service genset jogja
1 Peter 1:3, Various

A Living Hope

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 19, 2024

My favorite verse for Easter sermons is 1 Peter 1:3.  I’ve preached more sermons on this one verse than any other I. can think of, even John 3:16. It says, “Praise be to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade away – being reserved for you IN HEAVEN.” This imperishable, unspoiled, non-diminishing hope we have of life beyond the grave, established and confirmed by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, is the greatest motivator in life.

We often struggle with the difficulties we experience in this world, in this decaying flesh, in these imperfect bodies with imperfect minds and emotions. Our human sufferings are given a new context with the reality of our hope of heaven.  Paul says in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”  Amidst all the trials and sorrows in this life, we can all cling to the living Hope Jesus purchased for us on the Cross of Calvary.

When John Todd was six, his mother and father both died, and he was raised by a kind aunt who loved him as his mother. He was studying for the ministry when she fell ill and, from her deathbed, wrote him a letter asking if there was really something awaiting her beyond the grave. Here is his reply: I, as a boy of six, was left quite alone in the world. You sent me word you would give me a home and be a kind mother to me. I have never forgotten the day I made the long journey to your house. I can still recall my disappointment when, instead of coming for me yourself, you sent your servant, Caesar, to fetch me.  I remember my tears and anxiety as, perched high on your horse and clinging tight to Caesar, I rode off to my new home. Night fell before we finished the journey, and I became lonely and afraid. “Do you think she’ll go to bed before we get there?” I asked Caesar. “Oh, no!” he said reassuringly. “She’ll stay up for you. When we get out o’ these here woods, you’ll see her candle shinin’ in the window.” Presently, we did ride out into the clearing, and there, sure enough, was your candle. I remember you were waiting at the door, and you put your arms close about me—a scared and bewildered little boy. You had a fire burning on the hearth, a hot supper waiting on the stove. After supper, you took me to my new room, heard me say my prayers, and then sat beside me till I fell asleep. Someday soon, God will send for you and take you to a new home. Don’t fear the summons, the strange journey, or the messenger of death. God can be trusted to do as much for you as you were kind enough to do for me so many years ago. At the end of the road, you will find love and a welcome awaiting, and you will be safe in God’s care. All those in Christ have the same living hope.

 

 

Tags:
Permalink
1 Corinthians 3:3

Better Together

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 18, 2024

Paul is hard on the Corinthians because they were grownups still acting like children. There were petty jealousies and envy. In 1 Corinthians 3:3, Paul says that the believers were still living according to the dictates of the flesh. He writes, “…because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you.” He calls them spiritual babies. The reason? They were a divided church, unable to work together.  The verses following verse 3 show the source of their division. Some people were attaching themselves to Paul, some to Peter, and others to Apollos. Their childish preferences kept them from doing what God wanted them to do: Work Together for the common good!

The independent commission investigating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks reported that the rescue efforts were hampered by a “Rivalry between New York’s police and fire departments.” Their report said, “This rivalry has been acknowledged by every witness we have asked about it.” Americans needed cooperation, not competition, on that gloomy day. We are at our best when we set aside our own ambitions and throw all our efforts into the common good instead of putting energy into unhealthy rivalries. Surely, we must see how important this is for the church of the living God. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul exhorted the believers. He said, “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

L. Wilson says, in his sermon entitled Better Together, “I’m so glad that the Corinthian Church had this problem because it allows us to have this beautiful teaching that Paul gives. Paul makes it clear that he and Apollos were partners, not competitors in ministry. They are just doing their part in the Kingdom work. It is God, not them, that gives the growth and is deserving of the glory. The verse that follows this explanation is precious. It says, “For we are God’s co-workers.” This is a very comforting truth for us all. We’re all in the same boat! We’re all in this together. We are much better, much happier, much more effective, and much more efficient if we expend our energies in cooperative efforts. One commentator concludes, “An old Swedish motto says, ‘Shared joy is double joy. Shared sorrow is half the sorrow.’ The secret to life is not simply enjoying life’s joys and enduring its sorrows, but being involved in both with others like co-workers or team members working together—rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep (Rom. 12:15).”[1]

[1] Keithley, Hampton. n.d. Hampton Keithly Studies from Bible.org.

Tags:
Permalink
Genesis 11:1f

The Origin Of Language

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 17, 2024

This will probably bore you to death, but I found it fascinating, so I’ll put it here anyway. It concerns the tower of Babel in Genesis Chapter 11 and the origin of language as a whole. During my last trip to Israel, I met Isaac Moseman. I liked Isaac. He has spent most of his life studying the origin of language and has some fascinating ideas.

Mount Carmel is the historical site for the battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. But in modern archaeology, it’s also famous for the discovery in one of the caves of the earliest homo-sapiens with a hyoid bone. This floating bone in the throat is what enables human speech. In his article on “The Origin of Language,” Isaac Moseson argues that scientists are “scurrying around Africa for Paleolithic evidence of which knuckle-walking hominids of millions of years ago were evolving grunts and gestures into what would become words.”  He doesn’t deny that some animals, bees, and dolphins, for example, may have some means of communication, but it’s incomparable to the complexities of human speech.

Two things are required for complex human dialogue. First, it demands a vastly enlarged brain for reasoning skills. It’s only with this enlarged brain capacity that humans are “able to process this unexplainable new language ability.” Isaac suggests, “The blown-out brain cavity is suspiciously like the Genesis record of a Creator ‘blowing into the nostrils’ of a man.” The second necessity for human speech is the hyoid bone. Scientists are looking for the origin of language near the Northeast African homeland. Yet, “the oldest hyoid bone for speech ever found was unearthed in the Carmel Caves near present-day Haifa, Israel.”  It’s a well-established archeological fact that the Fertile Crescent is the location for the oldest human “attempts at agriculture and literacy.” Isaac thus concludes, “… all the evidence suggests that modern, speaking man emerges in the Late Stone Age in what might be called a Proto-Semitic region.” That’s the Promised Land!

Recently secular geneticists have proven that all living “humans share the mitochondrial DNA of a single woman.” Isaac goes on to comment, “Studies of the male Y chromosome also prove that the human population on Earth was once very small.” For many years, modern linguists were opposed to the idea of all our languages coming from a “mother tongue,” so to speak. But, as Isaac observes, “By the 21st Century, the evidence was so persuasive that now those who oppose monogenesis (All languages come from one language) are marginalized.” He calls the one mother-of-all languages Edenics. It was the language spoken by Adam and Eve in Eden.  Isaac says, “The Edenics project has begun to show that the Eden scenario … is the key to The Origin of Language. Languages constantly and naturally devolve into dialects that become ‘languages,’ but Edenics follows the Genesis record (Chapter 11) that there was a traumatic neuro-linguistic event (The Tower of Babel), which was the Big Bang of language diversity.”

Tags:
Permalink
2 Samuel 1:11, Various

Schadenfreude

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 16, 2024

Wikipedia will define this word for you. It says, “Schadenfreude is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another. It is a borrowed word from German, with no direct translation, that originated in the 18th century.” It says that the word showed up in the 1700s in Germany and in English in the 1800s. I think the idea is much more ancient than that. We might find the idea in the mind of Caine before he murdered his brother Abel. If you studied the bible stories, I’m sure we’d find it in a lot of places, as well as Solomon advising us against it in the book of Proverbs. Commenting on the passages from Proverbs that speak to this, the United Bible Societies, “Handbook for Translators, says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls: The warning Do not rejoice means “don’t be happy,” don’t take pleasure, because of what happens to someone else.” It goes on to quote the Contemporary English Version (CEV) translation of a similar passage that says, “Don’t be happy to see your enemies trip and fall down.”[1] But, honestly, don’t you think there might be a twinge of this in each and every one of us? It is something that is the normal human response. But you don’t find it in the man after God’s own heart.

Saul had tormented David until David fled from his home, family, friends, and country to keep peace in Israel. Although God had presented him with several opportunities to dispatch his enemy, Saul, David refused to act. God blessed David with great success. God cursed Saul with great failure and defeat. He and his son, Jonathan, were killed in battle on the same day against the very Philistine Army that David defeated after killing Goliath. I think it is almost natural to rejoice, or at least smile, at the misfortune that fell upon an enemy. How does David react? Here’s what we read in the first chapter of 2 Samuel, Verse 11, “Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them…And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan, his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword.”

Being a man after God’s own heart, David managed to keep the big picture in mind over his own personal interests. He cared more about the nation of Israel than he did about his position and role amongst them. He quietly stepped back and let God work in his conflict situation with Saul. God acted in David’s favor, but David did not gloat or celebrate or even secretly smile at the disaster that fell upon his Enemy. He wept for him. Schadenfreude is the offspring of vengeance. It’s the secret way we get even with others. The greatest giant that David ever slew was not Goliath. It was the monster of Schadenfreude.  He never struck back in his conflict with Saul. Max Lucado writes, “Revenge is irreverent. When we strike back, we are saying, ‘I know vengeance is yours, God, but I just didn’t think you’d punish enough. I thought I’d better take this situation into my own hands.” Ogilvie writes, “There are few things more destructive than hatred that is nourished within a heart. It can destroy marriages and families, churches and denominations, and even countries.”

It is often argued that vengeance is a character trait of the God of the Old Testament. Jesus made it clear that personal vengeance if not outright prohibited, is discouraged for our own welfare. Jesus even offers that the ethic of helping one’s enemies should replace retaliation. Scaer observed that “This apparent dissimilarity led Marcion in the second century, Schleiermacher in the eighteenth century, and some scholars since then to conclude that the Old Testament religion was inferior to that of the New Testament. Such a view characterizing the Old Testament as absolute demand for vengeance overlooks Joseph’s forgiving his brothers.”[2] It also overlooks David’s remorse over the misfortune of Saul.

[1] Reyburn, William David, and Euan McG. Fry. 2000. A Handbook on Proverbs. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

[2] Scaer, David P. 1996. “Vengeance.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, electronic ed., 796. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

Tags:
Permalink
1 Samuel 4:21, Psalm 78

Ichabod

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 15, 2024

Eli was corrupt in many ways. He used his office as a Priest for personal gain, and he taught his sons to do so, too. Hophni and Phineas, Eli’s two wicked sons, tried to use the Ark of the Covenant as a lucky charm against their enemies. They marched it out to go to battle when the army went out to stand against the Philistines. The Glory of Israel was used like a rabbit’s foot. God’s presence in the Ark was a special indication of Israel’s role in God’s eternal plan. They “dissed” it! The Ark contained their entire heritage: the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod that budded, and a jar of the manna from heaven. It was their Glory. It was the evidence of God’s miraculous presence in their history and in their present lives. It was their Glory. It represented the God who saved them, talked to them, and fed them. It represented the God to whom they owed their allegiance. Rather than serving God, they used God to serve themselves. God would not permit it.

As is often the case of families, Phinehas’ wife was a more spiritual person than he was. She had more spiritual insight than her husband, her father-in-law, or her brother-in-law.  The two men may have been priests, but they lacked true spiritual insight because of their abuse of their roles. Phinehas’ wife understood the significance of what had happened, and with her dying breath, she named her son “Ichabod.” The most famous Ichabod is the gangly schoolmaster Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving’s story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Irving probably picked the name because it sounded absurd and also because he knew the name’s Hebrew meaning, “no glory.” The Ichabod in the Bible was the grandson of the priest Eli. The Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant from Israel, and Eli was so appalled he literally fell over and died. It means, “The Glory is Gone.”  This event was so tragic that Asaph included it in one of his Psalms. In Psalm 78, He sang: “He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.”

Commenting on this episode, the “Got Questions” website says, “One wonders how many churches today have lost the glory of the Lord, whether willingly or unknowingly. The same things that caused Ichabod in Israel—sin, disobedience, idolatry—are present in many of today’s churches. Christians must never take the glory of God in our midst for granted, lest we wake up one day and find that Ichabod has become a reality among us.”[1]

[1] Got Questions Ministries. 2002–2013. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

Tags: ,
Permalink
1 Samuel 3:1f

A Word From God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 14, 2024

1 Samuel 3:1 begins with a sad state affairs for the nation of Israel, to whom God had given the Law on Sinai and then carried them through the wilderness. It says, “And the word of the Lord was rare in those days.” It is particularly sad when you realize that there was a lot of religious activity going on. The Priests and Levites were all busy with their religious duties. They offered the sacrifices on schedule and burned their incense at the appropriate time. They performed all their duties as expected, but God remained relatively silent. The priests had lost their focus and were performing mere rituals. They were also abusing their office. One of the most important tasks of the priesthood was to guide people to God and to help them cultivate their personal relationship with Him. Eli and his family of priests had failed the people. Instead of leading people to God, they were using their office to their own benefit.

But then God speaks. In the first ten verses of chapter 3, The Word of the Lord came to Samuel four times. Samuel thought it was Eli calling him. One of the marks of a faithful servant is an attentive ear and an immediate response. He rises each time and runs to Eli. Even though Eli was a dreadful example of what a man of God should be, young Samuel submitted totally to his authority. Because Samuel was faithful to his earthly master, even though he was an undeserving one, he became a mighty instrument in God’s hand. God wouldn’t speak to the corrupt priests and Levites. But he did decide to break his silence with Samuel.

But Eli got God’s message through Samuel. God did speak to Eli. The Word that came to Samuel was a prophecy about the demise of Eli and his house. It was not a pleasant message, and Samuel did his best to keep from delivering it. But Eli insisted on hearing the truth. Samuel finally delivered it with all its condemnation to Eli. Eli was full of problems. He had more weaknesses than the average man, and many a preacher and teacher will point each of them out to us. But, I can’t help but marvel at his godly response to the catastrophic message Samuel gave him. He simply says, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” Many of the commentators argue that it’s not a positive response, but I’d rather not see it that way.  I like to see Eli as a man resigned to accept God’s will regardless of what it is. I like to think that amidst his many life failures, he still acknowledges God’s sovereignty and submits himself graciously to God’s will. Unlike Saul, who tries to kill David, Eli blesses Samuel and surrenders to the inevitability of God’s will in all the circumstances of his life. If this is accurate, we might compare Eli in some sense to Job. “Naked came I into the world, naked from it I must go.  The Lord gives, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

Tags:
Permalink
1 Samuel 1:10f, Philippians 4:6-7

Dumping On God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 13, 2024

In 1st Samuel, we look at a kind of love story. It’s between Elkanah (a man) and two women: Hannah and Peninnah. It seems that Elkanah married Hannah for love and Peninnah for children, for Hannah was barren. You can bet that Peninnah, like Hagar before her, took advantage of her situation. You can hear her taunt Hannah, “God’s punishing you! There is something about your character or some secret sin in your life that prevents God from blessing you with children.”  I think that Hannah might have begun to believe her!  It was a great pain for Hannah. 1 Samuel 1:10 tells us, “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.” She pleaded with such grief and such a public display of her sorrow that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk and accused her of such. She explained her grief, and when he understood the problem, Eli said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” Then, to close the story, 1 Samuel 1:18 tells us, “Then the woman (Hannah) went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

She dumped her pain on God, and that settled the issue for her. David was good at that. He wrote many Psalms, which we call “Imprecatory” Psalms. They are the ones in which David asks God to kill his enemies. He uses some pretty harsh words and describes, sometimes in gory detail, what he wants God to do to them and their families. The point of this type of Psalm is not to explain the harshness of God but the pain of David. He was exploding with emotion over mistreatment by others, especially King Saul. Saul had tried to kill David and mistreated him in many ways. David exploded with his rage at injustice but refused his own revenge. He just poured it all out on God in his Psalms. Even when the opportunity to take personal revenge on Saul, David refused to do so, giving the right completely to God. Setting a good example for all of us, David acknowledges that all vengeance belongs to God. He’ll dump his hurt and disappointment on God but leave the resolution of the problem up to God. This is what Hannah did in her prayer also.

Paul talks about managing our own life problems like Hannah and David did. He puts it in plain language in Philippians 4:6-7 which are familiar verses. The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then, you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” All of our cares and problems are in good hands when we give them to God.

 

Tags: ,
Permalink
Exodus 20:8, Romans 14:5

A Special Time For God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 12, 2024

Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy.” What does it mean to be “Holy?” It means to consecrate it or to set it apart as special. So, it may be expressed as “dedicated to God” or “belonging to God.” If you ask Google, “What does it mean to be Holy”? You’ll find this list of synonyms: sacred, consecrated, hallowed, sanctified, venerated, revered, reverenced, divine, religious, blessed, blest, dedicated.” But the key biblical idea of “Holy” is that it’s set apart. It’s different than anything else.

There was one special thing to the Jews that was exceptionally holy. It was holy, or different, from anything else in their life. That was the Tabernacle and later the Temple. When you read the description of the Tabernacle in Exodus, you find that it’s built from the most luxurious and beautiful materials imaginable. Only precious metals: gold, silver, copper, brass. It had glorious colors: red, scarlet, purple, blues and yellows. It had incredibly creative images. There were angels sown into the curtains. There were bronze and gold and silver candle sticks and lavers and chalices. There were jewels and gems embedded throughout the ornate objects. And there was one other thing that truly made a difference in the Tabernacle. There was a smell. Yes, only the tabernacle could burn this special incense. Everything about the place where God was was holy or different from everything else in life. In the drab world of the desert, this was a place that looked different, felt different, and smelled different. It was holy! I really like what Ashby said in his commentary on this passage. He wrote, “Someone has called the Sabbath a ‘holy space, a sanctuary in time.’ It was as holy as the Temple, which was a sanctuary in space. Just as a holy place provides a space for celebrating God and praising him, so does a holy time.”

In the Old Testament economy, there was one day in seven that was to be dedicated to the Lord. It was a day when they were to remind themselves that they were not self-originating, self-sustaining, or self-authenticating. The idea of setting aside time to remind ourselves that God has done everything for us is crucial to a happy, wholesome, and healthy life. We have six days to live in a world of sowing and reaping. We have six days to bear the burdens of life. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy. It’s not about what we’ve done, are doing, or will do! It’s all about what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do! Everyone needs to take time to stop their work routines and focus their attention on that which God has accomplished for them.

In our culture, not everyone has Sunday as their special day. Some have to work. I’m glad firemen are on duty, policemen still patrol the streets, and medical services are available in times of emergency. But it’s obvious that even policemen and firemen, medical professionals, and restaurant servers need a “sabbath” day, even if it can’t be Sunday. Jesus dismissed the religious leader’s abuse of the people over keeping the Sabbath day by saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The blessing of time off is not a particular rule regarding a particular day. It’s the principle that is important. Take time for reflection on God and His blessings. Paul made it clear in Romans 14:5 that it will be different for some. He said, “In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.”

Tags: ,
Permalink
sewa motor jogja
© Chuck Larsen 2019. Powered by WordPress.