Scripture Reflections – August 2024
8/31/2024 Good morning,
We began our reflection on Psalm 115 last time with verses 1-3 and the themes of giving glory to God, humbling ourselves, and recognizing God is sovereign, doing as He pleases. Let’s check out verses 4-8.
Psalm 115.4-8, Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.
Their idols, that is, the idols of the nations are silver and gold. They are made by human hands, statues that have the appearance of mouths and eyes and ears, but they have no life. While some of this kind of idol worship still exists, the idols of today are less concrete than statues, but more along the lines of lovers of money or power or prestige. They are idols of the world set in philosophies, human wisdom, and political ideologies that are opposed to God’s wisdom and the truth of His Word. There is no gold statue to hold up for the world to see, but they are just as powerful and deceptive as the idols of the Old Testament.
What is still the same today is verse 8, those who make them become like them. You are what you eat. You are what you worship. You are what you love and cherish and fear. Those who trust in power become empty vessels without life. Those who seek fame believe themselves to be of great importance to the world when they achieve some modicum of fame. We see it all the time in celebrities who think we care about their opinions of all things political or woke ideologies. We see it also when some of them quote Scripture without any idea what that Scripture means, for they see God’s Word as a means to feed their false idols using God’s Word in trite and deceiving ways. (Reminds me of Satan trying to tempt Jesus in the wilderness with Scripture.)
There is only one God, the living God of the Bible and all others are false gods, idols without life and without the ability to create or sustain life. They can do nothing at all, not even clear their throats.
I find this similar to what Jesus taught about knowing people their fruit (Matthew 7.15-20). Psalm 115 also speaks to recognizing people by the characteristics of what or who they worship. The more we know Scripture and the deeper we understand the depth of God’s Word, the easier it is to spot the false prophets of the false gods and the idol worshipers who trust in vain things of this world, the things that do not possess or give life.
Pastor Ed
8/29/2024 Good morning,
Psalm 115.1-3, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ 3Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”
I spend a lot of time in the Psalms and people ask me quite often, why? Well, it’s not that the Psalms are any more inspired or “better than” any other Scripture. I suppose part of it is that these writings are the prayers of God’s people. They cover most, if not all, of life’s situations we may face and give rise to help us pray when we do not know what to pray. I’m simply drawn to the Psalms and the more I read and reflect in these chapters, the more I am drawn all over the Bible. There’s more to say on that, but let’s move on!
Psalm 115 begins with giving glory to God and not taking glory for ourselves. This is a most humbling characteristic of the Christian life. We are seeking in every success and in every sphere of life to give God the glory. Verse 1 also gives the reason we give God glory, because of His steadfast love and faithfulness. He is loving and faithful. There is none like our God. He is the epitome of love and faith. We see this throughout Scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ.
The next two verses turn to the nations who mockingly ask “where is their God? Our God is in the heavens and He will do what He will do. The sense here is that the nations will one day see the God of love and faithfulness because one day judgment will come upon them and those who have feared the Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven while those who have mocked God will know the wrath of God. The nations, as we will see in the next section of the Psalm (coming soon), do not worship God, but worship false gods, idols of wood and stone.
So then, the Psalm gives us themes to ponder, characteristics to pursue, and words to pray.
Themes: 1 – humble before God, give Him the glory, know His love and faithfulness. 2 – nations tend to mock God rather than honor Him, 3 – God is free to do as God chooses and will do just that!
Characteristics: A – Be humble, giving God the glory by praising His name and giving thanks to Him. B – Trust in God and not in nations!
Prayer: Lord, help us to give the honor and glory to You in all things. Help us to understand why nations and people would ask such a question of Your presence or existence. Give us the wisdom and words to lead others to know that You are God, loving and faithful, living and active, and there is none like You. You, O Lord, are in the heavens and You do as You please. We are grateful for who You are and what You have done in Christ. In His name we pray. Amen.
Pastor Ed
8/28/2024 Good morning,
Psalm 94.18-19, When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. 19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
Psalm 94 begins with prayer for God to judge the evil ones. Often the Psalms will speak of the enemies of God surrounding the Psalmist and the Psalmist takes refuge in God. When we read these two verses in Psalm 94 we might first consider that context of being surrounded by evil people, for example, those who “crush Your people” (94.5). That is most likely the literal situation that is addressed in 94.18-19. But, this is also an instance where a reinterpretation is valid for other concerns where God may hold us up by His steadfast love. I think about “enemies of life” like sickness or injury, financial hardship, or temptations that may cause our feet to slip. The wicked can certainly be considered an enemy, but so too is anything that seeks to diminish the life God has willed for those who fear Him. Verse 19 speaks of the cares of our hearts which could mean a multitude of things beyond wicked enemies. It may simply be our cares for those we love who are traveling, a period when we are going through a rough time, dealing with loss, making sure the family is safe, etc. Cares of life in general are a part of what this could mean: monthly cares for food, not forgetting to pay a bill, meeting an expectation, or not being late for an appointment (i.e. Tee Time!).
In all the cares of our hearts, we pray that the Lord will hold us up and console our souls. It is a means to eliminate anxiety, to nurture trust in God, and to let not our hearts be troubled (John 14). The Psalmist is already affirming that God has done this, “Your steadfast love held me up”. In one sense this is a prayer of gratitude for what God has done. It is a confession of faith that proclaims “Your consolations cheer my soul”. What a blessing to have God’s consolation to cheer the soul! That, I believe, is the deepest joy one can experience. It is the shalom of wholeness and the blessing of the counsel of God. What a blessing to have the support of God’s steadfast love. There is no greater blessing than living in the knowledge of God’s love for us that upholds us through all the cares of this world.
Pastor Ed
8/27/2024 Good morning,
Sunday 9/1, I will be preaching from Nahum 1.1-15. This prophetic book takes up another chapter in the history of Nineveh. In Jonah we saw the repentance of Nineveh and they were spared the destruction God had intended for them. Nahum is several generations removed from the time of Jonah and Nineveh is again under the indictment of God for their evil works. I suppose they have forgotten their history and have fallen back into sinful ways. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a nation that was used by God to enact His judgment upon Israel’s sin. I will highlight three verses for our consideration.
Nahum 1.3, The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
This verse is another reference from Exodus 34.6-7. Jonah 4.2 also makes reference to Exodus 34. In Jonah’s narrative, God shows His great mercy as Nineveh repented of their sin. In this generation, during the time of Nahum, Nineveh will see the emphasis on God not clearing the guilty and Nineveh will be destroyed.
Nahum 1.7, The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
Here is a great affirmation of the goodness of God, whether showing mercy or pronouncing judgment, God is good. God is true to His holiness. God is faithful to His character and personality, and the good news for all who trust in Him is that God is a refuge in times of trouble. We can count on God’s protection and provision in all the perils of life.
Nahum 1.15a, Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace!
Who is this who brings good news and publishes peace? While this phrase “the feet of him” would have included any messenger who brought good news to a king or kingdom, ultimately, the blessing is realized in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! He is the Prince of Peace. The apostle Paul renders this verse as: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10.15) Jesus, who preached good news, who published peace, He is the One who has revealed and fulfilled the saving grace of our God. Good news! Be blessed in that good news.
Pastor Ed
8/26/2024 Good morning,
Proverbs 1.20-22 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs confirms there are several groups who reject wisdom. Verse 22 points to the simple ones, the ignorant, those who refuse to move beyond their current understanding. These might be youths who have little experience but think they know more than they really do.
Next are the mockers or scoffers who snub their noses at wisdom. They ridicule the Word of God and make fun of any who follow God’s Word. These could be the know-it-alls who believe they know everything and are willing to tell you what they think they know.
The third group consists of the fools who hate knowledge. They are saturated by the ways of the world; they live by the whims of society and every fad that comes along. They live by the latest YouTube video and are easily swayed from one ideology to another.
We have probably been among one or more of those groups in our lifetime. In our youth we are like simple ones, unaware of just how much we do not know. Perhaps we acted as a scoffer at some time, thinking we know more than our neighbor, or even a foolish follower of the world’s wisdom, thinking that the latest insights from an “expert” on any given subject will give us the answers we need for life.
The wisdom of Proverbs teaches us that we are always growing, always able to increase in wisdom. There is more to learn out of our simplicity (group 1), a greater depth to be gained than our scoffing (group 2), and a bigger perspective that will exceed our foolish lack of knowledge (group 3).
Wisdom calls us to repent! “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you” (Prov 1.23). Repent from the ignorance, scoffing, and rejection of knowledge. I see this as a humble move to examine ourselves and what we think we know. Humble one’s self before the wisdom of God. It is a call to meditate on God’s Word daily so that we might experience the pouring out of Spirit and Word to empower our growth in wisdom. What a powerful promise to have Words of wisdom made known to us. May God grant us this wisdom, God’s truth, God’s Word.
Pastor Ed
8/20/2024 Good morning,
This coming worship service will take us into the book of the prophet Micah. Micah was a country boy who preached at the same time as Isaiah. I will be preaching on three texts from Micah for a good old fashioned three point sermon.
The indictment and judgment, Micah 1.3, “For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.”
What is good and required, Micah 6.8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
The good grace of God, Micah 7.18-20, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.”
The prophets have these common themes of calling people to repent, calling them to seek the Lord and walk with Him, and revealing God’s incredible mercy and grace. His deep love opens to us the forgiveness of sin. As we walk this life with the Lord in this darkened world, we need to recall these themes daily: examining ourselves so that we confess our own sins, seeking the Lord in His Word, in prayer, in worship and fellowship, and giving thanks for the cleansing blood of Jesus that washes away our sins. Give thanks to the Lord! Praise God.
Pastor Ed
8/19/2024 Good morning,
Today’s reflection is a reminder of why we started this journey together on February 5, 2024. On that first email I wrote, Having preached on “Living God’s Word to Make Disciples”, and having emphasized a “million” times for us to be engaged in the Word of God, I’m going to attempt an occasional email reflection in the Word with the hope of making all of us faithful to engage (the Word) more frequently.
Psalm 119.1-8 is a great place for that reminder.
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
The first three verses are promises of blessing and remind me of the beatitudes, “blessed are those…” In this case blessed are those who are blameless, that is, faithful to walk in God’s law, keeping His testimonies, seeking Him with all our heart, doing no wrong, and living in all of God’s ways. That is a tall order for our frail human capabilities. But here is truth, we are not seeking obedience to this way of life on our own strength. God has given us His Word to help us and strengthen us to live this particular way. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us into a walk that is faithful to seek God, to seek His kingdom and righteousness. Jesus exemplified the way we are to conduct our lives by how He lived on this earth.
Verse 4 then gives the reason for keeping commandment – because God has commanded it! There you go! Simple. We are commanded to keep His Word.
The condition and result of walking with God is blessing (1-3). The reason is out of obedience to what has been commanded (4). A prayer comes in verse 5, “Oh that my ways be steadfast in keeping Your statues.” When that prayerful way of life is sought and kept, then…(6-8), no shame, eyes fixed, praise offered, learning the Bible, obedience, and a final plea in prayer – “don’t let me go!”
As usual I encourage us to note the active verbs, walk 2x, keep 4x, seek, praise, learn (to note a few). I want to highlight one phrase in particular, “having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments.” We cannot have our eyes fixed on worldly things in the sense that those things lead our lives. Yes, we do have to concentrate on the things we need to do while in the world, but that which leads to life is found only in God’s Word, His commandments, statutes, testimonies, and rules. We fix our eyes, we set our life toward this Word. I am reminded of lessons in bike riding or motorcycle riding, fixing our eyes on the road ahead is crucial because our eyes will lead our bodies to a particular spot. If we fix our eyes on an obstacle ahead, we will head directly to that obstacle. So we learn to fix our eyes on the road to avoid the obstacles. Another example is to fix our eyes on the ball in sports. See the ball in order to hit the ball or catch the ball. How many times have you seen that receiver who dropped the ball because he took his eyes off the ball? We fix our eyes on God’s commands in order to live in God’s ways of truth and love and grace and all the attributes of being like Jesus. This is why I think it is important for all of us to be in God’s Word, to fix our eyes on this Word, so that we may walk/live in faithful obedience to the glory of God and keep His command to keep His Commandments! May we fix our eyes on His Word today and everyday.
Pastor Ed
8/15/2024 Good morning,
1 Timothy 6.2b-10 Teach and urge these things. 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Godliness (verse six) is revealed in verse three, “sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness “. There are those who would not hold fast to the Word of God then and the same is true today. They will not abide by the sound words of Jesus and they will teach different doctrines that reflect the world more than Christ. It was true then and is true today. There is nothing new under the sun. Our task as the church is to keep the Word of God as it keeps us. Abide in the Word as it abides in us. Live the Word and it lives in us. This is godliness.
Godliness is paired with contentment. This is another term the world hates. Consumerism seeks to sell us the notion that we should never be content with what we have. Food and clothing, yes, we have that, more than enough, but the world wants us to want more, more food, more clothing, more and better, more of everything. In the end, Paul wants us to see that the love of money or the love of possessions or the love of anything in the world is a root of all kinds of evils. Those cravings may lead us to wander away from the faith and suffer many pangs in the process. We live in a society of abundance and the “first world” problem of wanting more. The mantra of the world – “never be content”. Will we be content with what the Lord has provided? Will we seek to curb our desires through godliness? These are questions we might need to ask ourselves daily.
Pastor Ed
8/13/2024 Good morning,
We are currently in a series on the minor prophets and how they point us to Jesus Christ. This Sunday we will be in the book of Jonah.
Jonah 3.1-5, Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
This is one of those rare portions of Scripture known by Christians and non-Christians. Perhaps that was more true sixty years ago when the culture had some connection with Christianity and the Bible. People knew about Jonah in the belly of a whale. They once knew something about Psalm 23 or John 3.16 or at least how to misquote things like “money is the root of all evil”. (It’s the love of money that is a root, but I know you knew that!)
Jonah has much to offer on topics like repentance, obedience, and the far reaching nature of God’s mercy (beyond just Israel). Jonah was unwilling to answer God’s initial call to go to Nineveh and call out their evil. Instead, Jonah fled which led to the whale encounter! In chapter three God calls again to Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah responds in obedience this time and God works His grace and mercy in the city as the king calls all the people to repent before God. Sometimes we fail to respond to God. It may take us a time of “whale belly time” before we will submit to God’s call to something He desires for us. But, God still called Jonah a second time. He kept after him to go to Nineveh. God saw the people of Nineveh repent and He did not bring disaster upon them. But, Jonah was not happy about it. That may seem strange to us, but sometimes we also know people we might think could never repent of their sin. But God… But God… what a great pair of words, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2.4-5). God works miracles! God works His grace and mercy and love in the lives of those whom He has chosen and our responsibility is to respond in obedience to “go to Nineveh”, to go to the lost and tell them about Jesus. “Go therefore, and make disciples…”
Pastor Ed
8/12/2024 Good morning,
Psalm 62.1-2, 5-6, For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken…5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
For God alone…these three words offer a complete statement of faith. This is where we place our trust, faith, hope, devotion, in God alone. It is God only, no other. “You shall have no other gods before me” (Deuteronomy 5.7). This faith is set because God alone is our salvation in Jesus Christ. He is our rock giving stability for life. He is our fortress of protection and safety. The first verse is literally, “Only to God”. The voices of other forces seeking our trust are powerful but the Psalmist has found the safe One, the safe place to rest, only in God. We might think of that trust in modern terms as placing trust not in technology, not in consumerism, not in politics, not in finance, not in human wisdom, but only to God will we apply our faith and trust. This is a good phrase to carry throughout the day…”For God alone…”
Note how verse one relates a circumstance that is already at work, my soul waits in silence, but in verse five it is in the form of a request or command, “O my soul, wait in silence”. There is something going on like an inner dialogue between the mind and the soul. Perhaps this is a reflection of the turmoil of verses 3-4 where an attack is about to bring the Psalmist to collapse. Verse five reminds us to wait on the Lord alone, especially in times of crisis. The beginning of the Psalm denotes a time of quiet rest found only in God, then trouble comes (3-4), and we are encouraged to hope in God alone (5). “O my soul, wait…for my hope is from Him.”
One more note: why “greatly shaken” in verse two and only “shaken” in verse six? This may be a strengthening of faith that moves from the hope of not being greatly shaken to not being shaken at all (a thought from Christopher Ash, The Psalms, 141). This maturing faith leads the Psalmist to encourage us in verse eight, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” I would also encourage that trust! So, pour out your heart before God.
Pastor Ed
8/8/2024 Good morning,
1 Timothy 4.6-10, If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
I have been in some sort of athletic training since I was about eight years old in Pee Wee football. That training was more disciplined during the years in football all the way through college and a couple of years following. Interest and age slows the training down a bit! “Training” is a word that Paul utilizes when charging Timothy about God’s Word and sound doctrine. The training in these areas include nothing of what Paul describes as irreverent, silly myths. It is training in God’s Word for the sake of godliness, seeking to become more like Jesus Christ. Training in such a way, like in sport, requires discipline, effort, energy, commitment, just to name a few attributes. It is a different kind of mental and spiritual (but somewhat physical) training than weight training or running. Paul notes that spiritual training is of greater value than bodily training because the physical will one day pass away, but the spiritual is eternal. The goal and the motivation for such training is our hope set on the living God. We strive not just for knowledge about God but for an intimate relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. We train ourselves for obedience, for endurance, for gratitude, and all that the Bible reveals to us about God and ourselves and the gospel. As we examine our lives, are we set on that hope to the point that it drives our training toward godliness? Are we regularly reading the Bible, attending worship, fellowshipping with other believers, seeking to practice disciplines of faith? It does indeed require physical energy and discipline to train for godliness. But the rewards are even greater than any medals or trophies or physical gains. May we know the joy of the Lord who is our strength and our hope.
Pastor Ed
8/7/2024 Good morning,
1 Tim 4.1-5 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
I don’t always know what to say about such things, but just before reading these verses I had read an article about how leftist woke groups with plenty of money have infiltrated various evangelical churches and leaders. Here I find myself reading a similar warning from Paul to Timothy and us that some will depart from the faith. It may happen through deceitful spirits or demons or liars (or groups with plenty of money to infiltrate churches). Such are those who depart from the Scriptures to teach doctrines that twist God’s Word into something it does not say and influence people to accept behaviors and dispositions that are against God’s created order.
In the case facing Timothy, people seemed to be teaching things that also went against God’s design – forbidding marriage and giving up foods that God created good. The affirmation Paul gives is that God’s creations are good, and most important, to be received with thanksgiving. This teaches us to have a heart of gratitude for all that God gives and promises to give. Verse 5 speaks of the power of God’s Word and prayer. It is through faith in the Word of God and the gift of prayer (requesting our daily bread) that all things from above, every gift of God’s creation, is sanctified for our use and provision. We pray for daily needs and we give thanks in receiving those needs. Word and prayer are thus intricately woven into our lives moment by moment. Thanks be to God.
Pastor Ed
8/6/2024 Good morning,
This coming Sunday I will be preaching in Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament. Obadiah confronts the nation of Edom who thought themselves better than other people specifically Israel. The Edomites were descendants of Esua. The descendants of Jacob became Israel. Just as Jacob and Esua did not get along very well, neither did their descendants. Obadiah brings a word of judgment upon Edom for their sins against Israel.
Obadiah 1.10-15, Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. 15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.
The violence and stealing of wealth came when Babylon sacked Jerusalem and the Edomites joined in. By the time we get to verse 15 we see Obadiah’s aim shift from Edom to all nations. God’s judgment will eventually come upon all prideful nations as judgment has come upon Edom. We might even consider how pride and arrogance will be the downfall of, not just nations, but individuals as well. Those who walk proudly in their sin, those who refuse to humble themselves before the Lord, those who do not repent and walk with God, upon them judgment will come. But, lest we forget, we must also examine ourselves, repent of our sins, and take our cross daily to follow Jesus (Luke 9.23).
Pastor Ed
8/5/2024 Good morning,
I want to touch on one more point from the last text sent from 1 Timothy 3.15, “…the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” One of the things that some church people and leaders have forgotten is that the church is a pillar and buttress of the truth. I (among others) have felt the weight of seeking to protect our denomination from the leftist lies about so-called Side B Christianity (what I call “homosexual light”). One of our Presbyteries, a regional collection of churches, is entertaining reception of a church and pastor who are Side B affirmative. (If you are unfamiliar with Side B, I recommend you check out any YouTube videos with Rosaria Butterfield. Here is one that addresses the topic, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsiSTC3UlE0&t=321s.)
What I want us to see in 1 Timothy is the importance of the church as a pillar and buttress of the truth. The church is the last bastion of truth. The world and the devil know this and are seeking every way possible to destroy the buttress of truth. But we know that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church (Matthew 16.18). I believe the truth of God’s Word should be interpreted in the traditional / orthodox / conservative / reformed manner (choose whichever word you like!) and therefore not polluted with the progressive woke nonsense that has already infiltrated some church bodies. How they can even claim to be “church” any more is beyond comprehension.
A pillar upholds the structure and a buttress gives stability. If we compromise the truth for the sake of befriending the world, the structure will crumble. If we abandon truth for the sake of being “missional”, then we have no mission. Jesus came full of grace and truth (John 1.14, 17) and we cannot forsake either. To do so is to diminish the witness of the church and that of the Gospel. To do so is to no longer be the body of Christ.
Pastor Ed
8/2/2024 Good morning,
1 Timothy 3.14-16, 14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Let’s focus on verse 16 and the mystery of godliness! Paul often speaks of the mystery of faith, but it is also a mystery that has been revealed. We spend much of our lives seeking to understand the mystery, things like the incarnation, the trinity, the sacraments. While we know much about these things and many others, there is still a mystery to them that requires a leap of faith. But it is a confident leap! Here the mystery is of godliness found in Christ who came in flesh, a man, the God-man. The Spirit gives testimony to His existence, work, presence, and so forth. He was seen by angels and His message has been and continues to be proclaimed on the earth. Multitudes have believed on and in Him. He was taken up in the ascension and will come again as He ascended. Such is the mystery that requires spiritual insight, 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Only by the Holy Spirit are we able to receive the mystery of godliness and faith and Word. It is the definition of faith, to walk by faith and not by sight. We do not know all things, but we believe all things pertaining to faith and God. He is the source of our hope and the ability to walk in the conviction of things not seen. Thanks be to God.
Pastor Ed
8/1/2024 Good morning,
1 John 2.15-17, 15Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Every day we have choices to make, mundane choices like what to wear or eat or what we must get done on our to do list, but we also have life giving choices to make. These are choices for God’s way of life or the world’s way (which is not really for life). John writes that we are to not love the world. His meaning of world in this context are the desires that are in the world and may encroach into or upon us. Will we make choices that advocate moving away from Jesus or toward Jesus? Will we choose to walk in the love of the Father or in the desires of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life or riches? The things of the world are connected to our desires, the things we see, that which appeals to the flesh, and the material riches of this life. What we choose to love is related to what we pursue. We are not to love selfishly what we can see (the desires of the eyes) or what we perceive through any of our senses (desire of the flesh) or what we possess (pride in riches). What we are called to love is the will of God, that is, to will God’s will in our life. We have a responsibility to set our will toward God. But we are not doing that on our own or by our own strength. Titus 2.11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions…” God’s grace, God’s favor, is training us to do away with love for the world and for worldly things. God’s grace is leading us toward the will of God and His will leads to eternal life (abiding forever). Let us set our minds to do His will and to seek His kingdom. His will in the simplest form is to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.
Pastor Ed
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