“Then He said, ‘I will make all MY GOODNESS pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’ ”

–Exodus 33:19-20

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD in the land of the living.”

–Psalm 27:13

I read a cute little story recently. On Boss’s Day, the workers of a company got together and bought a beautiful, small, engraved plaque telling their boss they appreciated his leadership. At the bottom of the plague was to be engraved a Scripture reference, 1 Thessalonians 1:3: “We remember before our God your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Unfortunately, the engraver got confused, reversed the numbers, and posted 1 Thessalonians 3:1: “So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves…”. Oops!

In recent weeks we have been learning about faith, expounding upon the question “when Jesus comes, WILL HE FIND FAITH on the earth?”. Today’s texts will show us how to understand the word “goodness” as it relates to, of all things, faith and prayer!

What does “MY GOODNESS” mean as it relates to our Great God? If you were to read the text surrounding Exodus 33:19-20, in particular verses 12-23, you will quickly notice that Moses had an amazing intimacy with the Lord! And the heart of Scripture shows that intimacy with the Lord is available to ALL of God’s children. Notice the Lord’s intimacy with Moses! He says (verses 13, 16, “I am pleased with you”. Wow! Now THAT’S intimate!

And that is not all – God also says, “I know you by name! Double wow – Wow! Wow!

He uses that phrase throughout the Scriptures, implying that He uses that of His children. He told Jeremiah (1:5), “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you;I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” In Jesus’ interaction with Nathaniel (John 1:43ff), John records: “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” And don’t forget Nathaniel’s response to that word of Jesus’ intimacy: “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”. Nathaniel worshipped the Lord Jesus Who was right in front of him! So first of all, the Lord loves to be intimate with His people.

So then what IS “goodness”, and why is God’s goodness so special? In the Hebrew, “goodness” means “beauty; glory; what is best.” In the Greek, when said of God, it means “kindness of heart or act; grace; tenderness; compassion”. And when said of man, it means “what is upright; righteous”; that is, the evidence of God living in and through His children.

Now I have an HUGE question for each of us: HOW MANY OF YOU SAY, “OH MY GOODNESS”? Does it always refer to God, or to what you have because you are related to God by faith? Then might your saying “OH MY GOODNESS!” be taking away from what only God deserves – an acknowledgement of Who He is, and who we are by faith?

Moses saw God’s goodness, and from then on, God’s goodness was on display in and through Moses. IS IT ON DISPLAY THROUGH US?

How about “God’s goodness” and prayer? Look again at the above verse, Psalm 27:13. The word “goodness” appears at least 19 times in the Bible: 12 in the Old Testament and 7 in the New Testament. The greatest usage in any one book of the Bible is in the Psalms – 8 times – and all on PRAYER!

In Psalm 27, a classic psalm of prayer, David, too, has a request of God (verse 4): that David would dwell in God’s house, to gaze upon His beauty, and to seek Him. Period. That’s it! What would YOU request? Blessings? Salary? Safety? Provision? Money? David shows what the basic needs of true fellowship are. Are we content with that? BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!!!

Hear David’s voice of request – for what? – GOD’S PRESENCE(verses 8-9), the same promise we find in Hebrews 13:5 and in Matthew 28:18-20.

What was David’s CONFIDENCE? Look at verse 13 again. He would see God’s GOODNESS in the land of the living! Read over the above definitions, and put them in this verse. David hungered for many things, perhaps, but the most important “thing” in his life was to see God’s “beauty”, His “glory”, to see God’s “best” on display in and through David and his life! Wow! How about you? For what would YOU hunger?

Moses offered a request. David offered a confidence! When a need goes from a request to a confidence, we then have boldness with God in prayer!

The fruit of David’s prayer was to see God on display in his life on a daily basis, and among those with whom he rubbed shoulders that day. I need to ask myself each morning: “What is MY plan for this day?” “What is GOD’S plan for this day?” And then ask, “are they the same or different?”

Finally, there is the topic of “MY GOODNESS” and the church! Listen to 1 Peter 2:2-3, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us by glory and virtue”. “Virtue” is one translation of the Greek word for “goodness”.

There are many passages to choose from [see Romans 15:14 and Galatians 5:22-23 for starters!], but 2 Peter 1:5a is a classic one:

“giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue” [“goodness”].

Peter says “add to your FAITH.” Jesus asked “WILL I FIND FAITH?”. Peter says that God has given us everything we need, especially His promises (see again 2 Peter 1:4). So ADD what? Add to your faith GOODNESS! Look again above at the definitions for “goodness”. What does Peter say we are if we DON’T add to our faith? Look at verse 9:

“he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”

He is SHORTSIGHTED! He is BLIND! And perhaps worse of all, he has FORGOTTEN THAT HE WAS CLEANSED from his old sins!

In other words, that one is forgetful of the work of the cross! Oh may that not be said of us!

Let’s wrap this up…

God alone has goodness – beauty, glory, what is best.

God’s goodness is on display through His children, and is an encouragement to prayer, as with David.

God says, ADD to our faith…GOODNESS – an indication of our walk with God.

But note 2 Peter 1:10a:

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure…”

Make sure you belong to God through His cross!

THAT is how Jesus will find faith on earth when He comes!

“But as for me, when they were sick,My clothing was sackcloth;I humbled myself with FASTING; And my PRAYER would return to my own heart.”

Psalm 35:13

Today’s “Special” is kind of cute, IF you ask me! A boy with a chimpanzee on his shoulder was walking down the road when he passed a policeman who said, “Now now, young lad! I think you had better take that chimp to the zoo.” The next day, the boy was walking down the road with the chimp on his shoulder again, when he passed the same policeman. The policeman said, “Hey there, I thought I told you to take that chimp to the zoo!” The boy answered, “I did! And today I’m taking him to the movies!” Too cute not to share!

Today, we continue with our theme of faith. Last week we looked at Luke 18:8b, “…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”. Today’s texts will show us how to understand what true “prayer and fasting” is. Does this describe the church you attend? Does this describe YOUR faith?

Where is the origin of this phrase? Look up Psalm 35:10-18, noting especially verse 13 (quoted above). David had the identity of our Savior in many things, as should we. He identified with the poor, as should we. But his holy life was a snare to people he calls “ruthless” (verse 11). See verse 12, “they repay me evil for good, and leave my soul forlorn.” You know those kinds of people. Remember Matthew 27:17, “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.” He Who loved them with an everlasting love was now the Object of their deadly plot. In the garden, King Jesus prayed, “not My will but Thine be done.” In turn, what did His Old Testament forerunner, King David, do? Note verse 13: “he humbled himself with FASTING and PRAYERS! He set aside QUALITY TIME for their souls before the Lord. He deprived himself of food as well as regular enjoyments, that he might commit them before the Lord. This is a tough, but good, example!

How about the prophet DANIEL? In Chapter 9, when he understood by way of his fellow prophet, Jeremiah, that the years of captivity in Babylon would be (Wow!) seventy years long, what did Daniel do? He…PRAYED! Look at verse 3: “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” [my emphasis]. Listen also to verse 13: “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.” Daniel, himself a prophet, a servant of the King of kings, did what on a regular basis? He read the Scriptures! And when he read the Scriptures and understood future things (as can we!), how did he confess? Look at these truths from verses 4-6: before the “great and awesome God” [by the way, are YOU learning to use “awesome” as ONLY referring to God?], he confessed the sins and shortcomings of the people – with which he identified! Is this how WE pray as a church? Or are our prayers still “now I lay me down to sleep”?

Look at Acts 14:23: “ So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” [my emphasis!]. This is New Testament usage! Paul & Barnabas, missionaries of the church, made decisions for church leadership. How did they do that? Did they see who gave them the most money? Did they see who were the nicest? Did they even see who were the most faithful? NO! They prayed and fasted! FIRST! They set aside a season before the Lord to seek His face.

Perhaps your church is like this: You are about to have your annual meeting, where the new officers of the church will be elected. The nominating committee has been chosen, and the members of the committee are looking over the list of church members to see who is qualified for each office. But what should they do FIRST??? Yes, by now you know. They PRAYED! And before that meeting, whenever the thought of that meeting came to their minds, they PRAYED! In fact, most of them took the time to set aside a day in each week to neglect their personal needs and wants and think ONLY about that upcoming nomination committee meeting! And AT THE SAME TIME, many members of the church were…PRAYING! And at least once a week, a day was set aside during the week to…PRAY! Prayer was raised up for those members of the committee, and for the decisions they were called by God to make. Do you think God blessed that nomination committee meeting with His presence, help, and leading? He sure did!

OK! OK! You ask, “I think I’ve got PRAYER down pretty good. But what about FASTING? I know how “PRAYER AND FASTING” is used in these 3 main passages in the Old and New Testaments. How DO I fast? Do I simply stop eating? My doctor wouldn’t be too happy with that!”. Would yours be happy? Some of you are from a church background which celebrates “Lent”. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “Lent” this way: “a period of 40 days before Easter during which many Christians do not eat certain foods or do certain pleasurable activities as a way of remembering the suffering of Jesus Christ.” Is that it?

Well, once again, what does the Bible say that true fasting is before God? There are many passages on fasting, but let’s finish by looking at Isaiah 58:6:

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,


To undo the heavy burdens,


To let the oppressed go free,


And that you break every yoke?”

The fast that honors God is the one that puts “wings to prayer”! It is one which is NOT religious but real! It is one that loves the helpless and the unlovely. It is one that doesn’t see ourselves as having “arrived and have it all together”, but rather are daily seeking the Lord as a community in prayer.

THAT’S a major way we should be FASTING AND PRAYING!

A number of years ago, a church was preparing to build a multi-purpose youth center/gym, and they were going to a local bank to borrow the money to pay their new contractor. The leaders of the church said, “let us as a church set aside this coming Wednesday as a day of PRAYER AND FASTING. Whenever you get an hunger for food, PRAY!” And many of the church family did. Later in the day, one of the elders stopped one of his church family on the street and said,

“Have you been FASTING AND PRAYING?”

“Yes, all day long”.

“Good! God has answered in a mighty way! The bank was all set to give us the money. But when I mentioned the contractor’s name, the bank leaders said, ‘Sorry. We cannot lend you the money if he is your contractor. He has a poor reputation with this bank.’”

God intervened, and that church went a new direction that God orchestrated.

Remember our theme: “…However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8b). In particular, will He find individuals who are setting Jesus aside as the only One worthy of our lives? AND will He find that the habit of your church will be a church which is both regular and consistent in PRAYER AND FASTING?

Do we now? Isn’t Jesus – the One Who gave Himself for our sins – worthy of that kind of church which is known to be the church that PRAYS AND FASTS?

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10

The idea of community comes from the sense of responsibility we have for each other. In the Bible, God encourages us to take care of our brothers and sisters – whether or friends or enemies! We must remember the importance of maintaining the connection with each other and focusing on building a community of love in word and actions. Find inspiration from the list of Bible verses below about this theme.

To put it in a popular slang, your community is who you hang out with and who you hang out with determines your character. I once had a law partner who hung out in a different bar every night. That’s where he drummed up his clientele. He brought some strange clients into the office, and not surprisingly, as they were his community, he became like them.

Your community defines you and you define them. You will often not know how your life affects the life of those who come in contact with your community. I recently went to a luncheon and as I sat down, I introduced myself to the elderly man sitting across the table. He said his name was Henry.

To my surprise, he said: I know who you are and have thought about you over the years.” He went on to say that he was a few days younger than ninety years old. When he was in his forties, he came to me asking for a favor. I have no recollection of the event, but he said that I listened to his request and then asked him what he had done for himself.

He said he went away pondering my advice, took it to heart and started a new business that went statewide. When he retired, the business sold for a very high amount. He gave me credit for it. Had I not bumped into him at that luncheon, I would never have known he was a product of my community.

Friends can drag you down or empower you. Your community either pulls us to or away from Jesus. With whom do you “hang out” and who is your community? You may not know whose life will affect you and how you will affect them. The Bible calls us to plant an acorn that will grow into a large tree, under whose limbs we will probably never sit.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

WORK:

According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 10 million job openings in the United States. CNBC reported that “there are about 1 million more job openings than people looking for work.”

A sign of our times is “HELP WANTED” signs everywhere. But too many would rather sit home on their….. uh, sofa instead of working.

The Bible has a good bit to say about work.

Here’s what we learn about work.

• * Work is a gift from God.
• * Work honors the Lord.
• * Work like God is your boss.
• * Work allows us to earn a living and meet our material needs.
• * Work provides the opportunity to help the needy.
• * Work is the pathway to profit and financial success
• * Work, when shunned, is a shame. Those unwilling to work (who are able to work) don’t deserve to eat.

In his Daybook, Enthusiastic Ideas, Gary Henry observes that work is “more than mere labor–it is labor that adds value to the world…When we’re working, we’re adding ‘something to the common wealth,’ as Emerson put it.” “You were put on earth to make a contribution,” Rick Warren reminds us in The Purpose Driven Life.

“You weren’t created just to consume resources–to eat, breathe and take up space,” Warren adds. “God designed you to make a difference with your life…You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back.”

Work, whether in a high-paying career, a minimum wage job, a volunteer capacity, or in our homes, allows us to serve others. To give back. To make a worthwhile difference.

Sam Ewing was right when he wrote, “Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” –Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

— o —

Plaque on a preacher’s desk:

“I’m just a NOBODY telling

EVERYBODY

about SOMEBODY

who can save ANYBODY!”

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

You can’t be saved by being good, religious or sincere. Dan Shock

The quickest way to redirect your mind to Him is to whisper His name………. Jesus. Sarah Young

Your limited experience must give way to His unlimited power. Aaron Burke

I am convinced that the dividing of our lives into “religion” and the “real world” is one of Satan’s most insidious and effective strategies for strangling the power and witness of the church in these perilous days for the church. Jim Denison

Obedience is God’s antidote to rebellion. Reno Zunz

No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the Congress is in session. Mark Twain

A time is now here that we will see men’s faith fail. Perilous times. Stay the course, Saint! The Father in heaven is in complete control, not politicians. Things are not falling apart rather they are falling into place. Dan Shock

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31: 8

Jesus doesn’t condemn you—He’s interceding for you. Dan Shock

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. MARTIN LUTHER

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy. LEO BUSCAGLIA

INTRODUCTION. Today’s Special: “The Smith’s 2 Sons”

Mr. and Mrs. Smith had two sons. One was named Mind Your Own Business & the other was named Trouble. One day the two boys decided to play hide and seek. Trouble hid while Mind Your Own Business counted to one hundred. Mind Your Own Business began looking for his brother behind garbage cans and bushes. Then he started looking in and under cars until a police man approached him and asked, “What are you doing?” “Playing a game,” the boy replied. “What is your name?” the officer questioned. “Mind Your Own Business.” Furious the policeman inquired, “Are you looking for trouble?!” The boy replied, “Why, yes I am!”

Today, we continue with our theme of faith. Last week we looked at Luke 18:8b, “…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”. Our text in Genesis 28 will zero in on the phrase, “then the Lord shall be my God,” taken from Genesis 28:21b. What could possibly bring Jacob to a point in his life where he makes such a declaration? What could possibly bring YOU to such a point in your life? Let’s examine Jacob’s path to genuine Biblical faith.

First, Jacob was born into the “family blessing”, originally given to Abraham by the Lord, and then passed down by Isaac to his son, Jacob, as seen in Genesis 28:27-29, which blessing includes:

* The dew of heaven

* The fatness of the earth

* Plenty of grain and wine

* Peoples will serve him

* Nations will bow down to him

* He will be master over his brethren

* Those who curse him will be cursed,

and those who bless him will be blessed!

Sounds pretty good! The Lord had passed down to Jacob, through his father Isaac, the Abrahamic covenant – the “family blessing”! “Wow” is not quite sufficient, is it? All of eternity would revolve around Jacob and his descendants.

Except.

Like our “Today’s Special” above, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham ALSO had two children, Jacob and Esau. Jacob’s brother Esau was highly jealous. He worded so softly that he thought nobody could hear, [So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing] “…the days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” (27:41).

Esau didn’t think anyone heard, but their mother Rebekah providentially heard! Ah! Now we are getting a taste of God’s hand upon a life that He hungers will be a life of faith in Him. Through Rebekah’s influence, Isaac sent Jacob to go the house of Laban, Rebekah’s brother. This seems like an ORDINARY step in Jacob’s life, doesn’t it? Yet THAT’S THE KEY TO THE WALK OF FAITH! Does not our Heavenly Father use those “simple steps” to bring about…TRUST IN HIM?!!! Little could any human involved in this scenario have known that this “simple step” would take up the next twenty years of Jacob’s life!

And then what does Isaac do? He gives Jacob “The Blessing”! Here are the first parts of it:

““May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you,
 that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of

Abraham…”. (Genesis 28:3-4a)

God is about to lead His child, Jacob. God loves to lead! Makes you want to SING, doesn’t it? Listen to the wonderful words of Jason Saetveit and Richard Hall:

Now here comes the fun part! The Eternal God enters into the ordinary in order to accomplish His eternal purposes in Jacob’s life! Jacob travels (ORDINARY!). He travels by the sun – when the sun goes down, he stops (v. 11) (ORDINARY!). He needs a pillow (ORDINARY!) and uses a stone for a pillow. And he has a dream (ORDINARY!). He sees a ladder (ORDINARY!), then the fun part starts!

The ladder “reaches to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Verse 12b). Not so ordinary! Yet it SHOULD BE in every believer’s life. Jacob is watching true communion with the Lord right before his very eyes! The angels knew that in order to serve God well, they have to be in regular contact with Him. Thus “Jacob’s Ladder” is a ladder of prayer! Is your ladder a ladder of prayer in your life? Do you maintain a constant communion, a rich fellowship with the living and true God?

Then God Himself speaks, and Jacob hears what the journey of his life will now entail:

“And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants…” (verse 13). He continues to confer upon Jacob all the fruit of the Abrahamic Covenant. Note God’s personal promise to Jacob:

“I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Verse 15b). This same promise is repeated throughout the Scriptures, and in Hebrews 13:5 we have the New Testament promise to God’s present day children:

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Let’s wrap this up with Jacob himself! Jacob calls this amazing place “Bethel”, from the Hebrew “house of God.” (Verse 19). From that moment on, whenever Jacob got into trouble, where did he turn? He went back to Bethel, the house of God!

Then comes the BIG “IF”:

“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If…

* IF God will be with me

* IF God will keep me in this way

* IF God provides my bread to eat and my clothing to put on

* IF I get to get back to my father’s homeland in peace

Note that all that Jacob required from the Lord centered around the basics: food and clothing. Did not our Savior encourage such a contentment as well? See Matthew 6:33-34:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Then comes the BIG “THEN”:

*The Lord will be my God,

* This stone becomes a pillar of worship

* I will give God 10% of all I have!

When God in His graciousness seeks to honor His Word through His children, what should result? The Lord becomes the living and true God in our lives! And then His children should become children of generosity! Jacob understood that.

And so should we! Don’t forget our verse from last week:

“…However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

(Luke 18:8b)

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corr. 2:9

Seeing inside the body is nothing new, but it has changed. Until the late twentieth century, doctors had to open people up with exploratory surgery to find out what was wrong with them and know how to treat it, but then came modern technology that replaced most exploratory surgery.

Whether it’s using computed tomography (CT) to find torn knee cartilage, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose a brain tumor or 2-D echocardiography to detect an abnormal heart valve, these technologies have made exploratory surgery a rare event. The latest generation of cardiac imaging procedures builds on each of these technologies.

I took my truck into the dealership for service, got a cup of coffee and waited in the showroom. Bad mistake. A salesman walked over to ask if he could help me. I asked him about a new model I saw on the showroom floor and, well, the rest is history. I drove home in a different truck than I arrived with, something that had never crossed my mind for that day.

Life is like that. We have to explore to find things. We don’t know what we don’t know. There are things all around us, but if we don’t explore, then we will not find them.

Let’s take the Bible for example. On the average, 85 percent of U.S. households own a Bible and the average number of Bibles per household is 4.3. 36 percent of Americans read the Bible less than once a year or never while 33 percent read the Bible once a week or more.

The answers to life’s greatest challenges are right at our fingertips, if only we will open the cover and read. The Bible points us to the truth when we are in error. The Word trains by showing us how to obey. God’s Word is fully sufficient to prepare us for everything the Bible commands us to do. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to transform us into Christ-likeness.

What is the main goal of the Bible? The Bible’s purpose is twofold. The first is to show us all have broken God’s Law. James 2:10 declares, “For whoever keeps the whole law, but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” God’s Law reveals how all people have sinned against God and are deserving of the fullness of His judgment.

Have you thought about exploring the Bible?

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

What is an idol?

Idol means “an object of extreme devotion” or “a representation or symbol of an object of worship.” It can also be used in the sense of “a false conception” or something that is a fallacy. Its synonyms include hero, star, obsession, or symbol.

The Bible has a lot to say about idols. The word is used 223 times in the New International Translation. The most famous use comes in the second commandment God gave to Israel as he formed them into his covenant people: “Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them” (Exodus 20:4–5 CSB).

We likely think we don’t have problems with idols the way people in the Old Testament did. Surely as modern, educated people, we are too sophisticated for that! We don’t carve things out of wood or metal and then entrust our earthly and eternal lives to them!

Or do we?

First, like the ancient Israelites and other peoples of long ago, we continue to make idols out of the things that impress us.

Second, we make idols of the things that scare us.

Third, we sometimes make idols out of the essential things we need.

Be careful what “idols” creep into and attach to your life.

— o —

WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?

I think all of society (ourselves included) would benefit if we started defining success differently:

Rather than defining success by the brand of clothing we can afford, may we find it in the number of people we have helped to clothe.

Rather than defining success by the amount of money in our bank account, may we find it in how much we used to help others.

Rather than defining success by the size of our house, may we find it in the amount of love that was shown there.

Rather than defining success by our level of education, may we find it in the degree of our integrity.

Rather than defining success by the number of ‘likes’ on our Instagram post, may we find it in how edifying and encouraging that post was to others.

Rather than defining success by the type of car that we drive, may we find it in those we have picked up in life and set down on a better road.

Rather than defining success by how loud our voice is, may we find it in how often we spoke up for those without one.

Rather than defining success in the quality and quantity of our personal possessions, may we find it in the level of selflessness we have shown to others.

Rather than defining success in the number of people who love us, may we find it in the number of people we have loved. The Minimalist

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Storms serve a purpose—they serve God’s purpose. Dan Shock

Jesus celebrates with us the joy of being close again as we walk together down the path of Life. Sarah Young

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”

WILLA CATHER

Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? L. M. MONTGOMERY

Prayer puts the super in the natural. Jim Wilson

God does the impossible with the illogical. Aaron Burke

No sin is unforgivable. No sickness is unhealable. No past is unredeemable. Aaron Burke

Edgar Watson Howe once joked, “No man would listen to you talk if he didn’t know it was his turn next.”

Clint Bruce, a former US Navy SEAL and NFL player who, when asked to identify his favorite football game, chose the Army-Navy contest. Clint explained: “It’s the only game in America where every player on the field is willing to die for every person in the stands.”

We need to find help outside of ourselves and look to Jesus Christ. Dan Shock

“This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes, and we reach for the stars.” (The West Wing)

“…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

— Luke 18:8b

I recently read a cute little story. Mind you, in our area of central NY, we are anticipating the soon arrival of winter. So for us in this area, this story is a “pick-me-up” for the days to come. Jill waited patiently while her husband played a round of golf on their 18th anniversary. Afterwards, Jill and he went out to dinner at a lovely restaurant. They discussed many happy memories they had shared during their years of marriage. Then Jill asked, “Want to go for another 18?”. “No,” he replied. “I think it is too dark now.”

Today’s verse is in the form of a question asked by our Savior: “…when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”. This is a pretty challenging question! How did Jesus get to ask that question? And if He were to ask YOU today, how would you respond – would He find faith in the full scope of how you’ve lived YOUR life?

Please read the context in Luke 18. Note that this is a parable. The old professors in Bible colleges define a parable as “an earthly story with an heavenly meaning.” Let’s first look at the characters of this story. First of all, THE DISCIPLES: Jesus has lessons for them – just as He does for us! He knows their needs and their hungers and their questions about things about faith and life. But He doesn’t feed them all at once with the ENTIRE counsel of God!

Now perhaps by now y’all know that my favorite soft drink is the soda “Moxie”. It is sold throughout the country in bottle form at area “Cracker Barrel” restaurants (not meant to be free advertising for them!). But it is mainly distributed in the New England states. For those who love the soda, a can of it is a treasure to enjoy. So imagine a Moxie drinker given a free can of his preferred drink. He pops the pull tab, and then…chugs the entire contents down in one sitting! NOOOOO! The soda is designed to be enjoyed, one taste, one sip at a time. Only then is it refreshing! There, end of advertising!

The same with Biblical Christianity. The Savior DOES teach each of His children! He teaches us one lesson at a time, each lesson based both upon our age and upon our maturity level in Him. Jesus did not feed His disciples all at once! Today He feeds them with their need for “unfailing, faithful prayer”. Unfailing – they should pray. Faithful – they should never give up. Do you pray? Is prayer an habit in your home? Do you pray before meals (now I’m meddling!)? Hmm…when does our church pray? Have you given up?

A missionary friend of mine named Tim told the story of his brother – his prodigal son brother. His brother had fallen away from a rich walk with the Lord. So Tim prayed for his brother. He prayed. Did I mention he prayed? He prayed for over 30 YEARS for his brother. Tim’s prayer was over a long period of time! But he didn’t give up! And God didn’t either. And neither should we. By the way, his brother came back to a faithful walk with Jesus, thanks in part to Tim’s faithful praying.

Note also in our story is THE JUDGE. In Psalm 82, we learn that a judge is actually, in God’s sight, a “little god”. That is, he represents the Lord in all he judges! But our judge in Luke 18 is labelled by Jesus as “UNJUST”. That means he served only for the money, the position, and the recognition of men! He failed in Luke 18:8brepresenting God’s heart before people. He was unjust.

And then there is THE WIDOW. We aren’t told how old she is. We aren’t told how long she has been a widow. We DO know that the Bible says much about how widows should be treated. Have you read 1 Timothy 5 lately? A godly widow prays! A godly widow is treated with honor! The widow in our story had an issue and she approaches our church friend with the issue. The details are not important, but her heart is. She was hurt, and she knew that IF he were a righteous judge, she would be cared for.

So here’s THE PLOT.

* The widow has a need!

* The widow seeks the judge to meet the need. Why, she seeks OFTEN!

* The judge doesn’t immediately meet the need.

* The judge realizes she is steadfast, and because she is, he decides that, despite his example (and apparently a proud to him example) of being unjust, he will take care of her!

LET’S WRAP THIS UP! Remember that Jesus is teaching a lesson (verse 1) that they should always pray and not give up. There are some key lessons for us here – perhaps y’all caught them as the story progressed:

FIRST, every one of us has a testimony! Either we have one that honors God, or one which dishonors God. The judge? UNJUST. The widow? FAITHFUL. Those who are faithful are having their hunger for God met by daily walking with Jesus. Are you? TODAY is a GREAT day to start!

SECOND, Jesus is trying to teach a lesson to those who ARE walking with Him: THAT WE OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY, and don’t give up before God! This should be the nature of the individual AND of the church. How about YOU? How about YOUR CHURCH?

THIRD, THE QUESTION! “When Jesus comes, will He find faith on the earth?”. That question has haunted me recently. Why? Because Jesus knew 20000 year ago what society was like then under Roman rule. And He knew 2000 years ago what society would be like in 2021! The answer to that prayer begins with…ME! It begins with each of us as individuals. It begins with His church. Us – and all those churches which are true to the faith. How do we put this to practice?

PRAY! That we do all things as a church as led by the Holy Spirit, trusting Him (FAITH!) that all things will be done by us for His glory, led by Him, trusting Him.

AND PRAY! That each of us this year has our heart’s hunger met in the Lord Jesus (FAITH!). To know Him as both Savior and Lord of our lives. To walk with Him – today is as good a day to start! – in His Word and in prayer (FAITH!).

AND I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU! You won’t need a can of Moxie to accomplish that!

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. Exodus 14:21

It’s a small and short book but packed with wisdom. Someone gave it to me a long time ago and I just pulled it off the shelf again recently. It is titled The Red Sea Rules. So many are now hurting with and suffering from so much and it speaks to us today just as it spoke about Moses in the book of Exodus.

Just as Moses and the Israelites found themselves caught between “the devil and the deep Red Sea,” so are we sometimes overwhelmed by life’s problems. But God delivered the Israelites, and He will deliver us, too.

On the wall in our family room is a large painting showing how God parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites. I see it every day and it gives me comfort.

The Red Sea Rules reveal that even in the midst of seemingly impossible situations, God’s promises to make a way for us. His loving guidance will protect us through danger, illness, marital strife, financial problems–whatever challenges Satan places in our path. Whatever we are walking through, He is walking with us.

Using the Israelites’ story as an example, the author offers ten sound strategies for moving from fear to faith. The ten rules are:

▪ Realize that God means for you to be where you are.

▪ Be more concerned for God’s glory than for your relief.

▪ Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.

▪ Pray.

▪ Stay calm and confident and give God time to work.

▪ When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.

▪ Envision God’s enveloping presence.

▪ Trust God to deliver in His own unique way.

▪ View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future.

▪ Don’t forget to praise Him.

Life is hard, even and perhaps especially for Christians. It is certain that we will face difficulties, and that God will allow them, as He allowed the Israelites to become trapped between Pharaoh’s rushing armies and the uncrossable Red Sea. But just as certain is the fact that the same God who led us in will lead us out. As these Sea rules make comfortingly clear, He is in control.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

The Sayings of Jomo Cousins:

▪ We struggle because we think we are smarter than God.

▪ You can’t love God and hate people. Be careful with your judgmental eyes.

▪ Do you spend more time consulting with Google than you do consulting with God?

▪ When you are in a jam, the first call you make tells where your trust is.

▪ Your life is your testimony, and you might be the only Gospel someone will ever hear.

— o —

Abortion is the leading cause of death in the US:

Our media focuses intensely and understandably on the victims of storms, military tragedies, and alleged crimes. However, in the last six days, 14,172 babies have been aborted in the US (multiplying the rate of 2,362 per day in the US times six).

This works out to 862,130 abortions per year in the US, making abortion by far the leading cause of death in our country. (Heart disease ranks second, at 659,041, followed by cancer at 599,601.)

Here’s a related fact: the CDC reports that over 21,000 infants died in the US in 2018. This works out to fifty-seven per day, which is obviously tragic. But forty-one times more babies die from abortion each day than from all other causes combined.

If 2,362 babies were to die today from any cause other than abortion, Americans would be appropriately appalled and demand that our elected officials do something to end such a tragedy.

— o —

Steve Shepherd tells a story about a well-known Christian businessman in his local community who was visiting a church and asked to give his testimony.

“I have a fine family, a large house, a successful business, and a good reputation,” he began. “I have plenty of money so I can support some Christian ministries very generously. Many organizations want me on their board of directors. I have good health and almost unlimited opportunities.”

He then asked, “What more could I ask from God?”

As he paused for effect, a voice shouted from the back of the auditorium, “How about asking Him for a good dose of humility?”

Too often in our prosperous culture, as we enjoy a life of ease, comfort, and so many blessings from God, it may be difficult to see that we lack anything.

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Acceptance of God’s Will is the only path to true peace. Without that acceptance, there is only turmoil and struggle within. Dan Shock

Man is like a battery; he can’t operate without a positive and negative. The Bible contains many negative commands and statements, when observed and obeyed, produce a positive result in our lives. J. J. Turner

Every man needs accountability. RV Brown

God desires that our lives be a vessel to contain the Spirit of God, and that we would then channel God’s Spirit to a thirsty world around us. Dan Shock

Spiritual formation is more about changing the source of behavior than behavior modification. When the source is changed from self to Him the behavior takes care of itself. Sam Hunter

Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde

God has called us to be paramedics rather than policeman. Dan Shock

He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. Luke 16:15

Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life’s relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth.” SØREN KIERKEGAARD

Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show. The Minimalist

I’ve had the privilege of having pastored for just over 30 years, and have served the Lord in various capacities for another 20 years. In those 50 years of walking with the Lord, our Heavenly Father has blessed me with rare, unique glimpses of His operation in peoples’ lives. One of those occurred as a result of the preaching of this message.

The year was 1991, and I was in my first pastorate in a small country church in Beaver Meadow, NY. I was in my fifth year of ministry there. My congregation was mostly elderly – but little did I know we would have a major revival within 2 years. The revival was so great that an addition would need to be built, an addition which included this small church’s first WELL, first running WATER, and first BATHROOM! Pretty exciting for an 125 year old church!

The message, from James 4:13-15, was from a series of messages through this exciting book of the New Testament. Nearing the end of James’ book, it is apparent that he was now making practical applications of his earlier teaching. This is the entire text:

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

The gist of the message was simple: It is possible to be a born again Christian yet live a theology which does not include a practical application of the Word of God.

The old salts used to say, “you live like a Christian on Sunday, yet live for the devil the rest of the week.” Thus we know you say you are saved on Sunday, but you make like it looks like God doesn’t have a vital part of the rest of your week.

That reminds me of the church in which the pastor and the deacon each had two parrots. The pastor was besides himself because all his two parrots would squawk was “let’s kiss, let’s kiss!”. One day while going by his parrots’ cages, the deacon overheard them saying, “let’s pray, let’s pray!”. The deacon wisely observed, “at last, my prayers are answered!”. He had parrots which understood practical Christian living!

In verse 13 the writer was giving an illustration of two people who were talking about business. They should have read Romans 12:11: “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord…”. “Not slothful in business” means “not to lag, not to be lazy”. The apostle Paul in Romans is reminding his readers that where the Lord wisely planted each one, the Lord Himself wanted them to be used. Works for us today! Not ALL servants are very visible like pastors or missionaries. Some servants for Jesus are laborers in business!

So when we get to verse 13 of James, do you notice something missing? “Today, tomorrow, we will go…we will buy and sell…we will make a profit”. What is missing??? There is NO mention of the Lord. This business here is NOT based upon Biblical Christianity! No, no! It is practical theism – a “religiousness” without the inclusion of God in its operation! The business men might have been REALLY NICE GUYS! They might have been HONEST IN BUSINESS! And…they may have understood all the theologies of the church. But their practical Christian living was ZERO. They may have been in church on Sunday, but they had no use for the Lord in the businesses in which they earned their keep.

In verse 14, James reminds his readers that tomorrow has no guarantees. A friend posts a picture on Facebook of his being with his grandchildren. Wonderful picture! The next day the unvaccinated grandfather displays symptoms of Covid-19. And the following day? His wife finds him on the couch, no longer a resident of this world. Tomorrow has no guarantees.

In fact, James says that our lives are but a vapor. Poof! Throughout Ecclesiastes is the illustration of blowing a bubble which is here for the moment then…POOF it is gone, “vanity…grasping for the wind.” Elsewhere it is illustrated:

 For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life

which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun? Ecclesiastes 6:12

Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Proverbs 27:1

And from our Savior and the man who, without any looking to his Lord, made plans to expand his business:

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you;

then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

Luke 12:20

Then there is the story of William Henley, who lived from 1849-1903. The online tool Wikipedia has many interesting tidbits about him. He lived in England during its late Victorian period. He was one-legged, an inspiration for the character “Long John Silver” in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. His young daughter Margaret in her own right became the choice of the name “Wendy” for J. M. Barrie’s heroine in Peter Pan.

In 1875 Mr. Henley wrote his time-treasured poem, Invictus. This work has a classic line which has been the mantra either in word or in practice for many who live their lives as if God does not need to be involved. From Mr. Henley Invictus:

“I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul!”

What does the Scriptures have to say about this? In verse 15 of our text, James writes “you ought to say, “If the Lord wills…”. Elsewhere we have huge practical directions:

“…took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing…”

Acts 18:21 [my emphasis]

“…But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills…”

1 Corinthians 4:19b [my emphasis]

The old Latin salts had a common saying which, unfortunately, has been lost down through the ages. The saying was “Deo Volente”, a forgotten rule which was properly translated, “The Lord wills”, or, better, “God willing”. On paper it is wonderfully shortened to “D.V.”.

This reminds me of the story of the conversation between a girl and her pastor:

Nancy: “Pastor, I’m 30 and still not married. Will I ever find an husband?”

Pastor: “God has a plan. One man for one woman, one woman for one man.

You can’t improve on God’s plan.”

Nancy: “I don’t want to improve on it. I want to get in on it!”

As we close, we should become familiar with Psalm 37 which is loaded with truths about practical Biblical Christianity – even in the Old Testament! Listen to the wisdom of Psalm 37:4:

“Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

And how was the wisdom of this passage applied in our church? Well, the then 80 year old realized that his life was not being lived in a way in which Scripture was visible on a daily basis. So from that Sunday on, whenever a decision had to be voiced, old Jim could be heard with what became his pet saying, “If the Good Lord wills”!

How about you? Examine your “practical Christian living”. Do you live for the Lord Jesus on Sunday, but have no visible use for Him throughout the week? OR when you look at the activities of each day of your week, can the Savior be seen in all your plans?

Just remember old Jim: “If the Good Lord wills”!

Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in length of days. Job 12:12

I talked with a man today, an 80+-year-old man. I asked him if there was anything I can get him while this Coronavirus scare was gripping America. He simply smiled, looked away and said: “Let me tell you what I need! I need to believe, at some point, this country my generation fought for… I need to believe this nation we handed safely to our children and their children… I need to know this generation will quit being a bunch of sissies…that they respect what they’ve been given…that they’ve earned what others sacrificed for.”

I wasn’t sure where the conversation was going or if it was going anywhere at all. So, I sat there, quietly observing.

“You know, I was a little boy during WWII. Those were scary days. We didn’t know if we were going to be speaking English, German or Japanese at the end of the war. There was no certainty, no guarantees like Americans enjoy today. And no home went without sacrifice or loss. Every house, up and down every street, had someone in harm’s way. Maybe their Daddy was a soldier, maybe their son was a sailor, maybe it was an uncle. Sometimes it was the whole family…fathers, sons, uncles…

Having someone, you love, sent off to war…it wasn’t less frightening than it is today. It was scary. If anything, it was more frightening. We didn’t have battlefront news. We didn’t have email or cellphones. You sent them away and you hoped…you prayed. You may not hear from them for months, if ever. Sometimes a mother was getting her son’s letters the same day Dad was comforting her over their child’s death.

And we sacrificed. You couldn’t buy things. Everything was rationed. You were only allowed so much milk per month, only so much bread, toilet paper. EVERYTHING was restricted for the war effort. And what you weren’t using, what you didn’t need, things you threw away, they were saved and sorted for the war effort. My generation was the original recycling movement in America.

And we had viruses back then…serious viruses. Things like polio, measles, and such. It was nothing to walk to school and pass a house or two that was quarantined. We didn’t shut down our schools. We didn’t shut down our cities. We carried on, without masks, without hand sanitizer. And do you know what? We persevered. We overcame. We didn’t attack our President, we came together. We rallied around the flag for the war. Thick or thin, we were in it to win. And we would lose more boys in an hour of combat than we lose in entire wars today.”

He slowly looked away again. Maybe I saw a small tear in the corner of his eye. Then he continued: “Today’s kids don’t know sacrifice. They think sacrifice is not having coverage on their phone while they freely drive across the country. Today’s kids are selfish and spoiled. In my generation, we looked out for our elders. We helped out with single moms whose husbands were either at war or dead from war. Today’s kids rush the store, buying everything they can…no concern for anyone but themselves. It’s shameful the way Americans behave these days. None of them deserve the sacrifices their granddads made.

So, no I don’t need anything. I appreciate your offer but, I know I’ve been through worse things than this virus. But maybe I should be asking you, what can I do to help you? Do you have enough pop to get through this, enough steak? Will you be able to survive with 113 channels on your tv?”

I smiled, fighting back a tear of my own…now humbled by a man in his 80’s. All I could do was thank him for the history lesson, leave my number for emergency and leave with my ego firmly tucked away.

I talked to a man today. A real man. An American man from an era long gone and forgotten. We will never understand the sacrifices. We will never fully earn their sacrifices. But we should work harder to learn about them. Learn from them…to respect them. Darcy Hawk Ellis

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

“Out of the mouth of babes,” is a proverbial and biblical idiom we use to express the unique and sometimes humorous wisdom of children.

Here are a few that have made the rounds for years by an unnamed author and source.

Patrick age 10: “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”

Michael age 14: “When your dad is mad and asks you, “Do I look stupid?” don’t answer him.”

Joel, age 10: “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.”

Talya age 11: “When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.”

Armir age 9: “You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in your milk.”

Michael age14: “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”

Eileen, age 8: “Never try to baptize a cat.”

Apparently, these kids have gained these insights by experience, which is one way to obtain wisdom. Or as Harvard professor, Theodore Levitt, observed, “Experience comes from what we have done. Wisdom comes from what we have done badly.”

— o —

The man who stepped in front of the bullet:

One recent evening, twenty-one-year-old Dustin Wakefield was dining at an outdoor Miami Beach café with his wife and one-year-old son. When a gunman approached and allegedly aimed his weapon at his son, Dustin’s uncle told the Miami Herald what happened next: “Dustin stood up between the gunman and the baby and he shot him. He shot him multiple times on the ground.”

Dustin’s father and stepmother later issued this statement about him: “He loved God. Every day he lived full of faith and peace, and he shared that with others. It is in his true character that he laid to rest, protecting his family. He is that man. We take great pride and comfort in the fact that we were blessed with the man who stepped in front of the bullet to save others. He has always been, and he will continue to be our hero.”

For the rest of his life, Dustin Wakefield’s son will never have to wonder if his father loved him.

Here is what makes Jesus’ death on the cross even more stunning: his Father chose for him to die for you and me. It is as if we had committed a crime worthy of death, a gunman came to execute us, and Dustin held up his innocent son to take the bullet meant for us.

Max Lucado wrote: “God is with us. Prophets weren’t enough. Apostles wouldn’t do. Angels won’t suffice. God sent more than miracles and messages. He sent himself; he sent his Son.” As a result, Lucado noted, “Jesus has been where you are; he can relate to how you feel. And if his life on earth doesn’t convince you, his death on the cross should.”

In a culture that is more antagonistic to biblical truth and morality than ever before in our history, making America a nation worth dying for will require steadfast courage on our part. However, when we remember our Savior’s sacrifice for us, we are empowered and encouraged to emulate his sacrifice in serving those we influence. Jim Denison

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Morality, decency and civility standards in our families, children, educational institutions, workplaces, sports, media and other venues continue to slip, and we applaud when integrity and wholesomeness appear as novel newcomers rather than an expected way of life. Scott Whitaker

Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also can tear you apart. HARUKI MURAKAMI

The longer I live, the more uninformed I feel. Only the young have an explanation for everything. ISABEL ALLENDE

If You Really Believe In Jesus And You Really Belong to Jesus, You Will Behave Like Jesus. Pastor Ken Whitten

Don’t judge yourself by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson

Since we as Christians, we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; I encourage you to bow your head to give thanks before every meal…I mean every meal! Dwight Short

You may feel as if you’re losing the battle, but don’t give up! Hold tightly to Jesus’ hand, and just keep standing. This is victory. Sarah Young

We don’t always understand the reason why God permits suffering. Dan Shock

The only time to prepare for a storm is before it arrives. Jim Denison

Max Lucado writes: “When we feel lonely, knowing someone understands can make all the difference. You can be surrounded by people but still feel lonely if you don’t feel known. And you can be alone but not lonely if you are known. God became flesh so we would always feel known by him.”

Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. MADELEINE L’ENGLE

Salvation is through grace – through Jesus alone.

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25

Life is sacred from conception to natural death. Jim Denison

(Song of Solomon Chapters 4:16-6:3

Last week we finished our most recent series of lessons – in that case, the Sermon on the Mount. Our esteemed editor has encouraged me that for a season I should write for his wise readers some individual lessons. This should be fun! Thanks for praying for God’s blessings on this new venture.

The following is one of the first messages I ever gave in a church! When I was in Bible School, one of my professors – who at the time was also President of the college – was a dynamic educator named J. Allen Aardsma. Believe it or not, he was graduated with my mother-in-law from the class of 1946 from Baptist Bible College and Seminary when it was located in Johnson City, New York (which college has since changed the name to Clarks Summit University and is now located in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania).

He had found some amazing notes which had been made by his deceased brother, Walter, on, of all subjects, the obscure and mysterious Biblical book, Song of Solomon! Pastor Aardsma presented a series of lectures during chapel using his brother’s notes as his guide.

Each lecture was recorded (cassette tape recorder, mind you!). Eventually all was transcribed to become the wonderful book, “BLACK, BUT COMELY WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE”. Pastor Aardsma self-published the book, and copies are hard to find (or keep – I loaned mine out a while ago!). I encourage you to find your own copy of Pastor Aardsma’s book.

More importantly, I encourage you to find a NKJV Bible and go to your spouse. Together, READ this book TO EACH OTHER, using the wonderful gender defined divisions which the NKJV provides. Your relationship with each other will not be the same!

I first gave this sermon in a small church in South Edmonton, New York, back in the 1970’s. When I was candidating at my first church – Beaver Meadow (NY) Christian – I revised this message to give the church a taste of the wonderful beauty of God’s Word. And on my last Sunday at the church, 20 years later (!), I gave the same message using the same sermon notes, bookending an amazing ministry in a small country town in central New York.

With that introduction, here for your perusal and edification is “The Beauty of Christ”, taken from the Song of Solomon Chapters 4:16-6:3.

Allow me to introduce you to this oft forgotten book. The characters are few but lively. There are three of most importance: the “Beloved”, the “Shulamite”, and the “daughters of Jerusalem.” The “Beloved” is believed to be King Solomon himself who has revealed himself to a commoner (the “Shulamite”) NOT as a king but as a shepherd man. Per the insights of the Aardsma’s, isn’t that how the Lord Jesus reveals Himself to us? We may first be attracted to Him as a Man Who knows all about us. He is a Shepherd. But before long we know – we KNOW! – He is also the King of kings and Lord of lords. The “Shulamite” is a young girl who represents the seeker who finds that her “Beloved” is worthy of her daily as well as her eternal trust. And the “daughters of Jerusalem”? They are the Shulamite’s encouragers, the ones who make a most unusual inquiry!

There is a question that everyone who names the name of Christ as one’s personal Savior should ask himself/herself frequently: Is Jesus as precious to me now as in my first steps with Christ? I began my “first steps with Christ” in my bedroom in my parents’ Ft. Lauderdale (Florida) house on July 26, 1971. From that moment on, as a “new creature in Christ” my life was a whirlwind under His control! Within one year I had transferred from a good liberal arts college in upstate New York to a Bible College in lower Ontario, Canada. The first day of school I met a sophomore who within a year would be my bride (that was almost 49 years ago!). Within 5 years I was serving the Lord at my wife’s local church as a teacher for the “Love Class” – the 18 students were all mentally handicapped to some degree. The class enabled the “students’” caretakers to attend Sunday School and Church! And within 15 years of my profession of faith in Jesus, I was pastoring my first of 2 churches. God is so good. But throughout these 50 plus years in the faith, I must regularly ask myself, “Is Jesus as precious to me now as in my first steps with Christ?” These verses in the Song of Songs will help us all answer that very personal question.

Note that 4:16 begins with “Awake!”. The English Baptist pastor and Puritan theologian John Gill (1697-1771) used this word to describe how the Church view of Christ can be clouded, to the point of needing to be aroused from sleep (just as our main character the Shulamite will soon discover!). Pastor Owen gives these insights as to the causes of the “clouding”, “putting to sleep” of the Church:

* The non-exercise of faith, hope, love – resulting in the Church being luke-warm and out of shape!

* The lack of fervency in devotion and in prayer

* Worship becomes formal, not from the heart. For example, the individuals of the church may neglect the simple adorations of saying a prayer of “Grace” before meals. This may be an indication of the cloudiness of one’s devotion to the Savior.

* Carelessness of concern for the cause of Christ: family devotions as well as personal devotions are no longer a priority

* This cloudiness shows up in falling into world-like-ness without being affected, without having the conscience troubled.

* Finally, Dr. Owen notes that there is a willingness to so remain in sleep, casting aside attempts to be wakened.

There is a flow in the actions of the opening verses of Chapter 5. The Beloved lets the Shulamite (who he affectionately calls “my sister, my spouse”, 5:1) know that he is in his most favorite place of spiritual repose, the Garden. Our trained minds immediately go to that early New Testament place of spiritual repose for the Savior and His first disciples: the Garden of Gethsemane. It was such a wonderful spot that just over 3 years later Judas would know where to look for the Savior in order to betray Him before the Pharisees and their cohorts. Note John 18:2:

“And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples.”

HOWEVER, while sleeping (or slumbering, in a light sleep, v. 2), she hears her beloved’s voice – his request for her to open the door. In her confusion (v.4-5), by the time she gets to the door he is gone (v. 6). Wearing only her night clothes (apparently!), she goes out looking for her beloved (v. 7), for which the watchmen of the village discipline her impropriety (v. 7). She asks the “daughters of Jerusalem” (v. 8), to look out for her beloved.

In verse 9, these “daughters of Jerusalem” ask the pivotal question of the entire passage: “WHAT is your beloved MORE than another beloved…that you should so charge us” to look everywhere for him?

THAT’S the question that we all should be able to answer! Remember 1 Peter 3:15:

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…”. [my emphasis]

Beginning with verse 10, the Shulamite gives HER defense. She gives his (His?) qualifications:

* HIS GLORIOUSNESS SETS HIM APART (verse 10):

He is “white and ruddy”, the “chief among ten thousand”. This makes him a champion, an excellency, a standard bearer for everyone to see. I am encouraged to read Hebrews 1:1-3, especially verses 2-3:

[God] “has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;  who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

Look also at 2 Corinthians 5:21:

“For He [the Father] made Him [Jesus the Son] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

His gloriousness sets Him apart!

* HIS APPEARANCE SETS HIM APART (verses 11, 13, 16)

“His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, and black as a raven.” (verse 11)

This is an appearance of youth, in contrast with the white-haired eternal One of Revelation. He is totally fit, “able to save to the uttermost” (Hebrews 7:25). The tongue (verses 13 and 16) shows His power, love and humility. In Psalm 29, His voice THUNDERS upon the waters. He spoke as One having authority (Matthew 7:29). Yet in contrast, his love and compassion were on display in His concern for the blind and for children, And His humility? Except when His deity was in question, His mouth was silent before His accusers prior to the cross. “…as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6).

* HIS SECURITY SETS HIM APART (verses 12, 14)

“His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.” (verse 12).

“His hands are rods of gold set with beryl.” (verse 14a)

His eyes show an omniscience. Remember when David was advising his son Solomon on how to be king (1 Kings 2:1-4; 1 Chronicles 22:11-13)? He told him to be sure to listen and obey the ALL-KNOWING God. And His hands show a security, as evidenced with the truth of John 10:27ff. The believer is secure in Jesus’ hands. The Son is secure in His Father’s hands. And Jesus and His Father are one!

* HIS FOUNDATION SETS HIM APART (verse 15)

“His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of fine gold.”

For man, there can be no other foundation in this world but the one which we can have in Jesus Christ alone (1 Corinthians 2:11). And for God, all things – ALL THINGS! – are always to be to His glory, “…to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36c).

After finishing her description of her beloved, the Shulamite gives a wonderful summation: “He is altogether lovely” (verse 16). The Shulamite has expressed her adoration for her beloved. In essence, she is saying “I cannot be content in life without him!”.

Now when she has focused her all upon Him, several amazing thing happen (6:1-3). First, the “daughters of Jerusalem” get really excited too! They want to meet this special One Whom she calls her “Beloved”. They want to seek Him, too! Shouldn’t those who meet the Christian today hunger to know where OUR heart lies, where OUR confidence lies, where OUR hope lies, where OUR love lies? Her testimony is restored to its former self before her mind got foggy at the start of our story

And then? Having focused her mind on her Beloved, and excited that her friends recognize as well His uniqueness, why the Shulamite’s mind is suddenly wonderfully clear (v.2)!!! “Why, it all comes back to me now! My Beloved has gone to His garden!”

AND THEN? “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies.” (verse 3).

Her love for Him is no longer luke-warm but rather is cherished! She is hungry to be with Him, to fellowship, to sojourn with Him in the garden!

We need to ask ourselves daily:

Is Jesus precious now?

IF NOT…think on His Beauty!

As the old time song goes…

“He was there all the time, waiting patiently in line.”