Acts 12:20-25: Herod: Diet of Worms

Presented to TSA Corps 614 Regent Park, Toronto, 22 November 2015 and Alberni Valley Ministries, 26 June 2022 by Captain/Major Michael Ramsay

Today I have some jokes for us:[1]

1. What do you get if you cross a worm and a young goat?

A dirty kid!

2. What do you call it when worms take over the world?

Global Worming!

3. What do worms leave round their baths?

The scum of the earth! 

4. Why are glow worms good to carry in your bag?

They can lighten your load!

5. What is the worm army called?

The Apple Corps!

6. Why didn't the two worms get on Noah's Ark in an apple?

 Because everyone had to go on in pairs!

7. What kind of computer does a worm have?

A Macintosh.

8. Why do worms have trouble getting up in the morning?

Because the early bird catches the worm.

9. What eats laptops?

Computer worms.

10. How do you make a glow worm happy?

Cut off his tail, he'll be de-lighted!

11. Why did the worm go to the movie?

He enjoyed the book.

Our pericope today speaks about worms, These worms aren't going to the movies; they are going for dinner. These worms have King Herod Agrippa I for dinner. Herod was the King of the Jews who was persecuting followers of Jesus, King of the Jews, Chapter 12 of our text starts with Herod killing the Apostle James, imprisoning Peter and killing the guards who, in Herod's eyes, let him escape. But by the end of the chapter the worm has turned and Herod meets his demise.

Do we know who this Herod Agrippa I was - other than worm food - and why he was tracking down suspected Christian terrorists, imprisoning and executing them?

Herod Agrippa I was a Jew. His grandmother was a Jew, his grandfather was known as Herod the Great and he was King of the Jews when Jesus was born. Herod the Great was the one who killed all those newborn baby boys as he was trying to execute Jesus, the new born King of the Jews (Matthew 2). Herod the Great was a masterful politician. He backed the right people at the right time and had a very successful - and ruthless - reign. Herod's kingdom was split upon his death between his children.[2] They didn't do such a great job, it seems. At least one of them had to be removed from power.[3]

Herod Agrippa I, the Herod in our text today, is the grandson of Herod the Great; he is a Jew of privilege who was born about 5-10 years after Jesus.[4] He fled or was sent to Rome to get a formal education with other rich and privileged people. Now Rome - of course - was the centre of the entire empire of which Judea (ruled by Herod's family) was a small insignificant province. And one of Herod Agrippa's classmates or one of the people he befriended when he was in Rome was either a fellow by the name of Gaius, a.k.a. Caligula or Claudius;[5] do we know who Caligula and Claudius each were? They would each in turn become Emperor of the entire Roman Empire.

We just had a change of leaders in this country. What has just happened to our former leaders, the people who were members of Harper's cabinet? They all lost their cabinet jobs and were replaced with people chosen by Prime Minister Trudeau. When Caligula and then Claudius became Emperor, the same sort of thing happened; when his friend(s) became ruler of the entire Roman world, Herod went back to his grandfather's old riding that had been divided between his uncles and he was eventually appointed cabinet minister, king. in charge of that whole area.

Herod Agrippa, like Herod the Great, was a skilled politician and he was a popular one. Judah was part of the Roman Empire and the Romans could put anyone in charge they wanted and they put Herod in charge of Judah and Herod, we remember, was a Jew. The people accepted him as a Jew. And even though the Romans usually used Caesarea as their de facto capital, Herod chose to rule from Jerusalem, Judah's historic capital.[6] Herod was a Jew; he was popular among the Jews and his success made him popular among his Roman overseers which then provided even more chances for political advancement. Herod was a popular leader among the Jews.

Now there was a group of people the ruling class of Jews did not like at all. The Jewish aristocracy, especially the Sadducees in Jerusalem where King Herod Agrippa lived, did not like these people known as Christians. These powerful, privileged Jews thought that Christian Jews were troublemakers and besides the Christians believed that Jesus, not Caesar was King of the World and they believed that Jesus, not Herod was King of the Jews.[7]

Not unlike the present War on Terror, Herod thought that he could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by rounding up Christian leaders and starting to kill them off. This would get rid of this subversive group of potential terrorists and please both his constituency of the Jews and his bosses, the Romans. Herod kills James, one of Jesus' inner circle and when he sees that this pleases the Jews he proceeds to lock up Peter, the apparent leader of the entire post-resurrection Christian movement, with an aim to execute him as well. God, however, delivers Peter from a maximum security prison and Herod Agrippa has his guards executed in Peter's place.

This is Herod Agrippa I: he was a privileged Jew, a very astute and popular politician who rooted out potential Christian terrorists, and at his height of power… became a meal for worms.[8]

This is the part of the text that I want to focus on today - the death of Herod Agrippa I. Herod had a dispute with the Phoenicians (one of Judah's primary trading partners) and as a result, it appears that he took economic sanctions against two of their city states - and the sanctions seemed to work. The Phoenicians went to great lengths to get one of Herod's personal servants to intercede for them so Herod would agree to meet them and lift the sanctions. He wanted to do it publicly. Like modern day politicians or leaders of superpowers, he wanted everyone to know how good he was to stop starving the Phoenician people into submission.

This summer the Pan-Am Games were here in Toronto. In 2010, the Olympics were in Vancouver. In 44 CE there were games in the Near East to celebrate Emperor Claudius' triumphant return from the British campaign.[9] Herod was there and all eyes were on this rising, important, impressive politician as he made this magnificent speech - and then… he died - very publicly.

Now before we get into some of the details Herod's death and what that all means for us today half a world and two millennia away, I have some more jokes for us. This time I have some owl jokes:

1. Where would you find a list of famous owls?

In a book of Who's Hoo

2. Which Owls like drying dishes?

Teat owls

3. Why did the Owl start a franchise?

So she could have owlet stores?

4. What did the Owl dressed as Casper the friendly ghost say?

Boo Hoo

5. What do you call an owl magician?

Hoo-dini

6. What do you call an owl with a sore throat?

A bird who doesn't give a hoot?

7. What do you call an owl wearing armour?

A knight owl

8. What is an owl's favourite subject?

Owl-gebra!

9. What happened to the Owl who fell in the well?

It got wet.

10. What is an owl's favourite kind of book?

A Hoo Dun it.

11. What does an educated owl say?

Whom

Now I did bring up the owl jokes for a reason. Luke isn't the only historian who records Herod Agrippa's death and Acts in the Bible isn't the only place it is mentioned. The famous Jewish historian Josephus also relates the events surrounding Herod's death. Josephus tells us in Antiquities Book 18, Ch. 6 v.7 of an earlier time when Herod was imprisoned by Emperor Tiberius Caesar.[10] During his time in custody he saw an owl sitting near him. A fellow prisoner, a German, told Herod that this owl meant good luck and that Herod would soon not only be free but he would also be elevated to the highest position - which he was (compare Genesis 40). But that prophesy came with a caveat, a warning, and that warning was that if he should ever see an owl again he would die within five days. Josephus records that Herod saw an owl perched upon a rope above his head five days before his death.[11] Eusebius, the Fourth Century church historian says that this owl he saw seated above his head was an angel.[12] Acts 12:23 records that an angel of the Lord struck him down and he was eaten by worms and he died.[13]  Acts 12:21-24:

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the Word of God continued to spread and flourish.

Herod was a Jew. Herod was in Jerusalem where the early Christians gathered regularly to share the Gospel. Herod was aware of God, he knew to give God the Glory and praise but he chose to exalt himself instead. Herod  also apparently had every opportunity to know Jesus but instead of supporting God's mission of salvation to the world, Herod accepted glory for himself - even to the extent of being praised as a god. He chose to impede the work of the Lord and in this the vain Herod failed for, Verse 24, 'the Word of God continued to spread and flourish'.

How does all of this apply to us today? I want to offer you these two pieces of encouragement from our text today. 1) No matter how dark it gets - In our text today, Jesus' closest followers were being killed and put in jail - God's will, will be done. To paraphrase Major David Ivany, 'in the end everything will be all right; so if everything isn't all right then it isn't the end.' And 2) we cannot thwart the will of God; the only choice we have is whether we will be a part of it, whether we benefit from it or not. Herod, as a Jew and as ruler of Judea, he had ample opportunity to support and benefit from the inevitable spreading of the Gospel of the proleptic Kingdom to Come. Instead he attempted to impede God's message of Salvation by killing Jesus' apostles.  It didn't work. God's salvation cannot be stopped. Salvation was provided for the whole world between the cross and the empty tomb (TSA d. 6). The only question is whether we will reject that Salvation and perish outside His Kingdom where the worms do not die and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48; TSA d.11) or whether we will rejoice as we experience that glorious Salvation which is both for now (in the midst of whatever trials and tribulations we are facing) and forever as we spend eternity with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in His Kingdom to Come. It is my hope that we will choose Salvation.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

---

---

[1] Most of the worm jokes were taken from Jokes4us.com:  http://www.jokes4us.com/animaljokes/wormjokes.html

[2] Simon J. Kistemaker, ‘Acts’, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), 432.

[3] Paul Mumo Kisau, 'Acts of the Apostles', Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), 1348.

[4] Paul Mumo Kisau, 'Acts of the Apostles', Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), 1348.

[5] Simon J. Kistemaker, ‘Acts’, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), 432.

[6] Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Acts/Exposition of Acts/Part I. The Christian Mission to the Jewish World (2:42-12:24)/Panel 3-Advances of the Gospel in Palestine-Syria (9:32-12:24)/D. Divine Intervention on Behalf of the Jerusalem Church (12:1-23)/1. The deliverance of Peter (12:1-19a), Book Version: 4.0.2

[7] Cf. William H. William, "The Politics of Life" in ‘Acts’, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, (Atlanta, Georgia: John Knox Press, 1988), 115-122.

[8] N.T. Wright, Acts for Everyone Part 2 (Louisville, Kentucky, USA: WJK, 2004), 182.

[9] R.C.H Lenski, The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles. (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 486.

[10] Josephus, Complete Works. Translated by William Sanford, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publishing, 1960), 387.

[11] Cf. R.C.H Lenski, The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles. (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 488.

[12] Simon J. Kistemaker, ‘Acts’, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), 446.

[13] Cf. Robert W. Wall, ‘Acts’ The New Interpreter’s Bible 10, (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2002), 181. This angel of the Lord striking Herod down would immediately remind Luke's readers of the Angel of Death that preceded the deliverance of God's people from Pharaoh leading into the Exodus.

Luke 11:14-28: The Haunted House

Presented to Swift Current Corps, 31 October 2010; Corps 614 Regent Park Toronto, 01 November 2015; Alberni Valley Ministries (abridged), 31 October 2021 by Captain Michael Ramsay

This is the 2015 Corps 614 Toronto version, to view the original 2010 Swift Current version, click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2010/10/luke-1114-28-matthew-1225-29-parable-of.html 

To view the 2021 Alberni Valley, BC Version, click here:  http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2021/10/luke-1114-28-parable-of-haunted-house.html

To view a video of the abridged 2021 version, click here: https://youtu.be/zkKz9y_uBoQ

Yesterday was October 31^st so I thought that it would be good to start off with an October 31^st quiz today (answers in footnotes):

1)      What historic event happened in Wittenburg on October 31 in 1517?[1]

2)      True or False: Ghosts are mentioned in the Bible.[2]

3)      True or False: A king of Israel went to a witch to speak with the spirit of a dead person[3]

a.       Bonus Marks name the King, the dead person, and the witch

4)      How many people can you name who the Bible records God used to raise others from the dead?[4]

5)      The man possessed by so many demons that they called themselves Legion, where did he live?[5]

6)      True or False: Jesus tells a parable about a haunted house?[6]

The parable – especially noticeable in the Lukan account – talks about a demon-possessed man and a demon-possessed house. Luke 11:24-26: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” The house is haunted by more demons than it was in the first place. This is in the Parable of the Haunted House.

There are many important things to come out of this Parable of the Haunted House. We obviously don’t have time today to spend on all of them. One of the key things to come out of this parable is that God is more important than anyone in the Christian’s life.[7] This is highlighted in the Markan account (Mark 3:20-35).[8] If even one’s own parents are opposed to the life and work of Jesus, Christ goes as far as to model disowning one’s parents; when his mother and brothers came to interfere with his work, in order to take charge of and/or arrest him Jesus replies, “Who are my mother and brothers?” (Mark 3:31-34; Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 11:27-28, 8:19-21).[9] We are not to be distracted from serving the Lord by anyone (cf. Matthew 10:38-39, 16:24-24; Mark 8:34-35; Luke 9:23-24, 14:26-27, 17:33; John 12:25; 1 Corinthians 15:31; cf. also Gospel of Thomas 55b).[10] This is very important.

There is in Matthew and Mark’s record of this parable also the important, significant, and controversial statement about the unforgivable sin, which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:32, Mark 3:29).[11] This sin is almost certainly not a once-off and in this context here, especially in Mark’s version, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit appears to refer to anyone who gets in the way of the work of the Lord or anyone who consistently attributes the work of God to the devil. Luke speaks about sweeping the house clean and then the spirits returning to haunt to the haunted house once more.[12] This is similar to John’s words about the apostate and those who walk with Christ but then reject him completely so much so that they never return to Him (1 John 2:18-26, 5:13-20, 2 John 1:7-11; cf. Matthew 10:14, 12:31-32; Mark 3:29-30, 6:11; Luke 9:5, 12:10; Acts 13:50-52; 2 Peter 2:17-22). These ‘rejecters’ appear to be the ones who have committed the unforgivable sin (cf. TSA Doctrines 7 and 9).

Each of these interesting points we can talk about later if you like but today I would prefer to concentrate on something else in this, the Parable of the Haunted House. Recorded in Luke 11:17-18 and Mark 3:24 and Matthew 12:25, “…Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? ...” And Luke 11:23 and Matthew 12:30 each record Jesus’ comment that “He who is not with me is against me” Jesus is drawing the line here. He is being quite clear. Jesus has had a serious accusation levelled against him. He has been accused of exorcising demons by demonic power.

Jesus is accused of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Luke 11:15, Matthew 12:24, Mark 3:22). We are familiar with the term Beelzebub, right? Milton named one of his characters in ‘Paradise Lost’ Beelzebub. In Milton’s story he was the devil’s henchman but Beelzebub here in scriptures isn’t the right hand man of the devil.[13] Beelzebub is the devil himself. Beelzebub is another name for the Satan. We remember that the ancient Israelites – long before the time of Jesus’ birth– were often split between those who worshipped YHWH and those who worshipped a Canaanite god by the name of Baal. One of the names people who worshipped Baal used to call him was Baal-Zebul - which literally means ‘Baal the Prince’ (Cf. 2 Kings 1:6; Matthew 10:25; 12:24,27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18-19).[14] Knowing this, the people who didn’t worship Baal gave the Canaanite god a related nickname of their own. They called him Baal-Zebub, which sounds like Baal-Zebul, ‘Baal the Prince’, but in reality means Baal, Lord of the flies; Baal the pest; or Baal, Lord of the dung heap.[15] It wasn’t a favourable name, Baal-Zebub. It was a derogatory name. By Jesus time, with Baal-worship relegated to the dustbin of history, they couldn’t let this good nickname go to waste though; so they applied it to the devil, Satan inherited this nickname. Beelzebub, in the first century CE, was a common derogatory name for Satan.[16] Jesus in our text here is being accused of working for the devil.

In our society today we think nothing of people dressing up like evil characters or using the language of demon-possession and witchcraft: we hear it everyday on TV, radio, in pop culture and in casual colloquial language. There were on TV last night alone dozens of movies and TV shows trivializing or glorifying evil. It is so common in our contemporary Canadian society that many times we don’t even twig when we hear references to sorcery or divination but it was very different in Jesus’ day (cf. Deuteronomy 18:10; 1 Samuel 28:9; 2 Kings 19:22; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Galatians 5:20).

Witchcraft is a serious crime. It was punishable by death (1 Samuel 28:9, Galatians 5:20). These religious teachers who are accusing Jesus of being an agent of evil here cannot be left to make these remarks unchallenged. It must be addressed. They are accusing Jesus of divination, of witchcraft, of sorcery, and in those days (unlike today when many of our kids and grandkids or their friends watch cartoons or other  shows relating to the occult or dress up as devils and witches) people won’t stand by and let that evil go unchecked. 

Jesus doesn’t stand by and let these accusations stand. Knowing their thoughts Jesus tells them: “…Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges” (Luke 11:17-19; cf. Matthew 12:15-17, Mark 3:23-26). Jesus tells them that if he is driving out evil with evil than his opponents are doing exactly the same thing when they perform exorcisms and even more than that Jesus says, one won’t and one can’t even drive out evil with evil: a house divided against itself will fall. Jesus says, Verses 21-22, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils (Luke 11:21-22; cf. Matthew 12:29, Mark 3:27)” And, Verses 24-26, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first” (cf. TSA Doctrine 9). These are the only two options. A divided house cannot stand. So just like an American president said not too many years ago as they were embarking on one of their many wars, “You are either with us or against us.” Jesus says, Luke 11:23, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.”

Well, on this day after Halloween Day, on this day after Reformation Day, 2000 years after the birth of our Lord, where do we stand? Are we with him or are we against him? I have run through a litany of the contemporary evils of the western world and of the English-speaking Empire many, many times. Even though Canada was founded upon Psalm 72, the Word of God, now we no longer say the Lord’s Prayer in the House of Commons or even read the Word of God in our public schools. If whatever demons our ancestors had were exorcised when we chose to build our nation on the Word of God (the Godly principles of Isaiah 9:6: Peace, Order, Good Government and promise of Psalm 72 claiming this land as the Lord’s dominion from sea to sea) then I think in our lifetime, as we’ve left our historic values, those demons that were exorcised have returned, found our house swept clean and brought many, many of their friends.

Some of the legions of demons that currently haunt our nation have the same names as the deadly sins mentioned by Dante in his historic book (which would be very appropriate for Halloween) entitled ‘Inferno’, which he wrote many, many years ago. Some of our cultural demons include: Pride, the belief that we can do things on our own, without God (Psalm 10:4; 2 Chronicles 26:16; cf. Proverbs 16:18); Vanity, the desire to do what is right in our own eyes (cf. Judges 21:25) – it seems that our whole political system these days revolves around this sin; There is Lust, not only pornography, but you have noticed commercials and advertising these days? Sloth is another demon that seems to have made his home in our culture; has there ever been a less active generation in service in the history world? Just look at the declining membership not only in churches but also in service groups across this country. We have seemingly been raising a generation or two of people who would rather stay home and indulge themselves than get out there and do something. There is also Gluttony; did you know that the number of people in the world who suffer from malnutrition as a result of hunger is in excess of 1.2 billion and -at the same time- the number of people in the world who suffer from malnutrition as a result of over-consumption is in excess 1.2 billion?[17] We rich nations are mal-nourishing ourselves by eating the food that the underdeveloped nations so desperately need. That contains a scary symmetry. Did you know that children in our society are now suffering from adult onset diabetes? Adult onset diabetes in children is a direct result of eating too much bad stuff.[18] This can also relate to greed and the so-called deadly sin of Greed could also be the name of one of the demons haunting our nation’s house here today: it seems that our whole economy depends upon greed.[19] I read once that if the North American societies went even just one day without spending any money on frivolities our entire economies would collapse.[20] Ire / unholy anger is another demon; have we forgotten that ‘vengeance is mine…saith the Lord’ (Romans 12:19)? With this unholy anger comes an appetite for violence that I imagine would even make the Romans in their coliseum cringe: there is a not only a market for violent movies and television but people also watch real people brutalize each other in ultimate fighting or other such events and not only that but we Canadians allow our children to sit down and watch the never-ending violence that is on TV. Do you think that so many people would support international wars of aggression and violence against foreigners if we weren’t conditioned from the time we were children to see revenge and even so-called ‘pre-emptive strikes’ as normal? As sure as in generations past God used great churchmen and women and faithful servants of our Lord as a broom to sweep this land clean of the demons that had plagued it; the devil has now found it well kempt and come back stronger than ever. Our nation, it seems, is haunted by many demons.

This we know not only applies to our nation; it also applies to ourselves as well. The sin spiral has many parallels with addictions for example. Any of us here who have ever struggled with addiction or who know others who have, we know that each time one becomes clean and then slips up, it becomes more and more difficult to become clean again remain that way. The metaphorical demons of addiction come in apparently stronger (bringing in more friends) each time we invite them in. It doesn’t need to be that way. Jesus can clean our haunted houses and when Jesus cleans our house we can let him keep it clean too (TSA Doctrines 6 and 10)! Pretty good deal!

So what can we do? Well, of course, we can do nothing to clean the house: Jesus defeated sin and death between the cross and the empty tomb (TSA Doctrine 6) but if we look back in our text to Luke 11:27, we notice that a woman who hears what Jesus is saying and who witnesses what Jesus is doing in delivering a man from evil; she calls out to him, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Jesus then gives her an answer which should be our answer to the deliverance he has offered each of us through his death and resurrection. Jesus replies, Luke 11:28, “blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:23, “He who is not with me is against me.”

This is the choice set before us today. We can ask Jesus to sweep our life clean of the demons that haunt us and he will. But in that we have to choose whom we will serve. We can serve ourselves, our own lustful desires, we can serve the Enemy by inviting demons back in to haunt our lives again or we can serve the Lord and live life abundantly (TSA Doctrines 6 and 8). Today we must decide, are we with our Lord or are we against him? 

Please remember too that any and all of us can ask our Lord Jesus to come and clean our haunted houses. Even if he has already cleaned it once or a hundred times and we have subsequently messed it up. While we still have breath in our body, we can invite him back into our lives to clean them up and sort us out and then, we can continue on to receive the Lord’s blessing of eternal life, Luke 11:28, “blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” As we do this, we will continue in the blessing of the Holy Spirit. This is holiness and this holiness is available to all of us but we must make a choice (cf. TSA Doctrine 10). And, as Joshua said on the very border of the Promised Land, when faced with this very choice, Joshua said ‘as for me and my house we will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 24:15) and I pray that that will be the same response for each and all of us today.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

---

---

[1]  Answer 1: Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church

[2] Answer 2: True, especially The Holy Ghost in the Authorized Version

[3] Answer 3: True (1 Samuel 28), King Saul went to the witch of Endor to contact the deceased prophet Samuel

[4] Answer 4: God used Elijah to raise the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-23), God used Elisa to raise the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kings 4:32-37); There was the man they threw into Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:21) Jesus raised: the widow's son (Luke 7:12-15), Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:49-55), Lazarus (John 11:43,44); God used Peter to raise Dorcas (Acts 9:37-40) and Paul to raise Eutychus (after Paul had literally bored him to death? Acts 20:9-12)

[5] Answer 5: In the tombs, the graveyard near Gerasenes; Mark 5:1,2, Luke 8:26-27

[6] Answer 6: True, Matthew 12:25-29, Mark 3:23-27, Luke 11:17-22

[7] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, 'Mark 3:20-35: The Family of God', presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps (February 17, 2008) Available on-line at: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/02/mark-320-35-family-of-god.html

[8] Cf. C.L. Mitton. The Gospel According to Mark. London: Epworth, 1957, p. 26

[9] Cf. F.C. Grant, The Gospel According to St. Mark. Vol. 7. IB. New York: Abingdon, 1951, p. 694: “In place of broken family relations, ostracism and persecution, was the close and intimate relation to the Son of God.”

[10] Cf. Lewis Foster, ‘Luke’ in NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Mi : Zondervan, 2002), note on Luke 9:24, p. 1589.

[11] Walter W. Wessel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM: Mark/ Book Version: 4.0.2l: The words of v. 29—"will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin"—have caused great anxiety and pain in the history of the church. Many have wondered whether they have committed the "unpardonable sin." Surely what Jesus is speaking of here is not an isolated act but a settled condition of the soul—the result of a long history of repeated and wilful acts of sin. And if the person involved cannot be forgiven it is not so much that God refuses to forgive as it is the sinner refuses to allow him. Ryle’s famous words are great reassurance to any who might be anxious about this sin: "There is such a thing as a sin which is never forgiven. But those who are troubled about it are most unlikely to have committed it" (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels [New York: Revell], 2:59). On the other hand, those who actually do commit the sin are so dominated by evil that it is unlikely that they would be aware of it.

[12] Ibid: "because they were saying, `He has an evil spirit'"—suggests an explanation for the unforgivable sin. Jesus had done what any unprejudiced person would have acknowledged as a good thing. He had freed an unfortunate man from the power and bondage of evil (cf. Matt 12:22; Luke 11:14). This he did through the power of the Holy Spirit, but the teachers of the law ascribed it to the power of Satan. Taylor (p. 244) says that the sin described here is "a perversion of spirit which, in defiance of moral values elects to call light darkness." Further, Mitton says, "To call what is good evil (Isa 5:20) when you know well that it is good because prejudice and ill will hold you in bondage, that is the worst sin of all. The tragedy of the `hardening of heart' (as in Mk 3:5) is that it makes men capable of committing just this sin" (Gospel of Mark, p. 28). Perkins, Pheme. NIB VIII: The Gospel of Mark, p. 547: The evangelist’s comment in V. 30 shows that the judgement saying is directed against those who have charged Jesus with using Satan’s power.”

[13] John Milton featured Beelzebub as seemingly the second-ranking of the many fallen cherubim in the epic poem Paradise Lost, first published in 1667. Wrote Milton of Beelzebub "than whom, Satan except, none higher sat." Beelzebub is also a character in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, first published in 1678. See Absoluteastronomy.com, Beelzebub: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Beelzebub

[14] Cf. Choon-Leong Seow. The First and Second Book of Kings. (NIB III: Abigdon Press, Nashville, 1999), p. 170 and R. D. Patterson and Hermann J. Austel, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM: 2 Kings/ Second Kings Note 1:3, Book Version: 4.0.2

[15] Cf. R. D. Patterson and Hermann J. Austel, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:2 Kings/Notes to Second Kings/Second Kings 1 Notes/Second Kings Note 1:2, Book Version: 4.0.2

[16] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, "2 Kings 1:6: Is it because there is no God in [this place]?” Presented to the Nipawin Corps 31 May 2009.

[17] Cf. Sheepspeak, ‘Be a Hero Stuff’, Monday, December 19, 2005 (posted at 1:53PM). Available on-line at http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_archive.html#113502200702877662

[18] ‘Overweight’ in PAEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 1 January 2004, pp. 152-154

[19] Cf. http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/ for more information about ‘Buy Nothing Day’.

[20] Cf. also John Wesley, 'The Use of Money': Sermon 50.

Week 20: Genesis 39:2: Prosperity

A devotional thought presented originally to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 12 February 2015. Presented to Riverside Cafe, 27 November 2015.

Read Genesis 37:36,39:1-3

Genesis 39:2, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” This prosperity of Joseph’s is not wealth. He is a slave. It is not luxury. He is a slave. It is not freedom to do what he wants, when he wants. He is a slave. Joseph is a teenager who has been sold into slavery in a foreign country. He is a slave against his will without specified terms for release. This is the condition he is in when the Bible records, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”

Even more: While Joseph is a slave, his master’s wife wants to have an affair. Joseph spurns her affections. She gets so upset at Joseph’s rejection that she accuses him of sexual assault and his master throws Joseph into prison. This is what it looks when it says that the LORD was with Joseph and he prospered.

Joseph is sitting in prison in a foreign country charged with a crime he didn’t commit with no specified end to his sentence. How many of us would consider this prosperity? Remember this the next time someone tells you that when you are a good Christian you won’t get sick and you will always have all the money and freedom you want. It is not true. That is NOT what God’s prosperity looks like.

What God’s prosperity looks like is when God’s work is being done through us. Joseph prospered with no money, no luxury, no freedom, just sitting in a dungeon in a foreign country with no hope of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Genesis 39:23 reiterates in the prison context, “that LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” And this success and this prosperity are mentioned only after he is sold into slavery and when he is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

The Lord’s blessing Joseph is NOT mentioned in the context of his being released from slavery and prison. Genesis doesn’t say that Joseph prospered when he was receiving all the benefits and privileges of being second in command of the entire Egyptian empire. And it doesn’t tell us that Joseph prospered and the LORD was with him when he was the favourite son of a well-to-do herdsman receiving special attention and pampering from his dad. His prosperity is only noted in the 13 years (almost half his life to this point) that he spends in slavery and in prison.

This is significant. God’s prosperity is not financial well-being and a self-indulgent, easy life. Prosperity is when God’s work is being done. When Joseph is worshiping, serving, and giving credit to God in the midst of suffering is when we hear of the LORD blessing Joseph.

I think this is important for us today: We need to realize that prosperity is when God’s work is being done through us. When we are in the dungeons of our lives, when life is its most challenging, when we are completely overwhelmed and when we know we cannot solve our problems on our own; as we take the focus off our predicament and our own selfish desires (as legitimate as they maybe) and instead concentrate on the LORD, fully trusting and worshiping Him, then we will find that even and especially in these times of trouble we will prosper as the LORD is with us.

When have you experienced God’s prosperity in the midst of adversity in your life?

www.sheepspeak.com 

---

[1] Based on the sermon by Captain Michael Ramsay, Genesis 39:2a: The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. Presented to Swift Current Salvation Army, 10 July 2011. On-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2011/07/genesis-392a-lord-was-with-joseph-and.html

Week 18: Genesis 1:28: Obedience

A devotional thought presented originally to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 03 February 2015. Presented to River Street Cafe, 20 November 2015.

Read Genesis 1:28, 11:1-3

When God made the beautiful garden for Adam and Eve to look after. He asked something simple in return. God asked people to:

1)      populate the earth (Genesis 1:28a),

2)      take care of everything in it (Genesis 1:28b) and

3)      to hold off on eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).

The very first thing God asked us to do was, Genesis 1:28 ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’ He has told us to go and fill the whole earth and in Chapter 11 we say, “Thanks anyway God, but I think we’ll just stay here and make a name for ourselves instead of going and filling the whole earth like You said.” How well do you think that goes over?

That’s like telling your children to get their coats and boots on because its time to go to school, then heading out to warm up and scrape off the car. Upon coming back into the house, you see them still sitting around in their pyjamas. And when questioned they answer you, “we decided not to go to school today.” How’s dad going to react? How’s dad going to feel? Our earthy fathers are going to  - in maybe not their most gentle voices – tell their children to get ready right now! Dad is not happy. The children are going to school whether they like it or not! The children are none the better off for this little stunt because a loving father is still going to send his children to school because he wants what is best for them. And a generation and a court ruling or two ago, they might just have had a sore backside to show for their disobedience as well. The children’s stunt doesn’t help their cause at all because they still have to go to school, just now they are a little less happy about it then they would have been if they had done what they were asked in the first place.

It is the same with God –our Heavenly Father- and humankind’s decision to disobey His command to fill the earth. Just like the kids still had to go to school, we still had to do what we were told – scatter over the whole earth – but now we just have something extra to remind us about it. Genesis 11:8-9: “So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

God has, does and is going to do what is best for the world because He loves us. God sent His people to the ends of the earth to testify about Him. God sent His Only Begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him need not perish but may everlasting life; so why do some of us choose to disobey our Father and miss out on enjoying sharing – or worse – experiencing that eternal salvation?

Are there times when our actions have caused us to miss out on God’s blessing before? What can we do to ensure that we continue in obedient faithfulness to God?

www.sheepspeak.com 

---

[1] Based on the sermon by Captain Michael Ramsay, God: Creator, Governor, and Preserver of All Things. Presented to Swift Current Salvation Army, 26 Feb 2012. On-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2012/02/genesis-1-4-god-creator-governor-and.html

Week 17: Genesis 2:16-17: Responsibility

A devotional thought presented to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 22 January 2015 and River Street Cafe 13 November 2015

Read Genesis 1:26-28, 2:16-18

When God made this wonderful garden out of nothing at all for Adam and Eve to tend. He asked something very simple in return. God made the world for His people and He just told them to take care of it and obey Him in some simple ways.

·         Genesis 1:28a: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…”

·         Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”

·         Genesis 2:16-17: “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”

God says 1) populate the earth (Genesis 1:28a), 2) take care of everything in it (Genesis 1:28b) and 3) in doing this I’ll let you eat anything you want in the garden – but just not the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it’s not safe. I’m saving that for something (Genesis 2:16-17).

.

This is like if you, as parents, are going out on a Saturday night leaving your older children to baby-sit their younger sibling for the first time. “Be good and take care of the house”, you say. “I want you to unload the dishwasher and you can have whatever treats you want before bed but just don’t touch the cupcakes; they’re for church on Sunday, so don’t eat the cupcakes or there will be real trouble.” Then you come home, very pleased with your children that they are now old enough to be left alone, you look in the kitchen for something to eat and you notice that where the cupcakes should be… they are gone. That disappointment, sadness and anger must be a reflection of the disappointment God felt when He came back to the garden and saw that – even though there was only one fruit He was saving – He came back and it was gone. As parents, of course, if our children ate the cupcakes we would realize that they are not quite ready for the responsibility of being left alone at home and so we would wait awhile before trusting them to take care of the house again. The children would certainly have a time-out from that responsibility. It was the same with God. He wasn’t about to leave His children in the garden when they betrayed His trust. Adam and Eve couldn’t be trusted to take care of the garden. People couldn’t be trusted. We couldn’t be trusted. That responsibility was thus removed from us until we are more able to handle it (Genesis 3).

Humanity has aged quite a bit since Adam and Eve. Jesus now provides us again the opportunity to have access to the tree of eternal life. We also have a responsibility, like older children, to take care of our younger siblings and point them to the fullness of that eternal life with Christ. How do we doing with this responsibility?

www.sheepspeak.com 

---

[1] Based on the sermon by Captain Michael Ramsay, God: Creator, Governor, and Preserver of All Things. Presented to Swift Current Salvation Army, 26 Feb 2012. On-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2012/02/genesis-1-4-god-creator-governor-and.html