Psalm 62:5-12
5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Selah)
9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. 11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work
We live in a noisy age. We have T.V. radio, ipods, and mobile phone. Rarely do we stop hearing or talking. We most likely have more noise in our lives than any other generation or culture before us.
There comes a time to tell our soul to be quiet. One of the spiritual disciplines or exercises that have been traditionally practiced is that of silence. This is a time in which we do not speak in an effort to get our soul to “wait in silence” before the LORD. To learn to be silent is part of our spirituality.
Habakkuk: the earth should be silent in the presence of God in the temple (Habakkuk 2:20)
Job reduced to silence at the end, aware of his foolishness in the sight of God (Job 40:1-3)
Revelation 8:1: silence in heaven from human awe in the presence of God
Arthur Michael Ramsey (1904-88), Archbishop of Canterbury said about silence:
“Silence enable us to be aware of God, to let mind and imagination dwell upon his truth, to let prayer to be listening before it is talking, and to discover our own selves in a way that is not always possible when we are making or listening to noise. There comes sometimes an inner silence in which the soul discovers itself in a new dimension of energy and peace, a dimension which the restless life can miss. . . Into the Christian’s use of silence there may flow the wonder of God the creator, the recollection of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, the recalling of scenes in his life, often a passage of the Bible, the glories of nature in which the finger of God is present, gratitude for personal blessings or the words of poets who tell of wonder and beauty”
In his silence the psalmist here comes to trust God as his one true hope, his rock, his salvation, his fortress, his firm foundation, his deliverer, the protector of his honor, his mighty rock, his refuge, the source of all power, the one who always loves him, and the judge of all human beings. This vision of God causes the Psalmist to want to proclaim to all humanity that they should trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as well. The LORD is trustworthy, caring, secure, and unchanging.
The other reality that comes to him in his silence is; do not put any ultimate trust in human beings. We are frail, broken, and inconsistent. Both rich and poor can be deceitful. Therefore, be on guard towards other human beings but fully release yourself into the loving care of God alone.
What if you fasted from noise for a day? No electronic noise. No unnecessary talking. What if you were totally in silence for one full hour and simply sat before God and your own soul? What might you see and know in that silence? This psalmist gained a lot from being silent before God.
Christological :NAU Matthew 14:13 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; ….
ESV Mark 1:35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
ESV Mark 6:31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
ESV Luke 4:42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place…
Moral: NAU Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
NLT Psalm 146:3 Don't put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.
Eternal: ESV Ezekiel 44:4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple of the LORD. And I fell on my face.
NLT Isaiah 41:1 "Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea…..
Prayer: Help me to quiet my soul like a baby is made quiet by drinking from the breast of its mother. But I have stilled and quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me. Allow me to know that quiet of being with you in love.
Contemplation: Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God”
Action: Plan one hour of total silence before God. Put it in your calendar. Go to a lonely place. This could be an empty church. It could be an empty beach. For an hour just “be” before God. Center yourself in his love, promises, and commitment to you in Jesus Christ. Gently turn from any “inner noise” and come back to seeing yourself simply before God as a little child. After this then write down what came to you during this time.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
How A Skeptic Became A Believer
John 1:43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
Meditation
1/16/2009
Literal - Jesus made a decision to go to Galilee. There he looked for and found Philip. He then told him to come and “follow me”.
Who is Philip? Philip’s name means lover of horses and some believe that the name means “war like” because of the uses of horses in battle. In this encounter with Jesus; Philip becomes an “apostle”, one chosen to be sent on a mission. The apostle Philip, was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter, (John 1:44) and apparently was among the Galilean peasants of that district who flocked to hear the preaching of John the Baptist.
The manner in which the Apostle John speaks of him indicates a previous friendship with the sons of Jona and Zebedee, and a consequent participation in their messianic hopes. The close union of the two in John 6 and 12 suggests that he may have owed to Andrew his first knowledge that the hope of Messiah coming had been fulfilled. Since in this encounter with Jesus it seems Philip is already convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. The statement that Jesus found him (John 1:43) perhaps implies a previous seeking or at the very least a very intentional effort on Jesus’ part to find him.
In the lists of the twelve apostles, in the Synoptic Gospel, his name is as uniformly at the head of the second group of four as the name of Peter is at that of the first, (Matthew 10:3; Mark 5:18; Luke 6:14). This indicates that Phillip provided a degree of group leadership among the Apostles. The facts recorded by St. John give the reason of this priority and position of leadership.
Philip apparently was among the first company of disciples who were with the Lord at the commencement of his ministry at the marriage at Cana, on his first appearance as a prophet in Jerusalem, John 2. The first three Gospels tell us nothing more of him individually. The Apostle John, with his characteristic fullness of personal reminiscences, records a few significant utterances. (John 6:5-9; 12:20-22; 14:8) No other fact connected with the name of Philip is recorded in the Gospels. He is among the company of disciples at Jerusalem after the ascension (Acts 1:13) and on the day of Pentecost. According to tradition Philip was sent with his sister Mariamme and Bartolomew to preach in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria and died at Hierapolis as a martyr being crucified upside down.
Now Philip comes to share his conviction that Jesus is the Messiah with Nathanael. Nathanael name means “a gift of God. Due to Philip’s witness, Nathanael meets Jesus and becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ.
What else do we know about Nathanael? Under that name at least, we learn from Scripture little more than his birthplace, Cana of Galilee, (John 21:2) and his simple, truthful character. (John 1:47) The name does not occur in the first three Gospels; but it is commonly believed that Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same person. The evidence for that belief is as follows: St, John who twice mentions Nathanael, never introduces the name of Bartholomew at all. St. Matthew, (Matthew 10:3) St. Mark, (Mark 3:18) and St. Luke, (Luke 8:14) all speak of Bartholomew but never of Nathanael. If this is correct then he was on of the twelve apostles and according to tradition preached in India.
Here we have the encounter of Jesus with a skeptic. His doubt is due to prejudice about any good thing coming from Nazareth. Nazareth in Christ's time was a city of 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, of some importance. The reason for Nathanael’s poor view of Nazareth, (John 1:47) is not known. All the inhabitants of Galilee were looked upon with contempt by the people of Judea because they spoke a ruder dialect, were less cultivated and were more exposed by their position to contact with the heathen. But it is clear here that Nathanael holds Nazareth in special contempt for some reason. Perhaps this is related to the Messiah coming from Bethlehem and not Nazareth and indicates a theological objection and not pure prejudice against the city (John 7:42).
The idea that Nathanael’s objection was theological seems more in line with Jesus’ evaluation that he is an honest man. Prejudice and honesty rarely are in the same person. When Jesus demonstrates knowledge of Nathanael and relates his honesty to some event under a fig tree that only Nathanael knew about, this demonstration of prophetic knowledge and insight provided for Nathanael a reason to believe. He seems in fact to go from doubt to firm faith very quickly proclaiming Jesus both Son of God (Psalm 2) and Messianic King.
Jesus seems almost amused at how little it took for Nathanael to move from skeptic to believer. He assures him that he will see far greater things. For after the resurrection he will see Jesus ascending with angels surrounding Him as He goes to sit at God’s right hand (Gen 28:12). Here is an example of one man’s doubts being overcome with an encounter with Jesus.
Many doubters today need an encounter with Jesus. Here we do not see all the intellectual and theological questions answered. But we see Jesus coming to the man and “pushing the right buttons” to create in him faith. Jesus knew exactly what Nathanael would need to believe and provides it. So today Jesus can do the same thing for those He has chosen to become followers of His way. Jesus is the creator of or our faith.
Christocentric - NAU Mark 16:6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
Moral - Honesty of heart places us in a good place to encounter truth in Jesus the Nazarene.
Eternal - Every believer will see greater things than they have seen in this life. The glory of God in heaven and the vision of Jesus Christ upon the throne will be far greater than our wildest imaginations of it. Our faith will turn to seeing. We will then reach a level of conviction we have never felt before as we see the wonder of the eternal spiritual reality before our eyes.
Prayer - Lord, give me an honest heart and let me have encounters with you that will increase my faith.
Contemplation - I will show you greater things
Action: Make a list of your questions, struggles, and doubts. Set this before the Lord. Ask Him to give you encounters of faith that will help you see beyond these questions to Him as the truth.
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
Meditation
1/16/2009
Literal - Jesus made a decision to go to Galilee. There he looked for and found Philip. He then told him to come and “follow me”.
Who is Philip? Philip’s name means lover of horses and some believe that the name means “war like” because of the uses of horses in battle. In this encounter with Jesus; Philip becomes an “apostle”, one chosen to be sent on a mission. The apostle Philip, was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter, (John 1:44) and apparently was among the Galilean peasants of that district who flocked to hear the preaching of John the Baptist.
The manner in which the Apostle John speaks of him indicates a previous friendship with the sons of Jona and Zebedee, and a consequent participation in their messianic hopes. The close union of the two in John 6 and 12 suggests that he may have owed to Andrew his first knowledge that the hope of Messiah coming had been fulfilled. Since in this encounter with Jesus it seems Philip is already convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. The statement that Jesus found him (John 1:43) perhaps implies a previous seeking or at the very least a very intentional effort on Jesus’ part to find him.
In the lists of the twelve apostles, in the Synoptic Gospel, his name is as uniformly at the head of the second group of four as the name of Peter is at that of the first, (Matthew 10:3; Mark 5:18; Luke 6:14). This indicates that Phillip provided a degree of group leadership among the Apostles. The facts recorded by St. John give the reason of this priority and position of leadership.
Philip apparently was among the first company of disciples who were with the Lord at the commencement of his ministry at the marriage at Cana, on his first appearance as a prophet in Jerusalem, John 2. The first three Gospels tell us nothing more of him individually. The Apostle John, with his characteristic fullness of personal reminiscences, records a few significant utterances. (John 6:5-9; 12:20-22; 14:8) No other fact connected with the name of Philip is recorded in the Gospels. He is among the company of disciples at Jerusalem after the ascension (Acts 1:13) and on the day of Pentecost. According to tradition Philip was sent with his sister Mariamme and Bartolomew to preach in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria and died at Hierapolis as a martyr being crucified upside down.
Now Philip comes to share his conviction that Jesus is the Messiah with Nathanael. Nathanael name means “a gift of God. Due to Philip’s witness, Nathanael meets Jesus and becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ.
What else do we know about Nathanael? Under that name at least, we learn from Scripture little more than his birthplace, Cana of Galilee, (John 21:2) and his simple, truthful character. (John 1:47) The name does not occur in the first three Gospels; but it is commonly believed that Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same person. The evidence for that belief is as follows: St, John who twice mentions Nathanael, never introduces the name of Bartholomew at all. St. Matthew, (Matthew 10:3) St. Mark, (Mark 3:18) and St. Luke, (Luke 8:14) all speak of Bartholomew but never of Nathanael. If this is correct then he was on of the twelve apostles and according to tradition preached in India.
Here we have the encounter of Jesus with a skeptic. His doubt is due to prejudice about any good thing coming from Nazareth. Nazareth in Christ's time was a city of 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, of some importance. The reason for Nathanael’s poor view of Nazareth, (John 1:47) is not known. All the inhabitants of Galilee were looked upon with contempt by the people of Judea because they spoke a ruder dialect, were less cultivated and were more exposed by their position to contact with the heathen. But it is clear here that Nathanael holds Nazareth in special contempt for some reason. Perhaps this is related to the Messiah coming from Bethlehem and not Nazareth and indicates a theological objection and not pure prejudice against the city (John 7:42).
The idea that Nathanael’s objection was theological seems more in line with Jesus’ evaluation that he is an honest man. Prejudice and honesty rarely are in the same person. When Jesus demonstrates knowledge of Nathanael and relates his honesty to some event under a fig tree that only Nathanael knew about, this demonstration of prophetic knowledge and insight provided for Nathanael a reason to believe. He seems in fact to go from doubt to firm faith very quickly proclaiming Jesus both Son of God (Psalm 2) and Messianic King.
Jesus seems almost amused at how little it took for Nathanael to move from skeptic to believer. He assures him that he will see far greater things. For after the resurrection he will see Jesus ascending with angels surrounding Him as He goes to sit at God’s right hand (Gen 28:12). Here is an example of one man’s doubts being overcome with an encounter with Jesus.
Many doubters today need an encounter with Jesus. Here we do not see all the intellectual and theological questions answered. But we see Jesus coming to the man and “pushing the right buttons” to create in him faith. Jesus knew exactly what Nathanael would need to believe and provides it. So today Jesus can do the same thing for those He has chosen to become followers of His way. Jesus is the creator of or our faith.
Christocentric - NAU Mark 16:6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
Moral - Honesty of heart places us in a good place to encounter truth in Jesus the Nazarene.
Eternal - Every believer will see greater things than they have seen in this life. The glory of God in heaven and the vision of Jesus Christ upon the throne will be far greater than our wildest imaginations of it. Our faith will turn to seeing. We will then reach a level of conviction we have never felt before as we see the wonder of the eternal spiritual reality before our eyes.
Prayer - Lord, give me an honest heart and let me have encounters with you that will increase my faith.
Contemplation - I will show you greater things
Action: Make a list of your questions, struggles, and doubts. Set this before the Lord. Ask Him to give you encounters of faith that will help you see beyond these questions to Him as the truth.
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