The Lost Ornament

Luke 6:12-14

In these days [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when the day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom He named apostles.

Jesus often withdrew to a quiet place for time of prayer with the Father. In this instance it was for a specific purpose: who was to be his apostles? According to the Father's will, Jesus picks out twelve disciples and appoints them to be his apostles.

But why these twelve? Jesus had many disciples, why were these twelve special - set aside for the work of Christ?

Maybe you feel called and set apart specifically for Jesus' work to be done through your life. I feel this way, and until we understand why God chooses us we won't be able to trust him in his decision. There are three important truths I find illustrated in this text:

1) It is not according to our good standing before God.

Jesus had many disciples, many of whom surely had a better understanding of the scripture than these twelve. Jesus did not pray for God to reveal the 12 most righteous men and these would be his apostles. How do I know this? Even Judas Iscariot was among them! For God who knows our past, present, and future it would be ridiculous for Him to choose Judas if it was based on merit.

2)It is not because of their great talent and skill.

Jesus did not pick the greatest orators to be his apostles. They weren't the greatest discerners of truth as we see throughout the gospels. No, these were 12 ordinary men coming from humble backgrounds. They were fishermen, tax collectors, and zealots!

3) It wasn't because they elected themselves as nominees.

These men did not come to Jesus, electing themselves to fulfill the position. Rather Jesus prays for the Father's will before he even addresses the disciples.

It thus important to recognize that God the Father sovereignly chooses who will be His teachers and apostles. It is according merely to His good will, so that He may receive the glory and honor. God picks His team - and it's an odd bunch! It's an unlikely group - they don't have everything nailed down! They have vastly different personalities and skill sets! The one thing they have in common is God's call. It is not, then, merely up to them to complete the task given them, but God himself will bring it to completion through them. The same is true in my calling and in yours. May we not look to ourselves but may we trust in the God who chose us.

Caden Sanchez

May 5, 2010. 1:12Am

Caden Christopher Sanchez is born.

6lbs14oz. 20inches. Healthy and Beautiful.

What an amazing honor and blessing - that God has made me a father. If God is a Father, who am I to follow suit? My God, Caden is Yours and I am a humble vessel. Thank you for placing me in a position of honor and responsibility; Just as You are a Father of grace, love, mercy, faithfulness, wisdom, and righteousness, may I be to Caden all that You have eximplified to me. Not only is it an honor, but a great blessing. Despite the stress and pain for Angela and I at delivery, despite the long nights, I am so happy to be a dad. I am excited about where God is taking me. I am anxious to tell Caden all about Jesus and to watch him grow in character and form. Thank you Lord for this child.

Waiting...

For 9 months now my wife and I have been expecting a child. For months we have been telling people: April 28, April 28, April 28... Well here it is, but no sign of Caden yet! I must tell you, I am extremely excited - more than a little nervous for the delivery, but very happy that soon I will have a son. Life will certainly change, and to what degree I cannot imagine. I can only pray that as God has loved me as my Heavenly Father, I too will love Caden and raise him up to acknowledge Jesus as his Heavenly Father. But for now, I wait.

Habakkuk 1:11

[The Babylonian] hordes advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners like sand.
They deride kings
and scoff at rulers.
They laugh at all fortified cities;
they build earthen ramps and capture them.
Then they sweep past like the wind and go on-
guilty men, whose own strength is their god.

What is an idol?

Do you and I have the propensity to worship false gods?

The classic view of idol worship is bowing down to a "god" created out of our own two hands - one thinks of wooden idols and carved images, which is talked about much in the Old Testament. In addition, Jeremiah 44:3-5 tells us of the sacrifices the Israelites were making to foreign gods, "[Israel] provoked me to anger by burning incense and by worshiping other gods...Again and again I [God] sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!' But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods."

God utterly hates and despises false worship. God alone is able to recieve glory, He commands us in the first two of the ten commandments, "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." (Ex.20:3+4a) This is a serious matter - more serious than any other. It is for idol worship that God destroys nations and punishes His children. But what constitutes idol worship?

In this passage in Habakkuk we read that the Babylonians were not only worshiping false dieties, but they had made their own strength into a god! Worship is sacrificing something for the sake of a person or thing which you hold in a position of glory. The Babylonians valued strength more than Yahweh, more than humility, more than compassion, more than anything, and they sacrificed resources, time, human lives, and character all for the sake of strength. What did God do? He despised them! He hated their sin! Eventually, He destroyed them for their sin. Even in a time where there were many false religion and dieties, the Old Testament accounts for "gods" outside of the classic definition of an idol. How much more so do we bow down to these types of gods in our lives?

Our society is one full of worshippers. Everyone worships. Everyone places someone or something in a position of power or respect in their lives. It could be power, money, status, career, relationships, sex, or a person, spouse, boss, or political leader. Do not we make sacrifices for these things? Do not men spend countless hours toning up in the gym so that they can get laid? Do not women give up having a family for the sake of status and a career? Do not people give up money, time, and hope, for their favorite presidential candidate?

What are you sacrificing? God says, "YOU SHALL NOT HAVE ANY GOD BESIDES ME!" His wrath will be poured out on sin and sinners when they worship creation rather than the creator; when they worship themselves rather than Jesus. Stop believing in morality. Stop looking to behavior modification. Stop self-medicating through alcohol abuse, pornography, drugs, and the like. Start recognizing that you have a worship issue. Who or what are you holding in a position of glory? Only God is worthy.

Ezekiel 28:2-5

“Son of man [Ezekiel], say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘ In the pride of your heart
You say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne of the seas.”
But you are a man and not a god,
Though you think you are as wise as a god…
By your wisdom and understanding
You have gained wealth for yourself
And amassed gold and silver
In your treasuries.
By your great skill in trading
You have increased your wealth,
And because of your wealth
Your heart has grown proud.’ “

The king of Tyre was a good businessman. He used the geographic location of the seaport town of Tyre to his advantage, and although Tyre was slightly north of the kingdom of Israel, God had blessed this city greatly and put the king in a position of prominence and respect. In verse 12 God grieves over what this king has become, “you were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty… [but] your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom (v.17)” God had delighted in blessing Tyre, but now that blessing led to great despair and God resisted and rebuked the king’s pride.

Has not God given us many blessings? How many of you have found yourself in the right place at the right time to capitalize on a situation? Maybe you have been elevated to a position of power in your workplace. Maybe it is the blessing of raising Godly children. Whatever it is, never forget that it is from the hand of Jesus and not of our own doing. Whenever we begin to say, “Look at what I have done!” we are displaying a heart of pride. Our society is one that encourages us to become “gods”. Everything we see is somehow presented to us like we deserve more power, more prestige, more money – we are told we are rulers over our own lives. As Christians we must look to Jesus and recognize that every good gift comes from our God; let us praise Him who gives freely and takes away.

Ezekiel 18:21-23

If a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

In reading the Old Testament, many times we can get caught up wrath of God and forget about His compassion. This happened to me: I began my Christian walk by reading mostly New Testament books of the Bible and when I turned to the Old Testament I was shocked.

Colossians 1:15 tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. All of the Old Testament is a foreshadowing, and set-up for the salvation to come to the world through Jesus Christ. We must remember this as we read of God setting the stage through the struggles of a nation called Israel. However, we also must remember that God is not just a God of Love and Compassion, but a God of wrath towards sin and sinners.

Imagine that there was a man who continuously tried to break into your house and hurt your family members. Would you not tell him that that is not a very nice thing to do, and you do not appreciate it - of course you would! You may tell him that you are a gracious person and you want him to know Jesus. You tell him you will give him another shot, but he continues to threaten the lives of your family members. At this point would it not be unloving to the one's you claim to love if you do not take action against this man? You would call the cops and have him arrested. Our sin is like the thief who comes to destroy and God is like the loving Father who will only tolerate injustice for so long.

This is the picture that the Old Testament paints for us. God wishes that no-one perish, but that all would turn from their wicked ways and turn towards Him. If we open our eyes we cannot help but see God as a Father of Love, Grace, Forgiveness and Compassion over the children of Israel.