Tebow Time

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:23:35 +0000

I’ll bet you half of the people who know the name Tim Tebow don’t know what NFL team he plays for.

OK. Maybe slightly less than half….

The point is that Tim Tebow is known for being a praying Christian. That’s a pretty cool thing to be known for in my book.

If you could be known as President of the United States, founder of IBM, quarterback for the Denver Broncos, or a praying Christian, what would you want to be known as? More pointedly:

Do you want to be famous with men or with God?

I would like to point out three things that Tebow can be a reminder of:

Don’t be religious
Don’t be ashamed
Pray.

First of all, critics look at Tim Tebow and say, “Jesus said, “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.(1)” He doesn’t have to use his position as a platform for prayer. Jesus said so.”

This is a misunderstanding of the words of Christ. Jesus’ issue is the heart. He is talking about people who pray to be seen. He’s talking about religious people, not followers of Jesus. He’s talking about people who use prayer as a platform for themselves, not about followers of Christ who use their personal platforms to point to Jesus.

Secondly, Tim Tebow is not ashamed to be a Christian. He doesn’t care about being fashionable, cool, “in”, or tough. He is who he is. He is a very rare animal….

He is genuine and humble.

Tebow is “not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It (the gospel…the good news) is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.(2)” This is a great place to be. Jesus said, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.(3)”

Let me ask you something:

Can’t you see the sincerity of Tebow when he talks to the reporters after the game? Can’t you see that he truly loves Jesus? Doesn’t it convict you? Doesn’t it make you question your own heart?

What we can learn from Tim Tebow is point number 3: Pray. Pray always. “Never stop praying.(4)” Because “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.(5)”

Be blessed,

Pastor Brian Cox

1 Matthew 6:6 NLT.

2 Romans 1:16.

3 Matthew 10:32.

4 1 Thess. 5:17.

5 James 5:16.

What Happens When You Die?

admin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:27:06 +0000

I recently was asked some questions about whether or not we are just asleep when we die, if we have consciousness, and several other questions that prompted me to type up this brief overview of what happens at death:

I believe, from my studies, that there have been different places where the spirit goes when we die. The different places are divided by the cross of Christ, and by what is made possible by His blood. Further, I think we have to realize that spirit beings may not be spatially limited to the extent that we are. Finally, God has revealed everything that we are capable of understanding about the afterlife.

MISCONCEPTIONS

Let’s start with the apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, where the Holy Spirit inspires him to write: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.” 2 Cor 12:2-4. We see here that there are at least 3 heavens, and that there is Paradise. Modern day commentators take this to mean the atmosphere, space, and the spiritual realm.

The Jews believed in 7 heavens: The Curtain (Isa 40:22 (Sky); The Firmament (Gen 1:17 (Space); The Clouds (Ps 78:23 (Prob Sky); The Habitation (1 Ki. 8:13 (Heaven: Isa 63:15: “Look down from HEAVEN and behold from the HABITATION of thy holiness.”)); The Dwelling Place (Ps 42:8 (Prob synonymous with the Habitation)); the Fixed Residence (1 Ki 8:39, 49 (Prob synonymous with the Habitation); The Araboth (Ps 89:14; Isa 59:17 (“Where are justice, judgment, mercy, the treasures of life; peace and blessedness; the souls of the righteous; the souls and spirits which are reserved for the bodies yet to be formed, and the dew by which God is to vivify the dead”–Clarke (i.e. the habitation))) Likewise Islam takes its 7 heavens from Judaism. I think we can plainly see that these seven divisions are basically three: Sky, Space, and the Spirit Realm (Habitation).

All that to say this: don’t confuse Hell, Abraham’s Bosom, and Paradise with three different types of heaven. Although this is partially true, it is not what Paul is referring to in 2 Cor 12.

Another misinterpretation is from John 3:1-13 where Jesus tells Nicodemus that “no man hath ascended up to Heaven.” Here, Jesus is saying that you must be born again to get into the kingdom of God. He is saying that you cannot earn righteousness and work your way to heaven. Jesus identified himself as Jacob’s ladder (Gen 28:10-19; John 1:51). He is saying that He is the only way to heaven. We know from our studies that not one of us chooses Jesus, He chooses us. Not one of us loved Him first, He loved us first. Not one of us can earn heaven; the Father calls all who are saved. Jesus is not here saying that there are no men in heaven. He is saying that no man has gotten into heaven of his own accord.

OK. So we know what the basic misunderstandings are, what is the truth?

OLD TESTAMENT

Luke 16 tells the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Many say this is a parable, not a real story. The Bible doesn’t distinguish this as a parable, but then again the Bible says that Jesus always spoke through parables (Matthew 13:34). He also spoke of Adam, Jonah, Abraham, and other real people of the Bible. So we must not insist that this story is or is not about real people. I will say 2 things about this: First of all, none of the other parables of Christ used a specific name of a person; Secondly and most importantly, Jesus never gave an example in a parable of something that did not exist in reality.

In this story, Jesus is teaching about loving money more than loving God. But in the course of his story He reveals that there are two places: Hell and Abraham’s bosom.

Abraham said that when he died, he was going to be gathered to his people (Gen 25:8). David and Jacob shared this belief (2 Sam 12:23; Gen 49:29). This is the place where all the righteous people went to wait for their redemption. These people had sins that were covered by animal sacrifices, but their sins were not removed. It was not until Jesus died on the cross that their sins were forgiven, since Jesus was the only Savior and the only sacrifice that matters.

It was here that Samuel was waiting when God allowed him to visit Saul and the witch at Endor in 1 Sam 28. This was not a normal occurrence. The souls in Abraham’s bosom are not given freedom to visit earth and speak to the living whenever they wanted. That this instance was unusual (even unique at this point in time) can be seen that the witch “cried out” when she saw Samuel (v. 12), even saying that he looked like a god (v. 14) coming to her. This is not the reaction of one who summons dead people on a regular basis. The original language is she cried (H2199 shriek from anguish or danger) with a loud (H1419 exceedingly great) voice (H6963 bleating, cry). God allowed this to happen in order to deliver His message to Saul in such a way that Saul would truly believe what he was hearing.

In the New Testament, when Christ was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus discussing the future. Here is another instance of the dead coming back to the earth. What do we learn from this? God is in control of the afterlife, and the dead are conscious.

Two other anomalies can be seen in Enoch (Gen 5:24) who God took from the earth (most likely to avoid the death experience) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-11). The second scripture clearly says that Elijah was taken into heaven, but we know that there was no sacrifice for Elijah’s sins. Therefore, like the other OT saints, he had to wait in Abraham’s bosom. This is in heaven, but not completely in the presence of God.

SHEOL = Abraham’s Bosom + Hell?

These two men avoided Sheol, which is the grave. Shedd (Endless Punishment, page 34) suggests that “Sheol signifies the ‘grave,’ to which all men, the good and evil alike, go down. That Sheol should have the two significations of hell and the grave, is explained by the connection between physical death and eternal retribution”

All men (except Elijah and Enoch) go to the grave. It is what happens after that that shows a difference. Pentecost (Things To Come, page 556) makes the following note: “The first is Sheol, which is used sixty-five times in the Old Testament, translated “hell” thirty-one times (cf. Deut. 232:22; Ps. 9:17; 18:5; Isa 14:9), “grave” thirty-one times (cf. 1 Sam 2:6; Job 7:9; 14:13), and “pit,” three times (cf. Num. 16:30, 33; Job 17:16). This was the Old Testament word for the abode of the dead. It was presented, not just as a state of existence, but as a place of conscious existence (Deut 18:11; 1 Sam 28:11-15; Isa 14:9). God was sovereign over it (Deut 32:22; Job 26:6). It was regarded as temporary and the righteous anticipated the resurrection out of it into the millennial age (Job 14:13-14; 19:25, 27; Ps 16:9-11; 17:15; 49:15; 73:24).”

So it seems that Hell and Abraham’s Bosom are both a part of Sheol, the place where all men go. Even though Enoch and Elijah avoided the grave itself, they were undoubtedly in Abraham’s bosom.

JESUS

Returning to the parable in Luke, Jesus says that Abraham’s Bosom and Hell are separated by a great distance, and yet you can speak across that distance. Is this a form of poetic license? Is this like the prophets trying to make pictures of heaven understandable to men?

Eph 4:28 says that “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. [But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth? He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest).” AMP.

Matthew 12:40 says that “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

John 20: 1-2 tell us that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb for three days. So Jesus took his body with him into the heart of the earth, just like Matthew 12 says. Some will say that his soul was in hell and his body was not, but this is dis-proven by the fact that the tomb was empty immediately following the Sabbath.

Acts 2:31 tells us that “his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” To some, this implies that his soul was not placed in hell, but this is not clearly supported by the text (compare G2641). Further, 1 Peter 3:18-19 as well as 1 Pet 4:6 state that Jesus preached the gospel to the dead, to the spirits in prison.

The reason I belabor this point is this: some are offended at the idea of Jesus in hell. He was not, however, sent to hell. He triumphantly went on a mission trip there to preach to the souls in hell. Some would say that, since Jesus said that Lazarus was able to converse with the rich man across the great chasm, Jesus too could have preached to those in hell from Abraham’s bosom. While this is a possibility, it is impossible to make a solid case for it without resorting to speculation.

The fact of the matter is this: Jesus died, took His body to Hell, or Abraham’s bosom, or both, and then came back to earth before going to be with the Father in heaven. Because Jesus came to die for the sins of men, his death signified a change for those who are “in Christ” when they die. No longer do men have to wait in Abraham’s bosom for their sins to be paid for. It has been accomplished by His sacrifice.

MODERN DAY SAINTS

The modern day believer has two possibilities: if he is alive when Jesus returns, Jesus will glorify his body, and he will be with Jesus forever. This is referred to as “being clothed” (2 Cor. 5:3-4).

The second option is to die before Christ returns, at which point we are immediately with Christ in spirit. You may have heard the phrase, “absent from the body, present with the Lord,” (2 Cor 5:8). This is what has happened when we attend a believer’s funeral. This is referred to as being “unclothed” or “naked.”

1 Cor 4:16 – 5:10 discuss this matter. Earthly bodies are tents, but heavenly bodies are buildings. We feel uncomfortable when we do not have a body, therefore we would prefer option 1, so that “what is mortal my be swallowed up by life” (2 Cor 5:4).

1 Thes 4:15 says “We who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.” Those who have died are already with Jesus, (absent from the body, present with the Lord). They got there (heaven, with Jesus) by leaving their bodies on earth. I believe that when Christ returns is when those believers who are with Jesus get their glorified bodies. At that point, the living believers will join Christ in heaven and their bodies will also be glorified. Phil 3:20-21 says that we “await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body….” 1 Cor 15:50-58 says that corruption is changed into incorruptibility. That is to say our dying bodies are glorified. Compare Jude 24; Eph 5:27; Col 1:22; Rom 8:18, 21, 29-30; 1 Jn 3:2; 4:2.

Revelation 20:7-13 shows how that even the souls in Hades (Hell) are put back into their bodies (which have been resurrected) and then they are judged for their works. John 5:25-29 confirms this: “….and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

CONCLUSION:

Hell is a place designed for the Devil and his followers, angelic or human. It is a prison. All men deserve to go there for their failure to live a perfect life.

There have always been those who have faith, and in faith these saints follow God. God has been merciful and gracious enough to prepare a place for them to await their redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ. This place is known as Abraham’s bosom.

After sin had been paid for by Jesus’ blood, the saints were now able to be with Jesus in spirit. When Jesus returns to earth, these spirits will regain their physical bodies in a glorified state, and the believers on earth will immediately go to Jesus, their bodies being glorified in the process.

The dead in hell will also receive their bodies, and will await judgment.

These seem to be the basic way God deals with the souls of men.

Pastor Brian Cox

Zombie Church

Brian Cox — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:38:01 +0000

“I know your record and what you are doing;

You are supposed to be alive, but [in reality] you are dead.”

–Jesus to the church at Sardis, Rev 3:1b AMP.

Well, that doesn’t seem to be very loving….

Or does it? Who are we sympathizing with? The walking dead or those who are truly alive? And what about the walking dead….is there hope?

First of all, Jesus is the God of second chances. Yes, there is hope. But let’s take a close look at ourselves, our friends, and our church and see if Jesus could say these same words to us today.

While the church is supposed to be alive, seems to be doing the work of the living, and has been known as the living “body” of Christ who is Himself the “way, the truth and the life,” (Jn 14:6) the scripture says that this particular church is dead. It is a church in name only, and is therefore posing as a church of life. But Jesus is not tricked: “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead,” (ESV).

What are the marks of a church that is alive? What does the real body of Christ look like?

Christians are to be:

Crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20)
Dead to the world with Jesus (Rom 6:3-4)
Putting away the old life (which is no life) (2 Cor 5:17)
Living for Christ (Phil 1:21; Rom 6:4-5; Col 3:1-2; 1 Cor 15:22)

Many groups of people start out right, but don’t finish well. They have a great start, but end up becoming something less than their original, inspired vision. They end up having a form of godliness, but without the power (2 Tim 3:5). They substitute church programs for spiritual activity. They appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones (Mat 23:27). They substitute the making of disciples with the making of church members.

Hey, it happens to a lot of us. We tend to get in a groove and lose our focus. We walk away from seeing who we really are and end up thinking we are someone else (Jas 1:23). Religion feels like an acceptable substitute for a real, spiritual relationship with Jesus, but that’s a lie from the enemy.

What do we do when we realize the zombie is us?

If we continue to read the rest of Revelation 3, we will see that Jesus calls the church to repent (change our minds about your sin (and that includes not doing what you know you should be doing), to turn from our wickedness, and to walk with Jesus in truth). We also need to remember the Biblical truth that we have been taught, and keep that truth. We need to avoid dirtying our garments by sliding backwards into sin. We need REVIVAL!

Let me encourage you: Walk with Jesus. He will never leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5).

Pastor Brian Cox

Do-Over?

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:32:22 +0000

Baptism is a fascinating topic. There are so many things tied into this simple act, that it could be discussed in depth for days. Recently I have been asked, “Should I get re-baptized?”

The answer to that hinges on one question: “Was your initial baptism a true baptism?”

In Acts 19:1-5, Paul finds 12 men who were baptized, but were not baptized with the correct baptism. These men were called disciples, but had to be re-baptized. Therefore, it is possible that you can be well-intentioned and previously baptized, but not truly baptized. If this is the case, then you must be re-baptized.

But how do I know if my first Baptism was true or not?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Was I baptized as a result of faith in Christ? Baptism is for those who believe the Gospel of Jesus (Mark 16:16). If you did not know the Gospel, and if you did not have faith in the saving work of Christ, then your baptism was not genuine. Infants, for instance, do not have faith in Christ. Those who were baptized into a religion (rather than into Christ) are also not genuinely baptized.

Was I baptized as a result of repentance? Was I, when I was baptized, ready to turn around from my sin? Was I ready to hate my sin, leave it behind, and follow Christ? Acts 2:38 makes it clear that repentance must precede baptism. Repentance is not simply confession: saying what you did was wrong is not enough. You must change your mind about you sinful lifestyle, and decide to follow Jesus instead of following sin.

Was I immersed? True baptism reflects identification with the death of Christ, as represented by passing under the water (Rom 6:3-4). The Roman rite of sprinkling was to prevent infants from coming to harm. This improper form of baptism does not reflect the candidate’s self-association with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I would do some self-searching in other areas as well. Could it be that you are asking yourself these questions because you are afraid of being baptized? Ask yourself these tough questions:

Am I looking for a reason not to get re-baptized?

Am I looking to glorify God or avoid embarrassment?

Am I worried what others will think of me, or am I worried about obeying God?

Do I really want to be obedient to God, or do I want to skate by on what I consider to be the minimum requirements of Christianity?

I ask you these questions because they went through my mind at some point. We are people who worry about how we will be viewed by others. But I can make you one guarantee: There will be rejoicing in heaven and in the body of believers when you are baptized. Everyone present (and I mean EVERYONE!) will be enthusiastically supportive of you as you make this necessary leap of faith to show to one and all that you have decided to die to self and live for Christ.

I was baptized as a child. I was baptized into a religion. I was not repentant. I had no faith in Christ.

Because of all that, I was re-baptized as an adult. I was nervous! I was wondering what people would think of me. But all my fears ended up being wasted time (usually the case, by the way) because it was one of the most memorable days of my life, and a pivotal juncture in my relationship with Jesus.

Be baptized for real with TLC this Fourth of July!

Pastor B

More Scriptures about Baptism: Matt 3:13-16; Eph 4:4-5; Rom 6:3-5; 1 Pet 3:21; Col 2:12; John 3:1-5; Acts 8:26-40; Gal 3:26-27; Mark 16:15-16; Titus 3:5; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 22:16

New Building & New Service Times!

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 06:24:32 +0000

New New New! We are excited to announce the grand opening of our new church building right in the heart of Tempe! In the midst of Bars, Smoke Shops & Rebels is a humble church with a passion to reach out to anything with the gospel. Take a look at the remolding video (above) and we invite you to come check out one of our sunday services. Sundays 10:30AM & 6:00PM.

Jesus Gets A Makeover

Brian Cox — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:03:42 +0000

Imagine your buddy tells you that he has found the love of his life. He shows you pictures of her, and describes her personality and her voice. Her name is Julie, and works in a pharmacy. She went to school at U of A and has a large family in Chandler. Julie is the “life of the party,” and loves to be in the spotlight. He tells you all about her, and she sounds amazing. As you spend time with him, listening to his stories, you develop a picture of her in your head. You imagine her as he has described her, and you look forward to meeting this awesome person.

When you meet her, however, you realize that something is wrong. It’s not the girl from the picture! She acts differently than your friend described her. Her personality is totally different. When you confront him about it, your friend tells you he photo-shopped the image to be the way he wanted it to be.

Wow!

You decide to find out how far off your buddy is in his representation of this so-called “love of his life.” You talk with this lady and find out some things about her. She has a very small family, and is kind of shy. She went to school ASU, waits tables at Village Inn, and likes to read. And her name is not Julie—it’s Jenica.

The more you talk with Jenica, you find out she’s an awesome, beautiful, sensitive, amazing woman. She knows what your buddy has been up to, and it breaks her heart. She wants to be loved for who she is, and not who your buddy wants her to be. She is leaving him, and you don’t blame her for it.

Do you have the scenario in your head? Do you have the picture?

OK. Now imagine it’s you misrepresenting the person of Christ.

The Israelites tried to do this when Moses was on the mountain talking with God. They built an image, and idol of gold, and they said “these are your gods, Israel, who have brought you up out of Egypt” (Ex. 32:8 ESV).

Do you think Jesus would be happy with who we portray Him to be? Do you think that it really matters? Do you think God cares what you do to His reputation and His name?

Why do we show the world a false Jesus?

We don’t know who He is. Maybe we think God is happy to be called “Julie”, or Buddha, or Ganesha, or Mother Earth. Maybe we think it’s OK if we are Muslim or Jewish or pantheistic. Maybe we think that God doesn’t care how we view him.

We don’t know His word. Maybe we know that Jesus is the only way, but we follow the traditions of men rather than His inspired word. Maybe we think He’s too busy for us, so we need to pray to his mom. Maybe we think the devil is his brother. If we think these things, we are not worshiping Jesus.
We fear men. We are afraid that people won’t like the real Jesus, and won’t like us for worshiping Him. We are afraid of what people will say. We care more about them than we do about God.

We are gold-diggers. We worship the true God for the wrong reasons. We find the richest God and worship him, not because of who He is, but because of the fringe benefits.

We want to live our own lives. It was necessary for the Israelites to create a false god so that they could live according to their own standards. They wanted to party, so they needed a God who was cool with that. Solution? Attribute all the good things in your life that come from God to a god of your own making. Then, follow that god however you want to.

We are selfish. This is probably the main reason, and the one on which all the other reasons hinge. We don’t want God to be happy with us, we want to be happy with the god of our choosing. We want to create God in our image. We want Him to be relevant to our culture, even though He is the creator of all men. We want Him to be super tolerant so that we can live how we want to live. We want him to be made of clay, so that we can mold him to suit the needs of our situation.

We are ashamed of God. We want to photoshop Him so that He is more presentable to our friends.

How do you think God feels about people who do these things? How do you think God feels about you?

If you are guilty of misrepresenting Jesus, repent and get right with God. He is waiting to forgive you because He loves you so much.

But remember: there is only one God of the universe. His name is Jesus. He is perfect. His perfection is a combination of love, justice, peace, wrath, mercy, grace, to name a few. He is picured in the Bible as water, oil, and fire. He is never portrayed as a pushover God who is OK with your sin or your misrepresentation of Him.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” –Acts 4:12

Click to hear Mrs. Karen Shaffer singing about Jesus.

Pastor B

Falling in Love with Jesus

Brian Cox — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 08:06:18 +0000

It was a blessing to have Mr. Bailey Shaffer and his lovely wife Karen join us at TLC on the 20th of February. I called her up for an impromptu song at the end of service, and was so blessed. The Shaffers are an amazing example of the best way to blend brains and faith, talent and tact, wisdom and boldness, strength and love. Thanks for being an example to Wyndi and I and to the TLC family!

Pastor B

Click to hear Mrs. Karen Shaffer sing FALLING IN LOVE WITH JESUS

Panis Angelicus

Brian Cox — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:45:44 +0000

A facebook friend recently reminded me of the amazing voice of Andrea Bocelli by posting a clip of him singing Elmo to sleep on Sesame Street.

Yeah, that’s pretty random. Hang in there for a sec….

I was flipping through some of the wonderful performances of his, and came across Panis Angelicus, an amazing composition that I first fell in love with when I heard Luciano Pavarotti perform it. (How is it that Italy produces the best tenors?) When I first heard the piece, my Latin was sketchy at best and my theology was non-existent.

Panis Angelicus means “angel’s bread.” It is a reference to Psalm 78:24-25 which says, “He (God) rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven. Man did eat the bread of angels” (NASB).

Imagine you live back in the day when you are a slave baking bricks and building pyramids for the brutal king of Egypt. You are set free by the miraculous works of God. You witness the ten plagues and live to cross the Red Sea on foot. You follow the presence of God at night by a pillar of fire; by day you follow a pillar of smoke. You have seen great things by a great God who shakes the mountains and crushed the most powerful military machine on earth.

But you’re a little short on granola bars.

Not having food is no joke. No wonder they wanted to go back to Egypt, back to slavery so that their bellies could be filled (Ex. 16:2-3). No wonder they said, why save us to starve us?

End of story: God sends little honey-crackers from heaven. It’s miracle food: it rots every day except Saturday, where it somehow doubles it’s shelf-life. But this isn’t good enough for Israel. They don’t want to live free. They want to live enslaved with cheeseburgers (Num. 21:5).

Moral of story: God saves His people and leads them to a land of promise that is flowing with milk and honey. But on the way, you are going to be hungry, and God will provide for you and sustain you through the hard times. He will make new miracles for you. But you will desire luxuries of the flesh more than the freedom from the flesh.

Purpose of story: Jesus said to read the Old Testament because it’s all about him. Jesus is the bread from heaven.

Jesus said that he was the bread of life (John 6:51-54). When we take communion, we symbolize how his broken body sustains us; how his blood saves us, how his sacrifice justifies us. The bread we eat is striped and pierced to demonstrate how Jesus’ body was whipped and impaled. The bread is without yeast to demonstrate how Jesus was without sin.

Paul warns us: “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.

“Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY.” Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Cor. 10:1-12 NASB).

Panis angelicus           [Bread of Angels (Manna from heaven)]
fit panis hominum;    [made the Bread of men]
Dat panis caelicus        [The Bread of heaven]
figuris terminum: [puts an end to all symbols:]
O res mirabilis!       [A wonderful thing!]
manducat Dominum       [The Lord becomes our food]
Pauper, pauper, servus, et humilis;     [poor, a servant, and humble,]

Pastor Brian Cox

Loose Tooth

admin — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:17:23 +0000

My daughter Zoe freaked out a little bit last night while brushing her teeth before bed. One of her lower front teeth was about to come out, and she must have jarred it while brushing.

She came running to me holding her mouth in an odd manner, tears filling and spilling out of her wide, fearful eyes. She was crying hysterically.

So I tried to comfort her, told her that she had better get mommy, and went to get my needle nose pliers. We got her to lay down on the bed and tried to get her to calm down. She refused to let me get the tooth, though. She was too scared.

I was rather frustrated at the situation. When dads (and probably men in general) hear crying females, we translate that as “you should be fixing this.” So I got my tools. This was not quite what she had in mind.

Reflecting on this situation reminded me of a sermon I heard at one time. (I wish I could remember who it was I was listening to or reading, but the author of this illustration eludes me.) Let’s compare our lives to a house. When we need something fixed, we often call on Jesus to fix the problem. Usually, we try to fix it ourselves, but when the problem is severe, we cry out to Jesus. However, once the crisis is over, we show Jesus the door. The cool thing about Jesus, though, is that He came to stay. He’s moving from room to room and fixing other problems. Next thing you know, He starts knocking down walls, moving things around, and generally making a mess of your house. We aren’t always happy with this.

“Wait!” we say. “I like this room! I’m comfortable in here! What are You doing?”

Jesus responds, “I’m making this place better. You invited me into you life because it was a mess, but I’m going to give you complete joy. In order to do this, we’ve gotta knock some of this stuff down. I’m going to make this place into a wonderful house where we can live together forever…a mansion! Just try to look past the mess into what we are trying to accomplish. Every remodel starts with demolition.”

Aren’t we all in the middle of a remodel? I wonder if we recognize our problems for what they are. 1 Pet. 1:6-9 says: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” NLT

So when you run to your heavenly Father with a loose tooth, let Him pull it out! You love Him, don’t you? Then trust Him! Cooperate with your sanctification! “There is wonderful joy ahead” if you do!

⁶ So be truly glad.^[b] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. ⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

⁸ You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. ⁹ The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Song of Songs

Brian Cox — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:17:00 +0000

The Song of Solomon is a passionate book.

Some say it’s an allegory, some say it’s a story. Others make it out to be an anthology, while yet others think of it as a marriage manual. Some say it describes God and Israel, while others say it describes Jesus and the church.

I like to think it’s all of those things!

Ephesians 5 discusses how men and women should love and treat each other. Verse 32 says, “This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one” (NLT). Since we are part of the body of Christ, let’s talk about how this book of Solomon can speak to today’s church individually and corporately.

The girl in the story progresses in her understanding of the relationship between herself and her lover. Notice the following three scriptures. All of these are the girl (i.e. the church, you and me,) speaking:

“My lover is mine, and I am his” Song 2:16a.
“I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine” Song 6:3a.
“I am my lover’s and he claims me as his own: Song 7:10.

Having a few years of marriage under my belt, I recognize this progression fairly clearly. The first level of attraction is often physical, infatuated, and somewhat selfish. “My lover is mine….” My needs take priority. This is my girl/guy.

The next stage switches the focus. Now, the lover comes first. “I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine.” Here, “we belong to each other.” “We’re made for each other.” The idea of mutual involvement in the relationship is growing for the better. There is less emphasis on self.

The final stage is selfless. It is a realization that the reason we exist is to serve the object of our affection. “I am my lover’s and he claims me as his own.” Notice there is no mention here about what I get out of it.

How does this work with our relationship with God?

When I was born again, I though that it was me who did it. I thought I had made a great choice, and that Jesus was now mine. I said the prayer, and decided that I would now be a Christian.

As I got into the Word, though, I realized that even the faith I had to believe in God was a gift from God. (“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Eph 2:8) I realized that I love because He loved me first. (”We love because he loved us first.” 1 John 4:19) He was the instigator, not me.

Finally, I realize that I belong to God and He claims me as His own. AND THAT BLOWS MY MIND! I’m so totally okay with that, I can’t even tell you! I have been purchased by the blood of Christ, and I have entered into a relationship with Him where my will is inconsequential. I would rather do His bidding than anything else.

And you want to know the kicker?

When I put Him first, He gives me the desires of my heart.

And if He didn’t?

It wouldn’t even matter.

Pastor Brian Cox