I always find the events surrounding the most important birth in the world fascinating.  And it seems as if each Advent season, something new captures my attention.  Just what was the deal with the star the wise men saw that drew them to Jerusalem to speak with king Herod?  I certainly don’t offer anything conclusive, I’m no astronomer, nor do I have some secret knowledge that scholars through the centuries have lacked, but some textual observations to bring perhaps a bit more clarity …

1- Matthew is the only Gospel writer that records the piece of the story including the wise men from the east and the star (Matthew 2:1-12).  Remember Matthew was written for a Jewish audience, an audience well acquainted with the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures.  It appears the idea of the star being connected to the Star Prophecy of Numbers 24:17 may have been in Matthew’s mind and a detail he felt important to his audience.  This Star Prophecy came to represent the coming of a great deliverer for the nation of Israel.  The “War Scroll” found at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls) as well as its role in the Jewish holdout at Masada give ample historical evidence that the Jewish people zealously held to the star prophecy and the “star that would come out of Jacob”.  Of course they understood it to be a King, and in the Christmas story it represents the symbol of a King or the announcement of a King.  So I believe we could conclude that it was an important part of the story for the Jewish readers in proving that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah – Star.

2- Wise men in the east (astronomers) knew what to look for, they were studying the heavens.  Hmm … Lots of celestial occurrences have been identified to try and attach a reasonable explanation to the physical event of the Christmas star.  And in each case the timing, location in the sky, or plausibility seems rather forced, or at best a guess.  Here’s what we do know, these non-Jews were directed by some occurrence in the heavens to pack up and head a great distance to Jerusalem.  They recognized something unique was happening, but not everyone could observe it.  Contrary to popular Christmas pictures there was most likely not a huge star with its tail pointing like an arrow down to the Bethlehem location.  It took a trained eye and mind to observe this celestial anomaly, one that even Herod’s wise men had no knowledge of.  If everyone could have seen this like a neon sign in the sky, would not there have been huge crowds lined up to see what the strobe light was advertising?  At least a few months had passed since the birth of Jesus and it still appeared to be relatively unknown to many (2:3-4), but not to the wise men.

3-  When the wise men got to Jerusalem, had their visit with Herod, and were sent off to Bethlehem, the text says the star “went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was”.  Even if Matthew doesn’t have the proper astronomical vocabulary to scientifically describe what is happening, it still seems quite clear that something unique (dare I say supernatural) is going on.  But again, only to the trained eye, otherwise why wouldn’t Herod’s soldiers just have followed the star also and killed baby Jesus?  So, God directs these wise men to the new King and they worship with great joy.  Angels announced the birth to shepherds, and the heavens announced the birth to the wise men, it’s not like this was a normal natural birth in the first place.  So, I’d propose this is one of those events in Scripture where science and faith appear together – wise trained scientists who exercised faith and embraced the supernatural.

4- What to make of all of this?  I offer two conclusions.  First, this was yet another picture of the divine invading the human.  God entered the realm of man.  Heaven came down to earth.  The supernatural broke through the natural.  And God included the wise men of the east to validate this occurrence.  Second, this event marked to the Jewish readers that the “Star Prophecy” was not just for the nation of Israel, but for the world.  Worshippers come from outside of Israel to bring gifts to this unique King, and the heavens declare that this king is for the whole world, announced in the heavens not only to Jewish shepherds but for all peoples.  A divine announcement that a Savior has come to redeem mankind from every tribe and tongue!

So friends, let’s be people of great joy, like the wise men.  Let’s fix our minds on the God who created the universe and can use every part of it to declare His glory.  Let’s be people who care about the nations, all of them, and capture God’s heart for the world at Christmas time.  A Savior indeed has come who alone takes away the sin of the world.  Rejoice with exceedingly great joy (2:10)!

Looking to the Star,

Pastor Mark

John Calvin brings a great word commenting on Romans 12:4-6 and the members of the body of Christ, not as a nice “aren’t we different”, but a necessary – “God designed the Church that way”!  Read slowly and carefully …

“Paul speaks now not simply of cherishing among ourselves brotherly love, but he commends humility, which is the best moderator of our whole life.  Everyone desires to have so much himself, so as not to need any help from others; but the bond of mutual communication is this; that no one has sufficient for himself, but is constrained to borrow from others.  I admit then that the society of the godly cannot exist except when each one is content with his own measure, and imparts to others the gifts that he has received, and allows himself by turns to be assisted by the gifts of others. But Paul especially intended to beat down the pride that he knew to be innate in men, and that no one might be dissatisfied that all things have not been bestowed on him, he reminds us that according to the wise counsel of God everyone has his own portion given to him.  For it is necessary to the common benefit of the body that no one should be furnished with the fullness of gifts, lest he should heedlessly despise his brethren. Here then we have the main design that the apostle had in view: that all things do not meet in all, but that the gifts of God are so distributed that each has a limited portion, and that each ought to be so attentive in imparting his own gifts to the edification of the church, that no one, by leaving his own function, may trespass on that of another.  By this most beautiful order and, as it were, symmetry, is the safety of the church indeed preserved.”

Seems Calvin believed and longed for a Safe Church too.  This is a beautiful thing indeed, and one we ought strive toward and pray down the Spirit on until that Day when the Church is forever perfected!

In Need of You,

Pastor Mark

I’ve been thinking much about the Church these days and read an appropriate quote this morning …

You were cleansed by the same blood, regenerated by the same Spirit. You are a citizen of the same city, a slave of the same master, a reader of the same Scriptures, a worshipper of the same God. The same presence dwells silently in you as in them. Therefore you are committed to them and they to you. They are your brothers, sisters, your fathers, mothers and children. Whether you like or dislike them, you belong to them. You have responsibilities toward them that must be discharged in love. As long as you live on this earth, you are in their debt. Whether they have done much or little for you, Christ has done all. He demands that your indebtedness to Him to be transferred to your new family. - John White

An interesting thought this author brings up.  We don’t live trying to pay a debt back to God for the work of Jesus because we can’t, and that turns grace into a sales contract.  We live joyfully in the Gospel hungering for more and more grace.  But here, this author transfers that sense of “debt” to our responsibility to our new family, the Church.  We express love, grace, patience, mercy, compassion, hope, etc to our spiritual siblings as an act of love and worship to God.  In other words, if we love God and are grateful for the cross, we will love and honor  each other regardless of if we agree with each other on everything or not.  That, my friends, builds a “Safe Church.”

Now Safe Church doesn’t mean comfortable, lazy, feel-good church … it means an active, prayerful, evangelistic, missional church.  Why? Because when the family provides safety, love and honor, the kids can go out and “play” in the work of the ministry with courage and confidence, knowing God … and their brothers and sisters have their back.

Do you have each others back?  Or are you sticking sharp objects in each others back when they aren’t around? I pray for a Safe Church as a Christian because I need brothers and sisters to uphold me and care for my soul.  I pray for a Safe Church as a pastor because I need God’s people to trust Him enough that they will trust their hearts and lives to the elders not based merely on agreement over decisions or direction, but based on Gospel acceptance of God’s plan for His Church.  I find it interesting that most pastors who leave the ministry do so because of attacks from within not from outside the church.  They get hit by “friendly fire” that isn’t so friendly.  Tell me you’ve got my back … I’m watching and praying for yours!  God grow your Church, and keep us from getting in the way.

Working for your Safety & Courage,

Pastor Mark

This seems like a funny post, I’m not fond of drawing attention to myself, but I get this question often from you all, and I certainly need and love being prayed for, so please hear my heart here as simply a shepherd who needs The Shepherd …

1- First and foremost, that my heart always pumps wildly with delight for the Gospel.  That I treasure nothing more than my Savior.  That I love God with passion, focus, and pleasure.  I am first and foremost a worshipper of God, not a pastor or preacher.

2- Pray for humility.  I am a proud man, I am a selfish man, I am always in need of the breaking work of the Holy Spirit to walk in simplicity, prayer, and faith.  I want to bless and serve people, and without humility I will use and manipulate others … pray that stays far from me.

3- Pray that I disciple and lead my family with grace and truth.  I genuinely believe the admonitions of Paul to those in eldership, if I can’t lead my own family well, then I have no business leading His family.  Pray for the hearts of my children to always be soft to the things of God and to not be jaded or hardened by dad’s “job”.  Pray my heart is always sensitive and in sync to the heart of Michelle.

4- Pray that I serve, preach, counsel, disciple, and lead with an eye to please God alone.  It really is a funny thing how any sermon elicits opposite responses: too heady – too light, too much Bible – not enough, too long – too short, too theological – too much application.  If I live to please people, I will go insane.  Pray I live to the glory of God alone, and then have a patient sensitivity to those God has blessed me with caring for.

5- Pray that I always seek the face of God for the vision and mission of the Church.  Pray that I never grow complacent in the task of making ready the Bride, and pushing the Gospel into the dark places in our world.  Pray I ever stoke the fire of faith as hot as possible in your life and the lives of all I get a chance to interact with.

I covet your prayers for me, my family, and the mission of the Church!

Thanks for serving me,

Pastor Mark

So, I was blessed last night as we gathered across many denomination lines 1,200 strong to declare the trustworthiness of the Word of God together through music, prayer, and the reading of Scripture as we asked God to do a work of reformation and revival through NE Ohio (www.unityinneohio.com).  I’ve always prayed about getting to be a part of a community where local church pastors actually want to serve together for the building of the Kingdom, and God is answering my prayers.  Let me give you my “Behind the Scenes” and “From the Audience” perspective.

From the Audience perspective – The Word was the hero of the night!  16 pastors reading, reciting, quoting passages of Scripture that walked us through the progressive revelation of “The Word” climaxing in John 1:14, and culminating in Matthew 28:18-20.  The elder statesman pastor who has prayed for churches to come together for years bringing the final passage and declaring that if we are to Take the Word, we must Trust the Word.  Amen!  Pastors who preach weekly to their congregations to simply let the Word do the preaching tonight (do you know how hard it is to have a pastor not comment on a passage of Scripture?).  Musicians from multiple churches using their gifts not to show-off, but direct us to the throne of grace.  Ushers, greeters, servers not directing people to church material or collecting money for their budget, but directing people to pray for Revival in NE OH and contribute money to a move of God bigger than all of us in the days ahead.  It was not a bunch of talk about Unity in the Church, it WAS the Church practicing Unity and lovin’ it!  Thank you Church.

Behind the Scenes perspective – We gathered as pastors beforehand to go through the evening and pray and guess what, it was actually like we enjoyed being with each other  I love having pastors in the area who I delight in calling my friends.  We acknowledged that we had led our local churches in our unique ways/styles/liturgies in the morning and then were gathering to worship together as one in the evening, pretty cool!  Men talked about being nervous having worked to memorize their passage of Scripture and wanting to deliver it with passion and authenticity.  Men laughed and joked, like giddy schoolgirls, about how fun it was to be a part of this evening.  No one talked of differences on the “B-issues”, no one complained of not having a place of prominence, no one cared what size their local church was, and no one had a personal agenda … just God’s agenda that “they would be ONE” (John 17:11).   Leaders submitting to one another, preachers yielding to the Word, shepherds wanting to walk with the Great Shepherd … AMEN!

Could it be that God is beginning to gather the Church to be the Church in NE OH, to pour out a work of the Spirit upon this dry and needy land?  Could it be that humility will lead the way with pastors, so prone to arrogance, laying down their pride?  Could it be that the Word will be exalted above men’s ideas and “feel good” seeker-isms?  Could it be that the Church will Trust the Word, Love the Gospel, and the World will sit up, take notice, and be transformed?  Please God, this is our prayer!

For the Church,

Pastor Mark

Holy Scriptures Study Guide

Sermon also available at www.leroychapel.org

I sit here on Monday, September 14th, 2009 and within the past week a politician, tennis star, and celebrity musician have all acted with utter disregard to what used to be called “manners”.  Guess what Rep. Joe Wilson?  People don’t always say what you want them to say and agree with how you think things should be done, maybe they don’t even always tell the truth.  Guess what Serena Williams?  Line judges don’t always get it right and the calls don’t always go in your favor.  Guess what Kanye West?  People win awards other than you … you may not actually be the center of the universe.

I suppose it’s old fashioned to teach our kids to show self-control, to think before they speak, and that a wise person restrains his tongue … oh wait, of course that’s old fashioned because that’s in the Bible.  Oh Mark, you’re being sarcastic … Forgive me for expecting that our leaders (Wilson) and public figures (Serena and Kanye) actually set an example for us and our children.  Of course they are human, not perfect, and so I too can exercise my self-control in not condemning them, but it sure would be nice to see them actually do that old fashion thing called “take responsibility, and … yes, actually ask for forgiveness.”

Thankfully there are other role-models out there, yes even ones that don’t love Jesus but still understand manners, respect, and self-control.  Thanks to all of you who listened to your mom’s advice and hold your tongue and mind your manners when things don’t go your way.

Just a Rant,

Pastor Mark

I’ve been quite fired up the past two weeks talking to everyone about what God calls men to … and some of you asked for this Sam Storms quote I finished the service with yesterday.  May we never give in to boredom, but live with passion for what really matters!

“One of the most serious threats to the human spirit is boredom. Boredom is the breeding ground for wickedness. Bored people are easy targets of the flesh and the Devil. It is like putting a bull’s-eye on your chest with a sign: “Tempt me. I’m easy!” Why? Because boredom is contrary to the natural, God-given impulse for fascination, excitement, pleasure, and exhilaration.”

It’s a hard thing to wrap our minds around the Sovereignty of God.  That He knows all and acts to accomplish His purposes for His glory even when they include what we see as Plan B.  Jerry Bridges defines God’s Sovereignty this way,

“This is the essence of God’s sovereignty; His absolute independence to do as He pleases and His absolute control over the actions of all His creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart His will or act outside the bounds of His will.”

Without making this a major discourse, let me mention a few reasons this is so hard for us, and then why its so glorious.

1)  It’s hard because the Biblical Language expresses events from both perspectives.  Often we read the Scriptures and see things described from a human vantage point – Judas betrayed Jesus (Mk 3:19), Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified (Mk 15:15), but then are given later the Divine vantage point – God gave him up for us all (Rom 8:32).  When we sit back and see the whole picture or event, we understand these unified yet different vantage points.  But in isolated phrases or when we aren’t given the whole picture, it’s not hard to grasp why we get stumbled up in the doctrine of the sovereignty of God.

2) It’s hard because we know the Sinful Choices we make, or the evil choices made by others, and the human direction of the outcome feels very directed by the free and “all-too-powerful” choices of the sinful human heart.  The younger brother in the Prodigal story choose to squander his inheritance in sinful reckless living, only to find himself in the pigpen at the end of the indulgence (Lk 15:12-16).  He choose plan B and got a plan B ending, it makes human sense and feels very logical, sovereignty complicates that scenario.

3) It’s hard because we don’t like the idea of a Almighty God We Can’t Understand.  When we see evil in the world, we immediately (Believer and Unbeliever alike) grieve, wishing that hadn’t happened, would stop, and won’t ever happen again.  The idea that God has the power to stop it, and yet seems distant and uninvolved troubles our justice-driven minds and compassion-motivated hearts.  

Again let us listen to Jerry Bridges from Trusting God,

“The sovereignty of God is often questioned because man does not understand what God is doing. Because He does not act as we think He should, we conclude He cannot act as we think He would.”

I know this – We live in a fallen world, where everything is tainted by sin and groaning to be redeemed.  Certainly this impacts not only human decisions, but the tragedies that strike mankind in sickness and calamity.  Pointing us not to a God who doesn’t care, but to a God who has loved to the utmost making rescue from this fallen, wicked world of ours a certainty.  

I know this – Satan is not more powerful than God, so for all the realities of spiritual warfare (Eph 6:12), our focus is not to be on the “binding of the darkness”, but the “power of the light” found at the cross and the completed work of Jesus Christ.  

AND I know this – While Judas betrayed, and Pilate gave the crucifixion orders, God accomplished the greatest deliverance for mankind out of the greatest tragedy of justice of all time.  And while the younger brother choose sinful self-discovery ending in sorrow and disappointment, God brought him to himself in order to bring him to HIMSELF.  

Where is the comfort?  I think Joni Eareckson Tada points that out to us quite simply …

“Nothing is a surprise to God; nothing is a setback to His plans; nothing can thwart His purposes; and nothing is beyond His control.  His sovereignty is absolute. Everything that happens is uniquely ordained by God.  Sovereignty is a weighty thing to ascribe to the nature and character of God.  Yet if He were not sovereign, He would not be God.  The Bible is clear that God is in control of everything that happens.”

Do we choose Plan B’s?  Yup, and we will at some time during most weeks.  Does God give us His Plan B?  Nope, His plan A for us is always right on course.  So, trust Him … and give yourself each and every day to making as many Plan A choices of the Father as you can, knowing that even your Plan B’s can’t thwart the plan of God in your life.

Comforted in God’s Sovereignty,

Pastor Mark

Been thinking much about the crazy-stupid boasting we all engage in after preaching on Galatians 6:11-18 yesterday and Paul’s commitment to not boast except in the Cross of Christ … not a bad commitment, we should all make it.

 

Children boast to each other about how great they are not even knowing what great is

Boys boast in their video game prowess

Girls boast in their maturity, it’s always more than boys, right?

Women boast in their image 

Men boast in their strength

Pastors boast in their church numbers, books, and great vision for the future

Moms boast in their kids being more behaved than the crazy ones in the store … and the piles of laundry and meals to be cooked

Dads boast in their sons athletic achievements … and the way things used to be when they were kids

Wives boast in the sale, the money saved, the coupons clipped

Husbands boast in their home projects, tools, and productivity

Young men boast in their bike, car, or college choice

Young women boast in their beauty or boast in not seeming to care about their beauty

Businessmen boast in their profit and product

Christians boast in their service, morality, and … oh yeah, their humility

Intellectuals boast in their degrees, papers, and tenure

Anti-intellectuals boast in their common sense, experience, and determination

Laborers boast in their hours, schedule, and lack of days off

White-collar workers boast in their technology, organization, and the latest book they read to make millions

Evangelists boast in their slick presentations, decisions for Christ, and courage

Servants boast in their obscurity, compassion, and patience

The Generous boast in their sacrifice, commitment, and … well, generosity

The Thrifty boast in their budgets, shrewdness, and good stewardship

We boast in our knowledge about a subject, boast about not concerning ourselves with other subjects.  We boast in having an opinion and in not having one.  Boast about what we’ve done and what we’ve not done, and what we’ve seen and not seen.  And all our boasting is foolishness.  And in our foolishness we keep boasting while thinking we don’t think of ourselves more highly than we ought.  And to all of this, the Apostle Paul says, “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).  And John Stott takes Paul’s words and says them this way …

“Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here because of you.  It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’  Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross.  All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary.  It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.”

Oh the wisdom of the Proverbs (10:19), “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”  May our words match our hearts, and may our hearts walk in the shadow of the cross, looking less at self and more at Christ.

Shrink us to size oh God!

Pastor Mark