Difficult, But Determined.

Matthew 10

So do not fear… - Vs 31 (NASB)

This is a pretty intense chapter. As I read it, I kept trying to get in the sandals of the disciples and imagine what they were feeling as Jesus gave them this little "pep talk." He is getting ready to sent them out on their own for the first time as His apostles or literally His "ambassadors." But rather than give them words of encouragement, it seems as if He is trying to scare them. He starts out pretty positive, telling them that they are to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. But even those instructions could be a little intimidating to a group of rag-tag fishermen and tax collectors. But then Jesus starts to turn up the heat. He starts intimating that they will face rejection. Not everyone is going to accept what they have to say. They won't necessarily be celebrities everywhere they go. And Jesus makes this very clear in His instructions. Just take a look at some of His words of warning:

I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. – Vs 16 (NASB)

…beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues. – Vs 17 (NASB)

…you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. – Vs 18 (NLT)

Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. – Vs 21 (NLT)

And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. – Vs 22 (NLT)

When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. – Vs 23 (NLT)

Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword. – Vs 34 (NLT)

I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter–in–law against her mother–in–law. Your enemies will be right in your own household! – Vs 35-36 (NLT)

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. – Vs 38 (NLT)

This is scary stuff. If I'm one of the disciples, I'm thinking, "What have I signed up for?" Jesus' speech isn't exactly what I would expect if He's trying to send these guys out enthusiastically. But right in the middle of all the doom and gloom, Jesus three different times, "Do not fear!" He reminds them that God is watching over them. They will have divine protection.

Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows. – Vs 29-31 (NLT)

Not all that Jesus says in this chapter was going to take place in the time the disciples were on this little expedition. There are some forewarnings included that deal with the time after Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. There are also some events that have to do with the Tribulation period. All of these men would have been long dead by the time this future event takes place. So some of what Jesus is talking about has to do with His followers in general. So this message has immediate application to the twelve, but also to us. These are going to be difficult days. Jesus is not promising His followers a rose garden. This is not going to be an easy path to follow. We will face persecution. We will face difficulties. Our message will not always be accepted. Even among our own family members. Jesus' message is controversial and divisive. The gospel divides. That's why He says, "Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! No, I came to bring a sword." Listen to how The Message paraphrases that verse: "Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut – make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law -- cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God." I think that really does sum up what Jesus is trying to say to these men as He sends them out. While this trip would prove to be fairly non-eventful, the day was coming when they would experience much of these things in full. After Jesus resurrection, the disciples would go through extreme difficulty and persecution. They would find themselves under tremendous persecution. But Jesus wants them to remember that they have no reason to fear. So He tells them three times, "Do not fear." Better yet, He warns them to fear God, but not man.

Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life--body and soul--in his hands. – Vs 28 (The Message)

We have been sent out into the world. A lot of what Jesus warned the disciples about, we face. These are difficult days. The message we have to share is not a popular one. It is divisive and controversial. It is exclusive and not politically correct. But we need to go out fearlessly, knowing that we have the power of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit (Vs 20). We do not need to fear men. But we DO need to fear God. We are His ambassadors, His representatives. He is expecting us to be aware of the difficulties. He doesn't want us to be uninformed or ignorant of the realities we face. We are sheep in the midst of wolves. But we can be bold, because we serve a powerful God who loves us and knows us so intimately, that He knows exactly how many hairs we have on our heads! So do not fear.

Father, thank You for reminding me of the mission on which You have placed me. I am not here for my comfort or convenience. I am on mission. You did not promise me an easy road or path to follow. You have warned me that it would be difficult. Your own Son was murdered because of His message. Why do I think it will be any different for me? Give me the strength to be bold. To not fear. But keep me fearful of You, because You are worthy of my fear. You hold my life in Your hands. You purchased My life with the blood of Your own Son. I owe You my allegiance and faithful service.. Amen

The Great Physician.

Matthew 9

Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: "I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices." For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough. - Vs 13 (NLT)

Chapter nine has couple of encounters between Jesus and the Pharisees. These guys are beginning to turn up the heat. The more Jesus teaches and ministers, the more they decide they don't like what they're hearing. He is unwanted competition for the hearts and minds of the people. Jesus is upstaging them and they don't like it. For years, the Pharisees have been the main act in town. They are the recognized spiritual elite - the A Team. And now Jesus comes along preaching repentance and a new view of righteousness – a righteousness distinctly different than the brand the Pharisees had been practicing. In fact, that was a big part of what Jesus was teaching in His Sermon on the Mount. Remember, He said, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them" (Matthew 6:1). He was talking about the righteousness of the Pharisees. They gave to be noticed by men. They prayed to be seen by men. They prayed to impress men. They fasted to be admired by men. These guys did a lot of good things, but they did them for the wrong reasons. Yet they were viewed as righteous by the people.

Now Jesus comes along and begins to upset their idyllic little world. He is operating by a different rule book. He rejects their brand of righteousness and unveils His own. So when He sits down to have lunch with Matthew, a tax collector, and his tax collector buddies, the Pharisees are appalled. They can't believe a good rabbi would ever lower himself to eat with the likes of tax collectors and sinners. These people were considered the bottom feeders of the community. They were the dregs of humanity – despised and avoided at all costs. But here was Jesus having a meal with them. So the Pharisees confront Jesus' disciples. "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus overhears their question and responds: "Healthy people don’t need a doctor––sick people do." Jesus is revealing the true purpose behind His coming. He came to rescue the perishing. He came to save the lost. He came to heal the spiritually sick and dying. He came to bring light to those living in spiritual darkness. He came to feed the spiritually hungry. He came to set free the spiritually captive. Jesus is also revealing another important ingredient to His ministry. It is to those who recognize their need for a Savior. Jesus came to rescue those who know they are in need of rescue. He came to heal those who know they are sick and are willing to admit it.

He goes on to say to His questioners, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.’ For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough." He quotes from Hosea 6:6.

I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that’s more important than burnt offerings.

The Hebrew word for "merciful" is heced. It means "goodness, kindness, and faithfulness." In the book of Hosea, God is speaking against the people of Judah for their unfaithfulness to Him. Sure, they were still making sacrifices and going through the religious motions, but they didn't really know God. So, because they didn't know God, they weren't living lives that reflected a relationship with God. These people refused to come to God in true repentance. They refused to admit that they were really spiritually sick. In Hosea 5:15, God says, "I will go away and return to My place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me." The response God is looking for from them is this: "Come, let us return to the Lord, for He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us, He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him" (Hosea 6:1-2).

When Jesus quotes from the book of Hosea to the Pharisees, it does not go unnoticed. They know the context. They were experts in the Old Testament and knew what was going on in the story. So the point of Jesus' statement did not escape their notice. He was saying that they were like the people of Judah – stubborn, unrepentant, spiritually sick, but unwilling to admit their need for a doctor. They saw themselves as perfectly healthy and spiritually whole. In his gospel, Mark records Jesus' response this way: "Healthy people don’t need a doctor––sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough." Jesus sums it up right there. The Pharisees were self-righteous and blind to their own spiritual illness. They didn't need a Savior, because they thought they could save themselves.

But before we slam the Pharisees, we probably need to take a look at our own lives and see if we don't sometimes suffer from the same problem. Even as believers, we cannot afford to forget the fact that we are still sinners in need of a Savior. We are still prone to sinfulness and sickness of the soul, because we are constantly doing battle with the flesh, the world, and the Devil. My process of sanctification or progressing in Christ-likeness, is a constant state of healing that is taking place. I am putting off the old and putting on the new. I am rejecting my old way of life and embracing the new life made possible through Jesus' death on the cross. I am growing in my dependence on God and my reliance on the Holy Spirit for power to live by faith instead of in the flesh. But before I can begin the healing process, I have to admit my sickness. I need to daily recognize my need for a Savior. Not just for salvation, but for sanctification. I can't live the Christian life apart from the power of Christ. I can't offer up my religious sacrifices as a replacement for His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. Because all of my works are as filthy rags.

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. – Isaiah 64:6

Jesus came "to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough." I need to recognize my sinfulness each and every day. Not wallow in it and demoralize myself because of it. But allow it to remind me that I still need the healing touch of the Great Physician each and every day of my life.

Father, how easy it is for me to become complacent in my relationship with You. I can lull myself into a false sense of self-confidence and self-righteousness, thinking that all that I do for You is good enough. Yet, You want me to know You and to live a life that reflects that I have an intimate relationship with You. A life of compassion and mercy that reaches out to those who are sick, because I recognize that I have received the touch of the Great Physician on my life. In fact, you heal me daily from the effects of sin and my own addiction to self. Thank You for sending Your Son to heal those who are sick. Help us to daily admit our need for His healing touch. Amen

Great faith Vs. Little Faith.

Matthew 8

There are two interesting stories of faith in this passage that seem to be meant to contrast one another. The first one is the centurion – a Roman army officer who would have been in command of 100 men. He came to Jesus literally strongly encouraging Him to do something about his servant who was suffering from paralysis and in a tremendous amount of pain. In response to this man's urgent request for help, Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." You would have thought that this man would have been ecstatic at this news, but instead he says, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed!" (Vs 8 - NLT). This man seemed to understand that Jesus, as Lord, had authority to command the healing of his servant without even having to be in the same room with him. Jesus is blown away by this Gentile's faith and responds, "I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!" (Vs 10 - NLT). In the original Greek, Matthew records Jesus using an adjective to describe this man's faith. He refers to it as a "great" faith. That word in the Greek is tosoutos and it refers to the quantity or greatness of this man's faith. He had a lot of faith in Jesus and expressed it by saying that he knew Jesus had the power and authority to heal his servant just by commanding it to happen. His faith was coupled with his humility. As a Gentile, a centurion, and a sinner, he didn't feel worthy to have Jesus come into his home. That is what motivated his request that Jesus heal his servant from a distance. He knew he was undeserving of Jesus' help, but humbly made his request knowing that Jesus had the power and authority to heal his suffering servant. And that's exactly what Jesus did. Jesus tells him, "Go on home. What you have believed has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour" (Vs 13 - NLT).

The second encounter with faith involves the disciples. It's the familiar story of the storm at sea and Jesus asleep in the boat as the disciples battle the waves. Now keep in mind that these guys had been present at the encounter with the centurion. They had heard Jesus' remarks about his faith and the lack of faith of the people of Israel. They had also just seen Jesus heal Peter's mother-in-law. They had been witnesses to him casting out demons and healing the sick. Now they find themselves in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, stuck in a storm and they wake Jesus up, shouting, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" (Vs 25 - NASB). Many of these guys are seasoned fishermen, but they are panicking and fearing for their lives. This isn't a case of NO faith, because they were calling out to Jesus to save them, to rescue them. They were turning to Jesus for salvation. But the problem that Jesus exposes is their faith mixed with fear. He asks them, "Why are you afraid?" Then He seems to immediately answer His own question when He says, "You have so little faith!" The Greek word is oligopistos and it means "people of little faith." Their trust in Jesus was small. They really didn't believe He was going to be able to do anything about their situation, so they were anticipating death. They were hopeful He could do something, but their hopes were being overwhelmed by the circumstances. Yet, in response to their "little" faith, Jesus rescues them by calming the wind and the waves. And they are amazed!

So what's the point? Both the centurion and the disciples had faith in Jesus. But the point seems to be the presence of fear that accompanied the disciples' faith. The centurion was not fearful that Jesus might not be able to heal his servant. If he had any fear at all, it was based on his unworthiness to expect Jesus to respond to his request. But he had no doubt or fear in Jesus ability to do what he was requesting. He was confident in the power of Jesus. The disciples on the other hand exhibited faith mixed with fear. They were not exactly sure that Jesus was going to be able to handle their request. Sure, they turned to Him in their time of need, but they still feared for their lives. They literally thought they were going to die right there and then. Their faith was being overwhelmed by their fear and their circumstances.

How often do I respond the same way? I turn to Jesus in my time of need. I make my request known to Him, but I really don't believe He is going to be able to do anything about it. My faith becomes overwhelmed by my fear. I turn to Him, but I don't trust Him. That is about little or weak faith. It is about trusting Jesus too little and believing our circumstances way too much. The centurion's faith was based on the power and authority he believed Jesus had. The disciples' faith was hampered by the power and authority they believed the storm had. What is our faith based on? Do we really believe Jesus is who He says He is, with the power to do what He says He can do? Or do we let our circumstances overwhelm our faith in Jesus, causing us to doubt His ability to deliver us from the storms of life? It reminds me of that often-quoted passage from Philippians. It has to do with fear, anxiety, and the peace that can come when we take our needs to God, trusting fully in His power and authority to meet all our needs completely.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

Father, I want to learn to trust You more and more. Forgive me for letting my circumstances overwhelm my faith in You. May I have the faith of the centurion. May I humbly trust in your power and authority and not allow the storms of life to overwhelm my faith with fear. Amen

Look For The Fruit.

Matthew 7

So then, you will know them by their fruits. – Vs 20

In this passage, Jesus has been talking about fruitfulness. He uses the imagery of a tree. And He does so to expose what He calls false prophets – those who "come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart" (Vs 15). These people are deceivers, liars, and charlatans. The term for false prophet in the Greek means "one who, acting the part of a divinely inspired prophet, utters falsehoods under the name of divine prophecies." They claim to be speaking for God, but aren't. They claim to be speaking the truth, but aren't. They look the part. They appear to be one of us, but they aren't. These are people who have chosen the wide gate and the broad way (Vs 13) that leads to destruction, instead of the small gate and the narrow way. So the path they have chosen doesn't lead to life, even though it gives all the appearances that it does.

Is this a problem today? You bet it is. We have all kinds of false prophets and prophetesses running around who look like one of us, sound amazingly like one of us, but who are not speaking for God. Jesus indicates that these peoples' real intent is negative, not positive. He calls them "ravenous wolves." The word "ravenous" in the Greek means "to carry off by force." Like a wild wolf, their intent is selfish and sinister. They will use trickery and deception to get what they want. Jesus uses a metaphor here to point out that these false prophets appear to be one thing, but in reality they are something quite different and dangerous.

So what does this have to do with fruitfulness? Well, right after warning us about false prophets, Jesus tells us we can know them by their fruits (Vs 16). The New Living Translation words verse 16 this way: "You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit." The Message paraphrases verse 16 this way: "Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned." Look at what their lives produce. Listen to what their words teach. So many of the false prophets of our day are promising health, wealth, blessing, and abundance, and their lives reflect it. They drive big cars, live in beautiful homes, have huge television ministries, and tens of thousands of followers. But their message, while containing some truth, is usually not biblical. They are not inviting people to enter through the small gate and walk the narrow way. They are offering a wide gate and a broad way that is easy, commitment free, and that promises a life of ease, happiness, and self-fulfillment.

So we need to look at their fruit. A truly good tree bears good fruit. Not good fruit according to its own terms, but God's. A bad tree cannot produce good fruit. It will always produce bad fruit. Bad fruit lack nutritional value. It can't feed or fill up the needs of those who attempt to eat it. In the book of Jude, these people are described in pretty graphic terms:

When these people join you in fellowship meals celebrating the love of the Lord, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are shameless in the way they care only about themselves. They are like clouds blowing over dry land without giving rain, promising much but producing nothing. They are like trees without fruit at harvest time. They are not only dead but doubly dead, for they have been pulled out by the roots. – Jude 1:12

They are hidden reefs, rainless clouds, and fruitless trees. They promise much, but deliver little of substance. And the only way we can spot them is by their fruits. Don't judge by appearances only. Like a reef, they are hidden beneath the surface, waiting to bring destruction. They can appear as a water soaked rain cloud, but never deliver on the promise of rain. They can appear as healthy fruit-bearing trees, but when it comes time to deliver the fruit, they can't. So Jesus says, "you will know them by their fruits." Now the really scary part is that many of these people will be doing good things in the name of the Lord. Jesus says that they will be prophesying in His name. They will cast out demons in His name. They will perform miracles in His name. In other words, they will give every appearance of being spokesmen for Him, but what does He say? "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven" (Vs 21). He goes on to say that when the time of judgment comes, "I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized'" (Vs 23).

So we need to look for the fruit. The fruit flows from within. It is the result of a real and vibrant relationship with Jesus. Take a few minutes to read John 15:1-17. In it you will find Jesus unpack what He means by fruit and where this fruit comes from. Jesus is looking for fruit in His followers. He desires for us to bear fruit. But the only fruit He will accept is the kind that flows out of an abiding relationship with Him. This kind of fruit will be other-centered. It will be healing and helpful. It will bring life. It will have the characteristics that Paul outlines for us in Galatians 5:22-23. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Father, there are wolves in sheep's clothing all around us today. They are out to deceive and distract us from the truth. They are out to take us captive by slick words and empty promises. Teach us to look for the fruit. Your fruit. And help us to be fruitful ourselves. We are all susceptible to the packaging, the outward appearance and the image of success. But You look at the heart. Give us discernment to see beyond the surface and to look for the fruit. And give us the boldness to expose those who are trying to deceive the sheep in order to line their own pocketbooks and stroke their own egos. Amen

The Real Thing.

Matthew 6

Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. – Vs 1

Chapter six is a continuation of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. He has been talking about raising the bar on righteousness. He isn't looking for some kind of external brand of righteousness based on keeping a set of rules. He isn't interested in Pharasaical, hypocritical righteousness that looks good on the outside, but is just a sham. No, Jesus is looking for godly righteousness. And in chapter six He elaborates even more on what He means. Jesus says, "Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven" (NIV). To illustrate what He is talking about, Jesus uses three common "righteous" practices of the Pharisees: Fasting, prayer, and money. For the Pharisees, this had become a spectator sport. They did everything to be noticed by men. They wanted the accolades and recognition for all their effort. But Jesus says that when you pray you should do so in secret. He says that when you fast, don't broadcast it to all those around you so they will think you're religious. No, instead, do your best to look as though you aren't fasting at all. Don't let anyone know. And when it comes to money, Jesus says that we are to seek heavenly treasure, not earthly. The Pharisees were guilty of tithing, but also hoarding. They were storing up treasure for themselves here on earth. And their love of treasure reflected their own hearts.

Again, theirs was an external righteousness. It was all for who. For the recognition of men. But Jesus says that we are to have a heavenly perspective. Our prayers are heaven-directed. Our fasting is God-focused. Our treasure is heaven-oriented. We are God-pleasers, not men-pleasers. We fast to get closer to God, not to be recognized by men. We store up treasure in heaven so that we can free with whatever treasure we have on earth. Jesus is talking about a new kind of righteousness. It is not of this world. It runs counter to the religions of this world.

Jesus knows that most of our problems stem from a worry that we will miss out. We worry that we won't have enough. We worry that we won't be recognized as righteous by others. We get anxious over not having enough or losing what we have. So Jesus reminds us not to be worried. He says not to worry about food, drink, or clothing. He will take care of His own. Instead, we are to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness. We are to make His kingdom the highest priority in our lives, not our own kingdom. We are to make His brand of righteousness our goal, not some man-made brand of self-righteousness.

Jesus came to bring a new kingdom. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is disclosing what that kingdom is like. It is radically different. It is not of this world. It has different priorities and is backed by a different power. What Jesus was teaching was revolutionary and different. This wasn't religion as usual. God's brand of righteousness has a better reward than just the recognition of men. It is eternal and internal. It really does change who we are and how we act. No more facade. No more faking. It's the real thing.

Father, thank You for providing a righteousness that is not only real, it's attainable. It isn't based on my self-effort. Because if it was, I would always fail. It is based on the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son. What He accomplished on the cross made His righteousness available to me. I no longer have to try and fake it and attempt to impress men. My righteousness is from Him, not me. It is based on what He has done, not on what I do . Help me to keep seeking Your kingdom first and Your righteousness. When I start seeking my own righteousness, please patiently show me. Amen

A Radical Righteousness.

Matthew 5

For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. – Vs 20 (NASB)

This is one jam-packed chapter. There is so much here that we could deal with. But I think verse 20 sums up the content pretty well. Jesus is addressing a crowd that is probably made up mostly of Jews. And what He has to say to them is pretty radical stuff. It is far from what they were used to hearing from the religious leaders of their day. Jesus begins by pronouncing blessing on those that mourn, that are unassuming, hungry and thirsty, persecuted, poor, etc. This would have made no sense to these people. In their minds poverty, hunger, and other circumstances that cause mourning, were the result of someone having offended or disobeyed God. Why would God bless someone like that? Jesus then takes on the law of Moses. This was sacred stuff to these people. But Jesus raises the stakes. He makes several statements that begin with the phrase, "You have heard…" Then He follows it up with "But I say to you…" He is taking righteousness to a whole new level – from external observance to internal transformation. He is dealing with the state of the heart, not man's ability to keep a bunch of rules and regulations. That's when He says…

But I warn you––unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all! – (NLT)

Jesus was not impressed by the religiosity of the Pharisees. He knew it was all a facade, meant to impress others. But inside it was empty. They were hypocrites. Yet the people were fooled by their charade. They looked on these religious leaders as the spiritual elite. They were considered the righteous of the righteous. But Jesus knows better. He knows their hearts. And He is not impressed. So He tells those in his audience that their "practice of religion" must be better than that of the Pharisees. This had to be disheartening for His listeners. I'm sure they were wondering how in the world they were going to pull that off. They couldn't keep all the rules. And Jesus seems to be upping the ante. According to Him, even thinking about a woman with lust in your heart was the equivalent of adultery. Who could keep this kind of standard?! Jesus wants them to love their enemies. You mean the Romans too? Or the Samaritans? If a Roman soldier conscripts you to carry his pack for a mile, you really expect me to carry it two – willingly?

Jesus was bringing in a whole new order. This was radical, revolutionary new thinking. It was not going to be business as usual. God's standards are higher than man's. And God knows we can't keep His standards. At least not without some help. He knows we need a new heart. We need to be changed from the inside out. Behavior modification is not the answer. It's heart transformation. And that is what Jesus came to bring about.

Father, help me to see just how radical a change you have brought about through Your Son. This isn't about a new and improved me. It is about an all new me. This is about radical transformation of my entire being, starting with my heart. Open my eyes and help me to see that Your ways are not our ways. You have a new plan. It isn't about rule-keeping and self-righteousness. It's about us becoming new creations by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your grace that makes the transformation of my life possible. You are molding and making me into a new creation with a new heart. Thank You. Amen

Looking Forward, Not Back.

Matthew 4

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. – Vs 19 (NASB)

I love the way The Message paraphrases this verse: "Jesus said to them, 'Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.'" This takes place at the very beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry. He has been baptized by John. He has be anointed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He has been tempted by Satan. Now He begins hand-picking those men into whose lives He would pour His wisdom and love for the next three years.

When He comes upon Peter and his brother, Andrew, fishing in the Sea of Galilee, Jesus issues them a command. He tells them to follow Him. Now, while I know that this was not uncommon for rabbis to do in that day, it still seems pretty bizarre thatcomplete stranger would walk up to you on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and command you to follow him. Not only that, this complete stranger tells Peter and Andrew that He is going to make them fishers of men. There is no way that this statement even makes sense to these two seasoned fishermen. What does Jesus mean when He says He will make them fishers of men? But what is amazing to me is that both of these guys dropped everything and followed Jesus. In fact, Matthew uses the term "immediately" to describe just how quickly they both responded. There is no indication that they hesitated, asked for time to think about it, or deliberated in any way whatsoever. No, it says immediately they left their nets and followed Him. They dropped everything. They left it all behind to follow a man they had never met. They walked away from their livelihood. They abandoned all that they had ever known to follow a complete stranger. Maybe they had been at His baptism and had heard the voice of God say, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

Luke records a little bit more detail in his version of this occasion. He says that after Jesus was tempted He began teaching in the synagogues around Galilee and the surrounding district. On one such occasion He read from the book of Isaiah about the coming Messiah. He stopped at the end of His reading and said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." He was claiming to be the Messiah. Some of His statements infuriated the crowd so much that they attempted to throw Him off of a nearby cliff. But He escaped. He then spent time casting out demons and healing the sick. In fact, one of the sick people He healed was the mother-in-law of Peter. Luke then records that when Jesus came to Peter and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee, they had actually finished fishing and had not had a good day. They were cleaning their nets, ready to call it a day, when Jesus told them to "put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). While this didn't make a lot of sense to Peter, he obeyed, and the result was a catch of fish so great that their boat began to sink from the weight. Peter and Andrew are blown away by this experience and Luke records that was then that Jesus calls them. Which explains why they "left everything and followed Him" (Luke 5:11).

Immediately after His exchange with Peter and Andrew, Jesus runs into James and John, fishing with their father Zebedee. He calls these two brothers as well and they immediately left their boat and their father and followed Him. These common fishermen were willing to leave everything behind, including family, to follow Jesus. They were willing to walk away from everything they had ever known, to leave their comfort zone, in order to follow a man they had never met before. This kind of commitment blows me away. It was costly. It was radical. And it makes me have to think about what I am willing to give up to follow Jesus. My following of Jesus rarely costs me anything. It is not risky and requires little in the way of commitment on my part. Following Christ for many of us is anything but radical and risky. When Jesus says, "Follow Me," He is asking us to leave everything else behind and to make Him the sole priority in our lives. It is not really an invitation, it is a command. He is telling us to follow Him, to learn from Him, to live like Him. Jesus is still calling men and women to follow Him today. But are we willing to lay down our nets and walk away from our commitments and out of our comfort zones to make Him our highest priority? Jesus gave Peter, Andrew, James, and John a new priority for their lives. What about you?

Father, I have answered the call to follow Jesus, but I sometimes do it with one eye looking back on what I have left behind. I try to keep one foot in the world and one foot in Your kingdom, and I know that is not the kind of commitment You are looking for. When You call, I want my response to be immediate and complete. I want to be willing to leave everything else behind and follow Your Son wherever He leads me to go. Thank You for continuing to call me to follow. Give me the strength to obey. Amen

Controlled By the Spirit.

Matthew 3

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him. – Vs 16

Recently, while doing a study on the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, I ran across this verse. While I had seen it before, this time I saw it in a whole new light. What struck me was that Jesus was not just being “christened” by the Holy Spirit, He was being filled and indwelt by the Holy Spirit in order to begin His earthly ministry. In verse 1 of the very next chapter, Matthew records that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” In the book that bears his name, Luke records this event in this way: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness” (Luke 4:1).

Jesus, the Son of God, was filled with the Spirit of God, so that He might faithfully and obediently do the will of His Father for which He had been sent. What jumped out at me is that in being filled and led by the Spirit, Jesus was revealing to us and modeling for us just how we are to live the life we have been called to live as His followers. At the point of belief, we receive that same Holy Spirit. And He comes into our lives to provide the same guidance, comfort, and power that He gave to Jesus Himself. But there is a difference between being indwelt with the Spirit and controlled by the Spirit. All believers have the Spirit dwelling in them. It happens at the point of salvation. But not all believers are filled with the Spirit. The difference? Filling means being controlled by the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul tells the Ephesian believers, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”

Paul is giving a command. He wants his readers to be “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit. Just as someone who gets drunk is under the influence of alcohol and does things he normally wouldn’t do, so someone under the control of the Spirit will behave in ways that are not normal or natural. They are subjecting themselves to the will of the Father and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them. When we are filled or controlled by the Spirit as Jesus was, it produces Christ-like character in our lives.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another. – Galatians 5:22-23 (NET)

Jesus lived His earthly life completely controlled by the Spirit. In doing so, He was constantly in line with the will of His Father. He didn’t live according to His own desires or under the influence of his flesh. In Galatians 5:16, Paul gives us the key to living our lives in the same way: “But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.” Like Jesus, we are to live by the Spirit. The Spirit lives within us, but we must listen to his direction. We must allow the Spirit to guide and direct us, to teach us, to illuminate the Scriptures to us, and to increasingly reveal the truth about Christ to us. The Holy Spirit, who filled Jesus, is ready and willing to fill us, so that we might live the same kind of life that He did: faithful, powerful, obedient, and pleasing to God the Father.

You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! – Philippians 2:5-8 (NET)

Jesus became a man, just like me, so that He might live the life that I was created to live, but couldn’t because of the influence of sin. While He lived as a man on this earth, Jesus did everything under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had set aside His divine attributes. He had willingly chosen to “shelve” His Godly powers so that He might truly live as a human being on this earth. He didn’t become any less God, but He chose to take on the full characteristics of humanity, so that He might be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity. But He wasn’t defenseless. He had the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit at His disposal 24/7. And He willingly listened to and obeyed the Spirit every step of the way – all the way to Calvary. And I have that same power available to me – within me. And so do you.

Father, thank You for the presence of Your indwelling Spirit. Thank You that I have available to me the same Spirit Who led Jesus during His days here on this earth. I have the same power available to me. He guides me and directs me in the same way He did the Son of God. May I learn to lean on Him more and more. Amen

Our Shepherd.

Matthew 2

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; but out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel. – Vs 6

The story recorded in this chapter is a familiar one. So familiar that we sometimes look past its significance. In it are contained some very important details regarding Jesus’ birth, His deity, and God’s sovereign plan for the redemption of mankind. But one that often gets overlooked is found in verse 6 where Matthew quotes from the Old Testament book of Micah. He is showing that even the location for the birth of the Messiah was in fulfillment of prophesy. Jesus, the Son of God and the Savior of the world, would be born in an obscure little town called Bethlehem, whose only claim to fame was that it was the birthplace of another important icon of Hebrew history: King David.

But not only does this verse tell us of the Messiah’s birthplace, it tells us of His job description. Jesus will be a shepherd of the people of Israel. So not only do Jesus and David share a common birthplace, they share the same occupation. Over in Psalm 78, we read this of David:

He also chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands.” – Vs 70-72

David and Jesus were both shepherds. David started out as a shepherd of sheep, then God made him a shepherd of the people of Israel. Jesus was to take up where David left off. Why? Because, since the time of David, the people had been shepherdless. Over in the book of Ezekiel, God describes them as sheep “scattered for lack of a shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:5).  The truth was, the shepherds of Israel had not been doing their job. In Jeremiah 23:2, God has this to say about the shepherds or unrighteous rulers of Israel:

Therefore thus the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the Lord.

Back in the book of Ezekiel, God had some rather harsh words for these worthless leaders:

Thus says the Lord God, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? … Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I shall demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep.  So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I shall deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be food for them’ – Ezekiel 34:2, 10

Since the time of David, there had been no godly leadership to shepherd the people of God. Oh, there had been a few, but they had been few and far between.  So God allowed the people of Israel to end up in captivity. He had ended the reign of the kings of Israel. Over the coming years, Israel would find itself persecuted, occupied and controlled by enemy forces, and waiting longingly for their coming Messiah. They were anticipating a conquering king who would rescue them from persecution and restore them to their former greatness. They were looking for another David. And Matthew reminds his Jewish readers that Jesus did come as another David, but not as a conquering king, but as a servant shepherd. Oh, he will rule, but His kingdom will not be of this earth. Jesus, the Messiah, was coming to deliver the flock of God. He came to shepherd, care for, and lead the sheep back to spiritual health.

Just take a look at a few of these verses that describe Jesus the shepherd

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. – John 10:11

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will… – Hebrews 13:20-21

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. – 1 Peter 5:4

For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:25

They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them no any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes. – Revelation 7:16-17

Jesus is the good shepherd, the great shepherd, and the chief shepherd. He is the one who has come to restore God’s people to a right relationship with Him. He has come to gather the lost and heal the sick and wounded. He came to lay down His life for the sheep.

Father, thank You for sending Your Son, the Great Shepherd, to find me when I was lost and restore me to a right relationship with You. He loves me, guides me, feeds me, and protects me. Thank you that when men could not shepherd Your sheep, You provided the one, true shepherd – Jesus Your Son. Amen

God Uses Us In Spite Of Us.

Matthew 1

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. – Vs 6b

I usually blow through these genealogies, skipping right to the good stuff. But I have learned that there is more here than usually meets the eye. For instance, take verse 6. Here is the middle of Matthew’s list of Jesus’ family tree, he includes the name of David, which is pretty important to his attempt to prove Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah. But why does he choose to describe David’s fathering of Solomon the way he does? In almost every other case he simply says So-in-so was the father of What’s-his-name. But with David he includes a little descriptive addendum, “by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.”

Now if you anything about David, this was NOT one of his more stellar moments. The story of this event is recorded quite graphically in 2 Samuel 11. It seems that when David should have been doing his kingly duty by leading his men in battle, he had decided to stay home. One morning he spies his neighbor’s wife bathing on her rooftop. He immediately falls in lust with her and demands that she be brought to him. Even though he knows she is married, and to one of his own commanders no less, he sleeps with her. She becomes pregnant, and now the intrigue really begins. In an effort to cover his sin, David has Uriah, her husband, brought back from the war. David’s plan is to get Uriah, who has been away for some time fighting the king’s battles, to go home and sleep with his wife. That way it will appear that the child, when it is born, is Uriah’s and not his. But David didn’t take into account the faithfulness of Uriah, who refuses to go home and enjoy the pleasures of marriage while his brothers are still fighting. Even when David plies him with alcohol, Uriah refuses to give in. So David comes up with plan B. He sends Uriah back to the front carrying his own death warrant, a note to the commander to put Uriah on the front line and then pull everyone else back, ensuring his death. When the news reaches David that Uriah has been killed, he sends for Bathsheba and marries her. But the child that David fathered would die – a punishment from God for his disobedience and sin.

So why in the world does Matthew include this dark moment in David’s life in his genealogy? Why couldn’t he have just said, “and David was the father of Solomon?” Well, for one thing, he included it because the Holy Spirit inspired him to. But I think another reason is so that we could see the sovereignty of God in the birth of Jesus. Matthew is writing to a Hebrew audience, most of whom would have known well the exploits of David and all the other patriarchs in this list. But Matthew includes some additional comments that subtly, yet clearly show that God was behind the entire genealogical line of Jesus. When he says, “Abraham was the father of Isaac,” they would have recalled the story of Ishmael, and how Abraham and Sarah tried to “help” God by coming up with their own plan for a descendant. Sarah came up with the idea of having Abraham father a child by sleeping with her hand-maiden, Hagar. But that was not God’s plan. He would give them a child on His terms and in His timing.  And so Abraham became the father of Isaac.

How about this one? Matthew records that “Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar” (Vs 3). Now here’s an interesting story. It’s recorded in Genesis 38. It seems that Judah had chosen Tamar to be the wife of his firstborn son Er. But Er was evil and God took his life. So then Judah told his son Onan to take Tamar as his wife and “perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and rise up offspring for your brother” (Genesis 38:8). You can read for yourself how Onan got around this request in Genesis chapter 38. But suffice it to say that God was not pleased, so He took Onan’s life as well. So Tamar finds herself widowed twice. Judah asks her to stay in his house and wait until his son, Shelah, grows up. But Judah probably has no intention of ever having another one of his sons marry Tamar, because “he thought, ‘I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers’” (Genesis 38:11).

The next part of this story is like something out of a soap opera. Tamar put two and two together and sees that “Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife” (Genesis 38:14). So when she finds out that Judah is going up to shear sheep, she disguises herself and sits by the gate of the city, waiting for Judah to pass by. When he does, he thinks she is a temple prostitute and starts to bargain with her for her services. He offers her a young goat from the flock, but she demands a pledge to guarantee payment. She asks for his seal, worn on a cord around his neck, and his staff. She will hold onto these very important items until he returns with payment. Judah agrees, he has sex with her, and unbenownst to Judah, she becomes pregnant.

Three months later, Judah is informed that Tamar is pregnant. He demands that she be burned for her indiscretion. When Tamar is brought before Judah, she says that she pregnant by the man who owns these items: the seal and the staff.  Judah is exposed. He spares her life and Tamar gives birth to twin boys, Perez and Zerah, the two names found in Matthew’s genealogy.

I could go on. But what’s the point? I think Matthew is showing that God was at work, behind the scenes, all along the way, ensuring that Jesus would be born just as He had planned. Even the screw ups and selfish sins of men could not prevent God from working out His divine redemptive plan. David’s indiscretion and Judah’s sinful activities with what he thought was a temple prostitute could not derail God’s plan. In fact, God used their mistakes, their sins, to accomplish His righteous will. In this list of names are those of the kings of Israel who we are told each “did evil in the site of the Lord.” This list contains the names of flawed men who failed time after time, yet God includes them in the genealogy of His Son.

God uses the imperfect to accomplish His perfect will. He used David. He used Judah. He used Abraham, Manasseh, Amon, and Jeconiah. And He uses you and me. I think that’s one of the reasons why this genealogy is included. It’s a reminder that God is sovereign. He is in control. He is willing, ready, and able to use men and women who are flawed to accomplish His will. He is using us in spite of us.

Father, thank You that Your plan is bigger than my biggest mistake and my greatest sin. Thank You for using me in spite of me. I am so grateful that you included the dark moments of the lives of men like David and Judah as a reminder to me that You are in control. If You can bring about the Messiah through men like these, You can and are accomplishing great things through me life. Your faithfulness is unbelievable. Thank You. Amen

Bad Times. Good God.

James 5

Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. – Vs 13

This sounds so practical. So logical. I mean, who wouldn’t pray if he was suffering? Who wouldn’t sing praises if he was cheerful? Oh, let me think. How about ME? Yes, I confess. When I find myself going through difficult circumstances, my prayer life doesn’t necessarily see a marked improvement. On the other hand, when all is right in my world and I’m a happy camper, it doesn’t always turn me into a praise song-singing saint. But why? Why don’t I pray more in the tough times and sing more in the good times? I think it may have something to do with my perspective. James seems to be saying that the thing common to both responses is their focus. Both prayer and praise should be God-centered.

Here’s the deal. When I find myself suffering, I usually end up complaining or whining about my lot in life. Instead of talking to God about it, I’ll talk to everybody and their dog. In doing so, I’m either trying to elicit sympathy or find a potential savior. I want someone to help me solve my problem. And if they can’t do that, I at least want them to feel sorry for me. In either case, I’m expecting them to do for me what only God can do.

James says that if anyone is suffering, they must pray. Not should pray, but must.  It’s an imperative, a command. It’s a non-negotiable. If you’re suffering, talk to God. Seek Him in the midst of it. But don’t just seek God to beg Him to get you out of the circumstances you find yourself in. Don’t just pray in order to get God to solve your problem and get your life back to “normal.” When we do that, we’re just using God like some kind of glorified Genie in a lamp. We have a problem and, in our simplistic minds, the solution is to have removed, or at least changed. So we go to God and give Him our “wish.” When He doesn’t deliver, we go elsewhere. We’re looking for shelter from the real world. As Christians, we somehow expect that we don’t have to suffer through what the rest of the world experiences as a part of life: Financial difficulties, health problems, relationship issues, job loss, heartaches, rebellious kids, broken pipes, wrecked cars, or dashed dreams. We somehow think that our faith should inoculate us from trouble. But the Christian life isn’t about finding shelter from the real world as much as it is about God meeting us in the midst of it. Which is why James says we should pray. Pray to meet God, to hear from God, to share with God what you are going through. Yes, even though He already knows. He wants to hear it from you. James uses the Old Testament saint, Job, as an example of those who endure. But Job was also someone who talked with God. That is what the book that bears his name is all about – his conversations with God. He wasn’t afraid to tell God what he was thinking, and God responded. Job didn’t always get what he wanted, but he did get to know God better. In fact, the last words of Job recorded in the book are in the form of a prayer, “I have heard of You by hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:4). His knowledge of God had gone from cerebral to experiential. He had come to know God through his trials and as a result of his conversations or prayers with God. His God was a good god who could be trusted to do the right thing even when everything seemed to be going wrong.

Good times. Great God.

But what about those times when things are going well? What should we do then? James says we should sing praises. But not just some generic, run-of-the-mill praises. Our praises should be directed toward God. We should acknowledge that our good circumstances are a result of His goodness and grace. We should praise Him for those moments in our life when we find ourselves happy and content. But instead, we tend to take credit for it ourselves. Our hard work produced it. Our intelligence made it possible. We are only getting what we deserve. When things are going well in my life, I tend to forget about God. When I have plenty of money in the bank, no problems in my life, and no worries to deal with, I am a cheerful guy. But I don’t stop in the middle of it all and praise God for His goodness. I don’t thank Him for His blessings. I don’t remind myself that none of it is deserved. It is all a result of His incredible grace. The pleasure of a good meal. The companionship of a good friend. The love of a good wife. The beauty of a glorious sunset. The laughter of my children. The joys of life. They are all a gift from God. So I should praise Him. Praise is another form of prayer. It is acknowledging God for who He is and what He has done. We can sing our praises or simply say them. Thanking God is a form of praise. A simple prayer of thanks at mealtime is a form of praise.

A God for all times.

Prayer and praise. Those are our two responses. The circumstances are not the key – God is. Circumstances change. God doesn’t. If we pray to Him in the bad times and praise Him in the good times, we will be reminding ourselves that He is the God for all times. Job had that perspective. Even in after having lost everything, he was able to say, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).  Job had the right perspective. He was focused on God, not his circumstances. Later on, after being “encouraged” by his own wife to curse God and die, he would say, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10).  Job knew his God and he trusted Him. So in the midst of his trials, he prayed to Him. In times of joy, Job would praise Him.

I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. – Job 42:2

Father, You are a good god and a great god. Yet I do not pray to You in the bad times or praise You in the good times as often as I should. I have the wrong perspective. I somehow think You exist for ME. I am the center of the world. It is all about me and my pleasure. But it is all about YOU. Help me regain my perspective by allowing the struggles of life to remind me of my weakness and Your strength and the joys of life to remind me of Your grace. Amen

Love Of The World.

James 4

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can’t possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask, you don’t get it because your whole motive is wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. - Vs 1-3 (NET)

James ended chapter 3 talking about bearing the fruit of righteousness that is sown in peace by those who make peace. Now he addresses the opposite crowd. Those who sow quarrels and conflict. And what's the source of their quarrels and conflicts? Their own passions or sensual pleasures. The Greek word is hedone and it is where we get our English word hedonist - a lover of pleasure, a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification.

These passions or sensual, self-centered desires do battle inside us. Our lives becomes war zones where each these desires for pleasure compete for our attention and demand that we fulfill them. We end up wanting things we don't have. James says you long for it. The word he uses is epithumeo, and it means to lust after, to covet, and is used of those who seek things that are forbidden. And to make things worse, we don't end up getting what we want. Our desire can become so great that we even consider murder to get what we want. Our internal passions cause us to covet. That Greek word is zeloo and it means to be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, and anger. We literally burn with desire for that thing. But James says we can't have what we want. So the frustration build. We are denied the very thing we burn after.

Then James makes an interesting statement. He says, "You do not have, because you do not ask God," and "when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (Vs 2). We don't usually take these kinds of desires to God. Maybe it's because we know He will say no. Or maybe because these desires are so fleshly that our heart is twisted to believe that we can somehow get them on our own. We don't even think to ask God for them. But even if we did, He would say no, because He knows that we are asking with wrong motives. He knows that we are only interested in our own pleasures or sensual desires.

And I don't think James is only referring to evil, sexual, perverted desires here. I believe he is referring to anything that is so self-focused, that is only about me and my self-centered pleasure. I want that raise so that I can use the money on me. I want that new toy so that I can feel better about me. I want that bigger home so that others will think more highly of me. I want that new relationship so that she will fulfill me. No, James is talking about all kinds of desires. And not all the things we desire are bad. It is more about our motives. It's a heart issue. We are in love with the world. James makes that clear in the next verse. "You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God" (Vs 4). The world becomes our source for all the things we desire. It is the candy store from which all our favorite delicacies can be found. So we spend all our time with our faces pressed to the window, looking at and longing for what it has to offer. And in doing so, we take our eyes off of the one and only thing that can truly fulfill our desires: God Himself. And we become His enemy.

James' solution? "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (Vs 7). And he goes on. He says we should draw near to God, cleanse our hands, purify our hearts, cry over the wrong things we have done, express sorrow and grief for our love affair with the world, and bow down before the Lord and admit our dependence on Him. The result? He will lift you up and give you honor. This is serious stuff. God gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud. So in other words, He withholds His grace from the prideful – those who stubbornly continue their love affair with the world. If grace is God's power to live the life He has called us to live, then we are powerless without it. Humility is the key to regaining it. We must humble ourselves before God and confess our ongoing love affair with the things of this world. We must admit that we are filled with pleasures inside of us that battle for our attention, drawing us away from God. We must recognize that only He can meet our needs and that anything of this world that offers to do so is a lie that will never deliver on its promise.

Father, I confess that I love the world way too much. I love what I think it can deliver. But I have found it to be a lie over and over again. Forgive me for my stubbornness and arrogance that drives me to keep going back to the world in spite of how many times it has disappointed me. I know I should turn to You. You have never failed me. Thank You for Your unfailing love and incredible patience. Amen

Belief and Behavior.

James 3

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. - Vs 13 (NET)

Belief and behavior. Who you say you are should reveal itself in how you act. If you think of yourself as wise and understanding, it should show up in your conduct. Wisdom produces fruit. But according to James there are two different kinds of wisdom: The worldly variety and the wisdom that comes from God. The wisdom of this world "is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic" (Vs 15), and it produces the fruit of jealousy, selfish ambition, arrogance, dishonesty, and disorder. It is a wisdom that comes from the world around us. It is natural or sensual. In other words, it is controlled more by the senses than by common sense. This kind of wisdom is driven more by our natural, fleshly desires than by any kind of intelligent, moral code. We do what we do because we FEEL like it. So our conduct becomes selfish and self-centered. It's all about what's in it for us.  We become driven by jealousy and selfish ambition. Our motives become skewed and screwed up. In the first 12 verses of this chapter, James has been talking about the tongue and the difficulty we have controlling it. Verse 13 and on are just an extension of that same thought. The tongue, and the words we use to form with it, can be a destructive force in our lives. We do great damage with our tongues. Yet at the same time we can think of ourselves as wise. We can bless God with our tongue and then turn around and curse our brother. Our behavior, or in this case our speech, does not match what we say we believe. Our "fruit" proves it. Our words betray the kind of wisdom we rely upon. Earthly wisdom.

But James says there is another kind of wisdom. It comes from a source outside of ourselves – from above. It comes from God and it produces distinctly different fruit. "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere" (Vs 17 - NLT). It's pure, innocent, or clean. Free from any kind of impurity or flaw. There's no hint of evil intent in it. No jealousy of pride. It is also peace loving. It's accompanied by an attitude of peace, not conflict. Its gentle and fair – all the time. It yields to others. In other words, it is accommodating, not demanding its own way. It's full of mercy for others that shows itself in positive actions. It shows no favoritism in order to gain an advantage. It treats everyone with equal respect. And it is always sincere. There's no hypocrisy. No blessing mixed with cursing. It is consistent.

The fruit this kind of wisdom produces is righteousness. James is talking about righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced. The wisdom from above results in lives that are righteous and pure. It produces a fruit that is beneficial to all those who encounter it. When we live according to the wisdom from above, we are sowing seeds that will produce the right kind of fruit. And it will make a difference in the way we live and in our relationships with those around us. I love the way The Message interprets the last verse of this chapter: "You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor." We have the job of pursuing peace with one another based on the wisdom of God, not of this earth. And if we do, the result will be righteous lives and healthy, robust relationships with those around us.

Father, I need Your wisdom. I rely way too much on my own or the wisdom that is of this world. I listen far too much to what is passed off as the wisdom of this age. But it always fails me. Help me to hear Your wisdom more clearly. To seek it more diligently. To obey it more regularly. So that I might live a life that results of the fruit of righteousness. Amen

Faith Produces Fruit.

James 2

Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. - Vs 14 (NLT)

Back when we looked at the 11th chapter of Hebrews we asked the question, "What is faith?" It was in the context of the Great Hall of Faith chapter.  The issue was what exactly the writer of Hebrews was trying to say about the topic of faith. I believe he wasn't celebrating these people's faith or their ability to conjure up just the right amount of faith so that they could be recognized and rewarded for it. He was talking about God producing faith in us, in spite of us. The very fact that we have faith is evidence of God's work in us. So now we come to that classic chapter on faith and works from the book of James. Its content caused the great reformer, Martin Luther, to reject the entire book of James, referring to it as a "right strawy epistle." But I think Luther missed the point. James was not promoting a works-based righteousness or salvation by self-effort. He was simply saying that true faith will be accompanied by tangible, verifiable works. Behavior will go hand-in-hand with belief. To say you believe in Christ and to live a life with no visible fruit of that belief is evidence that the faith was never really there. Go back to Hebrews 11. The very fact that Abraham was willing to offer up his son Isaac on the altar was "living" proof of His faith in God. It was faith made evident. One could not exist without the other. Charles Ryrie describes the co-existence of faith and works this way: "Faith and works are like a two-coupon ticket to heaven. The coupon of works is not good for passage, and the coupon of faith is not valid if detached from works."

Faith without works is dead. If you take the spirit out of a body, you have nothing but a corpse. If you separate works from faith, you have a dead faith. It has no life. It is useless. That kind of faith is not a saving faith. Because it is missing one of the main results of faith: a changed life. James makes this point very practical in the first part of this chapter. He says, "Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, 'Well, good–bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well' – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead and useless" (Vs 15-17 - NLT).

"I will show you my faith through my good deeds." No one can see faith. I can't judge whether someone is saved or not. But I CAN see their deeds. I can see the evidence of their faith. Now, I can't jump to the conclusion that just because someone does good deeds they are saved. But if someone says they have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and they lack any kind of visible evidence that this new relationship has changed their life, then James seems to say that that kind of faith is useless. It is without life and worthless. Saving faith changes us. It isn't just some mental assent to the reality of God or the fact that Jesus died. Demons believe in God and they feared Jesus. No, faith produced fruit. Because when God places His Spirit within us, we become new creatures. He gives us a new heart. He gives us a new capacity to live and love that we never had before. And it shows up in the way we act. It manifests itself in our deeds. Our works become proof of the very fact that we are new creations. We don't make distinctions God doesn't make (Vs 4). We don't act as judges with evil motives (Vs 4). We don't dishonor the poor (Vs 6). We don't show partiality (Vs 9).  We have been set free to live differently. "So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law that set you free" (Vs 12). Our behavior should reflect our beliefs. Our actions should prove our faith. John makes this very clear when he says, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:35). So our works are proof of our faith. They don't save us, but they prove that we have saving faith. Real faith. God-given, Spirit-produced faith.

Father, You have changed me and it has shown up in my life in tangible ways. I do not act the same way I used to act. I do things I never used to do before. I love in ways I never could have loved before. I am far from perfect, but I am also far from the man I used to be. All because of the presence of Your Spirit within me. When I do good things, it reminds me that I am a new man. I have a new power to live a new life. My works prove to me that You live within me. Thank You. May I keep my works in perspective and never allow myself to think that I am earning favor with You through my efforts, but to remember to thank You every time I do something good that it is proof of Your grace. Amen

Pure Religion Is Practical Religion.

James 1

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. - Vs 26-27 (NLT)

ere James seems to give us an example of what it means to be a doer of the Word and not just a hear (Vs 22-23). Religion that is free from corruption and does not have anything mixed with it that would make it unacceptable before God is a religion that is marked by obedience and life change. It is hearing God's Word followed by a willing obedience to do what God's Word says. In this case, it is controlling the tongue. James refers to someone who is of the opinion that he is religious. In the New Testament, the Greek word "religious" is never used positively. And that's the case here. James is talking about someone who takes pride in their religiosity, but who is not really right with God. It is reminiscent of the Pharisees. The had all the appearance of being religious or pious, but were walking contradictions. James says someone who has a high opinion of their own religiousness, but can't control their tongue has a religious that is worthless. They are only fooling themselves, but not God. Their hearing of the Word of God doesn't ever get translated into action. So their walk with God ends up with no value because it doesn't end up changing the way they live and the way they treat others. The way they behave doesn't seem to correspond with what they say they believe.

But if you want to practice religion that is really free from corruption and doesn't have anything mixed with it that would make it unacceptable before God, you'll be more concerned about His opinion than your own. You will want to keep His standards, not yours. You will want to do what He says is important and not try and add to His requirements some rules and religious rituals of your own. God's view on religion is pretty basic. It's simple, practical stuff. First, visit the orphans and widows in their distress. Give yourself away to those who have nothing they can give in return. Love the ones who are loved the least. Care for the ones who no one else cares about. Widows and orphans were the downtrodden of the day. They had no rights, no representation, no resources, no hope. They were typically neglected and ignored, even by the religious elite of James' day. The religious world of James' day was saying to ignore them. They had no value. They were in their condition because they had somehow deserved it. They were being punished by God. But James said to care for them in the midst of their distress. To not do so would be to allow yourself to become stained or corrupted by the world's influence. Pure religion is practical religion. True religion is selfless religion.

James sums it up best in verse 25: "But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law – the law that sets you free – and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." Our religion isn't worthless, it is highly worthwhile because it is based on the Word of God. We do what He calls us to do. We obey what He commands us to do. We love the unlovely. We care for those who have been ignored. We feed the hungry. We clothe the naked. We love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.

Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" (Matthew 25:37-40, NLT)

Father, I don't want to practice worthless religion. I don't want to think of myself as being religious when in reality I am only practicing some corrupted form of self-righteousness. I want what I do to be in keeping with what You have told me to do in Your Word. I want my behavior to match my beliefs. No contradiction. No disconnection. No hypocrisy. Give me the grace I need to be "an effectual doer" or Your Word. Amen

All You Need.

Hebrews 13

And now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to him. Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting covenant, signed with his blood. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. - Vs 20-21 (NLT)

In this closing chapter we have been encouraged to "let love of the brethren continue," to "not neglect to show hospitality to strangers," to "remember the prisoners as though in prison with them," to see that the marriage bed is "held in honor among all," to "make sure your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have," and to "not be carried away by varied and strange teachings." We are reminded of the unique sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for our sins. In gratitude for what He has done we are to "continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name" (Vs 15). And we are to please God by "doing good and sharing" (Vs 16). We're to obey our leaders, submit to them, and imitate their faith.

But how are we supposed to do all this? Is this just some kind of a gut-it-up, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of effort on our part? It all sounds great, but it also sounds impossible. At least for me. I find it hard to continue loving the brethren. Some of them aren't so lovable. I don't particularly like showing hospitality to strangers or even friends. I sometimes find it difficult to be content with what I have. And I don't always do a very good job of praising God and thanking Him for all He has done. Complaining and murmuring seem to come easier to me. So how am I supposed to pull this off without just gritting my teeth and trying like crazy to make it work?

That's where this closing prayer come in. My hope is in the same God who raised Jesus from the dead. He will equip me with all I need to do His will. That word equip means "to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be." God will fully provide what I need to do what He is calling me to do and become. It is God who produces in us the capacity to do what is pleasing to Him – all because of what Jesus has done for us. This is totally a God thing. Jesus is our Great Shepherd. He is the one who provides for us. He gives us the ability, the empowerment to do all the things mentioned in this chapter. In fact, they are a natural response to our growing dependence on and relationship with Him. So if we struggle with them, it is a sign of our need to depend more on Him and less on ourselves. I need to learn to turn to Him more and more for the strength to live the life I have been called to live. I don't need to gut it up and try harder. I need to give up and lean harder on Him. That means spending more time in His Word, more time on my knees, and less time living in my own strength. Not only is salvation God's work, our sanctification is as well. That Greek word translated equip can also mean to repair, restore, or mend. It was used when speaking of restoring something back to the way it was originally supposed to be. So God is restoring us back to the condition He first intended for mankind. He is perfecting us. He is repairing what was broken by the fall and marred by sin. He is doing it, not us. That is why the writer of Hebrews says "to Him be the glory, forever and ever." God gets all the glory, not us. Because He is doing ALL the work. He is doing in me what I could never do. All because of what Jesus has done for me. To God be the glory!

Father, I can't thank You enough for the reminder this morning that it is ALL up to You. You are the one who equips me with what I need to live this remarkable life to which I have been called. You give me the capacity to do the things You call me to do, those things that are pleasing to You. All because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ Your Son. Thank You! Amen

Love and Discipline.

Hebrews 12

My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children. As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. - Vs 5-7 (NLT)

Discipline. Not exactly a favorite word in our culture today, even among Christians. It conjures up some fairly negative images. The concept of self-discipline brings to mind dieting, exercise, abstinence, denial of self in order to achieve some worthwhile objective. Being disciplined by someone else is even more distasteful because it usually thoughts of punishment or pain due to some mistake we have made or our failure to meet someone's expectations. So when we run into a passage like this and read, "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines," all kinds of conflicted ideas come into our minds. Love and discipline just don't seem to go together. In spite of the fact that most of us have told our children when spanking them, "I'm only doing this because I love you."

Nine times in seven verses the writer of Hebrews uses the word discipline. It is the Greek word peideia and as is usual with most Greek words, it is rich in meaning. It comes from another Greek word, pais, which means "child." So the term peideia has to do with the training of a child. "The word is a broad term, signifying whatever parents and teachers do to train, correct, cultivate, and educate children in order to help them develop and mature as they ought" (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary). The NET Bible defines it this way:

The whole training and education of children (which relates to the cultivation of mind and morals, and employs for this purpose now commands and admonitions, now reproof and punishment) It also includes the training and care of the body

So while the word does include the idea of punishment and reproof, there is much more involved than that. It is a positive term that involves instruction which aims at increasing virtue. So when hardship or trials come our way, we are to view them with the perspective that God loves us and is disciplining or training us. "It is for your training that you undergo these things" (BBE). We are to see our difficulties as part of God's sovereign, loving plan to discipline us. It is not always punishment for wrongs done, but like a loving parent or teacher, God is using every circumstance in our lives to mold into us Christ-like character. My kids hate exams in school. They see no value in them. They only view them as some kind of sick punishment meted out by unfair teachers who seem bent on ruining their lives. But what they fail to see is that their teachers have a greater goal in mind than my children's happiness. They are responsible to mold and prepare their minds for future study and in to ready them for future careers. But because my kids live in the immediacy of the moment and do not want to think about the future, they can only see these tests as roadblocks to their personal pleasure. They would prefer they be taken away altogether, not realizing that to do so would be an act of hatred, not love.

So we too are constantly asking God to take away those tests or trials we find distasteful or disturbing to our idea of comfort and pleasure. But because God loves us, He refuses to do so. Instead, He treats us as a loving Father, who knows exactly what we need and refuses to give us what we want. God loves us too much to give us our way. He knows better. And if we will learn to view the difficulties and hardships of life through Gods eyes, we will begin to see that He has a plan for even the hardest moments of our life. We have to cultivate an eternal perspective that helps us see beyond the moment. "No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening––it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way" (Vs 11 - NLT).

Father, thank You that you love me so much that you are willing to train me. Please help me look past what I can only seem to see as the pain of discipline and see the fruit that will result from it. Give me an eternal viewpoint that sees my circumstances from your perspective. Help me to remember that Your discipline is proof of just how much You love me. Amen

The Object Of Our Faith.

Hebrews 11

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. - Vs 1 (NLT)

What is faith? That's a great question. Is it something we muster up or is it, like salvation, a gift from God? For years I have heard this passage referred to as the "Great Hall of Faith." In it we have chronicled the great feats of faith of such icons of the Old Testament as Noah, Abraham, and Moses. Verse after verse tells us that these men and women accomplished certain things in their lives "by faith." Abraham offered up his son Isaac as a potential sacrifice "by faith." "By faith" Noah built a boat big enough to hold two of every kind of living thing, plus his family – when there wasn't a body of water big enough to float it anywhere nearby. We read of Jacob's faith, Sarah's faith, Isaac's faith, Joseph's faith, even Rahab's faith (a woman referred to as a harlot). Over the years this chapter has become a source of inspiration and irritation for me. It has been used by pastors in an attempt to inspire me to greater feats of faith. To muster up the kind of faith that Abraham and Moses had. It has been used as a measuring rod to determine the amount of my own faith as compared to that of these members of the great hall of faith. Which is why this chapter has also irritated me. I have found it defeating and deflating to look at the lives of these individuals and try to compare my meager faith with theirs. I just never seem to measure up. I ask myself what I would have done if God had asked me to sacrifice one of my sons on an altar. I just don't think I would have had the faith to pull it off. If God had asked me to build a boat in my backyard in order to save the world from a flood, would I have had the faith to pull it off? Probably not. So I just don't measure up.

But I think I've missed the point. This isn't a celebration of these people's faith. This isn't about their ability to conjure up just the right amount of faith so that they could be recognized and rewarded for it. This is about God producing faith in us, in spite of us. The very fact that we have faith is evidence of God's work in us. Faith is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. The New American Standard Bible translates verse 1 this way: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. That word conviction means "proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested." Faith is proof of the unseen things of God. The very fact that we have faith is a gift from God. We can't manufacture it or conjure it up. We can't try to have more of it. As I read through these verses, it hits me that I could replace the word "faith" with the name of God and it all begins to make more sense.

"By God Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance…"

"By God Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark…"

"By God he [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king…"

These people were able to do what they did because of God, not because of themselves. Their faith was proof or evidence of God's work in their lives. He was orchestrating things behind the scenes that they weren't even aware of. It was God who gave Joseph the faith to believe that the people of Israel would some day return to their land. So he asked his family to return his bones there when it happened. The faith of every one of these individuals was future-oriented. It was based on things yet to come. We are told that "all these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance" (Vs 13). Their confident assurance was in things they hoped were going to happen. Isaac and Jacob both blessed their sons, hoping and trusting in God's faithfulness to fulfill the blessing. Rahab helped rescue the spies, at great risk of her life, hoping and trusting in God's faithfulness to rescue and protect her. The very fact that we have faith is the evidence of things we cannot see. It is the proof that those things really do exist. God has given us the faith to believe in them. He has given us the faith to believe in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. He has given us the faith to believe in a future kingdom and our place in it. He has given us a faith to endure the trials and tribulations of this life because we know He has given us eternal life. Faith is a gift from God.

Nothing supports this more than verses 33-40. Here we see a list of nameless individuals – some of whom accomplished great deeds. They conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, shut the mouths of lions, from weakness were strong, became mighty in war, etc. It is by faith they were able to do these things. But who gave them the faith to do so? God. Others didn't fare so well. They were mocked, scourged, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, tempted, put to death, afflicted, ill-treated, and destitute. But they are noted for having had faith. They endured what they did because of faith. They had hope in something yet to come. "Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised" (Vs 39, NLT).

The emphasis is not on their faith, but on the One behind their faith and on the object of their faith. Our faith is God-given and future-oriented. It isn't about the here and now. It is about what is to come. It is about the things not yet seen. It is about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news that we have an inheritance reserved for us in heaven because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The fact that we can live lives of faith here and now is proof of the reality of God's promise. We live with our eyes set on the hope that lies before us and ahead of us. "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see."

Father, thank You that the issue is not the amount of faith I bring to the table, but the fact that I have any faith at all. The presence of faith in my life is evidence that You have changed my life. The fact that I have a hope in things I can't even see is proof of Your Holy Spirit's presence in my life. Thank You for giving me the faith to believe. Amen

Draw Near.

Hebrew 10

Let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds."- Vs 22-24 (NLT)

Let us draw near. Let us hold fast. Let us consider. These are the three encouragements given by the writer of Hebrews in light of the fact that they have "been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Vs 10). Unlike the sacrifices made under the Law, which had to be offered "year by year" (Vs 1) and "time after time" (Vs 11), Jesus "offered one sacrifice for sins for all time" (Vs 12) and He has "perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Vs 14). "Now where there is forgiveness … there is no longer any offering for sin" (Vs 18). What Jesus did for us is done. We can have complete confidence to enter into God's presence completely forgiven and accepted by Him.

So we can draw near with a sincere heart us full assurance of faith" (Vs 22). Or as the New Living Translation puts it: "go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him." Why" Because we have had our hearts made clean and our bodies washed pure. What were our hearts made clean from? The condemning nature of our own conscience. Our conscience condemns us and reminds us of our own guilt. But Jesus' death removed our sin and, therefore, our guilt. The second aspect of our cleansing is that our bodies have been washed with pure water. This is not a reference to baptism, but to the cleansing and transformative presence of the Holy Spirit.

He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit." - Titus 3:5

The Holy Spirit within us changes us. He is sanctifying us daily – transforming us into the likeness of Jesus Christ Himself. The reality of both of these cleansings allow us to come boldly and confidently into the presence of God Himself.

Secondly, we are to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Why? Because He who promised is faithful. We are to remain faithful because of God's faithfulness. Again, the New Living Translation says it well: "Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." Our steadfastness is based less on the strength of our own faith than on the reality of God's faithfulness. He will do exactly as He has promised. "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Third, we are to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. We are to "think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds." Once again, we see the importance of the community of faith – the body of Christ. We are to constantly be thinking about ways we can encourage or stimulate each other to love and serve one another. Notice that in all three of these words of encouragement, the writer uses the terms "us" and "our." WE are to do these things, and we are to do them together, not alone. We are to love and be loved, serve and be served – all in the context of community – "not forsaking our own assembling together" (Vs 25). There is no place for free-agent, Lone Ranger Christians in the family of God. We are in this together. We need one another. We are to encourage one another – to draw near and to hold fast. Because the day is drawing near. The Lord is coming back. We are to live with that reality in mind.

Father, thank You for the once-for-all sacrifice of Your Son that has provided me with complete forgiveness and complete access into Your presence. Because of what He has done for me, help us to not be afraid to draw near to You – free from guilt or condemnation. Help us to hold firmly onto what we say believe because You can be trusted to keep your promise. And help us to constantly be thinking about ways we can stimulate each other to greater love and acts that reflect who we are in Christ. Amen

The Son’s Selfless Sacrifice.

Hebrews 9

…all thing are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. - Vs 22 (NASB)

The concept of shed blood would not have been foreign to the writer's Hebrew audience. In fact, they were well aware of the role blood played in their sacrificial system. But the author is comparing the old and the new. The old covenant (law) and the new covenant (grace). Under the old covenant, the High Priest had to enter the Holy of Holies "year by year with blood that is not his own" (Vs 25). No one sacrifice was enough. And his sacrifice was to cover the sins of the people and his own as well. He was just as sinful and in need of cleansing. Even Moses inaugurated the giving of the covenant with blood. "He took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people" (Vs 19). "Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood" (Vs 18). Blood played a major role in the old covenant. The purpose of the blood was to symbolize sacrifice for sin, which brought cleansing from sin.

Even under the old covenant, forgiveness was a costly thing. It involved the loss of life. In the case of the old covenant, the lives of countless innocent animals. But under the new covenant, the loss of the life of Jesus Christ Himself – the sinless, innocent Son of God. But we take forgiveness so lightly. We are grateful that we have forgiveness for our sins and it is readily available any time we ask for it. We love verses like 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But Paul warns us in Romans 6:1-2: "Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?" I love what John MacArthur has to say on this topic in his commentary on Hebrews:

To realize and rejoice in God's boundless grace is one thing; to presume on it by willfully sinning is quite another. How can we, as forgiven sinners, take lightly and presumptuously, the price paid for our forgiveness? We become so used to grace that we abuse it.

Our sin cost Jesus His life. It's why He came. Yet we can't overlook the cost. We can't ignore the fact that your sin and my sin are the reason He died. Our sinfulness caused His blood to be shed. Because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Our sin demanded payment by death. And the only death that could pay for all the sins of mankind was that of the sinless Son of God. God didn't overlook sin, He provided the payment for it. And it cost Him dearly. So should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! The Savior of the world has paid for the sins of the world with His own life – once for all. And one day He is coming back, but this time not to deal with sin, but to consummate our salvation. "So also Christ died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Vs 28). So lets live our lives in appreciation for the forgiveness we have been given and in anticipation of the salvation we will one day receive.

Father, thank You for Your Son's selfless sacrifice. Thank You for the blood that was shed for me. Forgive me for taking His death so lightly and Your grace so cheaply, without considering the cost. Without Jesus shedding His blood, I would have NO forgiveness for my sin and NO hope for salvation. Keep that thought in the forefront of my mind at all times, so that I might live a life that reflects my appreciation and gratitude. I can never repay You, but I can live for You. Amen