Posts Tagged ‘Kim Riddlebarger’

As he denied himself, so must we.

Posted: May 1, 2013 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, Mark, May
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And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”  —Mark 9:35  

 Pastor Kim Riddlebarger, at the Riddleblog:

From these sayings of Jesus, three important themes emerge. First, membership in the kingdom of God is bestowed upon us, we don’t earn it. The very idea that membership in this kingdom bestows some kind of new status and prestige upon us which will impress others around us is not only absurd–the world will hate those who follow Jesus, to even think in this way betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, because his call is not a call to greatness, but to service.The cross comes before the empty tomb, even as our own suffering must precede our entrance into glory. As servants of Jesus, in turn, we must become servants of others. We must think of ourselves like children (not because children are innocent and naive), but because children are among the “least” in terms of rank and standing. Christ is our head and we are his servants. As he denied himself, so must we.

To read the other two themes, click here to go to the sermon download page:

God uses us, his sinful people, for his purposes.

Posted: April 19, 2013 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, April, Judges
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Kim Riddlebarger concludes a sermon on the life of Samson, from Judges 15-16

As for application for us today, there is much to learn from the life of Samson. No question, his allegiance is to YHWH. No question, his sin–especially his dalliances with Philistine women–was his undoing. Like Israel during the time of the Judges, when God’s people possessed the land but were constantly being pulled away from YHWH to pagan gods and pagan practices, we too live in a situation of relative peace and safety. Yet, like Israel dwelling in Canaan in the midst of pagans, we too live in a pagan land. Along with our children, we are constantly being pulled away from Jesus Christ toward every sort of pagan temptation. Like Samson, we all have our favorite sins and weaknesses.

It is important to notice that God didn’t reject Samson and then cast him away because he sinned, or because he struggled with the lusts of the flesh. In the life of Samson, we witness how Samson’s sin and weakness ruined his life and brought about terrible humiliation at hands of his enemies. This tells us that if we are Christ’s, then God will surely save us from our sins–he has promised this to all who trust in Christ, rather than in their own righteousness. But if we are Christ’s and continue to live like pagans, God will intervene. He will often allow the consequences of our sins to come crashing down upon us as the means to draw us to repentance. We may even find ourselves in the same place Samson was–humiliated, and hated by those who have tried to lead us away from Christ, and who have turned upon us the very second they figure out that Christ will never let us escape from his grace. That is a very bad place for a Christian to be–having to cry out “Lord, please remember me,” because we’ve gotten ourselves into a mess. And even then, God is so gracious, he will hear our prayer and come to our aid.
God may even chose to do to us what he did to Israel. If we ignore him and seek to go our own way, he will come and disrupt our relationships with those around us who deny the gospel and the Savior and who may be pulling us away from Christ. God does this because he loves us. He will make us absolutely miserable in our sin. The lesson then “is why even go there . . .” thinking we can do what is right in our own eyes without any reference to God or his word.

In all of this, Samson is an illustration to us of how God uses us, his sinful people, for his purposes. In spite of ourselves, God always remembers us, because he has chosen us in Christ and sent his blessed son, the true Savior of the human race to redeem us from our sins. Since he always remembers us, let us remember him, not only with our words, but also with our lives.

Divine exasperation

Posted: April 17, 2013 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Judges
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Judges 10-12 is our Bible reading passage for today.  In Judges 10:10-16 we read:

And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?  The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.  Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.”  So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

Kim Riddlebarger helps us understand:

YHWH’s response to Israel’s “repentance” is to remind his people of all that he has done for Israel.

YHWH recounts his perfect track record of promise-keeping to his disobedient people. He, of course, has done everything that he promised to do. He has been faithful. But his people, on the other hand, have not. Israel has forsaken him, despite all that he had done. To put it bluntly, Israel has committed spiritual adultery by serving other “gods.” And so, YHWH rejects the prayers of his people, threatening to save (“rescue”) them no more. If it is Baal the Israelites want, then it is Baal they’ll get. This is a strong indication that Israel’s prayer (verse 10), is not a genuine turning from sin to YHWH, but a cry to be delivered from yet another horrific situation which they had brought upon themselves.
YHWH’s rebuke cuts the people of Israel to the heart. As we read in verse 15, “And the people of Israel said to the Lord, `We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.’” The situation throughout Israel was terrible. Ammonite raiding parties struck deep into the heart of Israel, while the Philistines created serious trouble to the southwest. The people of Israel cry out again, knowing that YHWH is their only hope of deliverance. There are even hints of genuine repentance in verse 16. “So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord.” This indicates that there was not only a general sense among the people that their current predicament stemmed from the fact that they had turned their backs on YHWH and that they must seek his favor, but this tells us that the people of Israel also knew that their cries for help must be accompanied by the removal of the false “gods” and false religion which had then spread throughout Israel.
YHWH’s reaction to his people’s “repentance” is one of complete exasperation. We read that “he became impatient over the misery of Israel.” Some have taken this to mean that YHWH accepted the genuine nature of the people’s repentance, and relented from bring additional trials upon them. Others have taken the passage to demonstrate that this is an expression of YHWH’s frustration (exasperation) with his people because of Israel’s repeated cries for deliverance, despite an absence of genuine repentance.    I take the latter to be the case. This means that YHWH is exasperated with his covenant people who have gotten themselves into deep trouble yet again. YHWH is not repenting of his purpose, nor is he sorry that Israel has come under those covenant curses, because this is a matter of divine justice. But YHWH is sorry about Israel’s plight. How he wishes his people would worship and serve him and receive all the blessings he has promised to his own, but no, they don’t, and then they suffer.
As the familiar pattern of Judges plays out, after the people cry out, YHWH raises up a deliverer for his people. This time, the deliverer is a man named Jephthah. Like Abimelech, he is the son of a prostitute/concubine. But unlike Abimelech, he is someone whom God uses to deliver Israel from their current oppressor, the Ammonites. Although he is empowered by the Spirit of God, as the account of Jephthah unfolds, it is clear that his rise to power is devoid of a specific call by God. In fact, when Jephthah takes his tragic vow (which results in the sacrifice of his only daughter) we see yet again that the judges of Israel really are a mixed bag, and they can do nothing to save God’s people from their sin.

Beware whose example you follow

Posted: April 15, 2013 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, April, Judges
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Pastor Kim Riddlebarger on Judges 8: 

In 1 Timothy 6, the apostle Paul warns us of many of the same things that Gideon brought upon Israel. He speaks of men who “teach a different doctrine[which]does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness.” Ironically, Gideon did this very thing when he built an Ephod and took a Canaanite wife, both of which became a matter of stumbling to Israel and were direct violations of God’s commandments. What is more, Gideon certainly did not heed the important principle behind Paul’s words in verses 6-10.

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Gideon loved his power, and he used his position of authority to do pretty much his own thing–like create an Ephod, relocate the center of Israelite life to his own hometown, and attempt to establish a royal dynasty of sorts–even though he denied that is what he was doing. Just as Paul warns that riches can be a snare to us, Gideon’s power was a snare to him.In all of this, Gideon is an example to us, because he is just like us! He is the perfect example of how power corrupts and how the blessings of God can become a snare to us, if we forget the source and purpose of those gifts. Gideon is the perfect example to us of how not to take for granted God’s work in our lives, and use it for personal gain and advantage. I guess we won’t come up with a “What would Gideon do?” wrist-band any time soon. No doubt, Gideon confessed the truth when he stated to his fellow Israelites, “the Lord will rule over you.” But then Gideon acted like a king. Like the rest of Israel’s judges, Gideon is both saint and sinner.

Contrast this to our blessed savior, Jesus, whom Paul says humbly stood before Pilate (a Roman bureaucrat) and gave a good confession. Jesus could have summoned a legion of angels. He could have brought down the palace on Pilate’s head. But no, Jesus humbled himself to fulfill the commandments of God, and was willing to even go to the cross, where he saved us from our sins. It was this same Jesus who was the LORD who ruled over Israel in the days of Gideon. It was this same king who laid down his life for our sins and was then raised from the dead. Beloved, Jesus is that Lord who rules over you, and unlike Gideon, Jesus both made the good confession, and then fulfilled all righteousness through his perfect obedience.

Therefore, with Paul, let us all confess that [Jesus]is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

To read the rest of the sermon by Kim Riddlebarger, please click here:

Broken People-Faithful God

Posted: April 12, 2013 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Judges
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As we read Judges 1-3 today, a little help from Kim Riddlebarger’s sermon series on Judges:

And then there are the judges themselves–men whom God raises up to rescue Israel from some military or political crisis, but who can do nothing about the nation’s spiritual condition. Remember that Israel’s judges are not jurists presiding over a court. They are more like tribal leaders (or deliverers) whom God raises up at critical moments in Israel’s history to prevent God’s enemies from completely overwhelming God’s covenant people. While these men (and Deborah) are God’s chosen instruments to deliver the nation from temporal danger, it is clear that they are nothing more than a kind of divinely sent stop-gap measure to preserve the nation from disaster when things are the most bleak. The modern equivalent of these judges are those who seek to rescue America through political activism and the election of particular candidates with a particular political ideology. Some folk see this as the remedy to the ills of both the nation and the cause of Christ. While such people may indeed be right about temporal danger and social and economic ills facing our nation (and they may even rally the nation against an imminent threat from within or without), political activism can do nothing to deal with what lies as the root of all humans problems, the guilt and power of sin. Only the grace of God as revealed in the person and work of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit can subdue the human heart, creating faith and repentance.

This is why the Book of Judges speaks so powerfully to us in our current situation. In this book we find human sin on display in all its shame and futility–which, I think, is why so many preachers avoid preaching through Judges. In this book we also see God allowing his people to reap the consequences of their sinful rebellion, and yet, because he has pity upon Israel, God repeatedly sends them judges to deliver them. And these judges, in turn, remind us that there are no real human solutions to the deepest human problem. God must send to Israel a redeemer (someone who is both God and man) to deliver us, not from our temporal enemies and woes, but from our greatest enemy, sin and its consequences. That is why, interestingly enough, our text will speak of God sending a deliverer (a judge) to his people at a critical moment in their history–the very thing we have celebrated throughout the Christmas season just completed. But unlike Jesus, the first judge, Othniel, is himself a sinner and even though God’s Spirit rests upon him, Othniel can only help Israel find momentary relief and rest.

A warning not to turn away

Posted: April 10, 2013 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Joshua
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Kim Riddlebarger, Senior Pastor at Christ Reformed Church, opened and closed his sermon on Joshua 23 with these comments:

When Moses died, the people of Israel surely thought he could never be replaced. Years later when Joshua says farewell to his people, there can be no doubt that Joshua had shown himself to be a worthy successor to Moses. In fact, Joshua is a true biblical hero in every sense of the term. He was called by God to be covenant mediator. His leadership and skills as a general have been apparent throughout this book. But now as Joshua comes to the end of his life and says goodbye to the nation he has led, he will speak to the people of Israel and exhort them to remain faithful to the covenant God made with them at Mount Sinai. As he gives this speech to the leaders of Israel, Joshua sounds much like Jacob and Moses before him. Joshua is emphatic: The people of Israel must love their covenant LORD. They must do everything within them to obey God’s law. And they must never allow themselves to become enamored with the pagan religions of their Canaanite neighbors. If they obey their covenant Lord, the people of Israel will continue to receive God’s blessings. But if they deviate from God’s ways, they will come under the covenant curses….

…..Just as Joshua warned Israel, so too Paul warns Christians, that in light of all the good things that the LORD your God has promised to you in Christ, why on earth would you want to turn your back on him and shun his love by committing spiritual adultery, either through embracing a pagan religion or through marrying a non-Christian? To do so is to mock the very promise of God. God freely gives us all things in Christ. He has saved us from our sins and given us a perfect righteousness. And he also warns us that as Christians we will still be attracted to things which lead to disaster. Israel was instructed to “remember all the good things that the LORD God promised.” Christians are instructed that “we are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” Why, because we are the bride of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He laid down his life for us. How then can we turn our backs on him?

To read the entire sermon, click here:

Grant us eyes to see

Posted: April 9, 2013 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Mark
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Kim Riddlebarger asks, “What, then, should we take with us from this section of Mark?” [Chapter 3:20-35]

The very fact that so many different and diverse people witnessed the miracles of Jesus with their own eyes and yet did not understand his mission or understand who he was, should remind all of us that unless God grants us understanding of spiritual things, we remain blind to them. If we now believe in Jesus, it is because he has granted us faith. Otherwise these things remain hidden.

Kim Riddlebarger, Sermons on Mark #11

Cities of Refuge Point to Christ, Our Great High Priest

Posted: April 9, 2013 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Joshua
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Having just celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection, it is exciting to have passages of Scripture that point us to Christ.  Sometimes verses jump right off the page at us, even though we have read it before and didn’t see it.  Such was the case when I first read about the cities of refuge.  But in my research, I came across this insight from Kim Riddlebarger, senior pastor of Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, California, and visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster  Seminary California. He is also a co-host of the White Horse Inn radio program, which is broadcast weekly on more than fifty radio stations.

While in chapters 13-21, we have the legal record of Joshua dividing the land among the tribes of Israel in fulfillment of God’s promise to his people, in chapter 20, we read of Joshua establishing the six “cities of refuge” which provided legal protection for anyone who accidentally took the life of another–in modern parlance this is known as manslaughter or negligent homicide.  Since nothing in redemptive history is accidental, with the establishment of these six cities, we are pointed ahead to Jesus Christ–the great high priest. In the case of someone who commits manslaughter, they must flee to one of these cities of refuge and remain there until the death of the high priest. The symbolism here is obvious and powerful.

Clearly, the death of the high priest in a symbolic sense sets the man-slaughterer free.  This points us ahead to the death of Jesus, who is both the great high priest and at the same time the divinely appointed once for all sacrifice for sin. That God provides for relief from sins such as manslaughter is a good thing and demonstrates that even though Israel was under the blessing-curse principle based upon the covenant God made them at Mount Sinai, the covenant of grace (first made with Abraham) was never annulled, and still remained in force, ensuring the salvation of believers within Israel.  It was Jesus after all who said that anyone who was angry with his brother or sister was just as guilty of murder as the one who actually took life (Matthew 5:21-22).  Therefore, as the death of the priest in one of the cities of refuge allows the manslaughterer to go free, so too the death of Jesus frees us from the guilt of our sins, including the hatred of our neighbor.  With images like this found throughout the Book of Joshua, we are  reminded that the Canaanites were not Israel’s greatest enemy–sin and it wages are our greatest foe. And now, the greater Joshua (Jesus) has defeated both sin and death.

To read more of his comments, or to go to the sermon on Joshua 20-21, click here:

The Lord uses panic and hail for His purposes

Posted: April 5, 2013 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Joshua
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And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
—Joshua 10:8-11

Kim Riddlebarger in a sermon, ““There Has Been No Day Like It” — Joshua 10:1-27″ comments:

When we read that “the Lord threw them” (the five Amorite kings), “into a panic,” we should notice that this has a two-fold reference. The first thing indicated by the passage is that the LORD was with Joshua in such a way that he blessed Joshua’s surprise attack. When the armies of Israel show up unexpectedly and in force, the Amorites obviously panicked at the sight of Joshua’s men where they had not expected them. Since the Lord works through means, this is, in part what caused the Amorite panic. Yet YHWH gets all the credit, giving Joshua wisdom and his men strength to fight the battle after marching all night. Joshua’s men totally defeated this Amorite coalition, driving them down the important trade route (the “way of ascent”) as far as Makkedah which is another twenty miles or so. No doubt, Joshua and the soldiers of Israel fought brilliantly and bravely. The Amorite army was in full retreat.

Joshua’s training of the army and his tactics are superb, but without YHWH’s blessing this victory would not have happened. YHWH also directly intervened, sending a powerful hailstorm which killed more Amorites than did the Israelite soldiers. The very fact that the Amorite armies fled so far so fast is indicative of the shear panic that went through the ranks. Not only did the Israelite army outmaneuver the Amorite armies catching them by complete surprise, but a sudden hailstorm killed many, as soldiers caught out in the open facing gigantic hailstones would have no place to find shelter. This time it was the Amorites who broke and ran. After this amazing victory, no one in Canaan would remember Ai. It was clear to all that YHWH was on Israel’s side. While not yet complete, the victory was stunning. YHWH is the LORD. He is Israel’s shield and defender and gives his people the victory.

Riddlebarger: Good News in Mark

Posted: April 1, 2013 by Pam Larson in April, Devotionals/Commentaries, Mark
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The next two months we will be reading through the Gospel of Mark. “Why study Mark? What is here for us?” This is a question asked and then answered by Kim Riddlebarger in a sermon on Mark 1:1-8, our passage for today:

First and foremost, the Gospel of Mark is vital for us to study because in this gospel we are summoned to believe that Jesus is the Christ and to submit to his Lordship. We must make the same confession about Jesus that both Peter and the centurion made. We must believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. That alone is a sufficient reason to study Mark.

But there is more that we can say. Certainly one important reason to study this gospel is that Mark serves an important apologetic or evangelistic purpose–you cannot communicate to people what you don’t know or, are afraid might not be true. In Mark’s Gospel we come as close as we can to Jesus of Nazareth. In this gospel we learn some of the most important things that Jesus said and did. We meet the Jesus who really lived and who spoke the words recorded here. Far too often we assume that Christians know and understand the basic facts of Christianity. But many of us do not know the events surrounding the life and death of Jesus well enough to recount them to our non-Christian friends and neighbors–and this is what true evangelism entails. Familiarity with the Gospel of Mark is a great place to begin overcoming this fear and lack of confidence in telling others about Jesus. There are many Christians who counsel new converts or non-Christians to start with Mark’s Gospel–I wholeheartedly agree. So my homework assignment to you is that you read this Gospel through at least once, in its entirety. Perhaps you might even want to read Mark for your devotions or include it in your family bible reading and catechesis.

As for its redemptive historical significance, we must recall the Exodus–those forty years the people of God wandered in the wilderness. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus calls his people out from the nations in what amounts to a new Exodus. Just as Israel was called out of bondage and slavery in Egypt, so too, Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, summons Israel to once again cross through the sea in his baptism of repentance. Having been baptized by John, Jesus immediately begins his Messianic mission. Mark repeatedly speaks of Jesus being in the wilderness, which calls to mind the fact that Jesus is the true Israel, and who, unlike the Israelites we saw in the Books of Exodus and Numbers and who frequently grumbled and complained and doubted God’s promise, faithfully obeyed his father’s will. And his father’s will inevitably takes Jesus to the cross, where he suffers and dies for the guilt of our sins.

johnThe new Exodus brought about by Jesus is tied to coming of the kingdom of God (which is the rule or reign of God). Jesus is revealed to be both the Son of God and yet at the same time the servant of all. Not only did the prophet Isaiah foretell of this New Exodus and dawn of the kingdom of God at the dawn of the Messianic age, so did the prophet Malachi. As we see in our Old Testament lesson, Malachi foretold of an age about which the LORD declares, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” That, of course, is a reference to John the Baptist. But as soon as the messenger comes, he is followed by another–the Messiah himself. “`Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.’” With the coming of Jesus of Nazareth, Mark can now proclaim the good news that what God had promised Isaiah and Malachi, he has now brought to pass in Jesus of Nazareth.

Therefore, when we read in the opening words of Mark’s Gospel, “the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: `I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’–-`a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him,’” we know that what both Isaiah and Malachi had predicted is a reality–the kingdom of God is at hand. A new exodus is about to begin. The messianic age has dawned. And through this wonderful proclamation of the “good news” about Jesus, the Gospel of Mark, we too will be summoned to believe and confess that Jesus is the Son of God. We will be called to repent of our sins. And we will hear the voice of our Savior–who came to serve, not to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Amen.

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