December 25, 2012

Posted on December 26, 2012 by jgarrott

Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

This is an aspect of the Christmas story that isn’t touched on very much, but it’s still significant. The popular image of angels is all light and pastels, quite effeminate. That’s how most painters have portrayed them, if they weren’t painting fat babies with wings and calling them “cherubs.” That’s about as big a joke as there ever was, because every Biblical description of cherubim (that’s the proper plural form of cherub) is fearsome indeed. They are the “body­guards” on either side of the throne of God! (As if God needed to be guarded from anything.) Every time the Bible mentions that an angel appears to someone, the angel has to say, “Don’t be afraid.” That’s to say, the natural reaction is fear! In today’s passage, the shepherds were scared witless. If angels, which are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation,” (Hebrews 1:14) are so fearsome, how much more so the God who created them? We have forgotten the fear of God. The revival of faith and morality in North America that has been called The Great Awakening was triggered by Johnathan Edwards preaching on “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” God is indeed love, (1 John 4:8) but He is also perfect holiness and righteousness. We cannot understand His love if we fail to grasp His holiness and righteousness. The thing that is most fearsome about angels is that they are agents of a holy God. We forget that to our peril.

I have never seen an angel, but my wife, Cathy, has been given that privilege a few times, and her description certainly matches the Biblical one. She says they are really BIG, and come across as warriors. I’m sure they can appear how they choose, or rather how God chooses, particularly since Hebrews tells us that “some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2) The point is, our conception of God is too small. Even angels, when seen as they are, are far beyond what most of us think of God. The Bible goes to some lengths to say that angels are not to be worshiped, because that is the natural reaction. Angels don’t begin to display all of God! As a pastor, doing the work of an evangelist, I need to seek to help people understand the holiness of God so that their repent­ance may be real and their salvation sure. Coming to God expecting Him to pat us on the head and excuse our sin is a very sad mistake! I need to communicate the love of God in the framework of His power, majesty, and holiness.

Father, I too have failed to fear You properly. Forgive me. Help me fear You properly so that I may love You fully, not holding anything back but repenting of everything that is unpleasing to You, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 24, 2012

Posted on December 26, 2012 by jgarrott

Luke 2:1-2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

There are many things about the story of Christ’s birth that we have no real frame of reference for, so we simply accept on the basis of tradition. I recently had my own mental picture greatly changed, which is to say, straightened out, by an article that was firmly rooted in cultural anthropology. However, our disconnect from the culture of the day even extends to such fundamental things as dates. They certainly weren’t using BC (or even BCE) or AD back then! Japan today provides a frame of reference here, because dates are on the basis of the reign of the current emperor. (Right now we are poised to go from the year 24 into the year 25.) There are numerous charts that cross reference such dates to the AD system, because we have people alive today who were born in the Meiji,Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods, (Heisei being the current one) and without such charts you can’t even be sure how old someone is! During the Meiji period they adjusted the months to fit the rest of the world, which caused mass confusion for a while, but a similar shift in the English calendar is the origin of April Fool’s Day. When Luke was writing, any number of dating systems were in effect, some based on solar cycles, some on lunar, and some on political. Accordingly, he anchored the events of Jesus’ birth to things that would have been widely known and remembered. The point is, he was interested in establishing the historicity of what he was writing; this wasn’t fiction! As a physician, he was very careful with his facts, and we can be very grateful God chose him to leave us the books of both Luke and Acts.

I am certainly not a Bible writer, but I too need to be careful with my facts. Sadly, Christians are famous for speaking “evangelastically,” stretching the facts sometimes a great deal. I must not do that, though I will confess to the temptation when reporting things like church attendance! It actually is a matter of faith. If I think of what goes on around me as something I am doing, then I will want to stretch things out of pride. However, if I maintain the awareness that I can do nothing apart from Christ, (John 15:5) and whatever I accomplish is His work through me, then that temptation is gone. I would like greater numbers, certainly, but my lying about things can do no good and can do a good bit of harm.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me remember it when I write about our singing at the Old Folks Home yesterday, and the Candle Light Service tonight! I thank You for the very moving experience of singing for the people yesterday, and I ask for a good turnout at the service tonight. Help me be faithful in all things to do what You have for me to do, but at the same time leave it all in Your hands, so that You may be glorified as Your purposes are accomplished on Your schedule and in Your way. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 23, 2012

Posted on December 24, 2012 by jgarrott

1 John 4:11-12 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Lot’s of people have trouble believing in God because they can’t see Him. This is one of the best answers to that. People have a hard time arguing with supernatural love! For all my intellectual and linguistic abilities, I’d say it’s safe to say I’ve loved far more people into the kingdom than I’ve convinced otherwise. People are hungry for love; that’s why the various counterfeits are so dangerous. They fall for the rush of hormones that come with sex, and they think that’s love. They fall for a steady, or even not so steady, supply of material things, and think that’s love. They fall for restrictive systems of rules that promise security, and think that’s love. They fall for group identity, for belonging, and think that’s love. It is the privilege and responsibility of Christians to demonstrate God’s love so that people can see it and believe it. John was present when Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” (John 13:35) and he was the one who recorded it for posterity. People are often not convinced by an intellectual presentation of the facts of the Gospel, but they have a hard time arguing with real love when they see it.

As well as I know and understand what I’ve just written, I still try to convince people with words! Francis of Assisi had it right when he said, “Preach constantly. Use words when necessary.” God’s love shining through us is the greatest sermon. I need to remember and practice that more and more. It was just a year ago when someone told me that people weren’t going to understand Biblical forgiveness until they saw me demonstrate it. The same is true of God’s love. If I want this church to be an open channel of God’s love to this city, and I do, then it’s got to start with me. I’ve been given a ministry of words, but if they are not spoken in love, and if they are not backed up by a lifestyle of love, then they are ultimately empty and meaningless.

Father, thank You for Your grace and patience toward me, even when I have been less than loving, toward You or toward those around me. Especially today and tomorrow, help me rejoice in the love You demonstrated in sending Your Son, and share that love and joy with the people in this church, the people for whom we will be singing this afternoon and evening, and the people who come to the candle light service tomorrow, so that Your love through me may draw them to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 22, 2012

Posted on December 24, 2012 by jgarrott

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

Attitude is enormously important. Just ask any pilot! In flying, attitude is whether the nose of the plane is pointed up or down, and that really isn’t so different from how the word applies to human beings. Attitude isn’t a matter of where you are, it’s a matter of where you are looking, where you are headed. If someone’s got a “bad attitude,” you can be perfectly nice to them and still get a nasty response. The ultimate “good attitude” is naturally seen in Jesus. He went through stuff that no one should have to endure, and yet He still prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them.” He wasn’t focused on what He was going through, He was focused on the outcome. As it says in Hebrews 12:2, He, “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Paul says that we should have Jesus’ attitude, and from verse 6 on he gives a poetic description of Jesus’ attitude in practical terms, that is, in what He did. This passage can stand a lot of careful thought and meditation! None of us could claim that we have done as much or gone through as much as Jesus did for our sake, so the takeaway is, quit griping! When our focus is on serving Christ and pleasing Him, trusting Him for an eternal reward that is beyond our imaginations, then “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” as Shakespeare put it, become relatively insignificant to us. That’s a good attitude, and it leads to peace and joy that can be had no other way.

I am at times amazed at how really minor things can set me off, and that’s no fun at all. It’s easy for me to spot bad attitudes in others, but my own isn’t always right. Paul makes it clear that attitude is a choice, just as a pilot adjusts the ailerons in the tail of the plane to set where the nose is pointed. Sometimes I just need to get my tail in gear! When my focus is on the material, and “what’s in it for me,” then I’m not headed in the right direction. As a pastor, it’s easy to see others having the wrong focus, but looking down on them will only blind me to my own attitudinal mistakes. I need to receive God’s grace for myself and extend it to others, so that together we may walk in all that He intends for us, for our blessing and His glory.

Father, thank You for such a pithy picture of how we need to live. Help me not just say, “oh that’s nice,” but rather follow through in practical obedience, so that the traps of the enemy may be overcome and Your will be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 21, 2012

Posted on December 24, 2012 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.

This is at the very core of the proclamation of the Gospel. We can get all theological about lots of stuff, but along with John 3:16, this verse answers the question of what’s in it for me. I’m very thankful that God prompted John to write a fourth account of the life of Jesus in his old age, even though three others were circulating fairly widely by that point. Strong and reasonable tradition tells us that John was the youngest of the 12 apostles, and thus was perhaps the most impressionable. He was one of Jesus’ closest three, with his brother James and Peter, and so saw and heard more than some of the others. It occurs to me that he may also have been the target of some resent­ment, that a young teenager would be given such a position. That, along with Paul’s instructions to Timothy not to let anyone despise him for his youth, (1 Timothy 4:12) should be ammunition against anyone who tries to say “You’re too young to serve God” to anyone. At the same time, we need to remember that John was a God-seeker even before he met Jesus, and was a disciple of John the Baptist. A teenager who is self absorbed isn’t likely to be ready for serious ministry, but getting involved in ministry has opened the eyes of many a teenager. Getting back to the verse here, it’s important to remember that believing in Christ makes us children of God, not instant adults. Anyone who is a child of God knows more of Him than any scholar who treats God as just an academic subject, but that does not mean instant maturity, much less perfection. Children grow; that’s one of their significant characteristics. We need to remember that about ourselves, as well as about those around us, and both receive and give grace and encouragement for growing maturity.

Of all the people in the Bible, other than Jesus Himself, I have always felt most liking for John. I would like to be an “apostle of love!” My initial commitment to Christ was certainly at a young age, but by the time I was a young adult it was badly marred by conceited pride that made me anything but a true disciple. However, God in His grace called me to account and allowed me to repent, and that has made all the difference. From my current perspective I can look back and shake my head over past immaturity, foolishness, and even rebel­lion, but that doesn’t mean I’ve “arrived” even yet. I’m still a child of God! I must never think my years or experience put me in a position to look down on anyone, but rather reach out to and encourage those who are walking some of the same paths I did. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) My heart’s desire is that many would believe and so be born into God’s family, and I am to be a good older brother to as many as do so.

Father, thank You for this reminder, even as I am dealing with people of all levels of maturity. Keep me from thinking that I’m the definition of maturity! Thank You for the one who’s been receiving ministry by telephone the past few days. I ask You to keep him moving toward You, and not be whipped around by the lies of the enemy. I could name many specific people, but You know them all, and You know how we need to grow far better than I do. Help us all keep growing indeed, even as we encourage others to believe and so be born into Your family as well, so that Your house may be full and You may be pleased, and glorified above all. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 20, 2012

Posted on December 21, 2012 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 English today we pay little attention to the actual meaning of names, and many are indeed meaningless. However, in many cultures that’s not the case, and names were certainly important throughout the Bible. This pronouncement by the angel to Joseph, in a dream no less, was sufficient for him to overcome his very natural feelings and accept Mary as his legal wife. It’s not that Jesus (Joshua) was at all an unusual name at the time. That’s why as an adult his name was generally used with a qualifier of some sort, such as “of Nazareth,” or, by believers, “Christ.” The name, Yahweh is Salvation, was and is a potent reminder of why He was born in the first place. As the angel indicated, our sins put us in need of salvation, so God Himself has provided it through His Son. This is indeed the Gospel, the good news that all mankind needs to hear.

I was asked last night over the telephone if Jesus really would save the person who called me. I was glad to be able to answer that He would! The person calling is aware of physical and emotional problems, but he is also aware that he is a sinner, and that’s why I was able to answer with assurance. Someone who will not acknow­ledge their sin can expect no salvation. Physical, financial, emotional and all other sorts of difficulties are temporal, that is, they are limited to this life. However, the sin problem has eternal consequences, and that’s why we need salvation. The blessings that come with commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord are enormous even in this life, but they are also eternal, and that puts them in a completely different category from everything else. I’m sure Joseph understood what the angel said as meaning the Child to be born would save the Jews, but this was God becoming a human being; “his people” includes the entire human race. This is the message I preach! After all, I am a Gentile, as are the vast majority of my hearers/readers. This particular point was a hard one for the early Church to get past, but thankfully they did. Today we have the reverse problem of some Gentile believers trying to say the Jews have been replaced by the Church in God’s plan, but that’s a clear violation of Scripture. Everyone, Jew and Gentile, must come to God through Christ, (John 14:6) but that doesn’t nullify the promises of God. I am to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Savior of all mankind, “to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.” (Romans 2:9-10)

P: Father, thank You for the many opportunities You give me to proclaim the Gospel, to groups and to individuals. I pray that more and more would accept and receive it with joy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 19, 2012

Posted on December 21, 2012 by jgarrott

Luke 1:76-79 “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

What a commission! And from birth, even. Once again prophecy is referenced, this time Isaiah 9:2, which was in the reading back on December 6th. The thing is, everyone without Christ is indeed in the dark, in any number of ways. Every Christian has the same com-mission, to “give people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” No human being can save another, in the sense of giving them eternal life, but we can let them know that eternal life is available through the forgiveness of sins that comes by faith in Jesus Christ. We are not “the rising sun” to shine on them in their darkness, but we can be “fiber optics,” so to speak, to shine that light on them to “guide [their] feet into the path of peace.” The NIV changed the wording to say “living,” but I like the original wording of “sitting in darkness.” People in despair often do exactly that, and apart from Christ there is indeed no hope of salvation.

I have recognized and accepted my commission to share the light of Christ with others, but it grieves me what a small percentage of Christians seem to have done so. As a pastor, I seek to let the light shine through me so that their eyes may be opened to understand that they too are to be “fiber optics,” and God can use them as well as He can use me to lead someone to salvation. The reason the Church had explosive growth in the 1st Century was, of course, because of the operation of the Holy Spirit, but it was also because every believer was a witness, in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) That same power is available to every believer today, but we have to be willing to accept it. That’s what I try to get across to the believers here, and actually to everyone who will listen to me, but often I feel like I’m butting my head against a wall. However, I’m not to give up, but understand both that my responsibility is to give light (inform), and that I’m not the source of the light in the first place. I am to be obedient, and to trust God with the outcome.

Father, thank You for giving me the message for Sunday! Help me prepare properly, without thinking I can accomplish anything on my own. Thank You for speaking through me this past Sunday even though I didn’t feel very good about how things went at the time. I was rather surprised when two people told me how the message had blessed them! Help me indeed be faithfully obedient whatever You tell me to do, whether it is to speak or be silent, do some act of kindness or leave someone alone. May I be an increasingly “high capacity light pipe,” for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 18. 2012

Posted on December 21, 2012 by jgarrott

Luke 1:59-60 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

This little exchange reveals much that went on between Zechariah　 and Elizabeth during the months of the pregnancy. In the first place, he had to communicate to her why he couldn’t speak, which I’m sure he did in writing. The interesting thing is, many women in those days were completely illiterate, because they were considered not worth teaching. I wonder whether Elizabeth learned to read in her childhood, or whether perhaps Zechariah taught her after they were married? In any case, communication had obviously taken place between them, not involving other people, because everyone else was astounded at the naming of the child. The important thing is that both of them were in agreement, in faith, that this child was a special gift from God, designated by Him for important things. We have hardly any record of John’s upbringing, but we can be sure that it was in an atmosphere of faith and obedience to God. It seems likely that he was still young when his parents died, but the legacy of faith and obedience that they gave to him served him well.

As I am reminded often, I too was raised in an atmosphere of faith and obedience to God, and I am deeply grateful. I see so many around me who were raised in families that essentially ignored God, or were idolatrous (usually a combination of those two), or even actively denied any god other than science and human reason, and I get a glimpse of the inscrutable grace of God. I have no idea why I should be given such advantages over others, and it calls me to deep humility. Paul dealt with this issue in Romans 11, cautioning the Gentiles who had been added to the Body of Christ not to lord it over the Jews who had not acknowledged and accepted their birthright. God loves us all equally, but His dealings with each are different. We can’t possibly keep it all straight, so faith and trust are called for. All we can do is seek to be obedient in the tasks we are assigned, sharing the good news of the grace and mercy of God however He gives us opportunity, praying for those around us to receive faith even as we grow in it ourselves.

Father, as You well know, I’m shaken right now. Someone for whom I care deeply has received what could well be a sentence of physical death, and he hasn’t received eternal life yet. This is a crash course in prayer! As I’ve demonstrated for many years, I can’t convince him by my own wisdom, but nothing is impossible for You. I ask You to reveal Yourself to his heart, bringing to his mind the things he’s heard of You from me over the years. I ask You to give him physical strength and health sufficient to keep him here long enough to receive Your free gift of eternal life. Father, I want him with me in heaven. Father, thank You for this experience of praying with tears. I haven’t done a great deal of that over the years, and it’s an important thing to learn. I know You love him more than I do, and that’s a comfort. I pray, for him, for me, and for everyone involved with me, that Your will would be done in every detail, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 17, 2012

Posted on December 18, 2012 by jgarrott

Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

This verse has always grabbed me, because it is so true. In Japanese it is even stronger than in English, because it specifies “fully believed” and “absolutely happen.” Elizabeth had some personal experience in this area, because at the point she said this, her husband was mute because he had been unable to fully believe his angelic announcement! God used Zechariah’s imperfect faith to prompt his wife to make a statement that would bless and encourage countless people. This is a beautiful example of how God uses even our weak­nesses and failures for good. This is perhaps one of the areas in which we have the most trouble believing God really is omnipotent. We tend to think our failures are more powerful than God! However, it doesn’t take very much Bible study to find example after example of God using human weakness, and even outright sin, to accomplish wonderful things. This is so prevalent that Paul had to make it clear that this isn’t an excuse for sin! (Romans 5:20- 6:2) We fail to accept that our failure is no match for God’s grace. It is indeed a blessed thing when someone can look past themselves and the difficulties, even seeming impossibilities, of a situation and trust God to be true to His character and His Word.

Even raised in a faith-filled environment as I was, I still have diffi-culty fully trusting God at times, so I should certainly understand and be gracious toward those around me who are struggling in this area. It’s always so much easier to recognize in someone else! I am to seek to impart faith by my every word and action: not some pie in the sky wishful thinking but an assurance that God is who He says He is. At the same time, I must remember that faith is a gift from God, and not something we work up ourselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Accordingly, my major effort is to be in prayer. Trying to get it done in my own strength is an exercise in futility, as well as being quite ironic, when the whole subject is trusting and depending on God!

Father, You know the examples that come to my mind as I write this. Help me trust You enough not to be horribly disappointed when they fail to follow through as I believe they should. Help me remember that they are Your spiritual children before they are mine, and trust that You know how to take care of them. At the same time, keep me available to You for however You want to use me to draw them closer to You, whether that’s by word or action toward them, or by prayer alone. May we grow to be a body of believers indeed, for all the blessings that means, and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 16, 2012

Posted on December 18, 2012 by jgarrott

Luke 1:37-38 “For nothing is impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

What the angel said to Mary was not unique to this occasion; it is expressed several times throughout the Bible. However, this is perhaps the simplest, most direct expression of it. Gabriel had just used an example that Mary could relate to, her relative Elizabeth being pregnant, so Mary was far more likely to believe it on a personal level, especially since the incredible thing she had just been told related to she herself becoming pregnant. Even so, Mary’s response is exceptional, and an example for mankind for all eternity. It’s hard to imagine the level of faith and trust that she expressed here. The consequences to her were enormous, and potentially devastating. We don’t know how she felt about Joseph at this point, but the recent movie, The Nativity, probably got it pretty closely. She was risking losing Joseph, certainly facing a lot of shame, and possibly even being stoned. Come to think of it, though, since Gabriel specifically said “the child to be born,” she probably wasn’t too worried about the last possibility, at least not until after the birth. At any rate, her trust level was through the roof. Thinking about her, Heidi Baker comes to mind as someone who is just that much in love with God. That helps me understand that the key to trusting God more is loving Him more. I’m sure Joseph understood that he was #2 in Mary’s heart!

Mary is a real challenge to me, as she is to every believer. I know that my love/trust level has a long way to grow! The key for me now is to live out the love and trust I have currently, because that is the surest way to help them grow. My father’s catch phrase of “Give all you know of yourself to all you know of Christ” certainly applies. If I am not staying up-to-date with my commitment, my faith will stagnate. I’ve just talked about how faith and love go hand in hand, but Jesus made it very clear that obedience is also indivisible from faith and love. If I love and trust Him, I will certainly obey Him, and the degree to which I fail to obey Him is a clear indication of my lack of faith and love.

Father, thank You for this clear challenge to love, trust, and obey You more. Help me accept it fully, even as Mary did. I know I don’t have it in me unless You put it there, so that’s what I’m asking for. May I be the child and the servant that You desire, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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