A request was made, via the text line, for the list scripture verses I covered on Sunday, January 1.
Here is the ppt outline – it’s been transposed enough that the formatting is shot, but the verses are available
Return to Cana John 4:43-54 John’s Second Sign
Entering Galilee (John 4:43-45)
Having spent two days in Samaria, Jesus loops back to his home turf
Where His is not honored (cf. Matt 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24)
But the Galileans in Cana received Him
No conflict to my mind
Healing Requested (John 4:46-47)
A Royal Official (a Herodian?)
A deathly sick son
Likely the official’s heir
Begged Jesus: “Heal my son!”
“Unless you see signs”
The pleading continues
Jesus spoke healing
The official believed
Faith in Jesus (John 4:48-54)
Not in His works (4:44; 48)
Not in Seeing Him (John 20:24-29)
In Him!
In His Identity (Matthew 16:33; cf. John 11:27)
In Him as Savior (Galatians 2:16; Titus 2:13)
SO WHAT?
This is NOT teaching us not to pray! (Philippians 4:6; Matthew 6:33)
We can too easily treat God like we treat a politician
“What have You done for me lately?”
Jesus says believe in Me because I am God, the Son, period!
I’ve got Jesus, how could I want more?
Saving Faith in Christ is objective
Living in Faith is the challenge
The serpent is still active!
Resolved to be more “Filled” in 2023 (Ephesians 5:18-21; Colossians 3:16)
Turn worry in prayer
And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God;Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (Matt 6:27; Phil 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7)
Have a plan for Bible reading/devotions
In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order myprayer to You and eagerly watch;In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there; My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word. (Psalm 5:3; Mark 1:37; Psalm 119:148)
Edit my entertainments
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me. (Psalm 101:3; cf Ephesians 5:1-17)
Stop trying to be a lone wolf
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Hebrews 10:19-25)
Remove and/or avoid all idols
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21
þ Turn worry in prayer
Have a plan for Bible reading/devotions
þ Edit my entertainments
Stop trying to be a lone wolf
Remove and/avoid all idols
Resolved to turn my eyes upon Jesus; as often as needed
Recently I’ve heard the assertion that the God of the OT is a monster and the God of the New Testament is love and never judges or condemns. Both statements are sophomoric, but anything that’s said often enough is eventually believed by some.
GotQuetions some good points about God as a moral monster, so I won’t reinvent the wheel on “Part One.” Please take the time to read this article!
Is God a moral monster?
When a person rejects the God of the Bible, he often chooses to label Him as immoral. Non-believers have been known to accuse God of being hypocritical, selfish, arrogant, judgmental, hateful, and even homicidal—a moral monster. Part of the problem with responding to these kinds of claims is that they require extensive answers. It takes only seconds to ask certain questions but quite some time to give a reasonable answer. This single question, “Is God a moral monster?” is, in fact, the subject of a book by Christian theologian Paul Copan: Is God a Moral Monster: Making Sense of the Old Testament God. And that work is focused on only part of the Bible.
It’s important to realize how deep this topic can be, since a single article could never really do the subject justice. It’s simpler to look at common accusations against God and see how they fail. More specific details are available for those interested in doing further research, and we’ve included links to relevant articles.
Is God Evil?
The first problem with any “moral monster” accusation against God is that it requires a standard of morality separate from God. In other words, in order to say, “God is morally wrong,” one has to define morality in a way that justifies that claim. But what meaningful standard can exist, other than God, for moral principles?
Apart from God, it’s not possible to have truly objective morality. Opinion is not enough—for the claim “God is a moral monster” to be meaningful, it has to be based on some unchanging standard. Ideas such as “suffering” or “human flourishing” are not objective. There is no rational reason for opinions or subjective ideas to be the source of moral reasoning.
So, the first problem with claiming that God is immoral is that meaningful moral claims require God to exist in the first place. Labelling anything “good” or “evil” requires assumptions that lead inevitably to God. This fact is related to the next common objection about divine morality.
Non-believers often accuse God of being evil. Just as often, however, they indirectly attack God’s morality by questioning the existence of evil. A truly good God, they claim, would not allow evil. More on this later; for now, consider that this approach creates a much larger problem for the non-believer than for the believer. In short, Christians can appeal to concepts such as free will when explaining why a good God might allow for evil. However, the non-believer finds a much more difficult issue when faced with the inverse of the question: why is there such a thing as “good” if there is no God? Why would human beings believe in concepts like “ought,” if everything that exists is the product of blind, purposeless physics? If things either “are” or “are not,” and there is no actual “ought,” then speaking of good and evil is gibberish.
This follows into a stickier problem: why “ought” a person be good, if there is no God or if God is truly a “moral monster”? Remember, if the ultimate measure of morality is some human opinion, then there can always be different ways to interpret that opinion. “Human flourishing” sounds like a great basis for morality until someone conveniently defines certain people as less than human.
This leads to a major instance of hypocrisy. In claiming that God is morally wrong, people are claiming more than a knowledge of a better moral system; they are claiming to be the standard of morality. That claim not only makes their criticism of God’s morals less impactful, but it makes it meaningless.
Another common accusation is that God is arrogant, selfish, or egomaniacal. God demands worship, He punishes those who disagree, and He even condemns those who insult Him. According to the common line of complaint, a truly “good” God would let people do as they please, without necessarily obeying His rules, and He certainly would not care how they think or speak of Him.
The quickest response to this particular objection is based on the concept of parenting. Good parents don’t let their children insult or disobey them. This is not because the parents are egomaniacs; it’s because they love their children. Even if the kids don’t grasp why, the parents’ rules are for the kids’ good. There are going to be circumstances when a child cannot understand all of the details; he simply needs to know that “Mom and Dad said no.” There’s nothing unreasonable about God’s expectation of obedience, given that He is a loving Father who wants the best for His children and who knows far more than they do. God cannot be fairly labeled a “moral monster” simply because He has established rules that some particular person does not like, does not understand, or refuses to obey.
The accusations of divine arrogance and selfishness also have to be put into perspective. The reason people have a problem with human arrogance and egotism is simple: we know the egotist isn’t perfect. A person’s arrogance grates on our nerves because of our basic knowledge that the egomaniac isn’t actually perfect—he doesn’t have that much to be arrogant about. God, however, is perfect. If He speaks, acts, and rules as though He is perfect, it’s simply because He is. There’s no arrogance or selfishness involved, as there would be in a lesser being. God’s claims of glory match reality.
Further, according to the Bible, God has demonstrated great patience, love, and sacrifice on behalf of humanity (Romans 5:8). The core concept of the gospel is that God was willing to become a human being, suffer and struggle, then be killed by His own creations. He did all of this in order to provide the means to allow mankind to live forever with Him. That’s hardly selfish, arrogant, or egotistic.
Many who accuse God of being a moral monster mention the wars described in the Old Testament. Or they point to the use of capital punishment for certain acts under the Mosaic Law.
The simplest response to these arguments has the advantage of logical strength, although it means little to the average unbeliever. Simply put, if God exists and created life, then He has the authority to decide what happens to that life. He can set the rules, and He can determine the punishments for breaking those rules. If the entire universe is His creation, then “morality,” including life and death, is by definition under His control.
Another response to the charge that events in the Old Testament are morally reprehensible is to place all of those events in their historical and scriptural context. When God commanded war against the Canaanites, for instance, it was not some random act of genocide. This was a culture that had been warned about their pervasive evil for centuries, and the time for God to punish that evil had finally come (see Genesis 15:16).
When God commanded the death penalty in Israel for certain offenses, it was not in the context of a stable, free, modern environment. It was during a time of great danger, instability, and uncertainty. This same principle applies even in modern societies: we punish crimes in proportion to their damage to the culture. In that day and time, what today would be considered “minor crimes,” if crimes at all, were profoundly damaging to the survival of the culture.
Again, the context of God’s commands is important. If God’s plan was to bring the Messiah, the one and only hope of mankind, through Israel, then it’s reasonable that He would take serious measures to protect the survival of that nation.
Easily the most common attack on God’s morality is the reality of evil. According to this accusation, God is a “moral monster” since He “created” evil—or because He neglects to do anything about evil. Both claims are contrary to reason and evidence, as well as the biblical understanding of God’s nature.
In the simplest terms, evil is anything that contradicts the will of God. There is a tremendous difference, then, between something that God does not will (but that He allows) and that which He directly and purposefully causes to occur. If it’s logically possible for a fallible human being to allow certain things—which he could theoretically prevent—in order to obtain some greater goal, then God can obviously do the same. This is where the concept of free will enters the equation.
The overwhelming majority of human suffering is the result of human activity. More to the point, it’s the result of human sin—either our own or someone else’s. But without the ability to choose selfishness, cowardice, and revenge, there would be no such thing as generosity, bravery, or forgiveness. Love, expressed by a being given no choice but to love, is hollow. Worship from such a being is meaningless.
It’s also untrue to suggest that God has done nothing about evil. Scripturally, there are many reasons to think that God has limited the level of evil we are capable of experiencing on earth (see Job 1:12; 2:6; and 2 Thessalonians 2:7). No matter what boundary God sets for evil, there will always be a “worst possible thing.” The error is in assuming that God hasn’t set the bar for suffering lower than He could have.
Likewise, according to the Bible, God has gone to great lengths to enact a plan to end all evil and suffering. The fact that God’s plan has not been completed—yet—is not logically a sign that God has done nothing. The end result has not yet occurred, but everything is in motion toward that end.
Though the subject of human free will is complex, even a brief examination shows that there are reasons—at least in theory—why God would allow us freedom and choice in this life. That’s especially true when one considers that, according to Christianity, this life is not all there is. What we struggle with and suffer under in this life is not all we are or all we are meant for.
While this is hardly an in-depth look at the claim that God is a “moral monster,” it should be enough to demonstrate that the claim is much harder to prove than some might think. There are severe factual, philosophical, and logical flaws in making such an accusation against God.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone.
Isaiah 9:1
A holy day has dawned. A glorious light shines in our world. It is Christmas! What we have prepared for and longed for has finally arrived. The packages have been wrapped and unwrapped, the delicacies baked and enjoyed. The world comes to a wonderful pause as we stop to savor this height of the holiday season. The manger no longer sits empty. The baby Jesus lies on the straw and in our hearts, replacing our longings with hope. We feel a gentleness about the world and in ourselves. As quickly as Christmas comes, for many it is over. Wrappings go in the trash, crumbs are swept away and the decorations come down. It is back to work, back to bills to be paid and life as normal. It is no wonder that January heralds the blues of winter. But Christmas is not over, it has just begun! The incarnation of Jesus is a grace we get to experience over and over. Here is the hope that we need to be able to overcome the many challenges life throws at us. That hope is ours through Christ. Jesus comes into our world with every prayer we breathe. The celebrations do end, and the decorations get put away, but the life of the party remains. May the light of Jesus shine within us and illumine the lives of those around us. May we experience the goodness of God’s grace reborn in every kind word and every helping hand, not just today, but every day. May the light, the hope, the joy of Christmas remain with us alway.
Merry Christmas to you and your Family!
Pastor Scott I found this in a Christmas folder dated 2012. No other attributions, so maybe I wrote it?
Twenty three years ago, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson of Walk Through the Bible,* published a little book entitled “The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life.“ It became very popular, very fast. Before too long it was a merchandising franchise and became something of a “good luck charm.” Over time, the phenomenon crossed the line into something of a prosperity gospel and either fell away, or at least, fell out of our circles.
Recently, I found, not the book, but that passage being referenced in an article about stepping out of our comfort zones.
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain. ‘ So God granted him what he requested.”
That struck a nerve! What if you stick “comfort zone” in place of “territory” in Jabez’s prayer. We all have places we are most comfortable, and people with whom we are most comfortable, but what if “seeking the kingdom” is out there?
“God, help me to love that obnoxious neighbor who needs You.”
“God, help to love that irritating co-worker who needs a shoulder to cry on”
“Help me to love that fellow congregant who needs a friend!”
“God, please expand my comfort zone!”
And start with me,
Pastor Scott *Bruce left walk through the Bible shortly after Jabez, and moved to South Africa
Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:
Not in Unbelief
Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: “I wish I had never been born.”
Not in Pleasure
Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”
Not in Money
Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”
Not in Position and Fame
Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.”
Not in Military Glory
Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”
Where then is real joy found? — the answer is simple;
in Christ alone.
Yours, Because I’m His,
Pastor Scott
The list above was assembled in 1993 according to a notation
If your listen to the news for too long it’ll make you sad or angry. Sometimes we just need to splash some cold water on our face and take a deep breath! The following is a collection of excerpts from a column Will Rogers wrote starting in 1922 and ending with his death in 1935. I see these a something of a splash of cool water AND a breath of fresh air! Read ’em and smile! There is nothing new under the sun and no matter who is in office; YHWH is on the Throne!
I love a dog. He does nothing for political reasons.
Congress is so strange. A man gets up to speak and says nothing, nobody listens and then everybody disagrees.
Never blame a legislative body for not doing something. When they do nothing, they don’t hurt anybody. When they do something is when they become dangerous.
I really can’t see any advantage of having one of your party in as President. I would rather be able to criticize a man than have to apologize for him.
It’s no disgrace not to be able to run a country nowadays, but it is a disgrace to keep on trying when you know you can’t.
It looks to me like any man that wants to be President in times like these lacks something.
They’ve already started arguing over who will be the speaker at next year’s conventions. What they better worry about is who is going to listen.
There should be a moratorium called on candidates’ speeches. From now on, they are just talking themselves out of votes.
A President-elect’s popularity is the shortest lived of any public man’s. It only lasts till he picks his Cabinet.
The promising season ends on Election Day. That same night, the alibi season begins and lasts for the next four years.
Our government is the only people that just love to spend money without being compelled to, at all. But the government is the only people that don’t have to worry where it is coming from.
Last year we said: “Things can’t go on like this!” And they didn’t — they got worse.
In Washington, yesterday, everybody I tried to talk to was a Presidential candidate. Both Houses spent all week arguing politics. Did you ever figure it out? They are the only people that are paid to do one job and do every other one there is but that.
Lord, the money we do spend on government, and it’s not a bit better than the government that we got for one-third the money 20 years ago.
This inflation was brought on by the actions of many peoples of the whole world, and its weight will be lifted by the actions of many peoples of the whole world, and not by a Republican or a Democrat.
With old inflation riding the headlines, I have read till I am bleary-eyed. We are living in an age of explanations, but no two things that have been done to us have been explained twice the same way, by even the same man.
When it comes to a showdown, Washington must never forget who rules — the people.
The Best of Will Rogers 1979 by Bryan B. Sterling, Crown Publishing, Inc., NY, NY.
Like many of you, I was a little disappointed in the election. I totally believe that there are good people, and not so good people on both sides of the political divide, but the side I was rooting for didn’t do as well as I had hoped. That said, I know that I will share heaven with people who had hoped for another outcome. The truth is both sides want the “bums*” thrown out and there was probably plenty of disappointment to go around. What we really want are policies and philosophies that align with our understanding of what’s best. I, for one, need to remember that God is the judge, I am not!
“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (Ezek. 18:23)
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
The truth is, He will crush evil in His time, but the time is now for us to be holy and work for His glory. When life doesn’t give us what we want, the appropriate question is, “What does God want from me”?
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
1 Peter 1:6-7; 4:12-13
Just some thoughts from your very human Pastor!
Scott
*”Throw the bums out” is a phrase from a political cartoon published in 1994, it captures the general dissatisfaction with politicians experienced by both sides of the political spectrum.
Be still, be patient, be gentle, be calm…I feel like I should pick one of those as the caption for this picture. All three boys believed me when I told them that if they hold still they won’t get stung, so all three have frequently held bees. As soon as Rhett noticed this little lady buzzing around his hand he froze, and watched it as it explored his palm and fingers, telling me it tickled but that he was okay.
It is still tense, this fascinating encounter with nature. Every time. They have never been stung by an exploratory bee. They have always held still, watched it, talked to it, and waited until it flies away (sometimes helped along by a gentle puff of air from Mommy). But the fact that it COULD sting wars with the fact that it is intriguing to have a wild creature flit and crawl along your hand, so every time the bee flies away there is a sigh of both relief and disappointment.
.I wish I were as calm, and trusting, and patient with the bees that interrupt my everyday life. I wish I took time to be still and seek God, to be patient and not catastrophize, to be calm when figuring out the next step and to be gentle with myself and those around me when things aren’t going as planned. Instead I am more prone to flail around and get stung. What could be a blessing in disguise providing a memorable otherworldly encounter turns into pain and swelling and the need for healing due to my panicked over reaction.
May God give me the grace to hold any bees He sends me, until they fly away.
The last enemy has been striking hard and often. My friend, and our emeritus elder, Don Crabtree, went home this morning. Nelson, Sunny, Donna, and Rayma all preceded him very recently. Praise God it wasn’t war or plague; they all passed peacefully having led full lives….but death still stinks! I don’t have to remind you of that, but I do want to remind all of us that Jesus hated death so much He suffered a horrible death Himself to end it! A billion years from now we’ll look back at death as a vague memory – because it will have been abolished!
So grieve with me – but always with hope; things aren’t right yet…but they will be!
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. THE LAST ENEMY THAT WILL BE ABOLISHED IS DEATH. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”
“Oh, your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks” is a phrase that was running through my head while Jad preached on James 3:13ff. It’s an axiom or a truism in that it’s self evident – no proof required. So if we walk, live out our lives, in wisdom (fear of the Lord) we can be assured that it communicates. It communicates that we are the real thing and that God’s Word has had an impact. But if we want to see souls saved, we also have to speak.
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
Romans 10:14
So, Pastor, you’re saying we have to both walk wisely and speak the words of truth?
Yes, but not just me; the Holy Spirit wrote it, through Paul, to believers in Colossae!
“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
Colossians 4:5-6
Finally, walking in wisdom and speaking the gospel truth, is necessary at home, at church, at work; but if we only walk with, and speak to, those who already know; if we don’t let the salt out of the shaker; if we only water what’s already been planted; we will never get to witness new growth or advance His church in the way that most matters – bringing in those sheaves!
So let’s get out there and walk God’s walk and talk God’s talk where it’s neither being walked or talked. Personal invitations to Jesus, and to church for that matter, is the best way to see new fruit!
What could be a blessing in disguise providing a memorable otherworldly encounter turns into pain and swelling and the need for healing due to my panicked over reaction.
Grace Notes 