Archive for March, 2024

And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Luke 4:27

Why was Naaman the only leper to be cleansed of his disease in the days of Elisha the prophet? In our text, the Lord Jesus declares that there were many lepers in Israel in those days. For one, there was Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, who was smitten with leprosy for taking a gift from Naaman. And just two chapters later, in 2 Kings 7, we read of four lepers outside the walls of Samaria during the siege by Ben-hadad and his Syrian army. None of those lepers were healed. So why Naaman? Was he any more deserving of healing than anyone else? Although he was known as an honourable man, he was in fact a Gentile, and could be considered an enemy of Israel. But if we study his account in 2 Kings 5, we will learn of one important thing about Naaman: he was willing to listen to advice. And we know that today, only those who are willing to listen will ever be saved.

Consider Naaman’s willingness to listen when his wife told him about the remark from the little maid from Israel. His frantic wife would probably have grasped at any hope of healing for her husband, but the advice was coming from a captive slave, who would have little reason to want Naaman healed. But Naaman listened. Initially misdirected to the king instead of the prophet, Naaman was willing to change directions when word came to him of the prophet’s willingness to handle his case. And when he was disappointed that Elisha refused to even see him but gave simple directions for his healing, Naaman was persuaded to obey those directions. Someone in Naaman’s position would usually have servants who would never dare challenge their master. But in his wisdom, Naaman had chosen servants who knew that their master would listen to them. They undoubtedly cheered him on as he would be disappointed that the dips in Jordan failed to accomplish anything for the first six times. And he listened. He reminds us today of sinners who come under the influence of the Gospel, and who actually listen to the message and its messengers. These folks usually are saved. But it also reminds us of Christians who are willing to submit to the Word of God and to those who faithfully teach it.

We all know what happens to disobedient Christians. To a certain extent, we are all disobedient at times, but I am referring to those Christians who refuse to follow the simple teaching of the Word of God, and who refuse to heed the words of any who will give them sound spiritual advice. Such Christians never experience deliverance from sinful habits, never achieve peace and harmony with those around them, never see any of their loved ones saved. But we all need to heed. How willing are we to listen? Do we always obey the Word of God? Do we heed the instruction of those who would guide us aright?

Our blessings in Christ are directly proportional to our obedience to Christ. -Jim MacIntosh

And He began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears. Luke 4:21

We have been watching the events involving the Ukraine invasion by Russia carefully, not just because of the sympathy with the Ukrainians and the Christians there. As the Russian bear rattles its sabres and bullies its neighbours, we are reminded of the prominent place that Russia has in the prophecies concerning end-time events. So when we see a mention of Russia in the news, the thought occurs that we might be seeing the start of some of the events that are contained in prophecy. The same thought also comes with every major event that occurs in connection with Israel, including the current war in Gaza. It would certainly be exciting to identify specifically an event that is foretold in the Scriptures. How much more exciting it should have been for the people in the synagogue in Nazareth to hear that the greatest prophecy they knew of was being fulfilled in their very presence!

We know that the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus, refusing to acknowledge Him as the fulfillment of prophecy. Most of them knew Him as the lad who had grown up in the town, the young man who had worked in the carpenter shop, the eager participant at all of the gatherings in the synagogue each sabbath. But they could not see beyond that young man they knew as a neighbour, and they rejected His claim to be their Messiah. But that does not destroy His claim, nor the fact that those people actually saw Scripture being fulfilled. It also does not negate all of the fulfillment of Scripture in the years and the centuries since that time. The disciples watched the unfolding of what the prophets wrote about as they viewed the life, death, and resurrection of their Lord. The early Christians declared their confirmation of Scripture’s fulfillment as a key component of the Gospel that they proclaimed. In the early centuries, Christians could read John’s recording of the letters to the Asian churches and see themselves within the program that God has laid out for this age of grace. Even today, we can recognize around us the evidence of the appearance of Laodicea, as apathy and worldliness grip the Lord’s people in a day of moral decay and rampant godlessness. It may not be as dramatic, but we are seeing the Scripture fulfilled around us.

Much of the Scriptures is taken up with prophecies and their fulfilment. The greatest of them all, of course, is the great program of prophecy throughout the Old Testament concerning the Lord Jesus, followed by the perfect fulfilment of all of those prophecies in the New Testament. Given the perfect record so far, how could we possibly doubt that God will continue to carry out His great programs in the ages to come? All that God has promised for us He will do. All that He has foretold will occur in this world He will perform. There will be no exceptions, alterations, or cancellations.

If we can’t actually see the Scriptures being fulfilled before us, we can be certain that they will be fulfilled. God says so. – Jim MacIntosh

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as his custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 4:16

I don’t suppose there is a hard-and-fast rule that says a brother must stand up to read a portion of the Scriptures during one of our meetings. But it would be highly unusual for the brother not to, and most of the Christians would probably consider it irreverent, unless the brother had a physical limitation that prevented him from standing. A person who stands to read is able to speak clearly so that all can hear. But most importantly, the brother is able to give proper reverence to the reading of the Word of God. And nothing is more deserving of reverence. It is not just a good habit that those in our Assemblies have established, either. Down through history, the public reading of the Scriptures has always been by one who stood to read. It is true today of those who read the Scriptures in Jewish synagogues, and it was just as true of those who read them during the time of Christ. When our text speaks of the Lord Jesus standing to read, it is not just noting His reverence for the Word, but the reverence for the Word that all Jewish people showed. As it should be.

Jesus was not starting a new practice when He stood to read the Scriptures, although the fact that He did so is a strong confirmation of the concept. Throughout the history of the Israelites, they stood to read, and stood to hear read, the Scriptures. They knew that it was the Word of God. They knew that it was miraculously produced by the Holy Spirit. It was with deepest reverence that they handled it, and heard it. It is to their credit that the Jewish people today, in their religious exercises, show the utmost respect for the Word of God. They do far better than many of the people in the world around us. As the Bible is given less and less place in our society, fewer people even understand that it is from God. For some, the Bible is of no more relevance than other so-called holy books that other religions recognize. But the Bible is the eternal truth of the eternal God. It is not the compiled imaginations of a compulsive liar like Joseph Smith, nor the rantings of a demented psychopath like Mohammed, and should never be reduced to their level. The writings of those characters have all been proven false, while not one word of the Bible has ever been successfully challenged.

How should we show respect for the Bible? How should we display our recognition of the Bible as the inspired Word of God? First of all, we should read it, and read it as though it were the most important and necessary information in the world, which it is. Secondly, we should obey it, putting it into practice in every facet of our lives. Thirdly, we should let others know of our recognition of it as the Word of God. We will quote it, and speak of it, with reverence and care.

The Lord Jesus showed the utmost respect for the Word of God. Can we do any less? – Jim MacIntosh

And Jesus answering said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Luke 4:12

As the children of Israel made their way through the wilderness, not long after the crossing of the Red Sea and not long after God gave them manna, they came to a dry place called Rephidim, where there was no water for them to drink. Even with all that God had done for them, they cried out in their thirst against Moses and against God. They failed to recognize that the God Who could deliver them from the Egyptians, the God Who could feed them with manna every day, was the same God Who could give them the water that they needed. Instead of trusting, or even praying for water, they chided with Moses. The account in Exodus 17 tells us that the people tempted the Lord, saying Is the Lord among us, or not? In His compassion, God instructed Moses to strike the rock in Horeb so that water would come out of it. Moses called the place Massah because of their unbelief and their tempting God. It was a lesson that was apparently lost on the Israelites. But it is a lesson we should heed today.

In His response to the devil, the Lord Jesus in today’s text quotes Deuteronomy 6:16, where Moses urges the Israelites not to tempt God as they did at Massah. It is a good response for us today when the devil tries to lead us to question God’s provision and His caring for us. The Lord Jesus could not be tripped up by the devil’s temptation. He could successfully rebuff the enemy’s efforts. How did He do it? He quoted the Scriptures. Because the Scriptures are His Word, He could draw upon their resources at will. So could we, if we knew the Scriptures as He does. We can’t, of course. But we can know them better than we do today! And the more of the Word of God that is hidden in our hearts, the more easily we will discern and divert the devil’s attacks.

When we read of the failure of the Israelites to trust God for water, we find it easy to criticize them. But when we point the finger at them, three fingers are pointing back at ourselves. We are no better than they were. In our affluent world, we feel that we are able to supply for ourselves. We gain no experience in trusting God because of our self-sufficiency. So when we encounter problems, we see no way out and tend to blame God for allowing us to get into the situation. In our lack of trust, we fail to grasp the reality of God’s promise to always be with us. We fail to understand the depths of His caring and His kindness to us. This happens far more often than we realize. We are no better than the Israelites tempting God in the wilderness.

If we learn to trust in the Lord when we run out of resources, we will overcome the devil’s temptations. – Jim MacIntosh

And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, shewed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. Luke 4:5

Let’s pretend we are drawing a line that is a meter long. That line represents your entire life. On that line, mark off the segment that would represent the time you spent eating breakfast this morning. That would be a very short segment! You might not even be able to see it. Let’s draw another line that is a meter long, and let that line represent the history of the world. On that line, mark off a small segment that represents your life. Again, you will have a tiny segment, possibly too small to discern. Does that give you a bit of an idea how short our lives are? OK, one final line, except this time, instead of a meter, let’s make it a kilometer long. We’ll let that long line represent eternity. On that line, mark off a segment that represents time. This time, the segment will be far too minuscule to see. In fact, if we were to stretch the eternity line to a million kilometers, the time segment would remain invisible. So when the devil offered all the kingdoms of the world to the Lord Jesus, in a moment of time, he was offering a bad bargain.

Our God is an eternal God who dwells in eternity (Isaiah 57:15). But the devil is not an eternal being, and he has no authority in eternity. Revelation 12:12 reminds us that the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And in relation to eternity, the devil’s domain as prince of the power of the air is very short. His offer to the Lord Jesus of the kingdoms of the world was for a moment of time. If you or I had been in His place, the devil’s offer would have been overwhelmingly tempting. But not to the Lord Jesus, to the eternal Son of the Eternal God, who could fully understand the brevity of the devil’s offer. He could fully grasp how bad the devil’s bargain was. Sadly, so many of us fail to grasp how bad the bargain is when the devil offers far less than the kingdoms of the world, for a moment of time.

Make no mistake, the devil is still in the business of making bad bargains, as he did with our first parents in Eden. He has been tempting us all of our lives, offering a bit of pleasure here, a bit of popularity there, a bit of prosperity somewhere else, and a bit of power on occasion. For these things, we have steeped our souls in sin and failed to submit to the claims of the God of eternity. Even today, the devil teases us with a bit more sleep in exchange for giving up our time in the Word of God. He offers a phone call with an old friend in exchange for our time of prayer and meditation. And on it goes. If only we could see what a bad bargain it is when we take the devil’s offers!

Moses rejected Egypt’s pleasures of sin because they were only for a season. We should reject them too because they are only for a moment of time. -Jim MacIntosh

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. Luke 4:1,2

Two times during His life, the Lord Jesus was left alone to suffer. We are the most familiar with the darkness of Calvary, when three dark hours hid from the view of man the judgment of Almighty God against His Son for our sins. It was a sight that no man would have been able to bear. Alone upon the cross, the Lord Jesus achieved a total victory that guarantees to all who will receive it everlasting life. Deliverance from hell and a guarantee of Heaven are ours through the value of the work of that lonely span. But there was an earlier time of suffering for our Lord, a time referred to in our text today. Just after His baptism, the Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He was about to launch his three years of public ministry. But there was a victory that needed to be accomplished first, a victory over the temptations of the devil. And that victory was not just for Himself but for us as well.

Just as the submission of the Lord Jesus on Calvary was a voluntary act in accordance with His Father’s will, so the temptation in the wilderness was a voluntary act in accordance with the Spirit’s direction. With no food for 40 days, and in an environment with no company apart from wild beasts, the Lord Jesus would naturally have been vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. As we read of the temptations, we find the Lord Jesus quoting the Scriptures to refute the devil’s attacks. We find the devil powerless to penetrate the devotion of the Son to His Father, powerless to lead the Son of God into the sin of pride that had caused Lucifer to fall. Even in physical weakness and great loneliness, the Lord Jesus prevailed. We know it could not have been otherwise, because He was the Son of God. But we have on record the devil’s failed attempt, and our Lord’s complete victory. We can access the power of that victory today.

Unlike the Lord Jesus, we are susceptible to the devil’s attacks. With us, he can find an entry, and can cause us to sin, as we know from bitter experience. But unlike the unsaved around us, we have protection available to us, through the work of the Lord Jesus. Hebrews 2:18 tells us that because He suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help us when we are tempted. We can learn from His experience. Each time He was tempted, He turned to the Word of God  to rebuff the devil. We can do that. Reading and memorizing the Scriptures will give us a great protection. So will the companionship of the Lord’s people. The Lord Jesus suffered alone, but we don’t need to, because He has gathered us with His people in His Assembly. Worship and service for our Lord will also sustain us in the day of temptation.

We have victory over temptation today, if we will accept it, because of the victory of the Lord Jesus over the devil’s temptations. – Jim MacIntosh

Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David. Luke 3:38

Among the names listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ through His mother Mary we find the name of Nathan. All we know of him is that he was a prince, a son of David and Bathsheba, which makes him a full brother of Solomon. We are not told of any deeds of his, or of his personality. He stands simply as a link in the genealogy of our Lord, proving that Jesus had a double claim to the throne of His father David. That is because the genealogy in Matthew traces Joseph’s lineage through Solomon. But there is another great lesson that we learn today from Nathan as he speaks to us from thousands of years ago. His presence in the royal household was a voice that spoke to his father David every day.

Where did Prince Nathan get his name? There is only one other Nathan listed in the Scriptures, a courageous and faithful prophet who challenged David about his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. This challenge is recorded in 2 Samuel 12, a challenge that led to David’s repentance. If we read David’s Psalm of repentance, Psalm 51, we will encounter the words ‘My sin is ever before me’. David was so sorry for his great sin that he determined never to forget it, so that he might remain humble before God. Every day, as he sat down to his meals with his family, David would look across the table to Bathsheba’s third son and see the lad who he named after the faithful prophet. The prophet was gone, but his namesake sat at David’s table. And David would be reminded of his own weakness. You and I are no better than David, and have committed sins that are just as wrong as his. We should never forget that.

Pride is a sin that is very destructive. We can become so confident in our ability to stand and be faithful, so sure of our spiritual grounding, that we forget that we can take as deep a tumble as David did. None of us is immune to the devil’s attacks, to the weaknesses of the flesh, and the lure of the world. In truth, none of us has been free of stumblings and errors along our Christian pathway. While we should not dwell on those misdeeds because to do so would cripple us on our Christian pathway, we should remember them, and we should be sorry every day that we were a disappointment to our Lord and to others.

We need to keep a few Nathans around to make sure we are repentant and to keep us humble before our Lord. – Jim MacIntosh

And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the Son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli. Luke 3:23

There is a difference in the genealogies of the Lord Jesus as they appear in Matthew and Luke. And the difference begins at the point of listing the father of Joseph. Both Gospels make it clear that Jesus was not the Son of Joseph, so they verify the truth of the virgin birth of our Lord. Matthew’s Gospel states that Jacob begat Joseph, while Luke’s says Joseph was the son of Heli. Because women’s names were usually dropped from genealogies, and their husband’s names substituted, it is very evident that Heli was not Joseph’s father, but Mary’s. So who was Heli? What kind of man was he? Scripture and history are both silent on him; this is the only record that we have that he even existed. But he was obviously a very significant piece in the genealogy, in that he was the grandfather of the Lord Jesus.

We are given considerable details about Mary as the mother of Jesus, and there is much to commend her in many ways. Those of us who have raised daughters know that girls do not automatically become good women; they require a positive environment and the positive influence of good people, primarily good parents. So when we see what a wonderful and godly person Mary turned out to be, we can be sure that her sterling character was molded in a good home. We can thank Heli for that.

Heli lived in discouraging times in a town not known for godliness. And yet, his daughter was well versed in the Scriptures and understood the truths they contained. That could happen only if her parents were godly people, regular attendees at the synagogue, and frequent quoters of the Scriptures that they had memorized. Theirs was a home in which God was honoured. We are not told the name of Jesus’ grandmother, but she was also a godly woman and a wonderful influence on her daughter. We wonder whether Heli and his wife ever knew or understood the significance of their Grandson’s birth. But given the closeness of families in those days, their roles as grandparents undoubtedly brought them into frequent contact with Jesus when He was a boy. How thrilled they would be if they could look back from now and see the results of their excellent parenting of Mary!

We also live in a day when it is becoming more difficult for Christian couples to establish and maintain a godly environment in the home. So many influences of the world reach in to interfere with Bible reading and prayer. So much of society is geared to the breakdown and destruction of family life. And yet, parents should understand from the example of Heli and his wife that raising children according to God’s purposes is always worthwhile. Parents may never see the fruit of their efforts, but they will always be worthwhile.

How much different would a peek into Heli’s home be from a peek into your home when it comes to teaching the children about their God? – Jim MacIntosh

But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. Luke 3:19,20

As I was reading a book about the world’s worst tyrants and villains, I noticed that the author did more than simply list the evil behavior of those wicked men. After he described each man in turn, and listed the various atrocities and cruelties that each had committed, the author selected a specific event that each of those wicked men had been involved in, and described it in great detail, so that the readers might get a better understanding of person involved. In many cases, the author would note that the event selected was probably the worst crime that the tyrant had committed. Although Herod the tetrarch would never have made the list of the worst tyrants because he simply was not important enough, he did have a worst crime, as our text points out.

John Baptist was not shy about telling the people in his audiences about their sins. And when it came to the sins of public figures and rulers, John did not mince words, either. Herod was living in adultery with his brother’s wife, and John did not hesitate to let Herod know that that was wrong. Nor did he hold back about Herod’s other crimes and misbehaviour. We are not told what all of those other things were, other than to take note that Herod was a nasty, cruel, and wicked person. But Luke records in his Gospel that the worst of Herod’s crimes was his arrest, and eventual killing, of John. When Herod stands one day at the Great White Throne, he will surely be reminded of all of his many sins. And atop the list will be this, that he imprisoned and killed John. We may wonder sometimes why God allows His servants, His children, to endure suffering and martyrdom. But we can be confident that God notes all of those who torment and abuse His own, and that every evil action against His children will be answered for.

In many cases, we are unaware of the widespread atrocities committed against Christians in Communist, Moslem, and Hindu lands, of the killings and torture that are hidden from public view and never make headlines in our western media. But God knows them all, and not one of those perpetrators will avoid the full penalty for their crimes. We should also be aware that the atrocities committed in our own part of the world – although not as savage and deadly – are all known by God. Think of the Christians who have suffered because they have refused to endorse or promote homosexuality; every one of their tormentors, and the judges and other officials who have backed their tormentors, are facing terrible judgment for their crimes. So are all of those who have stood in the way of the preaching of the Gospel, even to those who have refused a Gospel tract or insulted a witnessing Christian.

Never forget that God sees all of the wrong done to His own. Not only will He recompense fully for all that His saints suffer, but He will also exact full judgment against those who commit such sins. -Jim MacIntosh

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Luke 3:7

One of the first rules of public speaking is to make sure not to insult your audience. As a rule, people won’t listen to someone who berates them or runs them down for any reason. When a speaker addresses an audience, he needs to hold their attention and hopefully win them over to his side on the topic that he is discussing. The best way to do that is to make friends with the audience, by getting the people to nod in agreement and smile in appreciation. It’s usually not a good idea to lash out at your audience by calling them a brood of poisonous snakes. So how did John the Baptist get away with such a flagrant violation of the rules?

We are not told what type of voice John had, but we must assume he had a powerful set of lungs. With his strong and piercing voice, he would reach to the outer edges of his huge audience with ease. We do know that he was unconventional in his appearance, and I have a hard time imagining that he would neatly comb his hair and his beard. People would be drawn to this highly unusual and very volatile character whether they agreed with him or not. He was a sight to see and a sound to hear! But people didn’t argue with him or ignore him. They not only flocked to hear him, they also responded in droves to his call for repentance and to his invitation to be baptized. Despite his unusual appearance and his blunt and straightforward manner, people respected him and paid heed. This speaks volumes for the man’s dynamic personality and for his faithfulness in speaking out for His God. Maybe we could learn a lesson from John’s approach.

It would probably not be a good idea today to begin a sermon by calling the congregation a brood of poisonous snakes. Politeness and proper consideration would tell us that. But many sermons preached today never do anything but tickle the listeners’ ears. Preachers among the denominations – even those that would consider themselves evangelical – go out of their way to avoid offending anyone or giving offense in any way. As a result, they seldom speak against sin and seldom cause their listeners to understand the need for true repentance. They make friends, but they produce no converts, no true converts. What good does that do? Gospel preaching must present sinners with the awfulness of their sin and of the hatred that God has for their sin. Gospel preaching must also present sinners with their hopeless and helpless state before a loving but holy God. The Lord Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, and unless sinners hear how lost they are, they will never desire to be found. We do sinners no favour by smoothing over their rotten condition.

We were once part of a generation of vipers. But God reached and saved us. We won’t see many others saved unless we get them to understand that they are part of a generation of vipers, too. – Jim MacIntosh