Mark 14 - 2012.06.23

ALONE (I)

“And they all forsook him, and fled.”  —Mark 14:50

In 1934 Commander Richard E. Byrd spent five winter months in self imposed solitary vigil at a meteorological station in Antarctica. Subsequently he published an autobiographical account of his experience in a book entitled “Alone.” It was a great adventure that nearly cost him his life, but it was not the loneliest event in history.

Calvary was the loneliest place on earth, and the loneliest journey in history. No one was ever more alone than the Son of God on His way to and through the cross.

The Savior’s solitude began with His betrayal by Judas, one of “His own.” Judas had accompanied Jesus, with the other disciples, from the beginning of His ministry. In fact, he was not only one of the twelve, but had been engaged in service among them as treasurer for the group. Judas’ problem, as with so many who presume to follow Christ, was that he had his own agenda, and when it became apparent that Christ was not going in the same direction Judas decided to sell Him out.

When the issue of the cross reached its zenith, the rest of the twelve “all forsook Him and fled.” Fond as they were of Him, they could not muster the courage or strength to follow through to the end. They left Him to face Calvary alone. 

Notable among the twelve, not for betrayal, but for determination, was the apostle Peter. Informed after the passover of the betrayal and subsequent sacrifice of the Lord, Peter forcefully declared, “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I…If I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee in any wise.” (v. 29, 31) But, not long thereafter Peter joined the others in abandoning Him, and “began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the Man of Whom ye speak,” and his denial, when it came home to him, drove him to tears.

Alone. But that does not yet tell the whole story. In the next chapter the depth of Jesus’ isolation is spelled out in the agonizing word from the cross lifted from earth to heaven when He cried to the Father, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me!? Abandoned by all who had been His companions and friends, the crisis was amplified to infinity by the unthinkable fact that His eternal relationship with the Father was also ruptured at the cross. He was, indeed, ALONE!

What does all of this teach us? At least this: when we reach ‘the other shore,“ we will take nothing with us to justify our arrival. Association and service (Judas) will not suffice to see us through to glory. Our affection for the Son of God, born out of however long we have walked with Him, (they all) will not serve to sustain us. Our most adamant determination (Peter) will not carry us to the cross nor beyond. Faith alone will suffice, and faith succeeds not because it is tethered on our end, but because it is anchored to that which is “within the vail.” It is the character of God, not of man—any man—that determines our destiny. We will arrive on heaven’s shore not because we have “held on,” but because He holds on to us, for some incomprehensible reason, and will not let us go.

“Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you…” “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast [Eph. 2:8-9].” It is sovereign grace, nothing less and nothing more, that accounts for the salvation of any and every sinner who identifies with the Savior.

If I associate with Him and “serve” Him, it will not suffice. If I am fond of Him, my “love” for Him will ever be fickle. If I am ever so determined to follow Him to the end I will still, like Peter, come up short at last. Salvation is all of God. I can only cast myself upon Him by my feeble faith and trust the “judge of all the earth” to do what is right. “Failure” is my middle name; “Faithful” is His, and He has promised, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Betrayed by Judas, abandoned by “His own,” denied by Peter and, finally, forsaken by the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ did what no one else could do nor contribute to—alone. And He did it for you and for me.

With David of old our response can only be:

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

Psalm 34:1-2

"Pastor" Frasier

Mark 13 - 2012.06.16

WATCH

“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.”  — Mark 13:33-34

From time to time, when history takes a peculiar turn, Christians become much concerned that the return of Christ is at hand. “The coming of the Lord draws nigh,” may be the conviction of many in such days, and believers are comforted or challenged accordingly. Sometimes, as has happened recently, men of influence take up the cry, agitate many, and stimulate the unbelieving world to scoff at the whole idea. 

We need to remember that the return of Christ is a two-fold event. It’s first aspect is His coming for the church to catch it away before the Great Tribulation, an event to take place “in the air.” (Cf. I Thess. 4:17)  The second phase, if you will, is His coming with His church, to the earth, to establish His promised earthly kingdom. During Christ’s earthly ministry the apostles knew nothing of the former. Their concern was with that kingdom promised to Israel, which had been the primary focus of Israel’s messianic hopes. It was this that they had in mind when they asked Him, just before His return to the Father, “Wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) His response to their question was consistent with His teaching throughout His ministry: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power [Acts 1:7].”

Clearly, God has withheld from man’s knowledge the time of Christ’s return, either the rapture or the revelation. He has “reserved” that under His own “authority,” as several translations render it. “For ye know not when the time is,” and “It is not for you to know.” Those who make predictions are, in fact, false teachers.

Two things are clear. First, of tremendous import for the church and Israel, Jesus is coming again. Second, no one knows when. These two things lay the foundation for God’s word to both Israel and the church throughout this dispensation: watch!

In fact, our nugget for today makes three things urgent for the believer every day. The first is to live expectantly every day, that we may “not be ashamed before Him at His coming [I Jn. 2:28].” Times of tranquility are more dangerous spiritually than times of agitation; they tend to lull us to sleep in a “comfortable” world.

The second urgency is “pray.” Many (professing) believers pray little if at all. Many who do pray pray altogether for temporal rather than eternal concerns.The body dominates the soul, and earthly welfare, physical, economic and political, dominates our petitions. “Heaven can wait!” Compare the prayers recorded in the New Testament with those uttered in the average “evangelical” church to make the point.

Third, “work.” He has given “to every man his work.” Many have never considered that God has work for them to do as we “occupy” till He comes. (Lk. 19:30) If we really desire the Lord’s return, we will seek first the will of God for our lives, and fund more generously the advancement of the gospel, because “this gospel must first be preached unto all nations.” (v.10) 

There is nothing new in these observations, and for many, I fear, it will be a boring “re-run,” but the emphasis bears repeating in this day of growing complacency and apostasy. When I think on these things I am reminded of the young Bible institute student who commented after a message on the return of Christ, “I want the Lord to come, but not just yet. I’d like to get married first!” That reflects the mentality of the majority of professing Christians. We have temporal goals that preempt our interest in the “coming of the Son of Man,” and betray the fact that our love for Him and our confidence in His word are far from what they ought to be. Our concept of “reality” is earthbound and our concept of eternal life is woefully inadequate. 

May the Spirit of God awaken us to the truth and alter our values until we can say with the apostle Paul, ”For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain…For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better [Phil. 1:21, 23].”

"Pastor" Frasier

Mark 12 - 2012.06.09

HOW MUCH HAVE I GIVEN?

“And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:” —Mark 12:42-43

Our text for today centers in what is not an unfamiliar incident, but one that I fear we have not allowed to “sink in” as much as it ought. Viewed in its context, it offers a number of interesting and challenging observations.

First, “Jesus…beheld how the people cast money into the treasury.” (v. 41) Point: God is observant of our giving. If we go back to the law, we are confronted with the fact that God ordered His people to contribute a tithe (10%) of their profits to His cause. And I say “profits” rather than “income,” because the tithe was required of their “seed…fruit of the tree(s)…the herd…the flock…the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord [Lev. 27:30-32].” And, the tithe was not to be regarded as a gift to the Lord, because God claimed it as His own: “All the tithe…is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.” (v. 30) The Old Testament believer was not regarded as having given anything to the Lord until he had given beyond the tithe.

The logic for that is not hard to find. We are reminded in scripture that everything we have is a gift to us from the Lord. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning [James 1:17].” And again, “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing [Psalm 145:15-16].” This is an echo of God’s reminder to Israel that even when we gain by our labor, it is God who enables it. The temptation is to say, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth,” but God says, “…thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth [See Deut. 8:17,18 and context].” Indeed, it is He who “gives to all life, and breath, and all things [Acts. 17:25].” In the end man is but a trustee of that which God has bestowed upon him, be it little or much.

The second thing to notice in the context of our verse for today is that God’s measure is very different from ours. As the Son of God watched the treasury, “many that were rich cast in much…[out] of their abundance.” (v.41, 44) The poor widow “threw in two mites.” Together her two mites constituted less than a penny. No one but the Son of God would have given more than passing notice to her contribution. There would be no plaque on the wall to commemorate her donation!

But, consider the Savior’s evaluation: “This poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury.” He did not say more than anyone, but more than all. He measured her gift as greater than all the rest put together! Surely “the Lord seeth not as man seeth!” The plaque for the widow is mounted in heaven and recorded in the word of God. 

What is the key? In chapter one of this gospel the calling of certain of the disciples is recorded. In their response, they “left all and followed Him.” They did not make a donation; they gave themselves. That is the essence of discipleship. That same spirit is evident in the gift of the “poor widow.” She gave all she had, at the risk of life itself. It was given in the spirit of a disciple. Earlier in this chapter the Savior cites “the first commandment”: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” The key word—one of the most devastating in all the bible—is the little word “all.” Jesus says of this widow, “She of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” 

Two great things are demonstrated in the gift of the widow: love and faith. In her love for God she gave all, and committed her destiny to Him in faith that He would supply all her need. She held back nothing for herself, including life itself. That is the spirit of discipleship, and should characterize every believer in Christ. The uncomfortable thing about this meditation is that for so many of us, it does not. We reserve so much of ourselves and our substance for our own ends and make so little available to Him. Most of us spend more for our “toys” than we freely give to the testimony of Christ. Statistically, according to a recent report, fewer believers even tithe any more. May the Spirit of the Lord probe our hearts to consider these things. 

Meanwhile, remember the “poor widow.” As I heard someone say years ago, the size of our gift is not measured not by how much we gave, but by how much we have left! She, “rich in faith,” gave all.

“What shall I give Thee, Master? Thou hast given all for me! 

Not just a part, or half of my heart, I will give all to Thee!”

"Pastor" Frasier

Mark 11 - 2012.06.02

FRUITLESS

“And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.” — Mark 11:14

When we were privileged Israel many years ago our host called our attention to a budding fig tree. He focused on an immature fig about the size of a man’s thumb surrounded by a cluster of budding leaves and reminded us of the account of what is usually called the Savior’s cursing of the fig tree, the incident from which our text for today is drawn.

Most of us are aware of the story, but few, I fear, have reflected deeply on its significance. When the Savior and His disciples passed by the same fig tree the following day, Peter noticed and remarked, “Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away (v.21).” “Dried up from the roots (v.20).” Jesus took advantage of the moment to teach the disciples a lesson about the vital connection between prayer and faith.

The lesson, I believe, is broader than that. One highly respected student of the word observes, correctly, that Old Testament references to the fig tree make it a type of “Gods Chosen People,” the children of Israel, and sees the blighting of the tree as symbolic of God’s judgment of the nation because of its “fruitless” profession of enthusiasm for God. I believe there is validity in that interpretation, but I believe the lesson is broader than that, as well.

The day the fig tree was blighted was the occasion of Christ’s “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. A great crowd surrounded Him filled with enthusiasm, shouting “hosanna,” welcoming Him as a potential king come “in the name of the Lord.” Each in that crowd had his own conception of what all that meant, and their enthusiasm was based on those subjective ideas and personal hopes and ambitions. They had not a clue of the real significance of what God was unfolding, and less than week later many of them with equal enthusiasm would be in another throng shouting, “Crucify Him!” Theirs was a premature and misplaced zeal.

There is a two-fold significance to the fig tree incident. In the first place, the leaves so full of promise were premature. “The time of the figs was not yet (v.13).” Second, it is the peculiarity of the proper fig tree that the fruit sets before or simultaneously with the appearance of the leaves. In other words, the appearance of leaves is the promise of fruit. That is the nature of the fig tree, and it is the nature of saving faith. This tree held out an empty promise, proving it not true to its proper character. What it advertised it did not deliver. 

The Savior’s indictment of the tree is an illustration of divine disdain for all empty profession. Mark’s gospel, many expositors believe, was written with the Gentile (Roman) mind in view. If that is true, then it is no coincidence that this little incident is included in his abbreviated account of he Savior’s ministry. Throughout the New TEstament where the great doctrine of justification by faith in Christ is developed and set forth, there is an emphasis on the vital link between profession and product; not for the Jews only, but “also to the [Gentiles].” To cite a few:

“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:” (Matt. 3:8); “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:20; See vss. 17-23); “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:22-23). “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (Col. 1:9-10).

Where fruit is wanting, the tree is as good as dead. The judgment of God will prove the case. Far too many in the churches today are shouting hosannas on the Lord’s day who serve other gods the rest of the week. Their enthusiasm is premature; they have not understood the implications of the gospel and have but an empty profession that will not follow through to the cross and resurrection life. These are cheerleaders who have no idea of Who the King really is, or what He may require of His own. 

These, like the fruitless fig tree, are all promise, but no product, and in due time will wither from the roots up and bring no fruit to perfection (See Luke 8:14). In these days of growing apostacy and spiritual decline, it behooves us to “examine ourselves and see whether [we are] in the faith,” lest we suffer the fate of the barren fig tree.

"Pastor" Frasier