ResponsiveReiding

From Matthew 21:33-42 / Seeing The World as it really is.

Continuing Jesus’ challenge to the priests and elders in the Temple, He now puts forth a most ominous parable.

Ominous to those He is confronting, and at the same time, assuring to the regenerate and wonderfully broad in its profound expression of a true, Biblical worldview.

Note first: As we have mentioned already, but what Jesus now puts the finest of points on, the bottom line issue with most (if not all) who reject Jesus is this: They do not want to relinquish personal authority to Jesus. They want to serve self, not anyone else, even God.

We want to be lords over self. More, we want to be lords over everything we cast our eyes upon. But mostly, to usurp the rightful place of God and His Christ. To view our lives, our bodies, our goods, our influence, our all – as solely our own – owning nothing to the one who made us for His pleasure and purposes. The supreme idolatry – self.

If God is out of the picture, if the “heir” is disposed of, then everything which rightly belongs to Him and which He rightfully comes to rule over and receive His just due from – will be ours. This is the damning delusion. That if we erase God from our minds, we will be left alone with what we want.

The failure in this thinking of course is, that all still belongs to God, and someday, He will possess it all again, and those who thought to have it for themselves, will be judged most harshly.

A prime example of how this works is in the world of Psychiatry and Psychology. Think back to the work of Freud for instance. And even though so much of his theories are discarded today, his primary thrust still permeates mental health though. Eliminate guilt. Eliminate it either by convincing oneself that guilt is simply a social construct, or that loving self is our true duty and thus we are to ignore anything which makes us think less of ourselves at all cost, or medicate the conscience by some means. If we owe nothing to anyone above self, we can live guilt free.

And it is a lie. For the guilt remains, there, under the surface. It never really goes away. We just suppress it, along with any true thoughts of God. Or re-make Him so as to not annoy us.

Note second: What a wonder the Gospel is. For in Christ, there is true forgiveness of sin, and a genuine cleansing of the conscience which leaves the Believer free and clean and not needing a false remedy which only masks our sinful guilt.

Christians can run back to the Cross over and over and over and see their just penalty truly paid, not ignored. Justice fulfilled on our behalf. Washing from all our former defilement. And if “we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7). Continual, sweet, cleansing.

No need to re-create reality. No need to ignore the truth about self. No need to try and overthrow God so as to have our own way. Freedom! Freedom from guilt. Freedom from shame. Freedom from walking in blindness to the truth. Freedom. He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.

Those who have the imaginary freedom of a seared, deceived or medicated conscience – are in the worst of prisons. For they do not even know they are still bound in their trespasses and sins, and still abiding under the wrath of God.

Note third: This most wonderful and wonderfully concise articulation of the Christian and Biblical worldview framework.

God made everything.

God prepared a wonderful world for mankind to inhabit.

God committed the world into the hands of mankind, so as to produce the fruit of what He had begun.

But when God began to demand from us what was rightfully His, we rejected Him.

In His mercy, He sent prophets and teachers and leaders to bring us back to the truth.

Lastly, He sent His own dear Son to receive at our hands His just due. The fruit of His own image created within us.

And we murdered Him, rather than submit to Him and surrender our imagined personal sovereignty.

Thus it is, that in due time, He will judge all for what we have done.

The One we thought we could eliminate – will at last be the very One who is our Judge.

This is the state of affairs, the context in which the world exists.

And this then is the call of the Gospel – repent, and flee to Christ. Own Him as Lord, and He will also be your Savior from the coming wrath. He calls to you today. And if you still have breath in you – it is not too late.

From Matthew 21:28-32 / It’s how we finish that counts

The conversation between Jesus and those challenging Him in the Temple is not done. Jesus is going to go on and deliver 2 parables directly addressing what we’ve already seen – the problem of the obstinance of the unregenerate heart (28-32); the problem of men wanting to keep authority for themselves that belongs only to God and His Christ (33-41); and then a summary of the outcome of remaining this way. It is a powerful rebuke. And at the same time, there is wonderful grace on display.

Note first: Professions of faith and service to God mean nothing, if they are absent obedience to His clear command. And in this case, the command of the Gospel, to repent and believe.

James will build on this vital point in his short epistle. Faith, without works, is dead. And the point isn’t faith simply does good or nice things, but that our works coincide with our profession. Those confronting Jesus here were Israel’s spiritual leadership. But they were deaf to the voice of God speaking to them. Christ had come. The Kingdom had dawned. But they imagined a kingdom that let them rule in place of The King. This will be teased our much more in the 2nd parable.

The bottom line is – If one tells God “I’ll serve you as you desire”, but serves self instead, such a declaration is a damning lie – irrespective of what other “good works” one may wish to attach to it. God gets to dictate how he will be served. We do not get to tell Him.

Parallel to this is God’s indictment in Ezekiel 18. There, God articulates a paradigm which Israel accuses Him of being unjust. “When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. ²⁷ Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. ²⁸ Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹ Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

This strike at the heart of the many public failures in ministry we’ve seen in the past few years. Many have defended those who’ve shown to be secretly living out sinful patterns by saying “but look at all the good they’ve done!” In the end, that is no defense at all. Did they finish in unrepentant sin? Then all their “righteousness” will count for nothing. It is not how we begin, but how we end.

Note second: What good news this principle is for those who hear the Gospel and flock to Christ.

It is not how many years you may have already wasted that truly matters. It is not how long it took you to truly come to Christ. It is not how deeply entrenched in your sin you once were, or how vile and wicked that sin was lived out in the past. That question is – have you heard the Gospel and fled to Him today? Have you owned your sin, come to despise it, sought out Christ for mercy and trusted in His satisfaction for sin now?

The Tax Collectors and Prostitutes did not obey God at first and lived for themselves. But now are hearing the Gospel and obeying – seeking God. The Jews said they would obey, but have refused the Gospel in John, have followed their own way rather than following God. It is not how we begin, but how we finish.

Whatever may be behind you, if you call out to Him for forgiveness and cleansing today – He will hear you. He did not come to save the “righteous”, but sinners. And if that is you, if you know yourself to be the sinner – He says, and Spirit and the Bride (the Church) say – “COME!

From Matthew 21:23-27 / Seeking truth?

The essence of this passage is simple: Truth is not arrived at either by consensus, nor on the basis of expedience. It is arrived at by believing the revelation of God in Christ Jesus.

In both the questions of the chief priests and the elders, and Jesus’ response we come face to face with how it is man will deny the obvious to avoid acknowledging the truth, and being subject to God and His Christ.

In the first question, we are confronted with 2 things.

a. What other authority is needed to do what is right, other than the simple fact that it IS right? Why should Jesus need to justify what is obvious? Because men do not WANT to believe. Not because they can’t, but as in this case, they do not want to. If His detractors were to acknowledge that Jesus was simply doing what ought to be done (restoring the Temple to its rightful operation and cleansing it from defilement) – then they would have to concede that they had failed in their duty. This, they would not do. It would require humility and repentance.

Note first: No one can follow Christ, except they humble themselves regarding their sin, and repent from their evil. If you will not acknowledge your sinfulness, you cannot be saved from it. It is that simple.

b. What is not obvious about the rightness of what Jesus did? Why did His actions even merit questioning?

Note second: People do not believe in God, the Bible nor the Gospel, because they do not want to – not because there is no proof for God. The proof is all around us. Psalm spells it out so clearly. There is a universal obviousness in the creation – that without a sound and in terms which can be understood apart from the need for any spoken language – God MUST be – in all of His genius and power.

In the parable of the wedding feast invitation in Matt. 22 – the issues is the invitees “would not” come, not “could not.” Would not. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Matt. 23:37.

As Jonathan Edwards argued so cogently, man’s unbelief problem isn’t one of natural inability, as though we have no natural faculty or capacity to believe. The problem is instead a moral inability – an unwillingness to concede the truth. Just as Jesus’ detractors here.

Note third: How Jesus reveals their own twisted motives to them by His question.

Once again, the answer was obvious. But why couldn’t they answer it truthfully? It would be too costly. They would have to humble themselves to admit John was sent from God – and correct in His rebuke of their leadership. And, they would have to explain why they did not heed His message and themselves repent and be baptized.

It wasn’t that John’s mission and message were obscure or invalid – but once again, that they simply did not want to own it. If they did, they would lose their power, prestige and position. That, was too much.

Note fourth: What an amazing this it is that any are saved at all! What a testimony to the wondrous grace of God that by His Spirit He overcomes these obstacles in the human heart, and births faith in them by virtue of the power of the Gospel.

What a wondrous salvation is ours. For the truth is beloved, we resisted the same as those in this passage. But by some miracle, He overcome our resistance. For some reason, known only to Him, He passes by some, leaving them in their unbelief and unwillingness, and in others, extends special grace to rescue us from ourselves.

What a humbling reality then our salvation is. How grateful we ought to be. How amazed that He did not leave you and me in our sins. And how much we need to pray for others, that He will extend that same grace to them – who are no different than ourselves.

How precious is the grace of our Redeemer.

From Matthew 21:18-22 / The Withered Tree

If one only looks at the outward here, and fails to recognize the symbolic in what is being done, the passage will either be lost on us, or we will fall into the trap of imagining that Jesus is all about giving us power to move mountains.

In regard to the latter, we must note that no Apostle, nor did Jesus ever for that fact – move any mountains. Obviously that is not His point. We have a similar problem with many who take the account of Peter walking on the water as a picture of great faith to be emulated in doing the miraculous. It is not. We note for instance that Peter never walked on water again. Nor did any other disciple. Nor did Jesus! These events must all be seen through different eyes. The Scripture is not aimed at making us miracle workers, but at living out the wonder of being Christ’s.

That said, in the account before us – note first: We must see this as a token of the shameless greed of the religious leadership in Israel and Israel’s spiritual condition.

Christ has come to His own. He comes looking for the fruit of what He has poured into them over the centuries – genuine righteousness and faith toward God. And He finds it empty.

In both Jer. 8 and Micah 7, the absence of figs in Israel is a token of its being unfruitful in the Lord, and of judgment. So Micah declares, foreseeing the Babylonian captivity well in advance: “Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. ² The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. ³ Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.”

And Jeremiah, referring to the same proclaims: “Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the Lord. ¹³ When I would gather them, declares the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them.”

The Son of man has come looking for what is His, and it is absent.

Bishop Lightfoot notes that such trees produced fruit, some of which took 3 years to grow. For such a tree to be utterly without fruit showed that some were not willing to wait, but wanted to have all they could no matter how out of order. They stripped it bare. They took all they could while they could and rendered it useless to any others.

And Mark reminds us that it was not the season for figs. Yet this is what God does, He comes looking at our lives, which by our “leaves” (our profession of faith) ought to be bearing fruit. Our “leaves”, our profession of being Christ’s, testifies to our association with fruitfulness. We claim to be joined to God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit. But when He finds nothing supernatural about us, that we manifest nothing of His supernatural fruit in the character of Christ – we are cursed.

Note well then that it is no light thing to take the name of Jesus – the name of “Christian” upon ourselves.

James 4:5. He yearns to see what the Spirit’s influence is bringing forth in us.

So “Christian” how has it been the past year? Let me ask as old Richard Baxter did when examining those in his flock each year: Have you grown in love? In joy? In peace? How about in patience, kindness, uprightness, faith/faithfulness, gentleness or self-control? What fruit will you have to accompany your profession of being His if He comes looking for it today? Being out of season (I’m having a bad day) will be no excuse.

In less than a generation, Israel would be subject to its greatest destruction yet, because of its unfruitfulness. What a warning.

Note second: As per Blomberg which mountain “this” is in the passage is the key.

They were on their way to Mt. Zion. And by faith in Christ and the Gospel, the entire Judaic system was about to be overthrown and cast in the sea as it were. And all that is necessary to such ends will be theirs by prayerfully looking to The Father.

The Disciples would have thought it impossible that the Judaism of their day could be overthrown. In truth, they wouldn’t even have a category for such a thought. After all the centuries of battles, struggles, exile, return and survival, could the Gospel really be powerful enough to take away Temple worship and all it embodied?

Indeed, it will be on the very next Pentecost, soon coming, that the glory of the Lord will leave the Holy of Holies, and find His new lodging in the Temple built without hands – in the body of Believers.

And in 70 C.E., the Temple will in fact be no more. Through faith in the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews and the Gentiles alike, that “mountain” would indeed be thrown into the sea.

Believing Christ, and in trusting obedience to His call and command – nothing is impossible. Nothing. No sin which cannot be overcome. No trial which cannot be redeemed for our good and His glory. No temptation which cannot be resisted. No Satanic plot which cannot be thwarted. No grave, which will not be forced to yield up the resurrected bodied the saints on the great day. As we pray and trust Him – even death itself will be overcome.

Hallelujah!

From Psalm 139:1-24 / The Believer’s All-knowing, Ever-Present, Able-to-Save – God.

There are various ways to divide this Psalm, many of which bear merit. Let me suggest this one of 7 parts. But when all is said and done, the the main reality stands front and center:

Of this Psalm, Derek Kidner writes: “Any small thoughts that we may have of God are magnificently transcended by this psalm; yet for all its height and depth it remains intensely personal from first to last.1” 1 Kidner, Derek. 1975. Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 16. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

a. We and all our circumstances are fully known by our God in His OMNISCIENCE.

b. We and all our circumstances are under His hand: OMNIPOTENCE.

c. In all of our circumstances, our God is with us: OMNIPRESENCE.

d. This Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent God – Loves us.

Note then:

vss. 1-4 / Our God Knows us us. And David cites this in 3 frames. Vs. 1 is in the past tense. vss. 2-3 are in the present tense. Vs. 4 extends even into the future. He knows all my past, all my present and even what is to come.

Vs. 5 / Our God Directs us. He hems us in, sets limits to our lives. He lays His hand upon us, steers us for good.

Vs. 6 – And when one stops to let this sink in, it is truly overwhelming. How truly great IS this God? Beyond comprehension.

Vss. 7-12 / Our God Pervades everywhere. There is no place the Christian can go, where his or her God is not. No depth of pain or sorrow. No height of joy or elation. When we rise to the heights of success and happiness, He is there.

In the worst of disasters, even on death’s doorstep, He is there.

When we are caught up in things foreign and unfamiliar, daunting, He is there.

In the darkest hours, He is there.

He misses nothing concerning His blood bought ones. He is there.

He is here.

Vss. 13-16 / Our God Created us. We are not cosmic accidents. The products of mere time and chance. And as Andrew Fuller writes: “In this sense it is manifestly to be understood in the passage now under consideration. The human frame is so admirably constructed, so delicately combined, and so much in danger of being dissolved by innumerable causes, that the more we think of it, the more we tremble, and wonder at our own continued existence.1”1 Fuller, Andrew Gunton. 1988. The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc. Edited by Joseph Belcher. Vol. 1. Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications.

Vss. 17-18 / Our God Cares for us, and Superintends our lives. He thinks about us. Incessantly. Contemplates our being and our plights. We are never out of His mind. Never distant from His thoughts and affections. And so it is we wake each new morning, kept through the nights, when we are most vulnerable and helpless. When we are fast asleep and unaware of anything, He who never sleeps nor slumbers is wide awake and observing all with His loving eye.

Vss. 19-22 / Our God Delivers His righteous ones, and Judges the wicked. While we may not perceive it with our own eyes, His righteous hand is always upon us. Who knows the thousands of demonic attacks and Satanic machinations aimed at us which His hand thwarts with unceasing protection? He sees and knows all of their acts too. Make no mistake, a day of reckoning is certain yet to come, when all will stand before His all-seeing eye to give an account of the very thoughts and intents of their hearts. Justice will be meted out to the wicked, as surely as grace will be fully manifested to those in Christ.

Vss. 23-24 / Our God can be Trusted with our whole being. We need never fear His full knowledge of us, because having cleansed us with the blood of His own Son, His examinations can only serve to root out and divest us of the remnants of indwelling sin. So we can trust Him completely with our brokenness. And trust Him in faithfulness to lead us on to the inheritance in Christ He has promised us.

What a God we serve!

From Matthew 21:14-17 / Hosanna!

Note first: As others point out, vss. 14 & 15 are unique to Matthew. There is no question then that he is drawing our attention to something very significant.

As we know, Matthew is bound and determined to prove to his readers who Jesus is in the light of the Old Testament. He has been conquered by the love of the King. Once a “tax-collector” himself, Matthew wants us to know what a forgiving, gracious, merciful Savior Jesus is to the worst of humanity. No one is too wicked for Jesus Christ to save. Sin may have abounded, but in Christ Jesus, grace has abounded infinitely more.

No less than 12 times Matthew tells us that Jesus directly fulfilled Scripture prophecies. Jesus’ lineage establishes Him as a rightful heir to David’s throne. His fulfillment of Scripture establishes Him as the promised Messiah. His resurrection, is to His enthronement.

This Gospel, is all about His kingdom. Matthew exposes us to Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom more than any the Gospel writer. The charge against Him will finally be “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” And so here, as the crowds cry out “Hosanna!” He is appealed to as God’s Messiah – however imperfectly it was that they understood what that meant.

Note second: In Jesus’ day, it was common for the Temple leadership to forbid those afflicted with blindness, deaf mutes, the lame, etc. from offering any kind of sacrifice. They were not allowed to appear before the Lord. Those in Qumran community were even more stringent. So here is Jesus receiving those very ones, and healing them to boot! It infuriated His detractors.

But this is how it is with our Savior is it not? He takes the unclean and the unworthy, and makes us whole by His own touch. He restores us to the right to worship. To come before God again irrespective of how sin and its effects may have disqualified us. It is as though He taking away the flaming sword from the entrance back to the Tree of Life.

This is salvation indeed!

But note the sacrifice He accepts at this very moment – He accepts their praise.

While the word Hosanna means “Lord save” or “Lord help” – by Jesus’ day it had become a simple word of praise to God. He accepts the worship of the deaf, blind, mute and lame, as though they are clean and holy and acceptable. 1 Peter 2:9–10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

As Hebrews 13:15 says: “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

I fear we think very little of what a privilege it is to worship God in the aftermath of our Fall in Adam. An entirely new day has dawned, because the Son of David has come. And He has made us worthy.

Note third: Jesus knows full well His time has not yet come. He does not stay in the Temple. He does not try to take His throne yet. He leaves and retires most likely to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

The lesson here is how content He is wait upon the Father’s providence. The road ahead is hard, but He’ll take no shortcuts. The way to the throne, is the Cross. And He will not even hint at anything else.

How glorious is this King of ours!

From Matthew 21:12-13 / Cleansing the Temple

All four Gospel writers contain a Temple-cleansing narrative. While debate continues regarding whether or not there were 2 cleansings – one at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (John 2) and this one at the end (See also Mark 11 & Luke 19), it seems more likely there were two. We cannot go into all of that here, but that said, Matthew’s is the most condensed version of all. And that, it seems by design. Matthew appears to be narrowing our focus on 3 primary things in his account.

Note first: Jesus “drove out all who sold and bought in the temple.”

In Deut. 14, God made provision for those who lived too far away from the Temple to bring their required sacrifices all that distance each year. He told them to sell the animal, take the money with them to Jerusalem, and buy the actual sacrificial animal there.

It appears then that some enterprising individuals decided to set up places within the temple complex to buy those animals. Perhaps they would pay a premium for the conveniences. In any event, it turned the temple grounds into a marketplace. And this, did several things. First, it took the commerce that would have belonged to the ordinary citizens and made it a money-making monopoly for the leadership of the temple. Second, it made the temple grounds a noisy, dirty livestock circus.

God had appointed the temple grounds, especially the outer court, as a place where even the Gentiles might come to seek God and pray to Him. But it became anything but a place conducive to prayer. The braying, neighing, mooing and other noises of the animals would rob it of anything resembling a sacred place to seek God.

The had used the provision of the Law to actually overthrow the very purpose of the temple itself. It would not have drawn Gentiles to seek the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to come and reckon with God in holy solemnity. It Did nothing to foster in men a holy reverence for God. It turned the place of prayer into a cacophony.

One wonders if our Churches today are doing any better. Are our services places of non-stop noise and activity with no time to actually wait upon the Lord in silence? Do we fill every moment with speaking, singing, announcements and other things, and leave no time for the soul to be still before God?

Year ago, I remember being in a Church service, where what might be described as a holy hush filled the room. And all you had to do was look around and see how absolutely uncomfortable everyone was. They were not used to it. They did not know how to respond when the music stopped and they were left to contemplate the reality of standing before God with nothing else to distract.

We may need desperately to learn this lesson in our Churches. But perhaps even more in our private devotions. Are we afraid to be quiet before God, and to spend time in the hush of a heart truly bowed and opened before the Sovereign God of the universe? Or even when alone, do we need to be running off at the mouth? Maybe the Spirit of prayer is more needed than unfettered verbosity.

Note second: “He overturned the tables of the money-changers.”

Because Roman coinage often had the visage of the Emperor on it, the temple leadership had decided one could not pay the temple taxes with such coins. The money needed to be exchanged for temple-worthy shekels.

Now the problem here is 2-fold. First, the refusal to allow Roman coinage was in fact more superstitious than anything else. Scripture nowhere else addressed the idea that only Jewish money could be used. Second, while this arrangement may have had some well-meaning rationale underneath it all, in the end, it was a money making scheme. For the exchange came at a cost. A service charge if you will. A way for some to make an extra buck off of people who had simply come to honor the Lord at the feast times as prescribed by the Law.

Hence we have (in both cases above) Jesus’ pronouncement that they had turned God’s house into “a den of robbers.”

Money making schemes foisted upon God’s people by leadership is a sure way to invite the judgment of God. And one wonders how much of American Evangelicalism is in fact doing this very thing left and right. Marketing anything and everything to God’ people – who need above everything else, to simply be taught God’s Word and taught how to apply it to their lives. Instead, we have every kind of book, media package, trinket, seminar and tchotchke known to man peddled to the people at obscene prices for spiritual “secrets.” It is nothing short of blasphemy.

Note lastly: How seriously we need to see that God wants His house, His Church, to be a place where people who do not know Him, but who have heard of His mercy and grace, to come and seek Him. And to do so as provided for by people who already reverence Him, and represent Him, His character, plans and purposes as He has truly revealed them in His Word.

The question here is – what is the World to take away from the way we represent God?

Father forgive us. We really do not know what it is we are doing.

Father thank you, for striving with us even in our foolishness. Do not abandon us to our baser selves. Wash us. Cleanse you Temple even again today.

From Matthew 21:1-11 / The Humble King

Note first: This word “Fulfill” in vs. 4 – This is now the 10th time (at least) Matthew has pointed out how some event in Jesus’ life was the fulfillment of a specific Old Testament prophecy. J.C. Ryle notes rightly that as we see prophecy fulfilled in this way so precisely and literally, so we should anticipate His second coming will be the same.

Many over the years have turned Jesus’ 2nd coming into some sort of spiritualized non-coming. One need only recall the repeated failed prophecies of the Jehovah’s Witnesses for instance. In their failed predictions, they had to fall back on invisible, spiritual returns. Harold Camping’s failed predictions required him to do the same. Ann Lee of the Quakers said she was the new manifestation of Christ. Sun Myung Moon was regarded by his followers as Jesus returned. The list goes on and on, because men will not believe Jesus’ own teaching on His return, and how it must be literally fulfilled even as His triumphal entry was this first “Palm Sunday”.

We have every reason to believe, as demonstrated here what was recorded in Acts 1:6-11 – “So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

And then, we have Jesus’ own teaching in Matt. 24: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Do not be deceived or discouraged Christian – He WILL come as He said.

Note second: How Jesus endured a very great temptation here. With such an incredible throng, singing His praises and wanting to make Him King right then and there, it would have pressed upon His soul to take up His crown before and without the Cross. But not our Jesus. He knew His reward lay the other side of the Cross, not this side of it. He refused the temptation knowing full well the horrors that lay just before Him.

Here is a replay of His temptation in the wilderness. And how He overcomes once again. For you and me.

He was never swayed either by the accolades nor the disparagement of men. His food, was to do the Father’s will. And to save us in the doing.

What a Savior.

As the Methodist movement expanded in the 18th century, the gift and genius of Charles Wesley emerged as prominent. Central to inculcating sound theology into the people was reducing great Biblical themes and concepts into lyrics sung to attractive and memorable melodies.

Those 2 qualities of memorable and attractive were essential.

Since those 2 ideas were the means of putting Bible thoughts into Bible people, there was less emphasis upon personal reflection. Not that personal reflection was altogether missing, but it was not the primary goal. Anchoring the soul in Biblical truth was the goal. Being able to recall powerful truths to the mind so that the soul looked up to the God of Heaven in times of joy and trial became a mainstay. In this way, it wasn’t how the singer felt that was paramount, but what the soul of the singer was led to fix upon. It makes me wonder if modern song/hymn writers might not take a page from the Wesley’s book in this regard. But that is a topic for another day.

In keeping then with the emphasis at the time, around 1761 we see what is noted below appearing near the front of the new hymnals. I personally find most of them useful.

I also notice that by virtue of current trends in American worship music, some of them simply cannot be followed. Currently, the music portion of many of our worship services has taken on the cast of a concert rather than thoughtful, gathered, corporate worship. Making the congregation a worshiping entity rather than observers merely accompanying the “performers.”

All that said, I find points 3-7 below of particular usefulness. I want to make them a part of my own consciousness in worshipping with my brothers and sisters in song each week.

I hope you find them a blessing too.

• Directions for Singing.  That this part of Divine Worship may be the more acceptable to God, as well as the more profitable to yourself and others, be careful to observe the following directions.
• I. Learn these Tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.
• II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.
• III. Sing All. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.
• IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.
• V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
• VI. Sing in Time: whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend closely to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can. And take care you sing not too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.
• VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your Heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and reward when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

From Matthew 20:29-34 / Seeing!

Pleas for the help of Christ pierce all other noise, and bypass the noisiest of objectors. Cry out to Him. He hears, no matter what.

“Have mercy” Lord, the blind men cried

“Have mercy”, David’s Son

And though rebuffed by others near

The Savior’s ear was won

And stopping quick, His heart so moved

He turned to them His gaze

“What would you have me do for you?”

The crowd now stilled, amazed

“Our sight, O Lord, for opened eyes”

“We seek your healing hand”

“We plead but one thing, mercy Lord”

“We’ve no ground to demand”

“You owe us nothing, yea, e’en more”

“We owe you everything”

“If we should plead you just, or fair”

“What case could we dare bring?”

“Tis mercy only, this alone”

“That undergirds our prayer”

“We’ve no repute with God or man”

“No good to make us dare”

In mercy deeper, wider still

Than man’s dim eye can see

He touched their eyes with His blessed hand

The One that soon would bleed

And so the souls of all the blind

Obtain salvation’s store

When mercy’s all that we can plead

No good. Not one thing more

Plead only grace and mercy shown

Such cries pierce every din

Such prayer alone will reach His ear

To cleanse us from our sin

‘Tis mercy brings His saving grace

Compassion, tho in sin

That gives us eyes to see His face

And lets us follow Him