All posts by Philip

Morning Thoughts (Matthew 17:5)

Morning Thoughts,

Matthew 17:5, "While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

This morning, the Bible remains as timeless as ever.  Quite often, the world will loudly proclaim that the Bible is out-of-step with modern society: such an archaic book not worthy of intellectual consideration.  However, I have discovered that the Bible is not only relevant, but I also have to run to keep up with it.  The smallest things in this world can cause so much trouble.  As James said about our little tongues, "Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (James 3:5b) Those words are as true today as they were when first penned.  Man's tongue continues to get him in trouble, and though he might like to claim otherwise, the evidence is overwhelming that what we say gets us in trouble and snowballs into other things as well.  The start of any sentence that should make us cringe is when someone says, "Well I just think…."  Brethren, what we think is of far less value than what God has commanded.  Likewise, man today likes to say, "God just wants me to be happy."  God is far less concerned with our happiness as He is interested in us doing what is what right.

Our study verse is found in the midst of the account of the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration.  In this lesson, Peter, James, and John are privileged – as they were quite often – to come "a little farther and further" with the Master.  While all 12 disciples walked with Him where others did not and heard things others were not privy to, these 3 in particular were able to go places the other 9 did not.  This is one such time.  As many times as I have looked at this lesson and tried to preach from it, something stuck out to me recently in the lesson that I had not ever considered before.  It has reference to Peter and how his mouth gets him in trouble, as it often did with him and sadly often does with me as well.

The main thrust of this verse is that Peter is speaking through ignorance and anxiousness, and God answers, pointing out Peter's folly in what he said.  Now, some of the other accounts of this lesson tell us that Peter's rash statement in verse 4 was because he did not know what to say. (Mark 9:6) Peter sees Moses and Elijah speaking with Christ in glory, and he immediately says that he, James, and John can rear three tabernacles: one for Christ, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  So, Peter says something rashly, because he does not know what to say.  How often has that been our case friend?  We say something just to say something.  Even if it does not make sense, we would seemingly rather say something senseless than deal with the silence.  If I could encourage people today in something, it would simply be this: do not be afraid of silence or stillness.  Those times when we are quiet can yield the greatest scenes of pleasure and joy with our Master in sweet fellowship with Him.

However, what I had not noticed until recently in this text is that the Lord interrupts him.  While he was yet speaking those rash words, the Lord cuts Him off to say something truly worthwhile and at the same time point out Peter's foolishness.  Now, I freely confess that I hate being interrupted and cut off in my speaking.  One of the hardest lessons we are undergoing with our children right now is to instruct them not to interrupt others while they are talking.  Interestingly enough, my children's actions have showed me something quite revealing.  Why does a child so often interrupt someone else?  As children, they think that what they have to say "can't wait."  In our constantly interrupting society, we see a whole culture of adult children.  What they have to say "can't wait" as there is a complete dearth of patience in our world at large.

Consider what would have most likely happened had the Lord not interrupted Peter.  Have you ever seen someone (or been the someone yourself) that talked without thinking and kept talking and talking?  Have you ever seen a preacher that had zero liberty, but he just kept talking and talking to no purpose whatsoever?  Men have a propensity when talking in this manner to just keep talking and talking and talking.  Who knows how long Peter would have carried on had the Lord not interrupted him?  Who knows how long I would carry on in my foolishness had the Lord not cut me off from time to time to realign with that which is good and proper?

Instead of letting Peter ramble on for a while in foolish talk that boiled down to idolatry, the Lord refocuses these 3 disciples' sight.  Moses and Elijah (who had no doubt fixated much of their attention) vanished when the voice began to thunder.  The voice redirects their minds and eyes to the only One who should have ever had their minds and eyes: His Beloved Son.  Had they been listening to what Moses and Elijah said?  Obviously, since the Lord instructs them to hear His Son.  While we may value what respected and sage men say and do, we should measure everything ever spoken or done by the standard of the Son and what He has said and done.  No matter how high our level of esteem is for another, His must be higher.  No matter the love and devotion to a dear one, His must be stronger.

We might look at this scene today and indignantly say, "How foolish to raise up an alter to Moses or Elijah!  The very idea when surrounded by glory and the Master Himself!"  Indeed, Peter's is a thought fraught with foolishness.  But consider friends.  Our actions are no less patently foolish.  How often have we been surrounded with glory in our lives while touched, blessed, and visited with the presence of our Husband and Friend?  How often has our mind when so blessed with a sense of His love, presence, and glory seemed to immediately drift to the throes of life?  We raise up alters to those inferior things by placing things either before or on the same level with Him.  Notice that Peter was not contemplating an alter to Moses and Elijah "above" the Lord.  He was contemplating it "with" the Lord.  Friends, Christ cannot even be worshipped "with" other things much less "below" other things.

Our lives seem day by day to be a constant turmoil of care and activity.  However, who should be above all others in our minds, hearts, and eyes?  The same One with whom we sit so many times in glorious scenes above the things of this world.  These 3 men were already blessed above all others in the earth to see and experience things that no one else did.  How often have we been blessed above all others to come above the world for a time to experience blessing, glory, and rich scenes like none other at that time?  Sadly, sometimes those same scenes are muddied with the same sentiments that Peter espoused, "Wow!  He sure is a good preacher!"  Exalting the preacher – no matter how much you love or think of him – equates no less foolishly than Peter's 3 alter statement.

In my short little experience, I have become convinced that God still speaks to us through His word and in our lives through a still, small voice.  The strongest scenes of His fellowship with us have been in the courts of His pavilion while in halls of glory in His house.  May those scenes find us looking solely upon the well beloved Son, and may our ears be listening to Him.  If He is speaking so sweetly to us through the mouth of His minister, then by all means listen.  If He is singing back to you in songs of love as you sing songs of praise to Him, then by all means listen.  If He speaks to you in the resonance of your own heart, while the prayers are fervently being offered up, then by all means listen.  May we not get caught up in the rich sights of the experience but always remember to keep our eyes and ears upon Him.  As Habakkuk said about the Lord being in His holy temple, "let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20)

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Morning Thoughts (Luke 24:27)

Morning Thoughts,

Luke 24:27, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself."

This morning, while we as mortal creatures detest condemnation, many times those circumstances of condemnation strip down the things we do not need to focus more clearly on those things that are truly important.  Being comfortable, complacent, and rutted can be desirable to the flesh, but these are rarely – if ever – good circumstances for the walk of faith.  Whenever we become rutted in our thinking, we have a tendency to not think clearly or react well to the circumstances before us.  What makes it even harder to get out of is – like a natural rut – the longer we are in it the higher the wall becomes to overcome to get out of it.  This is why old habits are so hard to break: the wall is seemingly insurmountable in our minds to escape from it.  These are the moments when the condemnation for our short-sightedness can be so needed and revealing in our lives.

Oftentimes, I have been asked the question, "If you could place yourself in any one day or circumstance in history, where/when would it be?"  For years, my response has been the setting for the verse before us.  Can you imagine what the sermon must have been like as it was uttered from the beautiful lips of the Master?  Talk about an Old Testament sermon for the ages!  Later, the two disciples that were recipients of the blessed message talked about how it gave them heartburn.  However, they also talked about how He "opened to us the Scriptures."  Not only did His message resonate with the souls of the two men, but it peeled back the curtain of their minds to understand things about the Scriptures and reveal things to them that they previously had not considered.  To have revealed to you personally all the Old Testament Scriptures about the Christ from the Christ Himself!  What a mind-expanding event it must have been that convicted the soul at the same time!

However, I have recently come to see something in this glorious event that has made me examine my own personal experience.  While these two disciples on the road to Emmaus were the only recipients of this glorious sermon, they got there through some harsh condemnation by the Saviour.  They were sad when He joined their company, and when He asked them why they were so sad, they responded in defeated tones.  Notice in verses 19-24, they respond to Christ's inquiry by speaking of Christ in the past tense.  Even though they freely admit that there were reports and witnesses of His resurrection, they still remained defeated and spoke of Jesus in the past tense.  Friends, we should never refer to Him in the past tense.  He is an ever present help in time of need. (Psalm 46:1) Not only were they speaking of Him in the past, they were denying the very reports that testified to the same thing He preached while He ministered to them: His resurrection.  Should they have hid in their heart what He said, they would have understood that He verily would die, but rise again the third day.

Knowing what the Master taught, this day should have been a day of rejoicing.  Even if they had not gotten the news from the witnesses, they should have rejoiced, but with the news, there should have been even more cause for uplifted spirits and much delight.  Since these two disciples had not reacted to the death of Christ and the succeeding events like they should have, Christ appears to them to manifest things to them and reveal things to them that will produce the fruit that they should be bearing at this time.  Before giving them the glorious discourse from our verse, He upbraids (convicts and condemns) them for their unbelief by showing the necessity of Christ suffering and enduring these things then to enter into His glory. (Verses 25-26)

Now, let us proceed to our own experience and see some of the truths of this lesson as they relate to us personally.  While I cannot say that I have had Christ personally appear in fleshly form with me in my journey, I have felt the same type of experience that these two did.  So much of my life should be uplifted and full of rejoicing, yet I find myself cast down quite often.  Do I have legitimate reason to be?  In all honesty, no I do not.  Ever.  Consider our position and the blessed knowledge that Christ has bestowed upon us.  Is He resurrected?  Does He have all power, glory, and might?  Coupled with that, will we one day – without fail – be where He is?  From now until that glorious time, has He promised to never leave us nor forsake us?  The answer to all those questions is yes.  Since those questions are all answered in the affirmative, I have absolutely no reason to be cast down.  Yet, many times I am.

When Christ appears (in Spirit) to upbraid and condemn me for my short-sightedness, the event is painful but always fruitful.  Upon reflection, I have come to realize that some of my deepest understandings and revelations of Scripture came on the heels of some of my most downcast times.  When upbraiding my sadness, the Saviour has opened the Scriptures in ways that I had not previously seen.  While I do not treasure the conviction that I feel during those scenes, I do treasure the opening of the understanding that He has blessed me with.  What sermons were those two capable of preaching after this event that they could not have done otherwise?  What glorious things have mine eyes been made to see that made me realize what little I have to be sad about and how much I have to be thankful for!

There is an old expression that says, "The growing is done in the valleys."  Friends, the two on the road in our lesson were in a deep, dark valley, but there was a tremendous amount of growing that took place in them personally from the teaching of the Lord.  Many of my "spurts" of growth in understanding come when in deep, dark valleys.  Lately, I have been made to realize even more deeply the glorious promise and expression, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."  Friends, even if we do not forsake our loved ones in this earth, we have to leave them from time to time.  Every workday, I leave my family for the office.  However, our Lord not only does not forsake us, but He never leaves us as well.  Consider how many times we have foolishly asked, "God, where are you?"  Friends, He is always there!  Upon the realization that He is with us, we can feel condemned at the folly of our own mind and heart, but how sweet the deeper understanding can be when we realize once again what we should have already learned and then realize it even more deeply than before.

There is no excuse for stumbling at things we should already have a firm grasp on.  These disciples were without excuse not to realize after 3.5 years of walking and talking with Him that He is God with all power, might, and dominion.  They were without excuse not to believe what He told them about His eventual resurrection, and subsequent ascension into glory.  Furthermore, they were without excuse not to believe what had already been written of Him, which He expounded in intricate detail unto them.  Translated today, I am without excuse not to believe all that has been written of Him and the glorious truths that have so sweetly been revealed to me.  I am without excuse not to remember all the ways in which His hand has led and guided me through difficult seasons of life and lifted me up at times to soar on His wings.  Furthermore, I am without excuse not to remember what He has yet promised to deliver me to that will drive all the toils of this life into the paleness of the forgotten when that glory is revealed in me.

Just as these two, I have no reason to be cast down and every reason to be uplifted.  However, during those moments that I fall short, He convicts the soul and burns the conscience down in my chest while at the same time opening to me the Scriptures.  These treasures of revealed knowledge have come after some of my most faulty seasons, but I am convinced that it does not always have to be that way.  Indeed, experience can be a very effective teacher, and it has been repeatedly in my life, but I have learned lately even more deeply to pray as instructed "and lead us not into temptation."  So oftentimes, I learn more deeply when experiencing the lesson and the trial, but my prayer should be to learn the lesson without needing the trial or test to learn it.  Notice that Christ tested these disciples to prove by their own mouth why they were so downcast, and then upbraided them accordingly.  Many times, my test comes as I prove manifestly why I am so downcast, and then am upbraided accordingly.  May our journey going forward be uplifted and filled with grateful hearts for His kind providence and blessing.  May our prayers be to learn and have the Scriptures opened to us without having to go through the test and trial, and most of all, may we heed more and more, deeper and deeper into those things that the Lord would have us to learn and to do.

In Hope,

Bro Philip