12/11/14

From Jim McGuiggan... Jesus and Camelot


Jesus and Camelot

Tennyson tells us that King Arthur established the order of the Round Table. A table without a head or foot, where all were equal in their commitment to justice for all and might for right. His dream drew knights from all over England and Europe and the effects of it were felt all over the land when women could walk out in the evening alone without worry, when doors were left unlocked, when the roads were cleared of robbers and tyrants were disestablished. But just when things were flourishing, the greatest knight of them all, Lancelot, set his eye on the king's wife, Guinevere, and she on him. The wickedness became known and Lancelot rode away only to return when he heard that the knights had demanded that Guinevere be tried for treason. She was tried and condemned to death but Lancelot came and rescued her and carried her off to France where she entered a convent. The knights and Arthur raged and for a while there was nothing but inflamed pride and vengeance in their hearts and so they sailed to France, prepared to make war against Lancelot and his forces.

Arthur is broken-hearted and dispirited. The dream had failed, the purpose had died. The great sin of Guinevere and Lancelot had also exposed the underlying sin of all of them when vengeance and bitterness reigned and offended pride had proved stronger than brotherhood and forgiveness.

In the musical adaptation the king is putting on his armour in the dawn of the day of battle when he hears a rustling in the bush; it was a boy about twelve who had stowed away on one of the ships—to kill the enemy and be a knight, he said. Arthur wanted to know why he would want to be part of an extinct fellowship. Had he ever met a knight, was his father a knight or had his mother been rescued by a knight? The answer to all these questions was no, so what did he know of knights? Only the stories he had heard, the boy said, and when the king asked him what stories he spoke of justice for all, the round table and might used in the service of right. As the boy spoke the astonished king was mouthing the words with him.

Stories! The story of the dream had kept the dream alive. The stories of righteousness and justice for all kept the vision alive in the heart of a boy who'd never even seen a knight. The deeply depressed king has gained new heart and knights the boy Sir Tom of Warwick with a commission to go home and grow old telling the story of the meaning of Camelot. 

Part of his instruction was this:

Every evening from December to December
Before you fall asleep upon your cot
Think back on all the tales that you remember
Of Camelot.
Ask everyone if he has heard the story
And tell it loud and clear if he has not
Don't let it be forgot
That once there was a spot
For one bright shining moment
That was known as Camelot.

At that moment an aide comes to remind the king that they have a battle to fight and win but the king, all smiles and optimism, assures his companion that their victory already stands before them in the heart of a boy who cherishes the story and what it means; a boy who will tell it everywhere he goes. What happens at the approaching battle is now irrelevant.

The massive truth on which all great fiction is built is that God's great purpose for the human family was and is accomplished in and through Jesus Christ and that it is God's wisdom by the foolishness of a preached message—a Story—to redeem the world (1 Corinthians 1:21). The victory has already been won and in the body of Jesus Christ, the church, that message about God's dream and purpose that cannot be thwarted is kept alive in each new generation.

In ultimate truth, the world is saved not by science or philosophy or political reform however needful these are and no matter how true it is that these are instruments of God at his pleasure. The human family is saved and all things in heaven and on earth are reconciled to God and find their ultimate state of blessing in him about whom the Story is told.

And the victory over the world is gained in the name of Jesus Christ through those who cherish the Story and will not let it be forgot (1 John 5:4-5).  

Preachers and teachers and the entire church of God have a commission and a destiny—tell and live out the Story!

Is Satan "Lucifer"? by Bert Thompson, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1091

Is Satan "Lucifer"?

by  Bert Thompson, Ph.D.

Q.

Isaiah 14:12 mentions the name of "Lucifer." I’ve heard it said that this is Satan. Are Lucifer and Satan one and the same?
A.
It is sad, but nevertheless true, that on occasion Bible students attribute to God’s Word facts and concepts that it neither teaches nor advocates. These ill-advised beliefs run the entire gamut—from harmless misinterpretations to potentially soul-threatening false doctrines.
Although there are numerous examples from both categories that could be listed, perhaps one of the most popular misconceptions among Bible believers is that Satan also is designated as “Lucifer” within the pages of the Bible. What is the origin of the name Lucifer, what is its meaning, and is it a synonym for “Satan”? Here are the facts.
The word “Lucifer” is used in the King James Version only once, in Isaiah 14:12: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” The Hebrew word translated “Lucifer” is helel (or heylel), from the root, hâlâl, meaning “to shine” or “to bear light.” Keil and Delitzsch noted that “[i]t derives its name in other ancient languages also from its striking brilliancy, and is here called ben-shachar (son of the dawn)... (1982, 7:311). However, the KJV translators did not translate helel as Lucifer because of something inherent in the Hebrew term itself. Instead, they borrowed the name from Jerome’s translation of the Bible (A.D. 383-405) known as the Latin Vulgate. Jerome, likely believing that the term was describing the planet Venus, employed the Latin term “Lucifer” (“light-bearing”) to designate “the morning star” (Venus). Only later did the suggestion originate that Isaiah 14:12ff. was speaking of the devil. Eventually, the name Lucifer came to be synonymous with Satan. But is Satan “Lucifer”?
No, he is not. The context into which verse 12 fits begins in verse 4 where God told Isaiah to “take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, ‘How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!’” In his commentary on Isaiah, Albert Barnes explained that God’s wrath was kindled against the king because the ruler “intended not to acknowledge any superior either in heaven or earth, but designed that himself and his laws should be regarded as supreme” (1950, 1:272). The chest-pounding boast of the impudent potentate was:
I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High (vss. 13-14).
As a result of his egotistical self-deification, the pagan monarch eventually would experience both the collapse of his kingdom and the loss of his life—an ignominious end that is described in vivid and powerful terms. “Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming,” the prophet proclaimed to the once-powerful king. And when the ruler finally descends into his eternal grave, captives of that hidden realm will taunt him by saying, “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?” (vs. 16). He is denominated as a “man” (vs. 16) who would die in disrepute and whose body would be buried, not in a king’s sarcophagus, but in pits reserved for the downtrodden masses (vss. 19-20). Worms would eat his body, and hedgehogs would trample his grave (vss. 11,23).
It was in this context that Isaiah referred to the king of Babylon as “the morning star” (“son of the morning”; “son of the dawn”) to depict the once-shining-but-now-dimmed, once-lofty-but-now-diminished, status of the (soon to be former) ruler. In his Bible Commentary, E.M. Zerr observed that such phrases were “...used figuratively in this verse to symbolize the dignity and splendor of the Babylonian monarch. His complete overthrow was likened to the falling of the morning star” (1954, 3:265). This kind of phraseology should not be surprising since “[i]n the O.T., the demise of corrupt national powers is frequently depicted under the imagery of falling heavenly luminaries (cf. Isa. 13:10; Ezek. 32:7), hence, quite appropriately in this context the Babylonian monarch is described as a fallen star [cf. ASV]” (Jackson, 1987, 23:15).
Nowhere within the context of Isaiah 14, however, is Satan depicted as Lucifer. In fact, quite the opposite is true. In his commentary on Isaiah, Burton Coffman wrote: “We are glad that our version (ASV) leaves the word Lucifer out of this rendition, because...Satan does not enter into this passage as a subject at all” (1990, p. 141). The Babylonian ruler was to die and be buried—fates neither of which Satan is destined to endure. The king was called “a man” whose body was to be eaten by worms, but Satan, as a spirit, has no physical body. The monarch lived in and abided over a “golden city” (vs. 4), but Satan is the monarch of a kingdom of spiritual darkness (cf. Ephesians 6:12). And so on.
The context presented in Isaiah 14:4-16 not only does not portray Satan as Lucifer, but actually militates against it. Keil and Delitzsch firmly proclaimed that “Lucifer,” as a synonym, “is a perfectly appropriate one for the king of Babel, on account of the early date of the Babylonian culture, which reached back as far as the grey twilight of primeval times, and also because of its predominate astrological character” (1982, p. 312). They then correctly concluded that “Lucifer, as a name given to the devil, was derived from this passage...without any warrant whatever, as relating to the apostasy and punishment of the angelic leaders” (pp. 312-313).

REFERENCES

Barnes, Albert (1950 edition), Barnes’ Notes on the Old and New Testaments—Isaiah (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
Coffman, James Burton (1990), The Major Prophets—Isaiah (Abilene, TX: ACU Press).
Jackson, Wayne (1987), “Your Question & My Answer,” Christian Courier, 23:15, August.
Keil, C.F. and Franz Delitzsch, (1982 edition), Commentary on the Old Testament—Isaiah (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Zerr, E.M. (1954), Bible Commentary (Bowling Green, KY: Guardian of Truth Publications).

From Mark Copeland... The Savior's Sigh (Mark 8:11-13)

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                      The Savior's Sigh (8:11-13)

INTRODUCTION

1. Have you ever considered the Lord's reaction to your behavior...
   a. When you refuse to believe in Him?
   b. When you do not follow Him as you should?

2. In this lesson I want us to think how Jesus must feel...
   a. When we put off obeying the gospel of Christ
   b. When we fail to trust and obey Him in our daily walk

[In our text (Mk 8:11-13) we read of Jesus' response to those who came
to test Him.  Let's begin by carefully noting...]

I. THE NARRATIVE

   A. THE PHARISEES' DEMAND A SIGN...
      1. Jesus had just returned to the western shores of Galilee - Mk8:10
      2. The Pharisees began to dispute with Him - Mk 8:11
         a. They had challenged Jesus before - Mk 2:6-7,16; 3:22; 7:1-2
         b. Matthew adds that they were joined by the Sadducees - Mt 16:1
      3. They demanded a sign - Mk 8:11
         a. A sign from heaven, perhaps like Joshua? - cf. Josh 10:12-14
         b. Had they not seen and heard of the many miracles already
            done?
         c. They were testing Him, perhaps hoping He would fail and be
            discredited

   B. JESUS' RESPONSE INVOLVED A SIGH...
      1. He sighed deeply in His spirit - Mk 8:12
         a. The anguish which Jesus experienced came from deep down
            inside him - Hendriksen
         b. Here the word "spirit" is used in a sense not much different
            from "heart" or "inner being." - ibid.
      2. Similar responses on other occasions
         a. Grieved by the hardness of their hearts - Mk 3:5
         b. Sighed as He healed the deaf mute - Mk 7:34
         c. Groaned in His spirit seeing the grief of others - Jn 11:33
         d. Wept over the city of Jerusalem - Lk 19:41-44

[Because of their hard hearts, no sign such as they were demanding would
be given them, except His resurrection (Mk 8:12-13; cf. Mt 12:39-40;
16:1-4).  Now consider whether Jesus might "sigh deeply in His spirit
today...]

II. THE APPLICATION

   A. JESUS OBSERVES OUR BEHAVIOR...
      1. Just as He observed the behavior of Saul of Tarsus - Ac 9:5
      2. Just as He observed the churches of Asia
         a. He knew their works - Re 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15
         b. He found fault where it was due - Re 2:4,14,20; 3:2,16

   B. WOULD NOT JESUS SIGH DEEPLY...
      1. When we refuse to obey His gospel, time after time? - cf. Mt11:28-30
      2. When our conduct is not much different than those of the world?
         - cf. Mt 5:20
      3. When our love is no different than that displayed by sinners?
         - cf. Mt 5:44-48
      4. When the kingdom of God is not our priority in life? - cf. Mt6:33
      5. When tribulation or persecution causes us to stumble? - cf. Mt 13:20-21
      6. When anxiety or materialism makes us unfruitful? - cf. Mt 13:22
      7. When discouragement leads us to abandon prayer? - cf. Lk 18:1
      8. When human traditions displace keeping the commands of God?
         - cf. Mk 7:7,9
      9. When denominationalism defeats His prayer for unity? - cf. Jn 17:20-21
     10. When love of the world replaces love for His Father? - cf. 1Jn 2:15-17

CONCLUSION

1. From the Savior's sigh we learn that Jesus cared deeply...
   a. For those He was willing to heal (e.g., the deaf mute)
   b. For those He was willing to save (e.g., the Pharisees)

2. In similar fashion, Jesus stands ready...
   a. To save us from our sins
   b. To heal us of our souls' diseases

How will Jesus react to our response to Him?  Will it be with great joy,
or a deep sigh in His spirit...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... The colors of blessing!!!


I have had this particular picture for a long time, so I am unsure as to where I obtained it, but I seem to think it came from Walter Vogt- if so- Thanks!!!  Anyway, it is beautiful and makes me think of how beautiful God has made this world and the things in it. And God is a benevolent caretaker, just as Jesus has said...

Matthew Chapter 6 (WEB)
24  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.   25  Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?   26  See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?

If God cares for such a beautiful little thing like this bird- then what about us? In this holiday season, remember to be content with our blessings, for God will provide what we really need.  And the first thing I can think of is beauty!!! Well, I can check that one off the list!!!