And it is His working in and through us that will help us do so. That is another sermon altogether! [i]. Francis Thompson, Gordon MacDonald. These are people whose lives have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why would John remark on that specifically? Sarah Boxer, "Charles M. Schulz, 'Peanuts' Creator, Dies at 77", McNamara, Pat. [v] Hughes makes a wonderful point that the fact that they have become dull of hearing means that at one point they were not dull, they have regressed. So Davids Son and Lord, crossed the Cedron while Judas was betraying Him to His foes. What makes it beautiful is multi-dimensional. Christ permeates Pauls writing to such an extent that it would be impossible to read around it. "Catholic Poetry", McNamara's Blog, Patheos, November 16, 2013, Fox News' Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower, "Watch: Stephen Colbert Stuns Phoebe Waller-Bridge with His Interpretation of the 'Fleabag' Fox", "Stephen Colbert's Theory About The 'Fleabag' Fox Leaves Phoebe Waller-Bridge 'Completely Blown Away', R. H. Ives Gammell: The Hound of Heaven by Elizabeth Ives Hunter, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Hound_of_Heaven&oldid=1147762583, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, A short passage from the poem appears in chapter four of, "The Hound of Heaven" inspired Norwegian composer, Thompson's poem is mentioned and quoted in, "The Hound of Heaven" was used as an example of the hero's "refusal of the call" to adventure in. In these parallel accounts we see first the power of Christ, and also the weakness and failure of Peter. 11:1-2 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. I dont want to read more into this than is there, but Martha strikes me as a woman of action. Christ Jesus is the one who diedmore than that, who was raisedwho is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 18:1-5 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. If Jesus had heard the news, then waited two days, then taken a day to travel to Bethany, that means that by the time the messenger arrived at Jesus Lazarus would have already been dead. I must admit that when I study the history of the world since the spread of the gospel, I do not see a uniform trajectory upward toward a world of people who are united in morals and standards. In light of the resurrection, Jesus crosswork and victory over death has secured for believers union with Himself, and all the privileges appertaining unto that reality. [15] All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Angels celebrate when we repent and are saved. Moses reaction is I want to know you more! That is the proper reaction toward a God who has entered into a personal relationship with us! The reaction to the miracles of Christ is always of interest to me. He recognized the state of his son as dead and now alive so are all men who were previously outside of the family of God. The depth of the Sons suffering was the measure of his love for the Fathers glory. As long as ever I could, I rebelled, and revolted, and struggled against God. His charge is a moral charge you treasure not them up in your hearts, consciences, and memories, but let them slip out, and forget them says Owen. They didnt believe in the afterlife or in the spiritual realm. This must have added anger to sorrow. The poem is an ode, and its subject is the pursuit of the human soul by God's love - a theme also found in the devotional poetry of George Herbert and Henry Vaughan. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. The kingdom of God means that God is King and acts in history to bring history to a divinely directed goal. The poem became famous and was the source of much of Thompson's posthumous reputation. It is a world-historical movement, following the fall of Adam, in which God works to defeat Satan and bring human beings to acknowledge Christ as Lord. This charge I have received from my Father. (John 10:17-18 ESV). He has saved us and not to mope about in introspection for our entire lives, but to love others in service to our Lord. 18:6-11 When Jesus said to them, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. In other words, it was the love of Christ that compelled him to stay away for another two days, and it was the love of Christ for His Father that motivated His obedience to wait another two days. Is that not fantastic?! It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Since he is the author and finisher or our faith, to what perfection will he conduct us, and to what glory will he bring us! This Scripture John is referring to comes from the lips of David: Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. From the Greek text the word cohort usually is meant 1,000 men including cavalry, but the noun used here is speira which can refer to a maniple of only 200 men, and it is not necessary to assume that an entire maniple was present (Carson/MacArthur). Its emblematic of the kind of thinking we find in the Jewish leadership of the day that fear governed their thoughts. Frame says, Similarly, the first death is the physical death of human being; the second death is the condemnation of the wicked, a death that believers do not experience.[xiv]. 11:8-10The disciples said to him, Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again? [9]Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? I cannot believe that at this point, for these men, there was much doubt as to the veracity of the miracle(s); the issue was what to do about it. The old Martha might have said I need to stay here and be with my sister. This Martha realizes the centrality of Christ. It is passages like this which kept Spurgeon busy for hours at a time! The second thing I think is notably here is the reaction of Mary she quickly rose up and went to find Christ. Its like a lightening storm that overwhelms your homes circuits. All nations will call Him blessed. When you are lazy in your learning, you hurt the body of Christ and cause other people (and yourself) pain in at least two ways: 1. The implication is that some will not believe up on His name. Act on that conviction and surrender your heart to His call. Cowards. [47]So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, What are we to do? No problem, just replace those blocks! Not only is it a feast for the eyes, and ears with the flowering trees and waves breaking upon the shore, but it is a spiritual feast even an emotional and mental feast for anyone who has ever been restored by the Lord Jesus. What we read here is that we naturally RUN from the light. By Steve Grafe Curator of Art. By continual hearing of the Word and submitting your lives joyfully to its teaching. The horrid realization is setting in that everything you did today doesnt even matter. I think the difference lies in whether or not one believes that His current reign is somewhat lesser or mostly spiritual (i.e. It seems that, usually, we think of giving God glory by praising Him. 262-263. We just need to glean a few things to understand the context, Needless to say these great truths these are deep truths and they arent going to make a whole lot of sense to someone still stuck on the basics. These are not two separate items. Or are you resting in the name of the Son of God. The way that John tells the story is really interesting. So Jesus, having retired to a garden for prayer, to commune with the Father, is approached by a band of men led by Judas the betrayer. It is God who justifies. (Philippians 1:9-11). Even the loss and the letdown. Vain to us were the mere ordinancesvain as bottles scorched by the simoom and drained of their waters. There will be no universal peace before the second advent of the Prince of peace. That is why John characterizes it as the village of Mary and her sister Martha. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. It might as well never have happened its gone. 12) so that He was able to endure the torment of the cross. And the coin that is lost well you guessed it, thats the lost sinner God is searching after.[7]. The realization that here in one man is Peters God and friend, his Savior, and His Lord, this must have been overwhelming. In any case, the way that John has laid out the text here is to show that Jesus is in control of all of these events. Jesus told Peter to tend the lambs, which is to say that our leaders must be watchful for the safety of the church, keeping an eye out for wolves and for sheep who have gone astray. God be praised He has seen fit to pick me up and place me into both categories by His power. This, to my own shame, was not the example of Christ. How should we think of, and describe his reign? There is no proposal here that the listeners should abandon these basic truths. One of the most difficult things to do is confront a brother who has sinned and is in need to rebuke and restoration. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. May 23, 1886. We are here as workers for him, and as workers together with him. [iv], Sadly, there are many people who incorrectly associate Christs saving work with the entire world, as if all the world will be saved simply because this verse says that God loved the world. God loves the world despite the fact that the world is evil. Later in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul describes it in this way: For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. In Eden, Adam took the fruit from Eves hand; in Gethsemane, Christ received the cup from His Fathers hand. That exposure testifies to one thing, according to John: man loves the darkness. We might say that Christ was the one person who deserved to insist on His own way, and yet He submitted Himself to the will of the Father. A Sermon Published On Thursday, September 24, 1914. As Moses says, this Word of God is our very life surely it is worthy of our attention today. He truly is Lord of all and he exercises that Lordship full now, though it is unseen (as Sproul mentions above). supposing him to be the gardener. If he is to have the honor of it, then labor to do that which will give him great renown. You must trust yourself, your heart and your soul and your entire life to His command. If heaven is rejoicing at these things, ought we not to give them our attention as well? After looking into this a bit more I found that Spurgeon wasnt the first person to come up with this analogy! [18]Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. Of course they do for it is obvious who is controlling this situationthe man without a club, sword or staff. In his love for us Jesus acts like a hound-dog, intense and focused as he pursues the hunt. This admonition comes in the context of learning, therefore the call is for Gods children to have discernment about sound teaching and a developed taste for the sweetness of Gods Word. o Memorize Scripture:[xiii] Chuck Swindoll says, I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. [19] If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. "Our own experience," he said, "recalls to us the period when we panted for the Lord, even for Him, our only want. O'Conor remarks of the Christian themes of the poem that, "The name is strange. 33:13-15, Phil. Jesus gospel is simple and life changing. 1:3. Pauls entire lens of thinking was seen through the Lordship prism of Jesus. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 3:17-18 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. This is a grievous error. Yes while most everyone else in the world is either trying purposefully to spread the word of God, or trying hard to stop the spread of this word, the Catholic hierarchy is content to slow drip the Word to a body that is thirsty and dying of starvation. It startles one at first. It is a kingdom which will never be shaken. Its been awhile since I read another poem so I was eager to read The Hound of Heaven. So they said to him, You also are not one of his disciples, are you? He denied it and said, I am not. [26] One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, Did I not see you in the garden with him? [27] Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. It is the underlying reason for all Gods works, from the creation of the world, to the redemption of fallen sinners, to the judgment of unbelievers, to the manifestation of His greatness for all eternity in heavenEverything God created gives Him glory except fallen angels and fallen men. So that will make the victory all that much more sweeter when we enter into His presence and He banishes death and sickness once and for all! And they were all together in Solomons Portico. While futurists await a future literal earthly kingdom (which we all look for), the way in which we speak about and think about Gods exercise of power and authority over the world, and the souls of lost people is important. The picture is coming together just as He has foreordained, and that includes the gracious provision to allow His disciples to make it to safety, and bring us safely home to heaven. [14] Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Ryle says, The amazing wickedness of human nature is strikingly illustrated in this verse. Do you believe this?. All those who boldly proclaimed headship over their lives will suddenly realize the oxygen they suck has been a precious gift from the one who upholds all the planets by the power of His word (Heb. If you are a Christian and you have become puffed up in your walk. He knew that soon His great passion would be upon Him. We see here that there is a transformational effect from simply beholding the glory of the Lord. John explains in his epistles that: Beloved, we are Gods children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Just a final note before moving on to the next sectionit seems appropriate to simply mention that Jesus says that He is ascending to His Father and your Father. This is extremely significant. Likewise, the miracle that were about to read of bolstered the faith of the disciples and those who were near Christ. It is to provide further revelation of His character and being as the true Son of God. Brethren, in heaven we shall dive into the deepest depths of fellowship with Jesus . The choice would be obvious. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. In the first parable we see the lengths to which a good shepherd will go in order to find a lost sheep. This is what we do, he says. The gruesome bloodshed and seemingly worthless outcome was more than conservative theologians could swallow in their assessments of world events and the human situation on earth. They dont want to hear that their lives are headed for eternal hell. So she takes in the view and see the linen strips and the shroud folded. 386-87. As Paul says: Put your mind and efforts into serving Him and others in obedience and with love through thick and thin. But when one reads the poem this strangeness disappears. John simply says, Jesus wept. But we also read that when Jesus hears what Mary has to say, his spirit is greatly troubled. His troubled soul is noted at two different points in this passage. Caiaphas cold political reasoning seemed shrewd the ends justified the means. Yetin his flesh Peter cannot own Jesus. Not that the number itself is significant, but rather that the exact number tells us something of how impressive the catch actually was. (Acts 5:12-15 ESV). Add content to this section using the sidebar. You use the Sword of the Word in an unwieldy way and lead others astray, therefore causing great pain and spreading sour milk (to use the authors dairy term) around the church. We affectionately treasure our world while spitting on the One who created it for us. We might sleek into the pits of electronic sex. Believing in the Son glorifies God because it gives proper due to who the Son is, and it magnifies Him. Left as it is, water creeps into crevices and freezes, thereby expanding and cracking the cement blocks. (a) I think that Christs remarkable appearance to the disciples, when they were in the act of fishing, was meant to remind them and the whole Church of the primary duty of ministers. What this says, and what all of these parables intimate, is that our sin is of cosmic importance. Carson notes how some theologians remark that this power seemed to be so awful (awe-inspiring) that had He not specified the name of Lazarus that all dead people everywhere would have had to obey His fiat. He could save His own life, or the lives of countless millions. Imagine a home where the builders laid the foundation, got the plumbing and electrical set in, built the cement blocks structure and decided to take a breakfor a few years! [2] Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us! (d) I think the drawing of the net to shore at last was meant to remind the disciples and all ministers of what will happen when the Lord comes again. Their hearts loved His heart. So we are faced with a dilemma, arent wewe read the glorious offer of salvation (For God so love the world), and all we need to do is believe in Him and well be saved. [2]It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. By asking God to change our hearts desires to match that of His Sons. She is not scolding Christ for not being there, but neither is she showing the kind of depth of faith that I first confess I saw. Our King has come and has inaugurated the kingdom of God. We are blind men boldly marching in midnight toward a fiery grave. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. This indicates to us the outlook of the Councils situation, that even these two groups that hated each other felt the need to work together on this. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Underlying all of this the manifold character of God is seen. I believe that most of you do desire to glorify God; for being saved by grace, you feel a holy ambition to show forth his praises who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. I shall content myself with pointing out the more obvious spiritual lessons which I think the passage was probably meant to convey. That cup was filled with the wrath that rests on your soul right now if you arent a Christian. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3), o And Paul writes in 2 Corinthians the following, And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. but that book really helped open my eyes to see Gods beauty & truth in literature. The second point is mind blowing and its also where people get tripped up in Universalism. They have lavished grace and peace and in the life to come riches beyond measure. How can anyone be saved? He leads me beside still waters. Finally, the Apostle does not stop with this exhortation, but goes on to deliver a comforting reminder (read verse 3). They are a love gift from the Father, and despite their wanderings, He will surely go to the ends of the earth to chase them down with His love. They dont know how to handle their Bible, and consequently they are not living a life in accordance with Gods will they arent pressing on toward completeness (Phil. And ill can brook delay; Ironically, and scornfully, those who claim direct papal descent from this man are the ones starving the church of its food. Sproul was speaking of earlier when he said that Christs kingdom was inaugurated but not yet consummated. There are some promises, and some realities that are presently being realized in the church age, yet will not come to their full glory until Christ returns. He will then deceive the nations again, presumably achieving some measure of his old power. 2:16). [xvii] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke 21:10-19. What we learn from this passage of Scripture is that salvation is from first to last of God, by God, from God, for God it is all of God. [xii]. But he learned the hard way that leaning on Christ is the only way to make it through this life. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit."[4]. His tripartite restoration of this impetuous man mirrored the three-fold denial which Peter had so shamefully displayed just days before. For you. [11] So Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?. I, p..69. Richard Burton reads the haunting poem . In answer to their question about the kingdom, Jesus gave the fundamental mission of the church. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV). They obviously dont know which one He is. Plenty of people have heard the gospel, but not everyone sees it as glorious. What touches my heart so much about this passage in John is the tenderness of Jesus. In Eden, Adam hid himself; in Gethsemane Christ boldly showed Himself. The power of God was with Peter, look at what Luke tells us in the next chapter (Acts 5): [12] Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. They would have been happy for their suffering to be relieved Id wager. First, the idea that the world will be saved through Him, despite the fact that we just heard John use the word world to refer to a wide group of people, all humanity in fact, we now hear him use the word world in a more selective way those who will be saved. Apart from the Son there will be only darkness. John Owen rightly explains that this charge against them isnt aimed at their being slow mentally, or having a learning disability. We need to ask for His help to change our desires to match His (1 Cor. [7]And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18), We behold that glory today by reading the Word of God. All else, all other priorities fade for the moment, and the search consumes everything.[8]. Would God keep his children out of paradise a single moment longer than was necessary? And when He tracks one down, all of heaven erupts in jubilant celebration. Peter cannot and will not embrace Christ when the rubber meets the road because he is a fallen man and does not have the restorative power of the Holy Spirit working actively in his life. you add two and two together and see that we have a serious issue here. Caiaphas was more astute politically than those around him, and what he was trying to explain here was that if they (the Jewish leadership) played their cards right, they could sacrifice Jesus on the alter of politics and have for themselves a scapegoat to be able to show to the Romans as if to say to them hey this man is the one responsible for all the hubbub around Jerusalem, if you get rid of him well all be a lot better off and you wont have to worry about anyone causing disruptions. In this way Caiaphas figured he could satiate the Roman authorities growing unrest with the disruptions among the Jewish people. To argue a distant futurist reign of Christ is to argue the opposite of how the Bible describes the efficacy of Christs work on the cross. Sproul at this point at length: Many professing evangelicals today believe the kingdom of God is strictly in the future, although there is no biblical foundation for that. Im not saying that the Postmillennial view is perfect, but their mindset on the nature of the kingdom certainly seems to make more sense and align more Biblically to me. [32] This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. We are here to glorify Christ in our daily life. In order to do that, we must be knowledge about what He says in His Word. It wasnt enough to say these are the miracles of Pharaohs magicians, but the very reason that the men in vs. 46 came to the Council in the first place was due to the overwhelming evidence before them. It's a short poem, but a deeply moving one. In Eden, Adam and Eve parleyed with Satan; in Gethsemane, the last Adam sought the face of His Father. These are the words and component parts of a person whose heart has been miraculously changed by the Holy Sprit. Wouldnt it be just as easy for Christ to take me home? The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Charles Spurgeon. [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? This is what transforms us by constant practice., Matthew Henry rightly states, The word of God is food and nourishment to the life of grace: As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.. Christ came to change all of that. Which leads me to my next point. Let us see that our life answereth its end. Tom Schreiner says, Those who participate in the first resurrection will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:6), although the nature of this reign is intensely debated, and scholars differ on whether it refers to the reign of saints in the heaven during the time between the resurrection and the return of Christ or to a reign of the saints on earth before the inauguration of the new heavens and new earth.[ix]. We must teach others the Word of God this is the feeding of the lambs. What am I doing here that He couldnt do in the blink of an eye? And when I heard, and the tear rolled down my cheek, I wiped it away and defied Him to melt my soul. ***Chapter 18 ought to remind us how much Christ prized us and how little we prized Him. In verse 11 we read that He was going to drink of the cup that the Father had for Him. Is it not significant that Martha had a better understanding of the resurrection than the Sadducees? That is why John can say that God is love (1 John 4:8), because He saw it embodied first hand. Theres no coloring outside the lines here. (Romans 8:15-17), For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. Jesus, in effect, was showing them that they didnt understand Him because they didnt understand the nature of the person of the messiah and his mission.
