December 28, 2013

Posted on December 29, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 2:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

It’s interesting that the two most famous Josephs in the Bible, in Genesis and here, were both dreamers who heard from God that way. God uses different means to speak to different people, and to the same person at different times, so it takes sensitivity and practice to be able to recognize Him successfully. We first learn of this Joseph when he is struggling with how to break off his engagement to Mary without putting her in danger of being stoned to death. (Matthew 1:19) It took a great deal of faith to accept what he was told in a dream at that time, (Matthew 1:20-21) but he acted on it, and subsequent events had convinced him he had heard and acted correctly. I would guess that he didn’t hesitate when he had this dream! It wasn’t an easy one to obey, but God had supplied the resources necessary through the magi, and their arrival, as well as the manner of their departure, had prepared Joseph for this dream, I’m sure. Most of us don’t have such dramatic experiences of being guided by God, but that doesn’t mean He hasn’t been guiding us, or at least been trying to do so. We tend to miss guidance from one fundamental reason, and that’s looking at ourselves and our circumstances more than we look at God. If our focus is on how much He loves us and on loving Him in return, then we will be quick to hear and obey however He speaks to us. If we don’t trust His love, then we will be suspicious of His guidance. If we are focused on ourselves, then we won’t believe we can follow His guidance. It has been said repeatedly by many people, but where God guides, He provides, whether it is ability, resources, or whatever. Just as God supplied Joseph with travel money through the magi, He provides everything we need to be obedient to Him, if we will open our eyes and our hearts to recognize it.

I’ve never been much of a dreamer, but it has been my great joy over the years to hear the Lord through His Word and also through prophecy, sometimes through my own mouth and sometimes through others. I wish I could say that I’ve always been as obedient as Joseph was! However, I have an assurance that God is speaking to me, to the point that I have trouble relating to those who can’t seem to hear God at all. He talks to all his children! I had the huge advantage of having parents who both loved me and talked with me, and not just on the level of “Clean your room!” They also loved God and sought to hear and obey Him, and those things combined to give me an expectation of hearing from God. That’s such a blessing! A major part of my task as a pastor has been and continues to be encouraging and training the believers to listen to God. He does speak through me often enough, but I certainly don’t want them thinking that’s the only way they can hear from Him! Whether it’s dreams, visions, reading the Bible, or that “still, small voice,” I want them to expect God to speak to them, to look forward to it, and to hear clearly when it happens, so that individually and as a body we may do His will on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear Word that dovetails so perfectly with what You had already shown me I was to share in the message tomorrow. Guide me now in putting it all together in my notes, and guide me tomorrow as I share it, that Your Word may have its full work in each heart, sharpening our spiritual hearing and lifting us out of the lies of the enemy to walk in all that You have for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 27, 2013

Posted on December 29, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

The NIV tries to clear up the misconception about the magi showing up the night Jesus was born by starting this chapter with “After,” but the image is pretty firmly implanted in popular imagination. At the very least it was after Jesus was circumcised, because of all the other things that happened. Be that as it may, it is very significant that God so orchestrated things that for those who were looking for it, even astronomical events heralded the birth of the Messiah. It is no accident that the world calendar is divided according to His birth, and even extremely secular sources list Jesus as the “most influential” person who ever lived. In a way it seems unfortunate that the magi didn’t have more specific directions before arriving in Judea, because letting Herod know about it resulted in the slaughter of innocent babies. However, as Simeon prophesied, (Luke 2:34-35) the thoughts in the hearts of many were indeed revealed, even by Jesus’ simple existence. We cannot overstate the importance of the approximately 34 year period that began with Jesus’ birth. The history and fate of the whole human race, the whole universe, actually, turns on this event and people’s response to it. The magi responded with hearts that were tender toward God, investing time and resources to do all they could. If we’re still interested at that point, we’ll be able to ask them all the questions we like when we get to heaven, because they will certainly be there, having made their commitment so clear.

I must never forget the vital importance of the message I carry. I have no more control over how people respond to it than the magi did, but that’s no reason not to share; some people will receive it. I don’t have such a pivotal role in God’s plan as the magi did, but I am to be willing and available for however He wants to use me. That calls for investment of time and energy at the least. I’ve just had a call to assist with a wake and funeral I wasn’t planning for, but they will be an opportunity to demonstrate Christ to people who don’t know Him, so I’m not to draw back. The whole issue of time is one where I keep being tested, which indicates a need for continued growth. I’m not to place my schedule ahead of God’s! I am to make all of my time and resources as available to God as the magi did, for Him to use as He chooses.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. Thank You that all this didn’t happen in the middle of Christmas functions, at least! Help me be available without being presumptive, assisting in the background however called for, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 26, 2013

Posted on December 27, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 2:34-35 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

As I read this just now it struck me that this is a beautiful example of New Testament prophecy. There is no thundering, “Thus sayeth the Lord” here, but a gentle speaking out of what the Lord was saying. It’s not that what was said was necessarily received as good news – who wants to be told a sword will pierce their heart? – but I feel it was spoken in a conversational tone, and was private to Mary and Joseph. Parenthetically, Joseph was not told of emotional suffering because the Lord already planned to take him home before Jesus started His ministry. We get tied in knots over the timing of people’s deaths, when sometimes God is sparing them junk they don’t need to go through. This isn’t euthanasia, which is man deciding what is best for someone, but God knowing what is best. This particular prophecy is very interesting. The Japanese renders it as “many in Israel will fall and then rise,” which can be applied on several different levels. We have to recognize that we are nothing before we can receive adoption as children of God. (Romans 8:23) Also in the Japanese, it says that Mary’s heart would be pierced “in order that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed.” The crucifixion of Jesus indeed forces people to take sides, to decide where they stand. Mary was comforted in the best possible way after her anguish, and I’m sure she felt it was more than worth it to have been instrumental in the salvation of mankind.

I can really see myself in Simeon’s place here. I am not an Ephesians 4 prophet, but I have been used in prophecy many times over the years, and “The Lord says” has not often been part of it. I am to expect the Lord to speak through me in all sorts of circumstances, whether those hearing recognize it’s the Lord or not, but I am never to think that makes me “superior” in any way to those to whom I am speaking. God wants His truth to go to “the ends of the earth” (that’s a frequent phrase in the Bible) and I am to be available as one channel of that. He has reminded me on many occasions that I am to hear and apply what He says through me to my own life. James’ famous admonition to be a “doer of the Word” (James 1:22) applies doubly when I’m the one speaking that Word! I have seen major ministries crumble over this very issue. I must be honest with myself and honest with my God, so that I will not fall into the traps of the liar. (John 8:44)

Father, thank You indeed for the privilege of speaking Your Word and Your words, in the pulpit and out of it. May I be faithful to speak and to obey, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 25, 2013

Posted on December 27, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

It’s not often that we are told things by God as clearly as these shepherds were, but it is certainly a reason for joy when things are confirmed. It’s worth noting that, as dramatic as events had been, the shepherds indeed returned to their job of guarding the sheep. When what we were doing before an encounter with God was in violation of God’s laws, we are not to return to that. However, we do have to return to daily living in any case, and “glorifying and praising God” is an excellent way to live, regardless of our occupation! I’m sure these shepherds never forgot their experiences that night, and talked about them with anyone who would listen. I’m reminded of Paul’s dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, recorded in Acts 9, and how he recounted that experience in Acts 24 and again in Acts 26. You never forget a transforming experience with God! That is actually the most fundamental form of personal evangelism: sharing what God has done for you. It is good, and indeed important, to know the Scriptural foundation for your salvation, but nothing beats, “Once I was blind, but now I can see.” (John 9:25)

I have told many people of some of my own encounters with the Lord, and it renews my faith every time I do so. However, I’m not to limit my testimony to things that happened years ago. After all, I can say, “This morning the Lord told me…”! I do have to be careful about that, though, because people with no expectation of being spoken to by God see that as bragging, or as holier-than-thou. As a pastor, I want to encourage the believers both to expect encounters with God on a frequent, even daily basis, and to share those encounters with others. Most believers are slow in both those areas! For the past several years our “verse for the year” has been along those lines, and the one for the coming year is if anything even stronger. However, just stating truth seldom penetrates as it needs to, so I need God’s wisdom in working it into people’s hearts and lives, and not just memory. We have such low expectations of what God wants to do in and through us! I need to be fully open to Him myself, so that He may use me in opening the hearts and minds of the believers so that we may all be transformed into the fully functioning Body that He desires.

Father, thank You for what You are doing in this church. Thank You for what You did in the service last night. Attendance was much less than I had hoped, but You pointed out specific people who were here, and You spoke to them through me. Thank You. I pray that all of us in this church wouldn’t try to dictate to You what to do or how to do it, but rather would be fully open and responsive to what You want to do in and through us, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 24, 2013

Posted on December 27, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

In recent years, in Evangelistic circles at least, there has been a growing awareness that Jesus is the Greek form of Y’shua, Joshua in English, which means, Yahweh Saves, or, Yahweh is Salvation. Even the NIV gives that in a footnote. However, our appreciation of all the implications of that Name could certainly use further growth. Not too many people have their names assigned by God before their birth! We tend to take names fairly lightly, in distinct contrast to most of the cultures of Biblical times. There, names were seen as the essence of a person’s being, and were neither given nor shared lightly. It was a measure of trust to tell someone your name. God has not only told us the Name of His Son, He has given us the right to use it, to speak and to act in that Name! (John 14:13-14) However, Jesus also told us we would be persecuted because of His Name. (John 15:21) Far too many people don’t want to be told that the Lord is salvation! That’s no reason to back down, though, or to fail to rejoice in the privilege of using the Name of Jesus. We need to remember, in this present world where there is so much rebellion against God, that the day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Philippians 2:10-11)

I am certainly known in this city as a Christian, one who bears the Name of Christ. That is both an enormous privilege and an enormous responsibility, one that I can’t carry in my own strength. I have a lot to learn in the area of resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in my Lord, as He has told me to do! I am not to take rejection personally, but remember that Jesus said repeatedly that people will respond to me as they responded to Him, and He certainly didn’t encounter universal acceptance. I am to rejoice at those who receive and not be dragged down by those who reject. As I tell others so frequently, I am to take my eyes off of myself and fix them on my Lord, letting His strength flow through my weakness so that His will may be done in His way for His glory.

Father, You know where I am and how I am right now, spiritually and emotionally as well as physically. Thank You for being absolutely trustworthy. Help me delight to speak and act in the Name of Jesus toward everyone, so that Your Spirit may take my words and make them Yours, healing the sick, delivering the oppressed, and bringing Your salvation on every level, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 23, 2013

Posted on December 24, 2013 by jgarrott

John 1:16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

This verse is true of every human being on the face of the earth, but far too few recognize it, and none of us appreciate it enough. We give gifts at Christmas time for any number of reasons, but Christmas itself is a celebration of the greatest gift ever given, a gift so incredibly huge that we can hardly get our minds around it. The Creator of the universe gave Himself, in the Person of His Son, for the sake of His creatures, us. That violates all human logic, yet it is the message of the entire New Testament, amply prophesied and attested to in the Old Testament. That was on top of His having given us existence, life itself, and the capacity to appreciate and enjoy it. There was nothing that said He had to do any of that, yet He did. When we fail to recognize that we fall into ingratitude, and that is a deep hole indeed. It is a simple but profound truth that a grateful heart is a happy heart, and an ungrateful one is unhappy. God genuinely wants us to be happy, so He tries to foster gratitude in various ways, but all too often we stubbornly refuse it. How foolish! We will never see the overflowing abundance of God’s gracious provision until we are properly grateful for what we have already received.

I am certainly a case study here. Thankfully I was raised to be thankful and to express it. We didn’t “do Santa” because we were taught that everything came from somewhere, and we were to express thanks to the source. Presents came from people, and we were to thank them, and everything else came from God, and we were to thank Him. Looking back over my life, it’s easy for me to see that the times when I was least happy were times I had the least gratitude to God and to His instruments. However, for the most part my life has been happy indeed, precisely because I was taught the principle in this verse. I have had a person who is active in a non-Christian religion bring his friends to meet me because he wanted them to “meet someone who really enjoys living!” The sad thing, though, is that he hasn’t investigated my secret any further for himself, and so remains apart from Christ. I am to be careful to let people know why I am happy, and to assure them that the same grace I have received is available to them, if they will only repent and believe to accept it.

Father, thank You yet again for Your incredible grace toward me. Thank You for the day yesterday, and for getting us through the very full schedule. Thank You for the good service, with baptism, in the morning, and that the caroling at the nursing home in the afternoon went well. Thank You for all the opportunities You give us to share Your grace with those around us. I ask for Your anointing on the caroling this evening, as well as on the Eve service tomorrow, that many hearts would be touched and drawn to believe and receive Your grace, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 22, 2013

Posted on December 24, 2013 by jgarrott

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

As often as this verse is quoted, I don’t think the implications of it are really grasped by many people at all. There are various songs that celebrate it, like “A Child of the King,” but again, to most people they seem just to be pretty songs. Paul spent a good bit of time trying to get this truth through to his readers, perhaps most notably in Galatians 4:1-7. However, this truth is so huge, carrying so many implications, that we spend a lifetime growing in our appreciation of it. That reality, that Paul called “adoption” in Romans 8:23, means that we are instantly given standing in the universe above all other classes of creation. The more you think about that, the more awesome it becomes. However, we have to remember what God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to go through so that we won’t get any wrong ideas. Jesus wasn’t a created being, adopted as a child by grace through faith, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but was and is the eternal Son, who existed before anything was created, as this chapter proclaims. Even so, He suffered horribly and died, though He rose again. Being a child of God doesn’t preclude suffering at all – in fact, Jesus promised we would suffer (John 16:33) – but it assures us that in the end it will all be more than worth it. (2 Corinthians 4:17) It means that we can come boldly to our Father and express our hearts without hesitation. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

I didn’t begin to understand what it was to be a child until I became a parent, with a child of my own. Self-awareness is often like that: we have to be in a different context to understand the first one. As I acquire more and more spiritual children I understand better and better what it means that I am God’s child, and it is glorious indeed. I am to seek to help others understand what it means as well, as my own understanding is increased. As a child, I am to be humbly obedient to my Father in all things, and that’s one of several areas in which I have plenty of room for growth. I am to express to others the grace and patience that have been poured out on me. I am to seek further insight and revelation as to just what it means to be a child of God, and I am to rejoice that He has been so incredibly gracious to me.

Father, I address You as Father so frequently, yet I understand only a fraction of what that means. I do ask for more insight, but I particularly ask that You enable me to live out what You have already revealed to me, so that I may be a child who gives You joy by my obedience and love. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 21, 2013

Posted on December 24, 2013 by jgarrott

Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

This brief passage of six verses is incredibly loaded. For starters, it demolishes the Jehovah’s Witnesses position that Jesus is less than fully God, but of course they weren’t around when it was written. However, there were many different arguments and positions as to just who Jesus was even back then, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul sets the record straight for all eternity. What causes all the confusion is that God, who is one, would be able to separate Himself, so to speak, to be born as a human baby on earth while remaining in heaven at the same time. Modern astrophysicists, with their talk of any number of dimensions, have opened a window of understanding to this mystery, but we ultimately have to accept that human intellect cannot “straighten it all out,” so to speak; it has to be received by faith through revelation. Those who want to make man­kind supreme choke on that, but there’s no getting around it. Actually, it solves a number of vexing problems for the astrophysicists. This verse, for example, eliminates the need for “gluons” to explain why all matter doesn’t just fly apart. Sometimes I laugh out loud, reading the speculations of atheistic scientists, because they get so tied in knots over things that believing scientists don’t have to worry about. Human intellect is a wonderful thing and a gift from God, but when we place it above everything else that’s hubris, and even the ancient Greeks knew that was big trouble.

I was raised in a very academic, intellectual household, surrounded by books, with every encouragement to read widely, and I did. My major education came from reading back issues of National Geographic Magazine, I believe, and I went from wanting to become an archaeologist when I was in middle school to entering college as a chemistry major. However, science and intellect were never gods in my family, and for that I am profoundly grateful. There was never any question that God is God, and Jesus Christ is the only Savior. People today try to make all sorts of things into saviors, with a major television personality just recently applying that word to the US president, disappointed that he wasn’t turning out as hoped. What foolishness! God has made Himself abundantly clear in various ways, and refusing to listen and receive is willful blindness. That said, I am not to despise those who act that way, but exercise the same grace and patience toward them that have been shown to me. I am to keep holding out the simple truth that God is God and He is love, because that answers everything.

Father, You know those with whom I’ve shared Your Gospel, and You know how they’ve responded better than I do. I ask Your grace for them and for me, to enable them to let down their foolish objections and receive the salvation that You offer so freely. There are so many I want to take to heaven with me! I ask You to pour Your Spirit out on them to open their eyes, so that they may repent and believe for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 20, 2013

Posted on December 24, 2013 by jgarrott

Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

The Japanese for this verse ties what follows firmly to the first four verses of this chapter, which talk about unity and humility among believers. Frankly, as glorious as verses 6-11 are describing what Christ did in coming to earth to be our Savior, it’s hard to relate them to ourselves, because we aren’t “in very nature God,” as it says in verse 6. Paul’s point is that we can’t “out-humble” Jesus, because He started so much higher to begin with. We all have a distinct tendency to be self-centered, and Paul is saying, “Cut it out! Look at Jesus and be like Him.” He is our ultimate example in everything, but too often we fail to look at Him that way because we think we could never be like Him. If it were entirely up to us that would be true enough, but the thing is, it isn’t entirely up to us. God asks for our free choice to be obedient to Him, but once He has that, He supplies the strength and the wisdom and everything else. Perhaps the two most famous verses from Philippians are 1:6 and 2:13, and they both apply to this issue. 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” and 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” That’s why we don’t have to be anxious about anything, but rest in God’s peace. (Philippians 4:6-7) Philippians as a whole is one of the most encouraging books in the Bible. It bears frequent re-reading, because there’s plenty in the world to discourage us, and we need to be reminded of what God has prepared for us in Christ, and how we are to lay hold of it.

As a pastor I see practical examples of this all the time. Every believer needs to be reminded of what they already know, and encouraged in how to put it into practice. The devil wants us to think it’s useless to “imitate Christ,” and so give up before we start. I’ve got to stand firm against that lie, demonstrating and assuring others that God makes it possible, if we will genuinely depend on Him. Just last night someone came for counseling who needed exactly that Word. If we genuinely put Christ first, in the practical terms of starting each day intentionally having fellowship with Him, then everything else falls into place. The devil so easily convinces us that we can’t make time to do that, but like everything else he says, that’s a lie. I need to tell people, like the song says, “Begin the day with God; let Him go forth with thee.” If we do that in all honesty and humility, He takes care of all the rest.

Father thank You for this reminder, and for the opportunity and privilege of sharing this truth with others. I pray that every believer in this church, for starters, would indeed begin each day seeking Your face, and having seen it, would go about their daily activities with You clearly in focus. If we will do that, every trial will be resolved and every obstacle overcome, for our blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 19, 2013

Posted on December 20, 2013 by jgarrott

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I recently received insight into this verse through a book, Culture of Honor, by Danny Silk. It caused me to think much more about the whole matter of repentance, forgiveness, and punishment. We can’t seem to get it through our heads that forgiveness means no punishment, period. That’s not to say that actions don’t have consequences, because they do, and most of the time we have to live with those consequences. However, consequences aren’t the same as punishment. The other side of that is our shallow understanding of repentance. It’s not “I got caught,” or “Sorry about that,” but a genuine regret at what was done and a genuine choice to turn from that. In God’s system, when there is genuine repentance there is full forgiveness and therefore no punishment. Sadly, the Church seldom operates that way. When someone is caught in a major sin, we don’t help them work through to understand the root of that sin, why they opened that door to the devil, so that their repentance can be from the ground up and really change their behavior. Because we fail to do that, we don’t trust their words – or them, for that matter – and we impose all sorts of punishments, demonstrating that we haven’t really forgiven. We need to love people enough to care enough about them to take the time to help them understand their sin and so repent from the ground up. Then we need to forgive them fully, and be done with the whole idea of punishment. That’s when love is perfected in and among us.

This is of course of great interest and pertinence to me as a pastor. I have feared the whole field of “church discipline,” because I don’t like confrontation. However, reading the book helped me understand that confrontation is scary only when it has the motive and goal of punishment. I am to confront people with their sins, not to punish or shame them, but to help them see themselves and enable them to repent, rather than just modify whatever cover-up they are using to hide their sins. That’s not necessarily easy, but it’s a lot less scary, to me at any rate. The more we love God the more we will hate sin, in ourselves or in anyone else. However, at the same time, the more we love God the more we will love His children, whatever they are doing. I must not forget that discipline isn’t the same as punishment, but rather let the Holy Spirit guide me in applying loving discipline.

Father, this issue is huge. Thank You for the insight You gave Danny Silk, and for his faithfulness to share it. Thank You for how You have been helping me apply it even in the past few days. Help me be more and more effective as a channel of Your love and grace, so that I won’t operate by the world’s system, much less the devil’s, but by the principles of Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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