John 12:12-13

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"
ESV John 12:12-13

Palm Sunday is this week, so I thought it would be fitting to talk a little about what that means. Many of our Christian traditions only give passing significance to the day while for others it marks a pivotal point in the days leading up to Easter. My dictionary simply says: “…the Sunday before Easter, commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.”

But for many, Palm Sunday is the sixth and final Sunday of what is known as Lent. Catholics, and some Protestant traditions, observe this season called Lent, which denotes a 40 day period of time preceding Easter and is meant to model Jesus’ wilderness fast. Those folks who observe Lent usually do so by paying special attention to prayer and fasting during this period of time. Both activities are supposed to bring to remembrance Christ, his death, burial and resurrection.

As I look to Scripture (John 12, Matthew 21, Mark 11), at Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (the first Palm Sunday I suppose you could say) I am struck by just how fickle people really are and just how quickly public sentiment can turn.

In our verses today, a large crowd has gone out to meet Jesus as he enters Jerusalem. Matthew tells us that some people spread their cloaks on the ground before him while others cut branches from trees and placed before him. This welcoming committee, having heard that Jesus was only two miles out of Jerusalem in Bethany, and having recently witnessed or heard testimony of Jesus healing the blind and raising Lazarus from the dead, gave Jesus a grand welcome.

Yet in only a few days, Jesus would stand condemned (though without sin) and sent to the cross to be executed in the company of criminals. Hailed as a King one day and treated as royalty yet executed as a criminal a few days later while soldiers rolled dice in a bid for the clothes off his back. My, my, how fickle we are.

Scripture makes no mention of large crowds gathering at his trial chanting for his release. No mention of crowds gathering at Golgotha decrying the moral injustice of it all. Where did they go? Where are the crowds that welcomed him with great pomp and ceremony a few days prior?

The greater question is where are you? If you know Christ as your Savior, do you stand for him daily? It’s easy to stand for Christ when public sentiment seems to applaud the stand, but it becomes much more difficult to stand for Christ when you are not amongst friends; when public sentiment is against your beliefs.

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church where he teaches an adult Sunday School class. Comments on his column may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.

1 Corinthians 14:37

If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.
ESV 1 Corinthians 14:37

Last week we looked at the confidence that Jesus placed in Scripture. Remember, it was Scripture alone that he used as a defense against the Devil himself during his temptation in the wilderness. In fact, four different times, Jesus responded to the Devil’s temptation with “…it is written.” And the word of God prevailed.

Many times when we read our New Testament, we see references to Scripture that refer back to the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, according to the book Inerrancy, edited by Norman Geisler, there are almost 300 quotations and some 1,600 citations of Old Testament verses contained in the New Testament. So, I think it’s safe to say that the New Testament writers had complete confidence in the sacred writings that now make up what we call the Old Testament.

Geisler points out that the Old Testament writings are used in a variety of ways in the New Testament. Says He: “…[they] may be reproduced to support or to illustrate an argument, to serve as a point of departure in a discussion, or to act as a proof text. Constant throughout all New Testament books is the view that the Old Testament is authoritative.” So in this sense, the Bible itself speaks of its own authenticity and authority.

But what did the New Testament writers think of their own work? Did they consider their work to be a fascinating and engaging work of fiction? No. Did they present it as allegory; open to any interpretation the reader wished to place on it? No again. As a matter of fact, you won’t find a New Testament writer taking creative credit for his writings.

For example, Luke begins his Gospel account by saying that he has researched his subject matter thoroughly in order to set out an accurate written account. And then in Acts, he writes from an eye witness point of view many times. But in neither book do we get a hint that Luke simply invented the story.

Paul takes an even stronger stand in our verse today. In this letter to the Corinthians, he tells them that the message he has brought them is a message from the Lord; from Jesus Christ Himself. Paul is stressing the authority of the message he has written. Paul doesn’t claim to write on his own authority, or to be inspired by his own vivid imagination. No, Paul claimed to teach and write by divine inspiration and authority.

And so it was with other early church writers. Acting as instruments of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, they set to paper these books that have come together to compose what we now refer to as the New Testament.
From time to time, I will hear someone complain that they don’t read or study the Bible because it is too hard to understand. It always brings to mind what I heard Zig Ziglar say once: “…I don’t think it’s the parts they don’t understand that really bothers them.”
Let the Bible, God’s authoritative and sufficient word, be the rule and guide of your faith and daily living; it will not lead you astray.

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church where he teaches an adult Sunday School class. Comments on his column may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.

Matthew 4:4

But he answered, "It is written, "' Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
ESV Matthew 4:4

Some things never change. And in the case of the Bible, God’s word, I sure am glad. Last week, I had a friend correct me on something I wrote about this topic. I wrote that “My personal conviction is that the Bible teaches absolute truth.” My friend correctly pointed out to me that the Bible teaches absolute truth regardless of my personal convictions. And he was right, so let me correct the error: The Bible speaks absolute truth.

We can come up with many examples of truth from our daily experiences, but they all fall short of being “absolute.” Let’s take deadlines for instance. This newspaper imposes deadlines on me. Regardless of whether it suites me, Jason puts this paper together and sends it to press on a schedule; with or without my article for the week! Zig Ziglar has a unique way of dealing with this type of truth. He says that he made a deal with the airlines long ago that they could just go ahead and leave without him if he were not at the gate at departure time. But these are truths that may or may not come to pass; deadlines change, flight schedules change, etc. But the word of God never changes; it is absolute and enduring.

Too many times we like to base “truth” on our circumstances and/or personal convictions. I call it the “this is truth for me” mentality. But when we do this, truth becomes relative. And when truth is relative, we can manufacture and twist it to fit our particular circumstance or need of the moment. Of course, the results of this kind of thinking can be chaotic; leading everyone to do what is right based on his or her opinion. That’s one reason why I find great comfort in the fact that the Bible speaks absolute truth that endures forever. I like what Isaiah had to say: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” ESV Isaiah 40:8

I did a quick phrase search in the Bible and found that the phrase “it is written” appears over eighty times in Scripture. In the vast majority of those times, the phrase is pointing back to earlier writings (that became books of the Bible) as being true. And some pretty important and trustworthy people used the phrase to make that point exactly.

For instance, when Jesus was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness after forty days of fasting, he used the phrase “it is written” four different times to refer to absolute truths that we find in the Bible. Interestingly, God’s word was the only defense that Jesus used against Satan himself!

Now I ask you, if God’s word is a reliable and sufficient defense against the Devil himself, how much more so can we rely on it in our daily lives? Rest in the truth of the Bible this week; regardless of what comes your way, you will find it to be a reliable and sufficient guide for daily living.

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church where he teaches an adult Sunday School class. Comments on his column may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.

1 Corinthians 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. ESV 1 Corinthians 6:19

I came across a postcard this past week that was titled “Some Things Never Change.” Below the title, it had headlines that could have been written yesterday, but in reality they dated back to 1974. The other evening while I was reading (which is what I do most evenings) I was reminded of the truth in that title when I came across a very timely thought in the C.S. Lewis classic Mere Christianity; circa 1952.

How often have you heard someone try and justify their actions because they perceived that the activity only affected them? The assumption in that line of thinking is that if it only affects me and I’m OK with it, then it must be OK. But here’s what Lewis had to say:

“When a man says about something he wants to do, ‘It can’t be wrong because it doesn’t do anyone else any harm,’ he is thinking only of the first thing [fair play]. He is thinking it does not matter what his ship is like inside provided that he does not run into the next ship.”

Some things never change... Isn’t this the same kind of reasoning we see in abundance today? Sadly though, that kind of thinking should not surprise us since we live in a culture that has embraced relativism and attempted to relegate absolute truth to the sidelines. We are the “if it feels good, do it” generation. But the great thing about absolute truth is that it cannot be ultimately defeated; suppressed maybe, but not defeated.

My personal conviction is that the Bible teaches absolute truth. And in its pages, I find that we are all created by God. Christians have the additional characteristic of being a “temple” for the Holy Spirit and have been redeemed (bought) with a price; which of course is reference to Jesus’ death on the cross. Now, you don’t have to dwell on these truths long to realize that you are not your own. God has a claim on you; at the very least as your Creator. Should that change how we view our actions? Here’s what Lewis says:

“If somebody else made me, for his own purposes, then I shall have a lot of duties which I should not have if I simply belonged to myself.”

So what do we conclude? Some things never change; indeed some things are eternal. God never changes. His word never changes. His expectations never change.

In the coming weeks, we’ll take a closer look at absolute truth and our duties and responsibilities as created beings. In the mean time, I challenge you to put away the notion of being accountable only to yourself and weigh your daily actions as someone “owned” by God and created for His purposes. Have a great week!