Introduction: Ever battled the formidable feeling that God has forgotten you, that God is silent regarding the longings of your heart?

Illustration: There’s a passage in Luke 12 where Christ addresses this experience.

Text: “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Lk 12:4-7, ESV)

Teaching/encouragement: If we are honest, I think even Christians battle the sin of unbelief at times. What do I mean? Simply that, even though we profess accurate theology, we may not feel it at times. That’s one reason not to live by our feelings. It’s not about how we feel but about what is true.

The context of Luke 12 here is that Jesus was teaching the disciples about discernment, about the need to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” Then he addresses the disciples as “friends” (v. 4). Why does he do that? Why that term of endearment? It was in order to show the disciples that the Christian’s obedience is to be unto the Lord. He is to fear the Lord and not fear man. Why? Because not one of them is forgotten by God. Believers are “of more value than many sparrows,” he says (v. 7).

Believers may feel forgotten at times. We all have days or seasons where we don’t necessarily feel the presence and power of God. (Again, beware of living by feelings.) But God is the same–yesterday, today, and forever. We are not forgotten. God sees where we are. He knows. He cares. And our duty is to trust him with everything–even and especially when we don’t feel the closeness for which we long.

YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@jonpirtle2605

Writing ministry: http://www.jonpirtle.com

Church YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@3cs-canton

Introduction: I was reading through the Gospel of Luke this morning and, again and again, I was struck by Jesus’ teaching about spiritual blindness. It refers to when, in spite of all the clear evidence, some people just refuse to see and hear the truth. To use a cliche, it’s the ostrich burying his head in the sand. It’s the blind leading the blind. The result should be obvious: both fall into the pit. In other words, both parties are damned.

That’s heavy, right? Yes, and it’s straight out of Scripture, straight out of the mouth and Jesus and his apostles. As one example from the apostle Paul, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:3-4, ESV).

Here’s another example from Jesus’ own lips: “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Jn 15:13-14, ESV).

Here’s another example from Jesus’ own lips from Luke’s gospel: “You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (Lk 12:56, ESV).

Here’s another example from Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians: “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (Eph 4:18, ESV).

Over and over again in Scripture we (forgive the pun) see the motif of spiritual blindness. It is rooted in willful recalcitrance, unteachability, and suppression of the truth in unrighteousness. In other words, it’s not a physical problem but a spiritual disease curable only by the gospel of God.

Encouragement: When my family and I lived in another region, I was pastoring a small congregation as a bi-vocational pastor, teacher, and military chaplain. I had a friend in the congregation with whom I shared a strong Christian brotherhood. He, too, had been trained at a fine seminary, and he was one of the few people with whom I could speak about things without dumbing them down. One day when we were discussing this theme, he said something to me I’ve never forgotten: “Jon, Don’t take it personally. Our job is to speak and live the truth. Just cast the seed. Only God can till people’s hearts.” That was one of the best pieces of biblical wisdom I’ve ever heard, and, in sum, that is what all of Scripture teaches–namely, that spiritual blindness can only be cured by the truth of the gospel, not by any deep desire we have to see the scales removed from people’s eyes.

YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@jonpirtle2605

Writing ministry: http://www.jonpirtle.com

Church YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@3cs-canton

Introduction: I was reading Luke 5:1-11. It’s the episode early in Jesus’ public ministry when he’s healing lepers, delivering demons from the possessed, delivering cripples from lameness, etc. But what’s so moving about the passage below is not just the physical miracles he works. He teaches Peter profoundly–but it’s not just about how Jesus has authority over the fish (Simon Peter was a fisherman, after all, and he knew how to fish)–but Peter’s first lesson here was that Peter was a sinner who needed to be saved.

Text: 5 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Lk 5:1-11, ESV)

The Key: The key to understanding this passage is verse 8. It’s Peter’s response: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Why did Peter respond like that? Because Peter had just seen Jesus command him to let down his nets and miraculously, suddenly he could not even haul in the nets filled with fish? No. It was because Peter admitted that he had suppressed the truth of God in his midst. That’s the issue. He finally admitted that Jesus was God incarnate.

Encouragement: Think of how disappointing it is to have fished all night but caught nothing. Instead of being filled with fish, you’re filled with disappointment and frustration. Then, at the word of God, you can’t even haul in the massive loads of fish. The temptation might be to ask Jesus to go into the fishing business with you. But Peter got the bigger issue–namely, that Peter was in the presence of God. That changes a lot more than the fishing forecast. Now Peter would be transformed into a fisher of men. For what purpose? For God’s. And Peter would go on–imperfectly, to be sure–but he would go on to herald the name above all names.

Introduction: I was completing another reading through the Gospel of Mark this morning. I came to the passage in Mark 13 where Jesus is answering questions about eschatology/end times matters. For the sake of transparency, I am not terribly interested in eschatology. It is a subject about which many people have much zeal but less knowledge. So I try to temper engaging with the rants and ravings about end times talk. But it is a subject addressed in Scripture and we are to grapple with it, but hopefully we can do so with cool heads and kind spirits. What I focus on below is not concerned so much with the when as with the theme of endurance. I hope you’ll follow along.

Text: And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Mk 13:3-13, ESV)

Context, Context, Context: Again, this was part of a conversation Jesus was having with Peter, James, and John when they asked Jesus about matters related to the end times.

Teaching: It is important to take note of several things. First, Jesus tells them to be discerning, to not be led astray, because there will be many impostors. Second, the many wars and rumors of wars are part of the plan. Third, there will be many disasters, like earthquakes, famines, and national upheavals. Fourth, Christians will be persecuted. Fifth, the gospel will be proclaimed to all nations. Sixth, there will be a great falling away and division over Christ. Lastly, there is the true sign of salvation–the endurance and perseverance of believers.

Encouragement: Again, I think kindness is called for here. We can disagree about how it all plays out, but we should have the humility to say no more than what the text actually says. Regardless of how many times I read the Bible, what I see again and again is this: believers will endure. Believers persevere. Believers don’t fall away. Many go out from us because they were not of us, John wrote. But those who are true believers endure. That’s the great comfort.

BLUF: A Paradox of Leadership

Text: And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mk 9:33-37, ESV)

Context, Context, Context: In Mark’s account of this event, it follows immediately after Jesus’s transfiguration (Mk 9:2-23), and Jesus’ healing of the boy with an unclean spirit (Mk 9:14-29), and Jesus’ foretelling of his soon-to-occur death, burial, and resurrection (Mk 9:30-32). Events in Mark’s gospel occur quickly. John Mark loves the adverb immediately. He’s a plot-driven writer, if you will, who keeps it moving. But we see in the snippet above Jesus’ penetrating question to some of his disciples: “What were you discussing on the way?” Hmmm, why would the omniscient God the Son ask questions of his students? Well, for the same reason any master teacher might query his students–namely, to get them to dive deeper into the wisdom that’s about to be revealed.

The Disciples Didn’t Answer the Question: Why didn’t they? Because they were too consumed with jockeying for position and power. They’d argued with one another about their status. They were, well, a lot like people today. Why? Well, because human nature’s a constant. Pride is just part of the program. Find people and you’ll find pride—lots of it. But Christianity turns everything upside down, doesn’t it? It says if you want to be first, you must serve. It’s not about being at the head of the table; it’s about setting the table. It’s not about being served, but about serving. It’s not about you or me being the greatest, because if we’re honest, we know we’re debtors to grace.

Encouragement: Biblical leadership’s difference is that it’s known for its selflessness. It’s a pouring out for others. It’s self-denial for the sake of the greater mission. The Christian gospel is the greatest true story ever told because it’s about the only holy and righteous Leader (God) becoming a slave and being a rejected and despised lamb for slaughter. Why? For the sake of puffed-up, prideful sinners who were jockeying to see if they were the greatest? Yes. Because as prideful as those disciples were in that scene, they’re a lot like we are. Again, it’s that constant of human nature. Here’s the great news: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Prideful disciples, skeptical Pharisees, and more. Broken sinners. In other words, fellow sinners who are a lot like the man or woman you see in your mirror each day.

Introduction: This morning I was reading in the Gospel of Mark. In chapter 4 we read of an event that is like something from an adventure film. It is found in verses 35-41 of Mark 4, when Jesus calms the storm.

Context, Context, Context: The passage is about Jesus’s command of all things, of course, but it’s about more than that. It’s an exploration of what the disciples were trusting in. That’s the point.

When the squall arose, this violent storm on the water, the disciples grew afraid. Why? Well, this was not just a small breeze at sunset. It was, rather, a “great windstorm” (v. 37) such that “the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling” (v. 37).

And what’s Jesus doing? Sleeping in the stern (v. 38). Why? Because he’s about to teach the disciples something about being drowned by circumstances or trusting God. Again, that’s the point.

So, the disciples wake Jesus, pleading with him, to do something. And he does:

And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mk 4:39-41, ESV)

Teaching: It’s become almost cliche now to see and/or read, “Faith over Fear,” on t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. But that’s the issue here, and it’s such a powerful point. The disciples were focused on the storm, which was indeed very real. But what was also very real was the God over the storm–the One who was over that one, and the One who is over the storms you and I are perhaps in.

Encouragement: If I’m honest, there are times in my life when I minimize the truth about the sovereignty of God and elevate the powers of the storms. I see bad people do bad things, and if I’m not careful, I can write God out of the picture. It’s like saying, “God’s asleep in the back of the boat; there’s nothing he can do.” And if I thought like that, I’d be just like the disciples in Mark 4, who thought they were about to drown. I think we like to think we’re better than the men and women in Scripture. But the truth is, we’re not. We, too, underestimate God. We need to relearn to trust the God who’s over the storms.

Introduction: This morning after PT I completed another reading of the Gospel of Matthew. Of the four gospels, I think it’s perhaps become my favorite. Why? It is because I see in it the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. The Messiah was promised again and again in the Old Testament. And Jesus came, just as promised, as the Messiah. He was despised and rejected, just as predicted. He was silent before his shearers, just as predicted. He was the Son of David, just as predicted. He was and is the great I AM, just as promised. He is the promised good shepherd. He is the light of world, just as predicted. He was pierced for our transgressions, just as predicted. He was crushed for our iniquities, just as predicted. He was the lamb led to the slaughter, just as predicted. He bore the sins of many, just as predicted. And he saves his people, just as predicted. And one of those people was a Roman centurion (Mt 27:54).

Text: And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Mt 27:51-54, ESV)

Context, Context, Context: In the Gospel of Matthew, this is his description of the history of Jesus’s crucifxion and resurrection. In his gospel, we see the stony hearts of the Pharisees, Sadducees, most Jews, and the Roman officials who oversaw and carried out the crucifixion of the Christ.

And yet, Matthew focuses on this one man’s faith, a faith in Jesus as the Christ. And that faith saved that Roman centurion. No matter how many times I read the Bible, I am struck by nuggets of gold like this. What do I mean? Simply that it’s not a mass conversion we see here in Matthew. It’s one man, a Roman soldier, a centurion. And he believed. While the crowds mocked Jesus, stripped Jesus, spat upon Jesus, pierced Jesus, and eventually crucified Jesus between two robbers, this one man believed . . . and was saved.

And the same thing continues to happen today. Most mock, most jeer, most scoff at the holy–and yet some believe. One by one, God grows his church. And the true church continues to prevail via the truth of redemption and the proclamation of hope.

BLUF: The End of the Matter; Wisdom of a Clear End State

Text: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl 12:13-14, ESV).

Illustration: It’s been one of those mornings where it seems everything is urgent, and where one’s calendar suddenly fills up with things we didn’t plan for. I had a 0830 Military Funeral Honors (planned). But then I got a call asking for a MFH for a deceased Airman down in Peachtree City (and I was at GA National Cemetery in Canton). So, I reached out to my Air Force peers to see if they could cover down. For whatever reason, they said they couldn’t cover it. Then I reached out to another military chaplain and pastor to see if he could help me out. No answer.

Then I had an SSgt Airman brought to me for triage counseling. Then I had an S1/personnel matter that needed to be addressed via IPPSA, for which I had to link up with personnel. Then my boss wanted to meet with me for how she wanted me to design curricula for future chaplains. Then I had two more Military Funeral Honors come in from Ft. Benning for this coming Friday. I’m not complaining about those, because I love honoring our fallen veterans—regardless of branch of service. On and on it went. Next thing I knew, it was 1430, and I’d not even begun to work ‘my calendared events.’ I suppose we all have days like this—when life hits us at 100 MPH. That’s when it’s crucial to remember the goal, and why we do what we do.

Encouragement: For many years I have had a full-time military job, but it’s not really a ‘job’ to me. The reason is because it’s a calling to me, a vocation, in the truest sense of that term. I get to pastor Soldiers, Airmen, veterans, and Civilians. And I love it. It plays to my strengths of pastoral care and spiritual formation. Remembering always what Solomon calls “the end of the matter” is crucial. It’s the driving passion, the calling, to “nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the fallen.” What Scripture calls “every secret thing” speaks to the reality that God sees all that we do and/or not do in the faithful execution of our duties.

Introduction: This morning I was reading in Matthew 7. Towards the end that chapter we read these words from Jesus: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Mt 7:13-14, ESV).

Context, Context, Context: These words from Jesus are in the last sections of his “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt 5-7). This sermon is arguably the most oft-quoted sermon in the history of Christianity. Folks love to lift verses from the Sermon on the Mount, when it suits their purposes.

That is why proper contextualization is so important. Look at sections before and after Matthew 7:13-14 above. Who’s Jesus addressing? What’s the matter under discussion? To what issues is he speaking?

In short, Jesus had been addressing judgmentalism (Mt 7:1-5), hypocrisy (Mt 7:5), and the call to heal yourself before you rebuke others (Mt 7:12), among other issues.

Verse 12 is such a loaded verse, too: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also tho them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 7:12, ESV). The Law and the Prophets are two of the genres in the Old Testament. 1st century Jewish readers would have understood the Writings to be another section. But Jesus says here in his sermon that the Law and the Prophets (as bodies of divine authority) taught one overarching theme: the Golden Rule.

But then we get these very alarming words from Jesus in verses 13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Those words should strike us. He has just told us to ask, seek, and knock (Mt 7:7), but then he says that the gate is narrow. That is, it’s hard to get through. Why? Well, because it cuts against the grain of human nature. It calls for self-denial rather than self-importance. It calls for loving others rather than loving self. It calls for sacrifice rather than indulgence.

Jesus contrasts the narrow gate of himself with the broad way that leads to destruction (v. 13). The broad way, he says, is the easy way. It doesn’t take self-discipline to go the broad way. It requires merely self-absorption, and that’s in great supply.

He says the gate is both narrow, and it is hard, and that those who find it “are few” (v. 14). That should call us to sober thinking rather than sentimentality. It takes work, diligence, self-discipline, self-denial, and a regenerated soul to be able to live the Christian faith. It’s not just some casual thing.

YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@jonpirtle2605

Writing ministry: http://www.jonpirtle.com

Church YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/@3cs-canton

In about two weeks, I am beginning a long process of preaching through the 16 chapters of Romans. If you know anything about Romans, it is arguably the most theologically weighty of all the books of Scripture.

Like many believers, I have read my Bible for years and years. I’ve read Romans (and all of the Bible) scores of times. But when you are tasked with preaching verse-by-verse, one at a time, sequentially, it makes you slow down and focus. You don’t want to miss anything. You don’t get to pass on the hard sayings. You can’t skip over the rough stuff. And in Romans, there’s a lot of that ilk.

You have to preach about the wrath of God, about sin, about suppression of the truth, about human depravity, etc. The gospel is there, too, rest assured! But the first sections of the Book of Romans are unrelenting in their exposure of, and condemnation of, human sin and moral rebellion against the holy.

This morning, I was reading through Romans again, and I was focused on just the first opening verses. And Romans 1:5 struck me: “through whom [Jesus] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his [Jesus’] name among all the nations,” and that was it.

For the sake of his name. Why does God call preachers and teachers and evangelists and apologists? For the sake of his name.

It’s not about our names. It’s about God; it’s about Jesus. It’s about his being the hero of the Bible and of the history of redemption, of salvation through judgment. For the sake of his name.

And that removes us from all except the hard work of being faithful to teach the truth accurately. Because when the people get mad (and they do, and they will), we must remember that verse, and why Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen it: For the sake of his name.