THE SAPLING’S STAR

The night is cold, it is bitter cold,
and the trees are moving, creaking,
screeching in the cold, dark, winter night,
as the stars begin their peeking.

They can see the patch where the maples grow,
nestled in for winter, napping,
and beneath the trunk of a mighty red,
they can see the smallest sapling.
 
They are shown a strength in its tiny limbs,
of a promise building, keeping,
of a hope to give unsparingly,
of love for the woodland sleeping.

And they wonder who is showing this,

in whose light a-basking, savoring?

High above the sapling is its Star,

shining brightly, ever favoring!

 

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah,
yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me
that is to be ruler in Israel;
whose goings forth have been from of old,
from everlasting.
Micah 5:2

 

THE SAPLING’S STAR

For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

I am confident that... The Designer of the Bethlehem Star loves us! And I hope you are confident, too.

God wonderfully shone a light on the giving of His most precious gift to us—His Son, Jesus Christ! From the beginning of time, this birth was carefully orchestrated, then knitted together, fearfully and wonderfully made in Mary's womb. God loves us!

I'm continuing attention to the word 'repent'. Jesus and His disciples talked as they traveled and the word 'yeast' came up. Jesus told His disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and that of Herod, and the disciples thought He was talking about bread.

"How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 16:11-12

and...

Then He charged them, saying, "take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

Mark 8:15

Yeast, as we know, works its way through dough to cause bread to rise. The definition in the dictionary is that it is a substance found on the surface of fermenting sugary liquids containing ascomycetes of fam. Saccharomycetaceae, that multiply by budding and cause fermentation of sugars, with the production of alcohol and carbon dioxide. 

Leaven is defined as a substance added to dough which, by fermentation, produces carbon dioxide gas and thus makes the dough rise and become porous. Essentially, yeast and leaven are the same thing.

Jesus said 'Beware'. We had better pay attention to this. 

Who were the Pharisees and why did Jesus say to beware of their teaching? The Pharisees were a religious order during the days of Jesus who tried to be pious and righteous on their own but were, in fact, hypocrites. They tithed, studied the Bible, said long prayers, and even evangelized but they did not know Jesus Christ. Jesus warns about their false teaching. They looked the part but their hearts were dark and their minds were clouded about true salvation through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Jesus says to beware of their doctrine which included salvation by works. They did not have a loving relationship with God the Father through Jesus. They did not know of the unlimited resources available to a true child of God from a merciful, Heavenly Father. They did not accept grace or teach forgiveness of sins through Jesus. Their tithing, studying the Bible, prayers, and evangelical efforts were in vain.

"Beware! Be on your guard! Take heed! Watch out! Be careful!" These are the words of Jesus for faulty doctrine.

And then, the Sadducees, another order, had weird doctrine in that they didn't believe in the resurrection. They were ignorant of God's power to raise the mortal immortal. They collaborated with Roman authorities to maintain their power and control over the Temple, kind of like maintaining a power trip, you might say. Their bad thinking spread, like yeast spreading throughout dough, like shallow nonsense infiltrating between the pews in a church.

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; 

Mark 12:18

And Herod? Did he enjoy listening to John the Baptist, an obvious righteous man, but then equally enjoy watching his stepdaughter dance for him at a banquet later that day? Did he tolerate God as long as God didn't get in the way of his worldly ways? Did he say 'turn a blind eye while I engage in this'? Jesus warns about him, too. "Watch out! Beware! Be careful!"

Jesus used the example of yeast in a positive way, however, and I think that is good to note.

Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

Matthew 13:33

In this case, it's a blessing how good teaching can spread like yeast throughout the dough. It's encouraging to the heart to be part of Christian fellowship (and not just regular fellowship which can be got anywhere). It's a blessing to see a church align themselves with correct doctrine and proclaim the good news about the kingdom of Heaven. It's satisfying for the soul to be nourished while worshipping together with Christian brothers and sisters who know a patient and forgiving Savior. What encouragement there is when believers join together to thank the Lord for His goodness and pray together, relying on Him for their needs. Prayer is a privilege for them stemming from a real relationship with God through Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead." So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.

Exodus 12:33-34

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

Exodus 12:39

"You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty."

Exodus 23:15

After the ten plagues, the Israelites were set free and begged by the frightened Egyptians to leave immediately. God's people went forthwith with their unleavened bread and plundered goods, and a heart to worship the one true God wherever He led. They fled the Egyptian pagan gods who were defeated and worldly ways prevalent in the land. The influences of other worship practices was not to impede upon the worship of Almighty God. God had delivered them and made a distinction.

Are there modern Pharisees in the church today? Do they teach not to do something but then they do it later? Or, do they strive to earn their salvation through their good works? Do they lack compassion for others? Do they rely on their own merit and not the Lord? Is it God's work or their traditions that are more important? Do they invest in real prayer from changed hearts, asking God to grow their church?

The warnings of Jesus against hypocrisy and worldliness still hold true today. Like the religious people of His day (the Pharisees and Sadducees) we, too, have religious people whose hearts are dark and minds are clouded. They don't have a relationship with the Lord but desperately need one. They value their legalistic ways over teaching freedom from sins through Jesus' atoning work on the cross. They are the spiritually blind leading the spiritually blind (and they might even use the word 'spirituality' in their vocabulary to sound like they are spiritual when, indeed, they are not filled with the Holy Spirit).

Also, there are Herod-like people in church who live for the world. They might say about a pastor not only living in sin but parading it from the pulpit that 'as long as she's doing her job, I'm okay with her'. Or, 'accept my decision to supplement my church experience by adding this other worldly practice in my life'. Or, they advocate (and thereby teach) that everyone goes to Heaven when they die regardless of whether they had accepted Christ or not. (They might think this because it is uncomfortable for them to think anyone would go to Hell. But people are perishing every day. Jesus came to save!) Take heed and step away from wrong thinking for it negates the work of Christ on the cross. Beware! It is a warning from Jesus, who had named the Pharisees and Sadducees— a 'brood of vipers' — and He didn't speak well of Herod either. It is the allowed bad teaching that spreads through the church, like yeast through the dough, and it's the type of bread Jesus, the Son of God, doesn't offer.

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

John 6:35

"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

John 5:32

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this day to all by raising Him from the dead."

Acts 17:30-31

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Revelation 2:5

Spread the good doctrine. Jesus, the Son of God, is the only One with the power to forgive sins. Always shine a light on this wonderful truth! And He who began a good work in us is faithful to see it through. Be encouraged by that! Being forgiven of sins (which is being made righteous) is the only way to enter Heaven and never be separated from God's love. Tell others of the wonder of God's amazing grace when, of our sins, we repent.