The Demise of the Fittest

Today’s Reading:

• Psalms 1-2; 10; 33; 71; 91

Faith-Stretching Verse(s):

• The best equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. – Psalm 33:16, NLT

Thoughts:
The strongest and fittest still fall.

We’re used to thinking about the “survival of the fittest.” It’s inspiring to think that if we just grow strong enough, equip ourselves well enough, adapt readily enough and think intelligently enough, we will survive and even flourish.

But that’s not what is meant by the “survival of the fittest.” What is meant is that being strong enough, equipped enough, adaptable enough and intelligent enough will allow us to survive long enough. Long enough for what? To pass on our hereditary information to the next generation. Because if we take a quick reality check, the truth is that the fittest do not survive. The fittest die.

The Bible talks about the demise of the fittest. All of creation is vulnerable. All humanity is weak. A microscopic one-celled organism can invade our systems, colonize, and overwhelm us. The TSA as a system can vanquish 999,999 terrorist plots—but if just 1 terrorist plot succeeds, tens, hundreds and even thousands of people descend into the grave. The Secret Services can have a near-perfect record, but one lapse in judgment is all that it takes for an assassin to have his way. The survival of the fittest applies, at best, to DNA. On the personal level, reality demonstrates 100% of the time that we should be talking about the demise of the fittest.

When the fittest meet their demise, who can save them?

For an overview of this year’s blog, please see http://threequartertank.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-do-believers-believe.html.

I Believe Because Sin Is Real

Today’s Reading:

• Genesis 4:1-5:32
• 1 Chronicles 1:1-4
• Genesis 6:1-22

Faith-Stretching Verse(s):

• You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master. – Genesis 4:7, NLT

Thoughts:
The Bible teaches that sin is real. For some of us, that’s not too faith-stretching a concept. But there is a fairly large group of people that believes humanity is inherently good, good by nature.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe that every person in the world is an obvious sinner. It’s not like we’re all stealing all the time, or cheating on our spouses, or killing everyone like Cain does in this passage.

But since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and took the fruit He commanded them to leave alone, we’ve all been sinful and vulnerable to sin’s control in our lives. Think of the kindest, gentlest person you know, the white-haired saint of a grandmother you have who never seems to do anything wrong. And ask her (or him, whoever you’re thinking of), “You never seem to do anything wrong. Have you ever sinned? What’s something bad that you’ve done?” And even that elderly saint will have an answer for you. You might think that their sin is so insignificant that you personally wouldn’t worry about it. You might wish that your life contained such minute sins instead of whatever it is you’ve done. But still, they’ve sinned. Sin crouches at the door of every human heart and, at some or many points in life, every human heart is mastered by it. Sin is a pervasive human reality.

And since the Bible teaches us that sin is a reality in this world, sin itself is another reason to trust that God knows what He’s talking about. God is in touch with reality, and reality includes sin. So if God says that there’s sin, and life proves it, maybe we ought to listen to God a little more when He talks about other things, too.

For an overview of this year’s blog, please see http://threequartertank.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-do-believers-believe.html.

Living in a Blueprint

ALL – Psalm 106:13-31
ALL – Proverbs 27:7-9
OT – Ezekiel 16:43-17:24
NT – Hebrews 8:1-13

Interesting passage for the day: Their work is connected with a mere earthly model of the real tabernacle in heaven; for when Moses was getting ready to build the tabernacle, God warned him to follow exactly the pattern of the heavenly tabernacle as shown to him on Mount Sinai. – Hebrews 8:5, The Living Bible

Thought: How effective is life in a blueprint? The way that God commanded the Israelites to worship Him through Moses was just a blueprint of the way that we would all be called to live through Jesus.

Blueprints are guides. They aren’t comfortable. They aren’t harsh. They aren’t solid. They aren’t very satisfying. They aren’t reality. That is, they’re real visions and plans, but they still need to be realized before they can be very beneficial. Even if you go from blueprint to small-scale model, they’re only so satisfying. Which is more amazing, more useful, more fulfilling, more real: a full-sized train that drags tons of supplies across a nation or a model train that carts a few ounces of model cars and cabooses around our living rooms?

The old covenant was a blueprint and its tabernacles and temples were mere models. They were like samples given out at a grocery store—mere tastes of the full product. They were designed to prepare people for the glory of Jesus Christ and His heavenly tabernacle. Trying to live in them is like trying to live in a blueprint. But Jesus Christ has already done His work in the heavenly tabernacle on our behalf, and we can already begin to live in the realization that our sins are done for, even though we still live on earth. And one glorious day, we will experience the full life of heaven.

Question: How are you trying to build your relationship with God? What are you depending on? Where did you get your pattern? How’s it working for you? How much of a role does Jesus Christ play in your answer? He is the life our earthly blueprints have pointed to all along.

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

Love that Spills Over

ALL – Psalm 50:1-23
ALL – Proverbs 22:22-23
OT – Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16
NT – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24

Interesting passage for the day: He is glad to follow my suggestion that he visit you again—but I think he would have come anyway, for he is very eager to see you! – 2 Corinthians 8:17, The Living Bible

Thought: I love these personal touches we find in the Scriptures. Paul’s letters are full of teaching, logic, and sometimes even argument. But we can never forget that these letters are intensely personal. Paul wrote to people he loved dearly, and he was happy to tell them how much others loved them, too.

How well do we communicate our love for one another inside the church? Or, for an even more foundational question, how much do we actually love one another? Sometimes the evidence for our love runs thick, but sometimes it feels as if our love for one another is more of a show than a heartfelt reality. Christ died and rose for us because of His love for us, and because of the Father’s. And His command is that we love one another. Love must be sincere. If it’s genuine, it’s gonna show.

Question: How dearly do you love other people – your family, neighbors or associates? After you’ve answered a quick, self-defensive, “I love them very dearly, of course!” ask yourself whether deep down in your heart, you actually love them or love when other people think you love them. Would you pray with me that our Lord Jesus Christ would give us hearts whose love for each other grows continually?

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

Thinking God’s Thoughts … For Sure

ALL – Psalm 28:1-9
ALL – Proverbs 20:24-25
OT – Ezra 3:1-4:24
NT – 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4

Interesting passage for the day: But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 2:16b, The Living Bible

Thought: Have you ever wondered what’s on God’s mind? I have a hard enough time figuring out what’s on my wife’s mind, and she’s human! You’d think I could understand her thoughts easily enough … but not so. But knowing the mind of God—how incredible would that be?

Now, for the astonishing revelation: Paul says that Christians have the mind of Christ! Perhaps not the mind of Christ in ALL of its infinitude and knowledge and majestic intelligence, but we have the mind of Christ to a not-insignificant degree. In fact, part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry as He lives in us is to reveal to us the thoughts of God! We know what the Creator and Overseer of our souls thinks! We know the life and heartbeat of God’s intentions and desires for us!

If we know God’s thoughts, then we know reality. And if we know reality, we can live in it.

Question: As a follower of Jesus, is there anything you’re “supposed to believe” that you aren’t sure about? As you look at the Scriptures and listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings (which will agree with one another), are you ready to live in the reality that God teaches? What will that look like for you?

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

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Truth in Real Life

The message, preached on May 9th, 2010, covered 3 John, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Truth is more than just knowing about Jesus Christ; it’s knowing Him. We need to do life with Jesus, not think of ourselves as more real than God, and imitate lived truth. 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.

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.

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.