Martha's confession

In John 11 starting in verse 17, Jesus comes to the tomb of Lazarus. Martha heard that Jesus was on the way and goes out to meet him. Keep in mind that at this point her brother had been dead for four days. She had sent word to Jesus to come because he was sick. Most likely, by the time the message was received by Jesus, Lazarus had already died. Martha gives us one of the most powerful confessions in the gospels at one of the hardest times in her life. Jesus by all appearances has failed. At the same time, her brother is dead. Anyone that has lost someone close to them can tell you how painful this is. So maybe we can't fault her for her first words, which are in verse 21 "Lord", Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, my brother, would not have died."
Sounds in some ways like a criticism, but you don't see Jesus ridicule her for this. In fact, even in the middle of her complaint is a statement of faith. "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." It might be easy for us to think that she expected Jesus to raise him from the dead. I don't think that was actually the case. Even though she is a believer in the resurrection, she objects when Jesus tells them to roll the stone away. verse 39.
What then was she expecting of Jesus at this time? I've often wondered about that.
I don't know what Jesus was thinking any more than I know what Martha or Mary was thinking. I know what I would have been thinking. But, I haven't seen Jesus personally heal people who were born blind or lame or full of leprosy either. It is easy for us to transfer our reaction on the people in the Bible. But, I do know that Martha makes this wonderful confession of faith in the middle of her pain "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." verse 27. That's pretty powerful stuff. Nothing weak about it.
That doesn't mean that Martha had it all figured out. Later, at the cross, she was most likely watching again from a distance. Her confession appears to hold fast even to resurrection morning. The interesting thing about this is that often times it still appears as though God shows up late. It appears that God may be sleeping at the wheel. God doesn't respond like we think he should. He shows us four days late and a nickel short.     Forgive me if I sound harsh. It is hard to make sense of things sometimes on this side of heaven. Much like Job had trouble understanding the realities around him when he felt like he didn't deserve it. Some people seem to get the elevator and others the shaft. Maybe you feel that way too.
Being a believer doesn't mean we have it all figured out. It doesn't mean we always are having a good time. Contrary to the popular name it and claim it gospel, it doesn't mean we will always be happy or rich or appear wise. Remember Joseph?  Joseph was said to be a man who God was with, yet he was sold into slavery by his brothers and then falsely accused and sent to prison. Life is not always fair. Somehow it the middle of all this, I have to believe that God will someday make things right. God will someday bring things to an end. God will someday have the last word. It is good to know the one who sits on the throne.

The relevance of the Corinth church

I have read quite a few commentaries about different books of the Bible in recent years, particularly Warren Wiersbe, Wycliffe Bible commentary and others. Most describe the area around Corinth as brutal in its idolatry and immorality. Particularly, in regards to sexual immorality, the pagan temples had a large amount of temple prostitutes available. It was in this setting of immorality that the Corinth church grew.
Not only was it a setting where there was a lot of immorality, but also a culture where many different people groups collided. Corinth was a city of port. A city of trade and influence and it would not have been uncommon to hear different languages spoken in the city.
So, maybe it isn't surprising that this diverse and immoral area would find us looking at a church similiar in many respects to the churches today. Paul, among all of the problems he could mention first to them though, mentions the divisions among them Cor 1:10-12. Of all of the problems he wants to address first, he addresses their allegiance to other teachers and preachers and people besides Christ first. He could have mentioned lawsuits or sexual immorality or eating food offered to idols, but that isn't what comes first.
In that respect, maybe we should learn a lesson from what Paul stressed. Many of the churches in our country today have been divided or are in conflict. People get angry at a variety of things, sometimes just and sometimes not, and leave the church. People get their feelings hurt. Sometimes the culture in which we live that says, "The end justifies the means." becomes more important than whether or not we hurt each other.
I think one of the things that Jesus longs to see in His church today is Christlikeness. A pastor who I know died this last Sunday. I did not know him very well, but went to his church services several times. He was a missionary and a church planter and a visionary when it comes to working in the service of the Lord. He was also at times confrontational when it came to preaching. I can remember that he would say that "God is more concerned about your holiness than your happiness." Jesus seemed also to be concerned about his people and their holiness.
The church has lost a lot of its effectiveness today, I think in part because we have lost that desperate sense in which we are dependent on God for everything. No program or musical or fellowship or guest speaker can replace holiness and Christlikeness in God's people. For if God's people are going to do anything for Him it will be because they are like Him and not because they just heard about him.
The world is looking to see if we walk the talk. . .

an heir

I came upon this verse in Galatians today. "Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." I started to think about what it means to be an heir. Paul was saying that the law is our tutor to guide us to Christ. We are God's children, heirs with rights and privileges as family members. Sometimes we may chose not to use those rights or in our ignorance we may ignore the rights that we have, but nonetheless they are there.
Paul says I have the right to call out to God "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4:6 I may chose, as the prodigal son did to stray away from my Father, but that doesn't change the relationship, but only the fellowship. It changes my ability to hear him when I walk away from Him. It displeases him when we do things that He has told us not to do. I can't see God with a smile on his face when I knowingly walk away from Him anymore that I can image smiling up at watching a children play in highway traffic. You realize the danger your child faces in the light of what you know. The child may be ignorant of the danger or simply be stubborn, but the danger is there and the rules are there for his or her safety.
So Paul reminds us, you are not a slave. You have right and privileges. You have the right to go before God with some boldness. You don't have to act like a stranger. I remember a convention years ago in Dallas that I went to when the speaker said, "Most people try to do what they can and don't pray a whole lot till they get into trouble. Then, they rush into prayer and begin to pray to the point of spiritual hyperventiliating." We try to go on our own, playing in traffic sometimes, oblivious to the dangers, wanting to do things our own way. God patiently waits for us to realize that He is nearby and wants to hear from us.
"Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;" Heb 10:22-23

the mind of Christ

A few years ago, I did a study by T.W. Hunt called "The Mind of Christ". He talks about the difference between the mind of Christ and the natural mind. Just as Paul does here in 1 corinthians chapters 2-3. Paul says that as believers, we have been given the mind of Christ through the Spirit of God. God gives us the ability to understand the Scriptures through the Spirit. But, then we also see that as a believer you can still be fleshly and not spiritual when he speaks to them in chapter 3. The chapter starts this way,
"And I brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able." One of the signs of this spiritual infancy Paul says is that there is strife and jealousy in the body of Christ. The Corinthian church is described also in this book as complacent with sin in the church and allowing believers to sue each other. They are not of the mind of Christ. They cannot understand it at this point.
If anything, I think this serves as a warning to the church today. Much of the church is like the Corinth church. They are on milk and not solid food. The reason for it is that they have not applied what they have heard. They have grown apathetic in the things of God and comfortable with sin. Paul groups people in three groups in his writings. 1. natural. 1 Corinthians2:14 says that this person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God and cannot. Rather, it is foolishness to this person. 2. The spiritual. This is the person who is walking with the Spirit and is not indulging in the flesh. He is putting into practice what is heard. 3. The carnal, the babe in Christ. This is the Corinthian church. They are saved, but it is hard to tell. They enjoy the milk of the word.
My prayer for myself and anyone reading this is that you and I would press on to the meat of the word and grow up in our faith and not follow the multititude into spiritual apathy and neuropathy.

Politics and Jesus

I have been thinking about how Jesus would respond to our political climate today and what, if anything, he would say about this election? But, in thinking about that, I realize that his world at the time he was on earth was very different than mine, so this can only be my speculation. But, I have noticed that Jesus did not seem to say hardly anything about the Roman authorities over Israel during his day.
IN LUke 20:20-26, some men come to Jesus "pretending to be honest" and ask Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar. They want to capture Jesus in his own words expressing either support or denial of the Roman government. They think the question is a no win for Jesus. But, again, Jesus raises the question to another level, by saying, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." It seems clear that Jesus was thinking on a different level than these men. The kingdom that he was concerned about was His Father's kingdom.
This seems to come up over and over again. I think about how John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod. It seems to me like that would be a good opportunity for Jesus to make some comments about Herod or to express his anger in what happened. After all, they were related. Mary went to Elizabeth's house before Jesus or John were born. But, Jesus doesn't get distracted or lose his focus for a single moment.
Which leads to a question about what Jesus says. "Am I truly giving to God what is God's?" Furthermore, the thought about what is God's is important to. For it seems that we are His and everything about us. We owe him our very breath and everything we have and are. It is because of Him.

Worship and Sacrifice

I just read a really good sermon about worship by Bob Deffinbaugh at www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=438 In this message, he talks about words that define and describe what worship is. He says that worship includes humility, reverence and service. He notes that worship and service are often linked. It made me think about Cain and how God didn't accept his sacrifice and then also Ananias and Sapphira mentioned in Acts 5 who died because of their lack of reverence.
Then also the Lord's Prayer. When you look at it it means "Hallowed by Your Name." first and foremost before any requests or any thing is mentioned about men. In fact, the first half of the prayer is about God and His kingdom and not man at all. Jesus seemed to be preoccupied not with what we need in the prayer, though that is included, but about what is happening here becoming more like what is happening in the kingdom of God.
Rev.Deffinbaugh also mentioned that there is a response in worship. That it is a response is because God first revealed himself to us. We find out about who God is and what He is like. We can see what He has done in nature and read about His love for us in scripture. We can learn about heaven and what awaits the believer at the end of this life. So, then worship is a response, an adoration, a focus on something other than ourselves.
Worship defined by Rev. Deffinbaugh is "the humble response of regenerate men to the self-disclosure of the Most High God. It is based upon the work of God. It is achieved through the activity of God. It is directed to God. It is expressed by the lips of praise and the by the life in service."
Notice that it doesn't say that it is either loud or quiet, it doesn't say that it is contemporary or traditional. It doesn't say that it must include a drum set or loud preaching or speaking in tongues. It does seem to include as it did in the Old Testament the idea of sacrifice.
Romans 12:1 "I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to the is world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Hebrews 13:16 "And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifice God is pleased."

Worship in Spirit and Truth

I was looking at these verses John 4:23-24. "True worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth."
Keeping in mind that Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman, the woman starts an old argument with Jesus. Or at least she tries to. Where is the best place to worship? On this mountain or in Jerusalem? Jesus however doesn't fall for her trap, but rather lifts the discussion to a higher place, namely, what is worship really in the first place? What worship is acceptable in God's sight. So, first he defines who God is by saying that God is Spirit. Meaning, that God is not limited to this mountain or to Jersualem. It reminds me of what Solomon said in 2 Chronicles 6:18 "But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built." Solomon, at that moment, had it right. He understood that God is everywhere and isn't limited. That is part of what Jesus meant here.
Then, he says the Father seeks worshipers who worship in Spirit and in truth. This isn't to knock public worship or the worship service, but rather to look at what worship really is and is not. It is possible to go to "worship" for years and never truly worship. It is possible to bow and look religious and not truly worship. For Jesus, worship was a matter of the heart.
Adam Clarke makes this comment about worship from this passage, "a man worships in spirit, when, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he brings all his affections, appetites, and desires to the throne of God; and he worships in truth, when every purpose and passion of his heart, and when every act of his religious worship, is guided and regulated by the Word of God."
So, the question should be asked of the believer, "Am I truly bringing under the influence of the Holy Spirit my affections, appetites, and desires?" "Are these things brought under the Lordship of Christ?" "Or is there an elephant in the room that hasn't been spoken about?" "Is this surrender that I confess complete?"
So, true worship then is a great internal work. It is a work of the Spirit. It is a matter of the heart. It would appear to me that it is possible then to go through the motions of church and religion and love the religion rather than God. Or love the piety rather than God. Or even to love the Bible rather than God. Or to love the commands, and structure and power or anything else that the church or religion has to offer and not truly love God and not truly worship Him at all. Seem to me that this calls upon us to look into our hearts and ask ourselves what we truly worship.
"Do not love the world, nor the tings 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 and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever."
1 John 2:15-17