they had seen and heard all they wanted, now all they wanted was for Him to go away.

In John 10, Jesus is talking to a group like this and He says, “Listen, if you don’t want to believe Me, at least believe the works I do.”[6] But the Pharisees had made up their minds and closed their hearts to anything Jesus might say or do. They only watched Him in order to find fault. And the term used there suggests they kept watching Him, dogging His steps.[7]

Has anyone followed you so closely they give you a flat tire? Or in the store, they bump the back of your ankles with their shopping cart? That’s what the Pharisees are doing here.

This passage is not really about a broken hand, it’s about broken hearts. It always comes back to the heart. Will we let the Lord in? Will we allow Him to remove the heart of stone within us and give us a new heart, soft and alive?

Here we are – at church – dedicated to studying the Word and doing what’s right. That’s how the Pharisees would’ve described themselves. The question is: Have we so made up our minds about everything in the Word, in the spiritual life, that we’re unwilling to hear anything new from the Lord?

I’m not suggesting the essentials of doctrine ever change – they don’t. The Scriptures are complete and have been delivered once for all. But are we willing to accept that the Lord might say, “Cast your nets on the other side of the boat?” That He might have a new directive for our lives?

Now, the Pharisees knew Jesus did a lot of healing. But they said you can’t heal on the Sabbath. Of course the Law doesn’t say that – just their convoluted interpretations of the Law. Actually, the Pharisees didn’t fully agree. Some Pharisees allowed for medical treatments on the Sabbath, others didn’t.[8] They even disputed whether you were allowed to pray for sick people on the Sabbath.

They thought these rules made you right with God. Meanwhile, think about the absurdity of fallen men telling God what He could and couldn’t do! They didn’t think Jesus was God, which is why Jesus told them, “I’m the Lord of the Sabbath.” Still, they wanted Him to bend to their system.

We do not tell God what to do. It’s popular for people fighting on social media these days to talk about what Jesus would and wouldn’t do. Wouldn’t you know it, Jesus always aligns with the views we already hold! At least that’s the message you get from people. But we don’t tell God what to do. Not my will, but His be done.

Mark 3:3 – 3 He told the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand before us.”

Jesus knows exactly what was going on. He knew what the Pharisees were thinking. He knew their scheme. He knew in the crowd there was a man who needed healing. He knew it all.

We’ve all seen the scenes where a person who is being followed turns the tables on the watchers. The walk up to the surveillance van and knock on the window. That’s essentially what Jesus does. He asks this fellow to come stand right in the middle of the meeting so everyone can see him.

Now, from what we can tell, this man did not expect to be healed. He didn’t ask to be healed – he just went to church. But the Savior met him there and was about to change his life and use his life.

Most of us are regular attenders of church. Life-changing things don’t necessarily happen to us every single Sunday or every single Wednesday, but the encouragement here is that God might change our lives today. He wants to interact with us, He wants to transform us, and He works in a special way when His people gather together.

I’d like to share part of a testimony we received just this week that illustrates this very thing: “I used to go to church with my step mom…after a while I stopped going and it always left me with this feeling of something missing. But…I remember waking up on a Sunday morning and I felt like asking my stepmom if I could go to church with her. Of course, she said yes. So I got dressed and off I went to church and as soon as I stepped into the church and sat down that feeling of something missing immediately lifted off of me and I knew that what I was missing was Christ.”

That didn’t happen because of something we did. It was God’s doing. God wants to work in your life. And, like this fellow in Mark 3, He wants to use your life as an object lesson for others. Jesus spoke directly to him, but it’s obvious that He was also speaking to everyone else. Teaching them. Showing them His power and His compassion through this man’s life.

He asked the man to come to the middle.[9] It would’ve been a scary moment, but the Lord wasn’t going to embarrass or take advantage of him. He only had good planned for him. But for this wonderful object lesson to play out, the man would have to trust and obey. Which is what he did.

Mark 3:4 – 4 Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

The Pharisees cared about the Talmud, Jesus cared about the Torah. The Torah is the five books of Moses. The Talmud is a huge collection of rabbinic discussions and interpretations of the Torah.

In my Bible, the Torah is about 270 pages. The Talmud, by contrast, is more than 2,700 pages![10] Ten times as long! They were convinced they had figured out spirituality through systems and boxes. It didn’t seem to bother them that God had been silent for 400 years. “What do we need to hear from God for? We’ve solved the equation.” But what a terrible irony that the people in the room who spent the most time and effort being religious were furthest from the Lord.

Jesus asks this question in an effort to show them that their whole perspective on spirituality was skewed. They broke everything down into the minutiae of how many steps you can take and how many pounds you can carry and how you need to portion out your spices in order to please God. But here Jesus says, “Zoom out. Let’s not talk about cumin or sewing needles. Does God want you to do good on the Sabbath or do evil?”

This line about saving life or killing is interesting. Pharisaism developed from the Maccabean revolt. One of the major incidents of that time was when a thousand Jews were slaughtered because they would not fight on the Sabbath. After that, Jewish leaders decided you can kill on the Sabbath if you’re being attacked.[11] The group that became the Pharisees were a key part in that fight.

So Jesus tries to get them to think about the heart of the issue and, more importantly, the heart of God. Not what they think is best, but what does God intend? But they remain silent.

Their silence is absurd. They’re supposed to be the deciders of all Sabbath debates! They’re the ones that exist to answer these questions. But they refuse to respond. Why? Because they can’t answer. Any answer they give will betray their jealousy, their self-righteousness, their inconsistency.

By the way, if your doctrine can’t stand up to questions, that’s a red flag. The Pharisees frequently could not answer the questions Jesus posed to them because it was about tradition not truth.

Mark 3:5 –  5 After looking around at them with anger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

Jesus was angry, He was grieved, He was moved with compassion. This verse makes it crystal clear that the Lord cares about what’s going on in our lives, He cares about what’s going on in our hearts, and He cares about our choices. He is actually, personally, emotionally invested in your life.

Now, the man was also silent in this text, but he acts with obedience and faith. Jesus told him to stretch out his hand. That’s the one thing he can’t do – not naturally, that is. But he believed Jesus had the power to do the impossible for him. So he stepped out in faith, cooperating with God.

His hand was restored. Sadly, the Pharisees’ hearts remained hard. The term there refers to a kind of marble.[12] Stone. Calcified and callous.[13] That’s the one thing you don’t want your heart to be.

The saddest part is that their hearts could’ve been healed just like the man’s hand. They could’ve been like the Grinch, whose heart grew three sizes. They were also given a chance to believe.

The difference was they didn’t think they needed healing. The man knew his hand was withered. But they thought their hearts were fine. They felt no need to have anything restored.

They needed to reckon with the fact that they were wrong. Their righteousness, their religious efforts, their intellectual dedication could not save them. They needed to stretch out their hearts toward Christ. That term also refers to casting out an anchor.[14] Anchoring your life on what? On the Lord Jesus Christ. On His truth. On His command. On His restorative, redemptive work. Choosing to build our lives not on our best ideas or our traditions but on His leading and revelation.

Mark 3:6 – 6 Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians against him, how they might kill him.

You know what was definitely not lawful? Conspiring to murder on the Sabbath! But that’s how hard their hearts were. Luke tells us they were full of rage at what they had seen.[15] They were so upset they made a partnership with Herodians. That was a group that supported Roman occupation and thought Herod was a great guy.[16] Seriously? You support Herod? The Pharisees would rather join them than admit that they needed adjustment – that God still had something to say to them.

And so we see this dramatic movement. The crippled man is drawn to Jesus and his life is restored. The Pharisees retreat from Jesus and toward death. Why? Because of the hardness of their hearts. It’s always about the heart. That’s what was fueling their choices, their emotional responses, their anger, their unkindness, their compromise, their behavior. Hard hearts that would not surrender.

So here we are, at church. Though Christ isn’t bodily in front of us, He promises to be with us in a special way, walking in our midst. And here He is, speaking through His eternal Word.

The questions are: Why are we here and what are we watching for? Are we here because it’s our tradition or do we believe that the God of heaven and earth also attends church so He can change us and bring change through us? Do we believe that God might transform us when we gather together?

And, as we come into the Lord’s presence, what are we watching for? The Pharisees were watching for all the wrong reasons. We don’t want to be like them. So what are we watching for? Are we watching for the commands of God and the diagnoses and the changes that God wants to work in our lives? The restoration He wants to accomplish as we anchor ourselves onto Him?

Faith and obedience was the difference in this text. That’s always the difference. So whether you need a hand healed or a heart healed tonight, respond in humility and faith and obedience. God can do the impossible. He wants to change your life and use your life. Would we rather be restored or full of rigor mortis?

 

References
↑1 Clifton Allen   Matthew-Mark
↑2 Ben Witherington   The Gospel Of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
↑3 Bob Utley   The Gospel According To Peter: Mark And I & II Peter
↑4 Luke 6:6
↑5 Marvin Vincent   Word Studies In The New Testament
↑6 John 10:38
↑7 Vincent
↑8 Craig Keener   The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd Edition
↑9 James Brooks   The New American Commentary: Mark
↑10 https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3347866/jewish/What-Is-the-Talmud.htm
↑11 Sigve K. Tonstad   To Fight Or Not To Fight: The Sabbath And The Maccabean Revolt
↑12 Vincent
↑13 Utley
↑14 Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary Of Old And New Testament Words
↑15 Luke 6:11
↑16 Utley

Crocodile Done Doomed (Ezekiel 29-32)

May 11, 2025

I’ll say a word & you say the first word that comes to mind: Egypt.

For my generation it would be King Tut. Not the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibit that first arrived in the US late 1976.

No, I’m talking about Steve Martin’s song & skit, King Tut, that first debuted on SNL in 1978.

Born in Arizona, lived in Babylonia,

(Got a condo made of stone-a)

King Tut

With the exception of Israel, Egypt is mentioned in the Bible more than any other country.

One of the first illustrations of the Christian life you are likely to encounter as a new believer is that Egypt typifies the world system in opposition to God. It makes sense because you feel as though you’ve been set free from your own Egypt.

When we say Christians go “back to Egypt,” we don’t mean on a flight to Cairo. We mean returning to the old life, drawn back to the flesh after being set free from sin to serve the Lord by the Spirit.

On occasion, Egypt was a place of refuge, as when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled there from King Herod.

In the 6th century, Jews hoped an alliance withEgypt would protect them from Babylon. Ezekiel shattered that hope with a series of seven prophecies, each beginning, “The word of the Lord came unto me…”

Judah should have been turning upward to God for help, not southward to Egypt.

There are a lot of different ways to teach God’s Word. We’re trying something different this morning.

Most of you use a daily devotion. Typically there is a verse, a brief summary for context, the author’s commentary, and often a short prayer.

We’re going to adopt that structure & write our own devotional from these seven prophecies.

The 1st Prophecy – “Killer Croc”

(Ezekiel 29:1-16)

In verses one through sixteen, Pharaoh boasts he created the Nile River. God condemns Pharaoh’s arrogance portraying him as a sea monster (crocodile). Egypt will endure 40 years of desolation and exile. A restoration is promised, but Egypt would never again be a dominating empire.

(29:3) Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself’

Man or monster is a thrilling horror theme. Whether it’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or the Wolfman, or Hulk, their stories explore the inner beast.

Pharaoh saw himself as a god who made the Nile. The Lord saw him as a man who had become a monster on account of his pride.

As long as we are in these corrupt bodies we will possess an insane desire to be like God.

That a man or an angel could be like God is THE lie that undermined the entire human race.[1]

Satan is the father of lies. I never totally understood that until recently. THE lie, that man can be like God, is the original lie from which all other lies originate.

Satan is presented as the most beautiful of God’s created angels. After he fell due to pride, he became a grotesque monster, e.g., in the Book of the Revelation.

When a Christian yields to his flesh, to his propensity to sin, he goes from mimicking the beauty of Jesus Christ to being a monster.

You might even say that Christian is walking like an Egyptian.

I’ve heard lots of reasons from Christians why their marriage problems can only be resolved by divorce. “We should never have gotten married” is popular. I will grant that can be true. We’ve encouraged many couples not to marry, who have gone on to divorce.

It’s a lie to think you can divorce because you should never have gotten married. Now that you are married, you live in First Corinthians chapter 7, where Paul tells you to stay in the marriage unless there are biblical grounds for divorce.

Don’t unleash the beast.

The 2nd Prophecy – “Workman’s Comp”

(Ezekiel 29:17-21)

In verses seventeen through 21, we learn that God, by His providence, sent Babylon to besiege the coastal city of Tyre. It took 13 years to defeat them. When they did, they found no plunder. The Tyrians had sent their wealth away by ship. God reveals that Egypt will be Nebuchadnezzar’s reward for his difficult campaign against Tyre.

(29:19-20) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD.”

The evacuation of over 338,000 Allied troops in 1940 was widely viewed as an act of Divine Providence. A break in bad weather, and Hitler’s unexpected halt order, resulted in the Miracle of Dunkirk.

Had it failed, Britain would have lost its army, leaving it defenseless. France would have fallen faster, Hitler’s control solidified, and history itself changed.

In our text, nothing could be clearer than the fact God was influencing Babylon to accomplish His will.

Does it not follow that He can and does continuously and compassionately work behind the scenes of your life, causing “all things [to] work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose?”

Jesus has begun a good work in you. He promised to complete it. A.W. Tozer put it this way: “The refining process is hard, but the end result is worth it. God is more interested in your character than your comfort, and He will finish the work He started.”

The 3rd Prophecy – “Days & Confusion”

(30:1-19)

In chapter thirty, in verses one through nineteen, Ezekiel announces a coming “Day of the Lord” that brings judgment on Egypt and its allies. Egypt’s pride will be broken, its cities destroyed, and its people scattered.

(30:3) “For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.”

“The Day of the Lord” can refer to any historical judgment the LORD decrees. It can also mean the future climactic judgement that begins with the 7yr Great Tribulation and extends through the Millennial Kingdom.

Today, Israel does not have 100% sovereignty over Jerusalem. Thus the time of the Gentiles persist. It will end when the King returns to rule not just Jerusalem & Israel, but the kingdoms of the world.

Another term is “the fullness of the Gentiles.” This refers to the complete number of Gentiles who will be saved in the current Church Age in which we live.

Just when unbelievers are seeking answers about current events in the End Times, many churches are attacking the pre-tribulation rapture as heresy, and teaching that the Church will have to endure the seven year Great Tribulation.

Know what you believe about the resurrection and rapture of the church, the 7yr Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Second Coming, the Millennial Kingdom, the final White Throne judgment, and eternity.

The 4th Prophecy – “He Should Have Armed Himself”

(Ezekiel 30:20-26)

In verses twenty through twenty-six, Egypt’s downfall and Israel’s eventual restoration showcase God’s sovereignty over the nations.

(30:24) “I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he will groan before him with the groaning of a mortally wounded man.”

God portrays Pharaoh as having already suffered one broken arm & about to lose the use of the other, symbolizing Egypt’s complete military impotence.

Talking about God being in charge of the nations doesn’t have that devotional impact on the heart that we are looking for. But if ever we needed to be settled in our hearts that God is in charge, it would be now, in these tumultuous times.

Be honest with yourself. Are you afraid, afraid of the future? These people were: Abram, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Elijah, Hezekiah, Mary, Zacharias, Joseph, the Shepherds in the fields, and Paul. They are those to whom the the Lord said, “Fear not.” It’s always what He says to those who fear. If you will listen, you’ll hear Him.

“Fear not” is a command. It is accompanied by the power to obey. You can’t learn how; you simply believe.

The 5th Prophecy – “Egypt is Fallen & She Won’t Get Up”

(Ezekiel 31:1-18)

In Ezekiel 31:1-18, Assyria is portrayed as a towering cedar brought down by pride, serving as a warning to Egypt.

(31:10-11) “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height, therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness.”

God felling the cedar tree reminds me of some of the Instagram videos I’m hooked on that capture amateur tree trimming disasters. Please do us all a favor and hire a professional. At the very least brush up on basic physics, like For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

One of the first Christian songs I learned after I was born again was Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up higher and higher.

Humility is not our strong suit, not before we are saved, or after. All I can suggest is that we each measure our humility quotient by these words of the apostle Paul: Jesus “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

In your marriage, in your family, at work, or when you are in a trial – Have you humbled yourself to the point of death? Then there’s room for more humility!

The 6th Prophecy – “The Crocodile Who Thought He Was a Lion”

(Ezekiel 32:1-16)

Chapter thirty-two, verses one through sixteen, is a lamentation over Pharaoh and Egypt. It portrays Pharaoh as a sea monster brought down by God. Egypt’s land is laid waste, waters fouled, and people scattered. God declares He will darken the heavens and bring terror to the nations through Egypt’s fall, and the earth will mourn. The lament ends with a poetic funeral dirge for Egypt’s once-great glory.

(32:2-3) “Son of Man, start singing this lamentation about Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him, ‘You may have called yourself a lion among nations, but you’re a monster at sea. You thrash about in your rivers, muddy the water with your feet, and relieve yourself in the rivers. This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I’m coming fishing for you! Right in the sight of many nations they’ll haul you up in my dragnet.”

You can almost hear the excitement in these verses by those who catch the monster. “We got us a tree shaka. Choot ‘em! Choot ‘em!” (With apologies to the Discovery Channel’s Swamp People).

We call lions the King of Beasts. They are regal. Pharaoh saw himself as a lion, but he was no more than a crocodile stirring up mud and filth.

In a Seinfeld episode, Elaine buys a dress that looks great in the store mirror but looks awful when she tries it on at home. She eventually figures out that the store uses a “skinny mirror,” a trick mirror designed to make customers look better than they really do in the clothing.

God’s Word is a mirror – not for our outward appearance, but reflecting the inner person being daily transformed into the image of Jesus.

Christians are notorious for using trick mirrors.

Are you like Fonzie, looking into the mirror, about to run the comb through your hair, but you stop yourself – thinking you look perfect?

Consider this: Since we won’t be perfect until eternity, every time we open God’s Word, He’s showing us something to change – by His grace – to become more like Him.

If you’re not coming forward for prayer today,  use the time to ‘comb your hair,’ if you get my meaning.

The 7th Prophecy – “I See Dead Pharaoh’s”

(Ezekiel 32:17-32)

In verses seventeen through thirty-two, Pharaoh is escorted to the realm of the dead, joining other conquered nations that refused to repent and believe.

(32:18-19) Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, And cast them down to the depths of the earth, Her and the daughters of the famous nations, With those who go down to the Pit: ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised.”

When we were taking trips to the Philippines in the 1980s, we did not walk up to a person, engage in conversation, and then ask them, “Have you been circumcised?” It just didn’t feel right!

We would ask if they had been born-again. 

Circumcision began in Genesis 17 as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham, marking his descendants as His people. The prophets later used it to point to a deeper truth – the need for a circumcised heart, symbolizing belief and repentance.

Have you been circumcised, in your heart? If you have, then according to the promises in the New Covenant, you have been placed into the body of Jesus, and you have received the permanent in-dwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit.

He is not a force, but, rather, a Friend and Comforter. It is exactly like being with Jesus 24/7/360 (Using Dead Sea Scrolls calendar)!

After I became a Christian, after I was born again, I set Steve Martin aside in favor of Keith Green. His song, So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt, was just the  ‘theology’ I needed.

To quote my mom & dad, “Quit eating that junk. It will ruin your appetite for dinner.”

If you are not enjoying your walk with the Lord, or something seems off – especially if you’ve lost a desire to read God’s word and be among God’s people – quit snacking in Egypt.

 

References
↑1 According to LDS doctrine, those who follow Christ and keep God’s commandments can inherit all that God has and ultimately become like Him, including the potential to have spirit children and rule over worlds. It literally IS “the lie.”

Prophecy Update #823 – Dust Men Tell Their Tales

May 11, 2025

We reserve a few minutes to discuss current trends that you’d expect from reading Bible prophecy.

I’ve been talking more about the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves near Qumran by the Dead Sea.[1] They include over 900 ancient Jewish texts, dating from about 250 BC to  70AD. Among them are portions & fragments from every book of the Old Testament (except Esther), the writings of a Jewish group known as the Essenes, and other manuscripts. The scrolls confirm the accuracy of the Hebrew Scriptures and provide valuable insight into Jewish beliefs during the Second Temple period.

Ken Johnson is a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar. I came across the following in his book, Ancient Prophecies from the Dead Sea Scrolls:

“It is interesting that the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls seems to have been prophesied by Isaiah, and the very first Dead Sea Scroll to come into Israeli hands was the Great Isaiah Scroll. A professor purchased that first scroll on the very day that Israel became a state in 1948AD. Also amazing is that the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document[2] came into Israeli hands during the Six Day War (1967). That was the war which resulted in Israel taking control of the Temple Mount! These facts cannot be a coincidence.”

The passage in Isaiah is 29:1-7. We don’t have time to look at it in depth, but here are a few points:

  • Isaiah 29 begins with God pronouncing judgment on Jerusalem, siding with her enemies to bring her low – a prophecy fulfilled in AD 70-135 AD with the destruction of the Temple and Jewish dispersion.
  • During this time, the Essenes hid the Dead Sea Scrolls in caves.
  • Isaiah then says the dead “speak from the dust.” There is only one way the ancients, who are dead could speak to us today. That is by finding their records in the dust of the ground where they buried them.
  • Isaiah 29:5-7 describes a future war where God defends Israel against enemy nations. This aligns with Israel’s rebirth in 1948 and the recovery of ancient scrolls, restoring long-lost knowledge.

Both Daniel & the apostle John wrote portions that the Lord told them would be kept hidden until the Last Days.[3] The angel told Daniel, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”

How can writings from Daniel & John be “closed & sealed,” but then be revealed in the Last Days? By them being discovered!

The Bible predicts ancient writings will again speak from the dust, and we are discovering ancient writings that speak from the dust.

Revelation 3:10 is foundational to what we believe about the Last Days. Jesus wrote, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

  • “The hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world” is not just a time of intense persecution. It comes upon the “whole world” at once.
  • It is “THE hour of trial, the Tribulation, predicted in the Bible.
  • “Those who dwell on the earth” is not the way God would describe believers enduring the Great Tribulation. He doesn’t see us as one group.
  • Each of the letters of the seven churches is for all the churches.

We are going to be gone before this hour of trial begins. Jesus will return the clouds, resurrect the dead in Christ from the church age, then we who are alive and remain, shall be changed, raptured to heaven in glorified bodies.

Are you ready for the rapture? If not, get ready stay ready keep looking up.

Ready or not Jesus is coming!

 

References
↑1 Still being discovered, and many are in the hands of collectors of antiquities
↑2 The Temple Scroll is a Dead Sea Scroll that outlines an idealized version of the Jerusalem Temple and its regulations, expanding on the laws of Moses with additional purity and sacrificial requirements. The Damascus Document contains community rules, exhortations, and warnings, reflecting the beliefs and practices of the Essene sect, including their interpretation of covenant faithfulness and end-time expectations.
↑3 Daniel 12:4, Revelation 10:4

Onward! (Joshua 23:3-11)

May 7, 2025

In Pixar’s Onward, brothers Ian and Barley go on a great adventure, crossing rivers and mountains, facing obstacles and battles as they follow a treasure map. They finally make it to where X marks the spot, only to discover they’re back in their own town, right where the adventure started.

As the first quest ends, a brand new one begins. Home is still home, but the future awaits them. The first journey taught them valuable truths and how to love each other. As the saga turns the page, it’s obvious that a sequel is on it’s way – coming soon to theaters near you.

Our church family is at a significant point in its history. In conversation we use terms like “transition” or “new chapter,” and that’s ok – those are helpful descriptors. But what we’re experiencing is a continuation of God’s leading. God leads His people in every generation according to His plan and purposes and it is encouraging to know that He is still just as faithful to us as He has been to Abraham and to David and to Nehemiah and to Paul and all those who walk with Him.

If you were here Sunday, you know that the Lord put Joshua 23, verses 1 and 2 on Pastor Gene’s heart and has led him to step down as our senior Pastor. Through the Spirit’s leading and the oversight of the board, I have been asked to step into that position, which I am honored to accept.

Tonight, I’d like us to look again at Joshua’s 23 to see a little of how the Lord is leading us for what’s next and how we want to continue in the work that the Lord established here 40 years ago.

Joshua 23:3 – 3 …you have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your account, because it was the Lord your God who was fighting for you.

The tribes of Israel were headed into a time when Joshua would no longer be their leader. But that didn’t mean their mission was going to change. Everything the Lord had laid out for them was going to continue. That’s the message Joshua wanted to drive home and that all of God’s people could be strong and make progress as they continued to follow the Lord’s guidance.

He reminded them they had seen for themselves what God did for them. God is the Accomplisher. He is the Author and Finisher, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith.[1] If we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will lead us to where He wants us to go, what He wants us to do, how He wants us to do it.

The Book of Acts is so helpful, not just as an inspiring collection of stories of great Christians or the power of God, but also because it shows us how friendly, neighborhood Christians can be led by God. And it proves that it is not our responsibility to scheme up our own designs of what a church should be doing, but that as we worship God and honor God and wait on Him He will direct. Often in unusual or surprising ways, but it’s His design. It’s His work that we join.

The tribes of Israel had seen what God was capable of, the way He wanted to use them, the broad strokes of His plan. What have we seen as a distinct group called out by God? I think most of all we’ve seen God’s gracious, attentive care for us. He has sustained our church since 1985.

He gave us these buildings when we couldn’t afford to build one on our own. He gave us the ability to pay it off early when we didn’t even realize it. He sustained us through the Great Recession of 2008. Nobody got fired. We didn’t have to shake people down for money. He saw us through COVID – no one got sued or arrested even though we stayed open during the lockdown.

Meanwhile, He has consistently shown that He is looking on us and caring for us in many little ways. Countless times, people have come in with an envelope saying, “The Lord told me to give this money to this person and I don’t know why.” Then we give it to that person and they say, “This is what I needed to pay a bill or stock my pantry.”

So often, someone shares a verse on a Wednesday night and someone else will come up after service and say, “That was for me. God was speaking directly about what’s going on in my life through that verse.”

Of course, salvations. Someone commented on a picture of church the other day and said, “I got saved at Calvary in the YMCA on January 1, 1987.” Fast forward to this past Sunday when Alex  shared in a group thread, “I just led a guy to the Lord.”

We have seen God’s faithfulness for 40 years. And we have seen that it is Him doing the work. Joshua said, “It was the Lord who was fighting for you.”

“Hey, Josh, I was the one swinging the sword in the Valley of Aijalon.” Christians must remind ourselves it is the Lord Who does the work. That way we won’t start to trust in chariots or horses or bank accounts or particular methods. Have you ever noticed in the Old Testament that God has a different design for almost every battle? It’s His work. Our part is to discover where and how He is leading us. And so we always want to be developing our corporate relationship with God the Holy Spirit because He is the One Who leads in the truth and equips us and sends us out and fills us up.

Joshua 23:4 – 4 See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes, including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea.

We’re not sent to conquer territory. The tribes of Israel were allotted, we are called. Called into a lifestyle of worship and the spreading of the Gospel. We’re called to certain people and situations. Philip was called to Samaria then to a desert road near Gaza. Peter was called to Cornelius’ house then to Joppa. Paul wanted to go to Asia – that was a great idea – but he was called to Macedonia.

God calls us severally and specifically. Every church shouldn’t do the same thing. What has God called Calvary Hanford to? We’ve been blessed to be a part of a lot of different things over the years. But calling is an ongoing part of church life. Stephen didn’t stay in food service forever and Paul didn’t stay as a teacher in Ephesus forever. The Lord loves to continually work in new ways.

The “nations” are mentioned here. They’re mentioned to us, too. Of course, we don’t destroy, we disciple. Over the last 40 years, we’ve had great opportunity to do a lot of international work. Our church family has sent teams to Japan and China and the Philippines and Mexico and Belize and Honduras and Peru and Chile and Colombia. Not to mention or support of missions work in India and Africa and Hungary and Georgia and elsewhere. That’s not a boast, it’s just a reminder that there is an incredible, unlimited list of things the Lord can send us into if we are ready to be sent.

Joshua 23:5 – 5 The Lord your God will force them back on your account and drive them out before you so that you can take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

The Lord Jesus promised us that we have battles ahead – not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of darkness. We can know that whatever lies ahead, the Lord fights for us and that He strengthens and equips us for them. We can rest in what God has promised us.

What has God promised our church? He has promised to make us a lampstand in our community if we remain faithful to Him.[2] He has promised us every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.[3] He’s promised us an eternal inheritance in heaven.[4] Abundant life.[5] The power of the Holy Spirit.[6]

Along with these promises are the others that He will give us joy and peace and community and opportunities to glorify Him. We discover His promises as we study His word so we can understand Who He is and what He has done and wants to still do – how His desire is to make us strong in Him.

Joshua 23:6 – 6 “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left

Being strong in the Lord is a significant theme in the book of Joshua. We find this idea in chapter 1 verse 6, 1 verse 9, 1 verse 18, 17 verse 17, also here.

Life is often discouraging and difficult. We can feel beat down and broken hearted. But God’s desire is that we be people who are spiritually strong. Like trees planted by rivers of water.

There’s a great moment in Joshua. The tribes are supposed to be conquering and settling in their allotted lands. The tribes of Joseph come and say, “Listen, what God has given us isn’t going to work. It’s not enough. And there are enemies with iron chariots down there…so…give us something else.” And Joshua says, “You have great strength! So how about you go and receive what the Lord gave you.” That group was enough because of the strength God gave them.

The Lord has provided all we need to be very strong. At times we may find ourselves walking with a limp or shedding tears or facing obstacles, but our God does not want us to live in spiritual weakness or spiritual victimhood. Even in our human weakness, His goal is to make us strong. Bold. Fully assured and full of truth – truth in a world that is desperate for answers.

We will be strong if we continue in our knowledge of and obedience to the Scriptures. Joshua here says, “continue obeying all that is written in the Law of Moses.” There weren’t other Bible books yet. Here at Calvary, we will always hold fast to the systematic preaching and teaching of God’s Word because that is the only way we can truly know Who God is and who we are and what life is about. That is the only way we can be strong.

And I love that Joshua simply says, “Hey, continue in your dedication to God’s Word.” They didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. They just needed to keep walking in the light of revelation. And, it’s interesting: All these tribes were all going different directions, but they all could continue the same way. Some were going to the hills, some were going to the coasts, but all could walk the same way, in obedience to the Word, applying the Word of God as they went.

The application is obvious. Some of you are going to head west to LNAS tomorrow, some south to Corcoran, some east to Visalia, others north to Fresno. As God’s people we can all walk the same way according to the Word of God, which directs us for every phase of life, every situation in life, all that we need for life and Godliness. One family, walking in unity, wherever God sends us.

And notice, Joshua says, “Don’t turn from it to the right or the left.” I was thinking, “Right and left” have a different connotation to us, don’t they? But, listen: God’s callings often do not fit into our cultural or political framework. God has His own perspective, His own opinions, His own priorities. Our job is not to bend Him to fit our culture, but for us to conform our minds and lives to His way.

The Israelites also needed to understand that being in the promised land wasn’t the end. Someone might read the first five books of the Bible and conclude, “Ok, we’re in Canaan now, and that’s it. We’ve made it.” But Joshua here says, “No, no – the promises of God and the callings of God and the work of God continues. We have to keep searching the Scriptures and seeking His will day by day. We’re not done yet. We haven’t finished the race yet.”

So they were to continue. The Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament explains this word is one of those rich, Bible words. “The basic idea of the root is ‘to exercise great care over.” That they must first keep in the heart but then it must be kept through the actions of the life. It involves the tending of a garden or a flock or a house.[7] That’s the kind of continuing God had in mind.

But what does it mean to obey God?

Joshua 23:7 – 7 and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not serve them or bow in worship to them.

On the one hand, there were things to avoid. Obedience meant staying separate from the polluting influences of the pagan culture. Believers always need to watch out for this because we’re more prone to idolatry than we like to admit. The original audience listening to Joshua literally had idols in their homes. In chapter 24 they tell Joshua, “Oh yeah, we definitely plan on serving the Lord,” and Joshua has to say, “Ok, how about you get rid of all those foreign gods…”

David – the man after God’s own heart – even had a household idol when he was married to Michal. What’s up with that? But then you go all they way to the end of the New Testament and John’s parting message to Christians is, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

We want to be a people who know how to identify the other gods out there and guard ourselves from their influence. But we also understand that we serve what we worship. So, as a church family, we always want to be developing our worship life. Worshipping in spirit and in truth. Not just going through the motions, but allowing our worship to permeate our hearts and minds and behavior.

Joshua 23:8 – 8 Instead, be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this day.

Obedience is not only about not doing certain things. Obedience is about staying loyal to the Lord. This word means to follow closely and cling to someone, like how Ruth clung to Naomi, or how a husband and wife are supposed to cleave to each other, becoming one.[8] One source explains that this word “loyal” refers to the soldering process, where a metal is melted and fused with another.[9]

Our God is a consuming fire, and so our hearts, our lives, our futures should melt into Him. He is not added to us, we are brought to be part of His family, His Kingdom, His will.

How do we practically accomplish this loyalty? We find the answer in verse 11. It’s not about achieving certain numbers or accomplishing a list of feats. As always, this is about faithful love.

Joshua 23:11 – 11 So diligently watch yourselves! Love the Lord your God!

Staying in love with the Lord. The first love. A loyal, active, growing love. A lifestyle of loving Jesus and, as the Lord told us, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Joshua said, “diligently watch yourselves.” We’re so good at watching others, aren’t we? Deciding if they’re doing what we think they should. But our church life should be about us watching ourselves and being about the business God gives us and doing so with loving hearts toward Him and toward one another.

That’s the goal. 1 John 2 says that as we keep God’s word, the love of God is made complete in us. And Paul urged the Corinthians to reaffirm their love for the Lord.[10] It always comes back to a faithful love. Loving the Lord. Loving our neighbors. Loving the lost. Loving the Word. Loving the Christian life as it has been delivered to us.

We don’t know everything about tomorrow. But we do know some things. We know the sun will rise and with it God’s mercy will be made new for us. We know His goodness will continue. His will will be accomplished. We know the Lord will not have left us or forsaken us. We know He will still be speaking, still be leading, still be calling for those who are ready to join His work.

So let’s continue on in the joy of the Lord, in the strength of the Lord, knowing that He is still faithful, year after year, generation after generation.

 

References
↑1 Hebrews 12:2
↑2 Revelation 1:20
↑3 Ephesians 1:3
↑4 1 Peter 1:4
↑5 John 10:10
↑6 Acts 1:8
↑7 Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament
↑8 ibid.
↑9 David Howard   The New American Commentary, Volume 5: Joshua
↑10 2 Corinthians 2:8

SupernaturalisticFallenAngelsAreAtrocious (Ezekiel 28)

April 27, 2025

You’ve likely heard of the Upside Down.

It is the dark parallel dimension affecting the real-world in the SyFy mega hit, Stranger Things.

In Ezekiel 28 God shows us the unseen realm and how it affects the nations of the earth.

The chapter divides like this:

  1. The Prince of Tyre, historically Ethbaal III, is rebuked for claiming to be a god, or god (v1-10).
  2. A supernatural menace, the King of Tyre, is at work in the unseen realm (v11-19).
  3. God pronounces judgement on Sidon, a sister-city to Tyre (v20-24).
  4. The future promise of Israel’s restoration, ultimately pointing to the certainty of the Millennial Kingdom (v25-26).

When confronted by Hulk during the Battle for New York Loki declared, “I am a god.” Hulk grabbed Loki around both ankles and proceeded to slam him into the floor from one side to the other. Afterward the Hulk uttered the iconic line, “Puny god.”

The Prince of Tyre was a puny god.

Ezk 28:1  The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,

Ezk 28:2  “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,’ [He was referencing the sea power of ancient Tyre. Maybe he thought he was Poseidon or Triton]. Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god.

  • Pharaoh Rameses II referred to himself as “a god in human form.”
  • Emperor Hirohito of Japan was considered a living god. He was made to renounce his deity.

Ezk 28:3  Behold, you are wiser than Daniel! There is no secret that can be hidden from you!

Ezk 28:4  With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;

Ezk 28:5  By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches).”

Torn from his home as a teen, almost certainly mutilated as a eunuch, and trained among Babylon’s Magi, Daniel lived under a king who once ordered their slaughter.

It was definitely a hostile work environment, but Daniel endured & excelled.

Ethbaal considered himself wiser than Daniel. For all his reputation, Daniel was a captive.

Daniel was the LORD’s captive.

Paul, chained by Rome but captive to Christ, turned his imprisonment into a pulpit, writing the Prison Epistles.[1] We serve the Lord. He decides where, when, and how.

Ezk 28:6  ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,

Ezk 28:7  Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor.

Ezk 28:8  They shall throw you down into the Pit, And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas.”

Being God-like is the lie from Eden. The Serpent tempted humanity with divinity. It’s been his most effective strategy for going on 7000yrs.

You may not crave worship, but every unbeliever (obviously) lives as the god of their own life. Believers sin like our parents in the Garden when something or someone takes Jesus’ rightful place.

Ezk 28:9  “Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I am a god’? But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you.

Is there a level that is below “puny god?”

Ezk 28:10  You shall die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of aliens; For I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”

Circumcision was the physical sign of God’s covenant with believers. Ethbaal would die an unbeliever at the hands of other unbelievers – alienated from Israel’s God – the one, true God.

People play god. For example, some US school boards have initiated gender transitions without parental consent.[2]

What’s a believer to do?

  • Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
  • Ephesians 6:13 – 14, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore…”

The equipment is great. Did you notice the strategy that was repeated three times: “Stand.”

In G.I. Jane,[3] Demi Moore’s character endures strenuous Navy SEAL training. In one scene, she’s ordered to stand her post, unmoving, for hours through storms and exhaustion. She just stands.

In the movies, a scene like that represents our digging deep into our reserves & resolve. In our lives, we depend completely on the grace of God to enable us to obey Him.

A sudden, dramatic shift occurs in verses eleven through nineteen. We meet the King of Tyre. It quickly becomes clear that he is not human.

“Ezk 28:11  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 28:12  “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

Ezk 28:13  You were in Eden, the garden of God…”

Some scholars say this is Adam in Eden, but the details soon rule him out.

Ezk 28:13  You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.

Ezk 28:14  “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.

“Cherub” is a classification of heavenly beings, likely a type of angel. We conclude that this person is the devil, that Serpent of old, Satan.

My favorite part of this description is “timbrels and pipes.” He was his own band.

What is “the mountain of God?” Fragments of the book First Enoch were among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Enoch isn’t to be considered Scripture, but early church fathers received it as a true history. Peter & Jude ‘assigned’ it as recommended reading.

Enoch reported that 200 rebellious angels descended on Mount Hermon. They are those who “in the days of Noah” mated with human women and produced a race of giants, the Nephilim.[4]

Mount Hermon is adjacent to Caesarea-Philippi. The Hebrews, especially the sect known as the Essenes, referred to the geography there as… “The Gates of Hell.” This suddenly got a whole lot more interesting!

Jesus deliberately went to the place of the rebellion described by Enoch and threw down, saying the Gates of Hell would not prevail.[5] A few days later He went up the mount and was transfigured. It was a sign of things to come – the glorified Lord Jesus ruling & reigning.

Ezk 28:15  You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.

Ezk 28:16  “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones.

Charles Feinberg says the “fiery stones” reflect “the surroundings of divine glory,” suggesting the Cherub had free access to Heaven until God banished him.

Ezk 28:17  “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor…

The cause of Satan’s fall is his pride[6] caused by his beauty.[7]

Ezk 28:17  … I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.

Ezk 28:18  “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.

Ezk 28:19  All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.” ’ ”

When did this happen?? The fourteenth chapter of Isaiah is always paired-up with Ezekiel 28. There we read, “Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’”[8]

  • Isaiah wrote about this episode as future.
  • Ezekiel wrote about this same episode as past.

God speaks of the future as if it has been fulfilled.

Let’s explore a little more Angelology. In Deuteronomy 32:8&9, when translated according to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint,[9] reveals that at Babel[10] God disinherited the nations. God established a new nation, Israel, through one man, Abraham. He would Himself govern that special, precious, apple-of-His-eye people to the end, and “all Israel will be saved.”[11]

When God disinherited the nations at Babel He assigned them to “Sons of God.”[12] These are angels. Besides the King of Tyre, we know the locale of two more such Sons of God in the Bible. Both are referenced by Daniel. They are the Prince of Persia,[13] and the Prince of Greece.[14]

In his final chapter, Daniel reveals that the archangel Michael is the special protector of Israel.

Does every nation have fallen angels who hinder and faithful ones who help? Can’t say for sure.

You cannot hope to make sense of history – past or future – without factoring in the unseen realm.

Minneapolis AND ??? St. Paul.

Some cities just seem to go together. Tyre AND… Sidon are like that in the Bible.

Ezk 28:20  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 28:21  “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her,

Ezk 28:22  and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon; I will be glorified in your midst; And they shall know that I am the LORD, When I execute judgments in her and am hallowed in her.

Ezk 28:23  For I will send pestilence upon her, And blood in her streets; The wounded shall be judged in her midst By the sword against her on every side; Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezk 28:24  “And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”

Sidon is depicted here and elsewhere as having  contempt and hostility towards the Hebrews.

Ezk 28:25  ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.

Ezk 28:26  And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God.” ’ ”

This succinctly describes Israel in the Millennial Kingdom. It is a one-thousand year dispensation in which “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”[15]

The Millennial Kingdom is not spiritual; it is material. It immediately follows the 7yr Great Tribulation and Second Coming of Jesus. It is the fulfillment of God’s unconditional covenant promises to Israel.

The Mind Flayer in the Upside Down wages war on the human mind.

Here in the real ‘real’ world, the battle is for our minds. Second Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Jesus called Satan “the father of lies.”[16] In Second Thessalonians 2:11, Paul writes, “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” The use of the definite article “the” suggests a specific, well-known falsehood. Many scholars identify this as the same lie Satan told Eve in Genesis 3:5: “You will be like God.” This deception, that humans can become divine or autonomous from God, is seen as the foundational falsehood that has permeated human history.

The lie affects us now. Marriage, for instance. Speaking in generalities, if there is no biblical basis for a divorce, then you are believing a lie rather than the truth in God’s Word. Blameshifting, citing unhappiness, concluding you no longer love someone. These all spring from the lie because we are dethroning God when we disobey Him.

Stand in the storms.

 

References
↑1 Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians & Philemon
↑2 Spreckels Union School District in Monterey County, California, 2023
↑3 Too old a film? How ‘bout An Officer & a Gentleman?
↑4 Genesis 6:1-4
↑5 Matthew 16:13ff
↑6 First Timothy 3:6
↑7 Ezekiel 28:17
↑8 Isaiah 14:15-16
↑9 The Greek translation of the Bible
↑10 See Genesis 11
↑11 Romans 11:26
↑12 Deuteronomy 32:8-9
↑13 Daniel 10:13&20
↑14 Daniel 10:20
↑15 Revelation 11:15
↑16 John 8:44

Prophecy Update #822 – River Walk

April 27, 2025

We reserve a few minutes to discuss current trends that you’d expect from reading Bible prophecy.

We don’t hear about it very often, but there are geographical changes happening right now in Israel that are in accordance with unfulfilled prophecies. For example, in the book of Ezekiel, we read,

Ezk 47:6  He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

Ezk 47:7  When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.

Ezk 47:8  Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed.

Ezk 47:9  And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.

Ezk 47:10  It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.

Ezk 47:11  But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.

I watched a cool video[1] showing three of these things occurring right now:

  1. Water is running down into the Dead Sea and being purified along the way.
  2. Craters are forming naturally, capturing the salt.
  3. The fish are small, but they are there.

The craters are called bolaines (Bo-LAN-o) There are over 9000; two more form everyday. It is a natural occurrence. BTW: This is only happening on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea!

These are indicators pointing towards the prophetic future described in Ezekiel.

Prophecy often times has a near fulfillment and far fulfillment. We are seeing a near fulfillment. And it is absolutely amazing because none of it is man-made.

Maybe you saw this in the news. I don’t think it is prophetic; just weird. The UK plans open-air experiments in solar geo-engineering to reduce incoming solar radiation and mitigate global warming.[2] The primary method involves stratospheric aerosol injection, inspired by the temporary cooling caused by volcanic eruptions. An alternative strategy under consideration is cloud brightening using sea salt. What could go wrong?

Jesus promised His Church, “I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the Earth” (Revelation 3:10).

The resurrection and rapture of the church is always imminent. It could happen any moment; nothing needs to happen before it.

Are you ready for the rapture? If not, Get ready; Stay ready; Keep looking up.

Ready or not, Jesus is coming!

 

References
↑1 https://youtu.be/nZORR7SeDv0?si=X1cxH6FDIjXLFgqF
↑2 https://israel365news.com/408238/will-uk-experiment-to-dim-the-sun-bring-end-of-days-prophecy-of-joel/

Best Of The Rest (Mark 2:23-28)

April 23, 2025

In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to establish himself as the new authority in France. He staged a coup within a coup, arriving in the legislature surrounded by soldiers.

In his address to the Council of Elders he said, “No attempt should be made to look in the past for examples of what is happening; nothing in history resembles the end of the 18th century.”[1] In his mind, this was an altogether new administration.

The Council demanded that he swear allegiance to their constitution.[2] The tiny tyrant had not anticipated their response. He wanted a new constitution submitted to his rule.

One side of the legislature reluctantly got on board with his new plan. The other was indignant at Napoleon’s pride and self-authorization. They started shouting that he was an outlaw. In that moment, Napoleon has been described as pale, emotional, hesitating – even trembling. His armed guards surrounded him but that didn’t stop members of the Council from pressing in, grabbing his collar, and slapping him around. Napoleon scurried out and retreated on his horse. This phase of the coup had been botched and he was forced to regroup with bribes, schemes, and fear mongering to set himself up as the new leader of France and the sole arbiter of her future.

There are no drawn swords in our text. No riot or fisticuffs. But tonight we witness a huge shift in religious history. In this scene Jesus makes bold statements about His unique authority. When the law-men demand that He affirm their rules and traditions, He calmly and resolutely declares that He decides what is and isn’t Law and that He is in charge of how things will be done from now on.

Mark 2:23 – 23 On the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain.

It can be hard to get a sense of timing in the Gospel of Mark, but even though this is only chapter 2, it’s probably only 10 or 12 months before the Lord was crucified.[3]

If you’re in the King James Version, you’re told it’s a corn field, but this is Galilee, not Nebraska. It’s a wheat or barley field.[4] In his telling, Matthew adds the detail that the disciples were hungry.[5]

Now, if you recall, we’re in a section of Mark where there are five conflict stories all back to back. Scenes where religious Jews – usually Pharisees – challenge Jesus about the way He or His disciples do things. How He eats with tax collectors. How He claims to be able to forgive sins. How they don’t fast. The final two stories have to do with how Jesus and His disciples behave on the Sabbath.

For Jews, the Sabbath was sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. It was immensely important on a religious level and a cultural level and a political level. This was not something only a few pious people did. The observance of the Sabbath had been a core aspect of Jewish life for centuries.

Mark 2:24 –  24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

Were there Pharisees hiding behind every shrub or what? It’s like they’re constantly popping out and blowing a whistle and holding up a red card.

The truth is, some Pharisees may have actually been traveling with Jesus on purpose![6] That may seem surprising, but consider this: Even hostile biographers will sometimes be granted access to, say, the White House as they conduct interviews and research books they are writing.

The Pharisees saw themselves as keepers of the Law. They were the religious police. They were the ones who decided what was “kosher.” When a new rabbi came along and gained a following and was teaching in synagogues, of course they’re going to send members to investigate and evaluate.

They immediately called foul on the disciples’ behavior. It’s not that they weren’t allowed to eat some of this grain – in fact what they were doing was specifically discussed and allowed in Deuteronomy.[7] It’s that the Pharisees said they couldn’t do it on the Sabbath.

There was so much you couldn’t do on the Sabbath. The Mishnah is the written record of the oral traditions of the rabbis around this time. It was published at the end of the second century, so it is a great index of what the Pharisees thought and the way they did things.

The Mishnah has 24 complicated chapters which detail how to “properly” commemorate the Sabbath.[8] There were 39 separate categories of work that were prohibited on the Sabbath. According to the Pharisees, when the disciples grabbed some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them, they were violating all sorts of Sabbath rules. They considered it to be harvesting and threshing and winnowing and the preparing of a meal. All prohibited.

But here’s the thing: They said what they were doing was not “lawful.” It wasn’t about what was in the Law, it was about what they permitted. The truth is, there is almost no discussion in the Law of Moses about how you were supposed to observe the Sabbath. Essentially it gives two instructions: Cease from labor[9] and don’t kindle a fire.[10]

The Mishnah acknowledges that there is almost no specific, Biblical instruction on how a person was to keep the Sabbath. It even admits that the regulations they complied were “mountains hanging by a hair.”[11]

And what a mountain it was. You can go to orthodox Jewish websites to learn how a Jew today is supposed to keep the Sabbath according to the Mishnah. You can have hot food, but no act of cooking can be done. You can’t cut any object into a desired shape…unless you’re cutting food, then it’s fine. You can’t write or draw or erase or take measurements or make calculations. I wonder if that applies to mental calculations.

You can’t tear through words or letters. You can tear open a package if there’s food inside, but avoid ripping any of the words. You also can’t open a library book, since they are almost always stamped with words on the edge. So, opening the book would be “tearing” letters.

No placing cut flowers in water or even changing their water – that would be planting. No stapling paper, no sealing envelopes. No squeezing a fruit for its juice. If you’re eating berries, you cannot pick out the bad ones before eating the good ones. You don’t have to eat the bad ones, but you have to leave them in place.[12] The Pharisees lived their lives in this realm of unending regulation, thinking that that made God pleased with them.

Mountains hanging by a hair, indeed. You know, a human hair can support about 100 grams of weight.[13] Like a stick of butter. Not a mountain. It’s not strong enough.

Do we think that when God established the Sabbath, a day of rest, that this is what He wanted? He didn’t. And that’s what Jesus tells them.

Mark 2:25-26 – 25 He said to them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry—26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests—and also gave some to his companions?”

Notice that Jesus did not say, “We didn’t violate your rules.” The point He’s going to make is that He had the authority to override their rules and that they were totally wrong in their perspective, their priorities, and their practices.

This was a violation of the oral tradition, but Jesus just didn’t care. In fact, some have described Jesus as being “remarkably indifferent” to their accusation.[14]

Jesus said, “David and his guys were hungry.” Now, Jewish scholars tried to make the case that David was starving, but the text doesn’t say that and you can’t even really get there, logically. But they say, “Well, he must’ve been starving, and that made it ok for him to eat this bread.”[15]

But, in the other accounts, Jesus also pointed out how the priests in the Temple violate the Sabbath all the time and are seen as totally innocent. This was a perspective issue. God didn’t establish the Law because ceremony is the most important thing to Him. He always wants to relate to us on a heart level.

Now, when they appealed to tradition, Jesus pointed to revelation. What does the Word of God say and what does that teach us not only about holiness and devotion, but what does it teach us about the heart of God and how He wants us to relate to Him and Him to us?

Jesus says, “Have you never read…?” It’s obvious to Jesus that eating a few oats on Saturday wasn’t a problem. He declared it was not a violation of the Sabbath commandment.

According to the rabbis it was not permitted to fast on the Sabbath.[16] But they were hungry. If they refuse to eat when they’re hungry and they could eat…isn’t that fasting? Issues like that were filling up scrolls of discussion, but every time the traditionalists thought they solved a problem, they made another. It’s silly and tragic when we try to live by that kind of human reasoned legalism.

Now, in citing this example, Jesus was not only giving a Biblical precedent, He was also making a bold claim. Because this was not a one-for-one parallel. What the disciples did wasn’t really the same thing that David did.

What Jesus was saying was, “I have the spiritual authority to make a call on this the way David and the high priest did.”[17] This is a dramatic claim. Their highest judge and greatest king.

Mark 2:27 – 27 Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

This is what legalism and traditionalism always gets wrong. The Sabbath was meant to be a gift from God to His people. A time of rest and joy and refreshment, not a time for affliction – a weekly ordeal that we have to dread. As one source puts it: The Sabbath was never meant to be a straight jacket.[18] But that’s not only what the Sabbath had become, but all of the practices of the Pharisees.

In Luke, Jesus calls them out and says, “you guys are just loading people with burden after burden and you don’t raise one finger to help them.”[19]

We can easily identify Pharisee behavior among the Pharisees, but we really need to be careful about this in our own lives and traditions as well.

The human heart gravitates toward traditionalism and legalism of one kind or another. We want to think we’ve solved every issue, that we’ve cracked every code – that the things we practice and prioritize are the most spiritual or are the things that best please God.

But, if you were a Jew there in Mark chapter 2, when do you think the last time was when you truly enjoyed the Sabbath? Do you think children looked forward to Saturday? That’s what the Lord wanted for His people.

Mark 2:28 – 28 So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

This was a “clear, unambiguous declaration that He was the Messiah.”[20] Some try to make the case that when Jesus said, “Son of Man,” they would’ve thought He meant that “humans” are lord of the Sabbath, but that cancels out the whole argument.[21] Because the Pharisees were there saying, “We know the right way to keep the Sabbath,” and Jesus says, “No you don’t. Not by a long shot. You’ve ruined it with your human legalism. I’M telling you how to think about the Sabbath.”

Once again Jesus calls Himself by His favorite title, found in Daniel 7: The Son of Man. The One Who is in charge of everything, even of the Sabbath.

Not only is He once again claiming that title, He is suggesting that He is taking the place of the Torah.[22] That is, of course, exactly what Jesus did. It’s not that the Torah was wrong – it was absolutely necessary and part of God’s unfolding plan. But Jesus came to fulfill the Law and to establish a new system. A new covenant where He decides how we relate to Him – what we do, how we do it, what it’s based on.

That is why the Sabbath no longer applies to believers. You do not have to “keep” a day of rest. Of all the Ten Commandments, that is the only one that is not repeated in the New Testament. Rather, we should make every effort to enter into the rest that Jesus ushered in: A rest for our souls.[23] Not laboriously striving in our flesh, but serving in the Spirit.

Jesus was announcing that He was the culmination of God’s historic work to bring a perpetual Sabbath to the people of earth. But more than that, He is declaring that He is the final Authority on how God wants us to relate to Him. And, as usual, we can see the overflow of His tender grace in the scene.

You see, Jesus knew this was going to happen. He knew His disciples would be hungry. So what did He do? He led them on a walk near a grain field. A place where their need could be freely met. And then, the Lord made it clear that His goal is not to make all of us feel bad all the time, but that His hope is that we would be able to be refreshed in our relationship with Him. Full of joy and rest, knowing that our Lord is mindful of us and leads us in ways that result in our satisfaction.

And then we get the philosophical blessing that we do not have to construct some complicated system to convince ourselves we’re spiritual or we’re pleasing God. Instead, Jesus demonstrates that we can go to the Scripture and know exactly what the heart of God is like and how He wants us to walk with Him and how we can lay hold of Godliness. We don’t have to sit around debating whether opening a library book makes God angry. We can go to the Bible and see God’s grace, His mercy, His provision, His lovingkindness, His tender patience, His affection, His care for us.

Our part is not to then turn around and build rituals instead of cultivating relationship with the Lord. To not become Pharisees in our perspective, our priorities, or our practices. Pharisees, who live only to criticize others. Pharisees who make rules out of thin are that no one could ever really do. Pharisees who care more about the outward form of religion than a heart that hears from God, is sensitive to the Spirit of God, and obeys the leading of God.

As we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, let’s always remember that Christ is the center, Christ is the anchor, Christ is the Decider, Christ is Authority. And He has revealed what He wants, how He thinks, the way He does things. We find true relationship with God not in human reasoned legalism, not in traditionalism, but by growing in our understanding of the grace of God as it has been revealed in the Bible.

 

References
↑1 Andrew Roberts   Napoleon: A Life
↑2 https://www.worldhistory.org/Coup_of_18_Brumaire/
↑3 James Brooks   The New American Commentary: Mark
↑4 Ralph Earle   Mark: The Gospel Of Action
↑5 Matthew 12:1
↑6 Craig Keener   The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd Edition
↑7 Deuteronomy 23:25
↑8 https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/mountains-hanging-by-a-hair/
↑9 Exodus 34:21
↑10 Exodus 35:3
↑11 Mishnah Hagigah 1:8
↑12 https://www.ou.org/holidays/the_thirty_nine_categories_of_sabbath_work_prohibited_by_law
↑13 https://crownclinic.co.uk/coping-with-hair-loss/the-strength-of-human-hair/
↑14 Donald Hagner   Jesus And The Synoptic Sabbath Controversies BBR 19:2
↑15 Morna Hooker   The Gospel According To Saint Mark
↑16 Clifton Allen   Matthew-Mark
↑17 R.T. France   The Gospel Of Mark
↑18 Frank Gaebelein, D. A. Carson, Walter Wessel, and Walter Liefeld   The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke
↑19 Luke 11:46
↑20 Lloyd Ogilvie   Life Without Limits: The Message Of Mark’s Gospel
↑21 James Brooks   The New American Commentary: Mark
↑22 Hagner
↑23 Hebrews 4:8-11, Matthew 11:28-30

Treasure Rove (Luke 24:13-35)

April 20, 2025

Last year, a woman in the Czech Republic went for a stroll outside her little town of 22,000 people. That day she stumbled upon a ceramic pot. Inside were more than 2,000 silver coins that had been hidden in that spot for 900 years. It’s been dubbed one of the greatest finds of the last decade.[1]

We like this idea of treasures hidden in plain sight. The painting someone gets at a garage sale that’s really a secret Rembrandt. The doorstop that’s actually a chunk of meteor.

But there is a greater treasure than silver or gold. In an age where we are inundated with lies and scams and propaganda, it’s truth that becomes most valuable. I don’t mean simple facts of what the temperature is outside or the number of words in a dictionary – but truth that changes lives. That kind of truth – eternal truth – is what sets us free, brings us hope, gives life direction worth going.

The good news is this truth is within reach of all of us. 88% of American households contain at least one Bible.[2] It is freely available from any computer, tablet, or smartphone. With this book, God has delivered life changing Good News. The greatest treasure in all the world.

It is better than thousands of gold or silver pieces.[3] It is more precious than rubies.[4] It has been sent to you, so that through it you can enjoy the riches of everlasting life through a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who died for you, defeated death, and rose from the grave.

On the very first Easter Sunday, two people on a walk stumbled upon a life-changing treasure that not only gave them hope when they were full of fear, not only gave them perspective on the past and present, but gave them a whole new future. And we will find this treasure rove wasn’t just for them, it wasn’t just for a few people in the first century. This treasure is for every one of us.

Luke 24:13 – 13 Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.

This story begins on Easter Sunday. Jesus had been crucified on Friday and buried in a tomb, but the most provable fact of ancient history is that Sunday morning He rose from the dead, proving He really is the Son of God, He really is the Messiah, He really is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.[5]

These two people were followers of Jesus. They had been with Jesus, they had listened to Him, they had pledged their lives to Him. They had heard what He said and watched what He did. But after seeing Him die on a Roman cross, they didn’t know what to think.

They were headed toward Emmaus. That was not the right destination. Before He died, Jesus told His disciples, “I’m going to die, and I’m going to rise three days later. After that meet Me in Galilee.” That message was repeated to the disciples by angels at the empty tomb that very morning. We know these two travelers knew all that, but here they are, heading in the wrong direction.

They were discouraged. They were fearful. They were doubting. They didn’t know what to do, so they returned to what they knew before. But there were no answers waiting for them in Emmaus.

Luke 24:14 – 14 Together they were discussing everything that had taken place.

It was more disputing than discussing. It wasn’t just that their candidate had lost an election or their team had lost a championship. They had devoted their lives to Jesus, Who had done things no one had ever done, Who preached with power and worked miracles and claimed to be God. But then He had been arrested and tortured and killed. As He died, crazy things happened. In the middle of the day, for three hours, darkness fell over the whole land. There was a great earthquake that had split rocks around them. This was not a normal Friday.

When California has an earthquake and we get even a tiny wobble here, we start texting everyone we know. “Did you feel it?!?” Now imagine an earthquake broke your house in half while it was suddenly pitch black from noon till 3 o’clock. That’s a lot to process.

Luke 24:15 – 15 And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus himself came near and began to walk along with them.

Jesus came and found them. Jesus always comes looking. You don’t have to climb to the top of the Himalayas to be able to see Him. Batman. Dr. Strange. Remember: These disciples essentially gave up. They weren’t going where Jesus had asked them to go. So He came for them. Not to prove them wrong, but to heal their broken hearts. To show them the treasures they had missed.

Jesus is so kind and so patient. There was a fixed time between His resurrection and His ascension into heaven. He was on the clock! But He made time for these two, and for Mary, and for Peter, and for Thomas the Twin, and for another 500, and for so many more. Jesus makes the time, He makes the effort to reach out to you, too – to find you where you are and speak the truth of His love for you in hopes that you will believe Him and walk with Him and receive what He wants to give you.

Luke 24:16 – 16 But they were prevented from recognizing him.

Why? What’s the point? If we were making the call, wouldn’t we just show up in a blaze of fire and say, “Hey, dummies, I’m back. Go to Galilee like I said?” Why was Jesus hidden from them?

God wants faith. Without faith it is impossible for you to please God.[6] What He wants is people who will willingly choose to conform their hearts and minds to His revelation. To willfully choose to answer His call and accept His love and love Him in return. He asks us to live by faith.

In this case, He wanted to show these two disciples that the truth of the Gospel had been right there before them all along. That the only failure here was their understanding, not God’s plan.

Luke 24:17 – 17 Then he asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged.

Jesus used an interesting word for dispute. It refers to something being thrown back and forth.[7] In this moment, there was no fixed basis for their thoughts or choices. No anchor or foundation.

No matter where their feet took them, without truth they wouldn’t make any progress in life. Their crisis is depicted here: They stood still, looking sad.[8] They were lost and needed direction.

Luke 24:18 – 18 The one named Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”

There are some ancient church writings which say that Cleopas was, in fact, Joseph’s brother. Meaning he may have been Jesus’ uncle.[9] We can’t be sure, but if so, what a great reminder that no matter who you are, we all come to Jesus the same way: By grace, through faith. Not who you know, not by what you’ve earned, not who your dad is, through your faith.

Luke 24:19-21 – 19 “What things?” he asked them. So they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he was the one who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened.

It’s still a little surprising to us that the disciples weren’t all waiting for the tomb to open Sunday morning. He had been so specific in telling them what was going to happen. I don’t think we would’ve done any better. It wasn’t that Jesus failed to tell them, it was that they failed to listen.

Their first problem is when he says, “Jesus was a prophet.” Ah, so right away we see that he had only a partial understanding of Who Jesus really is. Not just a holy man, not just a teacher. He’s the Son of God. The Lamb of God. He’s the Son of David. The Christ. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

What about in your mind? Who is Jesus? Is He just a figure on a crucifix? Is He just a really nice Guy Who told people they should be nice, too? We can know exactly Who Jesus is by going to the Scriptures. He has come in the volume of the Book. In this Book we find He’s not just a prophet. Jesus is the King of kings. He is your Maker. He is your Master. He is your Savior. He is the only One Who can rescue you from the guilt of your sin and your place in the grave.

The second problemis that they had heard but not fully obeyed Jesus. Cleopas says it was “the third day” since everything happened. Do you know how many times Jesus told His disciples He was going to die and then He’d rise the third day? Mark 9 He says, “I’m going to be betrayed, then I’m going to be killed, then three days later I’m going to rise again.” In Luke 18, He says, “I’m going to be handed over to the Gentiles and mocked and spit on and flogged, then killed, then on the third day I’m going to rise again.” Over and over. Earlier in Luke He said to His discples: Let these words sink in![10] And here we are – on the third day – and they’ve packed up for Emmaus!

Did you know Jesus has told us something similar? He explained that He is going to return one day. Where will you be? Will you be on some Emmaus road? Headedthe wrong way? Or will you be ready for His coming? Ready by believing and trusting and obeying the things He’s told us to do?

Luke 24:22-24 – 22 Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, 23 and when they didn’t find his body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

Luke tells us that when the ladies came telling what they had seen, the disciples thought it sounded like nonsense – idle tales. They were astounded but not convinced.

If you’re not a Christian here today, what would it take for you to believe that Jesus really is God? That He really died and rose again and offers you salvation?

“Well, why doesn’t He a message in the sky?” The universe declares His glory. There is no symphony that wrote itself. No painting that painted itself. No DNA that ever coded itself. This meticulously designed universe must have a Designer. If that’s not enough, He’s also given you 66 books in your language, available for free, so that you can know all about Him, all about His plan, all about how He does things, all about how He loves you.

“Well, I need eyewitnesses evidence.” History is full of the life testimonies of multiplied millions of Christians who, in many cases, spilled their own blood as witnesses for Jesus. In this room are many who can testify of His grace, His goodness, His power, His love, His saving work, His faithfulness.

“I want to see a miracle.” The enemies of Christ saw hundreds of miracles. It was a matter of the heart. They wouldn’t believe, even when they saw signs and wonders. Will you believe? Will you acknowledge what is true or will you cling to your own hopeless, foundation-less ideas of what you think is right and best? Jesus once said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”[11]

Luke 24:25-27 – 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.

Jesus was gentle, but direct. He wasn’t going to leave them in their hopelessness. But notice: Jesus does not do a miracle for them. He doesn’t change anything about their physical circumstances that day. What He does is start to uncover the treasures of truth from the Word of God that had been there all along. He revealed to them what was already true, but they hadn’t laid hold of.

You see, they believed some of what they had heard, but they were having a hard time believing all God had said. Jesus says to them, “Wasn’t this all necessary? It’s right there on the page.”

Perhaps you’re here and you are willing to go as far as saying, “I believe there is a God.” That’s a start, but listen: Even the demons believe and they shudder.[12] God is there and He has spoken at length about Who He is, how you need to be saved, and how there’s only One way you can be.

Do you want to know these truths? Do you want to lay your hands on this treasure that leads to life everlasting and more abundant? It is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in the Word of God which is all you need for life and Godliness. That’s why we study the Bible here at Calvary. Book by book, because we want to understand the whole of what God has said. When we only pocket parts of the message, it will inevitably lead to shipwreck of some kind. But God doesn’t want to wreck your life, He wants to revolutionize it and grow it and fill it with His many gifts.

Luke 24:28-29 – 28 They came near the village where they were going, and he gave the impression that he was going farther. 29 But they urged him, “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

Jesus is a little playful here, a little coy. He’s the One Who came to find them – He went out of His way to do so. Of course He wanted to stay with them, at least for a little while longer.

The God of the universe wants to spend His “time” with you. The image we’re given in the Bible is of Jesus standing at the door of your life, the door of your heart, and He’s knocking, knocking, knocking – hoping you will open that door and invite Him in.

It was the end of the day but it wasn’t too late to invite Jesus in. It’s not too late for you, either. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, how old you are, how many mistakes you’ve made. You can invite Him in today. You can call out in faith from your heart, telling the Lord that you believe and that you want to receive the salvation He wants to give.

Luke 24:30-31 – 30 It was as he reclined at the table with them that he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight.

Of course, He wasn’t really gone. He would shortly appear to them again and that would be followed by a promise that He will never leave or forsake us. Even though He was not visible, He still was with them. Still watching over them. Still walking with them, covering them in His love and grace and affection. God’s great desire is to give you the Bread of life. To give you joy. To give you clarity and peace. To give you direction and purpose. To give you a spiritual family. To give you gifts every day as you walk with Him.

Luke 24:32 – 32 They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”

Suddenly, everything changed – at least everything in their hearts and their minds and their future. Their travel packs still had the same stuff. Their bank accounts hadn’t changed. Israel was still occupied by Rome. But where there was fear, now there was hope. Where there was confusion, now there was purpose. Where there was discouragement, now there was zeal. And they had to share this treasure with their friends.

Luke 24:33-35 – 33 That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those with them gathered together, 34 who said, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I don’t think I’ve ever walked 14 miles in a single day. I certainly haven’t walked 7 miles in the dark of night. But their hearts were on fire. Their path was lit up with the light of God’s Word. Their friends have also had visits with Jesus. Because the “Stranger” that had walked with these two to Emmaus doesn’t want to stay a Stranger. He wants to make Himself known.

Archaeologists say that the coins found in the Czech Republic last year would’ve been an unimaginably huge amount for a person 900 years ago. God has offered you an unimaginably precious treasure. The forgiveness of your sins. Life everlasting. An eternal home in heaven. A spiritual family on earth. A meaningful purpose for your life. All yours because of what Jesus has done. Because He died on a cross and rose three days later. Now He offers this everlasting treasure freely to those who will receive it.

Romans 10:9 – 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

You’re here this morning. You’ve come across the jar of coins. Will you receive it? And for those of us who have received it, let’s remember what it means to have this gift. Let’s be on our way to Galilee, not Emmaus. Let’s keep digging into God’s Word to find even more treasure day by day.

 

References
↑1 https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a64431012/medieval-denarii-coins-discovered/
↑2 https://www.barna.com/research/americans-perceptions-of-the-bibles-global-reach/
↑3 Psalm 119:72
↑4 Proverbs 3:13-15
↑5 See Lee Strobel   The Case For Christ, Scott Powell   Jesus Christ’s Resurrection: The Best Documented Event Of Ancient History, Josh McDowell   Evidence That Demands A Verdict
↑6 Hebrews 11:6
↑7 Frank Gaebelein, D. A. Carson, Walter Wessel, and Walter Liefeld   The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke
↑8 Marvin Vincent   Word Studies In The New Testament
↑9 Norval Geldenhuys   Commentary On The Gospel Of Luke
↑10 Luke 9:44
↑11 John 20:29
↑12 James 2:19

Fast Break (Mark 2:18-22)

April 16, 2025

Pixar’s classic movie The Incredibles is not really about super powers or saving the world. It’s about one man’s realization that the greatest adventure of his life is not the bad guys he overpowers or any of his feats of strength. It is his family relationships that matter most – the love he has for them and they for him that truly make his life worth living. He finally realizes that they are his greatest adventure and because he was so caught up in the past, he almost missed it.

When Jesus came in His incarnation, the vast majority of people were so caught up in the past that they missed the chance to be in relationship with Him. Even those who did follow Him had a very hard time letting go of their assumptions, their traditions, their preconceptions. We really struggle to accept what God has revealed and to allow Him to define spirituality on His terms.

We are much more prone to chase after achievement than relationship, checking boxes than intimate communion, self-reliance than submission and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

That’s what our text tonight is about. We’re in a section of Mark where he shares five instances where people challenged Jesus’ methods and the behavior of His disciples. The antagonists always come with absolute confidence that they know how things should be done – what practices and perspectives please God and honor Him. Jesus does not fit their framework. Meanwhile, the Lord compassionately tries to change their mind. He tries to lead them to understanding for their good.

Tonight’s scene starts with an unheard-of partnership: Pharisees and disciples of John the Baptist.

Mark 2:18 – 18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

First thing’s first: This text is not really about fasting. We’ll consider the topic of fasting, but what’s really happening is that all the religious people of Judea don’t understand why Jesus and His followers don’t conform to their preferred practices and perspective. It bothered them.

It bothered them so much that these very separate groups came together with this complaint. Mark doesn’t say who is asking, but Matthew says it’s John’s disciples and Luke says the Pharisees came.

Both of these groups were so bothered by the fact that Jesus was different, they came together to say, “Listen, WE both fast, so YOU need to, too. We’ve decided what spirituality is.”

The fact that there was still a group of people who identified as disciples of John reveals how hard it was for even sincere, genuine people to get on board with Jesus’ new way. John was arrested by this point – he may have been killed already. But John was very clear when Jesus showed up. He said, “Look! There’s the Messiah. He’s the One I told you about. He’s the Son of God. He must increase, I must decrease.” Andrew had been a disciple of John, but after hearing what John said, Andrew left John to become a disciple of Jesus. Obviously that’s what should happen.

But here’s this group of people still identifying as disciples of John. And they had their way of doing things. They couldn’t let it go. And of course we also have the Pharisees.

Both of these groups fasted, but they did so in different ways and for different reasons. The Law of Moses only commands a single fast – the Day of Atonement. That fast was not just from food but even water.[1] After the Babylonian exile, five more annual fasts were added to the calendar. You find them in Zechariah and Esther.[2] Pharisees believed in even stricter adherence to the old covenant,[3] so they also fasted every Monday and Thursday.[4]

Everyone knew these groups did these things because they did so publicly. The Pharisees may have started these practices in a desire to remain holy, but by the time of Jesus it had morphed into mere performance. They did what they did so people would be impressed. It was virtue signaling self-righteousness.

Jesus comes along with power and truth, telling people God was doing a new thing, but they were offended that He was actually doing something new. “Fall in line with how we want You to behave and with what we want You to prioritize. You need to agree with our version of spirituality.”

Christians and religious people still have a tendency to treat Jesus this way. We have our priorities. We have things that we think are important. And we start to fashion the message and the Person of Jesus in a way that validates what we think matters most. This tendency flares up during elections. You’ll see on social media pastors or teachers saying things like, “If your church doesn’t preach on this issue this Sunday, you need to find a new church.” “We fast. Why don’t Your disciples fast?”

Mark 2:19 – 19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.

In response, Jesus gave three parables. What we need to remember is that parables are meant to deliver a major thought. Not every single element needs to be assigned and dissected.

The point Jesus made with all three of these examples is: You cannot combine the new thing God was doing through Jesus’ life and ministry with the old traditions they were devoted to.

In the first parable, He counters their complaint by redefining what religion should be. They were concerned with rituals and He wanted them to be concerned with relationship with God.

Christian faith is properly defined by joy and celebration and satisfaction. That doesn’t mean our circumstances will always feel good or we’ll never have any problems. But being right with God is not about who can deny themselves the most or who does the most acts of piety. What God desires is real, personal communion with His people – an active and joyous relationship.

These religious Jews were missing out on a backstage pass to spend time one-on-One with the Messiah Himself. They were missing the opportunity to be part of the bridal party.

Jesus suggested that He was the Groom in the story. To a Jew, this is a big deal. The Old Testament has many allusions to God acting as a Husband or a Groom to Israel. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Psalms all make references to it. And now Jesus was saying in a round about way that He is that figure.

Don’t ever believe someone who says that Jesus never claimed to be God. He absolutely did, multiple times and in various ways.

Before we move on, let’s think about this parable. We’re not as off-base as the disciples of John or the Pharisees, but all of us need to wrestle with our spiritual perspective. Do we know Who Jesus is? Do we surrender our perspective and our priorities to what He has revealed?

Do we think of Jesus as our joyous, loving, celebratory Bridegroom? Or, is it easier for us to think of Him as a cosmic vending machine? Or as a political ally Who will establish our preferred policies? How do we think of Him? This is Who He says He is. Our part is to accept and apply His revelation.

Mark 2:20 – 20 But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.

It would be wrong for the disciples of Jesus to be fasting and afflicting themselves while Jesus was with them. But He points to a time when not only will He be gone, but He will be taken away.

Jesus didn’t hide the fact that He was going to die. The disciples just had such a hard time understanding what He meant, even when He told them outright. We’re slow to understand. Maybe that’s why Jesus had to use three parables to make one point.

Mark 2:21 – 21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made.

It would do no good to combine the new covenant of relationship with Jesus and the old trappings of religious traditionalism. Not only would it not be good, it would actually make things worse.

Everyone knew that when it came to clothes, what Jesus was saying is true. Kind of like how most of us know if you buy a brand new bright red t-shirt, you better not put it in the wash with your whites. You’re going to create a problem for yourself that can’t just be undone.

But in our spiritual lives we tend to forget these truths. For decades now, among evangelicals, there has been a push to bring back in “ancient” practices. You’re told you need more ritual, you need more formality, you need these old methods that will unlock real spirituality. But it’s not true. And, according to Jesus’ parable, not only does it not help it will, in fact, make your spirituality worse.

But humans like human ideas. It makes the human heart feel like we’re contributing something. But Jesus came to make all things new. And so, no, you do not need to keep the Sabbath. No, you do not have to follow the Jewish dietary rules. No, you do not need medieval prayer practices.

Instead of trying to force old and new together, what we must do is put on the vestments Christ delivered to us. Spirituality on His terms. When we try to put His new work onto old systems, tearing is the inevitable result. What happened at the end of Jesus’ life? When His work came to a climax, Caiaphas the high priest tore his robes in anger and rejection. When Jesus breathed His last on the cross, what happened? The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The old was done. Christ reconciled us into a new covenant in His blood.

Mark 2:22 – 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wineskins.”

The old wineskins weren’t evil.[5] It’s just that their time was over. Old skins, like Jesus is describing, could not hold new wine that was still fermenting because over time they had become too brittle. They weren’t pliable, they weren’t flexible. And so, if you put in new wine, the expansion and changes necessary would not only break the old skin but spill the wine as well.

The Pharisees perfectly demonstrate this rigid, religious inflexibility. They had no room for tax collectors in their company. No room for grace. No room for mercy. Jesus comes along and says, “I’m bringing in tax collectors and sinners and Gentiles and all who are willing to repent and believe.” But the Pharisees couldn’t bear it. It broke them. They would rather conspire to murder Jesus than to accept that God might love sinners.

We shake our heads at the Pharisees – and rightly so – but it will serve us to recognize how difficult this issue was not only for them, but even for the Twelve. Not just the issue of fasting, but of ritual versus relationship. Look at the book of Acts. The Christians struggled with this.

The problem persisted after the Apostles. The Didache is an important book. It’s one of the earliest treatises that collected the teaching of the Apostles telling the church how to be the church.

On the issue of fasting it commands that Christians must not do what the hypocrite Pharisees do, fasting Mondays and Thursdays. No, don’t do that! Instead, you need to fast Wednesdays and Fridays![6] And don’t pray like the hypocrites do. Instead pray the Lord’s prayer…but you must pray it three times a day![7] Already there was a ceremonial rigidness trying to take hold.

It is so easy for us to start patch-working religious garments of our own design, convinced that they are the best robe for us. But usually they are nothing more than fig-leaf coverings.

That doesn’t mean we don’t do spiritual or religious things. The lesson here is that Jesus gets to define spirituality for us. And as we discover what God has revealed in scripture, we find that the Lord wants us to live by grace and truth and generosity and love for Him, not ceremony.

But what about fasting? Should fasting be a regular part of our Christian activity? Believe it or not, many scholars try to make the case from this passage that Jesus was saying it was only appropriate for Christians to fast in the time span between the crucifixion and the resurrection and that fasting after Christ rose again is wrong.[8]

Meanwhile, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “When you give, when you pray, when you fast.” And though we don’t see Christians fasting often in the New Testament, it does happen. In Acts 13 the church at Antioch is worshiping and fasting and praying and the Holy Spirit tells them to set apart Paul and Barnabas for a special work. Later we see Paul and church leaders in other towns fasting as part of their seeking the Lord for the life of the church.

But we’re never commanded to fast in the New Testament.[9] But it is still a way we can commune with the Lord – if it’s done to commune with the Lord! Not for self-righteousness, not to try to prove that we’re worth forgiving or to show people how religious we are. For relationship, not ritual.

God wants us to consider our spiritual lives through the lens of personal relationship with Him as the One Who loves us and rejoices over us. But rather than just club us over the head, He graciously invites us to think through these things on our own.

That’s why Jesus taught in parables: So that those who truly wanted to understand would consider them, meditate on them, and follow up with the Lord because of them.

These people came to Jesus with a very direct question: Why don’t Your disciples fast? And in response Jesus gave them a very indirect answer. His answer was, “Let’s think about what being right with God is really about. Don’t base your spirituality on tradition – whichever tradition you’re a part of – but on revelation. Allow the Messiah to define your perspective and practices”

Mr. Incredible told his family that he realized he had been blind to what he had. His eyes were finally opened and it changed everything in the story.

But the Pharisees and the disciples of John couldn’t see it. Here they are saying, “We’ve kept religion much better than Your disciples.” And Jesus essentially says, “You don’t get it. You think you’re Moses the Law Giver, but you’re Ruth the Moabitess. There’s no hope for you, no matter what you do unless you have a Kinsman-Redeemer. You need a loving Groom to come and save you. Why don’t My disciples fast? That’s the wrong question. The question is: Why don’t you accept Who I Am and what I say?”

So, in your life, as you seek to grow in your spirituality, if you want to make progress in your walk with the Lord, don’t look for practices more than you’re looking for the Personal closeness of Jesus Christ. He may lead you into a fast. He may lead you to pray every day at the same time. He may ask you to do something we might describe as religious, but the fast is not the end goal. The goal is that we hold fast to Him, remembering Who He is: your Kinsman Redeemer. Your Bridegroom. Calling you into communion with Him as you walk together day-by-day in the life He has given you.

 

References
↑1 George Gianoulis   Did Jesus’ Disciples Fast? BSAC 168:672
↑2 Zechariah 8:19, Esther 9:31
↑3 Ben Witherington   The Gospel Of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
↑4 Darrell Bock   Luke
↑5 James Brooks   The New American Commentary: Mark
↑6 Didache 8:1
↑7 Didache 8:2
↑8 See Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament, David Garland,   Mark (NIVAC)
↑9 Robert Utley, Robert James   The Gospel According To Peter: Mark and I & II Peter
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