Mark Hanby Ministries - Messages

For we but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow: shall not they teach thee and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? Can the rush grow up without mire?... Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow. Job 8:9-11, 19 These are the words of Bildad the Shuhite, who was one of the rank and ill-comforting agents for the suffering Job. Although many things that Job's friends shared in the Scriptural record are not doctrinally pure, the words recorded here are poetic pearls of divine wisdom delivered from the sloppy shell of one-sided theology. In these few prophetic passages a true picture of man's existence and the nature of God's will for the church. The rush, a papyrus- reed which grew up along the Nile River was extremely versatile in its many essential purposes. Rushes were woven together and used as clothes. The roots were dried and used for fuel in a poor man's fire. The ancients would weave sails for ships from the rush, so that rich merchants could ply their wares. Empty bellies could be satiated by the eating of this plant. The inner pith of the reed was cut into strips and dried to make papyrus scrolls. Job would have understood when Bildad referred to the rush that he was speaking of one of the building blocks of civilization. The papyrus reed was truly a necessary element in the growing of cultured society. Civilization cannot exist without the recording of learning and attained knowledge. The Egyptians advanced in their understanding to become the greatest world power of their day because they were able to capture for future generations the laws and dreams of their fathers. Our very Bible is the product of Moses and the prophets moved upon by the Holy Spirit with a reed in their hand writing upon a papyrus scroll. Without the rush, we would not have books, literature or history from that period. We would be void of the richness of our Biblical heritage. Without the papyrus reed, the men of Job's day would have been illiterate savages, bereft of any societal progression or educational advancement. Without the rush, there would be no civilization, but without the mire, we would not have the rush. Down under the root and fiber of the growing green rush that lifts itself up to six feet above the waters surface is a mucky, mushy mire. This dark black substance, created apart from our perception, is made by the fermenting death of once living things that have been soaked and crushed together into a rotting mass of mud. Storms rage in the woods, with their flashing lightning and roaring thunder, splintering branches and blowing leaves upon the ground. The beautiful colors of fall forests, coats of Joseph torn from the limbs of oaks and maples, leaving naked trees stripped of their garments. The tears from the sky and from the fountains of the earth flow their weepy waters through the long-dead, life-giving mulch of leaves and bark, creating streams of stained nectar for thirsty roots and layers of silty slime in ponds and lakes. Mire is the coagulation of life that has died to give life to something that has not yet lived. Bildad asks, ?Can the rush grow up without mire?", and of course the answer is no. Every great and beautiful thing in nature has at its root some dark experience. Every mighty, magnificent spiritual happening comes with a murky midnight death somewhere attached. Strong churches just don't happen; mature saints do not just sprout up from the surface of our thin existence, but there is somewhere an umbilical connection to a dying situation. Our whole redemption in the Lord Jesus is pivoted to a rugged cross with rusty nails and a gasping Lamb screaming, "My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?"?. The most glorious thing in all the world is when a person is redeemed from the shackles of sin into the liberty of relationship with God and His kingdom. But beneath the luscious green growth of salvation is the black mire of a cross which took His life and poured out His blood. The nature of the church is not to simply live for itself, but to bring life to those who have never lived. Yet many have not been channels through which the Spirit of God may flow, but vessels catching and gathering up all the blessing they can. Although we have this treasure in earthen vessels, a pitcher is not just for gathering, but for pouring. It is a wonderful thing to hold and contain truth - but it is not a progressive thing. It leaves nothing for spiritual posterity. The gospel was intended to create out of us a self-sacrificing, self-denying, self-giving Church. We should not live for our own ideals nor even breathe for our own living. The church was meant to be a part of His life and a part of His death. Christians are to be a living, dying people crucified with Christ nevertheless living". (Gal. 2:20) We need to count it all joy when the storms of life release us from the Laodicean limbs of self-satisfaction into the rich soil of life-giving death to our own designs. Not only should the church offer the budding flower of truth, but we must become the humus of a new humanity. From the rich, inky soil of our self-sacrifice, men and women of God shall spring forth and grow to become the fabric of a renewed society, living epistles known and read of all men. Our light afflictions and momentary crushings composted with kingdom purpose provide the foundational grounding for a generation not yet born. Death may be working in you but to give life to another (2 Cor. 4). For, Behold, this is the joy of His way, and out of the earth shall others grow. We thank you so much four your continued love and support. Dr. Mark Hanby