Category Archives: Faith

Priceless

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How much would you pay for your soul?  How much would it be worth to you to know that your soul, the essence of who you are, would come into its full potential and live forever?  How much?  If something is rare, it costs more.  Someone bought a 1962 Ferrari for $35 million!  Presumably, it was pretty rare.  How much would the Ferrari guy pay for his soul?  Souls are priceless, so rare a value cannot be determined.  How rare is your soul?  It is one of a kind.  Jesus said:

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

Why is any payment necessary?  Don’t we already have our souls?  Yes, but our souls are dead – separated from the Spirit of God with which they were designed to be filled and brought to life.  This separation came about as a consequence of not trusting God and turning away from Him.  Adam and Eve initiated that “death” or separation.  We continue their pattern of rebellion in each of our lives.  If you don’t pay your phone bill and they shut off your connection, your phone dies.  You can pay the bill to restore your phone to “life.”  How much would you have to pay to restore the life of God’s Spirit to your soul?  The life of your soul is priceless.  Not even the Ferrari guy would have enough to pay to restore your soul.

“No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him—” (Psalm 49:7)

No one who has ever turned from God – ever – could pay for your soul.  The only one who could ever pay enough would be someone who led a perfect life and did not owe a payment for his own soul.

Consider these words of Jesus:

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:10b-11)

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

The Life You’d Die to Have

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You have been invited.  Act now and you can be rich, just like the guy in the infomercial, who’s standing in front of his new mansion, his arms around babes in bikinis, just back from a spin in his Maserati.  If you accept his invitation, you can have all that too – and more!  …Unless you read the fine print.

Jesus has a different invitation for you, but He begins with the fine print.  He invites you to deny yourself and die.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

Which invitation looks better to you?  Self indulgence or self denial?  Obviously, the “get rich quick” guy is  scamming us.  But why would anyone sign up for “losing his life to find it?”  It sounds like Jesus asks us to leave behind the life we’ve worked so hard attain, along with all the its comforts. Do we really want to let go of all that?

Before you decide, watch this:

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

 

Using a Four-Letter Word

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Jesus began to shock His disciples with a four-letter word.  They hadn’t heard Him use it before, but once Peter declared he knew Jesus was the Son of God and the Christ, then Jesus began to startle them and offend them with that word.  Look for it:

” From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)

Talking about the word, “must.”  Jesus demonstrated a perfect life, one that is only possible with a perfect connection with The Sovereign God.  By that connection Jesus performed many signs and miracles. He said His words were the words of God, because, as He said it, “The Father lives in Me” (John 14:9-10).  But one of the most amazing manifestations of that connection with God was that Jesus knew the “must” for His life.  He knew what God had decreed must happen.  He knew it and He surrendered to it.

“Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”” (Matthew 16:22-23)

When Peter understood Jesus’ identity, Jesus said he was blessed, because God had revealed it to him (See: Better Proof).  But when he failed to understand what Jesus must go through, by the decree of God, substituting his own ideas and desires, Jesus turned on him!  

What is your “must?”  Don’t know?  Me neither.   But God does.  As we surrender to Him, there may be times when He shows us what we “must” do.  But even when He does not, the benefit and power of living in readiness to accept God’s “must” for our lives is taught throughout Scripture.

David wrote:

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion (how God provides for him) and my cup (how God asks him to suffer) …” (Psalm 16:5a – with my explanations)

James said:

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done.”  In other words, “Lord, I acknowledge that the “must” You have assigned for my life is good, and I submit.”  

Must – a shocking, tough, four-letter word that we “must” learn to use more…

 

 

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Better Proof

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If you really want proof for Jesus, there is a way.  Jesus refused to give miraculous, tangible proof of His identity to the religious experts (See: Proof).  But He led His disciples to a better proof, a proof you can check out for yourself.  It began like this:

” When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”” (Matthew 16:13-14)

Going to the region of Caesarea Philippi was no accident.  It was 25 miles out of their way, north of Israel – a hotbed of paganism and humanism.  Formerly known as Paneas, for Pan, the god of fertility, the city was renamed for Caesar and Philip, Roman leaders who wanted to be worshiped as gods, themselves.  This place epitomized what Jesus had criticized in human attitudes (See the explanation of “a wicked and adulterous generation” in: Proof).  Jesus took them to that place and asked them, “Who do PEOPLE say the Son of Man (Jesus) is?”  What do people say?  What to “they say?”  It would be like taking us to the most humanistic, atheistic, politically correct university campus and asking us to take a survey about “Who is Jesus?”  And the disciples responded with a variety of superstitious things the people were saying, as if to say, “Who knows?”

But then He asked:

““But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.“ (Matthew 16:15-17)

There is a lot of noise out there, a lot of opinions and a lot of shouting.  Jesus asked His disciples to shut all that off and consider what God the Father was revealing to them, personally, from inside their own hearts.  In effect, He said, “You will never know Who I Am by listening to what “they say.”  You will never find proof by listening to others – even the others who are telling you the truth!  Proof will come to you personally, from God.  He will reveal to you Who I Am.  You will know.  And you will be blessed.”

Do you want to know Who Jesus really is?  Do you want proof that will really convince you once and for all?  Stop listening to what “they say.”  There is way too much confusion and ignorance dressed up as wisdom in this world.  Instead, ask God to show you Who Jesus is.  Ask Him with all sincerity, expecting to receive an answer.  Keep asking, watching and listening.  He will show you and you will have a better proof.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.“ (Matthew 7:7-8)

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Proof

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Want proof that Jesus is God’s Son?  Tangible proof?  You are not alone.  Trouble is, tangible proof never seems to be enough.  Back in Jesus’ day, He was healing people, calming storms and feeding thousands, but that wasn’t enough for the religious experts.  They wanted more.

” The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.” (Matthew 16:1)

By the way, in today’s terminology, these two groups represented the extremely conservative and the extremely liberal religious groups.  But they shared a human trait in common:  The things He was doing right there in front of everybody were not enough.  “Show us something from Heaven,” they asked.

“He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, ….” (Matthew 16:2-4a)

The wickedness Jesus referred to, at its core, is the human desire to be god, to be in charge and control.  We want to say what is right and wrong.  We like to think we are in control over everything (even the temperature of the planet!).  The adultery Jesus pointed to is the human tendency to chase after new and different gods.  We want to go off and study under some spiritual mystic or medium, to change our names and adopt another religion that catches our fancy.

“Wait a minute,” you ask, “didn’t you just say that we wanted to be god? Isn’t it logically inconsistent to want that and also chase after new and different gods?”  Yes it is.  But then again, I said these were “human” tendencies!  Since when have humans been entirely logical and consistent?

Signs on the highway don’t help those who are too distracted to see them.  They don’t work for those who think they already know the way.  Jesus had been performing many signs, the things He called the “signs of the times.”  But they wanted more.  God gives signs, but they are of value only to those who are humble and open, to those who are ready to receive them and respond to them.  God’s signs sail right past the “adulterous” and “wicked.”  That’s why Jesus said,

““Be careful,” … “Be on your guard against the yeast [the teaching and attitudes] of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”” (Matthew 16:6 excerpts – with my explanation)

If you understand this blindness of the religious experts, you can see the contrast in what happens when the disciples begin to “have eyes to see.”  It’s pretty cool and we’ll take it up next time.

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Across the Divide

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One reason Ebola is so hard to contain in West Africa is that many people in that region distrust western medicine. It is very tough to leap by faith across a cultural divide.  That’s also why westerners have a hard time trusting Chinese medicine.  Culture gets in the way of faith.

For that reason, it was startling when Jesus encountered a woman from a pagan culture, north of Israel.

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite (not Jewish) woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”  Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”  The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.  He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” (Matthew 15:21-26 – with my added comment)

Why did Jesus call this woman and her people “dogs?” Was He being racist?  To the contrary, I think He was chiding the disciples for their attitude.  A woman comes, crying out in desperation and they want Jesus to send her away, presumably, because she wasn’t Jewish!  Jesus was using irony, and He softened the insulting word, using an affectionate word for puppy or pet instead.

And Jesus didn’t send her away!  He spoke to her, recognizing that she had dared leave her culture to trust in Him. Her people worshiped the pagan god of healing, Eshmun, whose temple was only about 3 miles away. But Instead of going to Eshmun for help, she had come to Jesus!  Even as He was subtly rebuking His disciples, He also was checking to see if this woman really had faith in Him.

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”  Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:27-28, NIV)

Did you notice that this woman didn’t have all the “right” doctrine?  She’d never been to Sunday School.  She simply believed that Jesus could help her and she wasn’t taking “no” for an answer.  And He did help her.

God’s rescue began with the Jewish people.  But it was always meant for all peoples.  Even for you.  Maybe you have wrapped yourself in a culture that makes it hard to trust Jesus to help you.  Maybe you don’t think you know enough about the Bible.  But if you need Jesus, and if you are ready, so is He.

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

 

 

Imposs-ability

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What the heck just happened?  Or, what was that all about?  When you read about Jesus, you may find yourself scratching your head, asking that kind of question.  Good!  If you want to get the most out of Jesus, you have to ask.  Because Jesus frequently used object lessons, where there was more to be learned in what just happened than there was in what He said.  Here’s a good example:

“During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if (since) it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.” (Matthew 14:25-32 – I’ve changed “if” to “since” in v. 28 for clarity)

What was that all about?  What just happened?  One obvious lesson is this: When  Jesus asks the impossible, keep your focus on Jesus, not on all the scary things that hinder you.  Jesus let Peter learn that truth through what happened to him.  Jesus underlined the principle with what He said to Peter:

…“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”” (Matthew 14:31b)

That important principle, is repeated in the Book of Hebrews:

” Therefore, …, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  [How can we do that?] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, ….” (Hebrews 12:1-2 – excerpts plus my question in brackets)

Jesus frequently asks or motivates us to do things considered impossible in the world.  Impossible things like forgiving.  There are times that forgiveness seems as impossible as walking on water.  But, when you fix your eyes on Jesus, and not on all the hurt, when you allow faith to push aside doubt, you can walk across that impossible “water,” you can walk toward Jesus.

That’s just one example.  When Jesus asks the impossible, do what Peter did.  Call out to Jesus and say, “Lord, since it is You, tell me to do the right thing, the thing that looks so impossible.”  Then trust.  Likely, you will be amazed, as were His disciples on that windy night:

“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”” (Matthew 14:32-33)

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Jesus Throws a Combination

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In a fistfight, an uppercut rarely works by itself.  You need a combination, at least two punches, deployed in quick succession and without a pause.  The most basic combo starts with a jab, to distract your opponent, followed by a cross, to take his head off.

Jesus threw a combination of miracles at His disciples, first to startle them and then to take their heads off.  His “jab” was multiplying 5 loaves of bread to feed many thousands of people.  Then, immediately, He threw a “right cross” – walking on the water.  When you study this “one, two punch,” of miracles in Matthew 14, you begin to see many layers of meaning and purpose.  But first, let’s focus on the word “immediately.”  Both Matthew and Mark say these two events were a one, two punch; Jesus set up the second one immediately.

” Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.” (Matthew 14:22, NIV)

Why immediately?

Consider the flow of this:  First, Jesus shows them He can miraculously multiply bread.  He throws them off balance.  They are amazed and awestruck, but they are also feeling secure, because Jesus is with them and He can do anything.  Then immediately Jesus sends them off on their own.  They think, “No problem, we can do this; we’re good at rowing.”  But then, just when they feel competent and in control, a terrifying wind comes up against them.

“… but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” (Matthew 14:23b-24)

 First they pull harder; “Come on guys, we got this… ”  Then they become fatigued.  And frightened, fighting off panic.  Their competence and camaraderie evaporates as the wind blows harder and the waves buffet them with menacing power.  The storm intensifies, continuing on through the night until after 3:00 in the morning.

Then, BOOM!  The second punch.

“During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”” (Matthew 14:25-27)

Why did Jesus set that up immediately?  What was He trying to do to them, sending them from their confident glow in His presence to a terrifying ordeal in the midst of their comfort zone?  Jesus set up the first miracle by saying, “You feed these thousands of people.”  Their response was “There’s no way we could do that!”  With His first punch, Jesus did it, He fed the people.  Then, immediately, He sent them off to do something they were sure they could do.   Only to discover they could not.  In the midst of their fatigue and panic, here came Jesus, walking to them on the water!

One, two punch.  Before we continue to look at the rest of what this means, ponder the word, immediately, and let Jesus knock your head off.

Enough

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The next time you are running low on food and 5000 men show up for dinner with their wives and kids, you might want to review how Jesus showed His disciples to handle it (You can read it in Matthew 14:13-21).  But most of us won’t ever be in that situation; is there anything in this episode for us?  Anything that we can apply to life as we experience it, one ordinary day after another?

When preachers deal with this passage, their points typically go something like:

–   “When Jesus gives you something impossible to do, He will make it possible.”

–   “Don’t worry about what you don’t have; bring what you do have to Jesus and give it to Him”

Those are great principles and make compelling sermons, but how do they apply to us in our every day circumstances?    Another way to ask that question is, “Can you think of any example in your own life where these principles were applied?”    We all know stories of great missionaries who lived like this, but what about the rest of us “Joe the Plumber” kind of people?

The lessons that Jesus demonstrated that night, feeding 5000 families, were not simply for the disciples.  All those people in the crowd were fed, too.  Jesus was showing them something, too.  But what?

As you ponder those questions, consider this:  Jesus taught us, every day, as we pray, to ask God, for bread – daily bread.  Enough for the day.  In that prayer, Jesus was building on God’s training protocol for the Israelites, as they faced starvation in the desert.  Each day, He provided just enough manna for their needs that day.  No more, no less, except the day before the Sabbath.  On that day He provided a double portion, so they could rest on the following day.  “Give us today, our daily bread.”

As you face today, there is no way for you to know what the day holds, or how much “daily bread” you will need.  But God does.  Just before Jesus told us to pray, “give us today our daily bread,” He said:

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7-8, NIV)

Maybe your daily bread today will include food for 5000.  Maybe it will be strength and courage to make it through the day.  He knows.

Quote: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Do You?

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Let’s suppose the skeptics are right and Jesus was merely a profound teacher, a man in tune with deep wisdom.  Maybe Jesus was simply a man who surpassed all others by His understanding of reality.  Given that premise, try to imagine what He meant by these teachings- literally:

““For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”” (John 11:25-26)

Okay then, literally, what did the “best teacher” mean?  Literally!   Was what He said true?  If not, why would He have had the cruelty or audacity to teach such things?  And, if they are true, then what did Jesus mean by “believe in Me?”  And the part about being the Son of God?

One last question:  Why did Jesus ask His friend, “Do you believe this?”

Do you?