Sunday, May 31, 2009

Enemy Tactics

I've been reading in Job again lately. I'm continually struck at Job's persistent (and accurate) attributing of his difficult predicaments to the sovereign hand of God. Job is able to see that although the enemy of our souls is involved in the attack he is not able to run beyond the length of leash permitted him by the Lord.

I recently found a helpful quote on Ray Ortlund's blog. The quote is from William Gurnall on Job and the enemy's tactics:

"Leaving the first kind of fiery darts -- enticing and attractive temptations -- we now proceed to the second kind, those which fill the Christian with fear. It is only the power of faith that can quench these fiery darts.

This is Satan's weapon held in reserve. When alluring temptations fail, he opens his quiver and shoots these arrows to set the soul on fire, if not with sin then with terror. When he cannot carry a soul laughing to hell through the deception of pleasurable temptations, he will try to make him go mourning to heaven by this different kind of attack. It is a sure sign that Satan is losing. . . .

The arrows he shot at Job were of this kind. When God let the devil practice his skill, why did he not tempt Job with some golden apple of profit or pleasure? Surely the high testimony God gave about Job discouraged Satan from these methods. Satan had no tactic left but this."

-William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour

HT: RO

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Shock & Awe

Reading recently in Luke 5 I found myself struck again at the majesty of Jesus.

What was it that could cause Simon to plead with Jesus to leave him (v. 8)?

Here Jesus the professional carpenter now turned teacher suggests some fishing direction to Simon the professional fisherman. Simon is likely a little put off by this recommendation. Maybe Simon is thinking something like, "Maybe you should stick to teaching or building houses Jesus" as he reminds Jesus that he's been fishing here all night and has caught nothing. Yet Simon submits to the teacher's request.

It's interesting how submitting to the Lord's direction, no matter how much it does not make sense at the time, leads into marvelous displays of His glory. This is precisely what happens here as Simon is overwhelmed and overcome at the glory of Christ unleashed in this miraculous event. Once again Jesus pulls back a corner of the veil to reveal His magnificence and majesty. This otherworldly majesty is what catches Simon off guard, disarms him, and leaves him uncomfortably exposed to the Holiness of the Holy One.

Simon responds like any in his place would, "Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man." The encounter with the divine is terribly uncomfortable and troubling. Isaiah had a similar experience as he encountered the unhindered glory of the Lord he fell on his face and began to call down curses upon himself for his lack of holiness. Simon echoes Isaiah's terrors and his cries as he beholds but a glimpse of the glory of Christ.

Jesus is sensitive to the terror that is gripping Simon and He says, "Do not be afraid." This is the very same phrase that precedes the multiple Scriptural accounts of encounters with angels, who on the their appearing always encourage their terrified audience by telling them not to be afraid. Jesus follows up his encouraging words with a foretelling of Simon's new assignment, "from now on you will be catching men." He was telling Simon that just as He had arranged for Simon to become divinely effective and catch a great many fish so also He would arrange for Simon to become a new type of fisherman."

Luke 5:1-11
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Poisonous Pleasures and the Astounding Antidote

A countless multitude are listening intently to the chorus of society as it sings to them of an illusive satisfaction. The siren songs of the world are as varied as there are stars in the heavens. There are the not so subtle songs that lure many into the dangers that have been well marked out by society. And then there are the extremely subtle songs that entice multitudes into making the good pleasures in life into ultimate pleasures. These good pleasures turned upside down into ultimate pleasures are every bit as poisonous as the notoriously dangerous pleasures.

The evidence in our world of humanity poisoned by wrong pursuits is overwhelming. It is seen in the broken families, the overcrowded orphanages and prisons, the full parking lots at the bar on Saturday night, as well as in the full parking lots of many lifeless churches on Sunday mornings. As we walk through this life we are sick, wounded, confused, and so inundated by the poison that we often don't even realize it's there.

With my heart broken at the pain and destruction in the world around me, I am grateful for hope. For there is a hope that is a great medicine for this poisoned world. The antidote for those overcome by the poisonous pleasures of this world is to be awakened unto the Ultimate Pleasure - God Himself.

The Psalmists often wrote of this majestic delight in the God of the Universe. They wrote things like:

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 27:4
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

Psalm 73:25
Whom have I in heaven but you and on earth there is nothing that I desire besides you.

Psalm 19:7-11
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.


The greatest weapon against the poisonous pleasures of this world is the Ultimate Pleasure - the Living God.

Isaiah 55:2-3b
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009

it is HE...

Oh, can you not see? This is Job’s cry to his less-than-helpful friends, who in seeking to highlight the cause for all of Job’s calamities can only point fingers at Job. Oh, can you not see that He reigns over all and nothing happens apart from His knowing and allowing. Job then begins to exposit on the very essence of what it means to be God:

With God are wisdom and might;
He has counsel and understanding.
If He tears down, none can rebuild;
if He shuts a man in, none can open.
If He withholds the waters, they dry up;
if He sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
With Him are strength and sound wisdom;
the deceived and the deceiver are His.
He leads counselors away stripped,
and judges He makes fools.
He looses the bonds of kings and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty.
He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment of the elders.
He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light.
He makes nations great,
and He destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and leads them away.
He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless waste.
They grope in the dark without light,
and He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
(Job 12:13-25)

While reading this portion of Scripture I could not help but to think of the state of our country and those who lead it. There is a reason for the peril we are in. There is a cause of the tremendous ignorance sweeping our nation. There is purpose in the midst of chaos. It is He...

Psalm 115:3

Our God is in the heavens; He does all that he pleases.

Daniel 4:35
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, "What have you done?"

Monday, May 4, 2009

Rebellion & Redemption

The Rebellion at Rephidim and the Rock of Redemption

This was the title of a message I recently shared. I spoke on the text of Exodus 17:1-7.

Exodus 17:1-7
All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" So Moses cried to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." And the LORD said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Saturday, May 2, 2009