Tag / Pastor Inverness
A Beautiful Message in a Book of the Bible I Almost Didn’t Read
In my current personal devotions I read through the Psalms, and then kept cruising through Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. When I came to Song of Solomon I asked myself if I really needed to continue. After all some people wonder why such a book as Song of Solomon is even in the Bible. It’s a love story that some think gets a little too personal. Nonetheless, I reminded myself that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable, so early this morning I prayed for the Holy Spirit to teach this book to me and I dove in. What I found was a beautiful ending to an ugly story I had already read in Revelation 3:14-21.
About 17 years ago I woke up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep. Laying there half awake and half asleep I realized if I left the house now I could make it to Daytona Beach to see the sunrise. I jumped in my car and started listening to the book of Revelation as I drove. I listened as the narrator gave Jesus’ account of how wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked His last day church is. After such a discouraging message Jesus really woke me up when I head Him say,
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:21 NKJV
What? Is Jesus talking about the same church He called wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked one day overcoming just as He overcame? Wow, Jesus just never gives up! I remember years ago when I was working at UPS I made a mistake and my supervisor got really upset and chewed me out. He ended his lecture by saying, “You may think I am making a big deal out of this by being so angry and upset but one day when you become a supervisor you will understand.” I walked away feeling rebuked and encouraged at the same time. My boss just chewed me out and told me I would be promoted one day all in the same breath. This is what Jesus was saying to His last day church. A dire warning that ended with a beautiful promise and hope.
Fast Forward to this morning as I was reading Song of Solomon. Chapter 3 ends with a wedding. Chapter 4 is the groom describing his bride. Further study led me to conclude that this is also symbolic of Jesus describing His bride, the church. The church He once described as wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked. After being redeemed read how Jesus describes His bride and church now.
You are beautiful, my darling,
beautiful beyond words.
Your eyes are like doves
behind your veil.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
Your teeth are as white as sheep,
recently shorn and freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.
Your lips are like scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is inviting.
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David,
jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
Before the dawn breezes blow
and the night shadows flee,
I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of frankincense. You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
beautiful in every way. Song of Solomon 4:1-7 NLT
The church Jesus once said was wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked He has redeemed. Now as He inspects every part of her body He exclaims she is beautiful beyond words and beautiful in every way!
Just as the groom is inspecting every part of his bride’s body so Jesus inspects every aspect or our lives. Some parts of our lives may be downright ugly right now. Just like there are parts of our body we don’t want people looking at there are parts of our lives we really don’t want Jesus to see. We know what sin and ugliness He will find there. Here is the good news. Not just good news, it is beautifully wonderful news. We can turn those ugly parts of our lives over to Jesus. Let Him cleanse us and redeem us. Then the same Jesus who looked at us and said we are wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked, will inspect every aspect of our being and go on and on about how beautiful we are. Beautiful beyond words. Beautiful in every way!
Jesus is the faithful and True Witness. He is being honest when He tells me how ugly my sins are. Now that He is redeeming me I can’t wait to hear Him say how beautiful I am. And when Jesus raves on and on about how beautiful we are-even too beautiful for words and beautiful in every way-He will still be just as honest, faithful and true as He has ever been!
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
Is the Story of the Good Samaritan Still Practical Today?
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13 NKJV
Years ago I was sitting in a Sabbath School class where we were talking about the Good Samaritan. Someone commented that we need to be careful stopping to help strangers today, because now it could be dangerous. I thought, wait a minute? Was it not dangerous back then too? After all the man the Samaritan was helping had just been robbed. beaten and left for dead. That sounds pretty dangerous to me. What if it was set up? What if the robbers were waiting to attack the Good Samaritan when he stopped to help? Was it wroth the risk? The Good Samaritan thought so. He took that risk. Is it practical for us to take that risk today as well? In the story of the Good Samaritan is Jesus teaching us only to stop and help people if we feel it is safe to do so?
Besides, what if the person we are helping doesn’t even like us? I’ve heard people say, “Don’t cross the ocean for someone who would not even cross the street for you.” But did the Good Samaritan have that attitude? More importantly, did Jesus have that attitude when He left heaven to come die for ungrateful sinners?
The story of the Good Samaritan is about a man who risked his life to save someone who never would have helped him had the situation been reversed.
“A certain Samaritan, in his journey, came where the sufferer was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. He did not question whether the stranger was a Jew or a Gentile. If a Jew, the Samaritan well knew that, were their condition reversed, the man would spit in his face, and pass him by with contempt. But he did not hesitate on account of this. He did not consider that he himself might be in danger of violence by tarrying in the place. It was enough that there was before him a human being in need and suffering. He took off his own garment with which to cover him. The oil and wine provided for his own journey he used to heal and refresh the wounded man. He lifted him on his own beast, and moved slowly along with even pace, so that the stranger might not be jarred, and made to suffer increased pain. He brought him to an inn, and cared for him through the night, watching him tenderly. In the morning, as the sick man had improved, the Samaritan ventured to go on his way. But before doing this, he placed him in the care of the innkeeper, paid the charges, and left a deposit for his benefit; and not satisfied even with this, he made provision for any further need, saying to the host, “Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”
In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus gave a picture of Himself and His mission. Man had been deceived, bruised, robbed, and ruined by Satan, and left to perish; but the Saviour had compassion on our helpless condition. He left His glory, to come to our rescue. He found us ready to die, and He undertook our case. He healed our wounds. He covered us with His robe of righteousness. He opened to us a refuge of safety, and made complete provision for us at His own charges. He died to redeem us. Pointing to His own example, He says to His followers, “These things I command you, that ye love one another.” “As I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 15:17; 13:34. -Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Pages 503-504.
So, is the story of the Good Samaritan still practical today? Is it still practical to cross the ocean to help someone who would not even cross the street to help you? Is it practical today to help someone even if it puts us in danger? What parts of the story of the Good Samaritan help us answer these questions?
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
In Light of The Cross 