Verses For the Week

Isaiah 44:22 -- "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you."

Ephesians 1:7 -- "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."

Weekend Sermon -- "I Have Not Come to Bring Peace?" -- Luke 12:49-53

     Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am thankful for the fact that I am able to post these messages. I hope that everyone is having a good week. I had to delay the sermon one day because I had to get a dead tree that was right by my house cut down. We were afraid that it might fall on the house. Thankfully, it is now safely removed. Thanks be to God, I did not have to pay anything to have it taken out.
     This has been another good week in writing, and I am thankful to the Lord for that. I am still praying that I can get my house sold, and I would like to find a little more writing work or a part-time job. Please pray that the Lord will direct my ways in these matters.
     Please continue to pray for those in Puerto Rico who are having problems due to the hurricanes. There are still many who need help and have a long way to go to recover.
     Let us continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya, South Sudan and Congo.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Myanmar and Kosovo. Pray that the message of Jesus' love will reach many in these two nations.
     Today, we are continuing with our series of messages on passages and verses in the Bible that are misinterpreted or taken out of context. The passage that we are going to focus on today is a passage that is usually misinterpreted by those who are not Christians. They use it incorrectly to say that Jesus did not come to this earth to bring peace, and the the Christian religion is a violent and not a peaceful religion.
    The passage in question is found in Luke 12:49-53. There is a similar passage in Matthew 10. The verse of controversy is verse 51 which states, "Do you think that I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." Jesus would go on to state that there would be people in families that would be divided against each other because of Him. Father would be divided against son and daughter would be divided against mother.
     What does this all mean? First of all, let's get the misinterpretation of this verse out of the way. Jesus is by no means saying that He is not for peace and is for war or violence. This is nowhere found in the Bible.
     When Jesus was born, the angels announced to the shepherds that peace was upon the earth. One of the names of Jesus recorded in the book of Isaiah is that He is the Prince of Peace.
     In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that the peacemakers would be blessed, and they would be called the children of God.
     When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He did not resist. He told Peter to put away his sword. He said that those who live by the sword would die by the sword.
     Jesus clearly taught the way of peace and non-violence in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said that we should love our enemies. He told us to turn the other check. He told us to do good to those who were opposed to us.
     Jesus was the man of peace, and Jesus brings peace. Jesus brings peace to every aspect of life.
     We can only know spiritual peace through a relationship with Jesus Christ. When we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and to be our Savior and Lord, we can have a peace that comes from Jesus that will pass all understanding. Jesus said that He would be our peace. He ascended into Heaven and left peace in our hearts through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
     Following the teachings and the commandments of Jesus is what will bring peace to every human relationship. If people would follow the teachings of Jesus, there would be peace in families and within communities. The nations of the world would know peace if they would follow the way of Jesus Christ.
     Now, let me be clear. There has been a lot of violence and war perpetrated in the name of Jesus over the course of the last 2,000 years. That is not because of anything that Jesus taught. That is because people that claim to follow Jesus don't actually do what He says.
     I have a degree in theology, but I also have a degree in history. I have extensively studied the history of the Byzantine Empire. Here is an empire that claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ. There were many great saints and theologians in Byzantium. However, this empire was constantly at war. Many of these were wars of aggression.  If you read the history of the Byzantine Empire, it was filled with corruption at the highest levels. Some of the things that people did in this place in the name of Jesus will make you sick.
     Many have used the Christian faith and the name of Jesus for wrong. People have preached crusades that tried to motivate people to take up the sword. Of course, this isn't something that Jesus would have ever advocated or condoned. Nothing is more antithetical to who Jesus is than those who want to conquer under the sign of the cross.
     Jesus taught that we are to treat others in the way that we would want to be treated. He taught us to put others first. He taught the way of love and compassion.
     Now, what was Jesus talking about then when He said that He had not come to bring peace? Jesus knew that His teachings would cause division because some would absolutely follow His way, while others would be vehemently opposed to His ways and His teachings. We see this right in Jesus' own time. The religious leaders didn't want to have anything to do with Him. The sought to have Him killed. Others followed Jesus and loved Him with all of their hearts.
      When you seek to follow the way of Jesus, you will face opposition, and that might come from your own family and friends. I know that after my Dad became a Christian, none of his old friends wanted to have anything to do with him anymore. I've known some people who were members of a different religion who when they came to faith in Jesus Christ, their family disowned them and treated them as if they were dead.
     This is what Jesus is speaking about. Following Him will have consequences that might even be at the most intimate family level. The apostle Paul speaks about the fact that some in the church even had their husbands and wives abandon them after they came to Jesus.
     Even though many people will reject those who try to faithfully follow Jesus, that doesn't mean that Jesus is not the way of peace. If everyone would follow Jesus, there would be perfect peace. And that perfect peace will come one day when Jesus comes again to rule and reign on this earth in power and great glory.
     There is one last thing that I want to mention. Jesus does not need anyone to defend Him through violence. Jesus does not want us to retaliate against others when we are persecuted. One day, Jesus was going through the area of Samaria, and the people of Samaria rejected Him. Some of Jesus' disciples wanted to call fire down from heaven in judgment. However, Jesus sternly rebuked them for even thinking this. This wasn't who Jesus was. He was and is the man of peace and love.
     Jesus extends His peace and love to the world. He desires that all people everywhere come to Him and receive His love, forgiveness and peace. I hope that if you have not already come to Jesus as Savior and Lord that you will do so today.
     Next week, we will continue in our current sermon series. I will post the message on Friday. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday. On other thing, they are already calling for tornadic storms in my area for midweek. Please pray that these do not materialize. May God bless you all. Amen.

Update

The Weekend Sermon will be delayed one day this week. It will appear on Saturday. Thank you.

Haiku

Today in place of the review, I am posting two haiku that I had published. The first was published in the Summer 1998 edition of Japanophile, and the second was published in Vol 8 No. 1 1996 of Potpourri.

the hot southern wind
scorches the waving green grass
as day turns to night.


Proceeding gently
like rain from clouds above
a tortoise walking.

Verses For the Week

     Deuteronomy 31:8 -- "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

I Peter 5:7 -- "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. "

Update on Prayer Request

     If you've read the Weekend Sermon, you know that I asked for prayer for a homeless man whose dog was stolen. I would like to report that the man's dog has been found and returned. I thank the Lord for this, and I thank you for your prayers in this matter.

Weekend Sermon -- "What the Bible Says About the Treatment of Animals"

     Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for taking the time to read the blog this week. I hope that everyone is having a very good week.
     This week, I have been able to get quite a bit accomplished. The weather has been a little warmer, so I've been able to work outside some. Writing has been good this week, and I thank the Lord for that.
     I've put out the word to a lot of people that I want to get my house sold. Please pray that the Lord's will will be done in this matter.
     In prayer this week, please continue to pray for the people of Puerto Rico. They are still having trouble getting the electricity back on on that island.
     Let us continue to pray for the recovery efforts in Papua New Guinea. Much still needs to be done to help the people there.
     I follow a group in Britain that provides veterinary care to the pets of homeless people. One of the men that they help has had his dog stolen. This makes me sick that someone would steal a homeless man's dog. Please pray that the dog will be returned.
     Let us continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria, South Sudan, Libya and Yemen.
     Please pray that the nations and the people of this world will act in an environmentally responsible way. Pray that people would respect life on earth.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us all pray for the nations of Nepal and Albania. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.
     I am departing today from the series that we have been having messages on. Earth Day is this Sunday, and I wanted to bring a message about some of what the Bible has to say about the way that animals are to be treated. The Bible actually has a lot to say on the matter.
     When I originally started this blog seven years ago, one thing that I wanted to do was to speak up about animal and environmental issues. These issues have been neglected in many parts of the Christian community.
     When I was a boy and young man growing up in the Fundamentalist churches my parents went to, the churches were opposed to anything that had to do with the environmental movement or with animal rights. That is one of the reasons that those church leaders and I did not get along. I've loved and cared about animals all my life.
      The Bible is quite clear that we are to treat animals with respect and we are not to mistreat them. We saw a couple of weeks ago in a sermon I posted here on the blog that all of the animals belong to Jesus. The Bible says that everything was made by Him and for Him. Everything belongs to Him.
     Animals are not here for us to use for our own pleasure. They have feelings and their own lives that they want to live. We should respect that.
     In Proverbs 12:10, the Bible says that, "A righteous man has regard for the life of his beasts." That means that if a person is in a right relationship with God, that person will take care of the animals that are in his care. That goes for pets and farm animals alike.
     The way that farm animals are treated in my country is appalling. Factory farming treats animals like units of commerce. It is truly frightening to see animals treated in this fashion.
      The Bible says in Deuteronomy 25:4 that, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain." That would be cruel to not let the animal partake of its labors.
      Deuteronomy 22:10 tells us that we should not plow with an ox and a donkey together. It is unequal. The donkey will become worn out and hurt.
      In Exodus, we are instructed to return a lost animal to its owner even if the owner is an enemy. We are told to help an animal with a heavy load that is weighing it down if we come across that.
      The Lord even instructed that animals should have a day of rest just as people do. In Exodus 23:12, the animals are to partake in the Sabbath rest of God.
     The Lord has created all the animals on this earth. Originally, they were not to be eaten by humans. That was not allowed until after the flood in Noah's day. One day, people will no longer eat meat again. It won't be allowed.
      When the Lord Jesus returns, all will be at peace. The wolf and lamb will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox we are told by the prophet Isaiah.
      As believers in Jesus Christ, we are obligated to treat animals well. By His death, Jesus ended the sacrificial system so that no animals have to die in this way anymore.
     Sadly, I don't think Christians are doing all that they can to help animals. I hope that that will change.
     Right now, there are millions of dogs and cats that are killed each year because no one wants them anymore. What a shame. So many dogs and cats are abused, and that is not right. No one who believes in Jesus Christ should abandon their pets or be mean to them in any way.
     Christians who are involved in agriculture should take care of their animals. They shouldn't be kept in overcrowded conditions, and they shouldn't be treated as an economic unit. Something that makes me very upset is when I hear people say that they harvested their livestock. This is a euphemism for taking them to the slaughterhouse. They weren't harvested, animals aren't like the wheat in the field.
     Several years ago, I stopped eating pork and then I stopped eating beef. I've now given up eating all meat and fish. I've become a vegetarian, and I plan to remain one for the rest of my life. I am tired of living off of animals.
     My thinking is that in paradise, I won't be eating animals, so why not just start living in this area like I am already in the kingdom of God.
     As far as the treatment of wild animals goes, I believe that Christians should work diligently to preserve and protect wildlife species. There are thousands of animals that are on the verge of extinction because of the actions of human beings.
     I hope that everyone who reads this message will recognize that animals are important. They have feelings and feel pain. We need to respect and take care of what the Lord has made.
     I hope that you will take good care of all the animals that God has placed in your care. Make sure that they have shelter, good food and some attention.
     Try to find some way that you can help animals. That might be through charitable contributions, through advocacy or through caring for an animal.
      If you aren't a vegetarian, I would recommend that you give it try. The Bible doesn't say that it is a sin to eat meat at this time, but why not live the way now that you will in the kingdom? Try and cut out one type of meat and go from there. Maybe you could try just not eating meat one day a week and see how that goes?
     Whatever you decide to do, take the welfare of animals and environment to heart. The Lord cares about what He has made, and so should we.
     Next week, we will return to our series of messages on misinterpreted Bible passages. On Monday, I will post the verses. On Wednesday I will either post a review or a poem. May God bless you all. Amen.