Come Out the Wilderness

I am leaning on the Lord, who died on Calvary. Tell me, how did you feel when you come out the wilderness? Tell me, how did you feel when you come out come out the wilderness, leaning on the Lord? Did you love everybody when you come out the wilderness? Did you love everybody when you come out, leaning on the Lord? Did your soul feel happy when you come out the wilderness? Did your soul feel happy when you come out, come out the wilderness, leaning on the Lord? ~ From “Come Out the Wilderness” #416 in the United Methodist Hymnal

 

            The words above are adapted from the African American hymn. I shortened the repetitions in order to keep the main points visible and to save some space.

 

            I have completed the recent series of sermon messages about the wilderness wanderings of God’s people in the Bible. I feel sure that Shiloh’s journey toward the Promised Land is far from complete though. The premise of the series was predicated upon the idea that we were forced out of the church building and all of the comfortable routines we’d taken for granted there, much like the Israelites who left Egypt behind so that they could remember who they really were.

 

As we stayed home and learned to be the Church without a building, we saw ourselves reflected in the stories of the wandering Israelites and the seven churches of Revelation. Even while we returned to the building and some familiar practices, it became apparent that we could not go back to Egypt and that we aren’t all ready for the Promised Land. Egypt represents the old, comfortable, lukewarm religion and the Promised Land represents the narrow way of persevering faith and duty to Christ that makes us in the world, but not of the world. Living the Way of Promise will require joyful acceptance of discomfort and separation from worldly friends and others.

 

Training for the Promised Land requires discipline and devotion. It means we will genuinely desire to “be disciples, seek disciples, and change the world.” Compromising will gradually diminish, and our hearts will hurt when we choose the flesh over Christ. We will always lean on the Lord and love others for His Name’s sake. Freedom from sin and death; freedom from slavery to money and possessions; freedom from social obligations and status, and freedom from the tyranny of the temporary will fill our hearts with infectious joy.

 

Tell me how you feel as you come out the wilderness. What will it be like to see the Promise just ahead? To know that Christ is ready to reward you for faithful devotion to His Kingdom – the Kingdom that has no end.    

The Pillar of Cloud and Fire

Wandering in the Wilderness: The Pillar of Cloud and Fire

Sunday, July 5, 2020   

Revelation 2:1-7 (1218)

Introduction  

             It has been said that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” because dogs and most other creatures, even human beings, become set in their ways as they grow older. Therefore, when radical change is needed the hardest part is the un-learning of old attitudes and behaviors. Some never do and they suffer the consequences. Israel’s reality was that they had escaped slavery to Egypt, but they were destined to return if they did not unlearn their old culture and embrace God’s leadership of their new lives. Can you relate to this? Perhaps a physician has informed you that, if you do not change your habits you will die prematurely and cause hardship for your loved ones. The sobering truth can provide motivation, but it will require dedication and consistent effort to live in a new way.

 

The Pillar and Cloud

            As the people left “the place of shelter” – that’s what Sukkoth means – and moved to the edge of The Wilderness God became visibly present to them in a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. As the people moved further from the familiar and closer to the unknown the Lord became more observable.

As Midwesterners, it’s easy to imagine something that looked like a tornado. It would have been terrifying and fascinating all at the same time.

            Why did God prepare them for war? Why did God prevent them from fighting the Philistines? It must have been entertaining to watch slaves who’d never been soldiers preparing for war against the likes of the Philistines; fierce warriors who worshipped Satan. God knew they were not ready for war, even that they would never be ready if they didn’t learn to completely trust God. Yet, God prepared them to defend their new life under God’s authority. If they didn’t want to go back to Egypt, they would have to fight for their freedom. If not the Philistines, then what? The constant complaints and descent of some of their own would have required strong resistance. Courage and determination were required to overcome their ignorance and fear. While God moved ahead of them into the wilderness the people would have to fight to keep up and resist the urge to give up.

 

Conclusion

            As the people left Egypt behind them, they had to fight the true enemy of new life in the Promise of God – the enemy’s name is “comfort.” The people quickly realized that, as much as they hated being enslaved by their masters, they could at least count on an ugly kind of comfort. Their days consisted of predictable routines, familiar surroundings, food and shelter, and a predictable oppressor. Then, when they entered the wilderness they were challenged to obey and even love their new Master and to depend upon Him for all of their needs. The people learned that faith requires discomfort; that embracing the wilderness requires courage to engage what one fears.

            It’s hard to believe, but most of the people who left Egypt in those days would not make it to the Promised Land because they never realized that their need for comfort was far more oppressive than their Egyptian masters. The current wilderness wandering of our Shiloh family presents us with the same challenges and maybe even the same outcomes. Who will surrender to God’s authority and follow the cloud and pillar? Who will fight the enemy of comfort and courageously let go of those who will not?

 

This Light of Mine

Hebrews 10:1 ~ The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.

Hebrews 10:9-10 ~ Then he [Christ] said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

            I arose much earlier than usual today in order to keep a pre-dawn appointment. I had a vague recollection of a dream in which I was walking through a bleak, midwinter forest. The sky was dark grey, and the trees stood like stark, giant black twigs in shallow snow. I was apparently meditating comfortably unaffected by the cold. I don’t recall what I was praying about, but I clearly remember speaking aloud as something like an epiphany came to me. “My salvation and holiness are present realities!” I said. “The Kingdom is here and now. In and through me and other Christians.”

            Honestly, I don’t know that the dream was anything like “Jacob’s ladder” or the dreams of old men predicted by Joel. In fact, my proclamation was nothing new to me. I’ve believed it for longer than I can remember. Nevertheless, I understand that dreams are an expression of one’s subconscious mind. Even when dreams seem strange or silly, the emotions experienced are real.

            As I walked through the cold, dreary, fruitless woodland I was warm and able to see things clearly. I felt alone, but not isolated. I felt faithful but ineffectual. I took comfort in the silence and felt the words coming out of my mouth as easily as my breath. It occurs to me now that I reflect upon it, that I was the source of the dim light in the woods.

            I can’t claim any affinity with Christ’s proclamation described above, other than to say that I walk through my days saying, with less conviction and light than my Lord, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” I understand that His sacrifice and gift of the Spirit makes me able. As a pastor leading my Lord’s flock through the wilderness of COVID-19 and its consequences, I often feel the weight of the darkness and the bareness of the trees.

            I’ve been writing these devotions every Wednesday since the pandemic began to dramatically alter our lives. I’d hoped to provide a little light amid the wilderness. This morning I realized that I am doing His will to the best of my ability with the aid of His Spirit. I cannot make His sheep come to my light any more than leading a horse to water will cause it to drink. Neither can I make His sheep open their shutters and let their light shine. I can only carry His light in me and serve the Lord for the sake of my relationship with Him.

            What can you do for the sake of your relationship with Christ? Is He your King? Will you walk confidently through barren darkness, if only to be his holy vessel where you are?

Wandering in the Wilderness

Wandering in the Wilderness: Introduction

Sunday, June 28, 2020  

Numbers 14:20-38

Introduction

            Today we begin a new sermon series that deals with the peculiar times we are living through as individuals, families, communities, and as the Church. Solomon said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) While his words were given as an example of human folly, he reminds us that, without divine purpose, humanity will do the same things over and over again, but each time with newer knowledge (i.e. technology) than the last. Therefore, we can be sure that our times and circumstances are not unlike similar events of the past. The only difference is the lens through which we view them.

            In this series, we will look at our current events through the lens of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. We will see how the people of God routinely gave up their liberty within God’s grace and exchanged it for slavery to popular culture. We will see that God uses calamities to awaken those who can be stirred and to dispose of those who will not. It will be clear that God is sovereign, even using powerful, evil world leaders to accomplish God’s purposes. In Jewish tradition the story of the Exodus, the forty-year wilderness journey, and the entry into the Promised Land represent the struggle between devotion to the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of man.

 

The Exodus

God’s chosen people ended up in Egypt because of a seven-year famine. The people flourished under the leadership of their kinsmen, Joseph. He had become the second in charge of the country after the Pharaoh. However, Scripture informs us, “Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt” (Exodus 1:8), and soon, “the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites” (Exodus 1:12). Consequently, the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites for several centuries. The Egyptians “worked them ruthlessly” (Exodus 1:13). Eventually, God responded to their cries (Exodus 2:23-25) and sent Moses and Aaron to lead them out of Egypt. After suffering God’s wrath through the ten plagues that ended with the death of the firstborn males, Pharaoh agreed to release the Israelites.

After a dramatic departure that included the parting of the Red Sea and unprecedented annihilation of Pharaoh’s army, the people traveled toward the Promised Land where God would be their ruler and they were to live as God’s chosen. Along the way, God met with them on Mount Sanai and gave them the Law. God instructed the people in the ways of their new lives after deliverance and under God’s leadership. Upon their arrival at Kadesh Barnea, which bordered the Promised Land twelve spies were sent to survey the land and its people (Numbers 13:18-25). After forty days of exploration, the spies returned. Ten of them reported that, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. . . All the people we saw were of great size. . . We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes” (Numbers 13:31-33). Two spies, Joshua and Caleb gave a different report, saying that the God who already proved His power would bring those people down too. (Numbers 14:6-7) Nevertheless, the people lost heart believing the fearful reports of the ten. They rebelled and “raised their voices and wept aloud,” grumbling against Moses and Aaron, saying, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?” (Numbers 14:1-2

 

The Wandering

Read Numbers 14:20-38

            There are some significant points to observe when Moses pleaded with God saying, “Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.” First, consider the word, “iniquity,” which is defined as immoral or grossly unfair behavior. The word occurs 262 times in the King James Version of the Bible and it always means the same thing[1]. Iniquity is sometimes used to describe the behavior of Israel’s enemies and sometimes the people of God.

            Second, Moses’ plea subtly suggests that the people had been struggling with their Egyptian ways from the time they left. Certainly, the golden calf incident in Exodus 32 revealed it. But, why was God’s reaction different this time? It appears that God had no intention of populating the theocratic land of promise with faithless, worldly people. Egypt is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible as an expression of vain, flesh-indulging, worldly culture. It should be understood that the nine plagues visited exclusively upon Egypt were witnessed by the Israelites. Each plague proved God’s power and authority over pagan gods, worldly systems, and human vanity. The final plague afflicted all of the people, but the Israelites were saved by the sacrifice and blood of the unblemished lamb. God’s purpose was to establish God’s proper place in the lives of God’s people. The destruction of Egypt’s army represented God’s sovereignty over worldly vanity and power.

            The elders of Israel had become so steeped in the culture of Egypt, albeit as Egypt’s slaves, that they could not surrender their will to God. No matter what they saw, they could not give themselves entirely to the Lord. Even after forty years of waiting, Joshua was compelled to remind their descendants, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15)

 

Conclusion

            It has been said that it took three days for Israel to get out of Egypt, but it took forty years to Egypt out of Israel. It is true for us today too. It does not take long to realize God’s love and accept God’s grace, but it takes years to give up control and let God be your Lord. God is so adamant that God’s people would have new life under God’s rule that God assures destruction for those who return to Egypt. “Woe to those who run to Egypt for help, trusting their mighty cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the Holy One of Israel and consulting him.  In his wisdom, he will send great evil on his people and will not change his mind. He will rise against them for the evil they have done and crush their allies too.” (Isaiah 31:1-2)

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[1] Russell, J., & Cohn, R. (2012). Strong's concordance. Edinburgh: LENNEX.

To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

Well you pray to prosper and succeed but your flesh is something I just can't feed ~ Keith Green. “To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice”[1]

 

            I’ve been listening to songs that heavily influenced my spiritual upbringing lately. I became acquainted with Keith Green’s music when I was sixteen and newly transplanted from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Several fine young Christians embraced this lost newcomer and invited me to experience the things they loved. As you can imagine, there were other kinds of teenagers and temptations. Nevertheless, the Lord had a hand in this crucial point in my life – a fact for which I am unspeakably grateful.

 

            The contemporary Christian music industry was in its youth in those days too. As with most youth, there was a wild, reckless side of the new genre. Some entrepreneurial record producers saw a new stream of revenue and pressured Christian music artists to record the Christian equivalent of bubblegum-pop music. There were even non-Christian artists who went into the world of contemporary Christian music so they could leapfrog into secular pop music.

The producers were right about the potential of this fledgling market and millions of records were sold. But some Christian artists pushed back because they felt that God was calling them to use their gifts for his glory and not their own. Keith’s songs frequently called on the Church to resist the urge to satisfy the flesh so mainline record companies didn’t mind rejecting him. Eventually, a new Christian record label emerged so that songs like his could be mass distributed. As God’s hand continued to direct my paths, I began to see how shallow some of the music was and gravitated toward the likes of Keith Green.

 

Now, I’m sure your grateful for the little history lesson but wondering where I’m going with this. Or, maybe you’re already ahead of me. Perhaps you’ve deduced the parallel between the young Christian music industry and general Christian living. The temptation to “feed the flesh” is so powerful, and Christ’s enemy is so industrious that we can easily be duped into consuming bubble-gum Christian faith. We can be convinced to feel that our souls are healthy when our flesh is satisfied. Actually, feeding the flesh robs the soul of vital spiritual nutrition.

 

There are Spirit-filled tellers of truth-in-love calling from the wilderness like John the Baptist. They are like the prophets of old whose message was largely rejected because their hearers felt that prosperity was a sign of God’s favor. They evaluated their righteousness according to human cultural standards rather than according to God’s Word. When someone dares to suggest that our Lord cannot feed the flesh it’s infuriating because it sounds like he is putting limitations upon God as we have come to understand Him. Too often the starving flesh is not satisfied by our Creator according to expectations, so we remake the Lord into one who will. We deny who God is and create an image that meets our needs. Does that sound familiar? It’s what the Israelites did while Moses was upon the mountain and they created a golden calf to represent Yahweh. That my beloved is tantamount to worshiping Satan!

Here’s another line from the song I quoted above. Keith sang, “Well you speak of grace and My love so sweet – how you thrive on milk but reject My meat. And I can't help weeping at how it will be If you keep on ignoring My Word.”

 

Ask yourself this, “Have I been asking the Lord to feed my flesh?” When you pray, do you list a lot of things you wish God would do for you and those whom you love? It seems right to ask our Lord to fix, preserve, and heal, but to what end? What part of you will it feed? How will it serve the Lord? What if our whole religious paradigm is out of sync with God’s Spirit? These are hard questions to ask, aren’t they? What if I told you that you have the rest of eternity to sort it out if you’ve repented of sin and embraced the grace of God through Christ the Son. The Holy Spirit in you and around you is ready to guide you toward the truth. He waits patiently for you to throw out the bubble-gum Christianity and begin to hunger for real, eternal manna.

       

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[1] 1978 Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)

Birdwing Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Ears to Hear (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) CCLI License # 1252648

Don't Let Your Heart be Troubled

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. ~ 1 John 5:13-15

 

            This week’s encouragement message will focus on the fundamentals. Certain truths are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, no matter how complicated our lives may seem. I could write another message the reflects our shared awareness of many unsettling current events and circumstances, but there will be more of them next week. Today, we remember and affirm the following . . .

 

            When you believe in the name of Jesus, the Son of God, you have eternal life. What do you believe? You believe that, in Name of the Son of God, you have eternal life. It is in His Name that you have eternal life. Christ has vouched for you to His Father:

·      He has co-signed your loan;

·      Served as the principal reference on your resume;

·      He has offered Himself as collateral for your debt;

·      He has stepped in front of you and taken the bullet aim at you;

·      Christ has assured the Father that you are worthy of eternal life because Christ settled your overdrawn account with the Father.

 

If we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. When we ask, it must be in keeping with His divine wisdom, purpose, and timeframe. That being said, we can know that He hears us and that we already have what we’ve asked for. This truth in love from Pastor John the Apostle subtly reminds us that Jesus is Lord. That is, He is the boss. We have believed in our salvation through Him and now we must honor Him by submitting our ego, soul, and flesh to His authority. Therefore, His will is the only way.

 

There is peace in these truths for every Believer if he/she will speak and do according to faith in Christ our King. Therefore, do not let your hearts be troubled. Remember, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.”