Author: Brian Burdett

“And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.” – Leviticus 9:23

What an incredible moment! After all the construction and preparation, after the commitment and ordination of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, and after the sacrifices made to atone for the sin of the people and of the priests, everyone got to see the glory of the Lord for themselves!

We really can’t even begin to imagine what that must have been like: to experience the outshining radiance of all the power, beauty, strength, wisdom, knowledge, goodness, holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy, kindness, and grace of God. Words fail and so do imaginations. We certainly could (and should) wish to have such an experience of God’s presence.

And we will! For all who are in Christ, He has made atonement for our sins. By the grace and mercy of God, all who believe in Jesus will one day live in the presence of the glory of God forever in the new heaven and new earth. What was a momentary experience for Israel so long ago is the forever future of all who follow Jesus. We have something wonderful to look forward to!

#FOLLOWJESUS

NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on March 2, 2020.

“Then he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the rule. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.” – Leviticus 5:10

The overwhelming message of the book of Leviticus is that forgiveness of sin comes at a terrible price. God is pure, perfect, holy, and righteous. He is all good and in Him is no shadow of darkness, evil, or sin. Thus when we sin – and we all do – we create a separation between us and Him bigger than the Grand Canyon!

The only way to remove that sin and close that separation is for something innocent to die. It sounds horrible to our modern sensibilities, but that’s because we don’t appreciate how horrible our sin is, whether we think it’s a “big” sin or a “little” sin. Sin is sin and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) – either for ourselves or for something innocent that atones for our sin.

The ancient system of sacrifice with all its blood and gore was intended to teach us that single lesson. That system could never truly save anyone in itself because after the sacrifice people just sinned again. The system existed to point us to an infinitely greater sacrifice that could cover all our sin, past, present, and future.

That sacrifice was made by the eternal, holy, righteous, perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ. He lived the life free of sin that we can’t and He died as an atoning sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. By His death and resurrection, all who put their faith in Him receive forgiveness and new birth into eternal life.

“He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” – 1 Peter 2:24

#FOLLOWJESUS

NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on February 28, 2020.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

Christian, wherever you go, near or far, you have a job to do: be a witness for Jesus Christ. It’s a deceptively simple task: speak the truth of what you know from Scripture and have seen in your own life. A witness tells facts without speculation, truth without opinion or preference. A witness stays focused on his or her responsibility.

This, of course, is where the challenge comes in. To be a faithful witness, we need to know the truth we’re speaking about – so we’re called to a lifetime of studying God’s Word, so that we may continually grow as witnesses. In an unreflective age, we’re called to reflect on what we’ve seen of God’s work in our lives so that we can share our eyewitness testimony. To be a faithful witness we must be willing to table whatever we want to talk about so we can talk about what Jesus asked us to talk about.

It’s increasingly hard to be a witness in our world. The noise level and hostility are increasing and it seems nobody “wants” to hear what we have to say. This is good, because it reminds us that we aren’t witnesses by our own strength, charming personality, wit, or wisdom. Our power to witness impactfully comes only from the Holy Spirit.

While there are things we should do to be more faithful witnesses (practice, prepare, read, and pray among them), it’s ultimately God’s Spirit Who empowers us, and we must learn to let Him, because this broken world needs to hear our testimony of the Living Christ!

#FOLLOWJESUS

NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on June 2, 2020.

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’’” – Exodus 3:14

God is the great I AM. He is. We need not doubt. He is eternally present. His existence depends on nothing and no one else. He isn’t a relic of the past, nor dependent on the approval of the present. Though He may feel distant at times, He is never distant. He is.

He is present at all times and in all places. He is simultaneously astride time and present in each moment. He is unshakable and sovereign, creating and sustaining a universe of order and beauty. His nature never changes – He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. He is forgiving AND just. He is the I AM.

Praise Him! Praise Him today, praise Him tomorrow, praise Him everyday!

Revelation 4:11:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

#FOLLOWJESUS

NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on February 8, 2021.

“Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed.” – Matthew 26:74

In the moment of crisis, Peter failed horribly. He was so afraid of being found out as a follower of Jesus that he called down God’s curse upon himself, lying to escape danger. Yet mere weeks later he would stare down the leaders of his nation, embrace beatings and imprisonments, and embark on a life of constant danger that would ultimately lead to his own death. What happened?

First, Jesus forgave his betrayal and restored him. When we fail Christ, there is always hope. In Christ we aren’t defined by failure, but by Christ in us. Christ stands ready to forgive and restore us to service even after the worst betrayal.

Second, Peter received the Holy Spirit. The presence of God’s Spirit living in him utterly changed Peter from a boastful coward to a humble giant who would lead the Jesus movement in its formative years. In his own strength, Peter was literally afraid of a servant girl. In the strength of the Holy Spirit, Peter was no longer held back by his fear.

If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, that same Spirit of boldness and power lives within you! The Holy Spirit comes upon us the moment we commit our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We live in a fearful age in which we often define ourselves by what we can’t do. But since you have the same Spirit of God Peter had, you need to understand you’re actually defined by the presence of God within you, not by any limitations imposed by yourself or the world. You’re empowered to go far beyond your own capabilities. While fear may always gnaw at your heart, God’s Spirit enables you to break through that fear.

#FOLLOWJESUS

NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on February 11, 2020.