Bible

Pharaoh’s Failure

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Exodus 5:2
“And Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.’”

IMG_1387All of Pharaoh’s foolish decisions can be traced back to this statement. The fact is, he did not know the power of God, which caused him to view the miracles as parlor tricks, and have his magicians do the same. It was a failure to understand the provision of God. He couldn’t see how releasing his work force would ever be good for the prosperity of his nation. Most of all, it was his failure to comprehend the plans of God, which caused him to harden his heart and resist Moses. Week after week, month after month, Moses preached to Pharaoh. He explained the plans of God, and yet Pharaoh resisted. He failed to realize these oppressed slaves were part of the plan of God, to save the human race. What he saw, was an immigrant work force to further his kingdom. God saw the nation from whom the Messiah would come, and the world would be saved. Pharaoh’s hardened heart and resistance to Moses’ message did not thwart the plans of God, but it did cost Pharaoh dearly. It cost him in this life. He suffered, his family suffered, and his nation suffered, all because he refused to submit to the plans and purposes of God. What a different story we would read, had Pharaoh only accepted the Word of God.

The same remains true today. God’s purpose is still to save humanity. Week after week, month after month, His message is being declared, and many are responding by placing trust in Christ. Sadly, however, many follow the foolish example of Pharaoh. They harden their hearts and resist the Word of God. Instead of resisting God and suffering loss, both now and in eternity, will you respond to His call, and surrender to Christ? His love for you is great and His plans are perfect.

Pastor Jim

 

Flavor Enhancers

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Exodus 6:9
“So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.”

IMG_1388Over the centuries, one of the most lucrative businesses was the spice trade. There were times when certain spices were worth their weight in gold. Names like Magellan, Columbus and Sir Francis Drake, are just of few of the names associated with those who would journey the world, in search of new found flavors. At one time, salt was so valuable the phrase “he’s not worth his weight in salt”, was a common way to express the value of an individual. The word “salary” is actually derived from the Latin word for salt.

As valuable as spices may have become, they were always intended to be flavor enhancers, and never to be the main course. Emotions are much like that. God designed us with the ability to experience great emotion, but these feelings were designed to enhance life, not to rule life. The children of Israel found themselves doubting the promises of God, and refusing to walk in the ways of God, because of the anguish they were experiencing. The difficulties they were experiencing, and the pain they had to endure, were driving their decisions and making it difficult for them to follow God.

This is a common phenomenon. We often allow emotions to drive, when they were designed to simply flavor the way. Over the years, I have had many opportunities to travel and teach pastors, missionaries and Bible students. In almost every case, my journeys have been filled with a variety of emotions, not the least of which have been fear and trepidation. I love my family, my church, and my home, and really have little desire to ever be apart from them. When the time arrives for me to board another plane, I almost always wish I wasn’t doing it, but I move forward because emotions are never the best way to make decisions.

If we want to effectively follow and serve the Lord, we must understand that the emotions we face, no matter how severe, are emotions, and the real driving force behind our lives must be a determination to do the will of God, at all cost. Regardless of what your emotions are telling you to do, regarding your marriage, family, occupation, or fellowship, take time to look at the Word of God, and allow it to light your path and drive your decisions.

Pastor Jim

 

Dealing With Remorse

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Matthew 27:5
“Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.”

Man at the CrossWhile I do not want to tackle the subject of the eternal destiny of Judas, I do see in him an illustration of how the Christian often deals with personal failure or sin. After the initial pleasure received from sin, we are filled with remorse or guilt. That guilt can become overwhelming and lead to discouragement, depression, and even despair. Too often, we follow the example of Judas, attempting to remove our guilt.

First, like him, we attempt to undo our failure. Since this cannot be done, we spend time wishing we could go back, wishing we had that moment in time again so we could do things differently.

Second, we often attempt to deal with the remorse by going to others. Would Judas have been any better off spiritually if the chief priests had accepted the money? Of course not! While the kind and forgiving words of others are helpful, that is not how sin is removed from the life of the child of God.

Finally, like Judas, we often attempt to get the incident as far from us as possible. If I do not think about it, or I let time work its magic, I know I will feel better. This was Judas’ approach. He cast the money on the floor and departed. Perhaps he thought, if it were no longer in his possession he would not be haunted by it. While dwelling on your failure is not the way God would have you deal with sin, simply ignoring it is not His solution either. God has established a way for the child of God to deal with personal failure and sin.

John wrote,
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

God’s method of dealing with sin and remorse is confession. The first step to confession is going to God. It is at the foot of the cross where we will find the release from the haunting guilt of personal sin. While the forgiveness is immediate and we do not have to do anything to receive it (Jesus did it all for us), there are times when we must camp out at the cross. There, alone with only the presence of God and the promises of Scripture, we let Him communicate His lovingkindness to us. We must remain until we can clearly see that He has borne our grief and carried our sorrow.

Perhaps this morning, you need some time alone with Jesus, focusing upon the forgiveness He has provided at the cross. A forgiveness that is unearned, complete, and frees us from the penalty, power, and guilt of sin

“When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.”

“Before The Throne Of God Above”, Shane and Shane

Pastor Jim

 

He Heard My Cry

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Exodus 3:7
“And the Lord said, ‘ I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.’”

IMG_1385Since the incarnation, this is all the more true. He has seen oppression with the eyes of man. He watched the brutal way in which men oppressed men. He saw tax collectors steal from men, to support their sinful lifestyles, soldiers abuse their authority, instilling fear in the people, and religious leaders manipulate the people, to gain power over their lives and attain positions of prominence.

With His ears, He has heard the cries of men. He heard the cry of the widow, whose son had died, the leper who pleaded for a healing touch, and the publican, who cried out for mercy. He also heard the cries as the mob, who exalted Him as Lord one day, only to demand His death a few days later.

He also knows our sorrows . He sat with friends who lost their brother, and wept alongside them. More than knowing our sorrows as a comforter, He knows them as a victim. He learned first hand, the pain of betrayal, rejection, and hatred. His back felt the searing pain of the Roman whip, His brow the thorns, His hands and feet the nails. He knew the disgust of being spat upon, ridiculed and falsely accused. Yet he remained silent before His accusers, as he endured the cross and despised its shame.
As we face the pain, sorrow, and difficulty of life, and are tempted to raise accusations against God that he does not care or understand, remember, He not only sees with a watchful eye of heaven, but He, Himself, bore our sorrows and is acquainted with our grief.

Pastor Jim

 

Baby In The Basket

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Exodus 2:3
“But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.”

2015/01/img_1384.jpgThe book of Exodus begins with a love story. A young man and a young woman meet, fall in love, marry and have a beautiful child named Moses. What might have promised a lifetime of happiness, was suddenly interrupted by conditions beyond their control. An edict from the king, put the soldiers on high alert,  ordered to put to death all male Hebrew children. These conditions forced Moses’ parents to do the unthinkable, they placed their young child in a crude raft, and set him adrift in the Nile river. Years later, the writer of Hebrews explains that it was not fear, but faith that drove their decision.

Hebrews 11:23
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.”

Very few of us will face a trial that forces us to put our child adrift in the Nile, but all of us will have to learn to trust our children into the hands of God.

This particular passage has been a source of great comfort to those whose families have been split apart due to divorce. It is often the case, that one parent is trying desperately to raise the children in the ways of the Lord, while the other seems to be purposefully undermining them. It is in times like these, we must put our children in the proverbial basket, and trust them into the hands of God.

Faith in the promises and providence of God is a much more effective approach than being driven by the fear of what may happen. As the story of Moses unfolds, we see the hand of God accomplishing what Moses’ parents were incapable of doing on their own.

Pastor Jim

 

The Fear Of The Lord

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Matthew 26:5
“But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.’”

2015/01/img_1380.jpgMatthew 26 and 27 record the final events in the life of Jesus. The hostility toward Him has reached a climax, and His opponents are seeking to kill Him. Theirs is the most heinous of sins, the murder of the Son of God! But the text reveals that their sin was motivated by what commonly drives you and I to sin; the fear of man. The fear of man might simply be defined as being more concerned with what man thinks, than what God thinks. On the other hand, the fear of God is being more concerned with what God thinks, than what man thinks. Solomon wrote

“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe” Proverbs 29:25

The hunter sets the trap for the wild animal, disguises it as best he can, making it look like something it is not, but his real goal is to catch, kill and eat the animal. The fear of man is a lot like that. So subtly, we set aside what is well-pleasing to the Lord, in order to be pleasing to others. The opponents of Jesus did not want to lose favor with the people because of the position they had and the comforts that went along with it. It was their social status and the fear of losing it, which led them to commit this great sin. John tells us, this is one of the great dangers for all Christians. He said, “All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). The pride of life speaks of position, status, wanting to fit in, or fearing we might no longer be accepted in our peer group. We call that “peer pressure,” and warn our children of the destruction it brings. However, even adults fall prey to the pressure of the fear of man. Solomon not only warns of the fear of man, he also speaks of the antidote.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” Proverbs 8:13

Wanting to live well-pleasing to the Lord will produce in us a hate for the things that are displeasing. Had the religious leader’s foremost concern been pleasing God, they would have never committed such a horrible act, as crucifying the Son of God. The same will always be true of us. Today, if we will allow the fear of God to influence all we do, we will find, at the end of the day, we have lived lives well-pleasing to Him.

Pastor Jim

 

Help!

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Exodus 1:14
“And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage . . .”

2015/01/img_1379.jpgThe conditions of life were growing worse and worse for the people of God living in Egypt. They had once been a highly favored part of the nation, even receiving special treatment. Now they were being persecuted, and faced annihilation. Their freedoms had been taken away, and their children’s future seemed bleak. As the story unfolds, we are told one of their own will rise to a place of prominence within the nation. What hope must have stirred within the people, when they learned that the prince, the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, was actually a believer. It would seem, it was only a matter of time before the political climate would change, and the people of God would be favored again. Sadly, that was not the case. The story progresses and we find Moses, the man of God, is incapable of rescuing Israel from bondage, and must flee to the wilderness. All hope seemed lost for the people of God. Little did they know, God had a plan. He would deliver His people, but it would not be through political reform.

Exodus 2:23-25
“ . . . Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”

As conditions deteriorated, the people of God began to cry out to God. They realized their hope would not be found in politics or policy. They realized their only hope would come from heaven. They groaned and cried out, and those cries met the ears of God, and deliverance was given.

The present condition of our world has its parallel in the pages of Exodus. The Christian once held a favored status in our land. Religious freedoms were granted because the men and women who were involved in the founding of our nation realized the need for the hand of God to be upon us. Sadly, as time has moved on, that status has been lost, and the Christian is looked at as a threat. Just as deliverance for Israel was realized in crying out to God, so our hope is not in Washington, but in heaven. If we want to see the moral climate change, we must obey the call of Scripture and humble ourselves and pray (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must also realize, our greatest need is not a balanced budget or a reformed foreign policy. What the world needs is Jesus.

Pastor Jim

 

Meant For Good

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Genesis 50:20
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

2015/01/img_1378.jpgWe have all faced times in our lives when we have looked up from our circumstances and wondered, “How God could truly love me and let me go through this.” If any man had a right to allow his circumstances to call into question the loving-kindness of God, it was Joseph. I can only imagine the horror he must have experienced when his brothers suddenly turned on him and cast him into a pit. That scene must have played over and over in his mind, perhaps even while he slept. That first bitter act put Joseph’s life on a course that would seem to be leading ever downward, from kidnapped victim, to slave, to convicted rapist; forgotten in a foreign prison cell. Many men, perhaps even most men, would allow these circumstances to harden them as they plotted revenge on those who ruined their life. But Joseph proved himself to be unlike most men when, instead of looking back with vengeful hate, he looked up and saw the hand of God redeeming what had been destroyed. Long before he found himself face to face with his brothers, Joseph had gotten face to face with God, and learned that the hand of God had been guiding his life for a single purpose – the salvation of souls. In what is one of the most beautiful and searching statements in scripture Joseph declares,

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Instead of allowing bitterness or regret to control our thoughts and action, we should follow the example of Joseph, and realize that the redeeming hand of God has placed us where we are, for the purpose of saving souls. Whether we are in a jail cell or sitting atop a corporate kingdom, it is the hand of God that places us there, with the purpose that we might win others to Christ.

Pastor Jim

 

Are You Ready?

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Matthew 25:13
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

2015/01/img_1375.jpgChapter 25 seems to be about being ready. Jesus warns about a final day of reckoning, when the sheep will be separated from goats. To ensure that we are ready for what is coming, Jesus gives two parables. The first explains the need to be born again, the second the need to be busy about the Lord’s business.

In the first, five of the ten virgins were not prepared when the groom arrived. They may have been dressed, even excited, but they did not have oil in their lamps. Oil is used throughout Scripture as an illustration of the Holy Spirit. It seems, the main message is that these woman were not born again. It is also worth noting, that while saved, the other five were certainly neglecting their responsibilities. They slept while their friends remained ill prepared.

In the second story, we are introduced to three men, each of whom had been given varying sums of money to invest. The first two made investments, and were handsomely rewarded by the king. The third failed because of fear. It should be the desire of every Christian to use what we have been given to make investments in eternity.

Every promise given in Scripture will come to pass. One day, Jesus will fulfill His promise and return for His church. The question should not be ‘Is He coming?’ but rather ‘Are you ready?’ If you have not received Christ as Savior, do so right now. If Christ is your Savior, seek to use all He has given you to make investments in eternity.

Pastor Jim

 

Blessed

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Genesis 49:22-24
“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.
The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him.
But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), . . .”

2015/01/img_1374.jpgAs the day of his death rapidly approached, Jacob gathered his children together and spoke regarding what lay ahead. The writer of Hebrews summed up this chapter by saying,

“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.” Hebrews 11:21

When he finally comes to his son, Joseph, instead of looking forward, he looks back. He does not speak of what is to come, but of what has already transpired. The story of Joseph, remains one of the most amazing stories ever told. A young man, who fell victim to the bitter envy of his brothers, was sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into prison, and forgotten; he is somehow raised to the highest honor in the land of Egypt. This great prince, instead of becoming bitter and seeking revenge, uses his position of power to rescue his family, and restore their relationship. It was important to Jacob that Joseph remember the secret of his great strength.

“But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob . . .”

The only way Joseph survived and excelled, was the strength of God. Even to the most casual observer, it is clear, the hand of God was upon Joseph, as he overcame obstacles and opposition. In the same way, it was the mighty hand of God that prevented him from abusing his power, and retaliating against his brothers.

It is so important for us to recollect what God has done for us if we are going to move forward successfully. Don’t ever forget, the mighty hand of God delivered you from the pit of sin, and the taskmaster of the Law. Don’t ever forget, it was the Son of God, whose work on Calvary, raised you from bitter slavery, made you a child of God, and a joint heir with Jesus. No matter what lies ahead, when we remember that our hands are made strong by the hands of the mighty God, we can overcome.

Pastor Jim