"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 3:22)
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Resurrection Morning – April 17, 2022 – Billings, Montana
THE RESURRECTION
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they (the women who witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion) went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’ And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest” (Luke 24:1-9 ESV).
On this Resurrection Sunday morning may we, as the women did, seek the Lord Jesus Christ, and find Him, not dead, but live forevermore; not lying in a tomb waiting for His body to be anointed with spices, but risen from the dead so that He may anoint us with the Holy Spirit that we may receive the gift of salvation that He purchased for us by the shedding of His blood upon the Cross, the Perfect Sacrifice that allows us to be raised from our “tomb” of death sealed with our sins and transgressions, to enter into eternal life with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:4-7).
This is such a well-known story that we may sometimes overlook what was happening here. When this story is told it is related in such a way as to make it appear that Mary and Joseph were strangers in Bethlehem and that Mary had the Baby almost immediately upon arrival. But a closer look may shed a different light upon it.
First, because of the way the story reads it is unlikely Joseph was frantically looking for a place to lodge for the night because the birth of Jesus was imminent. The text reads…
“that while they were there (Bethlehem), the days were completed for her to give birth”.
It is interesting to note that the One who would later call Himself the Bread of Life began His life in a manger in a town called Bethlehem which means House of Bread.
In all likelihood Mary and Joseph had been lodging in the stable for a few days before Jesus was born. Second, the stable probably belonged to someone in Joseph’s family. It is not reasonable to assume that Joseph just decided to pick up and go to Bethlehem with a wife far advanced in pregnancy without at least attempting to make some arrangements. Also, Bethlehem was Joseph’s hometown and as such he likely had relatives there that would put him up if possible. That they ended up in a stable with a manger as Jesus’ crib does not contradict this scenario at all.
The word “inn” used above has twice been translated as “guest room”. When the disciples asked Jesus where they were to prepare the Passover Supper near the end of His ministry He said…
“Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples”’” (Mark 14:13-14)?
Thus, the inn where there was no room for Mary and Joseph was likely the guest room of one of their relatives. Other relatives seeking a place to stay while in Bethlehem probably already occupied it, but like any good host a place was found for them – a stable.
Hospitality is a virtue underscored in the Bible. Abraham at one time extended hospitality to three men that turned out to be two angels and the Lord Himself.
“And when he (Abraham) lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, ‘My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.’ And they said, ‘So do, as you have said’” (Genesis 18:1-5).
Abraham did not know who these men were; he just knew they were travelers who needed a time of rest and refreshment. This incident is referred to in the New Testament when it speaks of the love Christians are to show to others.
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).
Even Job, during one of his speeches to justify himself to his friends said…
“The alien has not lodged outside, for I have opened my doors to the traveler” (Job 31:32).
In such a culture for Joseph’s relatives to turn him away would have almost been unforgivable. Of course if they had known that the Baby within Mary’s womb was the Messiah, the guest room (inn) would have likely been made available and the current occupant would have been placed in the stable. Instead, we see that at the very beginning of the Lord Jesus’ life His head was not laid upon the pillow of an honored guest, but in a manger in a stable.
It is interesting to note that the One who would later call Himself the Bread of Life began His life in a manger in a town called Bethlehem which means House of Bread.He lay where fodder was put to feed the animals. They would come to the manger expecting to be fed that they might live. This same Jesus later told the Jews…
“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh” (John 6:51).
Jesus’ purpose on earth was to save lost, dead mankind and this He accomplished through His own death on the Cross and His resurrection from the tomb. To commemorate this we now celebrate the Lord’s Supper. How fitting that the Savior of the world would be introduced to the world lying in a manger.
Just as Jesus was not welcomed into the guest room when He was born because He was not recognized as the Messiah, neither was He given the proper respect later.
In the house of a Pharisee named Simon he was treated rudely and it took a prostitute who had made her way into Simon’s home to expose his behavior for what it was.
“And turning toward the woman, He (Jesus) said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume’” (Luke 7:44-46).
The common courtesy given to a house guest was denied Jesus. This Pharisee’s home was no place for Jesus to find rest or a place to lay His head.
When you invite a friends into your home your desire is to see to their needs. You ask them to sit down. Perhaps you offer them a drink, to stay and eat, or even spend the night if they are far from home. You visit with them, ask them about themselves, and spend time sharing common interests. Your goal is to make them as comfortable as possible so they will leave refresh, rested, and looking forward to the next time you meet.
We all long for fellowship like this; to know there is a place we can go and be accepted and welcomed. Jesus would have been no different, but just as He found Himself outside the home when He was born, so He was much of His life.
His life, with all the miracles He performed and with all the crowds that followed Him, may have looked glamorous to some who saw only superficially, not realizing the loneliness that Jesus experienced day by day. This is poignantly expressed by Jesus one day as He was traveling.
“And as they were going along the road, someone said to Him, ‘I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’” (Luke 9:57-58).
How sad this truly is. Here was a Man that welcomed tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners into His presence; here was a Man who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, soundness of limb to the lame, and even raised the dead, but He had no place to lay His head. Even those who believed in Him while on the earth could not identify with Him. They often mistook what He said and twisted His words.
When you are feeling isolated because you think no one understands you remember Jesus. He too experienced loneliness, misunderstanding, and even slander. Yet, He did it willingly, but with an awareness that we often do not have.
“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25).
So desperate are we for companionship or fellowship at times that we, seeking a place to rest emotionally, turn to one we regard as a close friend to pour our hearts out to, only to find he does not understand or makes light of our plight or worse, uses this knowledge of us to harm us later if he becomes angry with us.
It is no wonder Jesus was a Man of prayer. The isolation He would have experienced on the earth would have driven Him to the mountains to seek His Father’s face; for it was there that He could find a place to lay His head and rest and be refreshed.
You may be thinking that Jesus did have a place to rest, to lay His head, while on the earth. It is logical to think he stayed with Peter from time to time since we know He healed Peter’s mother-in-law once while in his home. And He certainly was welcomed into the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. And no doubt there were others willing to offer Him a meal to eat or even a room in which to sleep. After all, the Upper Room, as it is called, where He shared His last Passover meal with His disciples, was such a place. As pointed out earlier the word “room” here is the same Greek word used as “inn” spoken of at the time of Jesus’ birth. So if Jesus did have places to go to rest how could He say…
“the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58)?
Certainly Jesus had physical locations that were open to Him to stay and sleep and thus, lay His head, even though as we have previously pointed out, that rest did not include the rest afforded those who have someone close to them that they can talk with openly and honestly, expecting them to understand. Even though Jesus may have risen from sleep physically refreshed, His soul and spirit would not have received the rejuvenation they required. Only the heavenly Father could do that.
Structures made of wood and stone, even if they are covered with silver and gold and studded with diamonds and other precious stones can never be a home for the Lord. He finds no place to lay His head and find rest in such places.
Also, throughout the last two thousand years beautiful cathedrals and churches have been built with the architects no doubt sure that the Lord would find them acceptable homes for Him – a place to lay His head. But this is very superficial thinking. Nor is it a new thought. In fact it is very old.
The Jews built a magnificent temple in Jerusalem for the Lord and the took great pride in it. But a building remains a building regardless of how beautiful or brilliantly designed it may be.
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest’” (Isaiah 66:1)?
Even the magnificence of the temple Solomon built could not contain the living God. Having finished the temple Solomon saw that it was awesome and unparalleled in craftsmanship. Nevertheless he wisely remarked…
“But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built” (2 Chronicles 6:18).
Structures made of wood and stone, even if they are covered with silver and gold and studded with diamonds and other precious stones can never be a home for the Lord. He finds no place to lay His head and find rest in such places.
Where then, if anywhere, has Jesus found a place to lay His head? Is He now in Heaven saying, “I have no place to lay my head”? The answer is no. Jesus now has a place to lay His head.
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it’” (Matthew 16:13-18).
When the Lord said He had no place to lay His head, He was not referring to physically laying His head down. It goes beyond that. When we speak of laying our hands upon someone we are speaking of conveying encouragement, strength, compassion, a blessing, or even a gift upon them. Likewise, when Jesus spoke of not having a place to lay His head He was inferring that there was no place upon this earth where His HEADSHIP was recognized or accepted.
The fact some people thought that Jesus might be a reincarnation of one of the prophets revealed the blindness within them. Jesus further emphasized this blindness when He was teaching in the Temple one day.
“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘Then how does David in the Spirit call Him “Lord,” saying, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I put Thine enemies beneath Thy feet’”? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?’” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question” (Matthew 22:41-46).
What the Jews did not understand was that the Messiah was to be God in the flesh. But because they thought the Messiah would simply be a man, albeit an extraordinary man, they could not understand how King David could call one of his descendents “Lord”.
Two thousand years later the Jews are still looking for their Messiah and they are still looking for a man. On a TV talk show some years ago a rabbi described the Messiah as someone who could fail math in the 5th grade. In other words a mere human. Because of this belief Jesus had no place to lay His head, no place He could call home because they refused to recognize His right of headship. Indeed, Jesus told the Jews…
“you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you” (John 8:37).
Though He spoke words of life to those around Him, revealing the way to be reconciled with the Father, they rejected His words. Jesus is described as the Word in John chapter one; thus, when they rejected His words, they rejected Him.
However, since the confession of Peter that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus now has a place to lay His head and He continues to expand it. This was planned from long ago in the heart of the Father.
“Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me’” (Hebrews 10:5).
This Body that has been prepared for Jesus is the Church; not a building, for we have seen the futility of thinking the God of the universe can be limited to a physical building, but rather living stones, Christians, that are being fitted together to become the Temple of God; a Temple with Jesus as the Head.
As a Baby in the manger Jesus rested His head upon straw. Straw is that which is what remains after the heads of the wheat are harvested. Think about this. The heads of wheat that had been harvested from the straw upon which Jesus lay His head as a newborn baby had fed the bodies of those who harvested it and others. Symbolically, Jesus became the new head of wheat of the straw upon which He lay, but it was a head of wheat that was to become the Bread of Life to feed the spirits of His creation. Yet, it was not until His creation recognized Him as Lord and Savior, recognized His headship, that they could partake of this special food.
We may offer sacrifices of time, money, or talent to the Lord, in essence trying to purchase a room for Jesus in our lives, but we find the price is too high and all we have succeeded in doing is laying Jesus in a manger, away from the day to day activities that we engage in.
For too long man wandered aimlessly searching for something to fill the void within him. Yet the heart of some was full of sin and no room was found for Jesus. For others their heart was full of religion and no room was found for Jesus. For others their heart was full of good works and no room was found for Jesus.
For too long we have thought how unkind, how thoughtless, how unjust it was for Jesus to be placed in a stable at His birth when in truth we have done the same thing. Desiring to fill the void within we have rejected the One thing that could fill it and give us peace. We do not allow the Lord Jesus to lay His head upon our hearts because there is no room for Him. We have consigned Him to the “stable” of our lives so that He is close by, but not so close as to make us uncomfortable with His presence.
Speaking to the Christians in Corinth Paul said…
“Make room for us in your hearts” (2 Corinthians 7:2).
Paul desired to share his life with the Corinthians, but the only way that could happen was if they opened their hearts to him. So it is with the Lord and us. We have to make room. That does not mean we have to get everything right in our lives first and then invite Jesus in. On the contrary He is waiting for us to acknowledge our inability to clean up our heart and to acknowledge that it is full of sin. The Psalmist understood this and recognized there was nothing he could do to win God’s favor. He said…
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” (Psalms 51:17).
We may offer sacrifices of time, money, or talent to the Lord, in essence trying to purchase a room for Jesus in our lives, but we find the price is too high and all we have succeeded in doing is laying Jesus in a manger, away from the day to day activities that we engage in. Only when our heart is broken by the Lord and we acknowledge in humility our inability to save ourselves is room made for Jesus to lay His head upon our hearts.
“For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ‘I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite’” (Isaiah 57:15).
Jesus will not lay His head upon the heart of the proud, for the proud reject the headship of Jesus, preferring instead to rely upon their own ability to save themselves. It is only with the humble, the poor in spirit, that the headship of Jesus is established and a place is found to lay His head.
After Jesus had told the Jews that they must drink His blood and eat His flesh in order to obtain eternal life many turned away from following Him. They found His words offensive.
“Jesus said therefore to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom we shall go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God’” (John 6:67-69).
Once again it is Peter that proclaims the deity of Jesus and begins to make room in his heart for Him to lay His head there.
What about us? If Jesus were to stand before us would He be able to say, “Yes, I live in this one. I have found lodging here.” Or would He have to say, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58)? Jesus said…
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).
Make room for Jesus – He has made room for you.
If you are pro-life I strongly encourage you to see the movie “Gosnell – The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer”. I also strongly encourage church groups to see this movie. The movie powerfully tells the true story of prolific and late-term abortionist, Kermit Gosnell, without being overly or unnecessarily graphic or sensationalized. Go see this movie and take someone with you.
Gosnell ran an abortion mill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for decades. But this abortion mill was in reality a House of Horrors. The staff was untrained and unlicensed; teenage girls administered powerful drugs to the patients as well as performing the duties of an anesthesiologist when needed. The premises were filthy, medical instruments were repeatedly used without being sterilized, blood was splattered on the floors and medical equipment, cats ran loose throughout the clinic, the severed feet of murdered babies were kept in jars, and dead babies were stuffed in plastic bags and strewn about in hallways and even put in a refrigerator that food was placed in.
Yet, Gosnell ran this House of Horrors without fear of prosecution, or even inspections, by the Philadelphia Health Department for decades because cowardly, politically correct bureaucrats turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Gosnell which included not only the unsanitary conditions already mentioned, but the death of a woman resulting from the abortion of her child. Why? What were these politicians, these bureaucrats so afraid of that for 17 years Gosnell’s House of Horrors was considerable untouchable?
Abortion was, and is, a powerful and well-funded evil industry that has bought and paid for, via campaign contributions, the support of government officials who become compliant and effective pawns in a game of life and death for innocent babies. Scared and fearful of their pro-abortion masters they meekly take their orders from them, voting to protect their interests – regardless of how horrific those interests might be.
Thus, Gosnell was virtually untouchable – until he came under suspicion of illegally purchasing the drugs he used in his abortion mill. That suspicion inadvertently led to Gosnell’s trial as America’s biggest serial killer, a trial that was, disgracefully, almost totally ignored by the Mainstream Media at first – another indication of the power and influence of the abortion industry in America. But justice did prevail and that is what this movie is about.
Earlier, I encouraged pro-life individuals and churches to see this movie. Now, I want to challenge those who are pro-abortion to see it. If you can watch this movie and remain pro-abortion you need to check your pulse because if you can watch this movie about a real-life serial killer and still support abortion you may just discover that your body is alive, but that your soul is on life-support and that your spirit is dead.
SOMETHING WENT TERRIBLY WRONG
With the school shooting in Florida a few months ago came a barrage of anti-gun propaganda in an attempt to convince us that guns are a source of the violence that needs to be controlled by the government. But alongside the anti-gun propaganda comes an even more malicious lie that has been gaining more and more traction as time goes on, a lie fueled by the fact that these notorious shootings have been committed by males. What is that lie? That masculinity is toxic, so toxic in fact that masculinity, like guns, must be controlled by whatever means necessary.
The fallacy of that belief was confronted by a gentleman named Joseph Dobrian in an article he wrote for www.press-citizen.com that was posted on Facebook. He said, “The problem isn’t guns, it’s how our society treats boys”. I felt the article was worth sharing so I posted it on my page. Subsequently, someone posted a comment (respectfully given) on my Facebook page disputing Dobrian’s conclusions that boys and men masculine traits, such as aggressiveness, is toxic and responsible for society’s ills. Thus, males need to be medicated and encouraged to be more like females.
After reading the comment I felt it deserved to be answered in a more detailed manner than a simple sentence or two due to the seriousness of the issue.
I realize that speaking about masculinity in a positive light is a contentious issue and I hesitated to offer my opinion, but after praying about this I felt the attack upon males needed to be exposed and hopefully seen for what it is: one of Satan’s schemes to destroy men, family, and society.
Therefore, what follows is my respond to the comment. I have copied the comment that was posted on Facebook page so that my respond can be read in context.
I begin by quoting the comment made to the original post on my Facebook page…
“I’m not sure that I can find much in this that is factual. Dobrian misses the number of mass shootings by a factor of 400 and just about everything else comes from posture and not scientific evidence.
“Masculinity isn’t under attack. I’m a masculine heterosexual man and I strongly support feminism.
“Women’s rights in no way hinders my manhood.
“I think we live in a world where people can make terrible impulsive decisions, and putting regulations in place may prevent those people from making the biggest mistake of there (sic) lives.”
And now my response…
Actually, masculinity is under attack.
I, too, am a masculine, heterosexual man and I strongly oppose the feminist movement that began in the late 60’s and early 70’s, not because I hate women, but because the feminist movement today has very little, if anything, to do with women achieving equals rights with men – something that I believe is already a reality (name one right men have that women don’t have) – and because the feminist movement has a foundational role in the destruction of the nuclear family as defined as consisting of one man and one woman united into lifelong marriage. And the feminist movement’s main weapon in destroying the family is to demonize men and blur the God-created distinctions between male and female.
Listen to some quotes (and there are hundreds more) of feminists:
“I feel that ‘man-hating’ is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them.” — Robin Morgan, Ms. Magazine Editor
“I want to see a man beaten to a bloody pulp with a high-heel shoved in his mouth, like an apple in the mouth of a pig.” – Andrea Dworkin
“The proportion of men must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race.” — Sally Miller Gearhart
“Rape is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear” – Susan Brownmiller
“The more famous and powerful I get the more power I have to hurt men.” — Sharon Stone
“In a patriarchal society, all heterosexual intercourse is rape because women, as a group, are not strong enough to give meaningful consent.” — Catherine MacKinnon
“All men are rapists and that’s all they are” — Marilyn French
In a 2010 Times Magazine article, feminist Catherine Comins’ beliefs concerning men falsely accused of rape were summed up by the interviewer in these words: “Men who are unjustly accused of rape can sometimes gain from the experience.”
Imagine for one moment these same statements being said by men about women. Listen to what some of them would sound like:
“I feel that “woman-hating is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them.”
“I want to see a woman beaten to a bloody pulp with a high-heel shoved in her mouth, like an apple in the mouth of a pig.”
“The proportion of women must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race.”
And so on.
The rightness or wrongness of one’s beliefs can often be determined by simply substituting the opposite gender into one’s thoughts, words, or statements.
The feminist movement is an attack upon masculinity by having ushered in abortion on demand, more specifically abortion on demand by females. Males have absolutely no say in whether the mother choses to murder his child or not – even if the mother is his wife. (Tragically, abortion is also an attack upon femininity in that more female babies are murdered than male babies.)
The feminist movement is an attack upon masculinity by having helped to enact “No-Fault” divorce which allows one of the spouses to divorce the other for no reason. Interestingly, since No-Fault divorce has become the law of the land women instigate divorce proceedings more frequently than men by a wide margin. One reason for this is perhaps because divorce courts overwhelmingly favor the mother over the father when it comes to child custody, in some cases effectively shutting out the father’s ability to interact with his child if the mother accuses (not proves) him of domestic violence, which brings up the next point.
The feminist movement is an attack upon masculinity by helping spread the lie that all, or almost all, domestic violence is committed by males against females. Yet, studies have shown that females, in almost equal numbers, commit domestic violence against males. It’s a truth that is rarely spoken out loud and one that feminists do not want spoken lest it be believed.
And female violence against males isn’t limited to domestic situations. No doubt you remember the Abu Ghraib prison incident during the Iraq war when the male prisoners were sexually humiliated and abused – by male AND female guards. But how many know or remember that the Brigadier General in charge of the prison was a woman. Her punishment for allowing this violence and degradation against men was to be demoted to colonel. Imagine if it were female prisoners who have been violated and degraded as these male prisoners were and the person in charge of the prison were a male. His punishment would likely have been more severe than a demotion in military rank – and rightfully so.
The feminist movement is an attack upon masculinity (and femininity) in that it has been instrumental in preparing the cultural soil in America (and around the world) for the growth of sexual perversion resulting in the normalization of homosexuality which inevitably leads (indeed, has already begun to lead) to the normalization of even more preserve forms of sexual perversion such as the legalization of pedophilia and bestiality. Another fruit from this attack upon masculinity is the blurring of the sexes to the point that male and female are no longer clearly defined, thus, resulting in the transgender epidemic we are experiencing.
The feminist movement is an attack upon masculinity in that male nouns and pronouns and even words that contain the letters “man” or “men” are now offensive and to be muted if not completed eliminated. “He” is no longer considered a politically correct generic pronoun, referencing both males and females at times, as it has throughout history. To be politically correct we must now use phrases such as “He and/or she” and “Humankind” rather than “Mankind”.
Some have gone so far as to create pseudo pronouns in an attempt to emasculate language. For example, in order for feminists to express their independence from men and being defined by referencing masculinity, the pronoun “woman” is replaced by “womban” and “womon”, and “women” is replaced by “womyn” and “wimmin”.
The intent to take “man” and “men” out of words is to symbolically demonstrate that women don’t need men to be complete. This may seem insignificant, but it is not. It is dangerously deceptive, to the point that even masculinity in the Bible is being muted which is why there has been an explosion in gender-neutral Bible translations. Some go so far as to refusing to refer to God as FATHER and refer to Him as Mother. This is the transgendering of God.
And one of the biggest guns the feminist movement uses with great effect to attack masculinity is turning justice upon its head by elevating the lie that women don’t lie. (Of course, not all women lie, but neither do all men). An accusation by a female against a male is all that is needed to “prove” a male’s guilt. And this is nothing new. It’s just gotten worse. Remember the Duke Lacrosse incident a few years ago? A woman, Crystal Gayle Mangum, falsely, as it turned out, accused three Duke Lacrosse players of raping her. But before the innocence of these three men could be proven their names and faces were immediately splash across every news outlet, including the internet while the name and face of Mangum were suppressed. These men were considered guilty, even to the point that 88 Duke Professors signed a document condemning these men as rapists and demanding justice for their “victim”. When the truth was finally revealed, that the men were innocence of rape and that Mangum had lied, no retraction that I know of was issued by these Professors, nor was Mangum ever charged with any crime.
Since then the war against masculinity has become so brazen it is now proudly paraded publicly for all to see. The Women’s March earlier this year was a display of what feminism looks like and what was seen and heard was crass, vulgar, profane, and obscene. It was a visible display of the spirit behind feminism and that spirit is demonic. The language that spewed from the women’s mouths and the costumes they wore confirms that. Everything male was demonized. If the Women’s March proved anything it is that the evil that exists in the world is rooted in both males and females. Both are guilty. But the feminists refuse to accept they are part of the problem and that some females are as evil as some men.
So, yes, there is an attack upon masculinity in this country. It is considered toxic and the source of all the evil we experience.
Yet, the truth is masculinity as created by God is not toxic any more than femininity is toxic. The problem is that neither males nor females consistently or fully live out masculinity and femininity as created by God because they have been twisted by sin – introduced into the human race by the eating of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden – into the grotesque shape we know as selfishness which is the primary breeding ground for resentment and bitterness and mistrust toward the opposite sex.
Be sure of this, if feminism does succeed in totally assassinating masculinity in our society by demonizing men and convincing people that patriarchy is the epitome of evil, it will soon become apparent that unbridled feminism and the resulting matriarchy that will arise in such a social vacuum can be just as cruel and unjust and evil as anything the world has already experienced.
And Satan laughs and laughs because the Paradise the feminists believe will result from an emasculated society will actually be the expansion of Hell.
KILLING FEAR
What are you afraid of? What do you fear?
It has been said that God will never give us more than we can handle. But that is not true. If it were fear would play a small or non-existent part in our lives. Why fear something we can handle? Instead, what we discover is that we frequently face circumstances and situations that we cannot handle, nor can they be handled with help from our friends and family. These circumstances and situations could rightly be referred to as giants – circumstances and situations – that produce varying levels of fear deep within us as we come face to face with our helplessness to overcome and “kill” them.
We learn that God does give us more than we can handle by bringing us face to face with these giants of fear, not so we can be “killed” by them, but to learn that it is only when we humble ourselves before Him and admit our helplessness to “kill” these giants of fear by our own strength and to confess that it is only by His grace that we are saved will fear fall dead before us.
There is a story in the Bible that describes this killing of fear by God’s grace perfectly. It is a well-known story. In fact, it is so well known that it is easy to overlook many of its details, but it is in the details that we discover the secret of killing fear. It is the story of David and Goliath found in the book of 1 Samuel. Allow me set the scene before we dig into it deeper.
At the time of this story in the history of Israel Saul is king and David, who will later become king, is just a young shepherd boy. Israel is at war with the Philistines and David’s older brothers were in Saul’s army. As these armies faced each other, one encamped on one side of a ravine and the other encamped on the opposite side, a Philistine of enormous size, Goliath by name, a giant man between 9-1/2 to 11 feet tall (think about that for a moment!), walked into the ravine separating the two armies and issued a challenge to the Israelite army…
“He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.’ And the Philistine said, ‘I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.’ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid” (1 Samuel 17:8-11 ESV).
Fear gripped Saul and the Israel warriors. We are told that when Goliath issued this challenge…
“All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid” (1 Samuel 17:24-25 ESV).
It was during this time of fear among Saul and the Israelite army that David’s father, Jesse, sent David to the war front with provisions for his brothers and to check on their welfare. He is not there very long until Goliath advances toward the Israelite army and issued his challenge again. And David heard it. But his response is very different from the fear paralyzing Saul, his brothers, and the rest of the Israelite army. He said…
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:26-27 ESV)?
There was no fear in David. In fact…
“David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine’” (1 Samuel 17:32 ESV).
At first, Saul tried to convince David that he did not stand a chance against the giant. But David recounted to Saul how he had saved the sheep he shepherded from both a bear and a lion by killing them and that he would do the same to Goliath because…
“he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:36 ESV).
Saul, with few options to choose from, decided to allow David to fight Goliath, probably not expecting him to live through the situation, but he helped him the only way he knew how.
“Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
“And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.’ Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.’
“When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
“So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it” (1 Samuel 17:38-51 ESV).
When David confronted Goliath he was fearless. This stands in stark contrast to the warriors in Saul’s army.
When David confronted Goliath he was fearless. This stands in stark contrast to the warriors in Saul’s army. Obviously, David had learned how to kill his fear, but the solder’s had not. How was David able to do that, but not the soldiers? We are going to answer those questions in just a few minutes. But in order to do that we have to figure out where fear comes from.
We will begin our search in Genesis 3:8-10…
“They (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself’” (Genesis 3:8-10 NASU).
No doubt God had walked in the garden before this and Adam and Eve welcomed Him; they did not hide. They did not fear His presence. They were not afraid. But this time they were afraid to be in God’s presence. There was fear. Why? Because they had disobeyed Him and knew they were naked. The innocence that had clothed them before their disobedience was gone.
You may be thinking: “What in the world does Adam and Eve and being naked have to do with David and Goliath and killing or fears.” But I think it will become clear to you shortly.
Notice the very first thing Adam and Eve did after they had sinned and their innocence was gone.
“And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths (Genesis 3:7 ESV).
They clothed themselves. They used what they could to hide their nakedness from each other. And it seemed to work. We do not read about them being ashamed or afraid to be in each other’s presence after they clothed themselves with fig leaves. They had successfully killed the fear their nakedness caused them to experience after disobeying God. But their fear soon returned when God came into their presence. They learned that the clothing they had made to hide their nakedness/shame from each other, the fig leaves, did not hide their nakedness/shame from God. That is when God, after having told Adam and Eve and the Serpent what the consequences of their sin were going to be, provided them more adequate clothing than fig leaves. What was that clothing?
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21 ESV).
Do you see what happened? Adam and Eve tried to fix their brokenness and kill the fear welling up inside of them by fixing the problem themselves. And they thought they had. The fig leaves hid their nakedness/shame from each other, but when they heard the sound of the Lord God coming near them the fear of the their sin, their brokenness, their shame, and their nakedness being discovered rushed back upon them – and they hid.
Why? Because the fig leaves represent good works. Man believes if he just does enough good things, says just the right things, or gives enough money to charity the bad things we have thought or said or done will never come back to haunt us and will lose their power to influence our lives from fear. But it does not work. We feel good for a while as long as our fig leaves – our masks – are in place, but Goliath soon appears. And he comes toward us and says: “You call yourself a Christian, a child of God? Who are you kidding? Look at you. You’re pathetic. You’re a liar; you’re a hypocrite. You’re no child of God. He doesn’t love you and I can prove it. Come fight me. If you’re a Christian come fight me.”
And what happens when the giants in our lives challenge us? All too often we react in the way that the men in Saul’s army…
“All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid” (1 Samuel 17:24 ESV).
Why do we run? We faithfully put on the armor of good deeds each day and our fears are hidden from the eyes of those around us. But then something happens, a giant comes along – we get sick, one of our children gets sick, our spouse picks up and leaves, we lose our job, our past is exposed, our hidden sins are exposed – and fear rises up before us. We discover clothing ourselves in fig leaves – good deeds – which is the armor the world uses to overcome fear (Saul’s armor) is only effective when life is going good. But the moment something beyond our control comes into our lives we discover we had not killed fear at all, just hidden it. And we begin to lose hope and depression sets in.
But what I want you to hear this morning is that we can the kill the fear within us.
The secret to killing fear is putting on the right clothing.
The secret to killing fear is putting on the right clothing. No, I am not talking about going out and buying a 3-piece suit or an expensive dress.
What clothing did David put on to kill the giant while all the warriors ran in fear of him?
“Then he (David) took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine”(1 Samuel 17:40 ESV).
David’s “armor” consisted of a staff, 5 rocks, a pouch to put the rocks in, and a slingshot. From a human standpoint David’s weapons were totally inadequate to defeat the giant before him who was clothed in a helmet, a coat of mail that covered his body, shin guards, a sword, a spear, and a javelin. And that does not even take into account the fact that Goliath was between 9-1/2 and 11 feet tall. He could have easily tore David apart with his bare hands.
But David boldly faced that which the rest feared, confident he would be victorious. In fact, we are told that David ran toward the giant. Why?
“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied’” (1 Samuel 17:45 ESV).
David clothed himself in the name of the Lord. He faced his fears in the power and might of the Lord. He did not rely on manmade armor to protect him or manmade weapons to fight with. David knew that he would not be able to defeat Goliath if he relied on his own strength. He knew Goliath was capable of snapping him in two like a twig. But he did not face this giant – this fear – in his own strength. He knew it was only by God’s grace that he would be able to slay the giant. And it is by God’s grace that we slay our own giants – those fears in our lives that mock us and taunt us, threatening to kill us spiritually, emotionally, and sometimes even physically.
How do I know that? Because the Bible tells me so.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says…
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2-8-9 ESV).
Paul go on to tell us in Ephesians 6…
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12 NASU).
Now, notice what David used to strike Goliath down so he could be killed – a smooth stone. Remember, as David ran toward Goliath he took one of the five smooth stones he had picked up from a brook from his pouch, put it into his slingshot, swung it around his head, and let it fly. It struck Goliath in the forehead, knocking him the ground. David ran up to Goliath, took Goliath’s own sword and cut his head off.
What has that got to do with grace and spiritual warfare – killing fear?
Goliath is described as being 6 cubits tall. Six, in the Bible represents sin and Satan. Thus, Goliath represents the demonic forces that attack us and the fears that result from this spiritual warfare. Five is the number for grace. Remember, it is by grace we are saved. David picked up 5 smooth stones from a brook and used one of them to bring Goliath down. This represents us accepting the fact that we cannot kill the fears that come against us by sheer willpower or by trying to be a good little boys and girls. Willpower, while helpful, has limits and our goodness outside of Christ is corrupted by sin. We have to accept the grace of God that He offers to us through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior if we are to kill our fears.
It is also important to note David picked up the stones from a brook and that they had been worn smooth by the running water. These were not pieces of rock with rough edges and sharp points. The running water represents the cleansing and purifying power of the Holy Spirit. When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life the Holy Spirit comes into your heart and begins to overcome, slowly but surely, like running over a stone, the evil, the fears – the Goliaths, the giansts – that live there. He begins to “smooth” out your life.
It is also significant that David was able to bring Goliath down with only one stone. He did not have to use all five stones or even two stones. He used one. Now, remember, the number 5 represents grace. In other words David did not “use up” all the grace he had. He had four smooth stones left. What this teaches us is that God gives us an abundance of grace to kill whatever giants – fears – that come into our lives. And this is exactly what the Bible tells us.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV).
This tells us God has given us all the grace we need to kill our fears and then some.
Notice also where David struck Goliath with the stone – in the forehead. The forehead represents how we think – what we believe. Satan would have us believe lies. God’s grace is given to kill the lies we have believed and replace the lies with the truth.
Thus, Jesus tells us…
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32 NASU).
If we believe God’s Word – the Truth – and continue to believe it, we will kill, by God’s grace, the fears that want to kill us. Our fears live when we believe lies. Our fears are killed when we believe the truth.
And what is the Truth?
Think for a moment. What did God do for Adam and Eve after they had sinned and began living in fear?
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21 ESV).
He made them garments of skin. But garments of skin could only be provided for them if a death – a sacrifice – took place. God had to slay an innocence animal, which prefigured Jesus’ sacrifice upon the Cross, in order for Adam and Eve to continue to have a relationship with Him.
And this is exactly what God does for us. We cloth ourselves with good deeds – fig leaves – and our fears live on. But God offers us the opportunity to “cloth” ourselves with Jesus Christ, giving us the power – the grace – to kill our fears.
“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:12-14 ESV).
Jesus sacrificed Himself upon the cross that we might have the opportunity to “cloth” ourselves with Him. Paul tells us…
“In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27 ESV).
And Jesus told us…
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 ESV).
Killing fear begins with accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior because when we do that God’s grace floods our beings with the Truth and we can face our giants – our fears – knowing it is God who fights for us. All we need do is trust and obey.