Sermon Select
Judas Iscariot
Matthew 10:1-4
Jesus Christ chose some very unlikely individuals to follow Him. The question of why He chose Judas Iscariot lingers unanswered. A question that troubles me even more is why Jesus chose to save any of us? Why did He chose me?
The answer can only be found in His love for us.
He did not choose Judas to betray Him, but His choosing of Judas gave to Judas occasion to betray Him.
Obviously Jesus loved him and the apostles trusted him. They made Judas, not Matthew the accountant, their treasurer.
Judas must have had many outstanding qualities. He was the only apostle chosen who was not from Galilee. He was from Jude. This may have caused him some awkwardness. The others had the common bond of being indigenous to Galilee, the same region as Christ. Instead of making him feel inferior it should have made him feel special.
Little is known about his background. There may be a clue to his inclinations in that he is listed with Simon the Zealot. The name Iscariot was likely an adaptation of the Aramaic word for “dagger-man.” “Ish” means “man of.” “Sacarii” was the word for “dagger.”
There were two primary revolutionary groups in the time of Christ. One was the Zealots. Simon was a member of this group. The other, the Sicarii. They were a group of devotees who refused to submit to the Romans. Under the leadership of Menahem this group seized Masada with its cash of weapons. The Sicarii slipped into the Temple and helped lead the revolt that led to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus.
A remnant of this group was the core group that held Masada against the Romans for three years before committing suicide.
Consider that mentality as a member of your social club!
The question as to why Jesus chose Judas has four basic answers.
One, he had no choice. Though it is true someone had to betray him Judas did not have to be that one. He chose to be. He acted of his own free will.
Second, Judas betrayed Jesus because of his great greed for money. He was indeed a man of greed. When Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with the expensive ointment Judas protested (John 12:4,6). He insisted it would have been better to be sold and the money given the poor. Jesus reminded us that we have the poor with us always. The moment at hand was a fleeting opportunity to do something special.
It should be noted Judas wasn’t the only apostle who questioned the economic practicality of using the ointment in this way. All the apostles did: “But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste?’ For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor'” (Matthew 26: 8, 9).
Judas obviously wasn’t a black-cloaked villain some represent him as being. At this stage he and the other apostles were thinking alike.
It wasn’t until years later that John realized Judas had been a thief all along. Evidently they did an audit after the resurrection. Then it was revealed: “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:6).
All along Judas had been betraying Jesus as well as his fellow apostles. In little acts of pilfering Satan was grooming him for his grand dastardly deed.
In selling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver Judas was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 11: 11 – 14. Even the amount was foretold.
Greed may have had a part but it was not the primary motive. The Sanhedrin had already determined to kill Jesus. They would gladly have paid more than thirty pieces of silver if Judas had held out. He could have named his price. If pure greed had been the only motive he would have held out.
The third reason is a romantic one popularized by author Thomas De Quincey. He postulated Judas was a misguided patriot who loved Jesus. He had seen Jesus perform miracles and believed Jesus was a bit shy. He thought Jesus wanted to ignite a revolution but needed pushing. Therefore, he reasoned that if he had pressure put on Jesus He would assert Himself.
De Quincey held that Judas only committed suicide because he was heart broken that his plan to help Jesus failed. This is a feeble attempt to make a hero of Judas.
The fourth possibility lies in the complex personality of Judas. Judas like all of us had an old sin nature. For three years he had the good fortune of traveling with and listening to Jesus. He had every opportunity to make the right choices.
Even at the last minute in the upper room Jesus made a last overture to Judas. There Jesus gave Judas the “sop.” It was a symbol of honor.
What the other apostles thought of Judas is revealed in the upper room also. When Jesus said one of them would betray Him they all asked, “Is it I?” No one asked, “Is it Judas?” They respected him and had no suspicion regarding him.
They all knew they had no intention of doing it but that they were capable of it. That is the very reason Judas did it. He was capable of doing it. He was also capable of not doing it. He chose to do it. His dark nature emerged and he exercised his will to betray Christ for thirty pieces of silver knowing it would result in his death. Judas made a choice.
Judas asked, “Rabbi, is it I?” (Matthew 26: 25). Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
Then Judas knew he was known. What a moment!
Imagine during that evening meal Judas sat there contemplating his treachery with Jesus humbly washing his feet.
First, “And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him” (John 13:2). The idea, the concept was engendered by Satan. At this stage it was just a thought. Judas willfully responded to that thought. When he did – – –
“Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve” (Luke 22:3). Satan can gain no such entry without the person willfully allowing it. What happened happened in Judas. We never know what is going on inside a person. It is expedient that we deal with our inner feelings and desires in a Christ honoring way.
Only two people knew the heart of Judas. Judas was one, Christ the other.
Christ said, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12).
Further revelation let Judas know Jesus knew his heart. “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?'” (John 6:70).
Judas left the upper room and went to consummate his deal with those plotting Christ’s death. He led them to Gethsamene where he knew Christ to have often retreated.
In the Garden of Gethsamene is a cave. This aspect of the scene has long been overlooked. Archaeologist have only recently unearthed this cave.
There are two words for coming out of. One means to come out from within an enclosure. This cave was in the garden and Christ was within it. He came out from within the cave to be greeted by Judas and his new allies.
Judas stepped forward and kissed Him. Tradition says Jesus and His cousin John looked so much alike that many could not tell them apart. Judas wanted to prevent any such possibility.
It is as though there is a hiss in that kiss.
In that era servants kissed the feet of their masters. Students kissed the hand of their Rabbi. Equals kissed on the cheek. He who should have kissed Jesus on the feet as well as hand kissed Him instead on the cheek.
Note the response of Jesus: “‘Friend, why have you come?'” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him” (Matthew 26:50).
The betrayal by Judas was complete. He had completely betrayed — himself.
Judas was filled with remorse, that is, regret. He tried to return the thirty pieces of silver for which he had sold not Christ, but himself. When it was refused he acted out of remorse. Unfortunately what Judas felt was remorse not repentance. Christ would have even forgiven him.
Peter denied Christ. That too was a terrible sin. Peter’s remorse led to repentance. As a result he was forgiven. We need to respond to our sin as Peter did not Judas.
The Scripture says Judas hanged himself. “Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).
Further depiction of what happened seems to conflict with this account.
“Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out” (Acts 1:18).
Some critics of Scripture say he is represented as hanging himself in one text and as falling down and bursting open. He did both. He hanged himself over a cliff and the rope or limb broke and he fell to his death.
Did Judas come to repentance? He did realize he had betrayed “innocent blood.” He knew Christ to be sinless. The great enigma regarding his eternal destiny is summed up in the expression “he went to his own place.”
I am persuaded it was not the place Christ said He was going to prepare for those who love Him.
Peter said of Judas, “he was numbered with us” (Acts 1:17).
That is the disgrace of the modern church. There are those on church rolls who are “numbered with us” yet their behavior is not becoming of a follower of Christ. They disgrace the church as Judas did the role of apostle.
As an apostle Judas staked out his claim but never worked it.
Former British Prime Minister, Disraeli, once described some elder statesmen as “extinct volcanoes.” May it never be true of us.
“The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).
Judas should inspire each of us to engage in introspection and purge our life of the seed of betrayal.
We should each be motivated by him to aspire to be all that Christ believes we have the potential of being.
Isaac and Ishmael: A Portrait of the Middle-East Today 6/14/98
Genesis 16:1-16, 17:15-21, and 21:1-21
JESUS CHRIST’s birth was the fulfillment of numerous prophecies. One was that He would be a descendant of Isaac. That was a most unlikely reality. By man’s standard an impossibility.
Who was this man Isaac? On the pages of the Bible he stands out on history’s horizon like a mole hill between two mountains. On one side was the summit of his father Abraham. On the other the peak of his son Jacob. Compared to them his life seems insignificant. Yet, as with all things great and small God had a plan for him.
Of him God said to Abraham, “Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac: I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him” (Genesis 17: 19).
Let the story tell itself, and then let’s draw from it some vital conclusions. READ: GENESIS 16:1-16; 17:15-21; 21:1-21.
God’s plan became man’s parody when Sarah decided to devise a plan to do what she did not trust God to do. The Code of Hammurabi stated:
If she has given a maid to her husband and she has born children and afterwards that maid has made herself equal with her mistress, because she has born children her mistress shall not sell her for money, she shall reduce her to bondage and count her among the female slaves.
Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was a strong willed woman who wanted to exercise her rights when her plan failed.
Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maid, “despised Sarah” and “mocked Isaac.” Obviously she was also a strong willed woman with a bad attitude.
God promised Abraham he would have a son by Sarah through whom He would bless all mankind.
Consenting to Sarah’s wishes Abraham at the age of 86 had a son by Hagar. Later God’s promise of a son through Sarah became a reality. These two half- brothers were Isaac, his son by Sarah, and Ishmael, his son by Hagar. Isaac was the son of promise.
I. TWO SIBLINGS: JEWS AND ARABS IN PREVIEW
A. God promised to bless the child of Sarah and make her descendants a blessing. The lineage of the Jewish race began with Abraham and was perpetuated through Isaac and his son Jacob.
Matthew and Luke in tracing the genealogy of Jesus, from a human perspective, note this fulfillment.
Most Americans are aware of this promise and marvel at God’s blessings on the Jews (Gen. 17:19). This is appropriate. However, most of us seem to think the Arabs are God’s outcasts. Not so. God also promised to bless the child of Hagar, Ishmael and his descendants (Gen. 17:20). God said of Ishmael “I will make him a great nation” (Gen. 21: 18). It was through the line of Ishmael that the Arab nations developed. These descendants have also been blessed. Note who constitutes the oil cartel in the middle-east. It is the Arab nations.
Ishmael was born before Isaac. He was conceived of Hagar an Egyptian slave girl whom Sarah gave to Abraham for the purpose of conception. When he was born, Abraham prayed that he would be the child of God’s promised blessings (17:18). The expression “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” is a plea for him to be the heir apparent.
Evidently these two siblings contested each other on a regular basis. The scripture says that Ishmael was seen “scoffing” at Isaac. The verb tense used means he was always scoffing. Galatians 4: 29 reveals this scoffing involved “persecution.”
The descendants of these two are still antagonists. The perpetual conflict within the West Bank and Gaza as well as the constantly contested borders of Israel is an outgrowth. The Arab-Israeli conflict began in Hagar’s bedroom.
II. TWO SPOUSES: JEALOUSY AND ANGER IN PURVIEW
God never condoned polygamy; nor did He ever bless it even in the lives of some of His servants who violated His command regarding one wife.
Abraham and Sarah both had sacramental names given them by God. Abraham originally was called Abram meaning “honored father.” God renamed him Abraham which means “father of many nations.” God gave him this name when he was old and had no children. Sarah’s name had been changed from Sarai. Her old name meant “princess,” indicating that in her home land of Ur she was a member of royalty. Her new name meant “to rule.” She was to be the royal line by which God’s promise would be fulfilled to Abraham.
Strange as it may seem the first Jew was a Gentile. Abraham who came from beyond the Euphrates was the first person called a Hebrew (Gen. 14: 13). The word Hebrew means “the immigrant.” Sarah was the first female Hebrew, the fountainhead of the Jewish race.
God’s plan was for Sarah to conceive and bear a son.
Sarah amended God’s plan for Abraham to have a son by her young Egyptian maid, Hagar.
Things always go wrong when we decide God can’t keep His word and we have to do for Him what we don’t have faith to believe He can do.
When Hagar conceived, she chided the childless Sarah. Sarah became very jealous of Hagar. The mistress and the maid couldn’t coexist it appeared. Sarah dealt “harshly” with Hagar (16:6) so Hagar fled. In doing so she was violating the law which forbid a bondwoman to leave the service of her mistress.
God sent a angel messenger to Hagar on “the way to Shur.” Knowing Sarah had wronged her the angel nevertheless told her to return to Sarah. Two wrongs don’t make a right. She obeyed and returned. This is a beautiful illustration of submissiveness.
At the well where Hagar encountered the angel she used a beautiful name for God which means “You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees” (Gen. 16:13). The well where this encounter with God occurred she called “Beth-lahai-roi,” meaning “The well of Him who lives and sees me.”
When Hagar submissively returned she and Sarah grew to be even more jealous of one another and eventually this flared into anger. Finally Sarah pulled rank and demanded that Hagar and her son Ishmael be banished. Notice that this caused discord between Abraham and Sarah. Discord consequents when we disobey God. Having two spouses causes conflict.
Reluctantly Abraham complied and sent them into the desert with limited provisions. Poet and artist alike have sought to capture Hagar’s anguish in the desert when their supplies ran out. One of the finest masterpieces in the Dresden Gallery is a painting called “Hagar in the Wilderness.” The child is depicted lying on his back, dying of thirst, while his beautiful impoverished mother lifts her eyes to heaven and prays, “Let me not see the death on the child.” God answered her prayer and opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. God spared them both in keeping with His promise.
Ishmael grew to be a desert-dwelling archer. Our last glimpse of Hagar was her act of securing an Egyptian wife for Ishmael. She found for him a wife from her own land of idols and worldliness. Untaught faith in Jehovah by Abraham and influenced by a pagan wife, a different lifestyle and code of beliefs emerged. This is an illustration of the fact the extension of the faith is only one generation away. If one fails to pass it on to another, it is lost.
When Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 she conceived and gave birth to Isaac, the child of promise. Sarah is the only one in the Bible whose exact age is given.
God kept His promise to them because Abraham believed (Rom. 4: 19 – 22).
As Isaac grew into manhood he went to dwell at Beth-lahai-roi, the place Hagar had lived. She impacted his life dynamically. She was his nurse and doubtless held him spellbound with stories of the Nile, pyramids, Pharaohs, and crocodiles. Had it not been for the strong and longer lasting influence of Abraham, Isaac might well have followed Hagar instead of the faith of Abraham and Sarah.
The child of Hagar is described as “scoffing” at Isaac, the child of Sarah. He had to learn this from his mother. Hagar had “despised” Sarah from the moment of her conception of Abraham’s son (16: 5). For Ishmael to have ridiculed Isaac would have been to mock all the promises of God inherent in him. This scoffing continues. From the lineage of Isaac came Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. From the lineage of Ishmael came Mohammed and the Moslem faith.
All of this happened because Sarah decided to do things her way rather than waiting on God. Does this same trait ever get you in trouble? The experience of Sarah is a caution against hasty action in times of trials and difficulties. It appeals for trust.
Sarah could not have anticipated that her single, disobedient decision would originate a rivalry which has resulted in the bitterest hatred through the ages which not even an ocean of blood can quench. We should always weigh the consequences of our decisions. They are often made in a moment with a lifetime of consequence. Sarah’s decision has endless consequence.
Likewise, a decision to receive or reject Christ as Savior has eternal consequence.
III. TWO SYSTEMS: JESUS AND ALTERNATIVES IN REVIEW
In Galatians 4: 22 – 31 there is an allegory using Sarah and Hagar to distinguish the difference in law, that is works, and grace. In verse 24 the account is described as “symbolical.” The word means an allegory which is an illustration.
HAGAR represents the Old Covenant of the law, a system of works.
She was a bondwoman. Her son, Ishmael, was “born after the flesh.” Ishmael was born the natural way; according to nature.
Hagar and Ishmael represent what is known as the “flesh principle,” rejecting God’s promise, rejecting the way of faith and trying to fulfill the will of God on your own terms. Persons operating on the flesh principle are trying to merit, earn, or deserve, by their works, what God gives freely.
Hagar represented “Jerusalem which now is,” meaning in bondage to the law.
SARAH represents the New Covenant fulfilled in Christ.
She was a free woman. Her son, Isaac, was “born through the promise.” Isaac was born the supernatural way; despite nature.
Sarah represents “the Jerusalem that is above” — “our mother.” This represents true faith originated salvation with heaven as its source. This depicts salvation by grace.
This account is included in the Scripture to let us know we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works of the law. It has always been so. We are saved by grace not genes. The true line of descent was Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
This is the line of faith. Abraham had two sons. One, Isaac, had faith. The other, Ishmael, didn’t.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob had faith in Jehovah God and Esau did not.
It is the faith line that represents faithfulness. It still is.
Galatians now list three consequences of being a child of promise, that is, a saved person:
1) Persecution from non-believers, legalist (Vs. 29). As Ishmael persecuted Isaac, so the non- believing world persecutes believers.
2) Inheritance of a priceless, spiritual nature results (Vs. 30). Isaac was the sole heir. No one outside the covenant of grace, a non-believer will inherit what Christ has in store for all who believe.
3) Obligation is inherent in the inheritance (Vs. 31). The rest of the book of Galatians illustrates this.
If you are willing to live free, you can expect all three of these. The eternal nature of the inheritance makes it all worth while.
A Secret Source of Strength 6/14/98
Psalm 31:19-24
Page 820 Come Alive Bible
JESUS CHRIST loves the hopeless. He loved Zacchaeus who was hopelessly lonely. He loved Mary Magadalene though demon possessed. He loved Mary and Martha whose brother Lazarus died.
A sense of futile hopelessness is so foreign to the Lord that the word “hopeless” does not occur in the Bible.
Knowing human nature our Lord realizes it exists and proposes an antidote. The Psalmist describes himself as a person for whom persons have set a snare and caught him in their net. Have you ever felt trapped, hopeless? Framed in such a feeling three release principles are noted.
God’s people need to know God’s word in order to know what to do in times of uncertainty. Recently we visited the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem to see the famed beautiful stained glass windows by renowned artist Marc Chagall. The twelve Jerusalem Windows in the synagogue represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The captivating window of the tribe of Issachar is stunning. Issachar was an agricultural tribe that loved the land so much they would not even leave to go to war (Genesis 49: 14,15). Tradition says that Zebulun and Issachar made a pact. Zebulun would enter the commercial arena in order to allow Issachar time to study the Torah. Therefore, the gift the Issachar tribe gave David was that they “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (I Chronicles 12: 32).
God’s people need to study God’s Word in order to understand our times and know what to do. In this time of uncertainty and apprehension let’s explore a rich passage.
I. BE OF GOOD COURAGE (Psalm 31: 24a)
This brings to mind what has been called Jesus’ favorite text: “Be of good cheer.” This He said to the helpless paralectics, the woman who touched the hem of His garment, the terrified disciples in the storm, before His ascension – “In this world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer.”
Fear of conditions might cause some to try to retreat into the past or flee into the future, but reverence for God brings us to confront the current with courage. Almost anyone can show physical courage. It refuses to stand by convictions. Don’t be a moral turn-coat. Be courageous enough to die rather than compromise.
In the day of Charles II, Margaret Wilson, a woman of great faith, was falsely accused and sentenced to death. She was tied to the stake on the beach at low tide and offered release for recanting as the tide rose. Her last words – “Christ only is my Master.”
Our word COURAGE comes from the Latin word meaning resulting from two basics: cor and ago. “Cor” is the word for “heart” and “ago” the word for “to put in motion.” When the heart is put in motion there is courage.
Courage refers to the condition of the heart. Richard I, King of England, was called Richard Coeur de Lion, Richard the Lion-Hearted. Meaning King Richard who has the heart of a lion. It was a reference to his courage in battle.
The opposite of courage is not only cowardice, but conformity. There is a story of a soldier in Alexander’s army with an incurable disease. He was always at the front of the fight. Alexander ordered his doctors to spare no effort to find a cure for such a brave warrior. Miraculously they did. Once healed he coward toward the rear of the ranks in protection of his life. It is better to be stunned into courage by pain than healed into cowardice.
II. HE SHALL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART HEART is the Hebrew word for mind, purpose, intention, or insight.
If you have been mentally wandering these last few minutes come on back and fix your mind on what is about to be said. It is a revolutionary concept that can change your life.
It is said of God “He will strengthen your heart.” Such a concept has been veiled in meaning. The organ of the heart is a marvel. This rugged four-chambered, four-valved pump which handles 5,000 gallons of blood a day, almost enough to fill a railroad tank car. It supplies the circulatory system through 12,000 miles of vessels, and in the course of the average lifetime beats two and one half billion times. There is an additional strategic function of the heart long unknown.
Now without regard for that statement a British researcher at Southhampton University and author Dr. Alan Watkins help our understanding. In his book Mind-Body Medicine: a Clinician’s Guide to Psycho/neuro/immunology he speaks of the heart as the body’s powerhouse which has a “hitherto unrecognized role in balancing the entire human system.” He states the heart produces 50 times more electrical energy than the brain and a thousand times more electro- magnetic energy. Being the strongest power source in the body it coordinates all the other body systems, including the brain, commonly thought to be the dominant organ.
The process is known as “entrainment.” It produces harmony throughout all of the body.
He illustrates it by observing a flock of birds. Have you ever seen a large dense flock of birds flying along and all at once they all instantly dart in the same direction in response to a threat. That togetherness is entrainment. Dr. Watkins says biological systems entrain. The heart sets the pattern. In humans it only happens in response to a positive emotional state. All body systems have their body clocks which have their own rhythm. When there is a positive emotional state these rhythms synchronize. When this happens the brain works better, the immune system functions better, and your hormonal systems is at its best.
Have you ever been engaged in an upsetting conversation and when it is over and you have calmed down you think of so many good things you wish you had said. Well during that upset state your entrainment wasn’t good and your brain wasn’t at its best.
When our Lord says He will strengthen our heart He is saying He will help your brain, immune system, and hormones work together to your fullest advantage. All of this happens when the Lord is allowed to strengthen your heart by you thinking with the mind of Christ. That is, having His thought on each issue. Such positive thoughts impact all of your life.
When Stephen (Stefano) of Colonna, a man of great faith was captured by assailants they asked him in derision, “Now where is your fortress?” Placing his hand over his heart he said, “Here is my fortress.” It is our citadel of defense against all opponents.
Little wonder the Scripture says, “Man looks upon the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart.”
Your heart is the center of your intellectual, moral, emotional, and spiritual life. Is it right with God?
Anxiety is replaced by acclaim. Praise acknowledges the Divine Person. Love accepts His purpose.
III. HOPE
HOPE is the happy anticipation of good, favorable and confident expectation. Earnestly anticipating and expecting through experiencing delay and disappointment.
Little wonder God calls hope “the anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19 [NASB]).
Hope realizes that it sometimes takes God time to work. It is the catalyst which makes divine ferment possible. It is the incentive which leads to unrealized perfection. Without hope man is less than a beast, he is a malfunctioning organism.
The media has exposed us to persons devastated by hurricanes, tornadoes, raging fires, floods, and crimes in homes, schools, and streets. Many have been absolutely inundated with sorrow and grief resulting from these tragedies. Some have rebounded some have not. Often one thing makes the difference —- hope.
Doubts often slip into our lives like termites in a building. These termite-like thoughts eat away at our faith. This happens when:
A. Things I think should not happen, happen.
B. When things I think should happen don’t happen. Then what do you do?
C. When things I think should happen NOW, happen later.
God knows what He is doing regardless of the waiting period.
These three things cause termites of doubt to work. It is then the All-Pro of termite extermination is needed. That is, hope.
Famed American cardiologist, Dr. R. McNair Wilson remarks in his autobiography, Doctor’s Progress, “Hope is the medicine I use more than any other …. Hope can cure nearly anything.”
“Saturday Review,” reported, “Hope …. is medicinal. This is not merely a statement of belief, but a conclusion proved by meticulously controlled scientific experiments.”
To be most effective this hope must be Christo-centric. Timothy expresses this in four all- inclusive words: “Christ Jesus our hope….” (I Timothy 1: 1).
Victor Frankel in writing of his days in a Nazi prison camp wrote: “The prisoner who lost faith in the future – his future was doomed. With his loss of faith in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline, and become subject to mental and physical decay.” Hope ties us to eternity.
There are two ways of looking at life’s defeats and delays:
THE WAY OF THE DISILLUSIONED – Some attribute the disillusionment of hope to youth. Life having not fulfilled the disillusioned one’s aspirations, thus, they resolve to make the best of it by being tough. Such a one guards self against the awareness of hope. They become fearful that it is a sign of weakness. They become oblivious to it as a source of strength.
Hope in the future fills the present with energy.
THE WAY OF THE CHRISTIAN – Hope accepts trials. It exists alongside the potential for despair. Hope isn’t blind – it sees through the eyes of God.
“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.”
A Moral Muddle 8/9/98
Judges 21:25
Page 400 Come Alive Bible
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
Jesus Christ gave us a short course in truthfulness when He said: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Mat 5:37).
Simple, isn’t it. Sub-title: “Don’t attempt to deceive.”
When Jesus encountered Nathaniel, who was to become one of His disciples, He said, “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”
Guile is the tactful art of verbal deception. Nathaniel was a straight shooter. He was candid and up front. He left no doubt about what he meant.
An example of guile is this. Suppose two persons have engaged in certain conduct together. Soon they learn they are going to be asked if they did the deed of which they are accused. One says to the other “When asked if we did just say ‘no we didn’t.’”
When asked did you tell your friend to lie the answer is “No, I didn’t.” To that person he is telling the truth. In that persons mind he didn’t use the actual words “Lie about it” even though he did instruct his friend to give the wrong answer. That is guile.
In the mind of the person exercising guile terms are redefined to suit the users desire. They do what is right in their own mind.
In Judges 21: 25 a society of guileful people is described. They each did that which was right in their own eyes. Each person established their own standard for right or wrong. It was one of the bleakest periods in the glorious history of ancient Israel. Such a national mentality eventually leads as it did then to anarchy.
At a time when the daily news leads with a story of reputed immorality can the church dare be mute on the subject? It is not my purpose to impose guilt on individuals the court has not and may not judged. I want to be candidly clear that I am not saying our president is guilty of any impropriety. The ultimate evidence will determine that. However, we do well to consider public reaction to alleged conduct. A big “IF” hangs in front of all allegations. It is not the President’s alleged conduct that is the subject of this message, but public response to principles associated with claimed conduct. Got it? If you don’t you might very well judge my intent as improper instead of gaining a better understanding of a major moral trend in our national life.
The allegations against the President have unsettled many American Christians and others of high moral standards. All the talk of alleged moral impropriety and criminality has pushed the issue of morals to the forefront.
In assessing our response to the President we should model the behavior of the early church as noted in I Timothy 2: 1, 2: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (I Timothy 2:1, 2).
Most of their leaders were either ignorant or defiant of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Neither Israel’s anointed kings nor Rome’s emperors ever gave evidence of a moral life worth writing home about.
Of rulers and governing authorities one has said, “God rides a lame horse and draws a straight line with a crooked stick.”
Let’s pray for our leaders even if they turn out to be less than advertised.
It is a seemingly broad based approval of alleged conduct that is disturbing. Something is wrong in a society that tunes in daily to see the latest moral mutants on the “Jerry Springer Show.”
When vegetarians and animal-rights advocates debate the morality of eating eggs and advocate abortion something is morally wrong. When protests are held against putting stray animals to sleep but support Dr. Kevorkian’s helping to put people to sleep a moral anchor is missing.
Three major attitudinal changes have emerged in the last decade in America. They each contribute to the popularity of guile.
I. RELATIVISM
In the late 1960’s a book emerged entitled Situation Ethics. The thesis is that the situation determines what is right and what is wrong. There are no absolutes. Thus, what is right for one person at a given time and under a specific circumstance might not be right for others.
Push that out of the envelop and consider what it does to our legal system. It would dramatically impact education.
In chemistry there are absolutes. One atom of oxygen and two atoms of hydrogen always produces H2O, water. That’s an absolute. Think what it would be like in a chemistry lab if there were no absolutes.
There are absolutes in math. Try to convince a math teacher that your answer is different and right from the rest of the class because you did yours at 6:00 AM on Tuesday and the rest of the class did theirs at 8:00 PM on Monday.
In the matter of morals and ethics there must be absolutes. One reason certain groups have worked to have the Ten Commandments taken from public view is they are absolutes. In ruling to remove them from certain public places the court even said they must be removed lest persons looking upon them might come to believe in them as absolutes.
Have you established your core beliefs? That is, have you set your own personal moral and ethical standards and said these are they.
Parents need to be sure they don’t subtly teach children right or wrong is a matter of personal choice. This is done by a parent giving instruction to a child followed by “O.K.” Such as, “Junior, don’t do that, O.K.?” or, “Sissy, pick up your toys, O.K.?” If the child is being given instruction it should be made clear and not optional, “O.K.?”
II. TOLERANCE
Tolerance is the new “virtue” in our society. Tolerance is now taught as one of the basics in school.
Teachers are taught to tell students “We cannot tell you what is right or wrong. You must decide for yourself. We can only tell you what the options are.”
Most of the above 30 population has one understanding of the term and those younger another. It is now a relative term.
For years The American College Dictionary defined tolerance as “the disposition to be patient toward those whose opinions or practices differ from our own…” That is now known as negative tolerance.
For years many have felt it proper to say, “I love you, but I disapprove of what you are doing and your belief.”
That is negative tolerance. That statement is now considered bigotry.
Positive tolerance is defined as “every single individuals beliefs, values, lifestyle, and truth claims are equal.”
To assert your opinion is right and another wrong is to be called prejudiced.
William Penn, founder of the state of Pennsylvania, said, “Right is right, though all be against it and wrong is wrong thought all be for it.” Today he would be called prejudice.
Ask an advocate of tolerance if he is sure there are no absolutes and he will say, “Absolutely!”
Advocates of positive tolerance are tolerant of everything except the Christian belief that there are moral absolutes.
Tolerance has replaced the former virtue of justice.
Justice and what is called “positive tolerance” can not co-exist. Justice is the enemy of tolerance. Justice says there is a moral basis for discerning right from wrong. Positive tolerance says there is not such moral basis.
Secular journalist, Rowland Netaway wrote of the present generation, “They don’t seem to know right from wrong.” Current teaching regarding positive tolerance is the reason.
Such value-free, morally neutral, education opens the door for sources in Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and even Nashville to bombard young minds with thousands of hours of sounds and images that glamorize immorality and mock Biblical values.
King David asked, “If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).
There are two distinct foundational models of truth:
1. Truth is defined by God for everyone; it is objective and absolute.
2. Truth is defined by the individual; it is subjective and situational.
The first model accepts God not man as the central Source of truth. The Bible is the repository of truth defining right and wrong. In the second model every person considers himself to be the judge of what is right or wrong in a given situation.
Regarding absolutes and tolerance the Bible advocates, “Speak the truth in love.” No guile, just truth.
A lady desiring a parrot for a pet went to a pet store in search for one. Sure enough there was one on sale at a low price. She decided on that one but the store owner urged her not to buy it because it was very bad to curse.
“I can break him of that,” she said.
Once she got the bird home it started cursing. She put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. It came out shivering but as soon as it warmed up it began cursing again. She warned the parrot and put it back in the freezer. This time for 30 minutes. It came out coated with ice crystals and shivering. As soon as it warmed up it began cursing again.
Back in the freezer. This time for an hour. When it came out it was stiff and ice coated. Soon it thawed out. The lady asked, “Are you going to curse any more?” It shook its head “no.” “Are you through cursing?” The head shake indicated a big “yes.”
Then the parrot spoke, “I have a question for you? What did that turkey in the freezer say to you?”
If you didn’t get that you are slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through chunky peanut butter.
Chill out! Speak only the truth in love.
The third factor impacting America’s moral climate is –
III. SUBJECTIVISM
Subjectivism has replaced objectivism.
In Christian ethics and morals the Lord as revealed through the Bible has been the object affording us the standard for right and wrong.
Now the source of right or wrong has shifted from the object, the Bible, to the individual “I.”
“I” am the authority for right or wrong. That brings us back to absolutes. “I,” the subject has no absolutes, everything is relative.
This leaves a conscious free of conviction. The individual becomes “god.” When the moral compass of Scripture is replaced by the will of the individual direction is lost in life. Every person does that which is right in his or her own sight.
Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) are popular. It is a simple little device that is locked on to a satellite. It can tell you where on earth you are within a matter of inches.
If lost you might not like what the GPS shows. You might dispute it and decide to go the direction you desire rather than the one indicated to be correct. The standard remains. You don’t judge the standard, it judges you.
How are we to live in such a culture?
1. When you blow it, confess your sin quickly and repentantly return to the Lord in faith and obedience.
2. Build your faith through the study of God’s Word and prayer.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
3. Be prepared for spiritual conflict against:
A. The world.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2: 15, 17).
B. The flesh.
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16,17).
C. Satan.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (I Peter 5:8, 9).
He Gave the Gift That Keeps on Giving 12/13/98
II Corinthians 9:15
Page 1695 Come Alive Bible
JESUS CHRIST’S birth was God’s way of saying, “Merry Christmas, planet earth. I have a present for you.”
JESUS CHRIST was the reference when Paul wrote, “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift…” (II Cor. 9:15).
The gift is indescribable, inexpressible, marvelous, and wonderful. The gift is Jesus Christ Himself.
Our distinctive southern tongues have a way of making certain words sound alike. Two such words are presents and presence. “Presents” meaning gifts and “presence” meaning to be in close proximity. God’s present to the population of planet earth was the presence of His Son, Jesus Christ.
An appropriate gift does two things:
It reveals the love of the one giving it.
It suits the needs of the one receiving it.
Isn’t it rewarding when you give a gift for the recipient to say, “How like you to give such a thoughtful gift and it is just what I wanted and needed.”
The gift of Christ as Savior does both. Our response should be, “How like you dear God to give me just what I wanted and needed.”
A gift is an expression of the giver’s heart. The recipient gets it but not because it is earned, merited, or deserved. It is simply an expression of the loving heart of the giver.
Wouldn’t it be a magic Christmas if you placed neatly wrapped packages under the tree with names of family members on them and then set up a cash box to collect a fixed sum for each? The moment you received money for one it would not be a gift, but a purchase.
In Bud Blake’s “Tiger” comic strip two little boys were talking about Christmas. One said, “My folks got us an artificial tree this year.” The other little guy asked, “Does that bother you?”
“No,” was the response, “just as long as the gifts are real.”
The gift of God the Father is Jesus. His name evidences the scope of the gift. Jesus means, “Jehovah is Salvation.” Thus, in the end, the gift is salvation.
Suppose God had said, “You can purchase your salvation.” That would have left out millions who are too poor to buy their salvation.
Suppose He had said, “Be good enough and I will give it to you,” or “Do enough good deeds and you can merit your salvation.” Who could have done that much good or behaved that well?
Suppose God had said, “If you do sufficient penance, or suffer enough, you can deserve your salvation.” Some, having a clouded understanding of just how far their sins had separated them from God, might not have performed sufficiently.”
In Rome, Italy I have seen persons climbing stairs on their knees as an act of penance, thinking they were garnering the favor of God by their work.
In Brazil, I have seen persons climb gravel roads on their knees hoping to gain God’s favor by their penance.
There are millions who live under this misconception today.
Suppose God had said, “I am going to grade on the curve and if you score high enough you will pass and get your salvation.” When Jesus entered the earthly scene He messed up the curve.
Instead, God said, “I will give you salvation if you will receive the gift.” The gift is His presence.
I walked through the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau, and reflected on an account I had read in the book by Corrie Ten Boom entitled “Christmas Remembered.” It was her memory of her experience in such a Nazi hell hole.
It was Christmas eve. Corrie and the other Christians in the camp had placed meager handmade decorations on a few trees in celebration of Christ’s birth. Beneath some of these trees were the lifeless bodies of fellow prisoners who had died and been thrown there.
Corrie was weary of trying to tell people of the love of Jesus and physically fatigued as she glanced out a crack to see the bodies by the light of the moon. Amid all the moaning and groaning she heard a child’s voice pleading, “Mommy, come to Ollie. Ollie is so alone.”
Corrie knew one of those bodies beneath those trees was that of Ollie’s mother. Corrie went to the bunk of the child and softly said, “Ollie, mommy can’t come, but I want to tell you of One who did come on that first Christmas and that He will come to be with you right now.” Corrie continued to tell how Jesus in love had come to earth and how He lovingly died on the cross of Calvary for our sins. She proceeded to tell little Ollie how the death and resurrection of Jesus enabled Him to provide a lovely house in heaven where there were no cruel people; only those who had love for Jesus and one another. In faith, little Ollie trusted Jesus that night and found great comfort in His presence.
A few days later Corrie saw Ollie with her sores and wounds bandaged only with toilet paper. She could tell the child was in pain but asked anyway: “Ollie, where is Jesus?” With a warm though weak smile the child said, “He is in heaven where He has provided a little house for me.”
“Is He just there in heaven?”
“No,” she said, “He is here with me and when I hurt, I let the pain remind me of His suffering and dying for me to provide that little house in heaven.”
The Nazis saw to it that the little house didn’t stay vacant long. Ollie died and went into the presence of the Lord, all because of a present from the Lord — Jesus Himself was that gift of salvation. Ollie went to heaven because of Christ’s presence.
Let’s consider some passages of Scripture as though they are correspondence delivered to us. First,
I. SPECIAL DELIVERY FROM ZACHARIAS (LUKE 1:5 – 25)
Zacharias and his wife lived in a little hillside town near Jerusalem where he served as a priest in the temple.
An angel appeared to him and told him his wife Elizabeth would have a child.
Verse 18, Zacharias’ understanding of nature prompted him to respond in a natural way and both doubt and question the angel’s message: “How can I know this is true? I am an old man myself, and my wife is getting on in years….” He was so alarmed the angel said, “Fear not…” Well, why not? Why should he not have been virtually terrorized?
The text answers, “Thy prayers have been answered.”
Because of his doubt, God sealed his lips until the birth of his son, John the Baptist. This should be a clear indication to us that God doesn’t like His children going around sowing discord and stirring up dissension.
When his son was born Zacharias began to praise the Lord.
To some, faith comes after hesitation. When it does come, then comes praise.
II. PERSON TO PERSON FOR MARY (LUKE 1: 26 – 55).
In Nazareth a young virgin received an angelic message regarding having a baby. Normal child birth is exciting but this is something special. Husbands often get more excited than wives. Such an excited husband spoke excitedly over the phone, “My wife is pregnant and having contractions every two minutes.”
The operator questioned, “Is this her first child?”
“No, you dummy, this is her husband.”
Parental arrangements for marriage were made for children when at a very young age. This was considered both an engagement and marriage. As they approached marriageable age, they entered into a one year period of betrothal. During this time they lived apart but were legally married. Unfaithfulness during this time was punishable by death.
This process of marriage is the reason secular writings referred to virgins who were widows.
Six months after visiting Zacharias, Gabriel was sent to Nazareth with a message for a teenage girl named Mary.
Mary was frightened and the angel again spoke that familiar line: “Fear not…”
Why not? Because, “You have found favor with God.”
A. Mary said of her son, He was her “savior” (Vs. 47).
Mary was special. She was “blessed” (Vs. 28). What Jesus thought of her and what she thought of Him can be learned from the Scripture.
Christ and Mary must each be acknowledged for what they are.
Some failing to understand the Scripture try to attribute to Mary the work of Christ. Only He saves; not His mother.
Mary never hinted she was savior.
Jesus never hinted Mary was savior.
Mary stated Jesus was Savior. In verse 47 she called Him “my savior.”
Jesus stated He was savior. He said of Himself, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
A Christian receptionist in a doctor’s office tried several times to explain to her friend this basic principle. Over and over she tried to communicate that Mary, His wonderful and blessed mother, could not do what only Christ could do.
One day the lady called and asked to speak to the doctor about a medical problem. The receptionist said, “He isn’t in, but his mother is. Will she do?” Further explanation of this parallel helped the caller understand this truth.
After calming the fears of Mary, that angel told her she was going to have a baby. She never questioned the fact.
She simply asked “How?” (Vs. 34).
The supernatural nature of what was to happen never puzzled her. The Holy Spirit would supernaturally invest an ovum with the germ of life, and the child to be born would be divine.
This clearly teaches Christ was conceived of a virgin. If you deny that, you have an inadequate concept of God. If God couldn’t do that, He couldn’t save anyone. If your view of God is of One who couldn’t do that, in the view of a book authored over thirty years ago by J.B. Phillips, Your God Is Too Small, he writes, ” My God, the God of the Bible, could handle that easily, and He did.”
The angel greeted her, “Hail.” The word was CHAIRE which means “rejoice.” She did so in a big way. She did so because she chose to.
The fact that as a single pregnant girl she might lose her beloved Joseph and even be stoned did not repel her. She disregarded the possible social stigma.
Mary then made one of the most courageous statements ever recorded: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Vs. 38).
Her response: “I belong to the Lord, body and soul. Let it happen as you say” (Vs. 38). Self had been brought under God’s control.
How you respond to the Lord determines the direction of your life. You are a sum total of your choices.
Later in life, under different circumstances, Mary said to Christ’s disciples, “Do whatever He says for you to do” (John 2:5). She was urging them to respond as she had responded.
When I left for college, my cousin who had played basketball in college with the man who was to be my coach said, “Whatever he tells you to do — do it. He did twice as much in college as he will ever ask you to do.”
In effect Mary was saying, “Do as I have done.” That is her message to us.
Remember we pray: “Thy will be done…” Not, “Thy will be changed…”
B. Of Mary’s soon-to-be born Son, it was said: (Vs. 32)
“He shall be great…”
“…called the Son of the Highest.”
C. Of Him she said:
“My soul does magnify the Lord” (Vs. 46).
“Magnify” comes from the word MEGALUNEI, which means to laud, to celebrate.
“Don’t you ever get discouraged?” Yes, but I am never going to tell you when I get discouraged because that might discourage you and that would discourage me and I can hardly stand my present discouragement.”
“My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (Vs. 47).
The coming of God to her as Savior was the cause of her rejoicing.
Some persons sigh, “I just love Jesus.” If you do, notify your face.
Joy is the banner that flies over the castle of the heart when the King is in residence.
III. RETURN RECEIPT REQUIRED FROM YOU
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2: 8, 9).
Christmas was the time of Christ’s birth. He was the gift, salvation embodied. For the gift to be yours, you must receive it.
Three responses are potential. They are: BELIEVERS, NON-BELIEVERS, MAKE BELIEVERS.
Which are you?
Do you rank among those who say there is “a” Savior or perhaps even Jesus is “the” Savior?
Can you truthfully say, “Jesus is MY Savior?”
“The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23a).