A Good Run, Then a Stumble

Dear everyone,

Today I want to look at the story of Asa king of Judah.  He did some great things in his life and saw God work mighty deeds, yet he stumbled in the end.  Maybe we can learn from his example and follow what he did right, but also learn from his mistakes and guard our hearts from stumbling.

Here are a few key passages from the life of Asa (I encourage you to read the whole story when you have time.)

2 Chronicles 14:1-8

Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. ²  And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. ³ He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim ⁴ and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. ⁵ He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. ⁶ He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. ⁷ And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. ⁸ And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

Things to think about:

·         Notice that Asa starts off well.  He does what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord.  How often do we care more about doing what is right in the eyes of the people around us than in the eyes of God?

·         How would your life be different if you cared more about what God thought of what you were doing rather than what people thought of what you were doing?

·         Asa was not alone in his devotion – the people followed his example and stopped worshiping false gods.  It always surprises me how much influence a real leader can have on the people around them.  Are you such a leader?

2 Chronicles 14:9-13

Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹ And Asa cried to the Lordhis God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” ¹² So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³ Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil. ¹⁴ And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.

Things to think about:

·         What would you do in a battle where you were outnumbered more than 2 to 1?  One million soldiers!  That must have been frightening…but how to Asa respond?  He prayed and asked God to support them.  Asa trusted in the Lord’s promise that he would protect and bless his people, no matter what enemy came against them. 

·         How do you respond when you are faced with a situation that looks impossible?  Where do you turn for help?  What promises to you rely on?

·         Who defeated the Ethiopian army?  Who defeats the enemies we face in our lives?

2 Chronicles 15:1-4, 8-12

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, ² and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. ³ For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, ⁴ but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them…

 ^…As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord. ⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. ¹⁰ They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul…

Things to think about:

·         Not only did king Asa win in battle he also won over the hearts of the people to the Lord.  He heard the message of God spoken through a prophet and he responded.  He acted upon what he heard.  It changed his life and changed the way he ruled his kingdom. 

·         Does God’s Word have the same effect on your life?  When was the last time you were changed by something God said in His Word? 

Summary – Asa then grows complacent or at least grows foolish later in life.  He is about to be attacked by another army and instead of sticking with what worked the first time and seeking the Lord, he seeks the help of the king of Syria.  Sometimes you just think – Doh!  Why did I do that?  Hear what a prophet had to say after King Asa acted so foolishly…

2 Chronicles 16:7-9

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. ⁸ Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

Things to think about:

·         Hearing correction is always difficult.  We all make mistakes, but how do we handle it when we are called out on those mistakes? 

·         I think the attitude God is looking for is repentance, humility, and sorrow…not anger, pride, and bitterness.  How did Asa respond to this correction in his life?

2 Chronicles 16:10-13

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.

¹¹ The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians. ¹³ And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.

Things to think about:

·         How do you respond when your sin is uncovered?  How do you react when you have acted foolishly? 

·         Asa stumbled in the end…do you think there was symbolism or irony here that God diseased his feet?  A physical reminder of his spiritual stumble?  His walk with the Lord was suffering so his walk in his life was suffering. 

·         My encouragement for the day – don’t be like Asa and stumble in the end.  Have faith in God at all times and when you make a mistake or fall, turn to Him in repentance and humility…you don’t want to have diseased feet now do you? J 

Even the Rocks Shall Cry Out

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I have been reading through Daniel recently and I was struck again by how God orchestrated world events so that he would be praised and given honor, even when his chosen people were being disobedient and were facing exile and destruction.  It is almost as if God was punishing the Jews for their disobedience and idolatry, but at the same time he was still making himself known to the foreign kings and peoples.  When God’s people were not crying out to give God the glory…God made sure someone would!  Look at these passages from Daniel where the kings of foreign lands give praise to God in a very public way.  Does it remind you of the following exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees?

Luke 19:37-40

³⁷ When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

³⁸ “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Daniel 2:47 (King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon)

“The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Daniel 33:28-30 (King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon)

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 4:1-3 (King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon)

King Nebuchadnezzar,

To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth:

May you prosper greatly!

² It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

³ How great are his signs,
    how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
    his dominion endures from generation to generation.

Daniel 4:34-37 (King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon)

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

His dominion is an eternal dominion;
    his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
³⁵ All the peoples of the earth
    are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
    with the powers of heaven
    and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
    or say to him: “What have you done?”

³⁶ At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 6:25-27 (King Darius of the Medes/Persians)

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly!

²⁶ “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God
    and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
    his dominion will never end.
²⁷ He rescues and he saves;
    he performs signs and wonders
    in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

Things to think about:

·         What would it have been like to be a citizen of Babylon or a citizen of Persia and receive a letter from the King himself declaring glory, praise, and honor to the God of a people you have possibly never heard about? 

·         What would it be like to have a king/president of some major country today declare they now believe in God.  Can you think of other times in history when world leaders have expressed a faith in God? 

·         Do you think these kings truly believed in God?  Why or why not?

·         If these kings didn't cry out to give God praise, do you think the rocks would have cried out? 

·         Who cries out today to give praise and honor to the Lord?  Do you?

·         Why do you think God is so concerned about being honored?  Does he deserve such respect?

·         It is interesting that God would have a plan, not only to rescue the Jews, but also to make himself famous while doing it.  God planned to judge his people for their rebellion, but he also had a plan to save his people – and all people for all of eternity. 

·         Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from your sins.  The Roman soldier cried out and said, “surely this is the son of God…”  Don’t wait for the rocks to cry out – listen to the words of kings, soldiers, and eyewitnesses.  Jesus is alive.  Jesus is real.  Jesus is God.  Jesus loves you and has done what it takes to save you from your sins.  Believe in Him today!

Have a great week!

Time to Go

Today I want to think about a very familiar passage, but one that I think we struggle to obey, myself included.  At the end of the gospel of Matthew there is a short passage that describes a brief interaction between Jesus and his disciples before he ascended into Heaven.  In this passage of Jesus’ last words we are given a glimpse into what mattered most to Jesus.  Someone’s final words are always given extra weight and consideration.  That being said, how much more should we pay attention to the final words of Jesus?  Let’s read the passage, then think about a few very practical questions, and then I have a video I would like you to watch.

Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Things to think about:

·         Notice the two responses of the disciples when they meet with Jesus?  Worship and doubt.  How do you think you would have felt?  Why doubt?  They just saw Jesus perform miracles for years, be crucified and raise from the dead.  Jesus is standing there in front of you alive – what is there to doubt?

·         Why do you think it was important for Jesus to tell them, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…”  Do you believe Jesus still has that authority?  Does your life and how you live reflect that belief?

·         Because Jesus has authority he sends the disciples out into the world.  Why do you think Jesus sends the disciples?  Why not just go himself?  Why not just appear in the clouds, preach the gospel, then disappear, why not give everyone dreams, why rely on people to go?

·         Where were the disciples supposed to go?  Is there anywhere they were not supposed to go?

·         Are you a disciple?

·         Where are you going?

·         I major lie that Christians believe sometimes is that only some people are called to share Jesus with others.  Professional missionaries, pastors, preachers, etc.  I don’t think this passage gives us that description…I think Jesus means every disciple goes in one way or another. 

·         There are people that need to hear, you have been sent by Jesus, what now?

If you have 4 minutes watch this video about our current need for Christians to be faithful to this great commission.

                www.joshuaproject.net/resources/videos and watch the you should know video at the top…if you have more time the other videos are good too…

Pray about your role in making a difference in this world.

Amazed and Confused

In my small group we were talking about how “amazed” and “astounded” everyone was when they were around Jesus.  Do a quick word-search and you will find those words multiple times over in the gospels.  People followed Jesus and were genuinely shocked by Jesus on a number of occasions.  I guess, that is no surprise – I would be shocked too seeing all the amazing miracles he did.  But, here is the question – Did the amazement translate into faith?  We people shocked into believing in Him?  Let’s look at one story where people were amazed and see what we can learn.

Luke 9:37-45

³⁷ On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. ³⁸ And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. ⁴⁰ And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” ⁴¹ Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴² While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And all were astonished at the majesty of God.  But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵ But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Things to think about:

·         At this point in Jesus’ ministry he was pretty famous for the miracles he could perform.  He had already healed many people, fed thousands with very little food, and done a variety of other “amazing” acts.

·         Because of this fame people started seeking Jesus out.  Rather, they started seeking out what he could do for them.  Here is a hard question – do you seek after Christ or just what Christ can do for you?

·         Why do you think the disciples couldn’t cast out the demon?  Was it too strong for them?  What was Jesus’ response to their lack of faith?

·         Read verse 43 again.  Everyone was astonished at the majesty of God.  Interesting phrase.  Why were they astounded at the majesty of God and not just astounded at the power of Jesus?  Is that the same thing?

·         While they were marveling about all of this Jesus seems to burst their bubble and predicts his death.  Why share this news now?  Why be such a killjoy? 

·         Why do you think the disciples had such a hard time understanding Jesus?  Did the crowd understand him?  What did the crowd want from him?  What did Jesus really want to give them?  Do you think some of these same people that marveled at Jesus, were amazed by Jesus, were even healed by Jesus stood in the crowd and yelled “crucify him, crucify him!”  I do.  How can this be?

·         Is your faith like the disciples on this day that wants to see Jesus do amazing things, but refuses to believe him when he speaks truth?  Something to think about…

Beams of Hope

It has been a few weeks since my last Bible Time, sorry about that.  I was out of the office the last few weeks.  While I was away I finished reading the oh so encouraging book of Jeremiah.  (Italics added for sarcasm because the book is generally about the destruction and judgement of Israel.)  Even though the book seems to be mostly doom and gloom, there are a few passages that shine brightly as beams of hope that penetrate the darkness.  Today, I want to focus on one of those passages, but first a little background:

Background:

Jeremiah was a prophet to the nation of Judah (remember the nation of Israel split into two groups, Israel in the North and Judah in the south).  Jerusalem was the capital of Judah and they were under attack from the Babylonians.  The Assyrians had already wiped out the northern nation of Israel and now the Babylonians were marching against the south.  The people of Judah were a confused bunch.  They had the temple and all the priests in Jerusalem, but throughout their history they ran after false gods, worshiped idols, even set up idols in the temple.  They were a bit schizophrenic when it came to the worship of the Lord.  They didn't really care about God, they just didn't want to get destroyed.  God warned them time and time again to turn from their sin, but they refused.  So, God sent the Babylonians to destroy the country burn down the city of Jerusalem and even utterly destroy the temple.  Jeremiah is the prophet that gets the privilege to announce this judgment and watch it play out before his eyes.  He stands alone in this announcement as all the other so called “prophets” are promising the people peace and safety.  They get so mad at Jeremiah they beat him up and put him in jail.  Long story short, the prophecies of Jeremiah come true and Jerusalem is destroyed and most of the people are killed and taken as slaves.  But, in the midst of this turmoil Jeremiah has a message of hope.

Jeremiah 32:36-44

³⁶ “Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence’: ³⁷ Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. ³⁸ And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰ I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. ⁴¹ I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

⁴² “For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. ⁴³ Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ⁴⁴ Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”

Things to think about:

·         Notice that God has a plan.  Even before he pours out his wrath on the people, he has a plan to bring them back.  What does that tell you about God?  What is God’s plan for you?

·         Read verse 38 again.  That may seem simple to you, but I think that is one of the greatest encouragements that I could ever hear.  I will belong to God and He will be my Lord.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  If I belong to God – what more could I possibly need?  Sometimes when we are going through difficult times, much like the people of Judah, we tend to think God has forgotten us, that we don’t belong anywhere.  Hear me this morning and hear Jeremiah – you can be a child of God and He can be your God!  Place your faith in what he has done.  You deserve the same judgment as the people of Judah, but God loved you so much he sent Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) to die in your place and take the judgment upon himself!  He died for you!  Then he rose from the dead to show his power over death and sin.  Now he says to any who would listen, “believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”  (Acts 16:31)

·         Do you ever think of God “rejoicing to do you good?”  Interesting thought…

·         When God does something with “all his heart and soul”…do you think that is significant.  What is God doing with all of his heart and soul?  Wow!  He must really love you! 

·         No matter where you are at in life today, stop and see the hope peeking through the clouds of despair.  Trust in the Lord and trust in His promises.  It may seem like all is lost, but if you are his child and he is your God…what more could we ask for?

Prayer

I have been reminded lately how important it is to be in prayer for people.  Many of us pray while we drive, pray in the morning, pray with our kids, etc.  But, I think it is important to pray for all kinds of things.  It puts on display our need for God in everyday life.  So, instead of a really long Bible Time with Josh today I want to give you a short passage that encourages us to pray, then my challenge for you is to take the next 5 minutes no matter where you are while reading this and just talk to God.  Share your heart, share your thoughts, and ask for his help…for “all people.”

1 Timothy 2:1-7

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Things to think about:

·         Why do you think it is so pleasing to God for us to pray?

·         If God “desires all people to be saved…” what do you desire?  Are there people you would rather not see saved, forgiven, and given eternal life?  Why?

·         Read verse 5 again…look to Jesus to bring you to the Father.  Rest in Jesus’ strength and his knowledge, and his mercy and grace.  If you think you do not deserve to have your prayers heard by God…you are right – but Jesus deserves to have his heard and he prays with you, for you, and on your behalf…he is your mediator…so approach the throne of grace with confidence; not in yourself, but in your savior.

Take at least the next 5 minutes and just pray to God, no agenda, no one listening, no pressure, no guilt, just pray.  It brings him pleasure!  I think it might bring you a little joy as well.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, and...Waiting

Dear Everyone,

Have you ever had to wait for something?  Of course you have.  A line at the store, a traffic jam, an important event that gets postponed, etc.  We all have to wait.  Sometimes it feels like we spend a lot of our lives just waiting for things to happen, always waiting for the next event, the next opportunity, the next game, etc.  There is an interesting story in the book of Acts that I often overlook, but today I stopped and thought about what it would have been like to just wait, wait, wait…for two years!  That’s a long line at McDonald’s!  Let’s read the story and think about waiting for God’s timing. 

Background:

·         We pick up the story of the Apostle Paul as he is traveling around sharing the gospel in different cities and regions.  He has been all over Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and Greece sharing the gospel of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles.

·         In some places Paul’s message was not received by everyone in a favorable manner.  In fact some people wanted to kill Paul because of what he was preaching.

·         These “rabble-rousers”  would often follow Paul and cause problems wherever he would go.  You can read Acts 23 and 24 to get the whole story, but basically Paul has been arrested and put on trial for being a Christian and preaching that Jesus saves.  The Jewish leaders and a few other trouble makers want to put Paul to death, but living under Roman rule they have to appear before a Roman leader to get approval for the death penalty.  Paul makes it to Felix who is a Roman “governor”  and that is where we pick up the story…

Acts 24:9-27

⁹ The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

¹⁰ And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. ¹¹ You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, ¹² and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. ¹³ Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. ¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, ¹⁵ having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. ¹⁶ So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. ¹⁷ Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. ¹⁸ While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—¹⁹ they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, ²¹ other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”

²² But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

²⁴ After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” ²⁶ At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. ²⁷ When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

Things to think about:

·         How do you like Paul’s defense?  How would you respond if you were suddenly put on trial for your faith?  What would you say?

·         Paul’s defense assumes a certain level of knowledge amongst his hearers.  Paul spoke to people in a certain way depending on what they knew and how they were applying what they knew to their lives.  The Jewish leaders knew of Jesus, knew of the doctrines of Christianity, yet they rejected it…Felix had a certain understanding of “the Way”, but didn’t embrace its truth at all.  Where are you at?  What do you know?  If Paul showed up at your house what would you want him to talk about?  What questions would you have with him?

·         Notice that Felix had Paul placed under house arrest and had multiple conversations with him.  Do you think Paul grew impatient while he was waiting for 2 years?  2 years?  It was like he was on death row ready for the day when his number is called and it is his turn to die…or on the opposite side he is waiting to say just the right thing and the Spirit moves in Felix’s life and he lets Paul go free.  What do you think it was like for Paul to wait for so long, not knowing what was going to happen next?  What are you waiting for? 

·         How did Paul respond to his imprisonment and waiting game?  How do you usually respond to the waiting games in your life?

·         What I can learn from Paul is this, when in a waiting game faithfully preach the good news and continue to speak, teach, and live the truth of Jesus Christ.  If you do that whether you are waiting or not – your life will not be wasted. 

The Plan of God

In Sunday school this past week the teacher (Bobby Kunkle) was continuing our study in the book of Deuteronomy.  He made some really good points, but one stood out to me over the rest and had me thinking all day about it.  I thought it would be beneficial to share the passage with you and get us all thinking about it. 

Background:

Deuteronomy was written by Moses and is a “retelling” of the law to the new generation of Israelites that survived the 40 year wandering in the desert.  Because of Israel’s disobedience and not trusting the Lord they had to wait and wander for 40 years while an entire generation died out.  Then, with a whole new batch of Israelites God was going to use Joshua to lead the people on a conquest of Canaan, the land that they had been promised.  Moses was also forbidden from entering the land because of his transgressions, but before he died he had one final word…Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 4:25-31

²⁵ “When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, ²⁶ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. ²⁷ And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. ²⁸ And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. ²⁹ But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.³⁰ When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. ³¹ For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.

Things to think about:

·         God is talking to the people about the future, your “children’s children.”  He makes this conditional statement, “if” you act a certain way bad things will happen to you.  It is a warning that God cares about you, he cares what you do, he cares about how his people represent him to the rest of the world.  God cares.  Here is the question for us today…do you think God cares about us the same way?  Does he really care what I do?  Why would/should he care about my actions?

·         I like verse 26…”I call heaven and earth to witness against you…”  Wow!  Now that is a strong witness stand.  When all of heaven and earth stands to accuse you what defense could you possibly offer?  “I didn’t do it” and earth says, “yes you did, you were standing on me at the time and I saw the whole thing!” then heaven chimes in, “I saw you from a distance and witnessed the ripple effect of your actions and the harm you caused around the world and in people’s lives.”  What defense do we have against heaven and earth?

·         God had a plan for when the people rebelled.  He warned them in advance that he was going to scatter them as a people and almost utterly destroy them…almost. 

·         But, God also had a plan to bring them back!  He had a plan to be merciful.  He had a plan for forgiveness.  Isn’t it amazing that God has a plan for when we fail?  He has a plan to be compassionate and merciful in advance of our sin and rebellion.  In fact God had a plan for all of mankind’s rebellion and failing.   That plan was Jesus Christ!  It was no surprise to God that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden and it is no surprise to God when you break his commandments and sin against him every day.  But, God has a plan!  Jesus Christ came to this earth to take away your sins, to forgive you, to make you new, and to make you his forever!  His mercy is available to you.  Believe in Jesus and be saved from your sins.   When heaven and earth come to accuse us we will now have a truly unbreakable defense.

Romans 8:31-39

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Have a great day!

The Lord is God

As part of my Bible reading plan I have been reading through Isaiah lately and the past few days have contained a theme that I thought would be good to share with you today.  So, I have a bunch of shorter texts to read instead of one long section of scripture.  Let’s see if you can pick up on the theme that Isaiah and God are trying to communicate.

Isaiah 42:8

I am the Lord; that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.

Isaiah 43:10-13

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
    nor shall there be any after me.
¹¹ I, I am the Lord,
    and besides me there is no savior.
¹² I declared and saved and proclaimed,
    when there was no strange god among you;
    and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
¹³ Also henceforth I am he;
    there is none who can deliver from my hand;
    I work, and who can turn it back?”

Isaiah 44:6-8

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
    and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
    besides me there is no god.
⁷ Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
    Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
    Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
⁸ Fear not, nor be afraid;
    have I not told you from of old and declared it?
    And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
    There is no Rock; I know not any.”

Isaiah 44:24

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,

Isaiah 45:5-7

I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    I equip you, though you do not know me,
⁶ that people may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form light and create darkness,
    I make well-being and create calamity,
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Isaiah 45:21-23

Declare and present your case;
    let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
    Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
    there is none besides me.

²² “Turn to me and be saved,
    all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.
²³ By myself I have sworn;
    from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
    a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

This last verse reminds me of another verse not in Isaiah, but one worth copying here as well.

Philippians 2:10-11

“…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Things to think about:

·         Well, did you catch the theme?  According to God, how many gods are there?  According to God is there any power or force that he must answer to, or is God the final authority, final answer, and ultimate purpose giver? 

·         Who gets to decide what is right, what is good? God alone.

·         Who gets to make plans that span hundreds or thousands of years?  God alone.

·         Who gets to decide the outcome of how things should happen?  God alone.

·         Who gets to decide what is important and meaningful?  God alone.

·         Who decides how we are saved?  God alone.  (Let me stop with this one and say our culture doesn’t really like the idea that there can only be one way of salvation.  It is very popular to say, “what you believe is good for you, and what I believe works for me…” but what does that do?  It puts the means of salvation, the object of belief, the power of truth in our hands – where it does not belong and has not belonged since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.  God makes sets the parameters!  God decides what needs to be done!  And, amazingly God is the one who has done it!  Praise the Lord and turn to him for the salvation that He provides.  One day we will all acknowledge and proclaim that Jesus Christ is King.  There is a major difference between those that are forced to say it and those that proudly proclaim it from the rooftops!

Have a great day and try not to forget who is in charge around here…J

The Salvation of the Lord

So, the other day I was reading Isaiah 12 and it is just a great chapter in Isaiah and in the whole Bible.  Instead of me saying too much on this one I want to let God speak for himself. 

Isaiah 12

You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
    for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
    that you might comfort me.

² “Behold, God is my salvation;
    I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation.”

³ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. ⁴ And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
    proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵ “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
    let this be made known in all the earth.
⁶ Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Things to think about:

·         What day is God talking about in verse 1?  “In that day…”  when is that?  What day?  In order to answer that question I encourage you to read chapter 11 of Isaiah, but let me summarize – That day is the day that Jesus Christ comes to make all things new and brings peace to the world, not just peace with other people, but peace with God!  “That day” is the day that Christ died for your sins.  “That day” is the day that you were made a new creation in Christ.  “That day” is the day of celebration when angels rejoice over even one sinner who repents.  “That day” is the day that God changed your life for eternity.  “That day” is the day to give thanks to the Lord and celebrate in joy!

·         What a profound statement right in verse 1…”you were angry with me and your anger turned away…”  talk about the greatest news that could ever be shared in all the world.  Because of Jesus GOD IS NOT MAD AT YOU ANYMORE!

·         In verse 2 what is required of us?  God does all this stuff and what does he ask us to do in return?  Trust Him.  Sounds simple, almost too easy, but I encourage you to look around your life and see how many areas you and I don’t really trust God.  If we can trust Him with our salvation, shouldn't we be able to trust him with our finances, our children, our jobs, our marriage, etc.?  Just a thought…

·         I love how Isaiah takes us through an emotional experience with this passage – start with what God has done, move to trusting in him, stop and give thanks for what he has done, then shout it out to make it known to the world, and finish by singing praise to God…almost a full circle of the emotions we should all go through when thinking about the greatness of God and the salvation that he offers.

·         Let verse 6 sit with you all day…”great in your midst is the Holy one of Israel…”  he is here in our midst as well.  He is there where you are reading this right now.  Stop and see the greatness of God in your midst and give him praise like He deserves…

Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitants of the earth…!

White as Snow

Last night our family had dinner with some friends from church.  We ate spaghetti with a red tomato meat sauce.  It was good, but the taste isn't what I want to focus on right now.  We ate this spaghetti with red sauce on white cloth placemats that in my opinion were pretty nice.   I looked at the sauce, looked at the white placemat, looked at my kids, and thought hmmm…our host assured us that it was no problem and don’t worry about getting sauce on the placemat because she has done it before and it always washes out.  Well, I will trust her with that and hope for the best.  (confession – I probably got my placemat more stained than any of my kidsJ)  With that on my mind this morning I was reading Isaiah chapter one and came across these verses.  Let’s read them together and think about what they mean for us today.

Isaiah 1:16-20

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
¹⁷     learn to do good;
seek justice,
    correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow's cause.

¹⁸ “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
    you shall eat the good of the land;
²⁰ but if you refuse and rebel,
    you shall be eaten by the sword;
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Things to think about:

·         God was speaking through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah (the southern kingdom after the split).  The people of Judah at times served the Lord and followed his commands.  They had some good kings that would lead the people to pursue God.  At other times they had wicked kings that brought in false gods and pursued evil. 

·         Earlier in chapter one of Isaiah God calls out the hypocrisy of the people.  They were worshiping multiple gods, doing whatever they wanted, practicing evil and not caring for the poor, widows, and orphans.  But, they would stop by the temple on occasion and make a sacrifice of an animal as an insurance plan.  It was like they were saying, “we will pray to everyone because then there are more chances we are praying to the real god, and we will give enough of a sacrifice to keep god away so he won’t be angry with me…”  they missed the whole point!  God wants to be near to them, not far away!  God wants more than just animal sacrifices and an occasional nod as a “just in case” he is real kind of attitude.

·         Here in verse 16 God tells them to stop doing evil and look to God for strength to do what is right!  God calls us to do the same thing.  Not that we somehow earn favor with him or buy our way into heaven with good works, but God is a righteous God so to be pursuing evil is to be running away from him and to be pursuing holiness is to be running toward him!

·         Read verse 18 again…wow!  Come now, let us reason together…love that line.  God is like, “think about it, look at the logic of your situation…”  God tells us we are sinners and if we stop and look at our lives we will see sins mounting up to the sky and we may feel overwhelmed that it is too late for us, that we are unforgivable, too dirty, too far down that road of sin that we can’t turn back.  God says – NO!  I can make you clean and not just a little clean, not just less dirty than you were before, but completely clean!  Totally free of that mountain of sin.  You are clean!  God has the power to remove our sin from us because he made a way for all of our sin to be placed on himself in Jesus Christ and he paid the penalty that we owed, he died in our place, he bore the wrath that was supposed to be on us…so God makes us clean!  No matter how much spaghetti sauce of sin you pour on a white placemat of your life Jesus can make it clean!

·         But, like the text says be clean and go and sin no more.  Not that you are perfect, but come on how evil are we if we want the forgiveness of God only to abuse it and live a life in rebellion to him?  What is amazing is that Jesus has the power to forgive even that sin, so run to him and be washed white as snow!

From Death to Life

Dear everyone,

                As I was working on some Youth curriculum that I am putting together for the next few months I made a simple chart that students are going to fill out comparing their old life apart from Christ and their new life “in Christ.”  That concept of being made new and being transformed is throughout the Bible.  I thought for today’s Bible Time we could look at a great passage from the book of Colossians in which Paul talks about the old life/new life idea.

Colossians 2:8-15

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Things to think about:

·         What are some of those “philosophies” or “empty deceit’s” that Paul says might take us captive?  How do we recognize those false teachers, leaders, and ideas?

·         Read verse 9 again.  What an amazingly simple yet profound statement!  All the fullness of deity dwelled bodily in Jesus!  Not part, not a little, not even most, but ALL.  Does that blow your mind like it does for me?

·         What are the ramifications of that statement being true?  All the fullness of deity was “in him.”

·         Think through the comparison of death and life, could there be a more dramatic change for a person?  It’s not like they colored their hair or got a new outfit…this is a total transformation!

·         I think Paul says it pretty well in this section, so instead of me writing anything more I encourage you to read this passage 3 or 4 more times and ask yourself if it describes you or not.  Have you moved from death to life?  Have you been “buried with him in baptism” and “raised with him through faith?”  It is a matter of life or death.

A Call with Power

So my son started reading the book of Jeremiah last night as part of his devotions.  In an effort to better prepare for discussions with him I thought I should brush up on some of Jeremiah.  In the first chapter of Jeremiah God says something that I think is worth taking a closer look at.  Let’s read it and then spend a few minutes dwelling on it’s incredible truths.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

⁴ Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” ⁷ But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
⁸ Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

⁹ Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
¹⁰ See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

Things to think about:

·         What did Jeremiah do to earn a place as God’s prophet?  What qualities of Jeremiah did God look at that impressed him so much to designate him as his personal mouthpiece here on earth?  What about Jeremiah’s skills or talents qualified him to be an effective minister on God’s behalf?  I hope you come to the same answer I do when I read this text…NOTHING!

·         It was before Jeremiah was ever born that he was destined to be a prophet.  God chose him because God chose him…no other reason…nothing in Jeremiah, but everything in God made that decision.

·         See the progression of thought in these verses?  God calls Jeremiah – Jeremiah doubts and give reasons for his doubt – God rejects Jeremiah’s doubt and gives reasons for why He (God) is stronger than Jeremiah’s doubt.  Notice the commands with power, with promise, with authority…”you shall speak, you shall go, do not be afraid…”

·         What do you think it felt like for Jeremiah to feel God touch him?  What hand reached out and touched Jeremiah?  Is this an anthropomorphic(fancy word that means using human language/descriptions to talk about God…like giving him body parts even though he has no body) description of an event or metaphor for a feeling that Jeremiah had….or did Jeremiah see an actual hand come from a person that was standing in front of him reach out and touch him?  If Jeremiah saw the hand did he see the rest of him?  Was this a pre-incarnate Jesus?  So many questions…J

·         But, the point is still the same.  God put His words in the mouth of Jeremiah and spoke through him here on earth.

What a great call and a great promise for Jeremiah…now think about this call and promise for you…

Matthew 10:16-19
¹⁶ “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, ¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 

See any similarities in these two passages?  I hope so.  And I pray that we would all be bold with the knowledge that God can overcome our doubts and our reasons for doubting with his own reasons for why he is stronger and wiser than anything that could possibly stand against you.  He has chosen you to be his mouthpiece, or ambassador (2 Cor. 5) here on earth!  Not because of anything you have done or any gifts that you may have, but because He is God and He has the right to choose whom He will choose!