Dad is 88 today

My dad, Rev. Charles Marshall, is celebrating his 88th birthday today. He was born in 1927 in the little Arkansas town of Armorel, which was named by combining letters of Arkansas and Missouri with the initials of Robert E. Lee.

Dad's middle name is Pinkney. He was named for his great grandfather, Pink Puckett, who raised Dad's mom after her mother died.

The Pinkney name was passed on to my brother, who is Charles Junior. Until he reached kindergarten, he thought his middle name was Picnic. No kidding.

Dad has been a faithful servant of God through all my years. He started preaching only a few weeks before I was born. I have always been proud to be known as his son.

President Gerald Ford's Prayer

One of the surprise highlights of our vacation in Michigan was the Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Grand Rapids. By the way, all our Presidential Museums are treasures. Whenever near one, take time to visit it.

Gerald Ford presided over us briefly, but during a nightmarish time in our national existence, he gave our country exactly what we needed. He was a civil servant who helped begin to restore our faith in our government.

The highlight of the tour was an exhibit telling of the night when the Watergate scandal was its darkest. Vice President Ford and his wife spent a whole night in prayer. I was deeply touched by this.

Throughout his life, Gerald Ford's guiding Bible verse was Proverbs 3:5-6. It blessed me to see it inscribed on his tomb. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Don't Waste Your Talents

Matthew 25:14-17

Don't Waste Your Talents

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Matt. 25:14 (Holman) For it is just like a man going on a journey.  He

called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them.

 

The parable of the ten virgins emphasized watching for the Second Coming. The parable of the talents highlights working while we watch.

To be ready for Jesus' return we must watch and work. As we wait, labor by taking care of Kingdom business. Never be idle in serving Christ's cause. Each of us always has tasks and jobs that God has left us to work on.

In this parable, Jesus is the Master; the slaves are professing believers; and the journey is the time between the Ascension and the Second Coming. The story begins with the master turning over his possessions to his slaves before leaving on a long journey. I remind us, in Jesus' day, slaves were often gifted artisans and business people who earned money for masters.

 

Matt. 25:15a  To one he gave five talents; to another, two; and to

another, one--

 

A talent was a measure of weight, as are pounds and tons to us. Our best guess seems to be that it was about seventy pounds. It could have been seventy pounds of gold, silver, or copper. Whichever, it was a lot of money.

We use the word "talent" to denote special abilities in areas including music, business, leadership, sports, gymnastics, acting, etc. The word came into our language from this parable. Bible interpreters have wisely realized money is not the only or ultimate issue facing believers in Kingdom work.

John Ryle said, "Anything whereby we may glorify God is a talent." Talents are abilities we have to better God's Kingdom, such as friendliness, music, teaching skills, giving money, praying, writing, time, a comforting demeanor, encouragement, promoting others by humbly working backstage, caring for the sick and poor, influence, health or sickness, love, etc. In other words, there are countless ways to squander or wisely use God's gifts to us.

 

Matt. 25:15b . . .to each according to his own ability.

 

We fall into trouble when we start trying to rank the relative value of people's abilities. This is not our decision to make. Our task is to use whatever abilities God has given us in whatever nearby task avails itself.

Beware the trap of feeling we do not have any valuable abilities to use for God. Otherwise, we may decide we can do nothing to please God, for He is impressed only with important deeds way beyond our limited abilities.

People with totally different gifts can use them for the Lord equally well. Our assignment is to stay faithful in doing at-hand duties. Hour by hour, fill each hour well. In my favorite secular poem ("If") Kipling wrote we should "fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run." Be what you are--what God made you--where you are at any moment.

No one can live at heroic levels every hour everyday, nor do we need to. We each have an overabundance of mundane things needing to be done.

Do not seek to measure our value by comparing ourselves to others. We can't discover who we are by looking at anyone else. God loves variety.

If order is creation's first law, variety is its second. We are not all alike. God gives us different abilities and opportunities. John the Beloved was gentle, John the Baptist was harsh, Paul was a debater, Peter was an A-1 leader, Isaiah was dignified, and Jeremiah was depressed. God loves variety.

What if God had made only whales to inhabit the ocean? What would have filled the millions of small holes in coral reefs and caverns? If all birds were eagles, how would the lower parts of the earth be filled with songs?

God made us all different. He made each of us perfect for what He wants us to do. Stones and timbers used in the Temple were marked before they reached the holy site. Once they arrived, the skilled laborers knew exactly where to place them for optimum use. They all fit together perfectly.

Even so our Creator marked each of us in advance in order to fit us together perfectly in the body of Christ. There is something you were made to do perfectly. How do we find what our own particular "something" is?

I have learned for sure; we cannot know what our unique talents are until we begin to experiment. Trial-and-error is always the path to discovery.

Let me add; since we all share equally in God's perfect placement and love, we must have no envy or pride. We all have a special place of ministry.

Some draw plans for a cathedral, some build an organ, some carve and lay stones, some build a road to the cathedral--all are equally essential to the building's success. We all have what's best for us, and best for the Kingdom.

 

Matt. 25:15c  Then he went on a journey.

 

I wonder if Matthew remembered these words when Jesus ascended, and left him and the others behind. His departure for sure left them in a quandary. They were surely nonplussed, but knew precisely the right choice to make. They chose to pray. I repeat; we have to experiment to find our specific abilities. Let me add; we must bathe the whole enterprise in prayer.

Pray for God to make our lives count, to be ever more useful, to guide us into doing every ounce of labor we can for Him. The Christian reward is ability to do more work. Use increases capacity. This is what we must want.

 

Matt. 25:15d-16 Immediately the man who had received five talents

went, put them to work and earned five more.

 

God never gives us abilities solely for us. Our gifts are not ours to clutch, but ours to dispense. We are not to be dead end streets. The blessings from Heaven are to pass through us on their way to someone else.

The first slave was obviously very gifted. He stood out in the crowd. Few believers are gifted enough to be called a five-talents person. Rare is the Peter, Paul, James, John, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Carey, or Billy Graham.

Pride's ugliness could have easily marred the first slave's life. He could have worked for his own fame and glory, but was supremely loyal to the master. This gifted slave knew that all he had been, done, and owned belonged to the master, and all he ever gained would belong to the master.

 

Matt. 25:17 In the same way the man with two earned two more.

 

         Pastor Phillips Brooks felt, of the three slaves, the one who received two talents was the most interesting to try to analyze. Brooks said he was significant because he was insignificant, like most of us feel about ourselves.

The slave given five talents would have felt flattered. The slave given one might have been embarrassed. These two slaves represented extremes.

         The slave given two talents was the ordinary guy, the average Joe. Not overly awed or unduly saddened, he set out to do his duty without fanfare.

The two-talents slave is a patron saint to most of us. Few of us feel superior or inferior to all others. People rarely claim to have five or zero talents. Most of us are probably comfortable seeing us as two-talents people.

         This can be good—no pride, no despair. But being a regular two-talents person can be dangerous. We don't relish being known as also-rans.

To realize we are among the undistinguished millions can cause us to be content with mediocrity. Knowing we will be unnoticed, never be revered or stand out in the crowd, leads to the danger of underrating us, letting us get lost in the crowd, and not performing our designated functions in the Church. God made each of us perfect for tasks He wants us to do. Find them.

 

First Day of School

I pray the Lord will give you and yours a wonderful first day of school. All the pictures on Facebook this morning made me nostalgic. The starting of school is always another huge milestone crossed.

Oddly enough, when our children were little, Ruth and I always hated the first day of school. Yes, hated. We always felt something precious was being ripped away from us. We enjoyed our children, cherished every day with them, and felt school was an intrusion.

Don’t get me wrong. School was wonderful for them. They were both great students who were blessed immeasurably by a host of fantastic teachers.

The issue was not the quality of the education, but the loss of our all-day interaction with them. Having John 2 and Rebekah at home always blessed Ruth and me. My guess is; many parents are feeling today what we felt back then.

Romans 9:30-33

Romans 9:30-33

People Still Stumble Over Jesus

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Romans 9:30a What should we say then?

        

Since God in His own pleasure had saved Jews by grace in the past, Paul now asked a pertinent question. What is God's plan resulting in right now; what is happening in His current economy?

 

Romans 9:30b Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have

obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes

from faith.

        

There can be no salvation without righteousness. This refers not to goodness or morality, but to a legal transaction. In salvation, righteousness refers to that which is necessary to satisfy the demands of God against us.

         Gentiles were not concerned about righteousness. They needed salvation, but never considered trying to be right with Israel's God. His righteousness was something they knew nothing of, and had no desire for.

         Nevertheless, God in sovereign mercy came to them. What He had said on another occasion was true now: "I was sought by those who did not ask; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said: Here I am, here I am, to a nation that was not called by My name" (Isaiah 65:1).

         The Gentiles found something they were not seeking. They were like the man who grabbed a shrub to keep from falling. He noticed the shrub was very loose. Pulling it up, he found a huge stash of silver buried beneath it,

         The Gentiles were not seeking righteousness. This proved to be to their advantage. They heard the message of Jesus with no preconceived notions. When confronted with God's love in Jesus, many of them melted before the story of the cross. Gentiles immediately knew they had no righteousness. Hence, they welcomed a righteousness freely given by God.

        

Romans 9:31-32a But Israel, pursuing the law for righteousness, has

not achieved the righteousness of the law. Why is that? Because

they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.

        

Oddly enough, the Jews, who were always concerned about being right with God, were failing to please Him. Why? Because they refused to be saved on God's terms. They wanted salvation based on works. They wanted to trust themselves, not God. A desire to be saved by law reveals an unwillingness to accept God's righteousness offered through Jesus' death.

         The Jews wanted a concept of salvation that put God in their debt. They wanted to accumulate credit and have God owe them. It was their desire to earn the friendship of God and merit His favor by human effort. They never understood the full extent of human depravity.       

         Gentiles, on the other hand, were content to be in debt to God. They had no problem seeing their own sinfulness. Gentiles were satisfied with trusting on the things God had done for them. Blessed are the sinners who recognize their own unworthiness and receive grace.

         Election is integral to the doctrine of salvation. We must believe God saves solely on the basis of Sovereign choice and grace. To receive God's righteousness, we must be convinced we cannot save ourselves. Once this is acknowledged, a sinner can turn to Christ in total, absolute faith, but the Jews would not believe this. Their spiritual pride became their downfall.

 

Romans 9:32b-33a They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is

written: Look! I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over
and a rock to trip over.

 

         This Rock is Jesus, as the end of verse 33 will reveal. The Rock of Ages became a stone of stumbling to them. What was meant to be their greatest blessing became their utter ruin. Their obstinacy was so strong that they were able to suck poison out of the Balm of Gilead (Henry).

         Their rejection did not surprise God. The nation merely did what He predicted they would do. God sent them a Rock of refuge, but they treated it like a Rock of refuse. They were shipwrecked, not saved, at the Rock.

         Sadly, the error of the Jews is still repeated today. People continue to take offense at Jesus. Many stumble over Christ due to His holiness. They find His ways too strict. They would become Christ-followers, but refuse to give up sinful pleasures. They prefer wallowing in sin over being washed in Jesus' blood. Christ disapproves of sin; human nature kicks against this.

         Some are offended at God's plan of salvation. Salvation by faith demeans the value of one's works. If trusting in Christ is the key, then every person is humbled, no one is good or deemed better than anyone else.

         In earning salvation, a preacher has no advantage over a drug dealer; a deacon over a prostitute; a church-attender over one who frequents taverns. This repulses some because it offends their pride. Friend, for the sake of your soul, bury hellish pride; send it back to the pit before it sends you there.

         Righteousness is a gift only God can provide. He must give it freely of His grace. If we seek to produce our own righteousness, we have set up ourselves as competitors against God, trying to rob Him of His prerogative.

         To seek salvation in us denies everything Christ died for. To disdain God's righteousness offered in Jesus is a furious assault on God's designs.

Do not go to war with the Almighty. Avoid trying to overwhelm the Rock of Ages. The end of such folly can only yield disaster, but trusting in Jesus will yield wonderful results.

 

Romans 9:33b yet the one who believes on Him will not be put to shame.

        

All who trust in Christ never have to fear their faith will someday prove in vain. This is why we gladly place our complete trust in Jesus.

         The world says, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." This is wise advice for human things, but the opposite holds sway in spiritual things. They who put all their confidence in Jesus shall never "be put to shame".

         Scoffers may shame us for it now, but someday we will be vindicated. At the last we will not be disappointed. Imagine living in a community of 50 people, with you being the only believer there. The scoffing and ridicule would be devastating; people of culture would call you undignified, people of learning would call you ignorant, philosophers would call you peculiar.

         But view the scene 100 years later. The community is a ghost town. All that remains is a cemetery with 50 tombstones marking the final earthly residence of the citizens. Suddenly a trumpet blasts and all 50 are revived. It is Resurrection Day; a voice from Heaven is heard calling, "Where is He?"

         The fifty reply, "Who are you looking for?"

         Michael replies, "The one who trusted in Christ."

         Imagine King Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, then appearing at your side. No more laughter now. All hooting is ended. Your triumph is complete as Jesus Himself escorts you into the very bosom of Heaven itself.

         Lost friend, I know this is what you ultimately want. However, if you hope to have Heaven as the result of trying, you will be bitterly disappointed someday. You must trust totally on Christ. You claim you think highly of Jesus, but your words are worthless until you invite Jesus to reign over you. You must let Him wear the crown in your heart.

         Give up on self-help, acknowledge your powerlessness, confess your sinfulness. Take the final decisive step and believe on Jesus.

 

Mom is 82

Today is my mom’s birthday. I am grateful for every day she is still with us here. She is one of the best conversationalists Ruth and I have ever known. Her mind is sharp as a tack—yea, sharper than mine. No kidding. She reads the St. Louis Post-Dispatch every day, and watches the Cardinals every time they are on TV.

Mom was a ladies Sunday School class teacher for decades. Every day of my life she has used a daily devotional guide in her private time. She has been an excellent Pastor’s wife. As you can tell; I love her. I’ve often said if I ever write a novel, one of the main female characters will be named Doris. I find it interesting that I have never met a Doris I did not like. It’s a good name.

The 10 Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

The Ten Virgins

Prepared by Dr. Marshall

 

Matt. 25:1 (Holman)  Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins

who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.

 

         The Parable of the 10 Virgins is one of Jesus' most famous stories. It is the inspiration for one of my earliest song recollections as a child. "Give me oil in my lamp; keep me burning; keep me burning till the break of day."

The message in the Parable of the 10 Virgins is for us to be prepared, because someday preparation will no longer be allowed. In this parable, the bridegroom is Jesus; the virgins are people claiming to be Christ-followers.

In Israel, folks gathered prior to a wedding at the bride's house. When the groom later arrived to retrieve his bride, everyone walked to the groom's house for the party. The parade tended to take the longest route possible to extend the celebration. Everyone came out to the street to share in the party.

The 10 virgins, knowing the groom could come at night, brought their lamps lit. Due to night's total darkness in ancient towns, people usually were not allowed on a street at night without a lamp. These lamps held by the friends were in essence streetlights lighting the path of the bridal procession.

 

Matt. 25:2-4  Five of them were foolish and five were sensible. When the

foolish took their lamps, they didn't take olive oil with them. But

the sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps.

 

         The parable hinges on the fact the groom delayed his coming longer than expected: a reminder the Second Coming may be delayed longer than expected. Five careless, unready virgins had lit their oil-fed lamps, but made no provision to keep them lit a long time. They didn't bring enough extra oil.

These five virgins were called foolish. It is illogical, yea irrational, to be unprepared for Jesus' coming. Don't be foolish; eternity is in the balance.

         The sensible virgins took extra oil in flasks. People can look alike outwardly yet be vastly dissimilar inwardly. Always be checking your heart.

 

Matt. 25:5  Since the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and

fell asleep.

 

         All ten dozed off. As an aside on this thought, A. T. Robertson noted, "Many a preacher has seen this happen while he is preaching." This is true. Every church has members whose patron saint is Eutychus (AC 20), who fell asleep and tumbled out a second story window while Paul was preaching.

A lady who slept through all my sermons once told me, "Pastor, my falling asleep is a compliment to you; it proves I trust you." One church member in St. Louis who regularly slept during my sermons snored loudly. I finally assigned a man to keep him awake by sitting next to him and jabbing him awake. Fortunately, the snorer had a good sense of humor about it.

 

Matt. 25:6-8 In the middle of the night there was a shout: "Here comes the groom! Come out to meet him." Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, "Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out."

 

         The five foolish virgins were not necessarily hypocrites. They just did not stay faithful to the end. Their lamps did burn a while before going out.

They were satisfied with the here and now. Our calling is to be holy and stay holy, be faithful and stay faithful, be obedient and stay obedient, be virtuous and stay virtuous. Beware any spirituality that neglects an ongoing ever-strengthening relationship with Jesus. Many falter in their Christian life because they view it solely as conduct. When certain self-chosen sins are beat, some stop trying to make progress. We must help people see that the essence of our faith is not conduct, but a deepening fellowship with Jesus.

         In our text, when the cry went forth, the virgins trimmed their lamps; this means they cut off the charred top of the wicks. The five foolish virgins quickly knew they were in trouble. The Greek word here for "going out" is the same that is translated "quench" in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. In our parable, the oil may not directly represent the Holy Spirit, but He is certainly the conveyor of whatever it takes to be ready. Stay near Him. "The atmosphere that surrounds His throne acts like oxygen on the oil-fed flame" (Maclaren).

        

Matt. 25:9  The sensible ones answered, "No, there won't be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves."

 

         The wise virgins knew they had only enough oil for themselves. They were not being selfish. They were making sure they were ready to keep the bride and groom safe as they traveled. It's dangerous to walk in pitch black.

         This scene reminds us there will be no vouchers on Judgment Day. The ultimate issue for each one of us is to ever be personally relating to God well. Holiness matters most, especially individually. We cannot be saved on someone else's credit. We must have grace of our own. Enough mercy for one cannot be made enough for two. Grace is nontransferable.

There is a limit to what we can do to help others. We can pray for them and witness to them, but we cannot be saved for them. "The saved cannot themselves become saviors" (MacArthur). We cannot do "anything instead of them" (Glover). We can only try to help them help themselves.

         We can at best point sinners to the Savior, but we can and must do that. The wise virgins did not upbraid the foolish ones or condemn them.

They at least offered a plausible possibility. There was no reproach or reprimand. Instead, the wise virgins gave the best advice they could give.

         Seeing our personal need for grace at the end will help us only if we saw our need for individual grace now. Beware the trap of trusting in the good works of others or of ourselves rather than in grace. Some think being born in a Christian family or nation will suffice. Actually, to have had Christians close to us can work to our detriment and be counted against us.

 

Matt. 25:10-13 When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding

banquet, and the door was shut. Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, "Master, master, open up for us!" But he replied, "I assure you: I do not know you!" Therefore be alert, because you don't know either the day or the hour.

 

         When God shut the door of the Ark, He included and excluded. Those within were safe; those outside were undone. Now another door is open. The entry is narrow, but totally open nonetheless. But in the end, it will be shut.

         Jesus had already talked several times in this discourse about being alert. He wanted us to stay ready. Not knowing when He will come should make us careful, not careless. As we wait, be alert, and be alerting others.

         Every day, stay ready to face the Lord. Keep all accounts up to date. Be at peace with God and others. Seek forgiveness often. Live every day as if it were your last day. It could be.

         A final thought. How can we know we are ready for the final midnight crisis? A major indicator is how well we are responding to crises now.

Nothing better reveals our real self than a sudden, unexpected crisis. It shows whether we have the right stuff or have been leaning on false security.

Andrew Fuller said we have only as much religion as we can muster in a time of trial. Let's take a moment to look on our past. Analyze it. How did we fare in recent dark crisis days? Our answer can tell us a lot about us.