UNPOPULAR CHRIST

“Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul!" (Psalm 142:4 NKJV).

Although David had been anointed as the next king, and though David had proven to be a great warrior for Israel, yet Saul hated David and was chasing him to kill him. While hiding in a cave from Saul, David spoke this Psalm. He lamented that he was forsaken by his friends. Things looked really bad for David as no one seemed to care about him at all.

Yet, the primary application of this verse is not necessarily about caring for lost souls. The primary application is about folk not caring about God’s Anointed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, we want to note three aspects of this lack of care and concern: recognition, refuge, and rejection.

Recognition - “There is no one who acknowledges me.” In his troubles, David discovered that folks acted as though they did not know him. The application to Christ is that people do not know Him. And this ignorance of Christ is willful: “for there is no one who acknowledges me.” Folk did not want to know David, and folk do not want to know Christ. Yet, the worst ignorance one can have is ignorance about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Refuge - “Refuge has failed me.” No one helped David. Likewise few will help Christ’s cause. When the world mocks Him, few will stand by Him and provide a refuge of honor for Him. But if you fail to provide a refuge for Christ in this life, He will not provide a refuge for you in eternity.

Rejection - “No one cares for my soul.” Folks simply did not care about David. And most folks do not care about the Lord Jesus Christ. They are busy with life’s pursuits and have no time for the Lord Jesus Christ. But if you do not have time for Christ, He will not have time for you when you enter eternity.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“When Christ is the center of your focus, all else will come into proper perspective!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Authorities

In Titus 3:1 we read, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work” (NKJV).

Authorities is the Greek word exousia (ἐξουσία = ex-oo-see'-ah). It means authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength. In Classical Greek exousia refers to an ability to do something. In the Septuagint, exousia refers to ruling power or dominion. In the New Testament exousia carries the basic idea of authority or right and is used of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the believer.

In relation to God, that authority is absolute; His power is absolute and unlimited. With respect to the Lord Jesus, exousia has been delegated by the Father (John 17:2), though no less complete (Matt. 28:18) or authoritative (John 5:27). Believers, too, receive delegated authority from God for son ship (John 1:12) and service (2 Cor. 10:8).The believer is obliged to obey those holding authority - citizens are to submit to the governing authorities (1 Peter 2:13-14); children are to obey parents (Eph. 6:1-2). But there are exceptions; when a person in authority violates the trust granted by God, the subordinate is free “to obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29).

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be zealous for the Lord’s House (Psalm 69:9)

New Testament Fulfillment – John 2:17

Did You Know…

In James 2:26, the Bible says that faith without works is dead. In Matthew 25:31-46, at the final judgment, Jesus tells exactly what those works are.

Bible Quiz

According to James, what will the man who endures temptation receive from the Lord?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Upon which mountain did Elijah and the prophets of Baal meet to see whose god was real? Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19)

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

"Down in the mouth”

“So the LORD said to Cain, why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?” (Gen. 4:6 NKJV).

“Down in the mouth” - The expression “down in the mouth” carries the idea of having a sad countenance. God accepted Abel and his sacrifice, but He rejected Cain and his sacrifice. Cain was not rejected because of his offering, but his offering was rejected because of Cain: his heart was not right with God. God then spoke to him personally and tried to lead him back to the way of faith, but Cain resisted. It’s just like the Lord to give us another opportunity to obey Him, and it’s just like stubborn sinners to refuse His gracious help.

Did You Know – Christian History

Daniel Rowland was born in 1711 in Wales. He was as an Anglican parish priest who became one of the foremost Evangelist in the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist revival, along with Howell Harris and William Williams.

Ordained in the Church of England early in 1734, Rowland was assigned as a parish priest in South Wales. However, he noticed that his people were deserting his church to listen to non-conformist preachers (that is, preachers who did not conform to the Church of England). Why? He wondered. What do they have that I don’t?

There was one way to find out - he had to go and listen for himself. Although a clergyman, he had never been converted to Christ. One day, he stood in a crowd listening to one of the nonconformists, Griffith Jones. Jones was well-known for his charity school. The speaker saw Daniel’s restless expression and exclaimed, “Oh for a word to reach your heart, young man!” His concern deeply touched Daniel, who soon became a Christian. After that, he visited with Griffith Jones at every opportunity, although they lived thirty miles apart.

Rowland became a powerful preacher, and for fifty-five years was one of the leading evangelists of Wales. So many people flocked to hear him that clergymen of the established church grew jealous. They threw him out of his church on the grounds that he didn’t restrict his preaching to his own parish. Rowland’s reply was that there were so few ministers preaching the gospel, he had to take the truth wherever people were.

Later, the Church of England withdrew its license from him. Rowland’s followers then built him an independent church. Even after a mob beat him with sticks and stones; even after a man drew a gun on him and pulled the trigger (it misfired), Rowland kept preaching. Pastors who had been his friends withdrew their friendship because he did not meet one or another of their criteria. Rowland kept preaching. 14,000 people once attended a communion service he led. Since his chapel held only 3,000, people had to await their turn outside: Such was his impact.

Rowland died October 16, 1790. One of the men that he led to Christ was Thomas Charles, who went on to found the British and Foreign Bible Society.

A Little Humor

One day the zookeeper noticed that the monkey was reading two books - the Bible and Darwin’s ‘The Origin of Species.’ In surprise he asked the ape, “Why are you reading both those books?” “Well,” said the monkey, “I just wanted to know if I was my brother’s keeper or my keeper’s brother.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“The sin of one person often brings tragedy to many!”