Coat Pocket Homilies

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War And Peace

The old testament has quite a bit to say about the kingdom of Heaven, and
so did Jesus in something like thirteen of his parables.

I decided for myself long ago that its venue isn't up. Instead it's down here
on Earth relative to messiah's future jurisdiction as monarch and ruler of the
entire world; which for now is in the hands of the wrong kinds of people.

For example; according to Isa 2:4, Messiah intends to put a stop to war.
Well; just look at the kingdom of Heaven's politics today. War is common,
even in the very promised land itself.

Of particular interest to me is the prediction that "neither shall they learn
war anymore". Well; here in my land, kids as young as six are training in
martial arts; and boastful of the fact that they are able to disable somebody
with their bare hands.

My favorite atheist, Christopher Hitchens, once remarked that religion ruins
everything. He was so right. Well, that has to stop, and it will. Isa 11:9
predicts a one-world peaceable religion; and it won't be given lip service, no,
it will be practiced. (Isa 2:2-3)
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Overwhelming Force

● Rom 3:23 . . All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Well; in my own experience, that statement has been 100% reliable because
I have yet to encounter even one person in all my 81+ years who I felt was
successfully duplicating God's sinless perfection. So then, I've concluded that
God has set the bar so high that nobody can reach it. His own goodness is
the gold standard and, speaking for myself, I can't even come close to
equaling it let alone topping it; and that's not a good thing.

● Rom 6:23 . . For the wages of sin is death

Jesus told an interesting parable that just might be apropos in this case. It
goes like this:

"Suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first
sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose
the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will
send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms
of peace." (Luke 14:31-32)

Well, anybody who reads the Bible is fully aware of the supreme being's
capabilities and would much prefer to be at peace with God rather than war
because there is just no possible way to defeat Him; hence the urging:

● 2Cor 5:20 . .We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were
making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: "Be
reconciled to God."
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Kiddy Pools and Deep Water

● Luke 11:1-2 . . He was praying in a certain place, and when he had
finished, one of his disciples said to him: Lord, teach us to pray just as John
taught his disciples. He said to them: When you pray, say: yada, yada,
yada, etc.

When I was a little boy, just about every night at bedtime I recited the
classic lay-me-down-to-sleep children's prayer. In my opinion; a rote prayer
like that one is okay for getting kids started towards a meaningful rapport
with their maker.

Jesus' disciples were full-grown men physically. But they were just babies
spiritually. A prayer like the Our Father is a good place for spiritually
immature Christians to begin, but it's not a good place for them to stay.

●1Cor 13:11 . .When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child,
reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

Take for example Jesus. Now, I don't know how he prayed as a child; it's
possible that he used a siddur as many Jews do. But there is no record of
him ever even once praying the Our Father. In point of fact, when examining
Jesus' prayers, it's readily apparent that he always prayed in a
conversational style instead of rote. A really good example of his style is
located at John 17:1-26. Jesus' style is the style that mature Christians are
to follow as their role model.

● Eph 4:15 . .We should grow in every way into him who is the head: Christ

● Heb 4:16 . . So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive
mercy and to find grace for timely help.

The Greek word for "confidently" basically means all out-spokenness, i.e.
frankness, bluntness, and/or boldness.

Reciting a rote prayer like the Our Father is not what I call forthright, nor
blunt, nor out-spoken, nor bold. No; it's actually quite childish.

When people have been Christians for some time, and still reciting rote
prayers, I'd have to say that their spiritual growth has been stunted, i.e.
they're not developing properly.
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Heads-Up

When I was working as a professional welder for the US Army Corps of
Engineers, we had weekly and monthly safety meetings wherein we were
shown some grisly photographs of real life industrial accidents involving
burns, chain saws, punctured eyes, explosions, falls, crane collapses,
suffocation, crushing, and the like.

Let me tell you: those safety meetings got our attention, and really made a
sharp distinction between the fool and the wise.

A Danger Foreseen;
Is Half-Avoided.
Cheyenne Proverb

Now; the book of Revelation was written for a number of purposes but the
one that really stands out is mentioned right at the first; and goes like this;

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants
what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his
servant John, who testifies to everything he saw-- that is: the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of
this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is
written in it, because the time is imminent."

At least one of the blessings to be obtained by reading Revelation is
awareness, i.e. folks familiar with its contents won't be taken by surprise
when the events it describes begin coming to pass.

A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions;
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
Prov 22:3
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The Land Of Milk And Honey

FAQ: Why is Palestine called the promised land?

REPLY: Back in the 17th chapter of the book of Genesis-- several centuries
before Moses --God deeded that region to Abraham, and to his posterity via
Isaac, as a permanent possession.

The covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God per Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, isn't retroactive. (Deut 5:2-4, and
Gal 3:17) Therefore no matter how grossly, nor how often, Moses' people fail
to honor their obligations per that covenant, they will never lose possession
of Palestine because Abraham obtained it for them in perpetuity as an
unconditional gift. There is always the possibility of their losing sovereignty
in that land, but never a possibility of their losing ownership of it.

● Rom 11:29 . .God's gifts . . . are irrevocable.

* The actual borders of the land that God promised to Abraham, and to his
posterity via Isaac, delineate quite a bit more territory than today's squeaky
little State of Israel.

● Gen 15:18c-21 . . from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river
Euphrates: the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgasites, and
the Jebusites.

The Euphrates is Iraq's eastern border. The "river of Egypt" is very likely the
Nile since there was no Suez Canal in that Day; though it's been suggested
(with some merit) this water might be a small stream south of Gaza known
as Wadi el Arish.

If there's a map handy, it's readily apparent just how huge a piece of real
estate that God assigned to Abram and his offspring. It's very difficult to
precisely outline the whole area but it seems to encompass a chunk of Africa
east of the Nile, (including the delta), the Sinai Peninsula, Saudi Arabia,
Yemen, Onan, UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

We're talking about some serious square mileage-- roughly 1,538,370 of
them; which is more than Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, France,
Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Finland combined!

Currently, Israel, at its widest east to west dimension, across the Negev, is
less than 70 miles; and south to north from the Gulf Of Aqaba to Shemona,
about 260; comprising a square mileage of only 8,473: a mere ½ of 1% of
the specified region.

God has yet to give Abraham posterity via Isaac control of all the land. In
point of fact, the boundaries were very early on temporarily reduced for the
time being per Num 34:1-12)

The temporary boundaries run from the Mediterranean Sea eastward to the
Jordan River; and from the southern tip of the Dead Sea northward to a
geographic location which has not yet really been quite accurately identified.
Ezek 47:15 says the northern border passes along "the way of Hethlon"
which some feel is very likely the valley of the Nahr al Kubbir river which
roughly parallels the northern border of modern day Lebanon, and through
which a railroad track lies between An Naqib on the Mediterranean coast to
Hims Syria.
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Life In Heaven

It's an alien world with which I am totally unfamiliar; and when I leave here,
I will be leaving behind everything near and dear to me, e.g. photos,
mementos, souvenirs, collections, sights and sounds, mountains, creeks,
rivers and forests, clothing and equipment, tools, landmarks, entertainment,
hobbies, BFF, keepsakes, and my good olde reliable 1994 Ford Ranger pick
up truck, etc, etc.

The culture shock tsunami of leaving all that I know & love and going to a
foreign land where I know & love nothing at all, is not my idea of a good
time. Personally; I dread the thought of having to start all over again from
scratch.

NOTE: I've heard tell of folks thoroughly unable to form attachments to
anything, to anybody, nor to any place. When they leave this life, they will
leave nothing behind of sentimental value; nothing in the least, nothing at
all. It's like they lived their entire lives as turnips and carrots instead of
sentient beings.

For many of us working stiffs, the first day on a new job is stressful and
quite an adjustment. The night before that first day can cause enough
anxiety to keep us awake worrying about what we might expect.

I'd imagine that, whether we end up in the right place or the wrong place in
the afterlife, we will be just as stressed on our first day there as the first day
here on a new job.

The anxiety associated with death is to be expected seeing as how most of
us have no experience at all with that particular journey. But much of my
own anxiety in regards to death is related to what comes after. Pity there
are no guide books available in print to prepare us in advance for the
adjustment folks are required to undergo as they struggle to fit into
Heaven's (or Hell's) way of life.

* The one thing I do look forward to in Heaven is the possibility of a library
where everything that can be known about the cosmos is stored. Carl Sagan
would've loved a library like that because he went to his grave with a lot of
unanswered questions. But now they'll never be answered because Carl was,
at best, an agnostic, and at worst, an atheist.
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Life In The kingdom

● Acts 1:6-7 . . So when they met together, they asked him: Lord, are you
at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them: It is
not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority.

To the best of my knowledge thus far; Jesus is on track to return to
Jerusalem seven years after the rapture to set up the theocratic kingdom
predicted in the old testament, and of course everyone unified with him will
return too. Well; I for one plan on taking some time off to visit all the sights
I missed this time around.

For example, the only foreign country I've ever been to is Mexico and even
then just the border towns of Tijuana and Tecate so I have a lot to catch up
on; that's if anything is left. It appears to me from accounts in the book of
Revelation that the world will undergo catastrophic damage during the
interim between the rapture and when the Lord gets back so I may be in for
some disappointment on a few fronts.

But what the hay; at least I won't be on the wrong side of things with that
myriad of lost souls down below who have nothing to look forward to except
the great white throne event depicted by Rev 20:11-15.

Oh! and another thing; according to Matt 26:29, Luke 22:15-16, and Luke
22:28 30, folks who make the cut for the kingdom will be able to dine upon
ordinary foods and beverages. Just imagine the pleasure of touring the world
and tasting samples of cuisine in every culture on earth; and in perfect
safety too because according to Isa 2:4 there won't be any war zones to
worry about; and Isa 11:6-9 suggests that danger from the animal kingdom
will no longer be a concern.
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Judging A Book By Its Cover

Quite a few of the artistic representations of Jesus' face that I've seen depict
him as a rather attractive man but according to the Bible, he wasn't.

● Isa 53:2 . .He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him,
there is no beauty that we should desire him.

My youngest brother was a chick magnet growing up, and very popular in
school amongst both the boys and the girls. He was admired and had lots of
friends; but apparently Jesus wasn't so fortunate. He was more or less one
of the nobody's in his community rather than a stand-out, and his peers
tended to ignore him.

● Isa 53:3 . . He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.

Like Job's friends-- who were positive the old boy deserved what he got -
the folks in Jesus' community assumed his medical conditions attested that
underneath that facade of piety he was actually a bad man.

● Isa 53:4 . . Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet
we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

People really couldn't tell just by looking at him that Jesus was somebody
special. In point of fact, his own cousin John the baptist had no clue that
Jesus was the man for whom God sent him to pave the way. (John 1:29-33)

All in all, Jesus didn't fit the picture of God's choice for a man destined to be
the supreme of all prophets; not even close, so it's no wonder folks who
knew him were astounded to be told he was "the one". (Matt 13:54-57 &
Luke 4:16-29)
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Leaving Something Ahead vs Leaving All Behind

● Luke 12:16-21 . . And he told them this parable:

. .The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to
himself: What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Then he said:
This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and
there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself: You have
plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and
be merry.

. . But God said to him: You fool! This very night your life will be demanded
from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is
how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich
toward God.

It isn't unusual for successful men to leave behind a memorial of themselves
in the form of bridges, buildings, highways, schools, dams, monuments,
parks, charities, commercial enterprises, and landmarks, etc.

But I hazard to guess that many of those men make the very same mistake
as the rich man in Jesus' parable, viz: they live out 60, 70, and even 80
years of life and when they pass away have nothing on the other side to
show for all their years on this side.
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Ties That Bind

There's more than one Greek verb translated "love" in the New Testament.

For example John 3:16 which says:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

That verb doesn't necessarily express affection but is always benevolent. It's
the kind of love expressed in sympathy, courtesy, kindness, generosity,
compassion, empathy, civility, and humane conduct. We don't have to
especially like someone before treating them with this kind of love. For
example Matt 5:44-48.

And then there's a verb spoken of during Jesus' last supper, wherein he
said:

"The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed
that I came from God."

The Greek verb in that passage goes beyond benevolence because it speaks
of strong emotions like affection and attachment.

All in all then, God pities the world, but He goes beyond and feels at home
with folks unified with His son.
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During dialogue with a Jewish man several years ago, I was asked a very
good question that went like this:

"Jesus died for your sins up to the point of your conversion. What about the
sins you are committing now?"

That's a reasonable inquiry coming from a Jew because Levitical atonements
had to be repeated over and over again. Even Yom Kippur, the great day of
atonement, is only useful up to that point and from thence Jews began
accumulating sins towards the next Yom Kippur.

Now supposing God had stopped compiling the Jews' sins towards Yom
Kippur? Well, that would've been be the cat's meow because then they
would've needed to avail themselves of the great day of atonement but on
time only rather than repeatedly year after year.

Well; the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God per Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy doesn't allow for God to stop
compiling His people's sins; whereas Christ's crucifixion is much better than
Yom Kippur because it does allow for God to stop.

● 2Cor 5:19 . . God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not
counting men's sins against them. (cf. Jer 30:33 & Heb 10:1-18)

The Greek word translated "counting" basically means an inventory, i.e. an
indictment. Well, needless to say; without an indictment, prosecutors have
no grounds for hauling someone into court.

* There's a bit of a moral hazard under these circumstances. Due to the fact
that Jesus' followers are on an honor system instead of a legal system, they
have an incentive to become ever more sinful; hence Paul's urging them to
cultivate self restraint.

● Rom 6:1-3 . . What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that
grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any
longer?

● Rom 6:12-14 . . Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey
its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of
wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been
brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as
instruments of righteousness.

● Gal 5:13 . .You, my brethren, were called to be free. But do not use your
freedom to indulge the sinful nature.

FAQ: If God is no longer compiling the sins of the folks unified with Christ,
then what's with 1John 1:5-10?

FAQ: God desires fellowship with folks rescued from retribution by means
of His son's crucifixion; which of course requires transparency on their part.
(cf. Isa 1:18 & Ps 32:5-6)

But the important thing is: according to John 5:24 nothing that folks unified
with Christ goes in the books to be used against them later on down the road
because their sins are no longer criminal matters, instead; now they're
family matters.

● 1John 2:1-2 . . My little children, I am writing these things to you that you
may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous.
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Where There's A Will, There's A Way

It's relatively common to encounter Christians online who've been led to
sincerely believe that it is impossible to comply with the covenant that
Moses' people agreed upon with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy.

Well; I sincerely suspect that's not entirely true. For example: Josiah was
able to keep it (2Kgs 23:25) Zacharias and his wife were able to keep it
(Luke 1:5-6) and Paul the apostle was able to keep it. (Phil 3:6)

However, in order to succeed with Moses' law, folks must be 100%
dedicated, i.e. it's not a path for slackers and/or wanna bees and wishful
thinkers.

● Deut 6:5 . . . You shall love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with
all your being, and with all your strength.

In other words: one cannot be on-again/off-again instead; folks who've
chosen the Law's path to God must be consistent, i.e. they must be fully
committed.

● Rom 2:7 . .To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor
and immortality; He will give eternal life.

So then, if it's possible to comply with Moses' law, then why seek another
path?

Well; the problem isn't with the civil rules of Moses' law, the problem is with
its liturgical rules. In order to fully comply with the law, one must have
access to an operational Temple in Jerusalem staffed with Levitical under
priests, and one Aaronic high priest. None of those conditions have existed
in Jerusalem since 70 AD when Titus the Roman tore everything down.

But that's not the worst of it. There are no atonements specified in the
covenant for willful sins, nor are there any for capital crimes. For example;
the covenant prohibits dishonesty (Lev 19:11) So then, when someone
knows dishonesty is prohibited; then every time they are less than truthful,
they become a willful sinner.

● Num 15:30-31 . . But the person, be he citizen or stranger, who acts
defiantly reviles the Lord; that person shall be cut off from among his
people. Because he has spurned the word of the Lord and violated His
commandment, that person shall be cut off-- he bears his guilt.

● Heb 10:26-27 . . If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge
of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful
expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation, which will devour the
adversaries.

● Rev 21:8 . . All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with
fire and brimstone; which is the second death.
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A Hope For The Gentiles

I myself have never yet met anyone able to produce sinless perfection, but
some folks in the Bible have been very commendable. For example: Josiah
(2Kgs 23:25) Zacharias & Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-6) and Paul the apostle. (Phil
3:6)

However: their level of success has been possible only because Moses' law
provides them with a safety net in the form of a rather tedious reconciliation
system. It appears to me from Ps 40:6, Jer 7:22-23, & Hos 6:6 that God
would rather the quality of His people's conduct be such that they can get by
without having to constantly resort over and over again to a reconciliation
system, i.e. a quality that is just as flawless as His son's.

"I always do what pleases Him." (John 8:29)

Moses' law contains no provisions for reconstructing the core of one's being
whereas the new covenant per Jer 31:31-34 & Ezekiel 36:24-27 promises
that very thing by replacing human nature with a heavenly nature so that its
beneficiaries may always and forever do what pleases Him.

FAQ: The promises per Jer 31:31-34 & Ezekiel 36:24-27 pertain to Moses'
people. Aren't Gentiles claiming something that doesn't belong to them, i.e.
stealing?

REPLY: God wants them in on the benefit too.

● Isa 49:6 . . Jehovah my God says: It is too small a thing for you to be my
servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have
kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my
salvation to the ends of the earth. (cf. Eph 2:11-22)

In a nutshell:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety through
our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the
corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2Pet 1:3-4)

The divine nature is much superior to the human nature with which Adam
was created. He failed to always please God even in ideal conditions;
whereas Christ never failed to please God even in less than ideal conditions
(John 8:29, 2Cor 5:21, Heb 4:15, 1Pet 2:22) Like they say: the proof is in
the pudding.
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Prayer To Christ

FAQ: Is it wrong to attempt communicating with God's son?

REPLY: Jesus encouraged prayer to himself on numerous occasions, for
example:

● Matt 11:28-29 . . Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest.

● John 4:10-14 . .If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for
a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living
water.

● John 7:37 . . On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and
said in a loud voice: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!

When Jesus says come and/or ask he expects the hearers to contact him
with an appropriate response.

● John 5:39 . . .You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by
them you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about
me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

In point of fact, Jesus' superior urges folks to contact His son.

● John 6:44-45 . . No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me
draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the
prophets: "They will all be taught by God." Everyone who listens to the
Father and learns from Him comes to me.

NOTE: In the letter to Hebrews, Jesus is portrayed as the new covenant's
high priest. Now it would be a fine kettle of fish if I was never permitted to
communicate with the one man in Heaven that I'm confident has God's ear.

I have inoperable end-stage esophageal cancer. Radiation and chemo have
slowed it down, but haven't stopped it. When I complete my walk thru the
valley of the shadow of death, I hope to have enough presence of mind
remaining to speak up the same as Stephen did in his last moments.

● Acts 7:59-60 . .While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed: "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit".
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