Joseph: Protector of Christ

Joseph gets little attention in the Bible. But this is a man God chose to perform a task very close to His heart: Protect and nurture God's Son. A task not entrusted to just anyone. Joseph had high expectations to live up to, and he delivered. Joseph became the protector of Christ. He first protected Christ before he was born by not divorcing Mary for being pregnant. Then after Jesus' birth as he followed the angel's directions moving to Egypt and back. Joseph became very skilled at hearing and following God's instructions. But to me the most significant action Joseph took to protect and defend Christ is seen his decision to move back to Nazareth. In Matthew 2 Joseph is warned in a dream for the third time. Warned about the danger that still lurks in Judea for God's son. In considering this, Joseph makes an executive, fatherly decision to move his family back to Nazareth to raise Jesus away from Judea and in a safe, obscure place. No angel told him this. No dream, no revelation. Joseph came to this decision on his own through his own wisdom and experience. And it was perfect! This is a notable achievement for Joseph who has had his steps all but dictated to him previously. Through his own discernment and love for God's son he reached this decision. Here Joseph displays for us an example of the place where we all need to be in our relationship with Christ. We are His protectors now. We are his defenders. It is our place now to make wise discerning decisions about how we are to live, who we associate with and what we do as it relates to Christ. Does your lifestyle endanger Christ's lordship in your life? The things you do, the places you go, the people you associate with? Joseph changed his life to honor and protect God's son in his home. We should do the same for God's son in our our heart. Be Christ's protector today.

Trumpets of Judgment

We began a new series at Southside a few weeks ago, The Trumpets of God. Last Sunday we looked at the Trumpet of War. Initially, the trumpet’s primary purpose was to warn people of an approaching army, or to lead the army into battle against the enemy. This was what Joshua did at Jericho, Gideon did against the Midianites, And Saul against the Philistines. The trumpet became a part of leading an attack against the enemy much like the bugle often was used to call the army to “Charge!” in the 19th century. This imagery of the trumpet sounding the call to battle is used in one of the most famous trumpet passages in the Bible, Revelation 8 the Seven trumpets of Judgment. These trumpets announce the coming of seven judgments launched against evil people on the earth in much the same way an army would announce their attack against the enemy with a trumpet. However, we would be wise not to assume these trumpets are reserved for some time in the future. We are given no hints in God’s word about the duration of these trumpets, or whether they are successive or concurrent. This begs the question: Can we see evidence of these judgments already occurring in our world around us? I think we can. The most notable to me is the second trumpet which announces a third of the sea will become blood. Just a few months ago we had a hole punched in the bottom of the ocean spewing forth oil uncontrollably. As that oil reached the surface it was red and stretched for miles destroying the fishing industry for months. I think these trumpets will be devastating and obvious “acts of God.” But that’s not to say we can’t see echo’s of them already at work around us. John, the author of Revelation, said in 1 John 2 that many antichrist’s are already at work and from this we know it is the last hour. That was written in the first century. How much more should we be watchful for end time judgments 19 centuries later? Jesus told believers in Matthew 24 of many perils and tribulations that will befall the earth. Then in v.33 said “…when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (NAS)

The Lord who fights for you

After the Greatest Generation took the promised land and settled into their new homes. Joshua challenged them to remain faithful to the Lord and to always remember why they were so successful in taking the promised land. He tells them specifically in Joshua 23:10 "One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you.” (NAS) One man could defeat a thousand because the Lord was on their side. That’s like having an army of Samsons! The last phrase in that verse is “just as He promised you.” That’s a promise we can claim today. We are his children today and He fights for us still. We don’t have to defend against a thousand soldiers, but we still need the Lord to fight for us. Jesus prayed this very thing in the Lord’s prayer “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” There are times in our lives when we need to pray for the Lord to fight for us, to deliver us from evil. The thing I like about this verse is that Joshua describes this quality of God in His name. He calls Him “The Lord …who fights for you.” In Hebrew that’s “Jehovah Elohim Laham.” Roughly translated that means Jehovah, the mighty one, who fights for you. What a wonderful promise! The next time you find yourself in a battle, physical or spiritual, pray Joshua 23:10. Pray to Jehovah Elohim Laham, the Mighty One, to deliver you and fight for you.

Joshua: A Man in Whom is the Spirit

Last week we began a study of the Great Generation at our church. Most people think of the WWII generation when we say that. But there is also a “Greatest Generation” in the Bible. In Deut. 1:35 God called the generation that came out of Egypt the “Evil Generation.” They all perished in the wilderness and never entered the Promised Land. Likewise, the first generation after Joshua’s death forsook the Lord and turned after Idols. But there was one generation in between who served the Lord faithfully, followed their godly leader Joshua, and conquered the Promised Land in God’s name. This is what I call the Greatest Generation.

The Leader of the Greatest Generation was an extraordinary man. Joshua was both a Soldier and a Servant. To simply be able to work with Moses as Joshua did would have been an amazing privilege, but Joshua actually succeeded Moses and accomplished things Moses never did. Perhaps the greatest affirmation of Joshua’s spiritual accomplishment is found in Numbers 27:18 “So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.” This was Joshua’s commissioning service. The Lord specifically told Moses, ‘the Spirit is in this man!’ What an affirmation! To have anyone say that is a complement. To have Moses say it at the direction of the Lord, well it just doesn’t get any better than that! Joshua was an amazing man for an amazing time. If only we all had a heart like Joshua that we could declared by God as a man/woman in whom is the Spirit!

Ruth: God's Providence

Its been quite some time since I’ve made a blog post. Sorry. I had another little run-in between my neck and a surgeon’s scalpel. I’m doing much better and glad to have life gradually get back to normal. The past few weeks I’ve been preaching on the book of Ruth and this week I emphasized God’s incredible providence in her life. Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi traveled back to Israel after living in the country of Moab during a famine. They were widows and had experienced some of the worst pain this world has to offer. They didn’t know it then, but God’s providence was at work. They couldn’t see God’s hand during the famine, when their husbands died, or when no children were born to Ruth. Trouble seemed to follow Naomi from famine in Israel, to tragedy in Moab, and now back to Israel where she is a poor widow with no means of support. However, from God’s point of view perhaps trouble wasn’t following her, but God was pushing her down a hard road that would lead to blessings later in life. Famine pushed her to Moab where she found Ruth. Death pushed them both back to Israel where they find Boaz, and then God pushed Ruth and Boaz together through poverty. Trouble often pushes us into situations that are difficult and painful, but God’s providence is always there with us. We may not see it yet, but faith tells us it is there. Can you see God’s providence in your life? Honor Him with your thankfulness. Are you blind to his providence? Honor Him with your faith knowing his providence is there and soon to be revealed.

Missions

A few days ago a friend of mine recommended I read a blog of a pastor who has recently announced he will be running for the office of president of the Southern Baptist Convention this year. His name is Bryant Wright and he is pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Georgia, a huge church where he has been the pastor for 28 years. What caught my attention, and my friend’s, was Johnson Ferry’s missions giving. It is Pastor Wright’s conviction, and mine, that to much of the dollars given to the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention stays in the United States and not enough goes to International Missions. Here’s a portion of his blog entry:

For a good number of years, as God began to work powerfully in Johnson Ferry through Global Ministries, we have focused on getting a higher percentage of our mission dollars to international missions. Our missions leadership at Johnson Ferry began to realize that more than 60 percent of the dollars to the Cooperative Program stayed in the state and only 16 percent of each dollar wound up on the international mission field.

We became greatly concerned about the very high percentage of this fund focusing on state missions and the very low percentage of this fund going to international missions. As a result, we began to give half of our Southern Baptist mission gifts straight to the International Mission Board (IMB) through the Lottie Moon Offering and IMB special projects. We'd rather give the bulk of our Southern Baptist mission dollars through the Cooperative Program, but until a radical reprioritization of mission funds occurs and more of the funds make it to the international mission field, we will continue to give a big percentage directly to international missions.

It is also an important time in our denomination when three key leaders of denominational agencies will be appointed over the next year: President of the Executive Committee; President of the International Mission Board; and President of the North American Mission Board. These three leaders will have a huge influence in the fruitfulness of Southern Baptists reaching our world for Christ over the next 15-25 years.

You can read his entire post at bryantwright.com/blog. This under-funding of International Missions is of great concern to me as well. I’m encouraged to see a denominational leader who is interested in changing this imbalance. In another post he relates that in 2009 his church gave 4.4% of its annual budget to international missions through the IMB. 4% sounds like a paltry number, but it’s way more than most Southern Baptist church’s give to international missions. Last year I began to be concerned about Southside’s giving to the IMB. In 2009 our church only gave 1.6% of its budget to the IMB. In 2007 it was 1.1%. I presented my concerns to our finance committee which then recommended some changes in how our CP giving is distributed. Southside adopted these changes last fall, and in 2010 we will be sending 3.6% of our budget to international missions. I am proud our church has made these adjustments to better fund international missions, and I hope this becomes a trend that spreads among Southern Baptists.

Perhaps if Pastor Wright is elected as president there will be a greater emphasis on international missions. He has rightly noted above that Southern Baptists will soon select three key leaders that will greatly affect missions: the presidents of the IMB, NAMB and the Southern Baptist Executive Committee. I would add a fourth to that list, the president of the Convention itself. We need to be in prayer that God will put individuals in these positions who will lead us with the greatest effectiveness in ministry.

Things I like about the Resurrection

I like that Jesus rose early on Sunday morning. Jesus said many times that after three days he would rise from the dead (Mk 8:31, 9:31, 10:34). If Jesus was put in the tomb at dusk on Friday and was gone by Sunrise Sunday that’s barely a day and a half? Jesus rose at sunrise on Sunday because he was determined not to allow death to have him any longer than necessary. He was in the tomb Friday, Saturday, and early Sunday. If you were Jesus would you wait till mid-day to rise when sunrise counted as the 3rd day? Doubt it. Jesus couldn’t wait to show he had conquered death and to restore his hurting followers. When sunrise came, he was outta-there!

I like that each of the gospels describe the resurrection from different viewpoints. Imagine each gospel as a still photograph from a different camera. Each shows a slightly different perspective of the same event. Each adds different facts to our knowledge of the event. Add all those photos together and we get a magnificent montage of the resurrection.

I like that Jesus ate fish in his resurrected body! Twice! (Lk 24:42; Jn 21:9) This means we can eat fish in our resurrected bodies too! If we’re eating fish in heaven, someone has to catch them. …closing eyes, imagining, fishing in heaven!

I like that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. Women were still little more than property in first century Jerusalem. Jesus chose this humble woman, from whom he had cast out seven demons, to be the first to see him. What a statement this makes about Jesus’ love for the humble, hurt, and overlooked of society. They’re not overlooked by Jesus!

Job's Disciplines

In this series I’ve preached five messages: A general survey of Job’s wisdom, Job’s greatest request, Job’s mistake, Job’s reputation, and Job’s disciplines. Five messages that shed light into the life and wisdom of this man God was so proud of that he bragged on him in the heavens.

Throughout the book of Job we see a number of disciplines which Job practiced that brought him favor with God. They will do the same for us. In spite of the afflictions that dominate the book of Job, we know from Job’s age in Ch. 42 that he lived the large majority of his life abundantly blessed. God blessed him because of these disciplines Job practiced. I mentioned four in my message:
1. Determined Faith, 2:10b
2. Discretion, 31:30
3. Self control, 31:1
4. Repentance, 42:6

A fifth discipline Job displayed that makes God proud of his servants is Intercessory prayer. Job displays this in both the beginning and the end of the book. In 42:10 Job prays for his friends, the same friends who had given him such poor advice and sinned in the process. God grants their forgiveness after Job prays. He also is seen praying for his children in 1:5 offering sacrifices for their sin.

How often do we just lift up our own laundry list of wants to God, but don’t have time to pray for others? God loves people. Are you blessed when someone prays for your child? Parent? Family? So also God is pleased when we show concern in prayer for members of his family. As well as those who need to join His family. That’s called Intercessory prayer. Praying for others. A discipline seen in Job’s life that God desires to also see in yours.

The Value of a Good Reputation

Job’s reputation is the first thing we are told about in chapter 1, verse 1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. (NAS)
This reputation held true among men and angels, on earth as well as in heaven.

Four characteristics are described. Job was
1. Blameless, or morally right with God
2. Upright, or righteous in character. 29:12-13
3. Fearing God, 1:20-22
4. Turning from evil 29:17

Satan saw this same reputation and sought to destroy it. These characteristics were a threat to him. Satan was irritated by Job. I wonder how Satan see’s you? Are you a threat to his kingdom? Does your reputation irritate him? Is he scared of you? Or are you scared of him? Don’t fear Satan. Yes Job went through a grueling ordeal, but he whipped Satan through it! Satan ran from Job with his tail between his legs. Satan left Job alone for the next 140 years! That’s what I want, a reputation with Satan that he’s better off leaving me alone. THAT is a good reputation.

Job's Mistake

There are many in the book of Job who make mistakes. Clearly Satan makes a mistake by challenging God over Job’s faithfulness in the first place. What a fool! He’s been living that one down for over 4000 years now. I bet he was really angry when the Book of Job made it into the Bible! But among those confined to earth, there are many others in the book who make mistakes as well.

1. Job’s wife told Job to curse God and die. (2:9) Big mistake.
2. Job’s children did not share their father’s fear of God and chose the life of ‘eat, drink and be merry. (1:4) Huge mistake that cost them their lives.
3. Job’s friends condemned him as sinful when he was innocent (22:5) Massive mistake that provoked God’s anger.

But Job also made a mistake, although it was not the sinfulness his friends assumed. Job’s mistake was his presumptuous attitude before God. Seen clearly in 10:2, 13:3, 27:2 but best in 19:6 Know then that God has wronged me…(NAS) Pretty presumptuous to suggest such a thing about God.

God spoke to Job and called him to repent. Job being a righteous man immediately did, and upon his repentance was asked to pray for his friends who had accused him so wrongly. We have no indication in scripture that Job did anything but simply obey, but what a moment that must have been. Job endures more loss than any man in history including his children. Satan then steals his health, and as if to cast insult upon insult, his friends show up not to console, not to comfort or encourage, but to condemn him as an unrighteous sinner. How painful must that have been in light of all he has already suffered? Fast forward to chapter 42. Job is forgiven and praised, and his callous friends are the ones who must do exactly what they demanded of Job: repent in humility before God. Actually, Job was to act as their priest. They were to repent and sacrifice before Job, and Job had to pray for them for their forgiveness. What a humbling moment for the now demur friends and a transcendent moment for Job. I wonder if he hesitated? No hint of that in scripture. Job was a better man than that. And true to his character, Job dutifully interceded for his friends securing their forgiveness.

Sometimes we are called to pray for those who hurt us. It can be one of the greatest signs of our faithfulness if we obey. Job had deep wounds from these friends, but he faithfully interceded for them. Who might God be calling you to pray for?

Gems from Job: Job’s Wisest Request From God (Sunday, Feb. 14)

There are lots of wise statements in Job. Some of them you have to dig for and keep a sharp eye watching for them, but they are there. Yet, not all that is in Job is Wisdom. Much of Job is spoken by one of four other characters who appear in the book, Job’s friends. Some of their words contain wise information, but most of it is foolish; foolishness that has to be forgiven by God in ch. 42. Here’s a general breakdown of the book:

5 Divisions of Job

1. Introduction Chs. 1-3
2. Discussion between Job and his 3 friends Chs. 4-31
3. Declaration, a speech by a 4th friend Chs. 32-37
4. Proclamation of God to Job Chs. 38-41
5. Restoration Ch. 42

When searching for wisdom in Job, be sure you know who’s talking, God, Job or perhaps the author. One of the more instructive chapters of the book is ch.13 where Job is responding to his friend Zophar. In v.15 he makes a timeless statement of faith “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Oh that we could all stand in such faith. A few verses later Job stops talking to Zophar and begins praying to God. As he does he makes two amazing requests in v.21.

Job’s Wise Requests

1. Do not remove your hand from me v.21a
2. Do not let me stop fearing you v.21b

Many pray for God to remove their struggle. Job never did. Instead he prayed “Do not remove your hand from me.” Job wanted God’s hand whether it meant pain, or blessing. He had enjoyed the blessing, but now endured pain all the while believing blessing will one day return. Job states this very point to his wife in 2:10 “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” This is a wise request and should be prayed by us all ‘Lord whatever your hand brings, I want it, only do not remove your hand from me.’

Job’s second request in v.21 is just as wise. “Do not let me stop fearing you.” Job had lost so much in his life, one could ask what’s left to fear? Many believers today get to this point where they ask ‘how much worse can it get?’ What else can go wrong? Why still fear Go? What has he done for me lately? Job never entertained such shallow thoughts, but many today face them often because they lose their fear of God. It becomes easier to question him, doubt his word, and doubt others trying to live by his word; all because they drift in their walk with God and lose their fear of him.

Job’s requests speak to believers facing hard times. A physical struggle. An emotional loss. A prolonged battle. Everyone has faced these problems to one degree or another. As we do, wisdom tells us to pray as Job did: “Lord do not remove your hand from me and please do not let me stop fearing you.”

Gems From Job: Where can wisdom be found? (Sunday, Feb. 7)

My current sermon series at Southside Baptist is on the Wisdom of Job called “Gems from Job.” What gems of spiritual truth can we learn from God’s servant Job? When we moved to Arkansas in 1996, one of the people I had the privilege of getting to know was a man named Jim Copeland. Bro. Jim was a member of First Baptist Church when I became their pastor, but 7 years earlier he was their pastor, and had been for 19 years. Bro. Jim was a wonderful man and I had the blessing of learning much about church leadership from him and his 40+ years of pastoral ministry. His life was far from easy. Born in poverty, he worked as a child in cotton fields; lived through the depression and served in WWII. After the war he went home to Ft. Smith, got married, and finally gave his heart to Christ. After a while, he became a deacon and soon felt called to pastoral ministry. Bro. Jim was in his mid-30’s when he went to college with his family in tow and literally pennies in his pocket. He graduated and went directly to seminary. After finishing his masters he began working on a doctorate and pastored a growing church in Ft. Worth. But after working so hard for so long to follow his calling, he began to have health problems. The stress of pursuing his education so strenuously and demands of a large church in an urban area caught up with him. Doctors told him he needed to resign his church and quit his doctoral work. I can only imagine the disappointment he must have dealt with.

So Bro. Jim went back to Arkansas. He decided if he can’t pastor a large church he would lead a small one. He found a tiny struggling congregation with less than 30 members in a rural county that hadn’t the first stoplight! 26 years later, I met him when I came to pastor that same church. For 10 years he gave me a lot of advice, help, and encouragement. He shared with me his experiences and things he’d learned. Never did he criticize my leadership. Never did he try to lead through me. He gave me exactly what I needed as a young pastor.

In 2005 Jim Copeland developed brain cancer. It didn’t take long before He was with Jesus. I miss him greatly. He was my mentor as a pastor. A man I will always have immense respect for. Bro. Jim faced many struggles in his life, but he maintained a deep, humble commitment to God. I, in many ways, became the beneficiary of so many of those hard life lessons he learned. As he shared his wisdom with me, I gained from his struggles.

I say all this as an introduction to the book of Job. I see in Jim Copeland a man who faced difficult hardships and disappointments, yet he humbly sought the Lord through them all. He gained wisdom and patience through each of these, and at the end of his life I was privileged to have him share some of those lessons with me. Bro. Jim was my mentor. What if Job were your mentor? A man whose life didn’t turn out the way he wanted, but in spite of that maintained his commitment and trust in the Lord? We don’t have Job to talk to. But we do have a book of his life story; his thoughts and struggles; and his wisdom through a difficult time in his life. I want to take the information in this book and draw from it some Gems of Wisdom that we can use in our lives today.

Chapter 28 of Job is specifically written about wisdom. Job compares wisdom to the treasures of the earth found deep within her. Verse 12, HCSB, says “But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located?” He then describes mines that contain gold and silver, caves with precious gems, waters with coral and pearls. His point is that wisdom is found in none of these places. Men go to such great extremes and dangers to find treasures, but how hard do we work to find wisdom? How hard do you work?

He concludes chapter 28 with verse 28 in which he describes how the treasure of wisdom can be found:
1. Behold, the fear of the Lord, that’s is wisdom
2. To depart from evil is understanding.

Man will dig deep throughout the earth to find gold, diamonds and precious stones. We pay great amounts for these treasures, but how hard will you work to find wisdom? How much money and time will you spend on it? Will you dig through difficult books like Job to find gems of wisdom? Will you seek the Lord in fear to gain wisdom? Will you expel sin from your life in search of godly understanding? These are the disciplines that result in wisdom according to one of the wisest men of the Bible: Job.



Jim and Jo Copeland, October 2005