TLP Inspiration: 11/8/18

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Don Merritt

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Introduction to Ephesians

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Don Merritt

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was probably written sometime between 58 and 60 AD and closely parallels Colossians. It is both encouraging and challenging, for it paints a picture of a victorious Christian life that might at first seem too difficult for us to achieve yet viewing it carefully we will find some hints that show us it is more attainable than we might have thought at first glance.

The major themes of the letter are glorious indeed; that we are saved by grace through faith; everything follows from this premise. That we cannot earn our salvation is another of the letter’s themes and following from this we reach the climax of the letter in the theme that we are not only saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but that we are saved by grace for a purpose, and that purpose is that God would work to build His Kingdom through us. This is precisely why I asserted that even though it may seem at first glance that Paul is setting out a standard that we cannot reach, since God is working through us, what was unreachable at first becomes attainable.

To set all of this out, Paul has divided the letter into two main sections. The first begins at 1:1 and continues through 3:21 and deals with God’s plan for salvation. Then, beginning with 4:1 and continuing through the end, Paul describes our response to salvation.

I ran across something interesting as I was doing a little checking to be sure I remembered this outline correctly. I looked at a couple of commentaries and I saw two different ways to describe this second section. One of them is what I have written here, that it is our response to salvation. The other commentator called it our responsibility, rather than our response. At first, this may not seem like a big difference, and in one way it really isn’t, after all if we perceive a responsibility we would want to respond. Yet this implies a duty or an obligation, and while this may be true, and I wouldn’t argue against it, it has a subtle tinge of legalism implicit in the thought.  Contrast that idea with our response to salvation; this is quite a different outlook, even though it may not be obvious at first. We have received salvation as God’s free gift, so we respond to this gift gratefully and alter our lives, so that God may work in and through us.  Doesn’t this sound like love in action to you? Whatever changes that may take place in a Christian’s life as a result of their receiving salvation should come from our love of God and of others, rather than merely as a duty required by some sort of regulation, and when this is the case, change becomes not only possible but it becomes inevitable.

I am really looking forward to our latest journey which will begin next time- see you then!

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Photo of the Week: November 7, 2018

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Don Merritt

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TLP Inspiration: 11/7/18

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Don Merritt

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The Closing

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Don Merritt

See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Galatians 6:11-18

The end of the letter, and Paul takes up the pen himself. Up to this point, he has been dictating to a scribe, but now, Paul seeks to remove all doubt about the authorship of this letter.  I’m guessing that it has occurred to him that when the letter is read in the Galatian churches, considering the subject matter of the letter, some smart alack is likely to jump up and say that it’s a forgery!  Paul is having none of that and takes the pen himself, and in his own handwriting finishes off the closing here.

He points out the large letters he uses. Paul can’t see very well, as we know.  He writes in large letter so he can see his own writing.  I can empathize with him−  If I am writing a note to myself, I too use big letters.  If I write a note to someone else, I don’t, and I can’t read what I’ve written, which is really irritating if I’m distracted while writing because I can’t tell where to start again.

Notice what Paul has written in his own hand: He has restated the entire argument that he has made in this letter so that nobody can say that he was fooled by a scribe who wrote his own letter and not Paul’s dictation:  No dummy old Paul! In this section he actually implies that those who were teaching circumcision were cowards, fearing persecution.  They think they can avoid persecution by telling other Jews that they are making Jews out the Gentiles, and they don’t even keep the Law themselves.  After that charge, Paul gets right in their faces with: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. No sir, Paul isn’t fooling around on this issue…

It might seem that Paul has been about as strident as he can be, and then he cranks it up another few notches.  Circumcision means nothing.  The only thing that counts for anything in this life is “the new creation” which of course is what we are in Christ. Now he moves to the final greeting… oh wait, there’s another shot: Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

Did you catch that last part?  “The Israel of God.”  To whom was he referring?  This underscores the message Paul has been trying to teach the Galatians: The Law is over. The old ways are over. Everything is New.  The “Israel of God” is the body of believers that comprise the Church.

This letter began without the usual greetings and prayer of thanksgiving, and ends without the usual final greetings. Now, in the second to last line, Paul again fires a shot across the bow of the false teachers. Having insinuated that they are afraid of persecution he reminds then that he has been persecuted many times:  From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. Only after that one last remark does he close this energetic little epistle.

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TLP Inspiration: 11/6/18

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Don Merritt

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God Cannot be Mocked

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Don Merritt

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 6:7-10

Paul is moving to the thrill-packed conclusion of his letter, pointing out that God cannot be mocked.  In saying this, it is important for us to note that he is speaking in a specific context of flesh vs. Spirit.  His major point then, is that we cannot follow Jesus by living a life dedicated to ourselves, our wants, likes, preferences and desires.

I’m, writing this and trying to think of an example of this “mocking” scenario, and the first thing that pops into my head is an example I hesitate to use, not wanting to appear to be too harsh… but consider this one:  People who are always late for church.  Yes, I’ve heard the excuses, they forgot to set the alarm… 10 weeks in a row.  The wife takes forever to get ready, can’t get the kids going that early, blah blah blah!  Funny thing: They get the kids to school on time, they get to work on time, but on Sunday it simply isn’t possible… and church is later than work or school.  Now, let’s be candid, these good folks aren’t fooling me, so they aren’t fooling God either.  They just don’t care very much about worshiping God; they can do it on their own terms, when they want.  This is “flesh” speaking, and if this sounds wrong to you, please reread “Rebellion.”

There are plenty of other examples, and you may think this one is cutting too fine a line; maybe you’re right!  Yet Paul is talking about priorities here, where do our priorities lie? Are they on the things of God, or are they on the things of the earthly life? Yes, I agree that timeliness may be a small matter, but it does reveal our priority systems.  How much more serious would it be if these priorities extend into other areas?  Something to think about…

In any case, Paul’s point is crystal clear, if we are focused on the flesh, things won’t always turn out so well. If we are focused on the Spirit, the rewards more than cover any inconvenience we might endure. Therefore, as much as is possible, we should “do good” for others, for this is pleasing in God’s sight, because it is an active expression of God’s love in our lives.

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TLP Living: 11/5/18

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Don Merritt

A House of Cards

We’ve had to make some major adjustments since we became caregivers for my 95-year-old mother and the one I have the most trouble with is that she simply must have the television on all day long. It probably won’t surprise anyone when I mention that she’s a bit hard of hearing, and so, the TV has to be turned up really loud all day long.

Unfortunately for me, I have an aversion to daytime TV.

Since I have very keen hearing, there isn’t really anywhere I can go in this house without hearing the TV, you can actually hear it outside…

You know something? That isn’t the worst part of it, for she doesn’t tune in the typical dumb game shows and soap operas, oh no, not my Mom. No sir, none of that ridiculous “make believe”, none of that brainless TV games and prizes. She always tunes into cable news. If you watch cable news, then you know that in the USA these days it’s all Trump, all the time.

She’s Mr. Trump’s biggest fan− I am not. Can you see where this is going?

I actually tried to get her to watch the BBC World Service only two channels away; at least they sometimes have actual news there, and it’s really funny when they have their “Sport” segment, but my Mom doesn’t see the humor in the fact that they use the singular form of the word when they should be using the plural, “Sports”.

Nope, the BBC simply won’t do, she must have the gossip, the idle and ignorant speculations, the charges and the counter-charges, the name calling, the investigations and the endless and pointless arguments on what used to be a network that reported news.

As this year’s midterm elections have gotten closer and closer, my disdain for cable news has increased. So, help me, I’m going to scream the next time I hear a “news” commentator say something like, “It’s raining in the Mountain West and we’ll debate it’s impact on the midterms right after these messages.”

“Boston won the World Series and we’ll debate its election impact right after this…”

“A dress shop went out of business in Dewitt, Iowa last week, and we’ll debate its impact on the election in five minutes.”

Of course, there’s my very favorite one of all: Democrats say we must have civility in public discourse just as soon as they return to power… and Trump calls Democrats names for their lack of civility in public discourse… Democrats call for angry mobs to harass Republicans in public, and express outrage when Dems who called for this receive faulty mail bombs: See? It’s all Trump’s fault; we’ll debate it’s impact on the midterms right after this…

As the weeks and months drag by, it occurs to me that none of this is real; it’s a house of cards. The fake news, the phony outrage, the paid-for demonstrations, the disingenuous investigations, the questionable polls, the news reporters becoming the story, the contrived crises, the fake debates, reports and speculations… none of it is real.

I heard an interview with White House reporter John Gizzi the other day on a local Washington, DC radio program and I thought that he made the most insightful observation about the tomorrow’s election that I’ve heard all year when he said that Tuesday will be a long night, and that on Wednesday morning 50% of the population will be mortified, and that by Wednesday night all will be forgotten and we will have moved on to the next big story.

I’d say that about sums it up because all of this hype simply isn’t anything more than propaganda.

Our hope does not lie in election results, nor does it lie in politicians or government. Our hope is not in Republicans or Democrats, and it certainly is not in Progressive Socialism. No sir, our hope isn’t in any of this gamesmanship: Our hope is in Jesus Christ.

Yes, it is true that our world is a mess these days, but it isn’t just here in the good old USA, it’s all over the world that passions and irrationality reign. Yet in this world, that is the normal state of things. Only God is dependable, only God is constant, and only God is worthy of our confidence. This other stuff, the political winds, the outrage, the shouting, the discord, the resistance, the sheer craziness are all going to pass away.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I feel better now… and tomorrow we’ll debate how the price of sorghum affected the outcome of the elections, and now, these important messages.

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TLP Inspiration: 11/5/18

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Don Merritt

Days of Praise

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Psalm 145:1-2

Good Monday from the Heartland.

Have you ever just sat back and considered everything God has done in your life? For most of us, we don’t take the time to do this often enough; I know I don’t.  It may be hard to get started, as thoughts about the here and now rush though our minds, as the distractions and demands of everyday life make so much noise that it’s hard to think. Yet as we continue to ponder, as we begin to relax, God’s doings begin to enter our thoughts, and before too long, they push the distractions away.

We might even move on to ponder and reflect upon what God has done in His Creation; the wonder of all it, its grandeur so magnificent.

When we invest a little time and attention in this way, it isn’t easy to remain silent, is it?

Our God is so amazing, so awesome, so powerful, so loving; how can we think on such things and not enthusiastically give Him praise?

Funny thing about exaltation; once you get started, it’s hard to stop. Imagine what it would be like if we did this every day; don’t you suppose that every day would be as amazing as the things God does in our lives? Oh yes, I bet they would be; can you guess why?

If we began each day reflecting upon all that God is and does in our lives, we would be seeing all that He does each day as we go along, and each day we would be giving Him enthusiastic praise, and when you do that, it’s hard to stop… and each day would then become a day of praise.

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Sunday Sermon Notes: November 4, 2018

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

Title: To Be the Greatest

Text: Mark 10:32-52

Mark 10:32-45

Parallel Texts: Matthew 20:17-28; Luke 18:31-34

This interesting passage begins with Jesus predicting what his fate would be again, and then takes an odd shift when James and John ask for something they don’t understand. In the end, Jesus sort of grants their wish and then tells them what they’ve chosen…

Can’t you just picture the procession as they all marched towards Jerusalem? Jesus is in the lead, followed by the disciples, who in turn were followed by crowds of people. The disciples were astonished at where they were headed, while the people were afraid… but what did they fear? It would seem that the plotting of the Pharisees was not a well-kept secret.

At some point along the way, Jesus takes the disciples aside and tells them what is going to happen again; did they understand it this time?

This is where James and John enter the picture, asking Jesus to grant them a wish. They wanted to be seated at Jesus’ right and left in the Kingdom. Apparently, they thought they were going into Jerusalem where Jesus would perform a miracle, kick the Romans out, put the Pharisees in their place and move into the palace to be an earthly king, and they wanted the seats of honor for themselves.

I must conclude they didn’t understand what Jesus was telling them.

Oh yes, of course they can drink the cup and have the baptism that Jesus would have, yeah, sign me up!

Well, they got a part of their wish, but not really the good part; they would be persecuted, abused and killed. But the seating arrangements were something else again.  Now the other 10 are ticked off because James and John are trying to get the good seats ahead of the others, when Jesus explains how things will work in the Kingdom:

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:42b-45

Unlike an earthly, human kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven is not run by big shots. If you want to be honored in this Kingdom, you must be the slave of all!  If you read the previous post, you will recall that it all came down to setting self aside for the sake of the gospel. Here, Jesus is teaching the same thing again, and do they get it this time?

I doubt it.

We might wonder how they could be so dense, how they could fail to see what Jesus was telling them, but let’s not forget that they did not yet see how the story ends, and we have seen it, so it’s only natural that we should have no problem seeing their mistake. That however, brings up another question: Why is it that most Christians don’t comprehend what Jesus was teaching them?

Oh sure, we can all give the correct Sunday school answers, most of us can quote the verses… and we still want to be first, we still want to be recognized, honored and fussed over. We want to follow Jesus when it suits us, and to do our own thing when we want to… and we love to point fingers at others when they mess up.

So… we know the disciples got it eventually, so the question is more for our time than for theirs:

When will most of us finally get the picture?

Mark 10:46-52

Parallel Texts: Matthew 20:29-34; Luke 18:35-43

Jesus continues His journey to Jerusalem and reaches Jericho; it isn’t far now to His destination. As they were leaving the city, followed by a large crowd, a blind beggar calls out to Jesus and people rebuke him, telling him to be quiet, yet Jesus hears the man’s cry. We aren’t even into the story, but what an image!

Everyone around this poor fellow wanted him to shut up, but Jesus hears his cry and sends someone over to get him and bring him to Jesus. Does Jesus tell the man to be quiet? Certainly not; He asks the man what He can do for him.

“Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark 10:52

I wasn’t with Mark when he wrote all of this, and I never had the opportunity to ask him why this story is stuck in this particular spot. Oh, sure, it was the next thing that happened; we can agree with that to a point, at least it’s the next thing Mark decided to tell us about.  Ah yes, sometimes a story is more powerful because of what isn’t mentioned, and in this one, we have been in some pretty deep water in 10:1-45 haven’t we? Then, the next section is the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Right in the middle, between Jesus’ discussion of who is great in the Kingdom and His final entry into Jerusalem, the great climax of history, Mark drops this in: Why not mention something else, surely there were other incidents along the way?

Throughout the Kingdom Tour, Jesus has brought light into darkness; it’s been right there for all to see. Now, as He and the others begin their steep climb into the mountains to a Jerusalem that is as dark as can be, they are bringing the light of Truth and God’s Word along with them for all to see, and as Jesus and His entourage are walking past a blind man, the man shouts, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

And Jesus gives him sight so that he can see the Light of the World.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I think this is one of those “wow” moments.

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