"Jesus wept." Indeed, Jesus cared deeply for His friend Lazarus, and today's passage points to how the resurrection of His friend led both to a greater revelation of God's glory and the beginning of the course of events that would lead to Jesus's sacrifice on the Cross, bringing about resurrection for all that would trust in Him.
1) "... It is for God's glory... " Just as with the man born blind (John 9:1-38), Jesus indicates repeatedly that Lazarus's illness and death, while worthy of mourning in their own right, would ultimately bring about God's glory:
a) "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." (4)
b) "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe." (14b-15a)
c) "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (40)
d) "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." (41b-42)
Jesus points to His absence as creating the opportunity for God's greater glory. The miraculous raising of Lazarus would not have occurred without the initial pain and sadness of mourning him. In the Jewish understanding of the day, Lazarus's spirit would have departed from him after three days, and Jesus's arrival on the fourth day would apparently have been of little use. Still, God had other designs, and Jesus's faithfulness to the Father and His care and concern for His friends would teach key lessons both to the disciples and the world.
2) The experience brought forth faith in Jesus's disciples. The 12 disciples worried that Jesus's return to the area near Jerusalem would place Him in danger, but Jesus knew that such opposition would be necessary to bring about His death and ultimate resurrection. At the call to head to Bethany to visit Mary and Martha, Thomas, whom we know primarily as a doubter in his requirement to touch the scarred hands of the resurrected Christ, boldly declares that he will follow Jesus into the hostile region.
Then, both Martha and Mary display their trust in Jesus's power. Despite her grieving, Martha confidently declares: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." In his following question to Martha, Jesus calls Himself "the resurrection and the life," implying that people would find these two elements in Him alone. Martha knows that Jesus can deliver on His promise and that those who trust in Him will find life in His Name. The promise has become reality for Martha!
Mary then runs to meet Jesus. She tells Jesus: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Yet, her approaching Jesus shows her pursuit of Him and trust in His provision. Jesus honors her faith with a great miracle.
3) The event reveals the Jewish leaders' hearts. In their response to this miracle, the religious leaders show their fear in Christ's power. Their question shows their true concerns: "What are we accomplishing? Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." They did not wish to investigate the source of this miraculous power; instead, they wished to crush His work in order to preserve the status quo in which they reveled. Unknowingly prophesying, Caiaphas argues that it would be better for Jesus to die for the nation. Yet again, what man intends for his purposes, God will use for other purposes!
QUESTIONS
1. Can you recall an incident in which you sensed God's companionship and suffering along with you?
2. How has a seemingly negative event brought you closer to Christ or otherwise revealed His glory?
3. How can your faith grow in light of the present storms you are facing?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
November 7
The Cost of Discipleship
There are stages to the Christian life. To enter the last stage of Christian growth is to become a fully devoted follower of Christ. It means we must count the cost of discipleship and choose to make Christ the center of our lives, to risk everything that is important in our lives for Jesus.
In Luke 14 Jesus makes perfectly clear what it means to be a disciple. You will notice that in this passage it starts with “large crowds.” Now to the world that is what we would call a success. But Jesus knew these were just the curious and the observers. Just having a crowd of people doesn’t mean you have disciples. It is interesting that rather than looking for multitudes Jesus was looking for a few good men and women. He is not impressed with size he is impressed with quality.
To be a disciple Jesus must be our first and foremost love. 25-27. He uses an over statement to get our attention. This is called a hyperbole. There are a 100 verses that indicate that God wants us to love our families yet when we compare our love for our families with our love for Jesus our love for Jesus must be supreme. All other loyalties must become subordinate to him. If there is a clash of loyalties he must win.
So here is the question: Do you love Jesus more than anything or anyone on this planet? If you say YES, then you have passed the first test of a disciple.
To be a disciple of Jesus requires a rational evaluation. 28-30. In the middle of downtown Stamford for the past 26 years there is a big hole. It just sits there year after year, decade after decade. Someone started building project years ago but never got any further than digging a hole and putting in a few foundation blocks.
Someone failed to think through the entire process of erecting a building. In following Jesus it should be the most rational decision we will ever make. It is obvious that the universe is winding down which means there must have been someone to wind it up.... the rational mind says there must be a God. The intricate design of the universe shouts that nothing here is random or chaotic. The rational mind says that there must be an artist behind this beautiful design. The rational mind knows that Jesus is the only religious leader who ever claimed to be God, showed us his great power by his miracles and then was raised from the dead on the third day. Jesus wants us to get the point. Don't rush into this decision of becoming a fully devoted follower without rationally evaluating what is involved. This is not an emotional decision. It is a rational decision to start building a life based on Jesus.
To be a disciple of Jesus demands a calculated decision. 31-33. When at war it is not easy with 10,000 soldiers to defeat one who attacks with 20,000. A king in such a position thinks hard. If he cannot see his way through the problem he does not wait for defeat, he arranges a peace while the enemy is still a great way off.
The builder of tower is free to build or not as he chooses. But the king is being invaded, he must do something. In the building story Jesus says sit down and reason with me if you can afford to follow me. In the second he says sit down and see whether you can afford to refuse my demands. Both ways of looking at it are very important. The enemies that assault us are time, death and entropy. The sands of time are quickly passing through the hourglass. The most shocking news I face each day is that I am 55 years old. I can not tell you how fast the years of my life have passed by. The Bible says that history will end with every knee in the universe bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. Calculate this, will you bow your knee before Jesus your friend and Savior or will you bow you knee before Jesus your Judge.
To be a disciple it requires and inward change. 34-35. Salt was found in virtually every home in the Middle East. Certainly everybody used it in the Palestine of Jesus' day. Jesus would have known this since his boyhood in Nazareth. Salt used was gathered from Dead Sea. It is 4 times saltier than ocean and it would be gathered in piles. After a period of rain it would still be white but the sodium chloride would have left. A radical commitment to Jesus is more than an outward appearance of change. It is an inward change that makes the difference. The biggest problem in Christianity today is that Christians have lost their saltiness. They look like Christians on the outside but in their hearts they have lost the passion, the love, the commitment to Jesus. There is so little intensity for Jesus today in the church. So how is your heart doing today? Are you yawning about spending this day with Jesus or is there a fire inside your heart to serve him?
If the fire has gone out take some time and pray on your knees asking him to renew your heart.
Today is accountability day. Send me a quick email telling me the condition of your heart. God bless you as you become a fully devoted follower.
There are stages to the Christian life. To enter the last stage of Christian growth is to become a fully devoted follower of Christ. It means we must count the cost of discipleship and choose to make Christ the center of our lives, to risk everything that is important in our lives for Jesus.
In Luke 14 Jesus makes perfectly clear what it means to be a disciple. You will notice that in this passage it starts with “large crowds.” Now to the world that is what we would call a success. But Jesus knew these were just the curious and the observers. Just having a crowd of people doesn’t mean you have disciples. It is interesting that rather than looking for multitudes Jesus was looking for a few good men and women. He is not impressed with size he is impressed with quality.
To be a disciple Jesus must be our first and foremost love. 25-27. He uses an over statement to get our attention. This is called a hyperbole. There are a 100 verses that indicate that God wants us to love our families yet when we compare our love for our families with our love for Jesus our love for Jesus must be supreme. All other loyalties must become subordinate to him. If there is a clash of loyalties he must win.
So here is the question: Do you love Jesus more than anything or anyone on this planet? If you say YES, then you have passed the first test of a disciple.
To be a disciple of Jesus requires a rational evaluation. 28-30. In the middle of downtown Stamford for the past 26 years there is a big hole. It just sits there year after year, decade after decade. Someone started building project years ago but never got any further than digging a hole and putting in a few foundation blocks.
Someone failed to think through the entire process of erecting a building. In following Jesus it should be the most rational decision we will ever make. It is obvious that the universe is winding down which means there must have been someone to wind it up.... the rational mind says there must be a God. The intricate design of the universe shouts that nothing here is random or chaotic. The rational mind says that there must be an artist behind this beautiful design. The rational mind knows that Jesus is the only religious leader who ever claimed to be God, showed us his great power by his miracles and then was raised from the dead on the third day. Jesus wants us to get the point. Don't rush into this decision of becoming a fully devoted follower without rationally evaluating what is involved. This is not an emotional decision. It is a rational decision to start building a life based on Jesus.
To be a disciple of Jesus demands a calculated decision. 31-33. When at war it is not easy with 10,000 soldiers to defeat one who attacks with 20,000. A king in such a position thinks hard. If he cannot see his way through the problem he does not wait for defeat, he arranges a peace while the enemy is still a great way off.
The builder of tower is free to build or not as he chooses. But the king is being invaded, he must do something. In the building story Jesus says sit down and reason with me if you can afford to follow me. In the second he says sit down and see whether you can afford to refuse my demands. Both ways of looking at it are very important. The enemies that assault us are time, death and entropy. The sands of time are quickly passing through the hourglass. The most shocking news I face each day is that I am 55 years old. I can not tell you how fast the years of my life have passed by. The Bible says that history will end with every knee in the universe bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. Calculate this, will you bow your knee before Jesus your friend and Savior or will you bow you knee before Jesus your Judge.
To be a disciple it requires and inward change. 34-35. Salt was found in virtually every home in the Middle East. Certainly everybody used it in the Palestine of Jesus' day. Jesus would have known this since his boyhood in Nazareth. Salt used was gathered from Dead Sea. It is 4 times saltier than ocean and it would be gathered in piles. After a period of rain it would still be white but the sodium chloride would have left. A radical commitment to Jesus is more than an outward appearance of change. It is an inward change that makes the difference. The biggest problem in Christianity today is that Christians have lost their saltiness. They look like Christians on the outside but in their hearts they have lost the passion, the love, the commitment to Jesus. There is so little intensity for Jesus today in the church. So how is your heart doing today? Are you yawning about spending this day with Jesus or is there a fire inside your heart to serve him?
If the fire has gone out take some time and pray on your knees asking him to renew your heart.
Today is accountability day. Send me a quick email telling me the condition of your heart. God bless you as you become a fully devoted follower.
Friday, November 6, 2009
November 6
We had a great celebration last night of the Bible Reading Team. Start praying about people you could ask to join us on the journey next year. Our final get together will be Wednesday Dec 30 at 7:00.
November 6, 2009
Shaking the Cages
We live in a postmodern world. The idea of religious tolerance is the credo of our day. The world says to Christ followers, “Can’t you tone it down a bit; you are upsetting the social order by your radical claims of the exclusivity of Jesus.” Well we see today that this is not limited to just 2009, this radical talk started riots 2000 years ago. It is the celebration of Hanukkah and Jesus has appeared in the temple area. An area that was large enough to hold 100,000 worshipers. So this has the potential of initiating a massive riot.
Then the issue, the most important issue of all of history is raised. “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” There it is. This issue will divide and upset the social order both then and now. And what is Jesus’ response? “I and the Father are one.” Can there be any misunderstanding of what Jesus meant? This is the clearest statement of Jesus’ divinity he ever made. There can be no mistake about what he meant. The Jews understood exactly what he meant because they picked up stones to kill him for the crime of blasphemy. This claim is unmistakable, it is undeniable, it is as clear as the nose in front of your face.
But what is the response of modern intellectuals.
1. Michio Kushi says Jesus was a Buddhist. And I say to Michio, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
2. John Simon in Life Magazine says Jesus is the model of goodness and hope. In Jesus we see many different people, a dutiful son, an ascetic, a sage, a martyr. It all depends on our personal needs. We see Jesus in our own image. John, “Do you see a God in Jesus? How could you be blind?”
3. John Dominic Crossan of the Jesus Seminar says Jesus the Christ was just a myth. He was an ordinary man who became a legend in his time. These 200 scholars deny the virgin birth, the resurrection, the ascension, the miracles of Jesus and of course his divinity. And I say to John, “A legend developed in 30 years? It takes 100’s of years for legends to develop.”
4. The United Church of Christ has produced a new hymnal in which the word "LORD" is being replaced with “Redeemer” and “Friend.”. Linda Robinson says that the word “LORD” is loaded with a lot of patriarchal and hierarchical images. And I say to Linda, “Get a backbone girl. Jesus claimed to be Lord.”
In a post-modern world we are told that no one has the right to claim to be God. Yet the radical Jesus of the Bible does just that. “I and the Father are one” was a claim made by Jesus. It was never made by Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius or any other religious leader. This claim is nothing less than a scandal. These words rattle the cages of every post modern person. People squirm when they hear this exclusivity.
Well, we ought to squirm because either Jesus was right or wrong. Those are only choices.
I believe when Jesus was telling us of his “Oneness” he was not uttering these words out of arrogance but out of great compassion. I believe that given the undeniable miracles, the authority of his words, the sinless life he lived we would be fools for doubting this claim. And if this claim is true then Jesus’ appearance on this planet and the sacrificial giving of his life for us is the greatest, most significant act ever done in the history of mankind.
Sorry, I can’t shut up. I need to tell the whole world.
November 6, 2009
Shaking the Cages
We live in a postmodern world. The idea of religious tolerance is the credo of our day. The world says to Christ followers, “Can’t you tone it down a bit; you are upsetting the social order by your radical claims of the exclusivity of Jesus.” Well we see today that this is not limited to just 2009, this radical talk started riots 2000 years ago. It is the celebration of Hanukkah and Jesus has appeared in the temple area. An area that was large enough to hold 100,000 worshipers. So this has the potential of initiating a massive riot.
Then the issue, the most important issue of all of history is raised. “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” There it is. This issue will divide and upset the social order both then and now. And what is Jesus’ response? “I and the Father are one.” Can there be any misunderstanding of what Jesus meant? This is the clearest statement of Jesus’ divinity he ever made. There can be no mistake about what he meant. The Jews understood exactly what he meant because they picked up stones to kill him for the crime of blasphemy. This claim is unmistakable, it is undeniable, it is as clear as the nose in front of your face.
But what is the response of modern intellectuals.
1. Michio Kushi says Jesus was a Buddhist. And I say to Michio, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
2. John Simon in Life Magazine says Jesus is the model of goodness and hope. In Jesus we see many different people, a dutiful son, an ascetic, a sage, a martyr. It all depends on our personal needs. We see Jesus in our own image. John, “Do you see a God in Jesus? How could you be blind?”
3. John Dominic Crossan of the Jesus Seminar says Jesus the Christ was just a myth. He was an ordinary man who became a legend in his time. These 200 scholars deny the virgin birth, the resurrection, the ascension, the miracles of Jesus and of course his divinity. And I say to John, “A legend developed in 30 years? It takes 100’s of years for legends to develop.”
4. The United Church of Christ has produced a new hymnal in which the word "LORD" is being replaced with “Redeemer” and “Friend.”. Linda Robinson says that the word “LORD” is loaded with a lot of patriarchal and hierarchical images. And I say to Linda, “Get a backbone girl. Jesus claimed to be Lord.”
In a post-modern world we are told that no one has the right to claim to be God. Yet the radical Jesus of the Bible does just that. “I and the Father are one” was a claim made by Jesus. It was never made by Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius or any other religious leader. This claim is nothing less than a scandal. These words rattle the cages of every post modern person. People squirm when they hear this exclusivity.
Well, we ought to squirm because either Jesus was right or wrong. Those are only choices.
I believe when Jesus was telling us of his “Oneness” he was not uttering these words out of arrogance but out of great compassion. I believe that given the undeniable miracles, the authority of his words, the sinless life he lived we would be fools for doubting this claim. And if this claim is true then Jesus’ appearance on this planet and the sacrificial giving of his life for us is the greatest, most significant act ever done in the history of mankind.
Sorry, I can’t shut up. I need to tell the whole world.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Nov 5
John 8, 9, 10
Jesus is God
Excerpt from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity:
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with anypatronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."
I remember clearly the first time I read John 8:48-59. In verse 58, Jesus says, "Before Abraham was born, I am." This is an incredible statement for different reasons. First, Jesus reveals that He existed long before Abraham, thousands of years before, even though He was a man of about 30 years. Second, He is making a comparison to one of the names of God. In Exodus 3, Moses asks God "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God's response is "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Jesus is declaring one of the names of God as His own. I AM is not only God the Father, but also God the Son. The Jews who heard Him say this were very familiar with this same passage in Exodus and knew exactly what Jesus was claiming. Unfortunately they had the wrong response. They believed he was a liar that should be stoned to death.
It is impossible to say that Jesus was just a good, moral teacher. It's undeniable that Jesus put Himself equal with God. If someone does not believe that claim, why should they believe anything else Jesus says? That would make Him either a liar or a lunatic. Since we know and believe that He is neither liar or lunatic, the only thing left is to worship and serve Him as God and Creator of the universe and master of our lives.
Jesus is God
Excerpt from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity:
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with anypatronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."
I remember clearly the first time I read John 8:48-59. In verse 58, Jesus says, "Before Abraham was born, I am." This is an incredible statement for different reasons. First, Jesus reveals that He existed long before Abraham, thousands of years before, even though He was a man of about 30 years. Second, He is making a comparison to one of the names of God. In Exodus 3, Moses asks God "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God's response is "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Jesus is declaring one of the names of God as His own. I AM is not only God the Father, but also God the Son. The Jews who heard Him say this were very familiar with this same passage in Exodus and knew exactly what Jesus was claiming. Unfortunately they had the wrong response. They believed he was a liar that should be stoned to death.
It is impossible to say that Jesus was just a good, moral teacher. It's undeniable that Jesus put Himself equal with God. If someone does not believe that claim, why should they believe anything else Jesus says? That would make Him either a liar or a lunatic. Since we know and believe that He is neither liar or lunatic, the only thing left is to worship and serve Him as God and Creator of the universe and master of our lives.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
November 4
Where's the Beef?
A few of you might remember the Wendy's commercial from the 1980’s. A couple of sweet old ladies are examining their hamburger. They look at the hamburger's large bun, and the lady who looks for more than just the obvious had a very penetrating question "Where's the beef?" She knows that there is more to a hamburger than just the bun. She wanted to know not where the externals were, but where was the internal, where was the thing that makes the burger satisfying, Where's the beef?
We live in a generation of people who are busy from birth to death. And for the masses of people they will go through life with their daily agenda filled with activities and projects. And one day they might just pause and reflect on life. During this moment of reflection they know that there is more to life then what they are experiencing, there has to be more than just the big bun externals. These people are struggling to find life, to find meaning and satisfaction. When you break it down, they are asking the same question of life that the Wendy's lady was asking: Where's the beef?
If Jesus were speaking in the vernacular of the 80’s he would have addressed the issue of the beef. We would have heard him say "I am the beef". I am the part that supplies that fulfillment, the satisfaction to life. Let’s break down the words of Jesus we read today,
John 7:37-39 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Jesus starts with the word “IF.” This means not everyone is aware of their thirst. Not every one is conscious of the longings of the soul. There are many people who are going through life thinking that all is fine. Jesus didn't ram his satisfying water down anyone's throat. He offers it as a free gift.
The source of this satisfaction is Jesus himself. Jesus says we must “come to him and drink”. The drink is a personal relationship. It is not religion, it is not a big house, fancy car, having stuff, it is having Jesus. Finally he talks about a stream of living water from the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit filling, empowering, guiding, direction and changing us, we will never find satisfaction.
So the question for today, “Are you experiencing this living water promised by Jesus?” If your life is dry today and you sense there must be more to life than what you are experiencing. Come to Jesus and drink from his living water.
A few of you might remember the Wendy's commercial from the 1980’s. A couple of sweet old ladies are examining their hamburger. They look at the hamburger's large bun, and the lady who looks for more than just the obvious had a very penetrating question "Where's the beef?" She knows that there is more to a hamburger than just the bun. She wanted to know not where the externals were, but where was the internal, where was the thing that makes the burger satisfying, Where's the beef?
We live in a generation of people who are busy from birth to death. And for the masses of people they will go through life with their daily agenda filled with activities and projects. And one day they might just pause and reflect on life. During this moment of reflection they know that there is more to life then what they are experiencing, there has to be more than just the big bun externals. These people are struggling to find life, to find meaning and satisfaction. When you break it down, they are asking the same question of life that the Wendy's lady was asking: Where's the beef?
If Jesus were speaking in the vernacular of the 80’s he would have addressed the issue of the beef. We would have heard him say "I am the beef". I am the part that supplies that fulfillment, the satisfaction to life. Let’s break down the words of Jesus we read today,
John 7:37-39 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Jesus starts with the word “IF.” This means not everyone is aware of their thirst. Not every one is conscious of the longings of the soul. There are many people who are going through life thinking that all is fine. Jesus didn't ram his satisfying water down anyone's throat. He offers it as a free gift.
The source of this satisfaction is Jesus himself. Jesus says we must “come to him and drink”. The drink is a personal relationship. It is not religion, it is not a big house, fancy car, having stuff, it is having Jesus. Finally he talks about a stream of living water from the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit filling, empowering, guiding, direction and changing us, we will never find satisfaction.
So the question for today, “Are you experiencing this living water promised by Jesus?” If your life is dry today and you sense there must be more to life than what you are experiencing. Come to Jesus and drink from his living water.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
November 3
Thursday dinner this week.... Pizza at my house at 7:00. We have a good number coming over. Write out all of your questions and get ready for a fantastic discussion. See you Thursday.
13 notes on the reading today.
1. The title “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew concept of “Messiah.” (Anointed One) Jesus is the one who fulfills the 320 prophecies in the Old Testament. They finally got it. Do you get it?
2. But they didn’t get it. When Jesus foretells of the cross they miss it or fight against it. The idea of the Christ on a cross was completely rejected.
3. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus there will be a cost. You too must pick up your cross. Stop whining.
4. If you are ashamed of Jesus you are not a disciple.
5. In the transfiguration we have this great moment. Jesus, Moses and Elijah have just appeared and motor mouth Peter starts talking up a storm. God interrupts Peter and say..... Listen to him!!!! A great lesson for us. Stop talking and start listening.
6. Elijah and John the Baptist were the forerunners of the King. They both announced the King as he entered the city. This was a cultural tradition 2000 years ago.
7. In the healing of the epileptic boy the father confesses something going on in us today.... “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” We are always some combination of belief and unbelief. Our task today is to shrink the unbelief and increase the belief.
8. Who is the greatest is not a discussion a disciple should be involved in. So become like a child today and humble yourself before God.
9. Jesus was concerned about the children, so should we. Who are you disciplining from the next generation? Christianity is only one generation away from becoming obsolete.
10. Sin is a real issue. Sin will kill you. Sin will kill you for eternity. Don’t mess with it. What sin are you facing today in your life? Kill it before it kills you.
11. Stop fighting over the small stuff. We can join ranks with everyone who confesses Jesus is God’s son come to earth to atone for our sin.
12. In every argument keep it small. Stop gossiping. If you really love people you will talk with them and not others.
13. There is no limit to how many times we should forgive a person.
13 notes on the reading today.
1. The title “Christ” is the Greek word for the Hebrew concept of “Messiah.” (Anointed One) Jesus is the one who fulfills the 320 prophecies in the Old Testament. They finally got it. Do you get it?
2. But they didn’t get it. When Jesus foretells of the cross they miss it or fight against it. The idea of the Christ on a cross was completely rejected.
3. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus there will be a cost. You too must pick up your cross. Stop whining.
4. If you are ashamed of Jesus you are not a disciple.
5. In the transfiguration we have this great moment. Jesus, Moses and Elijah have just appeared and motor mouth Peter starts talking up a storm. God interrupts Peter and say..... Listen to him!!!! A great lesson for us. Stop talking and start listening.
6. Elijah and John the Baptist were the forerunners of the King. They both announced the King as he entered the city. This was a cultural tradition 2000 years ago.
7. In the healing of the epileptic boy the father confesses something going on in us today.... “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” We are always some combination of belief and unbelief. Our task today is to shrink the unbelief and increase the belief.
8. Who is the greatest is not a discussion a disciple should be involved in. So become like a child today and humble yourself before God.
9. Jesus was concerned about the children, so should we. Who are you disciplining from the next generation? Christianity is only one generation away from becoming obsolete.
10. Sin is a real issue. Sin will kill you. Sin will kill you for eternity. Don’t mess with it. What sin are you facing today in your life? Kill it before it kills you.
11. Stop fighting over the small stuff. We can join ranks with everyone who confesses Jesus is God’s son come to earth to atone for our sin.
12. In every argument keep it small. Stop gossiping. If you really love people you will talk with them and not others.
13. There is no limit to how many times we should forgive a person.
Monday, November 2, 2009
November 2
We doubt Christ. We doubt His miracles. I loved what Steve said yesterday: 'How often too that our present reality obscures our trust in God's power!' We read of another example today of Jesus feeding multitude of people with a miracle. And yet again, before Jesus performed the miracle, the disciples doubted. They said: "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" It sounds like they thought it was impossible.
When we are faced with an obstacle in our life, do we turn to Jesus and say: Provide a miracle Lord, display Your power! Or do we say: Based on all the logical evidence and based on my life experiences, I really expect Jesus to do only about so much. Or, do we go even further: I don't expect Jesus to do anything because a solution is impossible? I've fallen in the latter categories. Somehow I've assigned limited power to Christ in my life and stopped asking for miracles and that in anything and everything He will display His power in my life! The Pharisees did not believe at all. They doubted whether Christ is the Son of God so they asked Him to perform a miracle. But they were testing Him in their disbelief, to which Jesus would not answer. I think He wants us to ask Him for a miracle with faith in Him, believing that with Him all things are possible. But also notice that we are not inactive in His miracles: the disciples were told to serve the baskets of bread and they did so. I hope that we will learn to say to the Lord 'Feed the 4 thousand Lord,' instead of 'How could they possibly be fed Lord!' I also hope that we will ask Him to do miracles through us.
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