Sunshine Today

        What did you think this morning when you woke up and saw that beautiful sunshine after "the worst snowstorm in history" or whatever it was?  ^-~)  The sunshine lighting up that beautiful white blanket of snow and beginning to thaw it is an encouraging thought, isn't it?  Did you thank the Creator of the snow and of the sun??    We are so-o-o dependent on the heat and light and movement of the sun.  Literally we would die without it. 

          Temperatures dropped to -12 last night!  And 3 days from now they're expected to reach 58!  What is making the difference? Obviously the sun!  Think of its impact on the snow (which, by the way, has plenty of nitrogen which will help the soil to prepare for spring.)  In wisdom has God made all of these things.    God is the source of all life and He uses the sun to sustain it by providing heat and light, both of which we appreciate more when they're taken from us. 

       

        The sun's daily movements show an order to the universe and provide a daily routine of life for all who live on this planet.  The sun is "a point of reference in a predictable universe."  It is a symbol of God's all-seeing eye, the judge and lawgiver, and His penetrating power.  It's a symbol of our absolute dependence upon God for life and breath and all things.

 

        Light is essential for photosynthesis and the growth of plants.  And how difficult it is when we are in the dark and cannot see.  "Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun."  Ecclesiastes 11:7

 

        And what great spiritual lessons God teaches us with the sun and its power and movements.  Just as we benefit so much from when the sun "looks" on us warmly in its daily circuit, so also is it important for God to look favorably on us.  He does that through Christ and our obedience and faith.  "Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."  Psalm 42:5  "The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."  Numbers 6:25-2

        "For with you is the fountain of life;  in your light do we see light." Psalm 36:9  Not only does the light of the sun shine brightly so that we can see it, it also enables us to see everything else by its light, as C.S. Lewis pointed out so many years ago.    "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." Psalm 119:130  We can see God in His Word and through His words we can understand all other necessary things in life.  Just as the sun provides heat and light to sustain life, God's  "divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. . . ." 2 Peter 1:3 NIV

 

        In heaven there will be no more need of the sun and the moon which God created for our good and His glory.  "And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light."  "And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." Rev. 22:5; 21:23

 

        Thank God for giving us the sun and thank Him much more for giving us the far greater "Sun of righteousness," the Son of God Himself. He was predicted in Malachi 4:2 and glorified in Revelation 1:16-18  "His countenance was as the sun shines in its strength.  And when I saw Him, I fell at his feet as dead. And He laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:  I am He who lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

                                                                            --Pastor Burnside
   

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

         

 

   

   

 

 

Pleasure

Pleasure

         One of the potential pitfalls of old age and failing health was pinpointed in the ancient book of Ecclesiastes 3000 years ago, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." Eccles. 12:1

        What a sad thing! Instead of rejoicing in life and its goodness that God has given you, you take "no pleasure in nothin’!" That’s a problem for the severely depressed person, too. And the devastating loss of a loved one carries the same potential pitfall. One of the great pleasures and joys in life is to share your pleasures and joys with someone you love dearly. And if she or he is taken away from you, much of the beauty and pleasure of life goes with her/him.

       One of the things I rejoice in was my wife’s determination to take pleasure in life even when she was very, very ill. She told me every single day, "This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!" And we did and we were. And you can be, too, if you stop to think about the things God takes pleasure in and the things He’s given us for us to take pleasure in.

        1. As a starter, God takes pleasure in His works–and we should, too! "The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works." Psalm 104:31 And that entire Psalm is filled with examples of the works of God. Be glad and rejoice in them and observe and ponder what God has created and what He does. "Fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!" Psalm 148:8 Rejoice in the beauty all around you and notice the butterflies in the spring and summer and the birds of the air always and the trees of the forest and the flowers of the field. Take pleasure in them, don’t take them for granted. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." Psalm 111:2

        2. Take pleasure in the simple things of life. The happiness of a child. The kindness of your wife or husband or children. Enjoying a good meal or a cup of tea together. The warmth of a cozy home in the midst of a bleak mid-winter night.

       3. Take pleasure in the daily chores and responsibilities God has given you to make your life meaningful and useful–and pleasureable. It’s good that you have something significant to do, isn’t it?! ^-~)

      4. God, "the living God, giveth us richly all things to enjoy." 1 Tim. 6:17 I’m sure it doesn’t please Him when you don’t take pleasure in what He has provided for your pleasure. Enjoy life in the way and with the guidelines He has given us. Take pleasure in God’s good gifts.

      5. One other example: "The Lord takes pleasure in His people" Psalm 149:4–and we should, too! Invest your life in people and take pleasure in them. They will continue into eternity while all the material things of this life will crumble in the dust or end up on the ash heap.

       When God created the world and the universe, at each stage of creation, in His great wisdom, He said, it is good, but when He created man and then formed woman from man, "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." 1:31

       6. You know that Adam and Eve had no problem finding things to take pleasure in! And guess what? God is bringing us to a similar paradise. Take pleasure, take great pleasure as you think of and anticipate the "things God has prepared for them who love Him." 1 Cor. 2:9
       "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Rev. 2:7

      "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures." Psalm 36:8

       "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 16:11

　

Affections on the world or on heaven? Quotation from John Newton (1725-1807)

Affections on the world or on heaven?  Quotation from John Newton (1725-1807)

"By these things, likewise, they are made more willing to leave the present world, to which we are prone to cleave too closely in our hearts when our path is very smooth.  Had Israel enjoyed thier former peace and prosperity in Egypt, when Moses came to invite them to  Canaan, I think they would hardly have listened to him.  But the Lord  suffered them to be brought into great trouble and bondage, and then the news of deliverance was more welcome, yet still they were but half  willing, and they carried a love to the flesh-pots of Egypt with them into the wilderness."

      "We are like them:  though we say this world is  vain and sinful, we are too fond of it; and though we hope for true happiness only in Heaven, we are often well content to stay longer here.  But the Lord sends afflictions one after another to quicken our  desires, and to convince us that this cannot be our rest.  Sometimes if you drive a bird form one branch of a tree he will hop to another a  little higher, and from thence to a third; but if you continue to  disturb him, he will at last take wing, and fly quite away.  Thus we,  when forced from one creature comfort, perch upon another, and so on;"   

My Father's House--Part Three

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament discusses this word, "Perhaps the most theologically interesting usage of laqah centers around the two clear contexts where the word describes bodily assumption into heaven. We refer to Enoch’s disappearance when God "took" him (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah’s assumption in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:3, 10-11) Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took [laqach] him."
2 Kings 2:3 "And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take [laqach] away thy master from thy head to day? . . . 2 Kings 2:10-11

And he said, "Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. [11] And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up [ascended] by a whirlwind into heaven."

III. Real Life Application. These six verses comforted my wife a great deal as she faced death from pancreatic cancer. Less than two months before the Lord came to take her home to be with Him, she wrote these words to my sister:
"I will continue to pray that some night we go to sleep and even as we sleep that the Lord Jesus will come and take us home. Remember when Thomas asked Him, how can we go to you, we don't know the way and he said that he would come for us. What a beautiful thing. We don't have to fear the home going."And then she wrote, "I pray that the Lord will give you His Peace as only HE can give. I love you, Minnie"

"His peace"–that’s what Jesus left us as a legacy in that same chapter:
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27
                                                                       –Pastor Burnside
[Note: I preached this same message on July 19, 2009 at Oak Bay Baptist Church in Port Hadlock, Washington and my wife was present as she always tried to be when her failing strength allowed. This was the last formal sermon she ever heard me preach. I resigned from my pulpit the next month in order to have 24-hour days free to take care of her.

 The Lord came for her just as He promised on January 13, 2010 and she was guarded by the great peace He gave her even unto the end of her journey–and her entrance into eternal life. The truths taught by Jesus in these few verses were such a great comfort to her–and to me. And I pray they will be for you, too, because you, too, will face death, but if it’s really your home-going to be with the Lord, then there is both joy and peace awaiting you. "Fear not, neither be dismayed." "I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand." Isaiah 41:10]

My Father's House--Part Two

II. How are we going to get there? Who will take us there?         Do you realize the significance of what Jesus is saying about how His children actually make the journey from their deathbed to heaven's glory? Look at it carefully: don't allow your heart to be troubled because Jesus has given us His peace (John 14:27); we trust in God the Father; trust also in Jesus. In "my Father's house." What a description! We're home and in the place that Jesus has prepared for us.

        Now don't miss verse 3, when the time comes, Jesus said,

         This is stupendous, absolutely glorious! You say, "Jesus became a man, one man. How can He do that with all the children that He has in this world?" You may be overlooking one very important thing. Jesus is God and in the incarnation when He became a baby and grew to manhood, He was still God--the perfect Man but also completely God from all eternity past as the eternal Son of God. Since He is God, He is omnipresent--and has all the attributes of deity that He has always had. The reality is that God cannot become less than God. So it is Jesus Himself who comes for us when we die. Hold onto that promise; it's there in John 14:3. And in v. 6 "No one comes to the Father but by Me."

 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." The word translated from the Greek is much stronger than the KJV shows. The Greek word is paralambano and it means to receive or to take in the sense of "taking along with. . . of taking to. . . . Jesus, by the Spirit, takes His own along with Him through life, and then takes them to His side at death. He Himself conducts them to Himself." (Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament, II, p. 240) That’s why the ESV and the NIV both translate this "I will take you (to be with me.)"

        "The change of tense (to future) is intentional; the future pointing to the future personal reception of the believer through death." Vincent’s Word StudiesParalambano how can we know the way?"what’s going on after death. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."means taking along with or taking to. Jesus takes His own along with Him through life, and then takes them to His side at death. He Himself conducts them to Himself "that where I am, there ye may be also." Whether the Lord comes back or whether we die first, Jesus will come for us and take us to be where He is. "And so shall we ever be with the Lord."

          You can see the meaning of paralambano clearly in Matthew 2:13KJV "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." This was written when King Herod ordered the slaughter of the little baby boys in Bethlehem. But the meaning of "take" (paralambano) is clear in "take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt." That’s what Jesus will do when He comes for us on our death bed: He will "take" us to be with Him.

4] "And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. [5] Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and
Thomas was saying, "Our knowledge stops at death. How can we go to the Father unless we die? You’re going to die and go somewhere, but we don’t know
[6] [Jesus saith unto him,

        In other words, "You don’t need to know how to get there. I’m coming to take you there!"Jesus doesn’t just give us directions to the Father’s house–He takes us there! That’s why death for the Christian is such a glorious experience. Whether through death or in the Rapture, we can trust Him to take us to the Father’s house.
         Death is called "sleep" in scripture. We go to sleep down here and we awake in the Presence of Jesus. "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." Psalm 17:15 "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2

         In the Old Testament you get a picture of something similar to your spirit being taken into heaven when you die. Psalm 73:24 says, "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Receive also means "take" in the OT.   The word is laqach meaning "to take." The HCSB translates 73:24 "You guide me with Your counsel, and afterwards You will take me up to glory." Psalm 49:15

My Father's House--Part One

My Father’s House John 14.1-6

I. Situation: The Evening before Jesus died. (This was Thursday evening; Jesus died on Good Friday.)
        Of course the disciples were troubled and anxious and fearful of the future. Jesus reassured them that though He was going away, He would not leave them alone. He was going to send "Another Comforter," the Holy Spirit who would always be with them. For the disciples, their whole world seemed about to fall apart. They didn’t understand what was happening or what they would do when Jesus was taken away from them. So Jesus wants to prepare them for the sorrow and turmoil that is about to come.
        Can you imagine Jesus’ attitude here? He is fully aware of the terrible and excruciatingly painful experience awaiting Him as "his hour" had come. He was facing the most significant events in all of human history: his death and resurrection. And what was He thinking about? What was He preoccupied with? Looking after His disciples after His departure. This is amazing and it teaches us how to live and what our attitude should be–not so preoccupied with ourselves but with God’s glory and others’ needs.
        Here are some of the most comforting words and blessed promises that Jesus ever spoke. The disciples are with Jesus in the Upper Room celebrating the Last Passover together just hours before Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins. He had told them that He will be going away and return to the Father and they are, of course, sorrowful. Why should He leave them after such a few short years of ministry and teaching? He had told them this was necessary. Otherwise their sins would not be forgiven. He was to bear the sins of the world that we might have eternal life.
        "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:1-2
        They had heard but didn’t really understand. Now He tells them that they do not have to allow their hearts to be troubled. You believe in God even though you don’t see Him. Believe also in me even when you do not see me. I will still be present with you just as God the Father is now.
        Many times in your life you have had reason to be "troubled." In fact, we presently live in "troublesome times." You may be troubled, but you don’t need to stay that way. The Lord tells us the reason for these difficult trials: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:7 God has a reason for the suffering. They are producing for us "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 2 Cor. 4:17        Think of what Jesus achieved through the suffering of the cross! Without Him and His death on the cross we would be eternally lost. Then Jesus told them that in "my Father’s house" is room for all who are in Christ and that Jesus was going there to heaven "to prepare a place for you." It’s wonderful to have a place of your own, but how much more wonderful when it is "in my Father’s house." And Jesus’ Father is our Father because we are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
        Heaven is pictured in scripture as a country, the celestial city, the kingdom of God. It’s called paradise because of its beauty. But here Jesus calls heaven His Father’s home, the dwelling place of God. It’s our home, too. We’re going home; we’re on our way there now–it’s quite a journey to the Celestial City, isn’t it? We’re not going to an unfamiliar place where we’re not known. We’re going home. We will not be guests there; we’re children of the King. "It’s home like home has never been."
        From time to time here on earth we experience the joy of genuine worship of God, and realize that it is our highest joy to be giving him glory. But in heaven this joy will be multiplied many times over and we will know the fulfillment of that for which we were created. Our greatest joy will be in seeing the Lord Himself and in being with Him forever.        Very often in our travels, we might be in Hong Kong, or Taiwan or Australia, or Europe, far from home and perhaps ready to go home then, I would tell my wife, "Honey, my home is where you are." And she understood and I understood. She was so dear to me that my home was wherever she was. When we get to heaven, we are going to realize that heaven is what it is because Jesus is there! And we are going to find perfect satisfaction and joy in His Presence. ". . . In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Ps. 16.11

"Jesus commands my destiny."

"No guilt in life, no fear in death,

    this is the power of Christ in me;

    from life's first cry to final breath,

    Jesus commands my destiny.

   

    No power of hell, no scheme of man,

    can ever pluck me from His hand,

    'til He returns or calls me home;

    here in the power of Christ I'll stand."

                        --"In Christ Alone"

 

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the angels announced His birth to the shepherds, they told them, "Fear not!"  And that's what Jesus told the disciples during the storm at sea.  And He told them again the night before He died, "Let not your heart be troubled . . . neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

        That command and the promises that go with it are throughout scripture.  One of our favorites that is underlined in Minnie's Bible and on which she relied was

Isaiah 41:10
    fear not, for I am with you;
        be not dismayed, for I am your God;
    I will strengthen you, I will help you,
        I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  

That verse gives us five reasons not to be afraid--or even be dismayed:  because God Himself has spoken:

        1. I am with you.

        2. I am your God.

        3.  I will strengthen you.

        4. I will help you.

        5. I will uphold you.

        God who created the universe and holds it together has promised to be with us.  What greater resource do we need than that?  He promises us His strength, His help, and His Presence.    Go in the strength He gives you today. . . .

            And He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14