1998 Sermons
Let’s Keep Christmas 12/27/98
Matthew 2:1-11
Page 1410 Come Alive Bible
JESUS CHRIST, the God\man, is Immanuel, God with us. In Bethlehem He was with us and today He is still with us. The mystery of His dual nature might have resulted in an interview like this:
What is your name, young man?
On my mother’s side my name is Jesus.
On my Father’s side my name is Immanuel.
How old are you?
On my mother’s side I am twelve.
On my Father’s side I am the Ancient of Days.
Where did you come from?
On my mother’s side I came from Bethlehem.
On my Father’s side I came from everlasting to everlasting.
Well, you seem so smart, what are your future plans?
On my mother’s side I plan to go to Calvary and die for the sin of the world.
On my Father’s side I plan to be resurrected the third day and ascend into Heaven.
The birth of Immanuel has once again been celebrated. Excitement has built over a period of weeks. Persons have been more expressive of love, joy, good will, and peace than at any time of the year. But that was yesterday.
Once more Christmas has come and gone. Nothing is as over as Christmas, when it is over.
Before Christmas, up goes expectations and the day after down come the decorations. My wife permits me the pleasure in participating in re-decorating the house. I get to go around packing up the many nativities we put out for the celebration. There goes Mary and Joseph followed by sheep and wise men. The last figure in each creche to be put away is Jesus. The moment inevitably comes when its time: “Back in the box Jesus.” He too is packed and put away.
Somehow that seems symbolical of what really happens. As soon as Christmas day is passed we put away Jesus and return to our daily wars.
There is a Peanuts cartoon in which Lucy says to Charlie Brown. “‘Tis the season of peace on earth good will toward men. I suppose we ought to be a little kinder to each other.”
The ever hopeful Charlie responds, “It’s a shame we can’t make it last all year.” To which Lucy retorts, “What are you, some kind of religious fanatic?”
Henry Van Dyke made an appeal for keeping alive the spirit of Christmas at all times.
“Are you willing to …. stoop down and consider the desires of little children;
to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old;
to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough;
….to bear in mind the things others have to bear in their hearts;
to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you;
….to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so your shadow will fall behind you;
to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your good thoughts, with the gate open —- are you willing to do these things even for a day?
Are you willing to believe love is the strongest thing in the world —- stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death —- and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?
Then you can keep Christmas!
And if you keep it for a day, why not always? But you can never keep it alone!
Soon after Christ was born wise men from the East came seeking Him to worship Him. They ventured to
Jerusalem and inquired of Herod, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2: 2). The question prevails today. Where is He? Even those not asking the question need the answer. Today’s question is: “Where can I find happiness?” Seeking happiness without Christ is like trying to grow a garden without the light. Consider these aspects of the first Christmas.
I. THE DIRECTIONS
The Lord gave them guidance to find the Christ child. Incidentally, their coming may well have been as much as three years after His birth. There is a Greek word for “baby” or “infant,” BREPHOS and one for “young child OR “toddler,” PAIDION. The latter is used here. Notice how it is translated in verse 9: “…where the young Child was.”
The fact Herod, soon, thereafter, had all children under three years of age killed indicates He could have been almost three by the time the wise men arrived.
Matthew notes three things used to guide the wise men.
A. The Supernatural Vss. 2 & 9 “We have seen His star”
Wise men ever since have been trying to figure out what “His star” was.
I have no trouble accepting the fact the Father might well have simply hung out a special celestial body for that moment in time to identify the spot. He who initially said, “Let there be light” could well have done so.
He who set the clock of the universe ticking initially might have scheduled from the dawning of time a solar event timed to have occurred at that precise moment. Consider one such possibility.
Time is recorded B.C. and A.D. in relation to the birth of Christ. However, this method of dating didn’t occur until 525 A.D. when a Roman monk Dionysius Exiguus devised our current calendar. It is now apparent that in making the calendar change he was off a bit. In reality Christ was born two to four years earlier than our calendar indicates.
In both 3 B.C. and 2 B.C. a unique astronomical thing happened. JUPITER, the planet which represents the birth of kings and kingship had a series of conjunctions.
In Hebrew, JUPITER is known as SEDEQ or “righteousness,” a term for Messiah.
In June of 3 B.C. JUPITER came into conjunction with REGULUS, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo. It is known as the star of kingship.
LEO was the constellation of kings and was associated with the Lion of Judah.
At that time the royal planet approached the royal star in the royal constellation representing Israel.
Notice Matthew 2: 9 says the star “stood over where the young Child was.” Stood?
Here is where a natural phenomenon might well have been timed by our Lord to participate in the announcement. Planets normally move eastward through the sky but regularly perform a “retrograde loop.” That is, as it approaches the opposite point in the sky from the sun, it appears to slow down, come to a full stop, and move backwards (westward). It reverses the course when nearest the sun and again appears to stop.
The Father may well have set the celestial clock on the day of creation to go off at this precise moment.
It is known that in 2 B.C. Jupiter performed a retrograde loop. The day, December 25, 2 B.C.
The writer of Hebrews (1:10) said of Jesus: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of your hands; they will perish but you will remain…”
Sir John Echols, a Nobel laureate in neurophysiology, said in Chicago in January, 1968, that for the right circumstances to have just evolved to produce life on planet earth the odds would have had to be 400 thousand, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion to one.
The existence of this solar system is no evolutionary accident it evidences divine order. The God who ordered it ordered one celestial body to guide the wise men. Likewise He has provided His Holy Spirit to guide us daily.
God’s timing is always right. It is in the events of our lives we need to let this event be a contemporary stimulus to our confidence in God’s time keeping.
B. The Scripture Vs. 5
Nearly 700 years earlier the Lord had inspired the prophet Micah (5:2) to identify the inconspicuous, insipid, innocuous village of Bethlehem to be the place of Christ’s birth.
The books of the Old Testament were written by 40 plus authors over 1500 years
Fulfilled prophecy is one thing our Lord uses to confirm the Bible as being Divinely inspired.
C. The Situation Luke 2: 1 “A decree from Caesar …”
God often uses unknowing and unwilling individuals to help guide us.
The 750th year of the founding of Rome coincided with the 25th anniversary of the rule of Caesar Augustus. In 2 B.C. Caesar Augustus ordered a census and enrollment throughout the empire. The Lord used this pagan to help fulfill the prophecy regarding where Jesus would be born, Bethlehem.
Where is He? Look for Him in the situations of life for they all can be used of the Lord to draw you to Himself.
II. THE DILEMMA VS.3 “HE WAS TROUBLED”
Finding Jesus still poses a dilemma for the secular mind.
III. THE DESIGNATION VS. 6 “A RULER, WHO WILL SHEPHERD”
He is to rule and shepherd in our lives. Dare we put Him back in the box and not allow Him these two offices in our lives?
This required the miracle of the virgin birth. Being born of woman assured Him of a human nature. Being conceived of the Holy Spirit assured Him of a divine nature. He was Immanuel, God with us.
Once there was a kind and decent person who just couldn’t believe in the miracle of the Incarnation. It didn’t make sense to him and he couldn’t pretend it did.
On Christmas Eve his wife and family went to church. It began to snow and he thought, “If we must have Christmas it’s nice to have snow.”
As he sat by the fire and read he heard thudding sounds against a window. It proved to be birds caught in the snow storm that were looking for shelter. He watched as they huddled in the snow knowing it would be their death bed. He thought, “How can I help them?”
Then he thought of his large warm barn. He dressed for the weather, trudged out to open the large doors of the barn, and turn on a light in the barn.
The birds wouldn’t respond. He then considered food, and sprinkled a trail into the barn. They just continued to flop around in the snow.
Next he tried shooing them into the barn. He only scattered them. He thought, “They consider me a strange and frightening creature. I can’t think of any way to make them trust me. If only I could be a bird myself and talk bird talk, I could guide them to safety.”
Then it dawned on him, “That is exactly why Jesus became a man. He became one with us that we might be one with Him.”
IV. THE DEDICATION VS. 11 “THEY PRESENTED GIFTS TO HIM, GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH”
We have enjoyed giving and receiving gifts this Christmas. Now that the season is over dare we quit giving. Are we going to put Jesus back in the box or let Him be the object of our worship to Whom we give ourselves?
A. Gold – is the gift for a king.
We must not lose sight of the fact Jesus is our King. We do not approach Him as equals, but as subjects.
It is said that British Admiral Lord Nelson earned the reputation for treating his vanquished opponents with the greatest of kindness and courtesy.
After a victorious naval battle the defeated admiral was brought on board. The defeated admiral, knowing Nelson’s reputation, approached him with hand outstretched as if to shake hands as an equal. Nelson’s hand remained at his side and he said: “Your sword first and then your hand.”
That is how we must come to our king. When we come in full surrender He becomes our friend.
B. Frankincense – the gift for a priest.
The Latin word for “priest” is PONTIFEX which means “bridge builder.” That is what Jesus is, our Great High Priest. He is the One who has built the bridge to the Father.
C. Myrrh – the gift for one who is to die.
What gift have you for Him. He asks for but one. In return for it He promises you everything worth having.
How to Experience a Renewal of Joy 9/27/98
Psalm 51:9-13
Page 840 Come Alive Bible
JESUS CHRIST redeems by His precious blood. When He saves us it is a once and for all time experience. However, there are many times in life when we need to be refreshed and revived.
Remember the last time you were real hot, thirsty, and tired. Recall when you found a comfortable and cool place to sit and sip deeply of cool water. What a sensation! Reflect on that wonderful feeling.
An experience more exhilarating than that awaits those who are spiritually in need of revival.
Historically revival always begins with prayer.
God wants to mature you through prayer. Matthew 15: 21-28 illustrates this.
A woman cried out to Jesus, “Have mercy on me…my daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
Jesus seems to ignore her. The disciples said, “Send her away.”
The woman persisted, “Lord, help me.”
Jesus seemed to insult her by what appeared to be a put-down: “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
He did so in order to give her the opportunity to show her desire and persistence. She did and replied, “True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ tables.
Having given her an opportunity to mature in her faith, Jesus rewarded her by saying, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.”
Great must have been her joy!
Scripture says, “The joy of the Lord is thy strength…” Question: “how strong are you?”
A haze hangs over America as private immorality is focused upon publicly. Self-exoneration and public apathy regarding improper conduct gives cause for consternation. Why do so many people condone immoral actions. The answer is found in a scenario incorporated in Romans 1. It is basically this: You approve of my sin and I will applaud yours. A reversal of that is, “I’m not going to condemn anyone for fear someone might condemn me.” Much of the public response indicates many have sin in their lives about which they are apprehensive. If so how should one respond to it? Let’s search a poignant passage for the answer and apply it in order that conscience might be free and joy abound.
God doesn’t want us to come face to face with our sin and go away remorseful over guilt but rejoicing over grace.
King David had sinned. Under the convicting energy of the Holy Spirit he knew he needed to forsake his sin. An interesting, often overlooked aspect of sin, is that at the time a person is involved in it there is a sense of it being right. Wonder of wonders is that a person’s mind can be changed and a sense of the sinfulness of sin awakened. That happened to David. What he did in committing adultery with Bathsheba seemed enjoyable. What he did in having her husband killed seemed plausible. Both sins were self-excused. His self-excusing was his third and equally as evil sin.
Sin is a defect in character which remains until the character is altered. When character is altered then a genuine abhorrence for sin results. A “what have I done” mentality emerges. It is at this point repentance begins.
Realizing the sinfulness of sin David prayed, “Do not cast me away from Your presence” (Vs. 11a).
The word for “repent” is not METAMELIA, which means to feel sorry for what has been done. Judas felt sorry for betraying Christ and hanged himself.
The Greek word translated “repent” is METANOIA, which means to have a change of heart. Be sure your repentance is deep and absolute and not an attempt to buy God’s favor. It is to seek His forgiveness and that is the biggest of favors. Repentance is a change of inner attitude, not just outward actions.
This very apparently happened to David. His broken heart did not contain any excuses for his sin. He made no effort to tone down the seriousness of it or to blame anyone else. He accepted the fault as his. He spoke of it as “my transgressions,” “my iniquity,” and “my sin.”
There was none of the “Bathsheba, sinned also,” or “If Uriah had done what I told him to I wouldn’t have had to have him killed.”
Realizing his sin David prayed – – –
“CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD…” (Vs. 10a)
Download I John 1:9 and store it in your memory. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
“RENEW A RIGHT SPIRIT IN ME…” (Vs. 10b)
This is a plea to charge his spiritual battery. The reasons for his improper spirit are often paralleled by our preludes to sin. They are revealed in II Samuel 11: 1ff.
I. THE CAUSES FOR A WRONG SPIRIT
A. LETHARGY
“…at a time when kings go out to battle … David sent Joab … But David remained in Jerusalem” (Vs. 1c). He wasn’t where he should have been. He should have been with his army.
This was a case of “Here am I — send him.”
When we get out of place we get out of God’s will.
B. LAZINESS
“one evening David arose from his bed” (Vs. 2a). What was he doing sleeping late? He was out of sync. He wasn’t where he ought to be, and he wasn’t doing what he should have been doing.
C. LUST
“…he saw a woman bathing…” It is amazing how many sins are introduced by the word “saw.”
Lust comes in a variegated bouquet. There is lust for power, possessions, position, prestige, and praise.
II. THE CONDITIONS OF A RIGHT SPIRIT
We are saved by grace, kept by grace, and can only be renewed by grace. We can’t lose our salvation but we can lose the joy of our salvation.
A fellow went to a barber shop wanting a shave. He had never seen anyone shaved by a barber but thought it would be different. His barber’s name was Grace. She did a super job giving a smooth clean shave. When he asked how much he was amazed to learn it was $45.00. He thought that was excessive but paid.
The next day he looked in the mirror and didn’t need a shave. Each day for a week this happened. Finally he went back to see Grace. His pastor was in the shop and he asked his pastor if he had ever gotten a shave there. Being assured he had the man asked his pastor how long it was before he needed another shave. “I haven’t needed one have you?” “No and I don’t understand it.” “Well,” said the pastor, “the answer is easy. Once shaved always shaved when you have been shaved by Grace.”
Once saved always saved, but the joy can be lost — rejoice, it can also be restored.
A. LOVING
“… do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51: 11c & 12a).
The right spirit is the Holy Spirit. David’s spirit was one of humility. GOD NEVER REVIVES A PROUD PEOPLE.
One new convert exclaimed, “I am happier now when I am not happy than I was before when I was happy.”
Galatians 5: 22 lists “joy” as part of the fruit of the Spirit. One exuberant believer was described: “He must go to heaven every night because there is no other way he could be so joyous every day.”
Joy is the banner that is flown over the castle of the heart when the King is in residence.
B. LIBERATING
“… uphold me with Your generous Spirit…” (Vs. 12).
C. LONGING
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart — These, O God, You will not despise” (Vs. 17).
David’s personal revival brought him HOPE. It does the same for us. It gave him a sense of
HOLINESS. Holiness means set apart. He set himself apart for the use of the Lord.
David prayed for three things:
A “pure heart” (Vs. 10a).
A “steadfast spirit” (vs. 10b).
The “joy” of his salvation (vs. 12a).
OBEDIENCE. He said, “Then will I teach transgressors thy way” (Vs. 13a).
Let me digress to say that in this day in the life of our nation and the ministry of the church there needs to be a revival of commitment to our reason for being as illustrated by an event in the un-civil Civil War. Our community has streets named for such generals of the war as Cheatham, Hood, and Cleiburn.
During a heated period of the war General Hood relieved General Johnston. The first thing he did was send his adjutant to find General Cheatham. The adjutant returned and reported him killed in action.
General Hood then sent for General Evans. After his search the adjutant returned and reported him missing in action.
General Hood then sent the adjutant with this message to General Cleiburn: “Give him my love and tell him I require his hand at the fort at the locust grove.”
Upon receiving the message General Cleiburn stirred in his saddle, raised his saber and to his forces shouted, “First Missouri brigade, to the fort at the locust grove, C-H-A-R-G-E!”
When the fury of the battle was over General Cleiburn reported to General Hood. He dismounted and with dignity said, “Sir, I am pleased to present to your hand the fort at the locust grove.”
One day we will stand before our Commander after having received orders in our earthly spiritual warfare. How will we report. “We were on leave.” “We had some quarrels in the company we had to settle.” “We ….” Or, “Lord, I am pleased to present to your nail scarred hand the sphere of influence you entrusted to me.”
Will we present to His hand the conquest of the charge given us?
POWER. He had the power to love as His Lord loved. The power to overcome sin.
EVANGELISM. “And sinners shall be converted to You” (Vs. 13b).
Having the joy of his own salvation restored and knowing how wonderful it is, the Psalmist wanted others to have the same joy therefore he sought to bring people to the Lord. We who enjoy our own salvation want others to have the same joy.
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.”