Biddeford Church of Christ

Our scripture reading for today has us reading about the often-used biblical metaphor… the shepherd.  For most of us, the idea of shepherd comes only from the books we read, but back in biblical times, most everyone knew what the role of a shepherd was, and its importance.  If you were to look it up, it would be defined as  ‘a person who tends and rears sheep’ and to ‘guide or direct in a particular direction.’  Listen to Psalm 100:3, “Know that the Lord is God.  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”  So, let’s take a moment and consider God our Shepherd.

Our first reading brings us to Psalm 22.   In the first few verses, the psalmist is distressed, and in anguish.  It seems as though God has somehow neglected him.  As we continue to read, his tone appears to abruptly change in verse 19.  From this point forward, he points out the praiseworthy strength that only the Lord provides.  This leads right into the ever-popular and ever-comforting Psalm 23 that announces to us all these comforting words, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).  With only six verses, this Psalm simultaneously provides contentment for this life and the promise of the eternal.

Our second reading brings us to Ezekiel chapter 34.  In verses 1-10, Israel’s “shepherds” are denounced for only caring for themselves.  This truth is found in these penetrating words, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feeds themselves!” (Ezekiel 34:2).   In verses 11-16, the reader is pointed to the true Shepherd who will “search for my sheep and look after them” (34:11).  He will be the judge and care for all His sheep, including the weak (verses 17-22). He will make a covenant of peace and protect them from the wild beasts (verse 25), providing blessings (verses 26-30) to them all.  Why?  Listen to v31, “You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Now we take this imagery and carry it over to the New Testament.  In our final reading, we learn from John chapter 10, about Jesus being the “gate”.  He is the only way to salvation.  In that same chapter, Jesus calls himself “the good shepherd” (v11).  Why is He good you ask?  Listen to the next part of the verse, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  Jesus, the good shepherd, knows His sheep, and His sheep follow Him.  Jesus, the provider of eternal life, came to be the one true shepherd man needs to shepherd the one true flock that He would purchase, His church.  Thank You God for being our Shepherd.

Abe & Dennis

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where?
Who knows where?
But I’m strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

So on we go
His welfare is my concern
No burden is he to bear
We’ll get there

For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

If I’m laden at all
I’m laden with sadness
That everyone’s heart
Isn’t filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It’s a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we’re on the way to there
Why not share?
And the load
Doesn’t weigh me down at all
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

He’s my brother
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

Lyrics by “The Hollies”

Joe

When it comes to stories that depict the mercy of God in the bible, there is none like that of Jonah.  Although we read of him in 2^nd Kings 14:25 as a prophet of God and how he predicted the restoration of the northern kingdom’s boundaries, he is most noted for the story which we read of in the Old Testament known by his name.  Interesting to note that the name Jonah signifies a dove. The story is one about mercy, not only for those lost, but for Jonah himself, a servant of God.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh,

that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

                                                                                                                                                                 Jonah 1:1-2

We first find Nineveh mentioned in Genesis 10:11 where we find that its start came from Nimrod, the son of Cush.  At the time of Jonah, we learn that its population was at least “one hundred and twenty thousand” (4:11).  The city, filled with wickedness that had come up before the Lord much like it did Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:20-21.  Jonah was to go and “cry out against” this wickedness.  Jonah’s problem was, he did not like that idea, for the city of Nineveh was their enemy filled with Gentiles.  So, he tried to run from the Lord only to find himself in the belly of a great fish.  God, rich in mercy, bears with His rebellious prophet and frees him from the belly of the fish.  Once again, God told Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you” (Jonah 3:2).  Jonah does so, saying, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4).  You Gentiles are doomed!

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast,

and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.

                                                                                                                   Jonah 3:5

Remember, mercy is God not giving us what we deserve and that is what God did here.  We read, “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10).  Jonah then revealed his deep-seated issues with this gentile city.   We read in Jonah 4:2-3, “So he prayed to the Lord, and said, ‘Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.  Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”  From this point forward in the story, God extends mercy towards His prophet Jonah.

God works with him to help open his eyes to the glorious hope of God’s mercy that was displayed by His relenting on destroying Nineveh.  The only evidence that Jonah came around is the fact that we now have this letter.  And what we glean from it is simple.  God is merciful and His children need to proclaim it to a lost and dying world.  Praise God for His mercy.

Dennis

The title of this article is a question often asked by people who have come to a crossroad in life, whether it be in a relationship, work, finances and I am sure the list could go on.  The question is an attempted to try and reflect in some fashion so as to understand how such a thing could have happened; that is, how one got to that point.  The history of God’s people reveals all too well part of the reason behind such crossroads.  The close of Judges is a reflection of that very thing as we read, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).  Our theme verse from Lamentations is written at a time when Jerusalem is destroyed, and its people are brought into captivity.  How did they get there?  The leadership of God’s people then may carry some of the blame. Jeremiah writes of how God’s people “rebelled against His commandments” (Lam. 1:18) and how the people had become “very rebellious” (Lam. 1:20).  One thing is for sure, change, good or bad, is never absent of influence.

Don’t be fooled; “Bad friends will ruin good habits.”

                                                                                                        1^st Corinthians 15:33, ETRV

In Deuteronomy 7:3 God’s people were cautioned as they prepared to take possession of the promised land to not intermarry with their enemies because “they will turn your sons away from following Me.”  Solomon, in all his splendor, was influenced by his many foreign wives and “turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God” (1^st Kings 11:4).  Let’s be honest, we are influenced by our surroundings.  Paul cautioned the church in Corinth, as they battled with the idea of the resurrection, not to be “fooled” or as my NKJV says, “deceived.” This word carries the idea of being led away from the truth.  How was this taking place?  By the people they were regularly engaging with, the so called “friends” that were being a bad influence on them.  Such influence can “ruin” or “corrupt” good habits, which in the case of the church in Corinth, was their understanding of the resurrection to come upon Christ’s return.

Throughout time, God has cautioned His people about the possible effects of our world’s influence and history has shown us the painful truth of this reality.  The remembrance of D-Day, and the profound influence Hitler had on people, is a clear reminder of this fact.  As the saying goes, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”  The simple truth is that we are people who not only are called to influence the world as Christians, be that light and salt (Matthew 5:14-16), but that we ourselves need to be cautioned about being influenced. For how we got where we are, is directly related to the things that have influenced us the most in our lives.  So, what is influencing you the most in your life?

Dennis

Thanks to all those who were able to provide some information regarding prayer through your participation in the survey.  Although more details will be provided once the study begins, two things stood out.  First, almost everyone agreed with the idea that prayer plays a very significant role in our Christian walk.  William Corey writes, “Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness.”  Second, many believe that their personal prayer life is in need of improvement.  Richard Foster, in his book entitled Celebration of Discipline – The Paths to Spiritual Growth writes, “…we should remember that God always meets us where we are and slowly moves us along to deeper things.”

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss,

that you may spend it on your pleasures.

                                                                                                                        James 4:3

Okay, I need to be honest about something regarding me and my often-chaotic prayer life.  More than not, as I look back to consider my prayers, I see them focused on me…my perceived needs, my wants, what I think is best in order to benefit me.  Okay, wait, I am not saying that any of that is necessarily wrong; that is, until one’s prayers are simply all about me.  This appears to be part of the problem with those whom James is writing to.  One person writes, “To ask ‘rightly’ involves transformed passions.”  So, what are you passionate about?  Those James is writing to had asked “amiss,” or as the NIV says, “with wrong motives.”  This word carries with it the sense of doing something improperly, wrongly and its use in this verse carries the impression of bad intent.  The significance of this whole idea is the simple fact that such prayers often go unanswered.

I look forward to the weeks ahead, as I seek to better understand the role and purpose of prayer in the Christian’s walk.  As we journey through this class, may the Lord empower us to be more fervent and deliberate as we seek to communicate with our Lord.  One thing is for sure, if we seek to be intentional in our prayer life in a God focused way, good things will take place.  I know this because “…the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers” (1^st Peter 3:12).  Thank You Lord for your patience with us!

Dennis

Many of us are familiar with Jesus’s encounter with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22.  If you recall, Jesus challenged the young ruler with these words, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21).  Much like what we have considered from Luke 9:23, this rich young ruler was faced with the challenge of denying self and taking up his cross, in order to follow Jesus.  Sadly, the cost seemed too much for him and “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22).  Jesus then says to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23).  Not impossible, but hard; that is, with difficulty.  So difficult it can be, that it is likened to trying to put a camel through the eye of a needle.

The question is asked by His disciples, “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:25).

Have you ever thought why such a question would be asked?  Remember, the setting is a rich young ruler who seems to have upheld the law and earnestly wonders what he lacks (Matthew 19:20).  He was not aware that his riches had become his battle field.  He was confronted with the age-old question, “Is it worth it?”

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

                                                                                      Matthew 19:26

The scene now changes from one who leaves distressed, to one who begins to wonder about his own situation.  Peter asks, “See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?” (Matthew 19:27).  Although the twelve are initially spoken of by Jesus, our attention moves to what Jesus says about all those who leave things to follow Him.  Disciples have, and will, leave houses, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, wives, children, lands “for My names sake” (Matthew 19:29).  People will make personal sacrifices for Christ.  Sometimes those sacrifices will pit family against family or challenge the disciple concerning where his allegiance is (Matthew 10:34-39).  The cost of discipleship in this life, can be costly, much like it was for the rich young ruler.  There is no better place to see this revealed than Hebrews 11:35-38, where such persecution was encountered for the cause of Christ by those who lost so much, even their own lives.  But again, is it worth it?

And everyone who has left…shall receive a hundred fold, and inherit eternal life.

                                                                                                                          Matthew 19:29

The writer of Hebrews speaks of the “better resurrection” of those who faced such persecution.  That is the eternal life that Jesus speaks of in our text today.  But Jesus also adds this idea of being blessed “a hundred fold.”  Luke says it this way, that those who sacrifice to follow Him will “receive many times more in this present time” (Luke 18:30).  Receive what?  Be blessed how?  Mark talks of “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands” and yes, “persecutions” (Mark 10:30).   I believe this is making reference to the church and the many relationships that we could receive.  The point, although challenging to grasp, is simple:  It will be worth it, both now and when Jesus comes to bring us home.

Dennis

You have heard it said, maybe even said it yourself, “If you don’t do something, they will just do it again.”  It is true that consequences often play a role in trying to curb bad behavior and rightly so.  This week I have been thinking about that part of our theme verse which says, “His mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22).  When it came to the proclamation of the gospel, some thought that such grace being shone would only promote sinful behavior.  This is why the apostle Paul posed the questions in Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?”  The answer is simple, “Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:2).  Mercy; that is, God not giving us that which we deserve, is part of the driving force behind Christlike living.

Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.

                                                                                                                                    John 8:4

Jesus is in the temple teaching those who had come to Him, when suddenly, the scribes and Pharisees bring in this woman caught in adultery.  My heart aches when I read the words, “And when they had set her in the midst” (John 8:3).  How embarrassing?  How fearful she had to have been, for she knew already what the religious leaders asked Jesus, “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned” (John 8:5; Leviticus 20:10).  You can tell that there concern for upholding the law is not their intent, for if it were, the man would also be there who she committed adultery with.  Their intention is to catch Jesus of guard, proving Him to be a fraud.  So, they ask, “But what do You say?” (John 8:5).  I suspect, for just a moment, you could have heard a pin drop.

But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

                                                                                                                                    John 8:6

They, that is, the Pharisees and scribes, continued asking Him.  Finally, Jesus gets up and says these words, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7).  Sometimes, those unaware of their own need for mercy, need to have their eyes opened to mercy.  We read, “those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last” (John 8:9).  I think Jesus showed mercy to men, before He shows it to the woman.  What He could have done, exposing their sinful lives for all to hear, was not the direction taken.  Instead, He caused them to examine self.  Although their intent was devious, they must have had some integrity, even if it was the smallest amount, for not a one could pick up a stone.

Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?

                                                                                                                                    John 8:10

The woman, who was caught in adultery, is not “getting away with it” as some might see it; rather, she is being shone mercy.  She answers Jesus question above with “No one, Lord.”  Remember, this woman knows what she did, knows what the law required and thus, anticipated this was her last day.  What do you think she felt when she heard the following, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11).  She didn’t get away with it, she received another opportunity to live as God intended.  This story ends with Jesus speaking to those who had gathered, “I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).  What does mercy promote?  It promotes the opportunity for sinful man to walk in the light of Jesus Christ, who is both Lord and Savior.

Dennis