A Word about Praising the Lord

 

Today I want to share a word about praising the Lord, as I comment on Psalm 150:1-6.This passage reads: 

Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals.  Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD 

What?

Many years ago, when Japanese carmakers had begun to dominate US auto sales with inexpensive but well-made cars, the Ford Motor Company tried to push back against the tide with a new slogan, “Quality is Job One!”  I will leave it to your judgment about how well Ford did in fulfilling their own marketing pitch, but I want to apply that same sentiment to our Christian walk. For a believer in Christ, “Praising God is Job One.” Psalm 150 gives us some good words to follow in our task of magnifying our Lord.

Who?

The first word reflected in this Psalm that I want to consider is  “who?” The Psalmist told  us that everything that has breath should praise the Lord. When we remember that God breathed into Adam and gave him life, I think it is clear that his meaning is that all people should praise the God who gave us life and every other good thing in our lives.  On Palm Sunday, Jesus told the Jewish leaders that if his followers remained quiet, the rocks of the earth would bring forth His praise. God’s creation is a wonderful reflection of His personality, abilities, actions, and will, but God wants the verbal praise and adoration of His greatest creation, people. We must worship Him in words, deeds, and attitudes, for He deserves it and it blesses us to express our love for Him. Don’t let rocks take our place in praising God!

Where?

The next word we can see in Psalm 150 is ”where?” The Psalmist told us that we should praise God everywhere, both in His sanctuary and also out in the world. Our experience with the COVID-19 virus has taught us we can worship God at home, in parking lots, and in cyberspace, but note that the first place we should praise Him is in His sanctuary. We need to gather in worship whenever we can to encourage and to equip one another, and then  we need to carry that attitude of worship back to our homes, and then out to our jobs, schools, places of recreation, and the market place. Worship is a Sunday thing but it also must become an everyday thing; praise starts in the congregation and then it must migrate out into the rest of the world. When we take our praise from church into the world, we truly become salt and light for the Kingdom of God!

Why?

Another word found in this passage is “why?” Simply put, we should praise Him for who He is, and for what He does. God is righteous and Holy; He is personal and transcendent; He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, omni-benevolent, and omni-sagacious. There is no one like Him! God is Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, and no one can do the things He does. We praise God because He is the Great I Am, and as such He deserves our awe, love, obedience, and praise.

How?

Finally, the Psalmist tells us “how?” Yes, we are to praise Him with music and musical instruments, but the connotation of his words imply and whole-hearted, full-throated, nothing-left-back worship and adoration of our God. We need to put our best efforts and our greatest energy into praising the Almighty God of the Universe who sent His Uniquely Begotten Son to redeem us our of our sin and give us abundant and eternal life. He certainly deserves nothing less than our very best!

So how does our praise of our Lord match up with the kind that the Psalmist described?  If it doesn’t meet his standards we need to reevaluate our priorities!

Remember, don't get replaced by a rock!

Every blessing, 

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Fickleness

Today I want to share a word about fickleness, as I comment on Luke 19:28-40.This passage reads: 

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'" So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They said, "The Lord needs it." Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."

Holy Week is an amazing time in church worship. We know, from the Scriptures, a day-by-day account of the week that ended with Jesus being crucified on Good Friday, and then rising again on Easter Sunday. The interesting thing to me is that this week, in many ways, is bracketed by two mob scenes. In each of these scenes we see people shouting and gesturing because of Jesus. The amazing and sad thing is, these two scenes are 180 degrees out of phase which one another.

Acclamation then Condemnation:

On Palm Sunday, the crowds acclaimed Jesus. They effusively welcomed Him to Jerusalem, and they worshipped Him. What a wonderful experience it must have been for all concerned! Just six days later, however, the crowds were just as animated, but with animus instead of acclaim. Luke 23:13-25 records their cries on Good Friday:

Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who misleads the people. But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse him of. Neither has Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.” Then they all cried out together, “Take this man away! Release Barabbas to us!” (He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them again, but they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.” But they kept up the pressure, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices won out. So Pilate decided to grant their demand and released the one they were asking for, who had been thrown into prison for rebellion and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.

In less than a week, the crowds in Jerusalem went from saying "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” To shouting “Crucify! Crucify Him!” What a remarkable flip-flop! And yet, when we thing about the record of humanity in the Bible, we should not be surprised at all. In fact, we don’t know it to be the case, but it would not surprise me at all if some of the same people acclaiming Jesus on Palm Sunday were also there, condemning Him on Good Friday.

Fickleness:

From the beginning of time, people have proved to be fickle: 

• Adam and Eve walked with God is the cool of the day, until they chose to follow the serpent.

• Abraham trusted God until it came to his wife, Sarah. Then he decided to lie to Pharaoh and say she was his sister.

• Pharaoh decided to allow the Jews to leave, and then he changed his mind.

• The Children of Israel followed Moses to the Promised Land, until they found out that the tribes there were tough to defeat.

• Once in the Land of Canaan, the Israelites served God until they didn’t. Then when they cried out to God to save them and He did, they served Him, until they didn’t.

• God was ruler in Israel until they decided that, like everyone else, they wanted a kind.

• In the New Testament we can see the pattern continue. Peter was a stout defender of Jesus, until he betrayed him.

• Ananias and Saphira were honest with God, until they weren’t.

• Even today, many church pastors have found that their congregation honors them and follows them as a man of God . . . until they don’t. 

And so it went, and so it goes.

Fear and Distrust:

Fickleness is a trait that causes much fear and distrust:

• One reason that people distrust politicians is that they often flip-flop on issues. They see which way the wind is blowing before they say a word.

• One of the most discouraging and soul-crushing experiences is when a friend we thought we trust betrays us.

• One of the biggest problems with the COVID-19 epidemic is that, to the average person, it seemed very fickle. As my son told me, “COVID-19 is very infectious, except when it isn’t.” I can’t help be agree with his summary.

Good News:

The Good News for us is that while we may be fickle, and we are, God isn’t. The Scriptures tell us that God is unchanging, and Hebrews 13:8 tells us, 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” 

If there is one, rock solid fact in our lives it is this: unlike us, God isn’t fickle, and He will always stand by His Word, His Way, His Will, and His eternal love for us. This means we can trust God, we can trust His Word, and we can rest in His love. He will never flip-flop, and He will never stop redeeming humanity from our own fickleness.

We can trust God, but the question that come to me is this: can God trust us?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about being a Known Associate

 

Today I want to share a word about being a known associate, as I comment on John 12:9-11. This passage reads: 

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Last week we considered the supper at Bethany in which Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with a costly perfume. She considered it worth the cost to honor her Lord in that way, and not only was it an object lesson for us us to follow today, it also was a foreshadowing of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. But this meal was also noteworthy because another follower of Jesus was present: Lazarus.

The One The Lord Loved:

Lazarus, as we remember, was the brother of Mary and Martha and all of them were followers of Jesus. In fact, we know that Jesus and Lazarus had a close relationship, because when he became sick, his sisters sent for Jesus, saying “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

Mary and Martha knew Jesus could heal their brother, and because of their relationship, they expected Jesus would hurry to their brother’s aid. Events did not play out that way, however, because Jesus had a bigger vision for this situation than Mary, Martha, or Lazarus could ever have imagined.

Jesus allowed Lazarus to die and be buried. In fact, He delayed his coming to them so long that when He asked for the tomb to be opened, Martha demurred, protesting that Lazarus would have already begun to decay. These circumstances allowed Jesus to demonstrate His power over death by raising Lazarus from the grave, and restoring him to his family.

A Known Associate of the Lord:

Not only did Jesus demonstrate His power, He also empowered the witness of Lazarus, such that people came to Bethany to see him as well as to see Jesus. This troubled the chief priests so much that, not only did they plot kill Jesus, they decided that Lazarus, as a “known associate” of Jesus, must go as well.

We don’t know what ultimately happened to Lazarus. The Bible doesn’t record his second and final physical death. We do know, however, that he was closely associated with Jesus and that he was a powerful witness for Him.

Probing Questions:

What about us? Are we “known associates” of Jesus? 

What about our own witness to Christ? Acts 1:8 tells us that we will be a witness to Him, but are we a good witness or a bad witness?

What about our reputation? Are we known as people whose lives were transformed by Christ?

What about our safety? Being a “known associate” of Jesus was hazardous to Lazarus’s health, but like Mary, he believed it was worth the cost. Remember, Jesus was a countercultural figure in His society, and He remains so today. Is being a “known associate" of His worth the cost to us?

What about Jesus? Would He be glad to be a “known associate” of ours?

What about this passage of Scripture? Who would have thought that just three small and often overlooked verses would pose such powerful questions?

My desire for all of us is that we would relish the idea of being a “known associate” of Jesus, and that He would be glad to be a “known associate”of ours!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about being Worth the Cost

 

Today I want to share a word about being worth the cost, as I comment on John 12:1-8. This passage reads: 

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?"  (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

A Confession:

Before we look at the passage for today, I have to make a confession. I know that. From time-to-time, I can be pedantic. Ok, so maybe more often than time-to-time, but I believe that words have meaning. So when I hear a ministry leader say that a particular ministry or ministry platform “is losing too much money,” it sets my teeth on edge.

To my way to thinking, ministries cannot lose money, because they are not intended to make money. A ministry might not be covering its costs, or a ministry may become too expensive for an organization to support, or a ministry might not be accomplishing what it is intended to accomplish, but a ministry cannot, and never will, lose money!

There, I said it! Now that my rant is over, let me expand more rationally on my thoughts on this matter.

Different Views of the Church and Ministry:

Over the centuries, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ has been envisioned as many different things. We have organized the church as a kingdom or an empire. We have been envisioned as an army, a school, a business, or even a multi-national corporation. It is none of those things. 

The church is the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. It is not intended to make money, conquer nations, or enhance human reputations. The church is intended to venerate God, love Jesus, obey His commandments, and be filled with the Spirit. Often it costs little financially to fulfill this mission. Prayer and devotion cost nothing, monetarily. You can spend as much as you want on a Bible, but they can also be had for little or no money. Saying a word of encouragement only costs us breath and intentionality.  All of us, rich and poor alike, can serve God.

Fulfilling the Mission can be Expensive:

At times, however, fulfilling our mission can be expensive. One of the primary roles of government is to protect its people. To do this, governments form police forces, staff courts, build prisons, and recruit and deploy military forces. All of this is expensive, often hideously so. The only thing more expensive than employing these means of protection, however, is not to employ them and  leaving the people vulnerable.

Don’t misunderstand me; I do believe in good stewardship. Churches and ministries must adopt and employ sound business practices, which is something I believe is inherent in Jesus’ counsel to us to be “as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves.” At the same time, we must not “bury our talent” either.

Whatever it Takes:

We must learn to do whatever it takes to worship and serve our Lord and our Savior. Mary did not spare any expense when it came to worshipping Jesus, because He was worth it to her. By some estimates, she spent nearly a year’s wages to anoint Jesus. If that figure it correct, it no wonder that Judas was jealous of that use of funds; yet, as we can see from the reaction of Jesus, it was the right thing for Mary to do.

How much is serving Jesus worth to you? To your family? To your church? None of us will ever spend a year’s wages to anoint the feet of Jesus, but it might mean devoting even more to the cause of serving Him. In Matthew 13:45-46 Jesus showed us the true value of following Him: 

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,  who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Jesus gave His all to provide salvation for you and me. He thought it was worth the price. Do we have the same opinion of Him?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt