Jared Longshore's Blog, page 17

Poured Out and Refilled

Life consists of being poured out and refilled. We are constantly brought to the place of having nothing left in the tank. This happens in one sense every day. We come to the end of the day and we simply can’t go on so we lie to sleep and wake again to face another day. In the same way, we run out of the energy that food supplies, and so we have to sit down to eat and drink so that we can go on. 

This table should be viewed in this light. We spend ourselves for Christ and his kingdom. And we have the sensation that we’re all used up. Our faith has been working. And we get the sense that we need more faith, saying with the Apostles, “Lord, increase our faith.” 

Romans 10:17 tells us where faith comes from, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We see the Word on this table. We gather at this table to taste the Word, to partake of the Word. And that Word is where faith comes from. Jesus said that he would give his flesh as bread for the life of the world (John 6:51). He would not only give this bread to be broken. It was not broken and discarded. It was broken so that you might eat. It was broken so that you might be nourished. 

Christ’s blood was not simply poured out. It was poured into a cup. And like wine healed Timothy’s stomach. And like wine gladdens the heart of man. So this cup strengthens the faith of those who come to drink it in faith. Are you weary from your labors, then retire to this Table and you will find rest, strength, and renewal. Come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

The post Poured Out and Refilled appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

How to Survive a Coup

We have had no little political tumult as of late and the sense that God is writing quite a story is inescapable. One gets the sense that He is not dictating this story, but writing it with His own hand. It seems like a pen and pad situation, up close and personal, with the Triune author saying something like, “Do you hear me now?” As I saw one commentator recently say after observing our festive news cycles, “Boy, this America: Season Finale really is something.” Given our riveting times we should prepare to stay riveted; and these rivets should be fastening into something with more staying power than the Breaking News. Lucky for us, our text is more dramatic than our recent happenings, and that is really saying something.

Summary of the Text (2 Kings 11:1-21)

Athaliah was the wife of Jehoram king of Judah. She was a worshipper of Baal like her father Ahab, king of Israel, and his wife Jezebel. Athaliah’s husband died and her son Ahaziah took the throne of Judah only to die himself. Upon hearing of the death of her son and king, Ahaziah, the wicked Athaliah murdered her grandsons—all the seed royal—and claimed the throne of Judah in Jerusalem. But, Jehoiada the High Priest and his wife, Jehosheba, protected one of those grandsons named Jehoash by hiding him in the temple. After raising Jehoash secretly for about six years in the temple, Jehoiada gathered five rulers over hundreds to show them the rightful seven year old king and made a covenant with them to overthrow Athaliah. These gathered Levites and chiefs of the fathers throughout all Judea to Jerusalem. Orderly arrangements were made as they declared Jehoash king, including dividing up the guards and Levites to man certain stations. The guard shielded young King Jehoash as he stood between the temple and the altar.

Jehoiada put the crown upon King Jehoash’s head, gave him the testimony, and anointed him, as the crowd clapped their hands and cried out, “God save the king.” Athaliah, hearing the commotion, hurried to the temple. When she saw the young, crowned king, she cried, “Treason! Treason!” I envision Jehosheba looking on as she leans against a temple pillar with a smirk, eating a biscuit that she baked that morning (alas, this is not in the text). Jehoiada commanded the captains to obtain Athaliah, kill any who assisted her, and escort her out of the temple lest she be killed in it. Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people. The people broke down the house of Baal in Jerusalem, along with his altar and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal. Jehoiada appointed officers over the house of the LORD. With all the people and rulers, they brought down the king from the house of the LORD, and he sat on the throne of the kings. The people rejoiced, the city was quiet, and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king’s house.

Coup and Covenant

The key question to answer is, “How many coups do you count?” Are we dealing with an Athaliah coup and a Jehoiada coup? The answer to that is, no. We have one coup. Grasping this point is most essential.

Athaliah had no right to the throne so her actions are a text book coup, a violent and unlawful seizure of the throne. Jehoiada’s business was lawful and righteous. In other words, when Athaliah cried, “Treason!” she was quite mistaken. The key is the covenant God made with David, which promised that a son of David would sit upon the throne.

“Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” (2 Samuel 7:11-13)

This is the prophet Jeremiah’s understanding: “For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.” (Jeremiah 33:17)

It is Solomon’s as well: “Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel.” (1 Kings 8:25)

Athaliah was married to a son of David, Jehoram. Her son was a son of David, Ahaziah. But she was a daughter of Ahab, a worshiper of Baal and no son of David. She set herself to slaughter the sons of David and thereby extinguish God’s covenant with him.

An Athaliah Autopsy

It is not without reason that the Kings of Israel jingle says “Queen Athaliah was a cat.” She followed in the footsteps of her mother Jezebel. We can learn several things from an Athaliah autopsy. She was the only human to usurp the throne of Judah from the sons of David. It is sons of David all the way down, from Rehoboam to Zedekiah and the Babylonian exile. The covenant promise to David was hanging on by a snotty nosed Jehoash in the temple and Athaliah was doing her best Cruella de Vil to snuff out that divine oath. Her root problem was unbelief and that root problem gave birth to many others . . .

Jehoiada and Jehosheba

Jehoiada and Jehosheba are one of the most loveable couples in the Bible. They lived in a nasty time. King Jehoram, Athaliah’s husband, was wicked. His son, Ahaziah was also wicked. Now they had to deal with the wretched cat Athaliah. A house of Baal stood in Jerusalem, likely on Mount Moriah itself. The temple in Jerusalem at which Jehoiada served was falling apart from neglect (2 Kings 12:5). And yet they remained faithful. Athaliah went to slaughter her son’s sons, and Jehosheba, who was Athaliah’s brother and thus aunt to the baby Jehoash essentially says, “Oh no you don’t. I know the promises made to the sons of David.” They are a witness to how one survives a coup . . .

From the Temple to the Throne

The arc of this particular story runs from the temple to the throne. Darkness had descended upon Jerusalem and Judea. But a son of David was in the temple. Many years later another son of David would be in the temple shocking the teachers with his wisdom. As Jehoash stood, crown upon his head between the temple and the altar, it is as if he told that daughter of Ahab, “You seek me? Didn’t you know I must be about my father’s business?”

And this the Greater Jehoash has said (Luke 2:49).

The post How to Survive a Coup appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

We Cannot See Forevermore

The Apostle Paul said that the life he lived, he lived by faith in the Son of God. This statement holds true for the Lord’s sacraments. They are signs from God to be received by faith. God has promised that His Spirit who is upon us will not depart from our children or our children’s children from this time forth and forevermore. We cannot see forevermore. We cannot even see into the next minute. But we can believe what the Lord has promised, which He signs and seals in baptism.

The post We Cannot See Forevermore appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Blind Guides in a Blizzard

While there is no good time to have a blind guide, there are worse times to have one. If you must have a blind guide, then have him when you are meandering through a meadow, making your way through Kansas on a calm sunny day. Unfortunately, we are not in that story at the moment. Our situation is more like traversing the Rockies in a blizzard, with snipers on the ridge, and it is almost certain that several in our caravan have come down with a nasty case of cholera. Now is not the time to have a blind guide and it is not the time to be one.

You can easily spot the blind guides. They are the ones who leave their big gnarly sins festering, only to wake on Sunday and open the spice cabinet to measure out the oregano tithe. They use the sieve to strain the gnat out of the coffee while sitting down to a camel breakfast. The blind guides have lost all sense of proportionality, distance, weight, size. They have lost their vision, but they are still eager to talk to you about what you need to see. Well, how did they become such visionless visionaries?

Jesus told his disciples that the Scribes and Pharisees said, but did not. There was plenty of talk about what ought to be done without the doing of it. They would strap others with burdens, but they wouldn’t move a pinky to move those burdens. 

When the LORD shakes the things that can be shaken, as He most certainly is doing, the people who have been laboring away at the things that cannot be shaken really do have a lot to teach others. But the only way to guide others is to do the good works God has called you to do.

The post Blind Guides in a Blizzard appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Christendom’s Revolutions

Christendom has had a series of revolutions and in each one of them Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.

G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

The post Christendom’s Revolutions appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Bread Is Made to Be Broken

Any outside observer of the Lord’s Supper can see that it is more than a meal. Such an observer gets the sense that participation at this table comes with certain obligations. All meals carry some obligations with them. If you eat at another’s table, you understand there are certain duties, even if they are simply showing up on time, saying thank you, and being a polite dinner guest. But this outside observer would quickly get the idea that more will be required of him at this table than simply saying thank you. And he would be right.

While it is by grace and grace alone that we come to this table, it does not follow that we can come and go, disregarding the commands of the Lord of the table. The One who says, “This is my body broken for you,” also says, “Take up your cross and follow me.” So while none of us are Jesus, and it is most important that we keep that point clear, every Christian must be like Him. It would be foolish of us to think that we are bread like Christ is bread and that we will not be broken as He was broken. It would be silly for us to think that we will proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes and not follow Him to Calvary.

Christ suffered for our welfare. And Paul picks up this theme saying that death was at work in him while life in those to whom he ministered. So it must be with us. As you come to the One who sought your good, seek one another’s good. As you come to the One who interceded for you, intercede for each other. And as you come to the One who protects and defends you, protect and defend one another.

Bread is made to be broken. And when it is broken, it nourishes others. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

The post Bread Is Made to Be Broken appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Mercy to Thousands

The Lord’s kindness is seen in that He shows mercy to thousands of generations of those who love Him and do His commandments. Baptism reminds us of this very kindness. Here God’s covenant promises are revealed, claimed by parents, and signed and sealed by water. These promises include new life and eternal salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. As they have always been, these covenant promises are kept by faith. So our hope is not in the water but in the God who ordained this sacrament. His name is Faithful and True.

The post Mercy to Thousands appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

When the Room Is Full of Fumes

With the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, we all know that the room is full of fumes. This knowledge is a grace from God. He would be perfectly just to wipe our nation off the face of the earth without warning, given our high-handed and unrepentant sin. With the sexual corruption and abortion that marks our land, we have reached the point where one wonders if God will have to apologize to Sodom if He continues to spare us. We should be grateful that mercy belongs to the Lord and He indeed will show it to whomever He pleases. This is precisely what He has done for us. So one of the points we must keep in sight as we navigate the days ahead is that it is sheer mercy that has kept us from devolving into national chaos.

My friend Doug Wilson has been preaching for a good while now that we should not take the bait. That counsel is all the more fitting right now. But one does wonder if people can resist the bait that is now being dangled. Might there be another attempt upon Donald Trump’s life? Of course, there might be. And would CNN come out with another disgusting headline about it? Of course, they would. And are you really going to trust that the liars and thieves who have compared Trump to Hitler are going to start acting like decent people? If you’ll buy that, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Arizona; from my front porch, you can see the sea. Our material problem is that the hits will keep coming. Our formal problem is that a nation that spends the kind of money we spend on pornography isn’t exactly what you would call a bastion of temperance and fortitude. In other words, we will only have more fumes pumped into this building, and we are the kind of people that like to play with matches.

That folly was on full display during the first day of the Republican National Convention. In the immediate wake of God mercifully protecting former President Donald Trump, the RNC thought it would be a good idea to platform an unrepentant whore and a Sikh to pray to the demon-god Waheguru. The temptation for most conservatives at the moment is to mumble qualifications and attempted justifications. It doesn’t matter if the majority of the RNC doesn’t worship Waheguru. It doesn’t matter that these moves are simply political and an attempt to get elected. They certainly are. We can agree on that point. It also doesn’t matter that Harmeet Dhillon, the Sikh who prayed to the demon, offered up a similar prayer at the RNC in 2016. We should readily admit that we have a long and ongoing cancer. We should do so while also noting that you can’t roll the clock back too far in the United States and find the RNC promoting the bald-headed, porn star, atheist lady. Some things indeed are genuine developments. The fact is, a person who attempts to justify the abomination of platforming Ms. Rose and the Sikh prayer has lost the plot entirely. That is a person who simply isn’t reading the story we are in at the moment.

The former president was an inch away from losing his life, and our nation was an inch away from chaos days ago. The blood hasn’t even dried on the bleachers, and the RNC publicly praises a prostitute and a foreign god in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our rot runs deep, a point that is manifest given that the same diversity, equity, and inclusion were on display in the secret service as multiple women were employed to shield the former president from gunfire during the assassination attempt. The pictures and videos are shameful and hard to watch. Not only or primarily because they depict gross levels of incompetency and embolden serious enemies of our nation, but because they evidence that we have become a cowardly and misogynistic nation who pay women to shield men from bullets.

Add to our story that we are coming fresh out of NatCon, where J.D. Vance, Trump’s new VP pick himself, spoke. Senator Josh Hawley called himself a Christian Nationalist. Albert Mohler insisted that we maximize the Christian commitment of the state. And Doug Wilson admonished Donald Trump that as he loves God, the country, and his own soul, he should give explicit glory to God in the name of Jesus Christ. Go ahead and anticipate plenty of conversation about the size, impact, and viability of the Christian Nationalist movement, or what place and influence it has in the GOP. All of that is fine and good. But the major story is not the morphing of the Republican Party in the Trump era.

The main story is that you will have Christ as Lord over your nation and politics or your nation and politics will come to ruin. You will bow to the Lord’s warnings or you will be broken like Pharaoh, who hardened his heart. It is one thing for the RNC to contract the Sikh in 2016 to offer thanksgiving and petitions to an idol. It was wicked back then. But it is another thing entirely for the RNC to offer up strange fire and platform the slut with the forehead tattoo after our tyrannical COVID lords suppressed the worship of God and freedom of man, the George Floyd riots set cities ablaze across our country, and an assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump exposed our monumental ineptitude. That’s going full Pharaoh, after the ninth plague.

There is only one way out of this tinderbox. Repent of your sin and confess Christ as Lord. “Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest” (Psalm 95:7-11).

The post When the Room Is Full of Fumes appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

A Glutton and a Drunk

It is universally accepted that Christians should be Christlike. But you will not find universal agreement on what it is like to be Christlike. Many young boys have grown up being reminded by the church ladies that they should follow in the ways of Jesus, these church ladies being the type who will not abide a foul tongue and never miss a ladies’ luncheon to discuss The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Homemaking. But the boys eventually come across the gospel truth that Jesus came eating and drinking, and was accused of being a glutton and a drunk, only to have the church ladies look on in dismay as the young men’s bible study marches off to the local pub singing, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” The church ladies wag their fingers. The boys continue, “Though none go with me, I still will follow.”

The charges against our Lord were false. But they were reasonably false. His first miracle was turning water into good wine in order to keep a wedding party going. He multiplied fish and loaves to feed 5,000 and made sure there were leftovers. Of all of the sacraments He might have left us, He gave us bread to strengthen the heart and wine to gladden it. He had nothing to do with the self-made religion which flies the three banners overhead: Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. That self-righteous religion has the appearance of godliness and it is plenty tough on the body. But it isn’t the least bit tough on the flesh.

If you would truly crucify the flesh, and if you would genuinely be Christlike, then you must know what it means that the Son of Man came preaching the year of the Lord’s favor. Believe Him and you will be as new wine skins swelling with His new wine. Disbelieve Him and you will be as old wine skins burst apart by His fermentation.

The post A Glutton and a Drunk appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.

Or America in 2024

An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying King;

Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow

Through public scorn,—mud from a muddy spring;

Rulers who neither see nor feel nor know,

But leechlike to their fainting country cling

Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow.

A people starved and stabbed in th’ untilled field;

An army, whom liberticide and prey

Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield;

Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay;

Religion Christless, Godless—a book sealed;

A senate, Time’s worst statute, unrepealed—

Are graves from which a glorious Phantom may

Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day.

Percy Bysshe Shelley, England in 1819

The post Or America in 2024 appeared first on REFORMATION & REVIVAL.