Month: September 2020

Our Good God’s blessings to you on this fine Friday morning!  Be encouraged today ‘because you belong to Christ’ (Mark 9)!

Read Luke 21:8 – 28.

My brother, this past March The Spirit prompted me to begin sending out these text devotionals/studies each morning. The first messages  were drafted during the earliest days of the COVID lockdown, and I believe every one of us (and I am absolutely including myself) were wondering what in the world would happen next.  Over the course of the intervening 6 months, we experienced events that none of us ever expected. And just when it seemed like we were overcoming one challenge, another trial would come along – pestilences, riots, fires, political turmoil, division, confusion, deception.

We continue to face trials and tribulations today; and, at this point, I personally don’t foresee an end to these difficulties.

But through almost 140 text-based devotionals, the truth of God was proclaimed each weekday morning during the past (difficult) 6 months.  I pray that each lesson brought you comfort; and peace; and encouragement; and even by the grace of God, some revelation.  But most of all, I pray that the morning messages served to draw you closer to Our Lord.

Today’s text will be the final devotional; at least, the last of the ‘regularly scheduled, Monday through Friday’ messages.

The concluding verse in today’s reading says (vv 28):  “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”  Jesus issues this command after having detailed for His disciples all of the confounding signs and devastating events that will precede His return.  Carefully consider His command and its context – when faced with (vv 11) “fearful sights and great signs from Heaven”; when there is (vv 25) “distress of nations, with perplexity”; when all of these things occur, “look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”.

As we close out these series of lessons, I pray that each of you will always “look up and lift up your heads” no matter how difficult things become – no matter what trials you face – regardless of circumstances in your life or tribulation in the world – “look up”, because your Redeemer is returning!

Finally, my brother, I leave you today with this mighty exhortation and blessing from the word (I Thessalonians 5): “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”.

Amen!  And bless you, every one!

My brother, good Thursday morning to you!  May our Good God bless you and keep you and those you love today!

Read Philippians 2:5 – 11.

This brief but important passage serves to present and emphasize the glory and divinity of Our Lord Jesus.  In this regard, the reader of these few verses cannot help but marvel at how amazing is God’s redemption as personified by His Son!

In vv 5, Paul opens with an exhortation to every Believer – we are to have the mind of Christ Jesus.  And in the next few verses, Paul elaborates to tell us that this is how Jesus displayed some of the characteristics of the mind we are to have – He was willing to “make Himself of no reputation” (vv 7); He was willing to become a “bondservant” (in the Greek, ‘doulos’, literally a slave) (vv 7); He humbled Himself (vv 8); and He was willing to be obedient, even to the point of death (vv 8).  My brother, let us reflect on these things – how great is Our Lord’s love for us that He stepped out of Heaven to serve us and save us!

In vv 6, Paul reminds us that Jesus was “in the form of God”. That is, His existence did not begin in a manger in Bethlehem. Indeed, He is “The One who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation‬ ‭11).  And He existed before creation – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John‬ ‭1).

In vv 9, Paul tells us that even God the Father has exalted the Son – and not just exalted, but “highly exalted” (the compound Greek word used here for highly exalted means ‘to elevate above others, i.e. raise to the highest position’).  And further, God has “given Him the name which is above every name” – through this Spirit-breathed revelation, God Himself is clearly confirming the deity of Jesus!

In fact, Jesus’ Name has been so highly exalted that Paul closes our passage with this remarkable statement (vvs 10 and 11):  “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”.   My brother, think about this – every person, each and every one, will appear before Jesus. And every person will recognize who He is; every person will kneel before Him; every person will confess that He is Lord.  Some of those people will recognize and bow and confess with rejoicing and praise and jubilant anticipation – and truly, there will be others who will be filled with apprehension and despair when they see the Lord Jesus in all of His glory.

Finally, when I was a child growing up in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church, we often sang a hymn penned by Eliza Hewitt in 1898.  Perhaps you will recognize the chorus of the hymn – it makes a fitting seal for today’s study:

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!!!

Amen!

Tuesday morning greetings to you, my friend. Let us praise Our Good God for this day He has given us!

Read John 3:25 – 36.

This passage is contained in the same chapter as likely the best-known single verse in the entire Gospel record.  And sometimes, these ‘focus’ verses can cause us to overlook the adjacent Spirit-breathed text.  That might be the case with today’s reading, which contains the exaltation of Jesus by the man we commonly know as John the Baptist.  The Baptist was highly regarded by Jesus Himself, who said of him: “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew‬ ‭11).

So, let’s see what John the Baptist had to say, particularly about Our Lord Jesus:

In vv 27, John says that everything – everything – that a man possesses is literally a gift from heaven.  And this passage is all about that most important gift that any of us can receive: “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans‬ ‭6).

In vv 29, the Baptist positions himself as ‘friend of the bridegroom’ with Jesus being the actual bridegroom.  Through this statement, John is minimizing his ministry to point everyone to Messiah, while at the same time declaring that Jesus is truly God.  The Jews hearing John’s words clearly understood that The Father had declared that He was the Husband of Israel:  “For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name” (Isaiah‬ ‭54).  By proclaiming Jesus as the bridegroom, John the Baptist was announcing that Jesus is indeed God incarnate.

vv 30 is one of the most recognized statements made by The Baptizer:  “He must increase, but I must decrease.”.  This simple declaration actually serves as a profound series of lessons for every Believer. In just a few words, John is speaking to us about sanctification – “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (II Timothy‬ ‭2); about being filled by the Lord – “to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians‬ ‭3); and about becoming more complete in Jesus – “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (II Peter‬ ‭3).

This concept of the decrease of self and the increase of the influence of Jesus in every Believer’s life is a key tenant of our faith. It speaks of a dynamic, purposeful, and directional life with and in and through Our Lord. Our relationship with Jesus should be one of continuous growth: in our intimacy with Him; in our knowledge of Him; in our desire to follow His commandments; and in our love for Him.

God willing, we will finish up with our examination of John the Baptist’s exaltation of Jesus tomorrow morning.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the eternal life that You came to give me.  Help me to decrease, so that You can increase in every part of my life.  And help me to walk worthy of You today.  Amen!

My brother, blessings to you as we start this new week that the LORD has given us – let us rejoice before Him and be glad!

Read Isaiah 40:23 – 31.

Chapter 40 of Isaiah opens with the words (vv 1) ““Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.”. And how does the LORD provide comfort to His people? Well, the remainder of the chapter is filled with a series of amazing declarations about the power and glory of Our LORD – if we, as His people, will take the time to fully understand and embrace His greatness, we will be comforted. In fact, in this morning’s reading, Our Good God invites each of us to ‘get to know Him’ (vv 26): “Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.”. He created the universe, and He has named the stars! Lift up your eyes and see Him!

This morning’s short reading opens with a statement of God’s preeminence over the princes and judges of this world. My friends, in today’s politically-supercharged atmosphere, it is both good and wise for each of us to understand two points that are being conveyed by the Spirit here in vvs 23 – 25:

1 – Every worldly leader, whether they are elected or assigned or even self-appointed, is truly ‘here today and gone tomorrow’, but the LORD is eternal. Indeed, the Word says (vv 24): “Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.”. Remember this the next time you see a politician filled with pride and self-importance campaigning for your support.

2 – The ultimate power and the ultimate authority is in the mighty hand of the LORD Our God. Here is how the Lord Jesus puts it in Luke 12: “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”.

And in some of the most personally encouraging words to be found in the entire Word, the LORD describes Himself and promises to convey His endurance and strength to those “who wait on the LORD”. Get this my brother – when you feel overwhelmed; or are despairing because of the cares of this life; when you feel like you can’t go on; or you have been treated unjustly; or even when you just feel fatigued and run-down, here is what Our Good God declares to you (vvs 28 – 31): “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”.
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He is indeed ‘The Defender of the Weak’, and He is Our Everlasting God! Let every one of us take heart because of the glory and greatness of our amazing God – and be comforted by knowing just how marvelously great He is!

LORD, You alone are God, and You never fail. Strengthen me and comfort me during this coming week, Father. And when I need Your help, give me the patience and endurance and faith to wait on You! Amen!

Thank You, O Lord, for the blessings and protection and faithfulness You have given us during this week! A wonderful Friday morning to you, my friend!

Read Psalm 98. Selah.

There are 150 separate psalms in the Book of Psalms. Many are untitled; and some carry titles like “A Psalm of David” or “A Prayer of Moses the Man of God” or “A Contemplation of Asaph”. Interestingly, today’s scripture is the only psalm of the entire 150 that is simply titled “A Psalm”, with no explanation given why it carries this label.

So, let’s consider this simple “A Psalm”, Psalm 98:

Like Psalm 96 (see Wednesday’s devotional) the writer opens with a charge to sing to the LORD a new song. The appeal to sing a new song to our amazing God is absolutely justified – after all, we are singing to the One whose “mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” (Lamentations‬ ‭3 ESV); and, further, because of the saving work of Christ, each of us are “a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (II Corinthians‬ ‭5). His mercies are new, and we are new – yes, my friend, we have every reason to lift up our voices with a new song to Our LORD!

And the psalmist himself provides even more reason to sing a new song to our Good God (vvs 1 – 3):

“For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”.

As Followers of Christ, we recognize that this passage is clearly referring to God’s salvation as secured for each of us through the Person and the completed work of Jesus. And notice how the writer of the psalm specifically includes both Jew and Gentile in God’s salvation plan through the Spirit-breathed references to Israel and “all the ends of the earth”. Now, let’s look at how God’s salvation was received by a man named Simeon, about 1000 years after the psalmist wrote his prophetic words. As you read the passage from Luke 2 below, mark how closely it parallels and conforms to the Messianic prophecy contained in Psalm 98:
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“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.””.

Jesus. The Lamb of God. One thousand years later. Amazing!

Friend, have a blessed weekend, and just like Simeon in the temple, walk in peace according to His word, because our eyes have seen His salvation! Amen!

A most excellent Thursday to you, my brother!  Let us give praise to the One who deserves all of our praise!

Read Psalm 97. Selah.

In this second psalm of a triplet of psalms celebrating Our Lord’s presence, the psalmist opens once again with a declaration to rejoice and be glad. Why?  Because the Lord reigns!  And in vv 1, there is a notable phrase – “Let the multitude of isles be glad!” – which is a Hebrew idiom for ‘the ends of the earth’, lands populated by Gentiles.  By using these words, the psalmist is calling all people, both Jew and Gentile, to rejoice in the Lord and to receive his words.

vvs 2 – 4 paint a detailed picture of just how compelling and fearsome the actual presence of the LORD can be.  These verses remind us of the manifestations of God Almighty as recorded in:

Exodus 19 – “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”.
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Deuteronomy 4 – “the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.”.

Revelation 15 – “The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple”.
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My brother, never let us forget that standing in the presence of the power and the glory of the LORD can truly be an awesome experience. And not ‘awesome’ in the sense that our culture overuses the word, but ‘awesome’ according to the dictionary definition of the word; that is, “causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear: an awesome sight; exhibiting or marked by awe; showing reverence, admiration, or fear.”.  Our God is indeed an awesome God – Deuteronomy 10 says it like this: “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”.

The next couple of verses detail appropriate responses to the presence and awesomeness of God – declaring His righteousness, laying down idols, rejoicing, and exalting Him.

Then, the psalmist abruptly issues this stunning combination of exhortation and promise in vv 10:

“You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.”.

As His people, we are to hate evil – hate it!  The Hebrew word used here is sane’, meaning to hate, both personally and utterly – this an extreme word used by the psalmist. In these days when there is so much evil surrounding us, remember that each of us who love the LORD are called to actively hate that very same evil. And as we take that stand to hate evil, the LORD Himself preserves our souls and delivers us out of the hand of the wicked!  My brother, let each of us walk in the fullness of this commandment and this promise!

And as you go out today, (vv 12), “Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.”!  Amen!

Brother, may Our Lord’s grace and peace be upon you and all of your family on this fine Wednesday morning!

Read Psalm 96. Selah.

In subject matter, this psalm is related to both Psalm 97 and 98 – all three present the approaching advent of the LORD; and all three psalms refer to the righteous judgement He will bring with Him. So, my brother, since we too are waiting on the Lord, I believe our consideration of any of these three psalms is timely.

As you read Psalm 96, pay close attention to the following:

The psalm opens with an exhortation to sing a “new song” to the LORD. We encounter the phrase “new song” a number of times through the Psalms; and it also occurs several times in the Book of Revelation. While we could read this phrase to literally mean a “new song”, it could also be interpreted to mean taking a fresh approach to our praise of the Most High God – entering into His courts with anticipation and a renewed sense of awe and wonder as we praise the Great I Am.

Moving on into today’s scripture, the psalmist (likely David) shifts into an evangelical bent by instructing us, as Believers, to (vvs 2-3) “Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”. Amazingly, this psalm, written almost 1000 years before the birth of the Messiah, is clearly directing us to daily declare God’s glory and His salvation plan to everyone!
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In vvs 4 and 5 of the psalm, the LORD God is identified by His greatness and distinguished from all other “little g” gods and idols: “For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.”. When we read these verses today, our minds tend to picture the historical idols of carved wood or a calf fashioned from gold. But I would pose this question – do we have any “modern” idols in our own lives that may need to be removed? Politics? Drama? Substance abuse? Sports? News programs? Work? Social media? Possessions? Relationships? You get the idea – if it keeps us from wholeheartedly pursuing the truth of the Word; from walking with Our LORD; from serving Him; if it hinders us from loving both God and our neighbors – then it might be an idol in our lives that needs to be put down.

Finally, the last verse of today’s psalm serves to encourage each of us because we are His (vv 13): “For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.”
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My brother, let us praise God! Our Lord is indeed returning, and He will bring righteous judgement and truth with Him we He comes. And when He is with us, we will receive this promise (Revelation 21:4): “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”. Amen!

Tuesday morning felicitations and greetings to you, friend!

Read Luke 10:1 – 20 (again).

As we have seen during the past two studies, this passage contains the account of Jesus sending forth the seventy, following His sending out the twelve disciples as recorded in Luke 9.  According to today’s scripture, the seventy were to go (vv1) “two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.”.  In other words, they were sent out ahead and commissioned to pray, preach peace, and do miracles in preparation for the actual arrival of the Messiah Himself.  Does this commission sound familiar to you?  This same commission is certainly timely!

So, in concluding our consideration of this passage, we will look at two overarching themes:

First, let us examine vv 16 – “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” – this is Jesus speaking to the seventy after acknowledging that He (and the seventy, and each one of us) would encounter those that would reject the Gospel and remain unrepentant, despite the “mighty works” that they would see.  My brother, as you carry forth the message of salvation through Our Lord Jesus, you will face rejection and opposition.  But always remember – according to Jesus, that rejection is not directed at you, but is actually a rejection of both Him and The Father.  Here is how the apostle Paul encourages us to share the message of Jesus in the face of rejection (Philippians 1):  “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake”.

And the second point to consider during this reading:  this entire evangelical effort is being made prior to the death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus!  And the Gospel message of salvation is made that much more powerful through His resurrection – just consider the following:

Acts 4:  “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”
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Romans 1:  “separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”.

I Corinthians 15:  “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”.

I Peter 1: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”.
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My friend, when it comes to sharing the Gospel, you and I have an advantage over “the sent seventy”!  In addition to prayer, and peace, and miracles, we have the fulfilled promise – the amazing and powerful and undeniable truth of the risen Christ that we can declare.

Lord, you are indeed “the way, the truth, and the life”, and You alone are the Hope that this world so desperately needs!  Give me opportunities to proclaim Your gospel today!  Help me to always be bold in declaring Your salvation and the power of Your resurrection in the face of rejection!  Amen!

My friend, let us praise our mighty and powerful God on this Monday morning!  Blessings to you and yours as we begin the new week!

Read Luke 10:1 – 20 (again).

Last Friday, we began to look at perhaps only the second evangelical work recorded in the Gospel. According to our reading, the Lord Jesus sent out the seventy in groups of two (vv 1) “before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.”.  This act of sending disciples ahead is very closely related to the reference to John the Baptizer in the opening of Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1:1 – 3): “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”.

But as we read further in today’s passage, take note that the “sent seventy” are given a series of specific ministerial instructions by Our Lord that each of us, as laborers in the Lord’s harvest, should carefully consider:

(vv 4) – “Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.”.  Jesus wants us to stay “on point and on mission”.  It is as if He is warning us not to be distracted by either possessions or (unnecessary) relationships when building His Kingdom.  Colossians 3 says it like this: “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”.

(vv 5-6) – “But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.”.  The peace that we have in and through the Lord is one of our most powerful witnessing tools.  And we should walk in His peace with confidence.  According to Judges 6, when Gideon encountered the the LORD,  “the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”.  Psalm 85 promises us “I will hear what God the LORD will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints;”.  And finally, Philippians 4 assures us “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”.

(vv 9) – “And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”.  How I love this particular ministerial command given by Our Lord!  In a very matter-of-fact and amazingly unassuming way, Jesus tells us to go and do miracles to prepare the way for Him.  Yes, just as if He was simply saying, ‘Oh, and by the way, go out and heal people.’.  And I think that we all, as Believers, often forget this important aspect of our ministry.  To underscore the emphasis that should be placed on signs and wonders as a part of evangelism, here are just a couple of examples of what Jesus Himself said about works and miracles:  “The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.” – John‬ ‭10:25‬; and “no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.” – Mark‬ ‭9:39‬.  This is why Jesus told the seventy to declare to those who were healed “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”.  Brothers, let us make opportunities for the Kingdom of God to come near to those we meet by audaciously expecting a miracle for them – and for our part, that means we must be willing to pray for every person who needs a touch from Our Lord.

Our passage is so rich with important Kingdom insight that we will finish up tomorrow, God willing.

Until then, my friend, here is my prayer for all of us, as laborers in His harvest:  Thank You, Lord, that You send us out before Your face to prepare the way for You!  I pray that we would be focused today on building Your Kingdom here on earth; that we would walk in Your peace, the peace that is complete and beyond all understanding; and that we have eyes to see needs and courage to pray for miracles for those who seek You, Lord Jesus!  Amen!

Happy and blessed Friday to you, my brother!  Let us praise our amazing God for His goodness towards us during this past week!

Read Luke 10:1 – 20.

This passage contains the account of Jesus sending out “the seventy”, which conceivably could be considered the second documented evangelical work (with the first work occurring when Our Lord sent out the twelve as recorded in Luke 9).  So, why seventy?  Since I am convinced that God does not do coincidences, I believe the number seventy does have significance – and because this passage is all about the beginning of the spreading of the Gospel, it may be possible that the seventy is related to the number of “the house of Jacob” that settled in Egypt during the time of Joseph.  Because Our Lord is looking for a harvest, an increase, by sending out the seventy, He may well have been remembering the multiplication recorded in Deuteronomy 10: “Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude.”.

And while we are considering numbers, notice that Jesus sends them out “two by two”. Why, I wonder?  Certainly, a portion of the answer is found in Ecclesiastes 4:  “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”.

Continuing on in this morning’s reading, pay close attention to Our Lord’s initial charge to His disciples as they are sent out (vvs 2-3):  “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”.  My brother, these words of Our Lord are just as applicable to each of us today as they were when they were originally voiced.  Today’s Kingdom harvest is indeed great; you and I are His laborers.  And we have been given an assignment by Jesus – to pray and to work in His harvest.  Finally, notice that the Lord sends us out as “lambs among wolves”, clearly a parallel to the way He Himself, the Lord of Glory, entered the world He created!  He came into the world humbly as “the Lamb of God”; and we are His lambs (sheep).

So, my brother, in these days when the word “sheep” carries such disparaging connotations; when people call others sheep to dismiss them, know that you can wear the title “sheep” with both assurance and honor.  As it is written, “Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100) and “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John‬ ‭10).

We will take up the remainder of our reading on Monday.  Until then, my brother, embrace this benediction from I Thessalonians 5: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”.  Amen!