Something to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving!  In a couple of days many of us will be gathered around tables enjoying a nice meal with family and friends.  I hope that as you stop to give thanks you remember to thank the One who gave us everything.  Let’s put our thinking caps on one last time before we slide into a weekend of hanging out and relaxing.  Let’s read a wonderful passage from the book of Hebrews about Jesus Christ.  It has some big words and some even bigger concepts so you may have to read it a few times (I know I did), but it is worth it because of the truth that it contains.

Hebrews 2:9-18

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

¹⁰ For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, ¹² saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
    in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

¹³ And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

¹⁴ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Things to think about:

Here are some things to be thankful for – Jesus tasted death for me, Jesus created all things and yet suffered for me, Jesus is not ashamed to call me brother, Jesus has been through what I am going through, Jesus has defeated death and given me life, Jesus made a wrath averting sacrifice (propitiation) for my sins, Jesus has been tempted like I am tempted and yet never sinned…Thank you Jesus!

Have you ever felt like you were unworthy of being called a child of God?  Because of what Jesus Christ did He does not see you that way!

Do you think the phrase “offspring of Abraham” only refers to biological descendants of Abraham?  See Romans 9:1-8

Do you think verse 12 is Jesus talking about us or us talking about Jesus?  Do we sing His praise?  Or is He singing our praise in the midst of the congregation?  Interesting thought…

Happy Thanksgiving!

When Worshiping Costs

            In John chapter 12 there is an interesting story about Jesus and a woman named Mary.  This story is pretty well known, so you probably already know what will happen.  But, think about the background, think about the emotions, think about what you would have done, maybe there is more to learn…

Background:

Mary and Martha are the sisters of Lazarus who just the week before had died and Jesus brought him back from the dead. 

Mary showed great faith when she came to Jesus after her brother had died.  Mary knew that Jesus had the power to heal, and she knew that Jesus would raise her brother in the end…but she didn’t know Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead right then and there.  Think of the shock and joy you would experience if a family member died and then Jesus came and brought them back to life!?! 

Now Jesus comes into their home and is about to eat a meal with them.  How would you react?  What would you say?  What would you do?

John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. ³ Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ⁵ “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. ⁷ Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸ For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Things to think about:

This was an act of worship from Mary.  Her brother was alive!  Jesus was there!  She is probably thinking, “How can I ever thank you?  What can I do to give you praise?  How do I worship you?” 

Do you think Mary was worried about how much to perfume cost?

Was Mary worried about what other people would say?

How does Martha give praise to Jesus?  (She serves dinner)  I don’t think she is less thankful, less appreciative, less worshiping Jesus because she is serving and not pouring nard on Jesus.  Just like I don’t think the person volunteering in nursery is worshiping any less than the worship leader singing on a big stage with tears running down their face.  Both worshiping.  Both giving thanks to Jesus for all that He has done. 

A “denarii” was about a days wage so 300 denarii is almost a full year’s salary.  No wonder Judas was upset.  Would you have said that was a good use of money?  Would that be considered a wise use of money? 

Do you think this passage teaches that Jesus doesn't care about the poor?  If not, what does it teach about the poor?

Where was Lazarus?  The passage really doesn't say where he was, but presumably I would think he was sitting in his own house having dinner with Jesus watching His sisters worship in these two ways.  How was he worshiping? 

I guess I would see three worshipers and one person in the story not worshiping God (Judas).  Martha was serving, Mary was praising, Lazarus was observing and listening, but Judas was complaining, Judas was judging, Judas was caring about himself – not Jesus. 

So, this week whether you serve, sing, dance, or listen and learn do all that you do with a heart of gratitude and praise to the Lord and you will be worshiping!  If you find yourself complaining, judging, scheming, and caring more about yourself than Jesus it may be time to stop and repent for the Lord is ready and waiting to forgive and bring you back!  If He can raise Lazarus from the dead He can certainly raise you from your selfishness.  J  

Trusting in the Trustworthy

            Who can you trust?  There are usually a few people in your life that you would trust unconditionally.  Maybe a parent, a spouse, or a close friend.  I think it is good to trust in people we care about; trust is part of love.  But, there are times when even our trust in people seems to waiver and shake.  Not that this has happened recently to me, but there is always that small doubt in the back of your mind that people can not be trusted.  Whether they fail you on purpose or on accident we know that people at one point or another will probably fail us.  Today I want to look at a passage from Micah where he asks the question:  Who can you trust?

Micah 7:2-10

The godly has perished from the earth,
    and there is no one upright among mankind;
they all lie in wait for blood,
    and each hunts the other with a net.
³ Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
    the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
    thus they weave it together.
⁴ The best of them is like a brier,
    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
    now their confusion is at hand.
⁵ Put no trust in a neighbor;
    have no confidence in a friend;
guard the doors of your mouth
    from her who lies in your arms;^[a]
6 for the son treats the father with contempt,
    the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
⁷ But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
    I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

⁸ Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
⁹ I will bear the indignation of the Lord
    because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
¹⁰ Then my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    like the mire of the streets.

Things to think about:

I don’t think times are so bad the we could claim verses two and three as accurate… but maybe we can – Doesn't Romans 3 tell us that there is “no one righteous, no not one…”  Maybe God knows something that we may not see.  Even the best of us have sin in us and are only moments away from falling.

Is this passage telling us to not trust in anyone ever for anything?  No, I don’t think it is…Read verse 7 again…what is Micah trusting in the Lord for?

There is no other place to go for there is “salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved…” (Acts 4:12)

Verse 9 is fascinating to me – who is judging?  Who is sinning?  Who is pleading the cause of Micah?  Who is executing the judgment? Does this not remind you of the substitutionary atonement of Christ?  In other words, doesn't this remind you of the fact that you sinned, but God takes your punishment for you, God deals out that punishment on Jesus at the cross, then Jesus pleads your case before the Father and determines you to be innocent and free of judgment!  Your price has been paid!  That is something we can trust in!  Only Jesus can do that for us!

The next time someone asks you, “where is the LORD your God?” you can have an answer for them…Trust in Him even when it seems like you can’t trust anyone.

One of God's Mighty Men (or woman)

            Do you like epic war movies?  Maybe that is more of a guy question, but I know of some women that enjoy a well done war movie.  We like the hero that defies all odds and in the face of incredible danger fights on to win the victory.  We like it when the underdog triumphs, when the good guys win, when things turn out okay.  In war there are sacrifices and defeats, but they all have a purpose.  Battles are fought to win a war.  What is the war you are fighting in your life?  Not the battles, for we all have many battles that we face every day, but what is the war?  What is the purpose?  What are we even fighting for?  Today I want to look at some ancient heroes of Israel and then make a comparison between their battles and our lives.  Here are the stories of King David’s three Mighty Men.  King David fought in many battles and was joined by many great warriors.  Here is the story of three of those warriors.

2 Samuel 23:8-12

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

⁹ And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. ¹⁰ He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.

¹¹ And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. ¹² But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.

Things to think about:

Just stop and use your imagination for these three stories.  How do you kill eight hundred men with a spear?  Was he alone?  Was he leading a band of soldiers?  How long did that take? 

Notice how Eleazar stayed to fight even though everyone else ran for their lives.  He became weary, but he never let go of his sword and he fought on!  A similar thing happens to Shammah.  He took his stand in the middle of a field.  I just picture the enemy encircling him and in their confidence rushing at him as if he will fall quickly, but then one after another they begin to fall and Shammah is killing man after man.  How does that happen?  I think the answer is given by the author in both of those stories – “the LORD brought about a great victory…”  God gave the victory, that is how they won. 

But notice – they still got tired, they still had to fight, they still were in great danger, they still had to be brave.

Here is my encouragement for the day – In the war of your life you may feel weary, you may feel overwhelmed, you may feel all alone – Be Brave!  The LORD has won the war! 

 ^”When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

(1 Corinthians 15:54-58)