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  • Honoring Parents

    I was translating Proverbs 19 tonight and came across these verses in Proverbs.  This is my translation:

    1. He who mistreats his father and drives his mother away causes shame and humiliation.
    2. My son, stop listening to advice to stray from my words of understanding!

    After I translated this, I started to cry as I prayed for our young people.  For the young people who are blessed enough to have parents in the truth, who love Jesus and his people, this counsel from Solomon applies!  Please don’t disregard your parents’ words and think you know better.  Going down that road will just lead to shame and regret.

    It brings tears to my eyes to think of the times I’ve caused trouble for my parents, but God brought us through those times and made us closer to each other through it.  Jesus can do it!

    Aaron

  • God’s Judgments

    Good morning John,

    I know that this may seem like a very simple question, but can you explain what God’s judgments are.  I can assume that they are decisions on life matters that come from God through you or the body, but I really don’t want to assume anything on something so important. 

    Thanks,

    Keith

    ========

    You are right, Keith.  God’s judgments are His decisions concerning how we conduct our lives.  A judgment may concern our private lives or the life of the whole body of Christ, but whatever direction God gives, it is precious, and He gave that judgment because He saw that we needed it.  Holding on to God’s judgments will save us, and drifting away from them may put our soul at risk.

    I should point out that we can neglect God’s judgments for so long that we actually forget a judgment after He gives it!  That is frightening to me.  It happened in ancient Israel, as God said through Jeremiah: “The children of Israel have perverted their way.  They have forgotten Jehovah their God.”  What a disaster that was for Israel!

    Thank you for the good question!  It is very important that we do not assume that we know some things, and it is safe to ask.

    Pastor John

    Keeping God’s Judgments

    You must keep my statutes and my judgments,

    for the man who does them shall also live by them.  I am the Lord.

    Leviticus 18:5

    God’s judgments are the way, the only way, to eternal life.  Wise people desire them and walk in them.  We should keep in mind the following truths concerning God’s judgments.

    God’s judgments are found only among His people.

    Dt. 4:7–8: “What great nation has God so close to it, as Jehovah our God is in all that we call upon Him?  And what great nation has righteous statutes and judgments as all this law which I am setting before you today?”

    Ps. 147:19–20: “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel.  He has not done the like for any other nation, and they have not known His judgments.”

    God’s favor is upon His people when they live according to His judgments.

    Lev. 26:18–19: “You shall do my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them, and then you will dwell safely upon the land.  And the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat to the full and dwell safely in it.”

    Dt. 7:12: “And it shall come to pass that because you take heed to these judgments and keep them and do them, Jehovah your God will keep with you the covenant and lovingkindness which He swore to your fathers.  And He will love you, and bless you, and multiply you.  He will also bless the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your ground – your grain, and your new wine, and your fresh oil, the offspring of your cattle, and the offspring of your flock – in the land which He swore to your fathers to give to you.  You shall be blessed above all peoples.  There shall not be a barren male or female among you or your livestock.  And Jehovah will turn all sickness away from you and all the malignant diseases of the Egyptians, of which you know.  He will not lay them upon you but will put them upon all who hate you.”

    If God’s judgments do not satisfy us, He will give us other ones.

    Ezek. 20:23–25: “I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them among the nations because they did not execute my judgments. . . .  So, I also gave them statutes that were not good and judgments by which they could not have life.”

    God makes His people able to keep His judgments.

    Ezek. 36:26 –27: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and I will enable you to walk according to my statutes and my judgments, and you will diligently keep them.”

    My prayer is that one day, we will all be together on the new earth with Jesus, enjoying the peace that God has promised to those who keep His judgments.

  • Hilkiah the Priest and the Book

    Pastor John,

    I was thinking this morning about the priest Hilkiah – how he found the forgotten book of God’s law during the temple’s restoration.  In his effort to obey God, king Josiah had commanded that the temple of Jehovah be restored from its dilapidated condition. The book was discovered during those renovations, and the high priest Hilkiah had it delivered to the King.

    I remember how you described that scene, how the king’s servant was giving the king all of the news from the kingdom when he came to the news of the discovery of Jehovah’s lost book.  How the good king’s heart must have leaped!  What it must have meant to king Josiah to find God’s law, and to learn there was a right way to serve and worship God, and that they were not in it. 

    The law of God had been lost because the keepers of the law had failed to uphold that most important thing on earth, and all the world along with Israel suffered for it.

    Today, the parchment entrusted with God’s law is us, the saints of God, since the day of Pentecost.  We are now the holy “book” where God writes with his spirit the only way that is acceptable to him.  Our life, born again of Spirit and lived out as a new man for the world to see, now declares God’s heart and his judgments, and the record of his Son, just like the book made of paper and ink once delivered to the king.  We declare God’s judgments by executing judgments each day.  We declare God’s standards by the standards we continually uphold.  The Spirit of God in us and through us lives out the will of God that was once only available in a book.

    But if we fail to preserve ourselves, as modern-day keepers of the law, we end up like the holy book when it was buried and forgotten, living invisible and unknown to others, offering no reflection of God’s judgments and standards.  We want to preserve ourselves, not just for us but for others looking on, so we are a light on the hilltop.

    How many king Josiahs might there be in the world, searching for a God they know must exist?  What a shame if we were right beside them, a living testament to Christ, but buried and unseen like the lost book in that story.

    Jerry

     

  • Isa 58:7 Hiding Yourself

    I was surprised some by your answer to Lyn* that to hide ourselves from one another is to not be each other’s keeper. I didn’t think of hiding as not looking out for one another.

    I’ve been looking into some of the things written in Isaiah 58, especially “hiding ourselves”. In Deuteronomy 22, what you said to Lyn matches very well with what Moses said about hiding:

    ¶1. “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and hide yourself from them. You shall certainly return them to your brother.

    2.And if your brother is not near you, or you do not know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall be with you until your brother looks for it. Then, you shall return it to him.

    3.And you shall do likewise with his donkey, and you shall do likewise with his garment. Yea, you shall do likewise with any lost thing of your brother’s which was lost by him and that you found. You are not allowed to hide yourself.

    4.You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down in the way and hide yourself from them. You shall certainly help to get it up.

    Hiding ourselves is not taking care of one another when it falls into our lap to do so. I had to wonder if there have been times I’ve hidden myself when trouble with a brother or a sister fell to me to correct. Or have I made it difficult on someone when they sought to correct my trouble?

    We can’t have an Us without both humbly correcting and treasuring correction. We need to stay good at doing both.

    It deeply saddens me to think of someone no longer being offered correction because they are known for not receiving it. We must not make things too difficult on the messenger even if we feel awkward.

    John D.

    * See post dated September 21, 2022, Isaiah 58:7

  • Water / Lesson

    Hi, Pastor John.

    Last Saturday, as you know, we suddenly had no water.  I put it on Signal where Judy and I had a host of family calling and texting us; too many to list here. With the help that we received, we narrowed it down to a failed water pump. Jim G., Stuart, Debbie G. and myself pulled 125′ of well line to the surface to get to the pump. Once it was out, it was replaced by some sweet brothers and water was restored.

    I learned a lesson.  You can have a well full of water until it overflows or gushes out all over the ground and everything else, but unless you have wise people that know how to get the water to where it’s needed, it’s of no use at all, especially if it’s in a ground well. Even in biblical times, you have to have a means to get it to the surface someway so it can be carried or delivered to where it needs to go. In this day and age, we have power and plumbing that does most of the work for us.

    I was thinking of the Roman aqueducts, the drip irrigation that the Israelis invented, modern plumbing, desalination plants, etc. Without the wisdom that God has given to men such as these things, it would be very laborious to say the least to get water to where it’s needed. I would dare say there would be a lot more thirsty people in this world and a lot more dirtier ones.

    I thought about the “Rivers of living water” that flows from one’s belly. It is a wonderful and joyous thing, but if we don’t have the means or know how to get it to those who are truly thirsting for Righteousness, what is it good for? Or, if we do not have anyone to service our pipes, then sooner or later we will fail. I thank God that Jesus has used you to know how to get the water to people with the Truth and also so many talented people around you that can help distribute it to thirsty souls. What value that we are for each other but also God’s people that we may never see or hear from, that you know have been watered though the years with teaching, tracts, books, music . . .on-and-on.

    After the pump was replaced, it felt so good to have water for the animals, showers, washing clothes, and cooking. It’s no small thing to have them in this life, nor a small thing to distribute “holy” water to God’s people. I pray I never take the things that wisdom for others that God gives for granted; earthly or spiritually.

    Love always,
    Billy

  • Isaiah 58:7

    Good morning John,

    The Blog on Isaiah 58 blessed me yesterday.  That and today’s Random Thought (9/22) on “Preparing Your Heart” both mention the scriptures in Isaiah 58 on the true fast.   In those scriptures, what does it mean to “hide yourself from your own kindred”?

    Thanks,

    Lyn

    ==========

    Hi Lyn.

    I have pondered over that a number of times.  I was reading it earlier this morning, actually.  The only answer I could come up with is that in God’s eyes, we are our “brother’s keeper”, and we have responsibilities which we must fulfill toward one another, not the least of which is to love a brother or sister enough to admonish them if they err (cf. Lev. 19:17).

    Our present need of healing made me pay close attention to God’s instructions in Isaiah 58 concerning how to attain to it.  What struck me most about Isaiah 58 this morning was that when I considered the deeds which God said would bring us healing and would turn us into a well-watered garden, Jesus seemed to sum up with one phrase.  “Believe in me”, he said in John 7:37-39, “and out of your belly will flow rivers of living water.”

    I thought on that a long while.  May God be merciful to us and grant us genuine faith!

    Thank you, Lyn, for your question.  Take care, and let’s believe in Jesus!

    Pastor John

    Every Yoke

    “If you put away from the midst of you the yoke. . .”

    Isaiah 58:9b

    On several occasions, I have reminded my congregation that the “yoke” within us, mentioned by Isaiah, represents the desire to impose our will upon others.  A yoke is an instrument used by a man to control an animal, but the yoke Isaiah is talking about is spiritual; it is one person manipulating and controlling another.  I have known people who stay unhappy if others do not do as they want them to do; they are not content unless they have hitched up someone else to their will.

    God is not like that.  He would rather we have our way than His – except that He loves us and knows that if we do our own will, we will end up hurt and sad.  So, He counsels us to do His will.  If you have been around very long in Christ, you know that God will back off and allow you to do things your own way if that is what you insist on doing, and you have no doubt learned better than to do that.  God has no yoke in His heart that He will impose on us; on the contrary, He has love in His heart and is willing for us to learn that His way is best.

    Other Yokes

    But that yoke is not my point in this message, for as I said, I have taught that message a number of times.  Though I have read Isaiah 58 often, I noticed this morning for the first time that other yokes are mentioned which may burden God’s people.  Here is what Isaiah said: “Is this not the fast that I have chosen? to undo the bonds of wickedness, to loosen the thongs of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you remove every yoke?” (Isa. 58:6).  The “bonds of wickedness” are spiritual ropes that bind people, and ungodly men use those “thongs of the yoke” to oppress and control others.  And there are other yokes, or influences, upon God’s people which NOTHING but the anointing of God will destroy.  And thankfully, God has promised that someday, His anointing will destroy every yoke that burdens His people:  “It shall come to pass in that day that He will remove [the evil man’s] burden from your shoulder and his yoke from your neck!  And the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isa. 10:27).

    God’s point in Isaiah 58 is that we may “be about our Father’s business” now, before that final, complete deliverance from all yokes, by removing the yokes that evil men have put around the necks of His people.  These yokes are superstition, sickness, false teaching, fear of man, and whatever else that His children are moved by besides the Spirit.  To be led by the Spirit is life and peace, and we have the opportunity now to show God’s people the way to live that happy life.

    Jesus said, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.  My yoke is easy, and my burden light.”  His yoke is not a yoke at all; it is a new heart that wants nothing but what God wants.  His yoke is to make it our nature to agree with God and love to do His will.  Every other yoke is against us and leads us astray, and Jesus came to set us free from every one of them.  This is the liberty he was talking about when he said, “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

    May God give us all the wisdom and power, first, to destroy any yoke that is within us toward others, and second, to destroy every yoke we see that has been hung around the necks of God’s children.  That is part of what God considers to be a true fast, and fasting that way produces wonderful fruit.

  • Healthy, Nutritious Food

    Pastor John,

    Yesterday Beth and I were talking about how blessed we are.  We have been given, at any hour, any day, for whatever situation, a smorgasbord of wonderful healthy nutritious food to feast on – not only for us but for all God’s children!  We meet so many of God’s people throughout our days and, oh, how we wish they would eat what we can offer them – food that is not tainted, food that is full of nourishment for their souls, but they would not.

    Reading the “Thought for the Morning*,“ today reminded me of our conversation yesterday.  My hope is to stay full so that, when that precious child that is ready and willing to consume God’s heavenly manna, I’m ready and where I need to be.  To stay full, fat and satisfied, that is a very sweet spot!

    I’m so very thankful for us and for what we have be given.  Thank you, Jesus, for giving it, and thank you, Pastor John, for serving it to us!  We are truly blessed!

    * https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tfm09-18

    Michelle

  • Treasure Reproof

    Pastor John,

    I’ve been translating Proverbs to get it ready to go over together, and I had a verse that struck me last night.

    Proverbs 15:10

    Correction seems malignant to him who leaves the path; he who hates reproof will die.

    It was frightening to me.  Once you leave the path, any correction people give you seems like it’s not right.  It doesn’t apply, or it doesn’t have your best interest at heart.  And in the end, “he who hates reproof will die”.  What a terrible trap to be in.

    But then I remembered a verse I had just translated:

    Proverbs 15:5

    A fool spurns his father’s correction, but he who treasures reproof is prudent.

    KJV has “…he that regardeth reproof is prudent.”, but that didn’t quite capture what it’s saying to me.  Someone who treasures reproof watches over it, remembers it, and keeps it in his heart.  

    God help us treasure reproof!

    Aaron

    =========

    Excellent, Aaron!

    Keep up the good work in Proverbs, etc.  Jesus is guiding you.  I love this.

    Pastor John

  • A Pampered Generation

    John,

    I have been listening to your teaching in Matthew labeled “A Pampered Generation”.

    For two weeks now, while working under houses, this teaching has been in my ears.  There are times my heart was turning flips on the inside.  I could feel something on the inside happening.  My heart was exploding with joy.  God bless you, John.  And thank you for being who God has made you.  You are so good to us.

    Tim S.

    (14) A Pampered Generation – Pastor John D. Clark, Sr. – YouTube

  • Politics and Fellowship

    Hello Pastor John!

    I pray you, Barbara and the whole family is on the mend!

    I have been having the same message repeatedly on my morning walks.  It’s been about fellowship.   I have prayed for more fellowship recently and I believe this is my lesson.

    Politics* WILL kill fellowship.  I sometimes watch the news feeds about politics, world issues and the antics used to sway the viewers back and forth while guiding the viewer’s beliefs.  Some happy, some not, ready to fight over the same message.  But none of it is true and none of it matters.  What my opinion of this politician or that one will change nothing.  Whether they appear good while doing bad, or evil while trying to do good. They are all instruments of God, and He doesn’t want me involved.  I may like a politician that someone else sitting next to me in a meeting does not like.  How can the Spirit flow freely?

    Don’t be swayed by politics, neither form an opinion or thought about what is God’s business.  We cannot know the heart of it all, nor the end.  Me/us meddling in His business may cause me/us to stay in Egypt longer.  My vote will not matter in the political race; God will put in charge who He wants; but what has my vote done to my heart, my fellowship, and most importantly, my trust that God will do the right thing?!

    I pray I conveyed what the holy Ghost has given me in a way that is acceptable to God.

    Love
    Mark

    * https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_tracts.html?tname=tract-029-politicsandbelievers

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