The Plowman

 

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1 Samuel #09: an exposition of 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, January 22, 2012.

Intro:
We know Him because He wants to be known.  We have understanding of God and His ways because He has graciously chosen to reveal himself to us.  How has He revealed himself?  In what ways does He make himself known?  The Psalmist tells us the heavens declare His glory.  All of creation is a revelation.  Through the creation we can know that God is powerful, that He has supreme intelligence, that He loves variety, and that He cares about the smallest detail.  But we do not know His name.  We do not know how He thinks or what He thinks of us.  Thus God has revealed himself through His word, the Bible.  Theologians call these two forms of revelation “general” and “specific” or “special” revelation.  Another way God has revealed himself is through history.  History is His story.  We do not believe in random chance.  We do not view history as an endless cycle.  Rather we see it as linear.  History is moving somewhere.  It is moving toward a point God has determined.  God is not a detached, disinterested “watchmaker” who simply watches history unfold, He is making history.  He is personally and intimately involved in the affairs of men.  History is a revelation of God.  That is the focus of our text this evening found in chapters 9 and 10 of 1 Samuel.

Text: 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16

It is a critical time in the life of the nation of Israel.
Samuel has been Judge of the people for decades.
He has been their God-appointed leader.
He is now an old man and his sons, whom he appointed judges, have proven inadequate.
The people have demanded a king like the nations around them.
Chapter 8 ends with God telling Samuel to give the people what they want.

Though their demand was from impure motive and was a clear rejection of God, God said, “Let them have their way.”  That is seldom, if ever, a good thing.  Samuel was not pleased yet he was determined to obey God.  Yet the chapter ends with Samuel sending the people away.  He told them to go back to their cities.

What is going to happen?
Are they going to get their king?
How will they get one?
When will they get one?
We are left with all kinds of questions and not even a hint of an answer!

Chapter nine opens like an entirely different story - “There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a man of wealth…”

It reads like the opening of 1 Samuel chapter 1.  Further we are told this man Kish had some missing livestock and he sent his son to look for them.  What is going on here?  We are at a crisis moment.  Tension is high.  The people have made demands.  God has said, “Make them a king.”  Why does the Spirit inspire the biblical writer to include this farm report?

Who cares about lost donkeys?
A nation is at stake.

When I first read this it reminded me of the old Monty Python show.  There would be a skit or story and then the announcer would say, “…and now for something completely different” which would be followed by something that had nothing to do with what had been going on.  That’s how this reads.  It’s how life often seems.  But we are going to find they are related.  It’s all part of one grand story.  A story that gives us insight into the character of our God.

As we work through these two chapters I want you to see that…

• Thesis: 1 Samuel 9 and 10 serve to remind us of the rule, the mercy and the sovereignty of our God.

There are 4 things to note.

1. In God’s orchestration of the events of Saul’s life we are reminded of the wonder of God’s providential leading.  (9:3-27)
2. In the opening words of chapter 10 we are struck by the kindness of God in providing assurance.  (10:1-9)
3. With God’s empowering of Saul we are encouraged by God’s faithfulness in equipping.  (10:9-13)
4. Our text closing in silence reminds us that we are not entitled to know what God is up to.  (10:14-16)

Only Saul is aware of the anointing.
Only Saul knows that he is king.
He says nothing.

So often we feel entitled.
We demand to know what is happening.
But who are we to make demands?
What right do we have?
God is God.

In this extraordinary tale of God’s sovereign work we find a revelation of God.  We come to see He reigns, He is merciful, He is faithful and He is sovereign.

This is the God we serve.
This is the God who has made himself known to us.

 

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Gospel of John #48: an exposition of John 18:12-27. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 22, 2012.

Intro:
Betrayal.  The word itself makes me mad.  Inherent in the word is the breaking of trust, the denial of relationship and the violation of confidence.  It is ugly, offensive and deserving of scorn.  Yet when you are betrayed by one you love the primary emotion is not hatred.  It is not anger.  It is hurt.  A deep, genuine sorrow caused by the loss of relationship.  That’s if you are the one betrayed.  When you are on the outside looking in well, that’s another matter.  I must admit when I read the text I get upset.  I just can’t believe what I’m reading.  How could he do it?  What kind of worthless degenerate are we dealing with?  How could you do that to Him after all He has done for you?  How could you be so calloused?  Have you no heart?  Have you no conscience?  Have you no decency?  After my initial burst of self-righteous indignation I then settle down and think it through.  It is then I get uncomfortable.  I start to realize that he is really no different than me.  Reflecting on the context I’m forced to consider how often I’ve been guilty of the same betrayal.  How often I’ve played the coward and practiced the fine art of denial.  Suddenly the tables are turned.  I’m no longer angry with him in fact I’m sympathetic.  I understand how difficult it must have been.  As I seek to justify his, and in turn my own, failure I am overcome with a since of shame.  Then I’m grateful, once again, for the Gospel.  I’m grateful for the love and grace of God that secured my redemption.  The grace that removes my sin and says, “You’re loved.  You’re accepted.  You’re Mine and forever will be.”  I’m grateful for the truths revealed through failure.  Our text this morning is found in John’s Gospel chapter 18 beginning with verse 12.

Text: John 18:12-27

We are marching toward the cross.
Judas has completed his treacherous work.
Our Lord is in the custody of the Jewish authorities.
Now begins the mockery of a trial that will lead, in hours, to His brutal death.
John, as he has done throughout his Gospel, provides us with another contrast.
This time the contrast of the strength of Jesus and weakness of Peter.

The fact that it is Peter who denies the Lord is part of what is so shocking about all this.  Had it been Nicodemus we would not be shocked.  He came at night and there seemed hesitancy on his part.  If he were to deny Jesus we’d  not be shocked.  If it had been the Rich Young Ruler we would not think much of it.  After all he loved the things of this world.  But Peter?  Earlier that evening Peter said, “Lord even if I must to die with you, I will never deny you!”

As we work our way through this text I want us to see that…

• Thesis: Peter’s monumental failure serves to teach us valuable truths about ourselves and our Savior.

Before we get to the lessons we can learn let’s set the scene.
Our Lord has been arrested and we begin with this mockery of a trial.

1. Peter and John (another disciple) followed the authorities and because of John’s connections were able to gain entrance to the courtyard (18:15-16).
2. Peter’s first denial - 18:17-18
3. Jesus before Annas - 18:18-24
4. Peter’s second and third denial - 18:25-27

What do we learn from this?

Peter’s failure reveals the depth of the perversion of the human heart and warns of the danger of an overconfident faith.

Peter’s failure serves to reveal the depth and the wonder of our Savior’s love.

Conclusion:
You must not walk away from this text without hearing Luke 22:31-32:
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,
32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

Following the resurrection Jesus said to Mary, “Go tell my disciples and Peter…” (Mark 16:7).
Then comes that passage in John 21:15 when our Lord commissions Peter, “…feed my sheep.”

Peter’s failure becomes a means for teaching us great truths about ourselves and about our Savior.  Apart from the grace of God there’s nothing we would not do - be warned.  Take heed less you fall.  Yet our Savior is a gracious merciful God whose love never fails.  That’s the Gospel.  Therein is our hope.

 

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Philippians #8: an exposition of Philippians 4:6-7. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, January 18, 2012.

 

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An exposition of Matthew 7:13-27. This message by Andrew Hoyt was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, January 15, 2012.

 

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1 Samuel #08: an exposition of 1 Samuel 8:1-22. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, January 8, 2012.

Intro:
No one likes to be exposed or revealed for who they really are.  At church we put on the smile and cheerfully respond, “I’m doing well, thanks for asking.”  When in reality we are, at times, dying inside.  At work we’re praying our boss never finds out how incompetent we are.  We hope our friends and neighbors never see past the facade we’ve built.  Perhaps worst of all we think maybe God hasn’t noticed the truth about us after all He’s busy running the universal why should He take not of me?  I don’t want to burst any bubbles but probably the only person you’ve fooled is you!  You’ve not been exposed because your fellow church members, your boss, neighbors and friends have their own faults they’re trying to keep under wraps.  As painful as it may be, from time to time, we need to take a good, honest look at ourselves.  We need to take a no holds barred look deep into our own souls.  The mirror through which we are to look is the Word of God.  When we look carefully into the Word we often see our own reflection.  Not the reflect we want others to see, not the reflection we are trying to create but the cold hard truth about ourselves.  Our text this evening is one of those texts.  1 Samuel chapter 8 is a mirror that reflects the true nature of Israel and in turn each of us.

Text: 1 Samuel 8:1-22

A considerable amount of time has passed between 7:17 and 8:1 (30 or more years?).  Samuel is now an old man.  He has appointed his sons Joel and Abijah as judges.  They were far from him in the south.  The problem is they were not like their father.  They did not “walk in his ways but turned aside after gain.”  They took brides and perverted justice.

Sound familiar?  Sounds an awful lot like Eli and his boys.  Why did he appoint them?  Well he was getting old.  Making the circuit became increasingly difficult.  By having his boys cover the south he would not have to travel as much and it lighted the work load.  That’s logical but by what authority did he appoint them?  Samuel was a judge.  Israel’s judges did not appoint successors.  Judges were raised up by God.  In fact there was a time when Israel wanted their judge to establish a dynasty.  They said to Gideon, “Rule over us…you and your son and your grandson also.”  Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you” (Judges 8:22-23).

Why did Samuel do it?  We don’t know why but we do know it was a colossal failure!  Samuel’s sons were no better than Eli’s.  That brings us to a proposal from Israel’s elders and that is the heart of our text.

Their proposal seems logical.  It seemed like a reasonable means for bringing security and stability but as we will discover…

Thesis: Israel’s demand for a king, like the other nations, exposes the depth of human depravity.

There are two reasons for why I say that.

1. Israel’s demand exposes our penchant for substitutes.  (8:5-8)
2. Israel’s demand exposes disdain for holiness.  (8:5, 19-20)

Conclusion:
1 Samuel chapter 8 is a mirror.  It reveals Israel and you.  It shows how easily you misplace your trust; how ashamed you are to be different; how resistant you are to any word that does not agree with your opinion.  You are exposed.  And that is a good thing.  Because exposure leads to repentance and faith.

 

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Gospel of John #47: an exposition of John 18:1-12. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 8, 2012.

Intro:
It’s not hard to find people who “believe in Jesus.”  For the most part, people feel pretty good about Him.  The problem, of course, is believe in what Jesus? Or Which Jesus?  The Jesus who was a “spiritual man” with great insight?  The Jesus who was a revolutionary who consistently thought outside the box and was a threat to the establishment?  The Jesus of the Muslim faith, the Mormon Church or the Jehovah Witness?  Or the Jesus of their own making?  Just which Jesus are we talking about?  That is an important question because there are eternal consequences to the answer to that question.  The Jesus of most people’s thinking is very one dimensional.  To most he seems to be an innocuous figure who is a bit effeminate, mild-mannered and other-worldly.  For others he is the original radical bent on overthrowing the establishment.  I wish I could say these mischaracterizations all came from outside the church but they don’t.  Many within the church love and serve a Jesus of their own making who bears little or no resemblance to the Jesus of the Bible.  I know this because when you talk to people and ask them about Jesus the thing that seems constant is that there is a feeling that He is “safe.”  He is comfortable, like a favorite shirt, well worn.  But even a casual reading of the Scripture should make it clear that He is anything but safe.  Yes, He is the lamb of God but He is also the lion of Judah.  He is the Good Shepherd but He is also The Conquering King.  The Jesus of the Bible is complex and complicated.  He is fully God and yet fully man.  He is divine yet human.  Not half and half as the gods of mythology, rather He is fully both.  He is the creator of everything that exists yet He was born of a woman and became part of His creation.  He was the bread of life and yet He got hungry.  He had life in His being yet He became weary.  There is mystery here and unanswered questions.  We like things in neat packages.  Everything is always where it is supposed to be.  Our Lord doesn’t like boxes.  Try as you might you will not be able to fit Him in one.  Nowhere is the complicated, paradoxical nature of our Lord more fully on display than at the events surrounding His arrest.  Our text this morning is found in the 18th chapter of John’s Gospel.

Text: John 18:1-12

Albert Schweitzer published a book in 1906 entitled, The Quest for the Historical Jesus.  His goal was to discover the real Jesus as opposed to the Jesus of legend created by the church.  For Schweitzer the real Jesus was a mere man caught up in the delusional expectation of a coming kingdom of God.  His Jesus sought to force the issue by making wild claims and seeking to hasten the coming of the kingdom of God through political means.  Sadly Jesus was crushed by the wheel of history.  Schweitzer’s Jesus dies a mistaken idealist who was confused, despairing and rejected.  According to Schweitzer the historical Jesus’ great contribution to mankind was to rid us of the delusional hope of a coming kingdom!

Keep Schweitzer’s Jesus in mind as we read our text and you tell me if his Jesus bears any resemblance to the one set forth by John.

We, the church, are called to proclaim the message of Jesus.  Not the Jesus of our own imagination.  Not the Jesus of our own intellect or design but the Jesus revealed to us in the Scriptures.

Thesis: A biblical understanding of Jesus demands that we see in Him the strength and terror of divine majesty combined with the comfort and assurance of humble obedience and sacrificial devotion.

We seldom see these things in combination.  Sovereignty and humility generally do not go together.  In our world strength and humility are not compatible.  But in the person of the Lord Jesus it all fits.

When we see Him as He is - we cannot help but fall down before Him in worship.
It is the only logical response to His person.
Our natural response will be to pull back in fear while, at the same time, feeling drawn to Him.

There are two things I want us to note from our text.

1. Our Lord exercised sovereign control over the events of that fateful night.  (18:1-9)
2. Our Sovereign Lord lovingly and humbly chose the path of obedience.  (18:10-12)

Conclusion:
Gethsemane was no tragedy.  It was the triumph of divine majesty and humble obedience as our Lord began His march to the cross.  If you want to understand the Jesus of the Bible you must see both His terrifying majesty and His humble obedience.  You must stand in awe of His majestic power and His sacrificial devotion.

Ground on the wheel of history?  No, He is turning the wheel of history.  This is the Jesus we are called to proclaim and this is the Jesus before whom you must bow.

 

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An exposition of Philippians 4:1-5. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, January 4, 2012.

 

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An exposition of Psalm 2. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, January 1, 2012.

Intro:

I’m the youngest of three boys – that means I might as well have had a target painted on my shirt - a big bull’s eye right here!  I was teased without mercy.  I was the constant butt of ridicule.  My brothers and all their friends used to call me Carbondale Fats.  Once a neighbor overheard me singing to myself in the backyard.  Of course he told everybody so the chant became, “Hey Carbondale, sing us a little ditty.”  Add to the mixture that I was, to put it kindly, gullible as a kid.  Whether it was the perfect stooge to take on a snipe hunt or the idiot child eating hot peppers all afternoon as my oldest brother assured me each time – “This one’s not hot like those others.”

A kid can only take so much.  I used to lie awake at night dreaming about how I could get even.  I plotted and planned how I would get everyone.  Some days they would set me off and I would fly into them with a rage.  My brother would hold me at arms length and laugh while I wore myself out.  A scene not unlike the one described by the Psalmist in Psalm 2.

Text: Psalm 2:1-12

The book of Psalms is a collection of songs – expressing the hopes, dreams and faith of the people of God.

Actually our one book is a collection of five books!
1-41
42-72
73-89
90-106
107-150

Throughout the Psalms we find the full range of emotions.
There is joy and fear; heartache and rejoicing; anger and comfort – it’s all there.
The Psalms are “real”; there is an earthiness about them.
This is where we live.
Perhaps that is why so many of us are drawn to them.

There has been some disagreement among OT scholars as to whether Psalm 2 is a Messianic Psalm.  A Psalm that speaks of Messiah.  Modern scholarship tends to say this is a Psalm is a “coronation psalm.”  One that deals with the coronation of an earthly king.  One who sits on the throne of David.  Perhaps David himself or one of his descendants.  I’m convinced that there is compelling evidence that it is in fact a Messianic Psalm dealing with the reign of the Lord Jesus – “God’s Anointed.”

Scholars will point to similarities in 2 Samuel 7:5-16.
The similarities with this passage are found in the last section from 11-16.
Scholars agree the focus of this section is on the Messiah – the ultimate fulfillment of this promise.

Not to mention that the NT explicitly connects this passage with the Lord Jesus.
At his baptism – Mt. 3:17; Mk. 1:11; Lk. 3:32
Acts 4:24-27; 13:32-33
Hebrews 1:5; 5:5
Rev. 1:5; 2:27; 11:16-18; 12:5

There is also some evidence among various Rabbis and in the early Greek manuscripts of the Psalms that Psalm 1 & 2 were once considered 1 Psalm!  Begins (1:1) and ends (2:12) with blessing.  The rebellion of the nations against God is the outgrowth of walking, standing and sitting.  That God’s Anointed is the perfect fulfillment of the “blessed believer.”

Reading this from the perspective of a Messianic Psalm we discover that:

Thesis: The righteous reign of Christ seals the fate of the wicked while offering hope to the repentant.

There are three things I want you to note in the development of this Psalm.

1. The wicked arrogantly plot to overthrow God’s Sovereign rule.  (2:1-3)
2. The Sovereign Lord dismisses the vain plots of the wicked and declares the reign of His Anointed.  (2:4-9)
3. The Sovereign God graciously warns the wicked and offers hope to the repentant.  (2:10-12)

 

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An exposition of Luke 2:10-12, 30-38, 49. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, Christmas Day, December 25, 2011.

 

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An exposition of Philippians 3:1-16. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, December 21, 2011.