The Sword of the LORD

As Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to suffer His final Passion, He passed through the town of Jericho where there lived a man by the name of Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus was the chief of the publicans in that area and very rich.  The people in general despised Publicans at the time because they gathered the taxes that were exacted upon them by their Roman oppressors.  Often they were unscrupulous in their methods and weren’t above collecting extra to pad their own purses.   Scripture tells us that Zacchaeus “…sought to see Jesus who He was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.”   It was in his heart to see Jesus.   This was not just a casual curiosity to see a famous figure and be able to boast about it later.   No, this was a deep desire to know “who He was”.     There were some obstacles to seeing Jesus that stood in Zacchaeus’ way.   For one, he was rich.   Riches have a way of robbing a man of those ...

The letter of Paul the Apostle to Philemon is one of the two shortest books in the New Testament.   At just 25 verses, it ties with Jude as the least lengthy.   What it lacks in length, however, it more than makes up for in content.   The letter reveals the story of Onesimus, a runaway servant who had served Philemon, but had grown unhappy with his servitude and had left his master without having been released by him.   Many of the particulars of the story are unknown to us, such as, exactly why Onesimus left, did he steal any of his master’s goods to help him on his journey when he left, and was he the only servant in Philemon's household?   The things that we do know and can reasonably deduce from the information that we have, however, is enough to give us an inspiring story of repentance, faith, obedience, and restitution.   At the time that Paul wrote this letter, between 60-63 A.D, he was in prison for the first time in Rome.   Paul hoped...

My wife and I recently attended a surprise 80th birthday party for my wife's aunt.  There were lots of cousins, great cousins, and even 3rd generation cousins present at the party, some of whom had come a good distance to attend; so, it was great to see everybody and catch up on news of their families.  My wife later commented about how one little baby who was just months old was able to pick out her mother's voice even above 40 or more other voices all talking at the same time.  Her little ears would prick up, and her head would turn toward the direction of her momma's voice.   As my wife described what she observed that day, I had to think of the relationship with our heavenly Father and how similar it is to that little one and her momma.  There are many voices around us always, some of them are good, and some of them are not so good, but in the midst of so many voices our Father's rings out true and distinct from all others. ...

"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof" (Romans 13:14).   Scripture compares the putting off our old, carnal nature, and putting on our new nature in Christ with changing clothes.   The picture I have in my mind is like when I would come home from work and take off the dirty, smelly clothes that I had worked in all day, bathe, and put on clean, fresh clothes that were free of spots, odors, or wrinkles.   The simplicity of this picture is arresting.   God does not suggest that we try to clean, patch up, or press the old garments - He tells us to put them off altogether and discard them because He has a brand-new garment for us.   God says that "...we are all as an unclean thing , and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).   There is nothing salvageable about our old nature: it is corrupt according to the deceitful lust that rules it.   The Apostle Paul was convin...

"He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." (Isaiah 53:2a, 3).   We usually like to dwell on the beauty of the Lord when we talk or meditate about Christ, but I would like to shed some light on the uncomely aspect of the Lord.  During His earthly ministry, Jesus angered and offended a great number of people - people who said they were looking for His appearance.  They were waiting for a mighty king who would lead them to victory against their enemies and restore Israel to the glory that it once enjoyed.  This carpenter's son from Galilee was not what they expected, and His message was to love their enemies, not vanquish them; to turn the other cheek, not get the upper hand; and give their cloak if their coat was taken.  This di...

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...” (Philippians 2:5).   This exhortation of St. Paul to the Philippian Church applies to all who call on the name of Jesus and claim Him as Lord and Savior.   It means that we are to think as Jesus thought and to follow His example of love and humility.     Paul continues by describing what makes the mind of Christ unique.   He writes, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8).   Christ, Who is the Light of the world, the Word of God made flesh, and the Creator of all things (see John 1:3), is also described by the writer of Hebrews as “…the brightness of His [God’s] glory, and the express image of His p...

There isn’t any doubt that there has been much tribulation suffered by the Christian Church over the centuries.   From the time that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven in the sight of all His disciples, the world has persecuted the Church.   Before His departure, Jesus plainly told His followers, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).   He also told them, “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.  If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...” (John 15:20).     Initially, it was the Jews who threatened the early Church, gradually stepping up the intensity of their persecution until they were imprisoning and martyring believers for the Gospel of Christ.   Before his conversion to the faith, Saul (who later became the Apostle Paul) received permission from the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem to round up Christians to...