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Manna

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” John 6:35

              The Lord has many themes that He uses to teach humanity about His person and His work. One of those wonderful themes is manna.

              We first see manna appear in Exodus 16, not long after the Lord brings the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. They have passed through the Red Sea on dry ground and have been but a short time in the wilderness, when the people begin to grumble and complain against Moses, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (v. 3). How quickly the people forgot their many prayers for deliverance from slavery where their boys were being put to death and their lives made bitter through hard labor (Exodus 1, 2:23-24). The people of that generation were continually complaining and hard-hearted; nonetheless, the Lord supplied their needs.

              Each day the Lord sent “bread from heaven” (16:4). Israel called it manna. Each morning in the desert wilderness it appeared like frost on the ground. Each day there was enough for everyone, and it tasted like a wafer made with honey (16:32). The manna was provision for food and the powerful beginning of an enduring object lesson on faith. The manna, by God’s providential working, only lasted one day. The people were instructed to gather what they needed for one day. If they gathered more than needed, the manna would stink and be full of worms the following day. However, on the day before the sabbath day of rest and worship, the people were to gather a double portion and that portion would last two days. This providential process went on for forty years while Israel wandered in the desert under judgment (16:35).

              The daily manna was a powerfully real way for Israel to learn daily dependance on the Lord. The Lord always desires for His people to be dependent upon Him day by day. We naturally want independence and long-term predictable stability, but these things lead us away from the Lord to self-reliance. Not long after the manna began to fall daily, the Lord instructed Moses to set aside a jar of manna to be kept through the generations as a reminder of the Lord’s miraculous daily provision. Hebrews 9:4 speaks to how this jar of manna was one of three objects placed inside the Ark of the Covenant to never be forgotten by Israel. This jar was a physical reminder of how the Lord had provided in the past, day by day, and would continue to provide, day by day, into the future.

              When we turn to the New Testament, manna is again intentionally engrained in the ministry of Jesus. In Matthew 6 when Jesus teaches the people to pray, part of His instruction on prayer is for them to pray for provision from God for “daily bread” (v. 11). This is the exact same picture of manna carried over from the Old Testament. It was a picture that the Jewish people would absolutely have understood. Part of our pattern of prayer should be going to the Lord daily with our real physical needs, believing by faith that He will provide those needs day by day.     

              However, in the New Testament, Jesus extends the picture of manna to His own person. In John 6:22-71, the day after Jesus had fed over 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fishes, the people come again to Jesus for food. Jesus rebukes them for coming to Him for physical food when they should be coming to Him for spiritual food. But the people want a miraculous sign from Jesus, stating that in the past the Lord showed His reality through the provision of manna. Jesus states, “The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world … I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” In the past, Israel ate the daily bread of God from heaven (manna) but died in rebellion and discipline. However, those who look to Christ Jesus and believe in Him, will share in His everlasting life. Those who daily look by faith to Jesus Christ will have their sins forgiven and find in Jesus nourishment and hope for their soul that will never end. Jesus is the living bread come down from heaven to nourish our souls (John 6:51). But in keeping with the manna example, Jesus would have us come to Him every day with our weakness and struggles. He would have us confess our sins every day, and every day find fresh mercy and provision. He is the living Bread of Life that will sustain us far beyond the forty years of Israel. The resurrected life of Jesus will sustain you every day of this life and for all eternity.

              There is one last extension to this powerful theme. One that will carry the church until Jesus comes again. In the later part of John 6, after Jesus proclaims that He is the Bread of Life come down from heaven, he extends this metaphor and tells the people they must “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood.” This was a hard saying that caused many to turn away from following Jesus (v. 66), but at the time of the last supper and following the resurrection of Jesus it became clear what Jesus spoke of. In Matthew 26:26-29 Jesus makes clear that the elements of the Lord’s Supper are to symbolize His body and His blood. As we regularly partake of the elements of bread and juice, we both remember the cross of Christ and symbolically partake of the Bread of Life. We acknowledge that apart from the life of Christ we would have no life. Jesus Christ is our life. He is our daily, sustaining bread.

              May you pray this week in daily dependence on Jesus. May you go to Him for the strength your soul needs to carry on one more day. You will find that what you need will be supplied, and for this you should give thanks!

The righteous will live by faith,

Pastor Vic

I Am the Lord

I Am the Lord

“And you shall know that I am the LORD …

Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 6:13-14

              I recently read back through the book of Ezekiel and was struck by how many times these two phrases are repeated. One phrase or the other is spoken by the Lord at least fifty-five times in the book! It’s clearly the major drive of Ezekiel’s ministry to awaken the people of Israel, again, to the reality of the LORD.

              The warnings have a definite pattern and progression. They begin with the sobering declarations that the people will come face to face with the reality of the Lord when He brings crushing judgment upon them for their sin and rebellion, “Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned … and they shall know that I am the LORD” (7:23-24, 27c). The Scriptures speak often of sin and judgment because God is holy and will not forebear forever His righteous judgment toward rebellion. There always comes a time when the patience of the Lord has been poured out, and unbelief results in the wicked recognizing the reality of the Lord too late – after final judgment has fallen.

              Next there is the purifying and separating work of the Lord. The Lord is Himself at work saving and restoring His people, as we will see, for His glory among the nations. Ezekiel speaks of all the people being like dross, an impure mixture of metals. To this the Lord speaks, “I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have poured out my wrath upon you” 22:21-22. The people will come face to face with the reality of the Lord as He brings holy discipline into their lives to curb their sin and turn them away from rebellion. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but in the end yields the fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:3-11). The Lord always disciplines those He loves, treating them as true children.

              Next, the Lord goes beyond discipline, speaking of the New Covenant of grace He will one day establish with this rebellious people. “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules … Then they will know that I am the Lord” (36:26-27, 38b). The unconditional love of the Lord is astounding. These beautiful words are spoken to a nation of people that are idolatrous, sexually immoral, violent, greedy, and proud. But in all their sin, the Lord has chosen them and loves them. Because the Lord lives and is sovereign over the affairs of humanity, He is able to change hearts and make them new. Even while they were enemies toward the Lord, He had a plan to redeem them!

              Last, there is the glory of the name of the Lord. The Lord will not allow His name to be blasphemed and dishonored forever. “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel” (39:7). The redemption action of the Lord radically and totally changes our lives, but the redemption is not ultimately about us, it is for the glory of the Lord! When the world sees a people restored that should be wiped out, it reflects on what they hope in. Our hope must be in the Lord our God.

              Where are you in your heart today? Do you believe the Lord of the Bible is real? What will it take for you to believe? Will you die in your unbelief? Will you be separated out from the dross by the fire of the Lord, but instead of being set aside as silver, be burned up with the dross? Or will you turn from your sins and be spared the discipline of the Lord? Will you believe in the reality of the Lord and rejoice over His promise of grace and mercy? May you be a person that goes out to proclaim the glory of Jesus as Lord to the nations!

May you know that the Lord is God,

Pastor Vic

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

              I have recently been inspired and encouraged reading the short biographical accounts of US immigrants written by former president George W. Bush. In his book, Out of Many One – Portraits of America’s Immigrants, Bush recounts story after amazing story of people coming to the hope of America from every country imaginable. The stories have common themes of tenacious hard work, help from friends and family, faith in the Lord God for a better future, and deep thankfulness for the opportunity to live in the United States of America. On Thanksgiving Day, I offer to you this excerpt about the life of Thear Suzuki. May we each be reminded of the goodness of God and that it is His will that we be a thankful and content people.

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              Thear was born in Sokunthear Sy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in either 1972 or 1973—she doesn’t know. “The first eight years of my life were spent in war and refugee camps,” she explains. “Upon their victory of the civil war, the Khmer Rouge, a Communist regime led by Pol Pot, drove millions of people out of cities and into the countryside, where men, women, and children were forced into labor camps.” The crazed, craven dictator tried to reset time to “Year Zero” when he seized power. By year four, he had presided over the deaths of two million of his people. “The Khmer Rouge wanted to turn the country backward into a socialist, agrarian society where all citizens were expected to work for the common good, living arrangements were communal, and meals were rationed,” Thear says. “They persecuted the educated, outlawed schools, and targeted Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims.”

              Thear’s family of seven managed to survive the genocide, which took place on sites across Cambodia now known as the Killing Fields. They worked in forced labor camps and lived in the jungle for years before escaping to a Thailand refugee camp in 1979. After two years bouncing from camp to camp, they found support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Service, which sponsored their move to the United States. “They helped us find housing, secure food stamps, find jobs for my parents, and register us into school in Dallas.”

              Thear’s family only needed the food stamps for three months before becoming independent. “My father and mother worked minimum wage jobs to support our family,” she remembers. Her dad spent twenty-five years working as a janitor at Bradfield Elementary. Her mom took jobs at a local restaurant, Highland Park Cafeteria, and as a maid at the Mansion Hotel. She learned English by watching The Price is Right. The five kids pitched in by rooting through trash and redeeming cans for a nickel and bottles for a dime. They wore clothing donated by Bradfield Elementary families and dresses sewn by their mother.

              Like so many immigrants, Thear struggled with the new language and the strangeness of the food. She remembers repeating a grade to get a better grip on English and scrapping the toppings off her pizza. Eventually, she mastered the language and even took a liking to fried chicken.

              The family initially lived in housing projects in West Dallas, where they feared for their safety. “We often received phone calls telling us to go back to our country,” she says. “We moved out as quickly as possible.” Others in the new community were more welcoming. Thear’s parents had “heard the Good News” in a Thailand refugee camp and converted to Christianity. In Dallas they found a church that embraced and supported them. When Thear was a teenager, Ron Cowart, a police officer who patrolled their neighborhood, got her involved with a scouting group he had started for Southeast Asian students. The program, Exploring, taught Thear about community service and helped her study for her citizenship exam. She aced it and became an American on June 16, 1992.

              Thear credits her third-grade teacher, John Gallagher, as another inspiration. “He helped me through my formative years and helped my family rebuild our lives. Through his kindness and advocacy for my education, my life was completely transformed.” When Thear graduated from Skyline High School in 1992, after serving as student body president, Mr. Gallagher nominated her for a scholarship to Southern Methodist University. “I have been able to achieve some level of success because so many have helped and took a chance on me,” Thear says.

              With her degree, Thear went on to work as a technology consultant at Accenture for sixteen years. She’s currently a principle and talent leader at Earnst & Young. She serves with more community organizations than there’s room to list. She and her husband, Eric, are raising their four boys. Thear says, “We have come full circle, from receiving help from others when we were in need, to now serving others in need. My father has dedicated his life to sharing God’s Word and building disciples. He led the efforts to translate the first Cambodian study Bible. My mother has built water wells and churches in Cambodia, and at age eighty-one, she still goes on mission trips.”

              “Being an American means I am free,” she concludes. “I have rights. I can believe what I want and make choices for my family. I can use my skills and resources to help others improve their lives.”

Ascension-Part 8

Ascension

“… as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.’” Acts 1:9-11

The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, The Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he arose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

              After the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He appeared to His disciples and hundreds of eyewitnesses on a limited number of special occasions. During this final segment of Jesus’ ministry, he tied up some loose ends and made very clear to His followers that He had risen from the dead into a new and glorified state. These scenes are recorded at the ends of the Gospels and the beginning of the book of Acts. After this brief period, Jesus ascended into heaven never to die again.

              We don’t spend enough time thinking about heaven and contemplating its existence and importance. Heaven is spoken about constantly in the Bible and especially in the New Testament. Heaven is the perfect and mysterious dwelling place of God Almighty. In a number of places in the New Testament a window is opened between heaven and this world, causing the glory of heaven to spill over into our fallen and corrupt world (Luke 2:8-14, Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Acts 7:54-60, 9:3-6). Heaven is a real place, but also a spiritual place. Heaven is where the triune God dwells with those angels who serve Him and those souls that have preceded us in salvation.

Spiritual things are not visible and tangible in the same way as physical objects, but they are no less real. You cannot reach out and touch or see the soul of another person, but that does not mean that their soul is not real. The soul is, in fact, what animates the physical person. The Bible seems to indicate that the spiritual and physical worlds coexist, with the spiritual only being revealed at specific times according to God’s purposes.

              In John 14 Jesus speaks to encourage and comfort His disciples by telling them about heaven. Jesus says that He will one day take those who believe in His salvation into heaven. Jesus says that a heavenly place is being prepared for them because Jesus wants us to be where He is! That is an incredible statement that we should spend time thinking about. What would it take for us as sinners to enter into the perfection of heaven? It would require our sins being forgiven and taken away (John 1:29). It would require a salvation that only Jesus could accomplish.

But the reality that Jesus wants us to be near Him eternally is shocking. We know who we want in our house and who we don’t want in our personal space. It’s special to have someone invite you into their home for dinner, but something else entirely to have someone prepare a place for you to move into their house. But this is exactly what Jesus calls heaven, “my father’s house” (John 14:2). Jesus laid down His own life on the cross and rose from the dead to accomplish our salvation. He has now ascended into heaven and will accomplish our salvation by bringing us one day to dwell with Him in glory. Eternal life with Jesus in glory is the end of the gospel. Through our salvation Jesus is glorified now and forever.

               Lastly, I would mention that the Bible states that in heaven Jesus serves as our great high priest and advocate. This means that within the mystery of the trinity, the Holy Spirit has been sent to be with us in this life while Jesus is our mediator in heaven. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy2:5). One of the main focal points of the book of Hebrews is the explanation of how Jesus is the “high priest” and mediator of the new covenant of grace (Hebrews 8:1-6). Jesus, in His sinless perfection, offered Himself to God – in substitution for us – so that we might be recognized before God through the righteousness of Jesus. As we confess our sins, from heaven, Jesus forgives our sins by His grace and assures our salvation before God the Father.

              We have a great salvation that we should not neglect! I encourage you to spend more time examining heaven in the Bible. It will turn your heart toward our eternal salvation in Jesus and lift your mind’s eye off the corruption and struggle of this world.

Lord Jesus we look for your coming!

Pastor Vic

< This is part eight in a series of articles on the Apostles’ Creed. If you have missed previous articles, they can be found on the church blog. To learn more about the Apostles’ Creed read: “The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits” by Albert Mohler. >

Veteran’s Day

Veteran’s Day

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.”–Colossians 1:3

              On Veterans Day, I want to thank all those in our congregation who, past and present, serve in the US armed forces. There are many veterans in the Redeemer Bible Church family. I thank you for your courage, patriotism, and sacrifice to voluntarily put yourself in harm’s way to protect and defend the freedoms of our beloved country. I also want to thank the supportive military spouses, who held down the home front during long deployments where loneliness and need were often present. Without your support and love, there is no home to defend or come home to.

              On this day I also pray for those family members and friends who still grieve the loss of loved ones on the battlefield. May the Lord encourage your heart and give you hope, as you remember those who have gone on before us to eternity.

I pray for those who returned from the battlefield wounded in body, mind, or soul from the violence and hardships of war. May the Lord Jesus do the saving work that only he can do, to take old hearts and make them new. May the Holy Spirit be at work taking away addiction, giving peace where there is anger, and hope where there is despair.

I pray for each soldier still on active duty. I pray for their courage in body and in soul: courage to enter battle when called upon, and courage to stand up for Jesus at a time where Christian morals are actively being removed from our military ranks. May our Christian soldiers not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.

I pray for Christian military chaplains that are increasingly hemmed in by secular regulations. May they find a way to faithfully minister God’s word to the souls of our soldiers that so badly need to hear the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

              Lastly, I pray for a great spiritual awakening in the souls of our governing military leaders. May they turn away from politically correct and godless agendas and turn back to the Christian moral base upon which our freedoms were built. May this awakening happen one soldier and one veteran at a time. May they stand as Americans and stand as genuine Christians.

              Lord, we humble ourselves, confess our sins, and ask that you hear these prayers.

Thank you, Veterans, and may God shed His grace on these United States of America,

Pastor Vic