Andrew Smith’s sermon: Let Your Yes Be Yes

I didn’t have time today to write any thoughts on my devotional readings. But I did hear a wonderfully compelling message today when I attended theGathering (www.theGatheringNC.org - note: the message is probably not actually entitled "Let Your Yes Be Yes"). Andrew Smith preaches from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and does a wonderful job explaining why taking oaths makes no sense if you believe that God created, oversees and owns everything… including you. Let’s see if the sermon’s already online or not… Ok, so it’s not quite up yet (but I don’t know whether my sermons ever got online before Monday, either—often Tuesday. That’s asking a lot.) Still, his sermons from the past several weeks are online, which I’m sure are terrific, because in my one and only time listening to his preaching I found him to be passionately faithful to Jesus. So go to http://www.thegatheringnc.org/messagecenter.aspx?parentnavigationid=10677, listen to a message or two, and bookmark the page so that you have the chance to hear today’s message soon. Maybe even tomorrow. ‘Night, y’all!

Betrayal

ALL – Psalm 121:1-8
ALL – Proverbs 28:27-28
OT – Daniel 9:1-10:21
NT – 1 John 2:18-3:6

Interesting passage for the day: And now, my little children, stay in happy fellowship with the Lord so that when he comes you will be sure that all is well, and will not have to be ashamed and shrink back from meeting him. – 1 John 2:28, The Living Bible

Thought: Every one of us will have a garden of Eden moment. You know what I’m talking about. After Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, God came back.

And all of us will have a moment when we meet our God face to face, just like Adam and Eve did. It will be the moment of truth. We will either be able to greet our Lord Jesus happily, or we will feel a need to hide, as Adam did.

That’s why John encouraged these believers to stay “in happy fellowship with the Lord.” It’s not like Jesus was physically present with them right then. Otherwise John wouldn’t have said that they needed this fellowship “so that when he comes you will be sure all is well.” No, staying in fellowship means something much deeper than just physically being within sight of Jesus. Staying in fellowship means living like someone who values Jesus and wants to please Him.

That’s what went wrong with Adam and Eve. When God was out of sight, they neglected to live like a relationship with Him was more important than anything else, no matter how desireable. They didn’t lose their fellowship with God when they could no longer see Him. Adam and Eve lost their fellowship with God when they betrayed His trust.

Let’s not betray Jesus’ trust. That way, when we see Him face to be face, we’ll be ready.

Question: What kinds of things tempt you to betray Jesus’ trust? Are they really worth the loss of fellowship with Jesus? How can you pursue fellowship with Him and seek to please Him, rather than following desires that lead you astray?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Worldwide Transformation

ALL – Psalm 76:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 24:21-22
OT – Jeremiah 2:31-4:18
NT – Colossians 1:1-19

Interesting passage for the day: The same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world and changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard it and understood about God’s great kindness to sinners. – Colossians 1:6, The Living Bible

Thought: This statement was written about 2,000 years ago, but it’s just as true today as it was then. People who learn about God’s great kindness to sinners are still being transformed entirely—from their hearts to their hands. Jesus Christ is still making all things new. Through Him we have not only been created, but we become a new creation all over again.

This change is happening in every nation on earth. The gospel is still the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Jesus Christ is still building His church, and the gates of hell are still not prevailing against it.

Question: How has your life been changed by Jesus Christ? How have you seen Him change others?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Joy: Pain Defeated

ALL – Psalm 46:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 22:15
OT – Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22
NT – 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Interesting passage for the day: Our hearts ache, but at the same time we have the joy of the Lord. We are poor, but we give rich spiritual gifts to others. We own nothing, and yet we enjoy everything. – 2 Corinthians 6:10, The Living Bible

Thought: Have you ever thought about comparing Paul’s words here in 2 Corinthians 6 to what Jesus said in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5)? Following Jesus leads us through pain, but it also leads us through the best of life. Apart from Jesus, there are many hurting people I probably would not have stopped for. But because I’m walking with Jesus, I have sometimes stopped. And then their sorrows become my sorrows. Their foreclosures. Their extreme joint pain. Their friendlessness. Their despair. I share it with them, and I mourn with them, and my heart aches. Even inside my home, I learn to bear other people’s burdens. I am called to bear other people’s burdens, following Jesus, who bore my sin and my cross.

And yet despite the pain that is added to my life—my own, of course, but also all the pain that comes from feeling powerless to help others overcome their problems—I have the joy of the Lord, like Paul. I have the joy of knowing that my own sins are washed away. I smile as I think of how Jesus offers everyone that same joy. Even more, I rejoice that Jesus is setting the world straight. I shout when He uses me to help someone in a small way, or better yet, when He uses His church to help in a big way. I see His victory pouring down from heaven to earth. And when the church’s resources are exhausted, I celebrate when Jesus comes through in miraculous ways. And when the world still has problems, I set my eyes on the day when Jesus comes back. And I sigh with contentment, even going through the troubles of this world. Because my Jesus will set everything straight on that day.

I don’t think anyone can be as deeply sad and as deeply happy at the same time as a follower of Jesus. No one except God, who is infinitely more sad about our sin and pain and yet infinitely more happy about restoring us all through Jesus. As followers of Jesus, let’s follow Him into greater and greater sorrows. As we do, the reality of His power and plan to make all things new will lead us into deeper and deeper joy. Jesus is everything!

Question: When you avoid entering into other people’s pain, how much of it comes from a fear that Jesus can’t or won’t help us through the pain? What has Jesus already helped you through?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Custom-Free

ALL – Psalm 150:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 18:9-10
OT – 2 Kings 20:1-22:2
NT – Acts 21:18-36

Interesting passage for the day: As for the Gentile Christians, we aren’t asking them to follow these Jewish customs at all—except for the ones we wrote to them about: not to eat food offered to idols, not to eat unbled meat from strangled animals, and not to commit fornication. – Acts 21:25, The Living Bible

Thought: On the one hand, the Jewish believers were VERY serious about having Jewish believers continue to follow Jewish customs. This verse comes in the midst of a section where Paul has returned to Jerusalem amid rumors that he teaches not only non-Jews, but also Jews, to stop acting like Jews once they put their faith in Jesus Christ. In reality, all he was teaching was that Jews and Gentiles could both come to Christ by faith without becoming something they weren’t—Gentiles didn’t have to become Jews to follow Jesus. So Paul was being asked to prove to the Jews that he was for Jewish Christians living like Jews—he wasn’t against a Jewish lifestyle. But on the other hand, it is important to notice that Gentiles (non-Jews) are allowed to follow Jesus as Gentiles. We who are not Jews may still know and walk with God. Jesus’ blood is enough to make us clean. We don’t have to adopt a whole new nationality and learn to apply the entire set of Jewish laws and customs. All we’re asked to do is to avoid a couple of foods and to be sexually pure. The rest of God’s commands are commands that we can live out in distinctly non-Jewish ways.

Question: What kinds of things make you feel restricted by the call to walk with Jesus? Compare what makes you feel restricted to how much more restricted you would be if you had to follow all the Jewish rituals and customs just to follow Jesus.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Watch Yourself to Guard Your Reward

The message, preached on May 2nd, 2010, covered 2 John, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. We who follow Jesus have a reward coming our way, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to watch the way we live. We are to follow Jesus’ teaching and to persevere in truth and love. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.

Know God’s Will by Doing God’s Will

ALL – Psalm 108:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 15:4
OT – 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23
NT – John 7:1-30

Interesting passage for the day: If any of you really determines to do God’s will, then you will certainly know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. – John 7:17, The Living Bible

Thought: We like to think we’re pretty smart. We can figure things out. We are pretty sure we can even use our intellect to figure out what God’s will is. Now don’t get me wrong—intellect is involved. We can definitely use our brains as we hear people make claims about what God’s will is. But we cannot confirm what God’s will is merely by thinking and reasoning. God sent Jesus to teach us His will, and Jesus taught us God’s will so that we can live by it. Until we live out what we’ve been taught, we haven’t really “discovered” God’s will. We’ve just talked about it. It’s like the difference between doing accounting in a classroom and in a business. In the classroom, it only affects a grade; in a business, you’re living and benefiting from what you’ve been taught. Let’s not be classroom disciples. Let’s get down to business, doing the will of God as Jesus teaches us.

Question: Is there any decision you’re trying to make, but you’re not sure what God’s will is? What are the options? Why do you think they might be God’s will? What’s keeping you from choosing one of the options and getting down to business?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Test: Will You Trust Me?

ALL – Psalm 106:13-31
ALL – Proverbs 14:32-33
OT – 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17
NT – John 6:1-21

Interesting passage for the day: (He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.) – John 6:6, The Living Bible

Thought: Remember when Jesus fed the 5000? This verse came right before that miracle, when Jesus asked Philip where to buy bread for all the people there. Can you imagine how much Jesus must have stressed Philip out by making Philip think He expected him to be responsible for all these people? Philip didn’t want that kind of responsibility. And Jesus never intended for Philip to carry it alone. But Philip’s response was not a response of faith; his response demonstrated that he was still trying to handle life’s challenges in his own strength. Principle: When a challenge comes our way, perhaps (or more than perhaps) it’s a test from God—NOT to see whether we can handle the challenge on our own, but to see whether we’ll respond in faith by asking God to lead us.

Question: What is your response to the thought that some of the burdens you’re trying to carrying are burdens that God intended you to trust Him with? How would seeking His help make a difference?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

The rest of the week's readings:

May 10, 2010

ALL – Psalm 106:32-48
ALL – Proverbs 14:34-35
OT – 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27
NT – John 6:22-42

May 11, 2010

ALL – Psalm 107:1-43
ALL – Proverbs 15:1-3
OT – 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15
NT – John 6:43-71

May 12, 2010

ALL – Psalm 108:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 15:4
OT – 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23
NT – John 7:1-30

May 13, 2010

ALL – Psalm 109:1-31
ALL – Proverbs 15:5-7
OT – 1 Samuel 14:1-52
NT – John 7:31-53

May 14, 2010

ALL – Psalm 110:1-7
ALL – Proverbs 15:8-10
OT – 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23
NT – John 8:1-20

May 15, 2010

ALL – Psalm 111:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 15:11
OT – 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4
NT – John 8:21-30

May 16, 2010

ALL – Psalm 112:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 15:12-14
OT – 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
NT – John 8:31-59

Trust That’s Real

ALL – Psalm 105:16-36
ALL – Proverbs 14:26-27
OT – Ruth 2:1-4:22
NT – John 4:43-54

Interesting passage for the day: Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son is healed!” And the man believed Jesus and started home. – John 4:50, The Living Bible

Thought: If my son was dying, I wouldn’t rest until the doctor had seen him. I wouldn’t be satisfied until my son had been treated, until his condition had stabilized, until I could see that the doctor actually was saving his life. The story of this man is amazing! He left his son at home and went to call for Jesus’ help. And when Jesus didn’t say, “Sure, I’m on my way,” this man didn’t complain. When Jesus said, “Go back home. Your son is healed,” this man didn’t question Him. This man believed Jesus. And how do we know that he believed Jesus? He simply went back home. He obeyed, even though he had not yet seen the truth of Jesus’ words. He believed Jesus was trustworthy, and he obeyed.

Question: How quickly do we obey Jesus? How often do we procrastinate until we’ve made sure we’ll be taken care of, rather than just trusting Him?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Choose This Day…

The message, preached on April 25th, 2010, reviewed the key themes of 1 John, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Not everything that seems good is good for us. In the area of spirituality, we’ve been told that only Jesus is good, that only Jesus gives life—but many people want to sit around experimenting with holding onto both Jesus and their sinful lifestyles, alternative beliefs, etc. At some point, we have to choose—Jesus or self, Jesus or alternative gods, Jesus or the world. Jesus is the real deal; every other so-called life is a counterfeit. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.

Did Jesus Pre-Arrange His Miracles?

ALL – Psalm 90:1-91:16
ALL – Proverbs 13:24-25
OT – Judges 1:1-2:9
NT – Luke 21:29-22:13

People are always trying to explain Jesus’ miracles and divine foreknowledge away. And some of the stories in the Bible make that seem almost possible. But there are two stories in particular that I’ve heard even fairly faithful Bible teachers say, “This wasn’t a miracle. This was pre-arranged.” One is the story of Jesus sending His disciples to get a donkey’s colt for Him to ride into Jerusalem; the other is the story we’re going to consider today, the story of Jesus sending the disciples to find a place for their final Passover (Luke 22:7-13).

I disagree with the “pre-arranged” theory. Both of these stories portray Jesus’ foreknowledge. Here’s why.

Let’s start with the concluding verse:

They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and prepared the Passover. – Luke 22:13, The Living Bible

Why would it be important, in a book devoted to pointing people to Jesus as God’s Christ, to say that they found everything as Jesus said—except to point out His foreknowledge? It wouldn’t.

Open your Bibles and check out the story to see if the rest of these reasons make sense.

1. Even if Jesus pre-arranged things, He would not have known the precise time when His disciples would enter Jerusalem, so He would not have known when to arrange to have a man walking along carrying a pitcher of water. Also, any number of servants could have been sent to carry water for their masters, so this sign could easily have back-fired if Jesus had just made arrangements in advance. He had to have foreknowledge to know when His disciples would arrive and which man they would see carrying water.
2. Also, Jesus does not instruct the disciples to interact with the man carrying water—just to follow him. If Jesus had pre-arranged everything, surely He would have had the disciples confirm in some way that this was the correct man carrying water. But he doesn’t give them the man’s name, his master’s name, or any special greeting whatsoever—just instructions to follow him into someone’s house. This is because they didn’t need to confirm the man’s identity. Jesus simply knew that the man they saw carrying water would lead them to the house where He intended to eat the Passover.
3. Third, Jesus’ instructions to them about what to say to the master of the house are very vague and general. They don’t identify the master, and they don’t identify Jesus. Rather than saying, “Jesus sent us,” the disciples are to say, “The Teacher needs a room.” There were other teachers with disciples besides Jesus in those days. Jesus did not need His disciples to identify Him because He had not pre-arranged this; He knew this man would respond to this general request.
   

And again, the story concludes with the comment that the disciples found everything to be like Jesus said—not a comment that would matter much if He’d pre-arranged everything. So the disciples clearly passed on this story with the idea that it would help to show the world that Jesus was more than just a man, just a teacher. After all, this book concludes with Jesus’ resurrection! They definitely thought He was unique, and this story helps to show His uniqueness.

Jesus is the Son of God. The Father sent Him to earth as a man, to live the life of men. But Jesus was no mere man. He was unique, a miracle worker who showed that He knew what would happen before it happened. No matter how much people try to explain His miracles away, it just makes more sense to take the stories that seem miraculous exactly as they are—stories that display the glory of the Christ, God’s Son, the Son of Man.

P.S. My computer has been down this week (no power cord). So I hope that you remembered that you can access the readings online via http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan.asp?version=51&startmmdd=0101 (go ahead and bookmark it if you forgot, just in case something happens again). The rest of this week’s readings, through Sunday, are:

April 24, 2010

ALL – Psalm 92:1-93:5
ALL – Proverbs 14:1-2
OT – Judges 2:10-3:31
NT – Luke 22:14-34

April 25, 2010

ALL – Psalm 94:1-23
ALL – Proverbs 14:3-4
OT – Judges 4:1-5:31
NT – Luke 22:35-53

And the prior readings can be found at the above link. Let’s press on together!

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Two Devastating Failures

ALL – Psalm 75:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 12:12-14
OT – Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19
NT – Luke 10:13-37

Have you ever been on a bridge or narrow pathway so high that you could look over the edge on either side and know that a fall meant death?

Among Christians, one of the most inspirational thoughts in all of Scripture is known as the “double love command.” Jesus tells us that it summarizes all the Law and the Prophets (the OT). Here is one version of it, recorded by Luke:

“It says,” he replied, “that you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.” – Luke 10:27, The Living Bible

In this case, it was not said by Jesus, who responded:

“Do this and you shall live.” – Luke 10:28, The Living Bible

No one can measure up perfectly to this command. Even among those who seek to obey and fulfill these requirements, people usually make the mistake of obeying just ONE of the TWO commands given here.

Some people love God with all their hearts. They devote themselves completely to God, or so they think. They spend all their time reading their Bibles, praying, attending services, and helping with official church programs. If someone interrupts their service to God, that person gets set aside, left behind, left alone. But God says to these people, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates (neglects, ignores) his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20, NIV).

Other people really do a good job of loving people. They open up their homes, they share their food, they give cash to every beggar, they devote themselves to programs that help people to get out of poverty and homelessness and drugs. They always sympathize with people, always listen, always care, never judge. But these people often lay aside their Bibles, sweep sins (their own and other people’s) under the carpet, neglect to pray, think of Jesus as merely a good man, and worry that any spiritual discussion will hurt people’s feelings. To these people, God says, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me” (John 14:21), and “…this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:23, NIV). Loving God is obeying God, and obeying God is believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Neglecting our faith is just as destructive as neglecting our neighbors.

The double-love command is a united command. We are not to love God but hate our neighbors. Neither are we to love our neighbors but neglect God. We are to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

We all fall short. We all struggle more either with loving God or with loving people (though, if we’re honest, we fall short in both). We sin. Which is why we praise God that Jesus Christ, His Son, died on the cross to provide forgiveness for our sins. There is grace for us, even as we fail in the two most important commands of all. But that grace is not intended to make us neglect the commands; instead, it strengthens us to stop wallowing in our failures and sins so that we can get up and grow in obedience and love. This requires humility and honesty. We must recognize our failure and call on our Lord for help.

Which side of the command do you struggle with most?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

I Laugh in the Face of Danger

ALL – Psalm 45:1-17
ALL – Proverbs 10:22
OT – Leviticus 25:47-27:13
NT – Mark 10:32-52

Do you laugh in the face of danger? Or at least, can you look into the eyes of danger and calmly step forward, knowing the pain that you will definitely experience and choosing to go through it fearlessly? Jesus did. And Christians should. As Jesus headed toward Jerusalem with His disciples, He said:

They will mock me and spit on me and flog me with their whips and kill me; but after three days I will come back to life again. – Mark 10:34, The Living Bible

Jesus sounds so matter of fact. He knows what’s coming. Yet His disciples aren’t giving Him a pep talk; Jesus is leading them to Jerusalem.

How could Jesus do this? Here’s how. “For the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). He knew He would rise again. And He knew that He would enable us to join Him in rising from the dead.

So what about us? Do we really believe we’ll rise from the dead? Our unwillingness to boldly and courageously stand for the gospel and for our King might say otherwise. Do we look at danger and flee? Or do we walk through danger, gladly and vibrantly carrying the gospel in our hearts and mouths, knowing that on the other side of the cross is the resurrection? Let’s trust in God’s power to raise the dead; let’s carry the gospel into the face of danger.

What makes you fear sharing the gospel? Are you willing to trust Jesus with it and move forward anyway?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Sell and Give and Follow

ALL – Psalm 44:9-26
ALL – Proverbs 10:20-21
OT – Leviticus 24:1-25:46
NT – Mark 10:13-31

Which of the Ten Commandments do you get hung up on? Anything come to mind? Seriously. Have you ever murdered anyone? Are you a thief? A liar? An adulterer? Do you hate your momma?

A young man came to Jesus, asking about the way to eternal life. Jesus pointed him back to the commandments. And this young man said he’d kept them all. A.L.L.

So. What’s left?

Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him; “go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—and you shall have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” – Mark 10:21, The Living Bible

I’ve often heard that Jesus was pointing this young man to his covetousness. But covetousness really seems to be about wanting what others own, primarily. Still, Jesus was clearly pointing out a heart-sin closely related to covetousness: greed. And greed is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Greed is the sin of a heart that refuses to be generous toward those in need, as God commands. Greed says that wealth is more important than God; therefore, greed is idolatry.

Then the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away, for he was very rich. – Mark 10:22, The Living Bible

Rather than following Jesus, God the Son, the man went away “for he was very rich.” He chose wealth over God. He committed idolatry, breaking the second commandment. And in so doing, he made it very plain that he was not fulfilling the first commandment, either: “You may worship no other god than me” (Exodus 20:3, The Living Bible).

When I look at the number of possessions I own—and the number of possessions I allow my children to own, implicitly teaching them that owning a lot is a normal part of life—this passage pulls me up short. I’d like to say that I’m not committing idolatry, that I’d willingly sell everything and follow Jesus, if Jesus called me to do it. It’s easy enough to say; but would I sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Jesus? Would you? I recognize in my heart a root of greed, which is idolatry. I recognize my desire to own, to possess, to have, to keep.

Jesus, forgive me and cleanse me of greed. Make me generous. May there be no idolatry in my heart. Be my Lord, my Christ, my King.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Like Teacher, Like Disciple

ALL – Psalm 42:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 10:17
OT – Leviticus 19:1-20:21
NT – Mark 8:11-38

If you want to be a marine biologist, you don’t major in English. If you want to be an anthropologist, you don’t major in math. Students go where their chosen teachers lead.

Jesus knew where He was going, and He shared openly with His disciples what His journey would be:

Then he began to tell them about the terrible things he would suffer, and that he would be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the other Jewish leaders—and be killed, and that he would rise again three days afterwards. – Mark 8:31, The Living Bible

But Jesus’ journey wasn’t His alone. Since Jesus was the Teacher-Master, it was a journey for all His disciples, His followers, His students:

Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen, “If any of you wants to be my follower,” he told them, “you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow me closely. If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live. – Mark 8:34-35, The Living Bible

Jesus’ journey included suffering and death; the disciples would follow in His steps. Jesus’ journey included a resurrection; the disciples, too, would gain life as they followed Jesus. Students go where their teachers lead, and Jesus has led the way through death to eternal life in the New Heavens and the New Earth that He’s preparing for His disciples even now. Not only has He led the way; He is the Way. No disciple can walk that road without the provision of His life, His blood and death, His resurrection, His Spirit.

Students go where their chosen teachers lead. Have you chosen to accept Jesus’ call?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

New is Usually Different

ALL – Psalm 36:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 10:1-2
OT – Leviticus 4:1-5:19
NT – Mark 2:13-3:6

The unexpected can be annoying—perhaps even offensive.

But when Jesus came, He didn’t apologize for His unexpected new ways. In fact, He defended them. When the Pharisees implied that His disciples ought to be fasting along with theirs and John’s (the Baptist), Jesus said,

It is like patching an old garment with unshrunk cloth! What happens? The patch pulls away and leaves the hole worse than before. You know better than to put new wine into old wineskins. They would burst. The wine would be spilled out and the wineskins ruined. New wine needs fresh wineskins. – Mark 2:21-22

The old and the new often don’t work well together. Everything about Jesus was new, and new is usually different. Jesus was surprising. Jesus was unconventional. Jesus was different. Why? Because Jesus was new and brought a new reality with Him from heaven.

As Christians, we have to be careful how we apply this lesson. We want to be new like Jesus—there’s no question about that. But to some people, “new like Jesus” means that we must shake up the traditional ways of the church at every opportunity. “New like Jesus” can be used to justify people’s whims to be different, unconventional, even slightly rebellious against church practices and traditions. That’s not what being new like Jesus is about. We must remember that Jesus lived 2,000 years ago. For Christians, there is much about following Jesus that should be tradition by now. Why? Because we can never become newer than Jesus. He is the Father’s final word.

On the other hand, our behavior and teachings will always be new to the world around us, because people perpetually follow the world’s tradition of sinning against God. That is the tradition we must aim most passionately to break as we stand with Jesus in the newness of the covenant He sealed with His blood. We are not to differ from Jesus’ followers, but from the world and its patterns. New is usually different. Let’s aim to be different in Jesus’ way—not from Jesus and His followers, but from those who oppose Him.

What is new in your life because Jesus lives in you?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

You’ll Know

ALL – Psalm 29:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 7:6-23
OT – Exodus 21:22-23:13
NT – Matthew 24:1-28

When people ask how they’ll know they’re marrying the right person, what to look for, all those things, the common response these days is simply, “You’ll know.” You’ll know you’re in love. You’ll know (s)he’s a match. You’ll know you want to be together forever. You’ll know. You’ll just have that feeling, you know?

It’s amazing how many people believe that they can pick a spouse out of a hat based on their feelings. Thousands of potential husbands and wives are out there, and rather than counseling young folks to choose spouses with character qualities they will appreciate for a lifetime, we tell them to choose a spouse that makes them “feel” good—whatever that means.

We kind of do the same thing with religion. We tell people they’ll know when they’re on the right path, but rather than giving them anything substantial to base their knowing on, we let them choose what feels best to them (not all of us, but in general, that’s what even our evangelical Christian culture does – just look at what’s offered in the Christian bookstores!). You enjoy Joel Osteen? Great! T. D. Jakes? Great! The Shack? Great! Whatever you like, whatever makes you feel like you’re following God, go for it! If you feel like you’re on the right path, then you must be!

How stupid can we be?

Jesus Christ is a real person. The true God. And there’s only one of Him. There’s only one Bible, only one Spirit, only one Father, only one Way, one Truth, one Life. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is actually pointing people to Jesus. So it’s ridiculous that we tell people to find Jesus in their own way. What feels right may be totally wrong. We can’t afford to be wrong. We need Jesus.

As Jesus’ return draws near, this feeling-based approach to encountering Him is setting people up for a big disappointment. We tend to drift wherever the most feelings are, wherever rumors tell us that Jesus is being experienced the most deeply. Jesus warns that people will do that very thing when they think He’s come back:

So if someone tells you the Messiah has returned and is out in the desert, don’t bother to go and look. Or, that he is hiding at a certain place, don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes across the sky from east to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah, return. And wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather. – Matthew 24:26-28, The Living Bible

Don’t just go where people feel like they’re experiencing Jesus. What they’ve really found is a carcass, and they’re gathering like vultures. Go to Jesus’ Word, to Jesus’ Spirit, to Jesus’ cross, to Jesus’ Father. The real Jesus isn’t a matter of feelings, but of reality. And when He comes again, His real coming will be really obvious. You’ll know He’s here… and it won’t be based in feelings. He’ll just be that obvious.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

The Hope

ALL – Psalm 24:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 6:1-5
OT – Exodus 8:1-9:35
NT – Matthew 19:13-30

Following Jesus costs. It sometimes hurts. Not because Jesus hurts us, but because people who reject Jesus hurt us. Families might disown us—parents, siblings, wives, children—any of them might walk away from us because they simply can’t live with people committed to following Jesus. We might lose homes or property (for instance, right now I don’t believe that, as a follower of Jesus, I would be in the right to sue a company that owes my wife a significant payment for her web design work for them—so that payment is probably lost). Following Jesus costs.

So what’s our hope? Why is the loss worthwhile?

And anyone who gives up his home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow me, shall receive a hundred times as much in return, and shall have eternal life. – Matthew 19:29, The Living Bible

Jesus made a promise. He’ll keep it. He’s our hope, and He’ll take care of us.

Perhaps you’re worried about a significant loss right now that you wouldn’t accept apart from the fact that you’re following Jesus. Could you share? Show us your hope.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

When Elijah Comes!

ALL – Psalm 22:1-18
ALL – Proverbs 5:7-14
OT – Exodus 2:11-3:22
NT – Matthew 17:10-27

Expectations exceed reality. Often.

The Jewish leaders were teaching that Elijah had to return before the Messiah was coming. If you know anything about Elijah, he was an amazing prophet and man of God, a man of wonderful character who boldly proclaimed that God was in charge and would hold even kings accountable. To the Jews and their teachers, the vision of Elijah’s return must have been mouth-watering. To have a man of Elijah’s stature appear, to see the miracles he did, to watch him boldly confront their Roman oppressors, protected by God’s own hand, would be glorious! They had high expectations.

But the disciples were following Jesus, and they couldn’t remember having seen Elijah. Which was a bit confusing considering that Jesus was supposed to be the Messiah. So they decided to ask Jesus about the idea that Elijah would come before the Messiah. And Jesus said:

They are right. Elijah must come and set everything in order. And, in fact, he has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and was badly mistreated by many. And I, the Messiah, shall also suffer at their hands. – Matthew 17:11-12, The Living Bible

The disciples heard clearly:

Then the disciples realized he was speaking of John the Baptist. – Matthew 17:13

John the Baptist carried on Elijah’s ministry, boldly confronting sin. He confronted Romans, but he also confronted Jews, even Jewish leaders. That’s probably why they didn’t recognize him. Their imaginations had constructed a glorious Elijah who would be on their side rather than opposing them. John the Baptist didn’t fit those expectations. And as Jesus said, he “was badly mistreated by many.”

His mistreatment demonstrated the kind of reception Jesus the Messiah would receive, too. “I, the Messiah, shall also suffer at their hands.” And it helps us today to set better expectations for our walk with Jesus. The world’s not going to run up and pat us on the back. They won’t see anything special in us. They’ll mock us for trusting in a man who lived and died 2000 years ago, they’ll mock our claim that He has any power today, and they’ll ignore us or mistreat us fairly frequently. True religion is not about having everything go our way. True religion is about going Jesus’ way, even if it doesn’t feel so good.

So let’s follow Him together.

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.