The Character of God- Part 2

Subtitle:  The Presence and Glory of God

Exodus 32-34.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, December 15, 2024.

We continue to look at the character of God.  This is not only an issue for Christians.  Even an atheist can struggle with the character of “the Christian God.”  They have typically rejected such a God for several reasons.  First, they simply do not believe it is the best explanation for everything (perhaps they deny any true spirituality, i.e., all is material).  However, they also will point out what they believe to be character flaws in this “God of the Bible.” 

Yet, it is easy to cherry-pick issues and present them in the worst light when you do not believe or like this God.  So, what is the true character of the God of the Bible?  This is what we are exploring in this series.

Last week, we looked at the greater context of Exodus 34:6-7.  The preceding book of Genesis and the current book of Exodus are an important part of its larger context.  We saw a God who has created a creation in a state of being “very good.”  Yet, a rebellion has happened, first by spiritual beings and second by humans.  Yet, God has promised to help humanity against the devil (the serpent), even though they continue to rebel against Him.  This hope was summed up in a chosen line that goes all the way to the nation of Israel, which becomes a chosen nation to bring forth the One who would conquer the works of the devil.

Today, we are going to look at the immediate context found in Exodus chapters 32 through 34.  Here, we will find that Israel is no better than those who were before them.  They are just as fallen and in need of redemption as much as everyone else.  How did God’s chosen people end up in slavery in Egypt?  How did they fall into complaining and idolatry at the very time that God was saving them through miracle after miracle?

It is precisely in this picture of the failures of Israel, and consequent questions of the reader, that we find a revelation of God’s character.  No matter what state you are in, cast off from God or His chosen nation, we are all in need of redemption from the bondage of sin.  The good news is that God is just the kind of being who will (character) and can (power) save us from sin and redeem our lost inheritance as God imagers exercising righteous dominion over the whole earth.

Let’s look at our passage.

The first intercession of Moses (Exodus 32:7-14)

Biblically speaking, intercession involves two parties that are at odds.  Someone from the aggrieving party (or even from outside of it) speaks to the aggrieved party, to reconcile the relationship.  There are several places in the Old Testament where a human being appears to be more merciful than God.  This passage is one of them.  Another passage is Genesis 18, where Abraham intercedes with God on behalf of his nephew Lot in Sodom.

What is actually happening in these passages?  I believe that God is using the situation to provoke thoughts and prayers (intercessions) from them on behalf of others.  This is not a charade.  Because God’s character is being questioned (first by the devil and then by humanity influenced by him), He will do more than just tell us what is right.  He wants a relationship of trust with us, and to obtain that, He provokes us with the things of life.  In prayer, we wrestle before God with what He is doing and what He will do.  God doesn’t just do things and tell us, “Because I said so!”  He is trying to teach us.

Moses interceding with God becomes a picture of the One who would intercede with God on behalf of all of humanity, Jesus, the Greater Moses.  This One would be the Son of Man, but also the Son of God.  Yes, God interceding with God for the sake of humanity.

In our passage, God tells Moses that Israel is involved in gross sin at the very moment that God was giving Moses the Covenant they had agreed to follow.  He calls them an obstinate people, and then, He tells Moses to leave Him alone so that He can destroy Israel and make a new nation out of Moses.

This would solve the headache that Moses had in leading them to Sinai.  However, it would only represent a starting over.  The question then becomes this.  In 400 years, where will the descendants of Moses be?  Will they do any better.  I think that Moses intuitively knows that this will not fix anything.  It is better to face the music and go through the current bad situation.

Moses intercedes with God for the lives of Israel.  He points out that this will affect Egypt’s view of His character.  Yahweh only brought the Hebrews out into the desert to kill them.  He also reminds God that He is the One who brought Israel out of Egypt.  Finally, Moses appeals to God’s relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (remember that his name was changed to Israel). 

This last point is not about challenging God to keep His word because a nation made from the descendants of Moses would satisfy the promise.  Though, Genesis 49 implies that God has revealed some specifics to Jacob about each tribe of Israel.  This is more a call for mercy on these descendants because of their relationship to those patriarchs.  It is similar to the description in Genesis 19:29.  God remembered Abraham and delivered Lot out of Sodom’s destruction.  The same is said earlier in Exodus 2:24 about Israel’s slavery in Egypt.  The intercession of those who are no longer living among us can still have an effect upon our lives.  We haven’t merited more mercy from God, but He remembers those who have gone before us and His promises to humanity. 

God is not just talked into mercy by Moses.  Rather, Moses makes the case for what God already wants to do.  In fact, this can just as easily be seen as a test of Moses.  By now, Moses should have a good understanding of what motivates God and His character.  This offer to make a nation from him tests his own character.  Moses passed with flying colors.  He imaged God rather than the serpent.

However, it is not enough to be the recipient of the intercessions of past generations.  Am I an interceder for the generations coming behind me?  What am I imaging?

The second intercession of Moses (Exodus 32:30-35)

Following the first intercession, Moses goes down the mountain and confronts Israel with their sin.  In verse 30, he tells them that he is going back up the mountain to see if he can make atonement for their sin.  Atonement is a covering for one’s sin that allows them to be acceptable to God.

We see Moses agreeing with God that Israel’s sin is egregious (“great”).  He then offers himself to be blotted out of God’s book, if God will not forgive their sin.  What is this book?  This is probably the Book of Life that we see mentioned several times in the New Testament.  We are not given details, but the idea of being blotted out is quite clear.  The name of Moses would no longer be on the list of those who would inherit eternal life.  It is quite possible that the names of everyone conceived is put in that book.  At some point (that only God can judge), they can be removed if they prove to cross a line beyond which there is no spiritual recovery.  It is also possible that only the names of those who put their trust in God are put into the book.  Being blotted out would represent apostatizing from faith in God.

God responds by saying He will only wipe out of His book those who “sin against Me.” (Verse 33).  He then tells Moses to lead the people from Sinai.  He tells him that an angel will lead them, and Israel will be punished for its Exodus 32 sin at the time of God’s choosing.

It is unclear if Moses has a substitution in mind, i.e., blot me out instead of them, or if he is only identifying with them, i.e., blot me out with them.  Regardless, this steadfast refusal to go forward without them is a picture of God’s own refusal to leave humanity behind, under the weight of its folly.  Of course, Jesus does both of these things.  He identifies with us when he became a human, and then he offered himself as a substitute before God.  The life of Jesus, represented in the blood that he shed, becomes the atonement for our sins.  Of course, the name of Jesus could not be blotted out of God’s Book of Life because Jesus was the Life of God come down to earth.

The words of Moses are similar to the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:3.  Paul knows that it is impossible, but he wants the Romans to understand just how much he cared for his fellow Jews.  If it were possible, he would be accursed, cut-off, so that they would not be.  Yet, only those who embrace Jesus as Messiah the Redeemer can receive life.

The third intercession of Moses (Exodus 33:1-3, 12-17)

This intercession follows on the heels of the last one.  In fact, all of these tie together under the idea of Moses wrestling with God over the problem of Israel’s sin and whether or not it could be atoned.  Further, there is a question of what mechanism could atone for Israel’s sin.

You probably noticed in the prior section that God tells Moses that He is not going with Israel.  He will only provide an angel to lead them into the Promised Land.  This third intercession is all about the Presence of God being with Israel.

Verse 3 explains that Israel would be destroyed if God went with them. Skipping to verse 12, Moses then wants to know the one that God will send to lead them.  This is not simply about knowing the identity of the angel, i.e., what is the angel’s name.  He wants a knowing of relationship, or experience.  Just what kind of angel will lead us up, if you aren’t going with us.  Then, in verse 13, he says that he really wants to know God.  “Show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”  You can see the connection between knowing God (His character) and being able to find grace in God’s eyes.  Moses wants relationship with God, not just for himself, but for Israel as well.

God then responds by saying that His Presence will go with them and give them rest. He doesn’t immediately say how He will be able to do this without destroying Israel.

The response of Moses helps us to see why God’s presence is important.  Moses points out that the nations will not know that His favor rests upon them as a people, if God doesn’t go with them.

God’s response is to affirm that He will go with them because Moses has found favor with God.  This may help us to see how God could actually not destroy Israel.  It is out of relationship with Moses that God will not destroy them.  This typifies the relationship that Jesus has with God the Father.  This relationship can save all who put their faith in him (whether they are in Genesis awaiting the serpent-crusher), in Israel awaiting the Messiah, or today, among the nations awaiting the Second Coming of Jesus.  All of this is a putting of faith in God’s promise. 

When the Word of God took on human flesh in the man Jesus, the Presence of God walked among us.  How could he do this without destroying Israel?  He did it by taking their destruction (even that of us Gentiles) upon himself.  Blessed are those who put their trust in Him!

“Show me Your Glory!” (Exodus 33:18-23; 34:5-7)

This section is sometimes described as an intercession, but I see it as a furthering of the earlier idea that Moses really wants to know God.  He also wants to see God’s glory, unhidden by clouds, smoke and fire).  God brings Moses into relationship closer than normal.  Moses would speak with God “face to face” like a man speaks to another man.  This would still be an accommodation to the humanity of Moses.  A unique manifestation would allow Moses to speak to God as one speaks to another person. 

The last part of chapter 33 is where God describes just how He will reveal His Glory to Moses.  God would place Moses in the cleft of a rock that was near God on the mountain.  God would then cause His goodness to pass in front of Moses, covering him from destruction with His hand.  God would then declare His Glory, referred to as the Name of the LORD, to Moses.  As God moved away from Moses, He would remove the covering of His hand so that Moses could see His back, but not His face.

Let me say that every aspect of this event is used of Jesus in the New Testament.  There is only one Rock who is near to God, and that Rock is Jesus.  This Rock was cleaved to make a place of safety from the absolute holiness of God.  Jesus is the Cleft in the Rock.  Jesus is also the Hand of the LORD that covers us so that we are not undone by looking upon God’s unmitigated Glory.  Jesus is the very Goodness of God that is caused to pass in front of Moses, all the while declaring the Name of the LORD, which is Jesus Himself.  His being, character and reputation is that of Yahweh.  In total, Jesus is the Glory of God revealed to humanity (see John 1:14, John 11:40, and Revelation 21:22-27).  Jesus is the ultimate accommodation of God to help us see His Glory without dying.

Chapter 34, particularly verses 5-7), give us the event itself.  In the weeks ahead, we are going to focus on the declaration that is given about God’s character, which can be equated to His Glory, and His Name.  These character traits of God help Moses, and us, to know this God who has Created us, made a Promise to us, and is even now Saving us.  It is the God of Compassion, Grace, Slowness to Anger, Loyal Love, and Faithful Truth (Ex. 34:6).

You see, the serpent has always lied about the character of God.  God did not lie to Adam and Eve; He was not holding out on them, trying to keep them down; He is not self-seeking, but rather seeks the good of those He has made.  In truth, God can be trusted, but the serpent cannot.  God can be trusted, but our weak human hearts cannot.  Even when we are faithless, He is faithful (2 Titus 2:13).

The fourth intercession by Moses (Exodus 34:9)

Upon seeing the Glory of Yahweh, Moses sums up his request in verse 9.  He asks for God to go along with Israel and him (Presence).  He asks for a pardon for their wrongdoings and sin.  Finally, he asks that God would take them as His own possession, His inheritance.

We are currently in a political season where presidents pardon people before they leave office.  There are people who deserve a pardon.  Perhaps, the punishment was too vindictive and part of the sentence is commuted.  Perhaps, the person was railroaded and no one is moving to help the person get out of prison, etc.  However, Moses is asking for a pardon of actual wrongdoing.  There is no human who will have eternal life without God pardoning their sin.  This is the tension of verse 6.  God is merciful, but He will not let the guilty go unpunished.  How can God pardon a sinner?  In a word, it is Jesus, the Salvation of Yahweh!  Confess your sin and call out upon Jesus to cover them.  Put your faith in him, not just to cover sins, but also lead you to image the Father in your life, now and into eternity!

In his first coming, we see the Glory of God the Father revealed in Redemption.  It is God’s redemptive glory.  In his second coming, we will see the Glory of the Father revealed in Judgment. 

During this season, let us come to know the God who redeems us more and more each day.  He wants to pardon our sin and take us as His own, but He will not leave the guilty unpunished.  The only solution is to let Jesus atone for the guilt of your sin.  Praise God for His indescribable Gift!

Presence & Glory audio

The Sermon on the Mount II

Subtitle: Jesus Opens the Door to the Kingdom

Matthew 4:23-5:12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 10, 2023.

We talked last we about Jesus as King Messiah delivering the teaching in our passage.  We also talked about Jesus as the Greater Moses, the greater prophet, delivering the instructions of Yahweh to God’s people.

This is how we need to see this passage from chapter 4 through the end of the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 7.  Through Jesus, the promise of Abraham was even now breaking forth upon Israel.  Furthermore, it will not stop until it has inundated the whole earth.

Let’s look at our passage.

The setting (4:23 to 5:1)

Chapter four has Jesus calling the four fishermen to follow him.  However, Matthew records his own call in chapter nine.  The emphasis is more on his teaching and ministry to the people than it is on The Twelve who will follow him. 

I mention this because Jesus is speaking to “his disciples” in Matthew 5:1.  It is easy to immediately think of the 12, but Matthew purposefully puts this before mentioning any other of the twelve being called.  I do not believe that Matthew means the 12, or even the 4 that we know are called at this point.  I believe it refers to the larger group of those who wanted to hear what Jesus was teaching.

Notice that the ministry of Jesus leading up to this has been to the desperate multitudes that had followed him.  Of course, they came to him because they were sick, lame, needy, and some even demon-possessed.  However, Jesus was setting them free.  Imagine if experiencing such a thing.  The man is healing people, but he is also teaching and preaching about the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (4:23).

These people are not just seeing a power that was greater than any prophet before, and had not been seen in Israel for centuries.  They are also hearing a different kind of teaching.  It is not completely different.  It talks of the kingdom as the rabbis of their day did.  However, Jesus interacted with the sick and hurting different than they did.

I think this can be summed up in the rebuke of Jesus in Matthew 23:13.  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you  allow those who are entering to go in.”

Jesus is going to talk about “the narrow gate” in Matthew 7:13.  He is also going to refer to himself as the door in John 10:1-10.  The religious leaders of Israel were keeping people from coming into the Kingdom, but Jesus, who is the very door and gate into the Kingdom, is calling to them to come in.  He is healing them and telling them that the Kingdom belongs to them.  This was a very different approach from a religious leader, and it shocked them.

The image of a scary, ferocious dog comes to mind.  The religious leaders were hypocrites because it was their job to help the people towards God and His Kingdom.  However, spiritually they were keeping people from entering it.  They wouldn’t go in and they were intimidating people not to go in.

More than that, their view of those who were sick, infirm, and demon-possessed caused them treat the people in that condition as sub-class, as if God had cursed them and didn’t care for them.  The attitude projected the idea that if people were more like them, then they wouldn’t have the problems that they do.  They had no problem moving on and leaving the poor and oppressed behind.  However, Jesus said that they were not entering the kingdom.  So, where were they progressing to?  They were leaving the oppressed behind, but they were only progressing towards an imaginary kingdom of their own making.

They had a system that had been developed, and many of them had risen through the ranks of it.  It was a system of theology and thinking that told them that they were God’s best and blessed.  It patted them on the back and told them that they were doing good in God’s eyes.  They had the right credentials hanging on their walls, and they had the right people patting them on the back.  Their lives were relatively good, and so they must be God’s favorites.  They could look at a person with a horrible sickness, or disability, and rejoice that God loved them more.  They didn’t have a demon-possessed child, even more proof.

The problem is that, when it is your child who is sick or demon-possessed, you don’t have the luxury of just moving on.  Of course, there are some people out there who disown family because they “didn’t sign up for this.”  But, many a loved one suffered through with family members without knowing why this was happening to them, and yet being told by the religious leaders that they were cursed of God.

Life has a way of challenging us in ways that we didn’t ask for.  Do you think any sick person wanted to be sick, or that they all somehow deserved it?  What about congenital stuff that is in the DNA?

There is a certain “accident” of nature in the DNA of a man and the DNA of a woman coming together and producing a third combination.  Though we can talk about the process of this, there is still a mystery in how certain genes are picked versus others.  Does God completely control that?  Is any of it left up to the lower natural laws that He has created, and just becomes what it will be?  We must confess that there is much mystery here that we are not given the answers to. 

So, life tests us.  What is our choice?  Do I come alongside a person in compassion, or tells myself that there is something spiritually wrong with them, or it wouldn’t have happened.  Do I isolate myself because I don’t want to get it too?  Who wants a leper in the Kingdom?

A surprising definition of the blessed (5:3-12)

This is how I believe Matthew is presenting Jesus as he gives his address, which starts with the “beatitudes.”  They are called the beatitudes because “beati” is Latin for “blessed” and the ending “tude” simply means “thing.”  These are the blessed things or blessings that Jesus declared to the people.  We see this throughout the Bible.  However, each of these blessings give a surprising definition to just who are the blessed in Israel that day.  Let me give you a hint.  None of the people in that crowd thought of themselves as the blessed, except for the fact that Jesus had just healed them.  Everything else told them that they were cursed.

This surprise twist is opening the door for them to enter the Kingdom.  Notice the formula first.  It states that “blessed are,” and then it states a condition of life, or experience, or even a particular kind of activity.  It then follows that up with a reason why they are blessed.  In essence, they are things that God has planned for the people who fit the first category.  They are not so much blessed by the first category, but they are blessed by what God intends and plans for those in that category.  Again, they all have a surprising twist to them.

Before we look at each of them, it is important to recognize that we have a message regarding just who is blessed and it is being given by the Messiah.  This is interesting because the Psalms are put in a 5 different collections that use the Covenant of David and the Promised Messiah as a call to Israel for faithful trust in Yahweh’s plan.  The first two psalms give a sort of introduction to the whole collection.

The focus of Psalm 1 is on defining for Israel both the proper way to follow Yahweh and the blessing that Yahweh will dispense to them.  Psalm 2 may seem to drastically change the subject as it presents the nations rejecting and conspiring against Yahweh and His Anointed One.  The Psalm ends with another statement of blessing, which clearly ties back to the blessed person of Psalm 1.  There are other literary ties between Psalm 1 and 2.  Thus, they are intended to function together.  They picture a person who does not follow the wicked, sinners, and mockers of their age.  Instead, they meditate on the instruction of the LORD night and day.  This causes them to become a fruitful tree, rather than chaff.

The word for blessed essentially speaks to the effect of a relationship with God.  It is sometimes translated as happy, but that falls short.  It speaks to the good effects in our life, and in every kind of way, because we are faithfully trusting God.  This person will be able to recognize Messiah and quickly embrace him in trust, in faith (Ps 2:12).

Yet, the connection goes deeper than this.  The Messiah, Jesus, is the perfect example, exemplar, of the Psalm 1 blessed person.  He is the ultimate tree of life in which all the righteous are able to be fruitful.  Every one of the beatitudes are exampled perfectly by Jesus throughout the Gospel of Matthew.  God is not just saying that He has a plan for us and we should trust Him.  Even more, He has joined us in those difficult situations and promises to lead us to that blessing that God plans for us.  Jesus is not just identifying intellectually with these people, with us.  He is identifying by immersing himself in the same situations.

Each one of these situations have an aspect to them that our flesh doesn’t like.  Because of this, we are tempted to run from them or do what we can to avoid them.  We can spend so much energy in avoiding them that we lose sight of a blessing that God is trying to give us through them. 

Our flesh, the world, and the devil, can pile on when these situations are present.  “If you really had God then this wouldn’t happen.”  Or, “If God really loved you, was really on your side, then…”  They do not appear to be blessings.  In fact, notice that the condition, i.e., poor in spirit or mourning, are not themselves the blessing.  They are like a present that is wrapped up and yet leads to a good thing.  The blessing is the thing that God plans to do or give for those in that tough situation.

When we end up on a sick bed it is not a good thing.  Yet, if we trust God and wait upon Him, He has a blessing, a good plan through it.  We must be careful of letting fear cause us to flee from the very things in which God is trying to give us a blessing.  I’m not saying that God purposefully causes these bad things, but that He allows them because He can overcome it and use it for the good.

The blessings (v. 3-12)

We will talk about the structure of the Sermon on the Mount later, but this introductory message about being blessed by God comes in three sets of three.  Threes play a big part in the structure of this sermon, so I am going to look at these in sets of three.

Let’s get into them.

The poor in spirit (v. 3) is using wealth terminology, but applies it to a person’s spirit.  It is speaking of being humble as opposed to proud.  Yet, it is not just talking about a moral ethic.  Of course, it is good to be humble and not good to be proud.  However, in our context, these are people who have been ground down by their condition of life.  They have been politically dominated by successive empires.  They have been religiously dominated by an uncaring know-it-all class.  On top of this, they had things going on physically and spiritually in their life that brought them to very humble, very low, circumstances.

As we go through this list, we should recognize that some of them present things that we should ethically try to do.  However, underneath of that idea, there is the bigger issue of not even having a choice.  You are humble because everything in life has ground out any pride you may ever have had.

Let’s look at the second blessing.  Jesus speaks to those who mourn.  Again, Jesus isn’t telling his followers that they should never be happy, but always mourning.  Rather, it is about speaking to people whose life has descended into something difficult over which they mourn.  This is definitely one of those things that we try to avoid in life.  Yet, here is Jesus saying that God sees us when we mourn, and He has a blessing for us.

The third  situation is the meek.  It is sometimes translated “lowly.”  We see this in Zechariah 9:9.  “Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey…”  This is the same word for “meek” in our passage.  This word is also applied to Moses in Numbers 12:3.  “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.”  Again, this is the same word.

In some ways, the word meek has the concept of lowly and unimportant.  However, notice that we cannot say that Moses and, even more, Messiah are not important.  The word is not about your role and purpose in society.  It is a word of how you carry yourself towards others.  It is a person who is not seeking a position even when it is given to them.  They are not desperate for everyone to see them as something great.  Instead, they are lowly, humble, meek of spirit.

When I think about Moses, I believe that he is lowly because he knows that he can’t deliver Israel at all.  He has no power and is no one.  If it wasn’t for God, he could do nothing.  When Korah, Dathan, and Abiram complained against Moses, it wasn’t Moses who rebuked them.  It was God Himself who stood up for Moses and rebuked the rebels.

It is similar with Jesus, but not in the same way.  Jesus is perfect and has no sin, unlike Moses.  However, Jesus does not fight against his detractors.  He humbly and meekly trusts in the Father to be his defense, even to the point of crucifixion.

Now look at the blessing side of these three.  For those who are poor in spirit, we are told “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”  Similarly for the meek, “they shall inherit the earth.”  This is Kingdom terminology.  Israel had been waiting for Messiah to come and set up the kingdom, and here he is, talking with broken people and telling them how blessed they are.  The Kingdom has been brought near to them and it is there for them to enter.

Yet, notice the blessing for those who mourn.  It simply lets them know that they are blessed because they are going to be comforted.  He is not talking about someone in this life comforting them.  He is talking about God the Father.  He has a plan to comfort them for the things that cause them to mourn.  Instead of tying it to the Kingdom, it is simply tied to trusting God, period.  In the end, God is the only true source of blessing, and if He is blessing us, then it doesn’t matter whether it is in the Kingdom or outside.  It is blessed because God is with us.

The second group of three begin with those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Hunger and thirst are things that come to us because food and water are lacking.  Of course, this world clearly lacks righteousness.  It pictures a person with pains and panting for just a bite and a sip of righteousness in this life. 

This begs the question.  What am I thirsty for?   There is a commercial that has the line, “Stay thirsty…”  Yeah, we should stay thirsty, but we had better be careful what we are thirsting for.  In a world thirsting for righteousness, it is easy for us to develop and accept worldly substitutes instead of true righteousness.  Messiah is the true righteousness.  However, we can be so full of eating at the trough of false righteousness that he is not palatable to us.  Instead of redefining righteousness and creating a system of traditions that pats you on the back, telling you that you are righteous, (a righteousness that our flesh likes) we come to God and seek His righteousness, and wait upon Him.

Next we have those who are merciful.  The merciful are generally those who have been in tough times themselves.  We should seek to be a merciful person as a matter of ethics.  However, the truth is that life teaches us mercy by the difficult things that we experience.  We gain empathy through the things that happen to us.  It slows us down and enables us to see people that we used to walk on past without a thought.  The more we flee environments where we need mercy, the less we are able to hear the hurting heart of those who do.

Then, we have those who are pure in heart.  We can make this more complicated then it needs to be.  It is not about never making a mistake or sinning.  It speaks to a singleness of purpose.  I may fall into sin because of my flesh, but my heart simply, purely, wants to be right with God.  For Israel, singleness of purpose meant honoring God and following His instructions.  Guess what, it means the same thing for us.

I find it interesting that, in this central group of three, the blessings do not mention the Kingdom.  We can put so much emphasis on ruling in a Kingdom with Messiah that we can lose sight of what is most important, and that is a relationship with God that is good.  Can I be satisfied in this life before, or without, the Kingdom?  Can I be merciful?  Jesus was all of these things even though his life was tough, and he laid the throne of Israel and the world on the altar before God and allowed it to be burned to powder at the cross.  God’s people being free from their sins and truly knowing God the Father was more important than a thousand years of ruling on this earth.

Thus, the hungry and thirsty will be satisfied by God.  When, LORD, when will you do this?  This cry of our heart can overwhelm God’s promise that He will satisfy us, both in helping us to be righteous and in making this world a righteous place one day.  The merciful will be shown mercy by God.  Imagine crying out for righteousness and then standing before God and finding out that you yourself were not righteous, were not merciful.  Imagine hearing the words, “Depart from Me.  I never knew you.”  The pure in heart, those who keep singularly focused on God’s purpose and will, will find a day when they see God.  This is not just talking about judgment day, but beyond.  We will one day dwell in His presence never to be separated again!

It has been said that God whispers to us in our pleasures, but He shouts to us in our pain (C.S.Lewis).  Can I hear what God is saying over the din of my own heart, the world, and the devil?  May God help us to trust Him.  None of these central blessings mention the Kingdom because the Kingdom is just a part of God’s plan of blessing for us.  Even now, He has a blessing for us in the midst of our difficulties.

This is why Job could give the cry of faith in Job 19:25-26.  “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at the last [day] on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God!”  Wow, what a statement of faith in the midst of difficulty.  His only hope is to simply see God and be received.

The final three begin with the peacemakers.  There is no more thankless job than getting in the middle of two people who are angry with each other.  If you really care about reconciling them, you may find both of them turning their proverbial guns upon you.  In fact, even Christians can do this.  When we are offended, we can demand that the people around us pick our side, or die.  You have to agree with me to be right.  The heart of a peacemaker cares about both people and both sides of the issue.  In general, both sides will have something to work on. 

The ultimate peacemaking is to mediate between God and the lost.  Very few people will thank you for trying to reconcile them to God, unless they actually are reconciled to God.  Jesus says that the peacemakers are blessed because they will be called the sons of God.  Who is going to call them that?  It won’t be the world.  It will be God who calls us the sons of God.

It may not be manifest to the world that we are the sons of God.  In fact, they may accuse us of being the sons of the devil.  But, it will be manifested one day.  It won’t be an in-your-face celebration because that isn’t the heart of Jesus for the lost.  He is the ultimate peacemaker, and he did so by laying down his life.  He suffered that we might be able to reconcile with God.  No, we will have tears of joy that God has fulfilled His promise, and tears of sorrow for those who never believed.

The last two blessings are sometimes looked at as the same.  They are both about being persecuted, but the difference is why you are persecuted.

Those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness (doing/trying to do the right thing) are first in view.  We can notice that the tight formula that Jesus has been using opens up to greater commentary, even instruction, by him.  This is interesting because persecution has a way of breaking down our formulaic approaches to life, and gets us real with people and God very quickly.  These are blessed because “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”  This is the same blessing as the first beatitude and points to the kingdom again.

The Kingdom is important to God, and there will be a literal rule of Jesus physically on this earth.  God is not a liar.  He will keep His promises to the saints.  However, keep that in mind as we go to the next blessing.

Those who are persecuted for the sake of Jesus are the last we see.  This is parallel with the Old Testament saints who were persecuted because they were faithful to Yahweh (sometimes even by apostate Israelites).  Such are blessed because their reward is reserved for them in heaven.  This does not just mean heaven itself is the reward.  It is a recognition that your reward cannot be touched by anything in this world.  It is held firm, reserved, secure in heaven for you.

If you truly understood God’s heart for you in the midst of the difficult things you are going through, then you would rejoice and be exceedingly glad.  Perhaps, Jesus is laying it on a little thick?  Listen, this is the One who went to the cross, into the grave, and trusted God to overrule His treatment in this life.  He trusted the Father to be the only source of blessing that He would cling to.  Like Jacob wrestling with the Lord, Jesus becomes the ultimate Israel, “One who has Power with God!”

May God help us to also keep our eyes upon Jesus.  If we are persecuted for doing the right thing, and especially for trusting Jesus, then we can rejoice that we are taking our place among the many saints in the Bible, and the countless saints throughout all of time.  Let us follow Jesus, the ultimate blessed one, and learn of him the path of blessing.

SotM 2 audio

Rejoicing in God Your Savior

Luke 1:46-55.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on May 9, 2021, Mother’s Day.

Today, as we honor moms, we recognize The One who gave them the honorable position that they hold.

There are many days in the course of being a parent that would easily be classified as “not-rejoicing-days.”  However, there is one thing that moms can always rejoice in, no matter what kind of day it has been.  When you realize that our God is also our Savior, you can rejoice in the midst of very difficult times.

Let us remember as we look at our passage that Mary speaks these things and rejoices even though, culturally and socially, she is in a tough place.  It is the character and work of God that fills her heart with joy.

Let’s look at our passage.

Mary worshipped God

We do not know the full situation of Mary’s background.  She is from a small village in northern Israel with a population between 200 and 400 people.  We do know that Mary was a devout follower of God who found His favor.  She would be the woman through whom the Messiah entered the world.

In verses 46-47, Mary breaks out into praise and worship of God.  There are many today who try to teach us to worship Mary, and say of her that she was without sin, but the real Mary teaches us just who she really is, a worshipper of God.  There are two aspects emphasized in her worship.  She magnifies Him from her soul, and she rejoices in Him as her savior.  None of us can make God greater in being, but we can speak out how great He is and lift up His reputation. 

In a world that is cynical, may we be a people who are worshipping God, by magnifying Him before others.  Moms, your focus is often on husbands and children, but make it your primary duty to worship God.  Worship is a whole life endeavor to declare to God that you know that He is worthy of being the center of our lives.

Mary also saw God as her savior.  This seems to be what makes her rejoice.  Who was she in Israel?  Yet, the Lord chose her to be the mother of the messiah.  This would be seen as a huge social changer.  The Messiah was destined to be the king of Israel.  Of course, we don’t know all that Mary was thinking.

There is a clear parallel between Mary’s worshipful praise in this chapter and the same type of thing from Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter two.  Some of the wording is similar, and perhaps Mary is thinking of Hannah’s situation when she found out that she would finally have a child.  Clearly, Mary’s situation is different from Hannah’s, but it reminds us that there is more to the story.

Mary isn’t just declaring that she is a saved person spiritually.  She is declaring that God is the one who saves her when she needs saving, past, present, and future.  All moms need a spiritual savior, and it would seem a near impossible task if God were not with you.  This seems to blow the idea out of the water that Mary was without sin at birth.  She had a savior because she was human like us and needed one.  She found for herself that God saw here lowly state and was blessing her.  So, moms also need one who can deliver them, or help them, in those moments that threaten to overwhelm them.  God had let Mary know that she was valuable to Him and that she had found His favor.  In Jesus, all moms can know that they have found the favor of God.  You don’t have to have the perfect child to get it.

In verse 50, we see that Mary feared God.  God’s mercy is on those who fear Him.  We’ve talked about this concept of fearing God before.  It is that recognition and understanding of the position and power that God holds.  It is a reverence that does not dwell in a place of fear, but shrinks back from the thought of walking away from God.  To walk away from God is to walk away from the source of all goodness in this universe.  It is to shut yourself off from that goodness and to become your own source.  Becoming the only source of goodness that you depend on in this life should fill you with dread, and a desire to run back to God our savior.  Mary clearly saw herself as receiving God’s mercy along with the rest of the remnant of Israel who feared God too much to cast off the Bible and follow the ways of the world.  They were waiting upon the Lord, though it seemed that He tarried.

In verse 52, Mary once again references the lowly and the mighty.  Mary sees herself as a part of those who are humble in circumstance, but she also has been humble in spirit because she looks to God to be her savior.  Too many people are grasping at life trying to save themselves, or find a new guy to be the latest greatest savior in their life.  Instead, we must humble ourselves and wait upon the Lord.  We must let Him lift us up in the proper time.  God is not enamored with men or women who are in high and mighty positions.  Rather, He identifies with those who are in lowly positions, which begs the question.  Does the exaltation that we want bring out the best in us when we get it?  Let God determine the proper time to lift you up and rejoice in His wisdom.  Besides, the only exaltation that truly matters in the end is the resurrection from the dead. 

Many times, we may feel like God has forgotten that He is merciful. Yet, Mary recognized the mercy of God.  In verse 54 and following, she is not just focused on herself.  She is rejoicing because God has not abandoned Israel, despite the many cynical voices within Israel.

How many moms have lived through the centuries where it seemed like God had forgotten Israel?  Here, we have a testimony from a woman 2,000 years ago saying, “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy!”  Listen, God is not just concerned with Israel.  He is concerned with you too.  He is concerned with America and all of the other nations.  It is sad to see the gentile nations turning away from the Gospel as an answer, but in the midst of these nations, there is a remnant of those who still trust in God, who rejoice in Him as their savior that knows just when to deliver, and deliver He shall! 

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever!

Rejoicing in your Savior audio

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, March 29, 2020. 

Today, we have the story of Blind Bartimaeus being healed.  There are two issues at hand in this story that I would like to get out of the way up front.

First, the Gospel of Matthew relates this story and says that there were two blind men.  It does not name them, but the story is obviously the same as this one.  Some may point to this as a contradiction, but that would be superficial.  Where there are two men there is also one.  Mark chooses to focus upon a particular individual and even names him.  Perhaps Bartimaeus was well known at the time of the writing.  Matthew doesn’t focus on the individual, but rather the dynamic of healing blind men.  So, this should not be pressed as an error, only a difference in the focus of the eye witnesses.

Second, Luke records this miracle as happening when Jesus comes into Jericho, but Mark has it happening as Jesus leaves Jericho.  This is more than a difference in focus, and seems to create a contradiction.  Surely, both statements can’t be true, a person may think. 

A detective often has to deal with various eye-witness testimonies that may appear to contradict each other, even after weeding out false evidence.  The detective uses the art of questioning witnesses to ferret out what exactly they saw and didn’t see.  In this way, testimony that appears contradictory can often be explained.  Of course, we are unable to go back and question Mark and Luke, or, better yet, Bartimaeus.  Archaeologists have pointed out that there existed an Old Jericho (the city rebuilt on the rubble of Joshua’s famous battle), and a New Jericho that had been built up near it.  Herod had several palaces built there.  We see this dynamic even in our cities today.  Large projects, like international airports, require large spaces that would require the removal of vast historical areas.  This is why we see municipal districts that develop around a large project outside of a nearby city.  Thus, it is quite possible that Jesus leaves Old Jericho and heads towards New Jericho.  This would satisfy that Jesus is both leaving Jericho and going towards Jericho at the same time.  Of course, this is not completely satisfactory because it is simply a theory.  We can’t verify it by asking the witnesses.  Thus, this becomes a situation that is not technically contradictory, and yet we don’t know exactly how Luke and Mark’s testimonies overlap.

With that all said, our story challenges us with the reality that there are times of spiritual opportunity in our life.  It is as if God Himself were walking by us.  In those moments, there are things that He wants to do for us, but we must want them.  We must be seekers, knockers, and askers.  Let’s look at our story.

The beggar outside of Jericho

It has been common throughout history for those with physical disabilities to present themselves to society for charity.  We basically call this begging.  No one really wants to be reduced to such a humbling and humiliating place, but sickness, disease, and genetic problems are common in this fallen world.  It is easy to blame God for these things.  However, He did not bring these things into existence.  They are the results, or effects, of the Fall, and our rebellion against the Creator.  There was a beggar outside of Jericho, which is the last city on the Jordan plain before heading up into the hills towards Jerusalem.

Again, we remind ourselves that we are close to a week out from the crucifixion of Jesus.  He is actually on his way to give his life as a sacrifice, a ransom, for the sins of the world.  Yet, he stops at Jericho, among many other places, on his trip.  By the way, Mark does not share the story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man, but that story (from Luke’s Gospel) happens on this day as well.

A large crowd is around Jesus, and, when Bartimaeus is told that Jesus is near, he cries out.  Let’s look at what he cries.  First, he uses a title of Jesus that is used to refer to the Messiah, “Son of David!”  It is possible he has been told that Jesus is the Son of David, or he may have come to that conclusion by himself.  Many passages in the Old Testament promised that one of the seed of David would sit on his throne forever, and bring peace to Israel and the earth.  Isaiah 35:5 says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”  Yes, this can be applied metaphorically, but it is intended to also be literal.  You could say that the literal becomes the proof of the metaphorical meaning.  Perhaps scriptures like this are in the mind of Bartimaeus as he cries out.  He believes that Jesus is the Messiah, and if he is the Messiah, then it is possible for his eyes to be healed!  He has faith in Jesus.

In the second part of his cry, Bartimaeus begs for mercy.  This is a man who knows how to beg; he has had to beg for a living.  He has learned to be persistent and press his need.  He can’t let this opportunity pass without trying.  On this day, there is a man who can do something for him far better than plopping a coin into his hands or bowl.  He begs for mercy.  “Have mercy on me!”

Mercy is a beautiful word.  It is different than justice.  You never hear anybody begging for justice upon themselves.  We tend to beg mercy for ourselves and justice upon others.  Justice is something that we can lay claim upon.  It is what we or another person deserves.  He has to do with setting right what is morally wrong between us.  Mercy, however, is the cry for something that we don’t deserve.  It lays claim upon the character of the person we implore.  To ask mercy of a merciless man is folly, but to ask mercy of Jesus, to ask mercy of God our Father, is to ask mercy of One who is full of mercy.  You should take time to read and meditate on Psalm 145, but I will put some of its verses here.

⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.  ⁵ I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.  ⁶ Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.  ⁷ They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.  ⁸ The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.  ⁹ The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

We are told that the crowd warns him to be quiet.  The word “warn” is basically a rebuke, and they are basically telling him to quit making a scene and shut-up.  In contrast to the great mercy of God, whom Jesus perfectly represents, is the crowds who couldn’t care less about this man.  Like a surging sea, the crowd is always crashing this way and that way, but generally it never crashes in the direction that God would have it go, except when He intervenes to accomplish His purposes.

There are many things that can get between us and the mercy of God.  People are one of the biggest obstacles.  It can be a large group, like this crowd, but it can also be an individual or series of individuals.  Regardless, they don’t care for your soul.  This causes you to despair and walk away from the mercy that God wants to give to you.  Listen friend, God has made mercy available for you, but you must want it bad enough not to listen to the merciless crowds, and those merciless individuals that you have encountered.  The song comes to mind:

“No man careth for my soul!,” thus cry the millions.  

“No man careth for my soul!”  O, hear their plea!  

Won’t you give your life today to spread the Gospel, 

So that Christ can save their soul and set them free?

Bartimaeus doesn’t give up, and neither should you.  He cries out to Jesus again over the top of the crowd and all of their resistance, and Jesus hears him!  O how many voices both external and internal are ripping at you constantly, telling you to shut-up, telling you to quit, telling you that there is no hope for you?  Don’t let the lies of the crowd in your life crowd you out of God’s inheritance for you.

The mercy of Jesus

In contrast to the crowd, we have Jesus who is ever merciful.  Praise God for Jesus!  Jesus tells the people to call the man and so the suddenly become very helpful to the man.  Rise up!  Jesus is calling you.  At this point, Bartimaeus throws off his outer cloak and approaches Jesus.  More than likely, he is ridding himself of this “begging cloak” in order to look more respectable before Jesus.  Yet, it seems to also represent how all of us must spiritually approach Jesus.  We must cast off the rags of our own righteousness and beg of him a truly white cloak of his righteousness.  This is the only way that we can come before God the Father, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.  How many things we must cast aside in order to have what we need from Jesus!

Jesus asks Bartimaeus what he wants, and the answer to that question seems to be fairly obvious.  Yet, Jesus asks it.  The man had asked for mercy, which is a general request, but Jesus wants him to give voice to the specific need that he has.  Now, we must never put the things that we desire above Jesus.  If we have to choose, then we must always choose relationship with Jesus over the top of things that we may want.  Jesus also had to make such a decision as he approached the cross. In his humanity, he did not want to die on a cross, but this was the plan.  It could not change.  Thus, he chooses relationship with the Father, and all who would believe upon him, over the top of avoiding the cross.

This can put us in a point of tension.  Some people will not pray for specific things because they think it is not spiritual to do so.  They somehow see it as beneath a true believer of Jesus.  They basically teach that we should pray for God’s blessing in general and leave everything up to Him.  This may sound terrifically spiritual when we hear it.  The problem is that it contradicts the Word of God.  All throughout His Word, He challenges us to come before Him with our request.  We are told, “You have not because you as not…”  Thus, only praying for blessing in general is a mere posing, and pretentious pride.  Jesus heals, period.  Yes, he doesn’t heal everybody that we pray for, but he is still the fountain of healing.  If we don’t seek him, knock on the door of heaven, and cry out to him for a particular mercy then we may never receive it.  This tension that we live in is the tension between being persistent because you know your God is merciful, and yet trusting His answer, be it “Yes,” or “No.”  What do you really want?  And, are you seeking God for it specifically, and trustingly?

Bartimaeus calls Jesus “Rabboni,” which basically means, “my Lord.”  He hasn’t really been a follower of Jesus and a disciple on his travels, but he still dares to call Jesus his Lord.  Even if you don’t know Jesus today, he really is your Lord and savior.  He is the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.  To those who will own him as their king, He will come forth as a healing and delivering savior.  He does not reject those whom the Father brings to him.

Then, Bartimaeus simply asks for his sight.  We are not told the back story of his plight.  Was he born blind?  Did he have an accident?  How long has he been so?  There is always a great story behind all who come to Christ.  Maybe you do not feel that your story is quite as grand as a blind man receiving his sight, but it is a great story nonetheless.  In fact, in a way all of us come to Christ begging for our sight.  Oh, Jesus, this world has blinded me to the truth and I don’t know what I can trust.  Help me to see so that I can know the truth and be set free!  How bold of Bartimaeus to ask for such an impossible thing.  Let me have my sight!

Jesus tells him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”  We should stop and recognize that what the man has done up to this point happens because he has faith in Jesus.  Do you have faith in Jesus today?  Maybe you had it yesterday, but some things have happened to rob you of your faith.  Our prowling enemy, the devil, is always looking to rob us of our faith in Jesus.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God and receive anything from Him.  Ultimately, we need our sins forgiven.  Natural sight is useless, if I don’t see that Jesus can set me free from my sins.  In the miracles of Jesus, there is always a spiritual parallel that it points towards.  We need our spiritual eyes opened to the plight of our sin and the mercy of Jesus to forgive us of our sins.  The healing of this blind man was to give hope to others that Jesus was the true light sent from the One who created eyes in order to open the eyes of people spiritually.  Oh, Church, let us not be blinded by this world!  Let us see the light of Jesus and have a faith that conquers all the obstacles in our path!

So, what is the result of this miracle, or any miracle for that matter?  All of the miracles of the Bible beg the question, “What did they do with that miracle?”  We are told that his eyes immediately opened and he received his sight.  What a moment that must have been.  Jesus had told him to go his way.  In other words, you are free to go wherever you want to go.  Is it possible that some who were healed by Jesus later fell back away from him?  It happens even today.  There are people who have had great things done in their life by God, but they are no longer following Him.  They have learned to rationalize the events and “deconstruct” them into mere reductive coincidences.  How tragic.

It is not enough to get something like a healing, financial help, a job, or wisdom about a decision from God.  If I don’t persevere through this life and remain in relationship with my heavenly Father then it is only a sad trinket that I can’t carry into the after-life.

We must not serve God in order to get things from Him.  Otherwise, we will one day part with Him when a cross stands in our path, and He is on the other side bidding us to follow.  However, let us never forget that the God we serve is the God of miracles.  A fringe benefit of following the Lord of Heaven is that He is merciful and there is no telling when He might say, “Your faith has made you well!”

Blind Bartimaeus audio