DON’T CAGE MY SONG!

DON’T CAGE MY SONG!

Luke 4:18-19

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

The joyful and almost intrusive song of a Texas Mockingbird comes from a slender-bodied gray bird. They apparently pour all their color into their personalities. They sing almost endlessly, sometimes even at night. They go on learning new sounds throughout their lives. The song is a long series of phrases, with each phrase repeated 2-6 times before shifting to a new sound; the songs can go on for 20 seconds or more. These are the joyful sounds of freedom!

   Archibald Rutledge tells the story that as a young boy he was always catching and caging wild things. He particularly loved the sound of the mockingbird, so he decided to catch one and keep it so he could hear it sing any time.

   He found a very young mockingbird and placed it in a cage outside his home. On the second day he saw a mother bird fly to the cage and feed the young bird through the bars. This pleased young Archibald. But then the following morning he found the little bird was dead.

   Later young Arch was talking to the renowned ornithologist Arthur Wayne, who told him, "A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes take it poisonous berries. She evidently thinks it better for one she loves to die rather than live in captivity."  --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 225.

          We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. (The Declaration of Independence)

Dear Lord, having been set free from the cage of sin by thy mercy, let me sing my song long into the night. AMEN

NOT EVERYONE!

NOT EVERYONE!

Matt 7:21-23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

          Jesus uses various illustrations to explain that there are two paths and only two. One leads to destruction and this path is occupied by the many. The other path is strait which is the Greek word stenos which means narrow and surrounded by obstacles. Since that is so, should we not give serious consideration to the popularity of some modern brands of Christianity? On the other hand, must true Christianity be unpopular and ill attended?

          The fact is that God is the only qualified judge of whether faith is real or insincere. Warren Wiersbe says: “A false profession will last until judgment comes. Sometimes this judgment is in the form of the trials of life. Like the person who received the seed of God's Word into a shallow heart (Matt 13:4-9), the commitment fails when the testing comes. Many people have professed faith in Christ, only to deny their faith when life becomes spiritually costly and difficult.”

          Jesus shines the light on overt religious activity and shows that it is no real measurement of true faith. Even foretelling the future or claiming to speak with divine inspiration is no guarantee that religious works are genuine. Even the casting out of demons and performing wonderful works is no real proof. Interestingly, the word “works” is the Greek word dunamis which is the same word used in Acts 1:8 when Jesus promised power from the Holy Spirit.

          The wheat and the tares (weeds) will grow together until harvest day when one will be gathered into barns and the other will be burned. Jesus warned against trying to remove the mote (a piece of straw) from my neighbor’s eye while there is a beam (log) in my own. Diligence must be applied to make sure our faith is genuine (2 Peter 1:10).

Dear Lord, let me be sure of my calling and display truth in my dealings. AMEN

A PLACE OF HONOR IN HIS KINGDOM!

A PLACE OF HONOR IN HIS KINGDOM!

Matt 20:20-28

20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

          The bombastic and headstrong “sons of thunder” asked Mommy to speak to Jesus about a place of honor in the kingdom. The popularity of Jesus was swelling and it surely seemed that Jesus would soon drive out the Romans and sit upon His throne in Jerusalem. Zebedee’s boys had followed this unusual leader for about three years and now the time would come to cash in on their sacrifice and dedication.

          Jesus, ever tender in the face of ignorance, asked the mother what she wanted. She wanted the number two and number three positions for her boys. The comments from Adam Clarke’s Commentary are helpful and I will include it here.

That the sons of Zebedee wished for ecclesiastical rather than secular honours, may be thought probable, from the allusion that is made here to the supreme dignities in the great Sanhedrin. The prince of the Sanhedrin (HA-NASI) sat in the midst of two rows of senators or elders; on his right hand sat the person termed AB (the father of the Sanhedrin;) and on his left hand the CHACHAM, or sage. These persons transacted all business in the absence of the president. The authority of this council was at some periods very great, and extended to a multitude of matters both ecclesiastical and civil. These appear to have been the honours which James and John sought.

          Since the boys were applying for an important job, Jesus asked them if they might be qualified to be seated in such important positions. Just a couple of questions were asked but these too were misunderstood. [1] Can you drink of my cup? The cup was a cup of toil and suffering. Too casually they eagerly replied in the affirmative. [2] Are you willing to submit to my baptism which includes ignominious death? Once again the eager answer was yes.

          Jesus answered that they would indeed drink of His cup. James was slain with the sword by Herod (Acts 12:2) Tradition says John was boiled in oil but miraculously survived to be banished to the island of Patmos where he wrote the Revelation. These things could not have been included in the hopes of Zebedee’s wife and children.

          We misunderstand the nature of much of what we ask God for. If He does not grant our request we pout and think Him to be unkind. If He grants our request, and suffering is included, we think Him to be cruel. It is always best to leave the path of our lives to Him.

Job 23:10

10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Dear Lord, I often ask you for things I do not fully understand. Thank you for giving me only your best. Help me to trust you more. AMEN