Zeros

This week we begin worship with:

Psalm 93:3-4
The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. 

Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty!

 In high school I memorized this Psalm in German as a homework assignment.  The first verses begin:

Psalm 93:1 

Der Herr ist König, mit Majestät bekleidet;
der Herr ist angetan, ist umgürtet mit Macht;
auch der Weltkreis steht fest und wird nicht wanken.

The phrase "umgürtet mit Macht" or in English "girded with power" always stuck with me, partly because how funny it sounds in German, but also because it is true.  

When one takes a moment to realize that God hung a rock in space that weighs 81,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons, so precisely, so that it paints its shadow on the earth -- you begin to sense the power.

In our verse, the God's might is compared to the waves of the sea.  With each crash, the waves of the sea from around the world produce 30,000,000 kW of energy, which is the equivalent to the energy in 625,000 gallons of gasoline and there are at any moment 850 trillion waves in the ocean.  

So, let's do the math (. . . "carry the one").  The collective energy of the waves of the sea is approximately 5,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of gasoline.

Das ist Macht!

Land

 Today we begin worship with:

Exodus 3:7-8
Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey."

The ancients did not have a highlighter or a type font with bolded or underlined characters.  Here "surely seen" is the Hebrew word for "seen" rā'â repeated.  Three words are repeated three times in scripture:

• Woe, Woe, Woe (Revelation 8:13), which announces the seven trumpets of judgement.
• Holy, Holy, Holy (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8), which is an attempt to put into words purity and character of the LORD God almighty.

The third word repeated three times brings us back to our call to worship.  It is land, land, land (Jeremiah 22:29).  

We often think too little of our community and the purpose God has for us here.  With or without "milk and honey" He has brought us to this place.  We need to be observant, then, of our responsibility in this place.

Peace

This week we begin worship with:

1 Peter 3:8

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Covey, who wrote "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", said in one of those famous habits "Begin with the end in mind".  We laugh at people who paint themselves into a corner having not done just that, but do we really start each day with a goal set and a plan to achieve it?

Peter in our verse today gives us the goal we should set for every interaction we have with people.  He quotes it from (Psalms 34:12-14):

1 Peter 3:10-11

For

“Whoever desires to love life

    and see good days,

let him keep his tongue from evil

    and his lips from speaking deceit;

let him turn away from evil and do good;

    let him seek peace and pursue it.

Our goal should be peace.  

But do we sympathize sufficiently to understand the other person's point of view?  Are we concerned more about them, than whatever we will have to postpone or forgo to love them in the moment?  Is our heart tender enough and our mind humble enough that being right is not important?

Zechariah at the birth of his son John, prophesied that John would prepare our Savior's way and that our Savior would "guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:76-79).  Let that be our prayer that we follow.

Sun

Today we begin worship with:

Colossians 2:8

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Tomorrow is the eclipse.  Robyn and I are up North hoping to see it.  I expect the viewing site we have chosen will be crowded and some present will be worshiping the sun.  They will be caught up with the creation and ignore the creator.

This verse also speaks of others that are trapped and even deceived by their own world view that pushes away the simple truth that God made them and loves them.

Let us not. Let us rest in that love and enjoy what God has done for us (Colossians 2:8-15).

Convicted

This week we begin worship with:

Matthew 27:1-2

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took

counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away

and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

This was the final vote, the trial and testimony was the night before, which concludes:

Matthew 26:65-66

Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

The act of blasphemy was a brief response to a simple question.

Matthew 26:63-65

But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so.”

Jesus’ response went beyond simply responding affirmatively to agreeing with the exact words said to Him, so that His conviction would be assured.

May our answer be as quick, when we are asked if we are a Christian.

Refuge

We begin worship this morning with:

Psalm 2:11-12

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Twisted together in this single verse are fear, joy, affection, anger, blessing, vulnerability and protection.

The Psalm starts with the heart of man, which desires personal autonomy:

Psalm 2:2-3

The kings of the earth set themselves,

    and the rulers take counsel together,

    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

“Let us burst their bonds apart

    and cast away their cords from us.” 

But God is sovereign and sets over them a King:

Psalm 2:5-6

Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

    and terrify them in his fury, saying,

“As for me, I have set my King

    on Zion, my holy hill.”

But not simply a King, he is the Messiah, in whom refuge is found:

Psalm 2:7

I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

    today I have begotten you.

LORD, twist together in us today fear and joy for you love us.

Sing

This week we begin worship with:

Psalm 98:1-4

Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

When is it time to write a new song?  

"It is well with my soul" was written when Horatio Spafford after losing much of his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire, sent his wife and daughters ahead to England where he was to help in Moody's upcoming evangelism campaign.  He, himself, was delayed dealing with the aftermath of the fire.  Their ship sank after a collision and all four of his daughters were lost.  He wrote the song on his passage to England, when he passed near the site of the sinking.

"O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus" was written by Samuel Trevor Francis to commemorate the night as a teenager when he decided between suicide and faith while crossing the Thames River on the Hungerford Bridge.

Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus was written by Louisa M. R. Stead after groceries were left at her doorstep following the tragic death of her husband, who was attempting to save a drowning boy.

This Psalm looks back on the exodus, the perils of the 40 years in the wilderness, and the occupying the Promised Land.  It looks forward to both the Exile and return from Babylon.  It looks back to Adam's fall in the Garden and forward to the work of Christ on the cross.  

It is always time to write a new song.

Linen

This week we begin worship with:

Matthew 25:37-40

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

To understand this verse, we must compare it to what is said to the condemned:

Matthew 25:44-45

Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

The differences are slight but important.  

First, when addressing those that are saved, He calls them "my brothers".  While the parable concerns ones action or inaction, salvation still depends upon God and His redemption and adoption of us.  This is why we are called "brothers".  This is also why the righteous are invited to "inherit" in a prior verse (v34).  Only the siblings inherit.

Second, when addressing those who are condemned, they were condemned because they missed one, rather than those that are being blessed for every time they ministered to others.  When attempting your own salvation all it only takes one mistake.  When trusting the work of Christ, each success regardless of the quantity of failures, is credited to us.  

Our righteous acts, every one of them, will adorn us, for we are the Bride of Christ:

Revelation 19:6-8

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

    the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

    and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

    and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

 

Now

This week we begin worship with:

Deuteronomy 10:12

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

When is "now"?

Moses had gone up the mountain for 40 days to receive the commandments of the covenant.  Then, only to find the people having gone the way of idolatry in his absence.  

Deuteronomy 9:11-12a

And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly.

After smashing the tablets in anger he returned to the mountain to protect the people from God's wrath.

Deuteronomy 9:25
“So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 

At the end of which, Moses received a second set of tablets, the assurance that God would not act on His anger, and the command to restart the journey.

Deuteronomy 10:11
And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people, so that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

This is "now".  After stumbling, after messing up, after being protected from God's wrath, we are to restart our journey.  Let's go.

Kiln

This week we begin worship with:

Exodus 19:18-19

Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.

This was a terrifying sight.  The "smoke of a kiln" is not like that of a placid camp fire, it roars out of the chimney.

Regardless, at the sound of the trumpet God had instructed Moses to have the people come to the base of the mountain.  

Exodus 19:13

. . . When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

This was not a man's trumpet summoning God, but rather God's angel summoning His people.  We are truly called into a terrifying relationship.  

Exodus 19:20
The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

When Moses responded to the call, God spoke.  We should as well.

1 Samuel 3:10

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

 

 

Finger

This week we begin worship with:

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you

rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and

lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is

easy, and my burden is light.

Contrast this with the burdens placed on them by the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:4

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

Yes, this is where we get the complaint “He would not lift a finger to help!”, but that speaks moving something small and trivial.  Jesus was speaking of something huge that a priest could lift with one finger.  This was the finger of accusation in what scripture calls “binding”, when atonement is required.  An example occurs in the next few verses:

Matthew 12:1-2

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

We should heed Jesus words to the Pharisees and be merciful as we ourselves enjoy His mercy to us:

Matthew 12:7

And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.