Old Bungalow, Relli Road, Kalimpong

Jericho - Sinister Background behind Civilization

We are continuing our series on Jericho, keeping in view the study on 2 Kings 2, the journey of Elisha and Elijah from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and finally to and across the river Jordan. You may find the earlier studies in other blogs in the htt://procyon6x.blogspot.com and procyon7x sites.

Jericho speaks of the world. In fact, Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. Achan put his hands upon the sinister things of the world. It was not just a beautiful garment; it had the touch of 'Babylon' upon it. See Joshua 7.

Babylon is the great city that rules over all the earth. There is a political Babylon, a religious Babylon and a commercial Babylon. Check out Rev 13, 17 and 18. We know that Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, Gen 4.16. He never came back into the Lord's presence. He built a city, Gen 4.17. He was a man of much skill and talent. His progency were the inventors of music and technology. He himself was an expert farmer and his descendant was the father of animal husbandry. Eve appears to have been struck by his external appearance, Gen 4.1.

Cain's descendant, Nimrod, was the author of Babylon. In Gen 11.4, they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to heaven!' That speaks a lot about man's civilization - his pride and his [vain]glory. O what a wonderful piece of work is man! With his skill and talent, he has created the arts, and science and modern civilization. Politics, education, philosophy, religion, science, art, music, law, commerce, culture - all have evolved from man.

What a politician was Pilate, Luke 23.12, but in the end he committed suicide. Today's favorite child of education [coming from the Tree of Knowledge itself] is psychology [the study of the psyche or soul of man, without any understanding of the spirit and spiritual things!]. Colossians 2.8 warns us of hollow and deceptive philosophy, depending on human tradition and the basic principles of a world alienated from Christ. As for religion, it is "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth", Rev 17.5. Today's god is Science, which has deified evolution and descended into the horrors of cloning and chemical bombing. Art has been depraved by idolatry; so-called Christian art is mostly idolatry. We have law and jurisprudence, without justice or equity. How can commerce and business flourish without dishonesty? Even music, for all its brilliance, cannot satisfy the spirit; contemporary Christian music is a great snare of the enemy.

We are living in a worldly atmosphere. We have to be careful of the 'earth touch'. [No wonder in the presence of God we have to take our shoes off our feet!] We have worldly conversation [chitchat, gossip], worldly friendships, wordly customs and traditions, worldly fashions, etc. The smallest 'touch' of the world can grieve the Spirit. How many of us spend more time with the newspaper in the morning than with our Bibles!

Jesus warned us of the cares of the world, Matt 13.22, Mark 4.19 and Luke 8.14. The seed was sown among thorns [thorns and thistles produced by a cursed world]; thorns that speak of worries and cares, riches, desires and pleasures; thorns that choke the 'word' and kill the spirit. As Watchman Nee rightly said, the question we should ask is not 'Whether it is good or bad?', but 'Is it of the world or of God?' Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks, Matt 18.7. The cares of the world weigh down upon us; we worry and have no time to rejoice or worship. The world's 'gravity' pulls us down. Jesus warned, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Read the entire section from Luke 12.15-34. What happened to the life of the pilgrim? the tent-life of Abraham?

In the last days, it is going to be like the days of Noah and Lot. People will be caught up in eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. [In the West, nobody believes in the institution of marriage, but they keep changing 'wives'] They will be obsessed by buying and selling [speculation?], and planting and building. Sodom, in Ezekiel 16.49, had abundant food and careless ease and much arrogance [NASB]; [not very different from America or Canada or any of the prosperous West]. But she did not care for the poor and needy [a growing problem in China and India, even as these countries prosper].

Remember Lot's wife, Luke 17.32. Remember Demas, 2 Tim 4.10. More than anything else, remember our Lord's warning that the world will hate the children of God.

We have been warned; but will we listen?

Horse-drawn Cart, Calcutta

Jehoiachin

The last five verses of the Book of Jeremiah. The release of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the 37th year of his exile. Was he in captivity for 37 years? Jeremiah, a book of judgment, ends with a wonderful note of grace.

There was a curse on Jehoiachin. Read Jeremiah 22.24-30. 'This is what the LORD says: Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime...' But he did prosper. He is included in the lineage of Jesus Christ, Matt 1.12. Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. He produced several sons. God can turn a curse into a blessing. There is nothing impossible for Him!

Evil-Merodach released Jehoiachin from prison on the 25th day of the 12th month. [Well, that is not December 25th!] The king of Babylon spoke kindly to him. He gave him a seat of honour higher than those of the other kings who were in Babylon. Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life he ate regularly at the king's table. [Reminds you of Mephibosheth, doesn't it? But even more, it reminds us of Joseph who came out of prison in Genesis 41.]Moreover, Jehoiachin got a regular allowance from the king of Babylon every day, as long as he lived, till the day of his death.

There is obviously a deep message here. From prison to throne, from barrenness to fruitfulness, from curse to blessing. This is the work of the Cross. This is the experience of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

St Andrews Church, Darjeeling

Loreto Convent, Darjeeling

Psalm 146

This is a copy of a worship message given on Sunday morning, October 9th, 2005.

Psalm 146 begins with heart-felt praise. 'All my life I will praise the Lord!' Four times in the first two verses we find the Psalmist praising the Lord. The Psalm begins and ends with praise. The book of Psalms ends with heaps of praises to the Lord. Our Christian journey must end like that.

The Psalmist has proved God by faith and experience. He has also proved man by experience. He says categorically, 'Do not put your trust in princes.' The best of men will fail. Man is incapable and useless; he cannot even save himself! Man, by thinking [and vain imagination] puffs himself up, presuming that he is wise and powerful. But his very thoughts perish, the day he dies! He has no control over his own life!

The Psalmist shows that if we trust in man, we cannot trust in God. We have to depend entirely on the Lord, or our faith is defective. Blessed is the man whose help and hope is in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not upon yourself or upon anybody else or anything.

God is our Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth and the sea - and all creation. He is the One who gives life to us. God is our Redeemer, who restores to us the life we have lost. He is the God of all grace. He is our Saviour, our Deliverer, who delivers us from every difficult situation in life.

Seven examples are given. He executes justice for the oppressed [eg. Israel in Egypt]; gives food to the hungry [feeding the 5000]; sets free the prisoners [whether Joseph or Jehoiachin]; gives sight to the blind [not only Bartimaeus]; lifts up those who are bowed down [as we can see in so many Psalms, which begin with pain and end with praise]; protects the alien [like Abraham in Canaan]; and supports the orphan and the widow [like Ruth & Naomi in Bethlehem]. In fact, God does much more; He delivers and He blesses. There is that extra blessing in whatever God does. It is always 'much more'; 'exceeding abundantly'.

But though He is a God of grace, who is faithful to His promises [6c] and who loves His children [8c], He is also a Righteous Judge, who executes judgment upon the wicked. He frustrates the way of the ungodly. History has many examples of divine judgment in the recent past, such as the overthrow of Communism in Russia, the growth of Christianity in China [despite persecution]; and the spread of the gospel in Nepal [a Hindu kingdom]. It is as if God allows the ungodly to build their tower of Babel, and then 'with the breath of His mouth' He brings it down! Vanity is writ large on the way of the unrighteous [unbelievers].

God is in control. He is not only the Creator God, but a Redeeming God and a Reigning God. His Throne endures forever.

All this is of great comfort and assurance to the family of believers, to Zion - which speaks of the church!

Therefore, trusting in this Faithful and True God - God of mercy, God of grace - believing in this proven Psalm, let us by faith worship Him.

Father and Son, Foreign Style, Darjeeling District, Summer 2004

Garden Sheds, St Joseph's School Grounds, Darjeeling

Evening Light, Across the Town, Darjeeling, Summer 2004

Circuit House Annexe, Darjeeling

Like a Toy House, with a Toy Car in front of it!

House on the Hill, Relli Road, outskirts of Kalimpong

Six Youngsters, Cloud and Rain, Jhor Bunglow, Summer 2004

Crossing the Main Street, Kalimpong, Summer 2004

Market Place, Takdah, Darjeeling District, Summer 2004

Thoughts on the Resurrection

Read Mark’s Gospel chapter 16:9-14. The women saw the angels, the women met Jesus. Rather, He first appeared to them. He responds to love and devotion. It is all a matter of the heart.

Now look at the men, the disciples. They did not see the angels. And Jesus had to come to them, and when He came to them, ‘He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart’. The women did not have a hard heart, they had a loving heart. They loved Jesus, they came to anoint the body of Jesus.

The problem with the men, the disciples, was that they allowed their heads to rule over their hearts. Nothing wrong with this; but they allowed reason to over-rule faith. Nothing wrong with reason either; but they refused to accept the evidence of the ‘open tomb’. Only John the beloved disciple says that he believed, John 20.8. Now John was one of those few who stood near the cross, when the rest fled and remained at a distance.

The men refused to believe the report of Mary Magdalene, Mark 16.11. They refused to believe the news given by the women of Galilee, Luke 24.11. They refused to accept the evidence of the two disciples who walked the road to Emmaus, Mark 16.12,13. No wonder the Lord rebuked them.

Now that rebuke is meant for us also. We have to meet Jesus in a direct way. Like Mary Magdalene we must say, ‘I have seen the Lord.’ Second-hand reports will not do. The resurrection is a historical fact. Yes, it really happened 2000 years ago. But we need something more, an experience that will touch our hearts and change our lives.

Jesus has to meet us. In John 20.20, it says, ‘The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.’ Nothing less than ‘I have met the Lord’, ‘I have seen the Lord’. Our head may accept the historical fact, even the evidence of the women of Galilee; but our heart rejoices when we meet the Lord. There has to be a fresh resurrection in our hearts, in our spirits, when the Lord comes and meets us deep inside. Then we know the power of His resurrection, we experience His resurrection life, our eyes are truly open, our ears are open [as He calls us by name, John 20.16], and, yes, heaven is open also – and we can see the angels of God in all their glory.

More than history, more than doctrine, more than what satisfies the head and the reason – is the spiritual experience of resurrection [and redemption], when we can say boldly, ‘I have met the Lord’, ‘He came into my life with the power of resurrection on such-and-such a day’. We rejoice because we know in an inward way, an intimate way, a living way. Others may not understand us [their eyes are still blinded], but we can say, ‘Yes, I am born again. And Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life!’

Tropical Beach

He answered nothing, Mark 15.3

There is no spectacle in all the Bible so sublime as the silent Saviour answering not a word to the men who were maligning Him, and whom He could have laid prostrate at His feet by one look of divine power, or one word of fiery rebuke. But He let them say and do their worst, and He stood in the 'power of stillness' - God's holy silent Lamb.

There is a stillness that lets God work for us, and holds our peace; the stillness that ceases from its contriving and its self-vindication, and its expedients of wisdom and forethought, and lets God provide and answer the cruel blow, in His own unfailing, faithful love.

How often we lose God's interposition by taking up our own cause, and striking for our defence. God give to us this silent power, this conquered spirit! And after the heat and strife of earth are over, men will remember us as we remember the morning dew, the gentle light and sunshine, the evening breeze, the Lamb of Calvary, and the gentle, holy, heavenly Dove.

A.B. Simpson

Rest in the Lord

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
He is the God of the open door.
He is the God of the gentle breeze
that blows you into a haven of rest.
He is the God who holds you with His righteous right hand.
He will never fail you or forsake you.

He will lead you by the still waters.
He will feed you in green pastures.
He is the Shepherd who cares for His sheep.
He will fight your battles for you.
He will fulfil the desires of your heart.
Keep trusting in Him.
Delight in Him.
Worship Him,
Our El-Shaddai God.

Mark 2 - The Paralytic Man

What does this story teach us?

2.1 Jesus was in the house. Whose house? Was it Peter's house? Jesus was residing in Capernaum.

2.2 We notice that He preached the word to them. Our Lord always gave priority to the word of God.
2.2 It was a good crowd. They gathered to hear the word. [Today you would find huge crowds gathered not to hear the word, but to see miracles. And signs and wonders.]

2.3 The paralytic was carried by four men; in toto they were five. Five, in the Bible, speaks of grace.

2.4 They uncovered the roof. They must have done it very carefully, because Jesus was standing right down below them in that room. It must have taken much time, because they had to make a hole large enough to let down the bed [pallet] in which the paralytic lay. [The owner of the house allowed them to make a hole in the roof and did not protest, considering the plight of the paralytic man.]

2.5 Jesus saw their faith. Not just the faith of the four men, but the faith of all five. It was a group effort.
2.5 Jesus gave priority to the spiritual condition of man. 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.' Perhaps, He knew what was going on in the man's heart. The man longed for spiritual healing, while his friends might have sought a physical cure. Our Lord met the primary need of the heart. He went to the root of the matter. There is nothing greater than the forgiveness of sins. That is the first and foremost aspect of redemption, Eph 1.7

2.6,7 The scribes were sitting there. They were reasoning in their hearts. They had Bible knowledge; they knew the Scriptures. No one can forgive sins, but God alone. How can this man utter such words? He is blaspheming God. This is what they reasoned in their minds.

2.8 Jesus perceived in his spirit. Jesus lived by the Spirit. He was led by the Spirit. He asked, 'Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

2.9 'You might be thinking that it is easy to say, Your sins are forgiven. You might think it is impossible to heal this man physically. You want a sign? I will give you a sign. I am the Redeemer, not only of the spirit, but also of the body.' God of our spirits is God of our bodies also.

2.10 Those are words of authority. He said, Arise. Take up your bed. Go to your house.

2.11 The man arose, took up his bed, and went out. He didn't stay; he left for home. So that his own people could witness the dramatic change that had taken place in him. With what joy he went out! He went out praising God!

Three times we notice the word 'immediately'. The Lord is seen as a Man of action, the One who responds immediately to our needs. He forgives our sins; He heals our bodies also. He is the God of spirit, soul and body. The God of our salvation.

[This has to be further updated. As we keep meditating on God's Word and preaching it, God reveals further light on the subject. September 2005.]

Four Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, not the proud.
Blessed are those who are truly humble,
Who have no inflated opinion of themselves,
Who realise that they are nothing but empty vessels
To be filled by the Spirit of God.

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn
Over the wickedness of this world,
A world without God;
Where sin ripens into rottenness,
And the spirit yearns for God.

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Yes, blessed are those who are broken
In the hands of the Lord,
Chastened by the Father,
Disciplined by an inward cross.
Only such will enter the kingdom of God.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
How we long for the return of the Lord!
Evil is rampant, lies abound.
Oh, that we might be purified by the fire of God!
Lord, give us a hunger for truth,
And fill us with heavenly love.