Joshua 2:8-11
8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
You never know what kind of Work God has done ahead of you in order to allow you to be a part of accomplishing his will. When the spies met Rahab, she told them that, as soon as Israel came out of Egypt, the fear of them and of their God paralyzed the inhabitants of Canaan.
But do you remember how the Israelites failed to enter and take Canaan forty years earlier? Why did they not go in? They were afraid that they would not be able to defeat the Canaanites and take their land. The Israelites had no idea that god had already won the victory for them by terrifying the occupants of the land. The Israelites were too afraid to take the land because they did not know what God was doing behind the scenes.
Is there somebody with whom you need to share Jesus? Have you been waiting for what you think is the right moment? Are you afraid that they will just never listen to you? Do you not realize that God is working in ways you cannot see? You have no idea what God has done in that person’s heart. They may look like an unconquerable foe to you, but it could well be that God has already moved in their heart to make them ready to turn to Jesus if somebody will simply call them to do so.
Christians, our God is so great. He can work in the hearts of the hardest of people. He can prepare them for things that we could never imagine. We need simply to obey him. We need to trust God, and let God do the work that we could never accomplish.
How to be Strong and Corageous (Joshua 1:8)
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
It’s hard to imagine a person taking on a greater burden than Joshua was starting to carry at the beginning of Joshua 1. Moses had led the people for as long as the people could remember. Now Joshua was taking command, and it had to be terrifying. But God told Joshua not to be afraid but to be strong and courageous.
In the middle of God’s counsel to Joshua, we see verse 8. God called upon Joshua to daily, hourly, regularly meditate upon the word of God. Joshua, if he wanted to succeed as a leader, needed to keep the word of God ever before him. He needed to learn the commands of God so that he could obey those commands. He needed to keep the promises of God before him so that he could regularly be encouraged by them.
Do you make God’s word a treasure? God called Joshua to keep his word ever before him. Do you? Is it normal for you to let days go by without spending time in God’s holy word? Do you neglect it?
Christians, if you want to be strong and courageous, you need to regularly spend time, serious time, in God’s word. Study the Scriptures so that you will know what God is like. Study the Scriptures so that you will know what God commands you to do. Study the Scriptures so that you will know how to avoid sin. Study the Scriptures so that you can remember the promises of God’s blessing for his children. Study the Scriptures so that you can learn to love the Lord who saved you and see his soul-satisfying glory.
Are All Religions Equally Right?
Tim Keller is sharp as he answers the objection often made toward Christians that all religions are equally valid, equally right.
Polycarp
About half a century after John wrote the book of Revelation, including the letter to the church in Smyrna, a man named Polycarp was led before Roman officials. Polycarp was quite old, and had served as bishop of the church in Smyrna for decades. He also was guilty of a crime: Polycarp refused to declare the Roman emperor to be lord, to burn incense in the emperor’s honor, or to deny Christ.
When soldiers were sent to arrest Polycarp, he offered them dinner and asked them to allow him an hour to pray before being taken away. As Polycarp was being brought to the city’s arena, officials over the region attempted to persuade him to simply follow their custom. The following is from a second century letter that tells Polycarp’s story:
And the Irenarch Herod, accompanied by his father Nicetes (both riding in a chariot), met him, and taking him up into the chariot, they seated themselves beside him, and endeavoured to persuade him, saying, “What harm is there in saying, Lord Caesar, and in sacrificing, with the other ceremonies observed on such occasions, and so make sure of safety?”But he at first gave them no answer; and when they continued to urge him, he said, “I shall not do as you advise me.”[1]
Eventually Polycarp entered the arena and was brought before the proconsul, who urged him to simply give in. The official pointed out to Polycarp that he was a venerable old man and that he need not suffer what was before him. All the proconsul was asking Polycarp to do was to perform one simple act of obeisance to Caesar. All he wanted Polycarp to do was deny Christ, just once. All he asked was that Polycarp give in, and his old life would be spared.
Then, the proconsul urging him, and saying, “Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ; “Polycarp declared, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”[2]
The proconsul then began to threaten Polycarp, but to no avail:
The proconsul then said to him, “I have wild beasts at hand; to these will I cast thee, except thou repent.” But he answered, “Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil; and it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous.” But again the proconsul said to him, “I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou despisest the wild beasts, if thou wilt not repent.” But Polycarp said, “Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt.”[3]
After this, Polycarp carried himself with dignity and courage as his enemies rushed to gather wood for his execution. Polycarp was bound, and the flames were lit. Legend tells us that, for some inexplicable reason, the flames arched around Polycarp’s body, refusing to burn him, and that Polycarp only died after a soldier stabbed him with a dagger.
What gives a man like Polycarp the courage to hold up in the face of torment? What gives a church like the tiny congregation in Smyrna the courage to keep going when enemies surround them? Polycarp was not the only one persecuted. Many died before him. Many would die after him. How could they stand it?
The answer is that our Lord is with us. We stand strong and survive when we, like Polycarp, trust completely in Christ and in the eternity that he has prepared for his children. Yes, we may suffer in this life, but we will not eternally suffer if our hope is fully placed in the Son of God.
Authenticity of a Miracle (John 2:9-11)
John 2:9-11
9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
The miracle of Jesus turning water to wine at the wedding feast is a great picture of the glory of Christ. Sometimes, people will diminish the beauty of miracles by trying to come up with ways to explain them away, to make them somehow less than supernatural. For example, some try to pretend that the water was colored by something making it resemble wine or that Jesus added a little wine to the water and tricked the people with colored and slightly flavored water. But this is absurd.
Years ago, I worked on a paper and later a sermon on this passage. While doing the work, I ran across eight different facts that speak to the authenticity of this miracle:
1. Water jars were used rather than old wineskins; thus no wine had been in them that could have colored the water to make it look like wine.
2. Jesus never touches the jars or the water; thus showing that he could not have added anything to color the water.
3. The servants are always present; thus Jesus could not have done anything tricky when no one was looking.
4. Jesus commands the servants to fill the jars, and they fill them to the brim; thus they did not allow room for any liquid to be added to the water and color it.
5. Jesus orders the water that had been turned to wine to be drawn out immediately; thus not allowing time for anything to be added to the water.
6. The headwaiter is who tastes the wine; thus showing an honest authentication from someone who had no idea what was happening with the water and jars.
7. The headwaiter attests to the high quality of the wine; thus demonstrating that this was not merely colored water.
8. The six jars held a total of between 120 and 180 gallons of wine (approximately 2,000 4 oz. glasses worth); thus showing that there is no possible way that Jesus or anyone else could have secretly brought more wine.
Not Worthy to Untie His Shoes (John 1:26-27)
John 1:26-27
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
We’ve read these words from John the Baptist time and time again. But, do we consider the depth of humility there? Do we grasp what John is saying about Christ and about himself? Does our modern view allow for the same humility?
John says that Jesus is so great, so perfect, so holy that John is not even worthy to untie his shoes. John is saying that he is unworthy to be Christ’s lowliest slave. He sees the perfection of Jesus in comparison to John’s own sinfulness, and he declares that he is simply not worthy even to serve Jesus.
Now, think of our self-esteem culture. Think of the fact that many preachers call people to make much of themselves, to think highly of themselves, to consider themselves to be extremely important. This view does not leave much room for the humility of John.
Christian, you are a treasure; but you are only a treasure because God gave you value. You are also a sinner. You did not earn anything from God. You and I are not worthy to be allowed to untie Jesus’ shoes. Yet Jesus, out of his love, chose to save us and make us part of his family. Think about yourself with humility. Consider how little you deserve the grace you have been given so that you can also see how wonderfully blessed you are to be in Christ. Our worth, which is very great, comes to us from the Savior whose servants we do not deserve to be.
A Reason to Treasure the Word (Deuteronomy 12:8-9)
Deuteronomy 12:8-9
8 “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, 9 for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you.
Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
In Deuteronomy, God was being wonderfully merciful to the people of Israel by telling them what he demanded of them. It was not good for the people to try to do whatever seemed right to each individual. No, the people needed to hear from God in order to know how to serve him.
Later, at the end of the book of Judges, Israel reached one of her darkest moments as an undivided nation. As the people had continued down an ever-descending spiral, they failed to obey the law of God. Instead, they each did what seemed right in their own eyes.
Does it sound strange to you for God to condemn people for doing what is right in their eyes? It probably does if you have been influenced by our postmodern culture. However, it was terribly wrong. You see, all of humanity has been contaminated by original sin. We are a fallen race. It is impossible for those who have not been made alive by God’s Holy Spirit to truly do that which is ultimately good. Thus, no person who does what is right in his or her own eyes will ever please God (cf. Isa 64:6). What we naturally see as right in our own eyes might be the right thing; or perhaps what we think is right may be totally and unbelievably wrong.
God wants us to recognize that we are not naturally bent toward doing what pleases him. If we make our own choice based on our own knowledge of what is the right, we will tend to do exactly the opposite, dishonoring our Lord. This is why God’s word is such a treasure. The Scriptures teach us to do that which pleases God. The Bible tells us how to worship the Lord, to find grace in Christ, and to avoid things that are evil. God knew we could not and would not figure this stuff out on our own. So, God was loving enough to give us a tool, a book, that we can use to see who he is and how to please him.
Do you treasure the word of God as your only means of knowing how to please your God? You should, for such a book is a treasure. God could have chosen not to tell us how to please him. God could have left us to be destroyed the moment of our first sin against him. But God, out of his love, chose to tell us how to be right with him. You should love that God. You should treasure his word which tells us how to please him.
You should not, however, be surprised when his word tells us things that seem contrary to our cultural understanding. God gave us his word because we naturally would not do what is right. Thus, when our culture reacts against the Bible, thinking it out-dated, judgmental, closed-minded, or irrelevant, you should not be surprised. God knew we naturally would do what is right in our own eyes. God knew that we would naturally miss what is truly good. We pervert things like marriage, sex, entertainment, law, grace, and worship. This is why we need his word, to set us right and to help us to please the God who made us. Treasure and submit to his holy word so that you do not, like the people of old, only do what is right in your own eyes.
A Childish Parable of Idolatry
It was Friday afternoon, and Alexis and her mother went to the store. Mommy allowed Alexis to bring her stuffed puppy, Spot. The little girl and the stuffed puppy had a great time riding in the cart and looking at all the interesting things as Mommy pushed them through the store.
At the end of the shopping trip, Mommy decided to do something kind for her daughter. She picked up a pretty new dress for Alexis. She asked Alexis, “Do you like this dress?”
Alexis answered, “O yes, Mommy, It’s beautiful.”
“Would you like to have it for your very own,” Mommy asked?
“Yes, I would,” said Alexis.
So Mommy put the dress in the cart, went to the cashier, and paid for everything in the basket, including Alexis’ new dress. Alexis smiled as she imagined how much she would look like a princess in her ruffley, pretty dress.
As the family got into the car, Mommy heard Alexis talking to her stuffed puppy, Spot. Alexis said, “Thank you, Spot, for buying my new dress. You really are the best puppy ever.”
Mommy laughed to herself and asked Alexis, “Don’t you think you should thank somebody else?”
Alexis responded, “No, Spot got me the dress. I thanked him, and that’s enough. Why would I thank anybody else?”
Have you ever wondered what idolatry is like? There is a sense in which it is like Alexis in our story above. God gave his people everything that they could have ever wanted. In return, they refused to acknowledge or give thanks to God, instead choosing to offer their thanks, their praise, and their allegiance to man-made, lifeless statues.
I know, it seems silly to talk about idolatry like that in our culture, doesn’t it. We’re far more sophisticated. We would never divert the praise our Creator deserves to a creation instead. Or, would we?
You are created by the one, true and living God. He deserves your entire life. He deserves your entire devotion. Do you give yourself the credit for where you are in life? Do you give anything other than God the highest devotion in your heart? God deserves to be number one. If we put anything in his place, we bow to a creation above the Creator—we commit a form of idolatry. Let us learn to come to our God, seek his grace, and get under his mercy. He deserves our very souls. Let us not bow to something less than the Lord of all.
Asking the Wrong Question about Hell (Psalm 73:16-20)
Psalm 73:16-20 (ESV)
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
One of the popular questions floating around the Internet right now involves the question of God’s goodness and hell. You’ve heard something like it before, I’m sure. How, indeed, can a loving God send anyone to hell? Would such a God be good?
You know, people have been thinking about heaven and hell for a long time. In fact, throughout all of the time of the Scriptures, man’s eternal destiny has been a topic in play. What is interesting, however, is that every time the discussion of man’s eternal destiny arises, the question is not about how could a loving God send people to hell. No, the question that the writers of Scripture always seem to be asking is how a good God, a just God, a righteous God, could possibly not destroy the wicked right here and now.
Take a peek at Psalm 73 sometime today, and you will see this question addressed. The psalmist tells us in verses 2 to 12 how he almost lost faith in God’s goodness. He struggled, not because God was punishing the wicked, but on the contrary, God seemed not to punish the evil. In verses 13-14, the psalmist says that he really almost lost it, wondering why he bothered to obey and follow God if the wicked were going to get everything they wanted. But then the tone starts to change. The psalmist knows that he needs to be very careful about accusing a Holy God (cf. verse 15). Then, from verses 16to20, the psalmist repents. He realizes that God is right and just. He recognizes that God will judge the wicked. It will be a sudden, terrifying, unstoppable end that God puts the wicked to if they refuse to turn from their evil and fall upon his mercy.
For the rest of the psalm, the psalmist repents, declaring himself to have been beastly to dare to question God’s goodness or justice. But in the end, the psalmist worships God, finding God to be his treasure, because God is ultimately perfect. And a major part of the perfection that the psalmist loves is the truth that God will do justice in all things.
You could look from place to place in the Scriptures, but the same justice of God abounds. God will judge those who oppose him. God, to be just, will judge every human sin. Thankfully, Jesus died on the cross and received in his death the due penalty for all of the sins of all who will ever become God’s children. So, the justice of God is complete. Either you will suffer for your own sins in hell forever, or you will ask that Jesus’ mercy cover your sins. Either you will receive the wrath of God, or you will have Jesus take it in your place. God’s justice and his mercy are perfect.
How can a loving God send people to hell? That is never the Bible’s question. How can a just God forgive sinners? God tells us that he forgives sinners by his grace through their faith in Jesus Christ. Turn to Jesus and find mercy. Ignore Jesus, and receive God’s justice. I urge you to find grace in Christ today.
No Tricking God (Numbers 32:23)
Numbers 32:23 (ESV)
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.
As Moses and the Israelites approached the promised land, two-and-a-half of the twelve tribes wanted to settle in the land across the Jordan, just outside of the promised land. As Moses heard this request, he gave the tribes a stern warning. If they were trying to get out of helping Israel take the promised land, they were in deep trouble.
The tribes responded to Moses by assuring him that they had no intent of discouraging the nation or shirking their responsibilities. On the contrary, the two-and-a-half tribes intended to send their soldiers ahead of Israel to help them settle in the land. They would then, once Israel was settled, return to their inheritance across the Jordan.
Moses heard the promise of the two-and-a-half tribes, and he agreed that this promise was good if it was true. But as we see in verse 23 above, Moses also had a warning for the tribes. If they were trying to trick God, intending to not fulfill their promise of fighting for the land with the rest of the people, they would be in great sin before God. They could not hide from such sin. Their sin will indeed find them out.
As we watch this warning from Moses to the tribes, we can hear a warning for ourselves too. God knows our hearts. God knows our intent. We cannot trick God with empty words. We cannot promise something, go back on our promise, and think that we pacified God by making promises we did not keep. No, our sin will find us out. If we make empty promises and use empty words of commitment, God will know it and deal with us appropriately.
Christians, make true commitments to God and follow through on those commitments. Never think you can fool God. Never think that you can boast of a gift you will give and that be enough. No, we need to become people of our word. Our “yes” needs to be yes and our “no” needs to be no. What we promise, we need to follow through and deliver. This is not to earn favor from God; rather, it is simply to honor God as the Holy One who sees into our hearts and who always knows our motives and actions.
Pastor Travis Peterson 