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“GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME” REALLY?

Psalm 73

April 22, 2018 10:30 AM
Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S FUNNY: “Rich Man In Heaven”

A wealthy man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter who led him down the streets of gold.
They passed mansion after mansion until they came to the very end of the street. Saint Peter stopped the rich man in front of a little shack.
“This belongs to you,” said Saint Peter.
“Why do I get this ugly thing when there are so many mansions I could live in?” the man demanded.
“Well,“ Peter replied, “We did the best we could with the money you sent us!”.

INTRODUCTION: “God is good!”

We often exclaim in a most proud and thankful way when referring to when things are going overwhelmingly great! In fact, the only time the phrase “God is good” appears in our NIV Bibles is right here in Psalm 73:1! It is as if God has an exclusive “in” when it comes to goodness. And we are often on PRAISE ALERT when things are going our way. But what about when everyone else who has no use for God are getting in on the good life? What is the point, then, in following the Lord at all? Ps. 73 tells us! In fact, there are at least 3 words which are the heart of this psalm. Perhaps they are the heart of your following of the Lord, too. PRAYER

#1 “BUT” (184 times in Psalms alone)

Verse 2, Asaph (v.1) says that God is good to Israel, to those who are “pure in heart”. That phrase should sound familiar! In the Sermon on the Mount in what has become known as the “Beatitudes” (or, as Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote, the “BE-Attitudes”), the Lord Jesus uses this phrase to make an eternal point. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” They are “blessed” = HAPPY! And the “pure in heart” will see God. How? All the available translations I have access to simply say the pure in heart will see God, except for one translation. Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” is very helpful, “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” (the world in which we all live). So Asaph starts this psalm out on a wonderful, lofty, and exuberant high note!

Then comes v. 2, the dreaded “but”: “BUT as for me…”. What happened? The “BUT” forms a contrast from the blessing of seeing God in display in his life, to seeing those who are high-minded and successful, BUT have no use for God in their lives. It’s as if Asaph will soon say, “why bother loving, trusting, worshiping the true God?” Today he would say, “you say you love Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You say He died for your sins on the cross. BUT there are many who don’t say they love Jesus – except perhaps to swear – and they are seemingly HAPPY, too! What’s the use?
Is Asaph where you are today? If so, you will find this to be a good psalm!

v. 25-26 Beginning with v. 23, the psalmist has an exclamation of praise! Look at his foundational verses (vs. 23-24). Here is an OT passage where the writer has a confidence that God will one day take him to glory. There is no mention here of “works”; there is no mention of “if I do more good deeds than bad deeds, God’s scale of justice will HAVE to go my way.” Rather, Asaph’s entire eternal trust is in the Lord, alone! And note vs. 26: Asaph’s flesh and heart may fail. He may have absolutely no physical, emotional, and mental ground to stand on. BUT God is his strength: literally, that means God is his ROCK – his foundation. Outward circumstances did not matter – Asaph had an internal trust which gave him – what was that in v. 1? – a happy face!

v. 28 But wait, there’s more! Asaph shows that God is a personal God. “As for me” – Asaph has learned that God is not a far off. He is personal. God is near. And because of that, Asaph will tell the whole world!

Eph. 2:4 Read vs. 1-4, a wonderful comparative in contrast to what we were without the Lord Jesus, and what God did to draw us to Himself! He has done that for you! Do you trust Him?

#2 “SURELY” (28 times in Psalms)
v. 1 Truly. No doubt about it! (Message!) What should be of interest to us is that Asaph – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – used the word “Elohim” as the name for “God” in verse 1. “Elohim” basically means “strength” or “power”. But also of interest is that “Elohim” is a plural noun. The essence is of a plurality in unity. So the Trinity is at action here when He is good to Israel!

v. 13 Asaph is using the same word as found in v. 1. Let’s read it that way: “Truly. No doubt about it!” I have kept my heart pure for empty reasons. Asaph is discouraged as he watches those without God finding happiness, but without God. He is making a declaration based upon his observance of OUTWARD EVIDENCE, but NOT upon the evidence of the heart – which evidence only God can see.

v. 18 And then comes what I call the “banana peel” effect. Asaph realizes that those who have no use for God really don’t have any foundation. Their lives aren’t governed by the eternal, but by the heart which “is deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). They are living on a slope and have no control over their future, nor of their downfall. And that is “truly. No doubt about it!”.
I like the familiar uses: “SURELY goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Ps. 23:6)

And, after the Lord Jesus tells His disciples of all time what He wants us to do with our lives – reproduce through the cross and teach all who come our way – He makes this “Truly! No doubt about it” promise: Matt. 28:20b, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus’ presence enables the disciple of Christ to do anything and in any place which Jesus wants the child of God to do! Truly! No doubt about it!

#3 “TILL” v. 17 (11 times in Psalms)
This last word forms the center of the heart of Asaph’s wonderful psalm. He remembers (v.1) his foundation: God is good all the time! But for a brief moment, he takes his eyes off of the foundation and looks at the reality of the world around Him. He looks at people. He looks at their seeming success. He looks at circumstances. He moans. He mourns. Perhaps he even gets angry when he thinks others who have no use for God seemingly are getting it all, and Asaph is getting nothing.

“Till” (v. 17). This, like “but”, is a word of introductory contrast. Read vs. 15-16 before it, and then add “Till”. Till what? Till he sees their final destiny. Their eternity is empty. And if their eternity is empty, what is their present day value as well? EMPTY!

Solomon would use this same imagery in Ecclesiastes when he wrote, “vanity of vanity, all is vanity”. “Vanity” means “emptiness”. So what he is really writing is “emptiness of emptiness, all is emptiness.” What is? The look at life without looking through the eyes of the presence of the living God.

I like what Gen. 32:24 shouts out about Jacob’s change in focus, “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.” Jacob later realized he had wrestled with the Captain of the Lord’s armies, the King of kings Himself – even the Lord Jesus. And note that that wrestling had a time limit – daybreak. The wrestlings of our lives will not be forever. They have a purposeful time frame, one which is designed to make us like Christ in character and purpose.

CONCLUSION So, God is good all the time – Really!

BUT have you had a pity party lately, I mean a real deep down boo hoo pity whoa is me party? One that looks at others, sees their successes yet without any use for the living God, and wonder where the goodness of God is? Asaph said, “consider their final destiny”. Then you will shout Truly! No doubt about it! God is good all the time!

Really!

Now, Pray…

Inviting and Accepting
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“I’M THE TAXMAN”

April 15, 2018 10:30 AM

“I’M THE TAXMAN”

Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S FUNNY:

“The Witnesses”

Saturday morning the weather was too bad to play golf. The old man was bored with nothing to do. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. He opened it to find two young, well-dressed men standing there who said:

“Hello sir, We’re from the Kingdom Hall and we’d like to talk with you.”

So the man said, “Come in and have a seat!” He offered them a fresh cup of coffee and asked, “What do you young men want to talk about?”

They looked at each other & said, “Beats us. We never got this far before.”

INTRODUCTION

Today is traditionally the day when taxes are due in New York State. But does the Bible have anything to say about taxes? Don’t you wish it didn’t? Let’s check it out!

PRAYER

#1 THE BIBLE AND TAXES

There are about 15 verses in Scripture which deal with the subject of taxes. Allow me to refer to 3 subjects to give an idea of both the Old and New Testament understandings:

A. Illustration #1. We all remember the story of the shepherd boy David. He came alongside to bring food to his brothers who were in battle against the enemies of Israel, the Philistines. We remember the giant, Goliath, coming out and making a challenge. We remember David drawing 5 smooth stones out of the brook, placing one in his well-used sling, and with a very deft throw piercing the giant’s skull – soon killing the giant with the giant’s own sword. But do we remember what King Saul offered any slayers of the giant? 1 Sam. 17:25 says in part, “The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.” I’m sure David’s dad, Jesse, was overwhelmed to be the recipient of such a kingly gesture! Wouldn’t you be?

B. Illustration # 2. In the book of Ezra, there are several astute references to taxes. First, the opponents of the building of the wall were concerned that the success of its completion would mean that Persia would no longer receive taxes from Israel (Ezra 4:13). Of course, this charge was false – but it was used as a means of encouraging the King of Persia to issue a stop order for the rebuilding of the security walls of Jerusalem. And when the wall was complete, and the service of the temple was once again in order, one of the standing orders – as per Jewish law – was the amazing reminder by the King of Persia that the people of Israel “have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of [their own] priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.” (Ezra 7:24). The subject of taxes was indeed most important in the Old Testament!

C. Illustration #3. In our “Call to Worship” , Romans 13 was cited to show the heart of God concerning taxes in New Testament times. Let’s re-read vs. 6-7. What is the amazing thing of this passage? At the time of that writing, Israel was under Roman law. The taxes referred to were not being given to build up the nation of Israel. They were given to build up Rome! And yet the NT principle is that Christians of all generations and under all governments are as best as possible to be model citizens. Taxes are to be a part of that privilege of being a citizen of the country in which one dwells. Ouch? Or “in everything give thanks”? So even the New Testament encourages especially Christian citizens to show their submission to the laws of their land.

#2 THE LORD JESUS AND TAXES

You are probably familiar with the passage in Luke 20. The teachers of the law and the chief priests saw the Savior as being at the least an opponent of the law, and at best, a threat to their rule over the spiritual guidance of Israel.

In the familiar passage of Luke 20, they sent what the text calls “spies” to trap Him so that His Words would justify their arresting Him for treason to both Israel and to Rome. They asked the classic question, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” The question was a well-placed trap. If He said yes, the Jews would be upset that He was on the side of their enemy, the Romans. But if He said, “no”, then these spies could turn Him over to Rome as a traitor of the state.

You remember His classic answer to their classic question: “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

In just a few short words, our Savior showed the totality of a model countrymen even within times which were harsh to the country’s citizens.

Let’s not forget the verse which follows that line: “They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.” That should be a lesson to us modern day citizens: allow the Word of God to change the hearts of those who are most bitter to the Word.

#3 PETER GOES FISHING FOR TAXES (Matt. 17:24-27)

Perhaps this passage in Matthew is simply the gospel writer Matthew’s remembrance of the same incident recorded above in Luke 20. But in his wry way, Matthew shares the lesson through the eyes of an apostle, Peter, rather than through the eyes of the Savior.

Once again, there are several important lessons for us present day citizens:

1. Jesus’ disciples will be grilled (v. 24). In a very visual example of whether or not Peter knew what he really believed, or if he really knew what the heart of the Savior is on any given subject, his quick response to these tax collectors’ question shows one definitive answer: Peter really didn’t know what he believed. He perhaps was more interested to get these tax collectors out of his space than he was in sharing the Savior’s insights.

But more importantly, what Peter should have learned is the lesson we should learn: our faith, if it is genuine, should be able to stand any test, any trial, any inquisition – whether from the enemy or from friends.

Turn to Acts 4:7-12. Peter was a minister in the amazing healing of a crippled beggar (Acts 3). By Acts 4, the religious rulers of Peter’s day questioned how he and his co-workers did what they did. In essence, they were asking, “how is it that you, a common fisherman, are trying to have more authority in spiritual matters than we seasoned spiritual leaders do?”

Verse 12 is a life verse: “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Jesus disciples will be grilled – be prepared to answer!

2. Jesus’ disciples need to learn of Him (vs. 25-26)

So how does a disciple get prepared to answer the questions of faith? By learning of Jesus!

And how do you and I get prepared to answer the questions of faith? By learning of Jesus – through His written word! So let me ask you – for only you know the answer. Are you in the Word of God more than just the few minutes of the Sunday morning service? Without a show of hands, how many of you have more than one Bible in your home? And how many of those stay closed during the week? That is not to be a judgmental observation. It is meant to be an encouraging prod to get you into the Word of God on a more regular basis. For starters, there are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Why not read each day the chapter which corresponds to that day of the month? There are 150 psalms. Why not read 5 psalms per day – and you’ll have the entire book of psalms read on a regular monthly basis. There are 4 gospels. Why not read ONE chapter in the gospels each day – and continue the cycle of reading through the gospels throughout the year. There are 66 books in the Bible. Why not read 3 chapters a day and maybe 5 on Sunday – and you will have read the entire Bible in less than one year!

Get prepared to answer the questions of faith by being a student of the book which encourages faith. Remember Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Learn of Jesus.

CONCLUSION

Jesus disciples had one more lesson to learn, and so do we. We need to be surprised by Him in our trust (v. 27).

So the seasoned fisherman succumbs to Jesus’ authority that, though he is a citizen of heaven, he shows that citizenship by being a model citizen of the country in which he lives.

And in order to show that model citizenry, he pays the required taxes of that country.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, what happens next?

At the prodding of the Son of God, the seasoned fisherman, Peter, goes fishing. The Savior of the world, the Creator of the world, gives Peter some fishy story about going fishing to catch the required funds needed to pay taxes. WHAT?

Peter catches one fish. And in the mouth of that fish – not in the fish’s belly or on a snagged line or anywhere else – will be the coin which represents the tax sum required by the local government.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Peter learned to be surprised by Jesus in his own trust in the Savior. The Savior would be true to Himself. The Savior would be true to His Word. And the Savior could be trusted. In essence, He was saying, “And I will supply all of your needs according to My riches in glory.”

It is tax week. And don’t be surprised when the King of the universe cares that you pay your taxes! In so doing, you just may show to someone that Jesus alone is worthy of their eternal trust.

Close in Prayer

First Baptist Church, 9 West Main St. Earlville, NY 13332

Inviting and Accepting

Blogs, Jeremy Stopford

“THE EARTH IS FULL”

By Jeremy B. Stopford

April 8, 2018

TODAY’S FUNNY:

“A River Funny”
A lady standing by the river sees another lady on the opposite bank.
Lady #1: “Yoo-hoo! Hello over there! How can I get to the other side of the river?”
Lady #2: “HELLO — you ARE on the other side of the river.”

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever felt depressed? No, I don’t mean the kind where you need to spend thousands of dollars for a therapist. But have you ever been so overwhelmed by life that you fail even to see the hand of God on your every day? The other day as I was reading my Bible, a phrase stuck out – and I was so surprised to find the times it appeared in Scriptures. And I had never noticed it before. I hope this is an encouragement to you as to how BIG our awesome God is! PRAYER

THE EARTH IS FULL …

#1 OF GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE (Psalm 33:5)
* This is our introduction to the phrase “the earth is full”.
* What other versions call “unfailing love”: lovingkindness; goodness; faithful love; grace; His loyalty/covenant love; constant love; mercy; affectionate satisfaction.
* Any one of these phrases is sufficient. But note “covenant love” – God is in an agreement with the world that He will love the world – and on the cross He displayed that love. A covenant means that God is obligating Himself to show His unfailing love! And “affectionate satisfaction” caught my attention – I am in a daily battle to be satisfied, to have my hunger and thirst quenched. And when I realize that my true hunger and thirst is for Him, He readily quenches them. He satisfies. But the one which REALLY caught my attention is “mercy” – for without the cross, there is no true mercy!
* The heart of this psalm: Note v. 7: “He gathers the waters of the sea into jars”; and v. 9: “He spoke, and it came to be”. Dr. Ken Ham of the Creation Museum fame said that Christians shoot their arrows at the by-products of unbelief (such as abortion, euthanasia, and other “issues”). The world shoots its arrows at the foundation: creation. If they can disprove that the Lord is Creator, then there is no need to trust Him.
* Note how the psalm ends: v. 21-22 a trust, a prayer for God’s unfailing love to be our daily hope! The earth is full of unfailing love – now if only we look!

#2 OF GOD’S CREATURES (Psalm 104:24)
* Psalm 104 is often called the psalm of creation. All the days of creation are on display in this psalm.
* V. 1 and vs. 33-34 are bookends in this psalm. The unnamed psalmist begins with praise (v. 1). He ends in hope (vs. 33-34). He looks forward to a world where God is honored, and sinners are no longer the controlling voice of the world.
* Let’s zero in on our text, v. 24. “The earth is full of your creatures.” In fact, at the start of the verse the psalmist says that God’s works are many!
ILLUSTRATION: Spring is coming. Well, sometime here in the northeast. Perhaps before July. And with spring comes many different creatures. I’ve already seen evidence that moles and other creatures have found warmth in our backyard. Squirrels are once again putting away for next winter – my cat and I watched two squirrels fighting for the same food! And pretty soon flowers and other intricate evidences of God’s hand – along with, yes, WEEDS, will be in the yard. And instead of plowing snow, grass will have to be mowed. NY State is quite the place to see daily evidence of God’s creatures.
ILLUSTRATION #2. I was talking to one of the older residences at Norwich Rehab. He was fascinated with all the different creatures that have been discovered many thousands of feet below the water’s surface – yet many seem to be making their way to beaches. Our creation scientists would remind us of the many creatures that disappeared as a result of both the flood and of the ice age. And many are making a comeback.
The psalmist would remind us, not to shy away in fear, but to be still in awe at the earth being full of His creatures!

#3 OF GOD’S LOVE (Psalm 119:64)
Psalm 119 is God’s ode to His own Word, the Bible. Each of the 176 verses in this psalm has something to say about a specific part of the Word of God.
Note v. 62, one of my favorite of this psalm. How many of you are up during the middle of the night and can’t sleep. So what do you do? Count sheep? Play games on the computer? Count to 100, then back again? The psalmist said he does what? Gives thanks to God! The time is well spent, perhaps in reviewing the many unappreciated evidences of God’s help on display during the previous day. And the time is well spent in thanking God for His help for the coming day. Wow. Worship at midnight!
And then the psalmist declares (v. 64) that the earth is filled with God’s love. WHAT? All I see is hate. Prejudice. Rebellions. Riots. Protests. Refusal to work. Sit-ins. Movements for a cause. Denials of history – and then the attempts to re-write or even destroy history – when it concerns slavery or any other subject which shows the dark sides of man.
But the psalmist says WHAT? That the earth is filled with God’s love! Is it possible that we are so inundated with the hatred by the world that we fail to see God’s love in the world?
But while you’re dwelling on that, look how the psalmist applies this truth! IF I am looking for God’s love on display throughout the earth, then I should seek to be taught to obey God’s word. Sometimes I’m so quick to yell I fail to listen to be taught. God wants to teach me. Am I a good student?

CONCLUSION

As we come to today’s communion service, I was both overwhelmingly yet pleasantly surprised where this phrase appears one more time. Isaiah 6:3: “the whole earth is full of His glory.”
Look at the context. Isaiah was in mourning. King Uzziah had died. And while no doubt Isaiah was contemplating the transitions of the kingdom, the Lord Himself shows Isaiah the true kingdom – God’s kingdom.
The whole earth is full – not only of God’s unfailing love, and of His creatures, and of His love. But it is also full of His glory!
This passage would simply be perhaps another random passage except for a New Testament connection. In John 12:41, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John tells us that this passage in Isaiah is talking about none other than the Lord Jesus Himself.
The whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord Jesus! He is on display! His grace, His mercy, His unfailing love, His constant love, His affectionate satisfaction; His creation. His love which begs to be heard.
Jesus is on display! As we come to the communion service, the heart of the service is that the Savior is on display – and directly at the cross!
He would ask of us today, “am I on display in your heart, in your walk, in your love, in your appreciation of and attention to the details of His display in a world which is blind to His display?” Is He?

Close in Prayer

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Evidence that Demands a Verdict

TODAY’S FUNNY

“Fear of Flying” There was a religious woman who had to do a lot of traveling for her business. Flying made her very nervous, so she always took her Bible along with her.
One time, she was sitting next to a man. When he saw her pull out her Bible, he gave a little chuckle and smirk and went back to what he was doing.
After awhile, he turned to her and asked, “You don’t really believe all that stuff in there do you?”
The woman replied, “Of course I do. It is the Bible.”
He said, “Well, what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?”
She replied, “Oh, Jonah. Yes, I believe that, it is in the Bible.”
He asked, “Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?”
The woman said, “Well, I don’t really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him.”
“What if he isn’t in heaven?” the man asked sarcastically.
“Then you can ask him,” replied the woman.

INTRODUCTION

Years ago, a book was written entitled, “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell. It has recently been updated by Josh and his son, and the new title is “Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World”. With apologies to the McDowells, I use the same title to describe what our Savior has shared in this one of several chapters dealing with His resurrection. For if we are given truth, and it is presented as truth, each of us must make a personal decision as to what to do with that truth: accept it, reject it, or without reservation apply it to our lives. So the question before us today is: what will we do with the evidence for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus? What will you do? PRAYER

EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT

#1 The first day of the week (v. 1) The timing of our Savior’s resurrection was perfect. It was the day after the sabbath. It was Sunday. Today. The Bible says that an amazing thing happened that first Resurrection Day: a) The veil being torn in two, the Jewish rituals no longer had any need. Every man, woman, boy and girl could enter into God’s presence by way of the cross. And the early church took note of that: they fellowshipped on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7: “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”. Yes! I still have more time to preach! The Bible also says the early church took up their collections together on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2: “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” Why do you suppose Paul made that distinction? Why do yo suppose he didn’t say, “on Monday”, or “whenever convenient”? Because the first day of the week is the Resurrection Day. The early church knew it. And so should we!

#2 The ladies were given a place of honor (v. 1ff) to be among the first eyewitnesses of the evidences of the resurrection. We learn from John 4 that women in Jesus’ day were, if you will, second class citizens. But not so to our Savior. And not only that, they were reminded to “remember” what the Savior said about “the third day”. The Bible records at least 10 instances in which the Savior told His disciples that He would be crucified, buried, and on the third day rise from the dead. And in each case, the pattern was the same: unbelief, uncertainty, and a change of subject. For example, see Luke 9:43-48. In verse 43, He foretells the events of the cross. By v. 46, the disciples were concerned about who would be the greatest in His kingdom. So for these women to be among those early eyewitnesses, this was special. AND their visit was full of faith, in contrast to the disciples, as in our text, v. 11, “they did not believe the women” and their words seemed like nonsense to the disciples – those who had heard the prophecies and those who should have believed first. What does the Bible have to say about this? 1 Cor. 2:14 says, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Is the Bible confusing to you? Are its words even like foolishness to you? Then you are verifying that the Bible is true! You need to be like these ladies – trust that what the Bible says is true, then see where it must be applied to your life! In Romans 10:9-10, 13 the Bible says, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The truth of the resurrection is life changing – and these ladies knew it! Do you?

#3 Everyone is in a search for God. Look at v. 12, “But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.” When you first heard the comment, “Jesus loves you, He died for your sins, and He invites you to trust Him – He alone is worthy of your trust” – what did you think? Religious mumbo-jumbo? Foolishness? Well, once again, you are verifying at least two truths! First, each one of us – like even Peter! – is on a journey for truth. The Lord meets you right where you are. Sometimes your answers are found right away. Sometimes you think through the questions of the heart. That is your journey to true faith. Because true faith is not a religion. It is not church. It is not ritual. It is a relationship with the living God – you know, the One Whose resurrection we celebrate today and declare, “He’s Alive!”. But secondly, you are verifying that the Bible is foolishness to those who don’t believe. The Bible even says that of itself! Look at 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, in particular vs. 18,21: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.:21
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” Everyone is in a search for God – and invariably, that search will either take you to the cross and the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior, AND to a living relationship with the living God – or it will take you away from the cross and to an empty journey. Where are you today?

#4 Moses, the Psalms, the Prophets all spoke of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (v. 27, 45-46). V. 27 was the theme verse of the Bible School from which I was first graduated in the 1970’s.
Moses (Deut. 18:15) said to look for the true Prophet, and the NT identifies that as Jesus.
Micah 5:1-2, a most obscure OT prophet, not only tells that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, but that He is eternal, literally “from days of eternity”. Only the eternal Savior could fulfill this prophecy.
The Psalms talk about Jesus’ death. Psalm 22 talks about the crucifixion of the Messiah, years before the Romans ever invented crucifixion as a means of capital punishment.
Psalm 49:15 talks of the Messiah’s resurrection.
Psalm 69 give intimate details of Jesus’ crucifixion which only a prophet would know (through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration!)
Isaiah 50-53 tell how the Messiah would die, not for His sins, but for those of the world (“He was wounded for my transgressions; He was bruised for my iniquities” “as a sheep before his shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” “all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all”. Pretty personal – have you applied this?

CONCLUSION

Like Mr. McDowell (and now his son) before us, the Bible has evidence that demands a verdict. Let’s be reminded of just a taste of the evidence that the resurrection chapter tells us:
#1 The resurrection was on the first day of the week – and all of history immediately changed as a result!
#2 The ladies on that first Resurrection Day were given a place of honor – those who were normally put down by society were examples to us today that EVERYONE can be an eyewitness of the resurrection – by way of faith in the written Word of God.
#3 The Bible tells us that we are on a journey, but the journey has an Object which can be met: the Lord Jesus. Not a ritual. Not an empty religion. But a relationship with the living and true God.
#4 Throughout the Scriptures – from Genesis through Revelation – there is demanding evidence of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior Who is eternally God Who became man – that He might have a body with which to die for the sin of man. The Scriptures invite us to trust the living God and His written Word. Have you?

The Bible has a wonderful invitation

John 1:12-13 say, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

It is Easter time, but like Christmas time of a few months ago, the Bible invites us to receive a gift – a relationship with the living and true Savior, even the Lord Jesus.

How about you? Where are you in your journey of faith? What do you say to this introductory evidence – and there is so much more – that demands a verdict?

What is your verdict today?

Close in Prayer

This Easter Message was delivered at the 
SonRise Service, April 1, 2018
by the Reverend Jeremy Stopford, Pastor
First Baptist Church,  
9 West Main St. Earlville, NY 13332
Inviting and Accepting
 
Blogs, Jeremy Stopford, Uncategorized

“WE HAVE NO KING BUT ME”

“We Have No King But Me” (Matthew 21:1-11)

Delivered Palm Sunday March 25, 2018
By Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S “SPECIAL”: “A Palm Funny”

It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter.
When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm leaves. Johnny asked them what they were for.
“People held them over Jesus’ head as he walked by,” his father told him.
“Wouldn’t you know it,” Johnny fumed, “the one Sunday I don’t go and Jesus shows up.”

INTRODUCTION

I am so glad that, as a minister of the Word of God, I have God’s full assurance that every time I open up this book before you, He shows up! And I know that He has promised, in Isaiah 55, that when His Word is read or heard, it will accomplish some profound eternal purpose – both in the one proclaiming His Word, and in the ones reading or hearing His Word. Wow! So as we meet together, I have the full assurance from God that He is meeting with us – and He wants to do a work in each of our hearts. What work? Well, perhaps you in your journey of faith have never trusted the Lord Jesus as Savior. You’ve trusted the Church, the pastor, the nice people in the church – but have you ever trusted the Savior as your Savior? That’s a good purpose. And as we look at our text today, I’m trusting God to encourage all of us to see Palm Sunday in a fresh light – and when we do, we will have our hunger met in a hurry – that He be the King of all of our lives! There – now that you know what is coming, you can go back to sleep!
PRAYER

#1 THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS AS KING (Matt. 21:9-11)

A. Promotes instant obedience (and, no doubt, marvel) (vs. 1ff)
Isn’t it an amazing thing that there are several moments of instant obedience in this passage? First of all, the ones who were asked to go get the donkey and colt. They could have said, “WHAT? Who are You kidding? Nobody in their right mind gives up personal property like that!” But they had unquestioned obedience. Then how about the owner of that donkey and colt? He willingly gave them to the one who said, “the Lord has need of them”. Oh that we were so quick to obey the promptings of the Lord in our lives!

B. “Your King comes to you, Zion” (v. 5)
Jesus is offered as King to Israel – but just days later, they reject His Kingship, His Lordship. Ephesians & Romans say that then Israel is set aside so that His Kingship can be offered to the Gentles in the church age. Those Jews who trust Him as Savior are now Christians and part of the church!
Rev. 19:11-16 records He will one day rule as King of kings!
But until then, the last words spoken about the Messiah’s relationship with Israel is found in John 1:11, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” He offered Himself to them as their King, and they rejected His offer.

#2 THE HISTORY OF THE REJECTED KING

A. Matt. 2:1-3 the occasion of Jesus’ birth
Herod: there is no king but ME
Magi: there is no King but Jesus, and we worship Him!
B. Matt. 5:35 Jerusalem is the city of the Great King (Jesus)
C. Matt. 18:23ff The rejected King is a king of mercy
D. John 18:33,37,39 The rejected King is the King of Truth
E. John 19:3,12,14,15,19,21
The rejected King is in charge (19:11)
The accepted king of the day nurtures faith in oneself with no need of the true King (19:15)
The rejected King’s title is settled, as is His Word (19:21-22)

CONCLUSION

The cry of Palm Sunday is two-fold. Can you hear both cries? The first cry is: “Your King comes for you.” While that kingship was offered to Israel, it is also offered to us.But that kingship can be rejected – just as the crowd yelled “we have no king but Caesar”, so we yell, “we have no king but ME – what do we need a King for? We do just fine without Him.”
So in your journey of faith, where are you? Are you with the crowd at Calvary yelling, “we have no king but ME”?
OR are you with the group on Palm Sunday, and listening, hearkening to the cry, “your King comes for you.”?
It is written of the Lord Jesus, following the declaration of His being rejected by His people Israel, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12)

Which group are you in today?

Close in prayer

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