I adapted my sermon last Sunday for this post.
2 Kings 3:1-3:21
In the context of our country’s history, we don’t think about wilderness in the same light as the biblical wilderness.
We grew up hearing about Daniel Boone and the wilderness...meaning the woods and forests.
But in the Bible, when the writers spoke of the wilderness, they were referring to desert regions.
Picture in your mind a dry place where nothing green grows.
Everything in the wilderness is brown and unappealing to the eye.
The environment of the wilderness is void of any brightened colors, ranging from brown to browner. (Is that a word?)
Everything in the wilderness has adapted itself to live in this type of climate.
It rarely rains in the wilderness, and when it does, plants store the moisture they need because there is no guarantee when it will rain again.
When we, as Christians are going through our wilderness experience, we must be like the trees and the other animals of the wilderness.
We must learn to adapt our faith to the challenges that a wilderness brings.
The animals in the wilderness have learned to travel and hunt at night because it is cooler at night.
Spiritually, we too must learn to find a place where the Lord can minister to us in our wilderness.
It is a place where He can give us instruction about what to do next.
Like the trees that store up water, uncertain of when it will rain again, we must store up His Word in our hearts.
Many of us are living in the wilderness for various reasons.
The wilderness is a place of dying.
It is a place where all the things that cause you to stumble in your walk with God are killed.
If you have ever watched a movie where people have gone into the desert with little or no understanding of life in the wilderness, they often did not survive there.
Since they had no one to help or advise them, they tried to fight the elements in their own strength.
In the same manner, many of us have spiritually been in the wilderness, and we have tried unsuccessfully to fight the battle in our own strength.
You see, the wilderness is a place where God says,
"I finally have you in a place where I can speak to you."
In our text today, we find that because Jehoram was unprepared for life in the wilderness, he needed someone who knew something about the wilderness.
Therefore, he asked for Jehoshaphat’s help.
Don’t ever be fooled into thinking that you can be fully prepared for life in the wilderness.
Sometimes, God leads us abruptly into the wilderness.
He might have been trying to get you to come to Him or to get you to take your spiritual life more seriously.
Perhaps He has been trying to draw your attention to the call that He has placed on your life.
God loves you so much that he is willing to take a risk on you and lead you into the wilderness experience.
Understand, God will not override our will.
But He also knows that it really is our desire to do His will.
So He takes you into the wilderness experience.
That time when it is not pretty.
It’s dry. It’s Hot! It is trying...
He knows that here in the wilderness, you will either serve Him or reject Him.
You may say, " Lord, where ever You lead, I will follow...even through the wilderness".
Or you may decide to say, "I can’t deal with this. I quit."
God knows that we must be tried in the fire so that we can become pure as gold.
So he brings us into the wilderness experience to perfect our faith.
Can I tell you that you cannot have all pleasure with out pain.
And you can’t truly enjoy the good times without adversity!
Your faith is perfected in the furnace of affliction and adversity.
There is something about going through dilemmas and crises that brings us to the place where we discover things about God which we would not have known under other circumstances!
The sins in Jehoram’s life prevented him from walking with God like he should have.
His relationship with God was superficial.
However, when he got in trouble, whenever he needed God as a fire escape.
He called on God only when things where going bad.
In essence, he wanted to use God as his servant, rather than serve God.
He was interested in God only if God served his own selfish purpose.
Many of us have tried to use God for personal gain.
We view God as a spiritual Santa Claus who is there at our every whim, one who will bring us gifts and presents that are beyond our reach.
The only time some talk to Him is when they need something from Him!
If a loved one becomes terminally ill, we immediately call on Him.
We are ready to beat down the pastor’s door so that he can pray for us, or we call on the saints and implore their prayer and support.
But for some, as soon as the problem is over, what happens?
They slump right back into the backslidden state that they were in before the problem jolted them to pray.
Can I tell you.... that is precisely the reason that some folks are constantly in a problem!
You see, God is fully aware of the sad fact that should we have all our needs met, we will never seek Him with all our hearts.
Like the children of Israel, we tend to become arrogant, prideful, and forget the fact that we must fully acknowledge God in times of prosperity AND adversity!
Old Jehoram was pretty smart, and he knew something about God.
He realized that he did not have a solid relationship with the Lord,
...so he courted the friendship of someone who did.
He said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, "I have go to go out to fight and I want you to fight with me".
Jehoshaphat says, "If you are going to war, I will go with you.
My people are your people. I’m going to assume the responsibility of getting you the victory and all my captains and warriors are at your disposal".
So, now that the union has been made, and Jehoshaphat has committed himself to bring home the victory, the next question to address is, "How do we go about it?"
They began to seek the mind of God on the matter.
One of the servants of the king of Israel told Jehoshaphat about Elisha who had the word of the Lord.
So Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and the king of Edom set out to see Elisha, the prophet of God.
2K 3:13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
2K 3:14 And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor
see thee. (KJV)
You know, there are times that we are so obsessed with our destination that we forget that we must go through various phases to get there.
For example, when a woman is pregnant, it is apparent to all that she is carrying a baby.
After the baby is born, all we see is a beautiful baby.
We forget that there is a process of bringing that baby into the world......a process that is painful, for both the mother and the child!
For the mother, it is the process of pushing this delicate life our of her body where it has lived snugly for nine long, peaceful months.
For the baby, it is the process of being pushed into a place that it perceives to be unfriendly and cold, very different from the home it had occupied for nine months.
Just like the baby in it’s mother’s womb, we may have to let go of something that has become part of us. The comfortable place.
We are always confessing that we want the perfect will of God for our lives, but we must not forget the fact that we must conquer the obstacles that stand in the way of our future success in which God’s ultimate will is realized.
King Jehoshaphat asked the question, "How shall we go up against Moab to get victory?"
The unexpected answer was, "You have to go through the wilderness of Edom to get the victory."
Listen to me church, If you want to get the victory, you must be willing to go through the wilderness.
I want to reiterate this fact:
It is not always easy to get the victory because it belongs to the other side of the wilderness!
You must be willing to go through a little time of abasement, confusion, adversity, and even opposition before you arrive at your destination.
Many think that it is unfair to go through this phase.
But you see, it is the wilderness that weeds out the saints from the "aints".
It is the wilderness that weeds out the people who really want to do something for God from people who just have a momentary, superficial, mundane relationship with Him.
It is the wilderness that makes a hypocrite back up and say,
"I can’t take it anymore".
The wilderness, God’s killing field, will weed out all the impostors because they cannot survive the adversity of the wilderness.
I want to warn you that you will have to go through the wilderness to attain the will of God for your life.
The wilderness teaches us to stand;
It teaches us to cast our cares upon Him;
It teaches us to rely and totally depend on Him for life support, because we know in due season we shall reap if we faint not!
Some can’t handle the smallest problems.
Some feel that the hardships placed on their path indicate that God either has forsaken them or is punishing them for some sin they have committed.
The devil has successfully employed that lie to deter folks from seeking the Father.
Don’t for a moment think that you can do it on your own.
You will fail miserably.
Remember the story of Joshua and Caleb.
When the spies had been sent in to Canaan, and the report came back, Joshua and Caleb were the only two with a good report.
They were the only ones of faith.
Had they tried to enter into Canaan on their own strength or cognizance, they would have perished in the wilderness.
Even when life in the wilderness became dull and unappealing, they did not stop seeking God.
They continued to rely on His guidance.
We need to be like Joshua and Caleb, and be persistent in faith even in the wilderness where problems are at their worst.
The greatest battle that we face while we are in the wilderness is the one between the new and the old man.
The old man that God is trying to kill in the wilderness refuses to die.
It wants to resurrect old hurts and old problems.
But as new creatures in Christ Jesus, we must put the old man to death.
Despite the situations that you may be facing, you must constantly remind yourself that you are a new creature and the old man is DEAD!
Let me tell you something this morning...
My God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
There is nothing too hard for Him!
There is nothing that He cannot handle!
Because we know who we are in Christ Jesus and what we mean to our heavenly Father, Satan tries to discourage us.
He tries to use sickness, financial problems, family stress and anything and everything you can think of to incapacitate us.
The question that you must ask yourself is, "Who is my God?" "Whom do I serve?"
Then answer the question.... "My God is the way Maker."
The Bible says that if God be for us, who can be against us?
* God is so real in my inward man.
* He has not only washed away all my sins, but He has filled my
cup with His love so that my cup bubbles over.
* He is the Lover of my soul.
* He is the Answer to my every need.
* He is my Burden-Bearer,
Now, maybe you are the kind of person who can handle everything that comes your way, but I can’t!
However, I know someone who is able to take it!
His name is Jesus!
The enemy fights those who know who they are and whose they are.
The Bible affirms that God is Faithful.
Are you aware that the more the enemy fights you, the greater the indication that blessings are on the way?
You must become aware of this fact as a Christian!
If you do not know this about your life, you cannot make it.
You have got to know that it is because you are on the verge of a miracle that the devil is fighting you.
He is fighting you so hard because you are getting closer to your
deliverance, and the closer you get, the greater the struggle!
If you hold out a little while longer, God’s going to give you the victory in every circumstance of your life.
I am learning to be encouraged when I meet with obstacles because I see them as an indication of a fresh move of God in my life.
Now let me tell you, when you are in the wilderness, you must find out what the plan of God is for you.
You cannot rely on anyone else’s plan.
Only a plan from God will suffice in the wilderness.
God has not promised that you will not go through hardship.
And He has not promised that you will not experience adversity.
But listen to what He does say,
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
When you go through the flood, I’ll be there.
Should you have to go through fire, I will be there.
As I was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so will I be with you.
I will be the forth One in the furnace!"
I am so very grateful that the Lord’s been walking with me these past 34 years.
I say this, not because I have not been through anything, or that I have not faced various challenges and dark moments in life,
but rather because I do recognize that the Lord has been with me in the fiery furnace.
He has protected me from the scorching of the flames.
When the pressure and the flames seemed as if they would engulf me, His words of assurance would comfort me.
There are many who would have lost their mind had the Lord not been on their side.
They would have gone crazy and lost control, but the Lord comforted them in their darkest hour.
It is not that we did not go through the wilderness, but when we went through it, God was with us.
God will be with you when mama, daddy, sister, and brother leave.
When the folks you thought would be with you all the way, walk out of the door, God says, "Lo, I am with you always even unto the ends of the world."
You need not fear the wilderness if you take God with you everywhere you go.
I must take Him with me everywhere I go, or else I would fall on my face.
I truly need the Lord for I cannot function without Him.
I need Him in the morning;
I need Him in the noon day;
I need Him when the sun is down.
I need Him to run this church.
I need Him to teach me how to be a good father.
I need Him to be a good husband.
Don’t you try anything without God, because you will not succeed.
The enemy may come to discourage you.
He may whisper to your mind that you are all alone.
He will tell you that God will not help you or that you have committed a horrible sin that has brought God’s wrath on you.
Don’t you buy that stuff for even a minute.
Satan thinks that he catches the Lord by surprise, but oh, is he wrong!
God is a God of plans.
He is a God of order.
As the God who knows all things, He is never surprised by the attack of the enemy.
While the enemy is planning his strategies,
God has already made a counter plan for him.
He has already made a way of escape for you.
Now, you must trust Him!
Peter asked the Lord if he could join Him on the sea.
After the Lord told Him to come, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the sea until he took his eyes off of Jesus.
Maybe you are in trouble right now.
Maybe you are hearing this sermon, and you are trying to find answers to your situation.
Maybe you have been trying to run your life without God, or you have been trying to deal with your wilderness without God’s help.
You may be convinced that you know what you are doing and that you are not obligated to listen to anyone.
Be careful, for pride comes before a fall.
My friend, you do need God.
You need Him to help you hold your mind together.
You need Him when you are at the breaking point and people have disappointed you.
Can I tell you something....
Nobody else but God will get up with you at 4:00 a.m. and hold you in His arms.
Nobody else but God can comfort you when you are depressed.
Only God can supernaturally soothe your nerves and quell your worries.
Only He can give you that peace that passes all understanding.
When the Bible talks about peace that passes all understanding,
it refers to a peace that is anointed!
When people look at your situation, and then look at you, they will be confused.
They will say, "Why is he/she so peaceful?
Doesn’t he realize that it is hopeless?"
It is simply the God-given peace that you enjoy.
Try it. Believe me, you will like it!
God says, "It’s gonna be alright.
Just trust Me, just lean on Me, and look to Me for total deliverance!"
You might not be able to see how it will work out, but you’ve got to trust that before it is all over, God’s going to give you the victory.
You see, God’s Got a Plan!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus.
I have had people ask me throughout my life, if I am a religious person. I usually reply no. I have a relationship with God. I don't need religion. This video does explain pretty well what I am talking about.
Friday, January 06, 2012
We must Peek, Push and Press in 2012
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyday and everything worked out just as you planned? Think about it, if every morning the sun was shining, the temperature was just right with a light breeze coming from the right direction. You made exactly the amount of money that you needed and had enough left over to do what you wanted, your kids never needed new shoes and your extended family never bothered you! And what if in your spiritual life you always understood the scripture, God always answered your prayers exactly like you thought He should, your body was always healed and no one ever got on your nerves? Wouldn't it be nice? But it usually isn't that way is it?
But what if you could do something about where you are? What if there were simple steps that would enable you to reach beyond where you are to where God wants you to be? Would you be willing to take those steps? After all, we can't expect God to do everything...can we?
Our walk with God is a journey and a covenant, there is nothing God cannot do, He is willing to do anything for His children, but there are somethings we have to do with Him to arrive at our destination:
1. Peek -Perhaps our greatest need is to see what God is seeing, to have spiritual vision that enables us to see beyond the outward appearance and to see what is actually taking place around us. The amazing thing to me is that too often we believe that God doesn't really know what is actually taking place in our lives, we think He's surprised at the events of our lives and world, that unless we tell Him, He really doesn't have a clue...but He does. Just as Elisha had to remind his servant, God has to remind us, open your eyes and look, there are more for you than against you, surrounding you is an angelic host that is prepared to defend you and to deliver everything you have need of...just peek into the realm of heaven!
2. Push -Sometimes we have to push some stuff out of the way, to get rid of the things that prohibit and hinder our progression. The Apostle Paul said that we have to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us in order that we may run and obtain the prize. But not do we push out the stuff, we push ourselves out of the box, out of our comfort zones, out of the nest so that we may fly! I have to admit, sometimes it's easier to stay in the nest than it is to fly, to do something we've never done before, to go where we've never been...you have to push yourself knowing that in every step you take God is with you!
3. Press -The Apostle Paul we haven't arrived or received everything Christ died for us to receive, so we press forward. Pressing is more than getting up in the morning and saying, "Well, I think I'll be victorious today!" In fact, we are victorious because we are in Christ and He is in us. Pressing forward is the determined walk that says regardless of what takes place in my life I will keep moving, I will go forward until I have crossed the finish line!
Today, take a moment to peek into what God is saying, push out the junk and push out from the safety zone and press forward into all that God has for you...It's going to be worth it!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Phil Cross: You Do Not Owe Me One Thing Father.
This song really blessed me. I'm sure it will bless you too.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
What! Me Worry?
I adapted this post from a sermon I preached back in November.
The old sea captain was quizzing a new crew member to see how he’d do at sea.
“What steps would you take if a sudden storm came up on the starboard?” he asked the young man.
“Well, sir,” said the crew member, I’d throw out an anchor, sir.”
“What would you do if another storm sprang up aft?”
“I’d throw out another anchor, sir.”
“But, what if a third storm sprang up forward?”
“I’d throw out another anchor, sir.”
“Just a minute, son,” said the captain. “Where in the world are you getting all these anchors?”
“Well, sir. I’m getting them from the same place you’re getting all your
“What steps would you take if a sudden storm came up on the starboard?” he asked the young man.
“Well, sir,” said the crew member, I’d throw out an anchor, sir.”
“What would you do if another storm sprang up aft?”
“I’d throw out another anchor, sir.”
“But, what if a third storm sprang up forward?”
“I’d throw out another anchor, sir.”
“Just a minute, son,” said the captain. “Where in the world are you getting all these anchors?”
“Well, sir. I’m getting them from the same place you’re getting all your
storms."
The Bible tells us this world is filled with storms. The Bible is filled with stories of the storms that many of the great men and women of faith encountered in their lives. It matters not if you’re reading of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Samuel, Esther and others, each and every man and woman of faith encountered at least one crisis of faith.
Even Jesus warned us repeatedly that life wouldn’t be easy for those who follow Him.
BUT after having told us all that, the Bible tells us there is ONE thing we must not do.
Jesus is with us in the midst of the storms the one thing we shouldn’t do is worry. He said “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Matthew 6:25
Jesus said: don’t worry about your life.
Don’t worry about where having enough to eat.
Don’t worry about having good enough clothes to wear.
DON’T WORRY.
And other Scriptures say almost exactly the same thing:
Psalm 55:22 tells us "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
Psalm 62:8 declares: "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
And in the New Testament we’re told the same thing:
Paul wrote: "Do not be anxious for anything..." Philippians 4:6
And Peter wrote: "Cast all your anxiety on him" I Peter 5:7
So, I’m not supposed to worry.
I’m not supposed to be anxious.
But I do get anxious. I do worry.
But, why?
Why do I get anxious?
Why do I worry?
Well, you could offer all kinds of reasons:
• I don’t have a job.
• I don’t have much money.
• I have a boatload of debt.
• I’m going through a divorce.
• My family’s falling apart.
And the list could go on and on and on...
But Bible tells me: In the midst of those difficulties in my life I’m not supposed to worry.
Well, great!
I feel better already!
I mean, if I’d only know I shouldn’t be worrying, it would have been all better by now
If I just wouldn’t be anxious life would be smooth sailing.
If I didn’t worry all my problems would be solved.
Is that way it works?
No… it doesn’t work that way does it?
Just because I decide not to worry doesn’t mean my troubles pack up and disappear.
NOT worrying doesn’t SOLVE my problems.
So then, why does God say that I shouldn’t be anxious or filled with worry if that doesn’t really solve anything?
Well, the first thing we need to do here is go back to our original question:
Why do I worry?
Why do I get anxious?
Well, the answer’s very simple actually
I get anxious because something has happened that I can’t control. I don’t have the money, I don’t have the resources, I don’t have the ability, I don’t have the time...
You name it, I ain’t got it.
Essentially, the reason I worry is because there’s a problem and I can’t do anything about it.
I can’t change it!
I can’t fix it!
I can’t do a single thing to alter my situation!
So, I worry because I have a problem I can’t fix.
Ok.
But does worrying help me fix the problem?
Jesus said “no”
He asks "Can any of you - by worrying - add a single hour to your life?"
Well, the answer, of course, is NO!
Worrying can’t change that because worry doesn’t fix anything.
AND SO what Jesus is saying is this: worrying is worthless.
When your back is up against the wall... worrying is a worthless emotion.
It doesn’t change anything... it’s a worthless reaction to my problems.
In fact – worrying is worse than worthless.
Worry NOT ONLY doesn’t change what you’re facing it just makes everything I DO face worse.
Corrie Ten Boom said:
“Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow
It empties today of its strength.”
In fact, worry NOT ONLY robs today of its strength, when worry takes over my thinking it robs ME... physically.
Dr. Charles Mayo himself observed:
"Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system. I have never known a man who died from overwork, but many who died from doubt."
Worry is NOT the solution to our problems.
Now Jesus said: “... do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
Each day has troubles.
Even as a Christian you can’t avoid those troubles.
But worry doesn’t help us... it hurts us.
And SO we need to get it off our plate, we need to get it out of our minds, we need to remove it from our considerations. And we need to do that immediately if not sooner.
So, one of the reasons we worry is because there’s a situation we can’t control.
I hate to say it... but worrying is faith issue.
And I say “I hate to say this” because I’ve been known to worry. To be anxious.
But right in the middle of His teaching on doubt Jesus says:
”Oh Jerry of little faith.”
No… that’s not what He said. He said “Oh you of little faith.”
But He may as well have said my name… and your name… and your name.
He could have said “Jerry don’t you know? Don’t you understand “the PAGANS run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Mt 6:30&32
You see – WORRY is a faith issue.
Worry is when I put more faith in my problems than I do in God’s promises.
Let’s repeat that:
Worry is when I put more faith in my problems than I do in God’s promises.
That’s why so many Scriptures stress looking on God in the midst of our difficulties:
Psalm 55:22 declares "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
Psalm 62:8 declares: "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
And Peter writes in I Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him for He cares for you." 7
You see, God is the doctor for my doubt. God is the antidote for my anxiety. He’s the fix for my lack of faith. And the Bible tells me that over and over and over again.
So if that’s true (and it is) how do I lay hold of God in the midst of my doubt & fears
Well 1st, Jesus says, it’s a question of what you look at.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23
If I focus on doubt and fear and anxiety and worry my eyes grow so dark that my whole body gets FULL of darkness. That doubt and fear will so invade my soul that I won’t be able to see anything else.
So Jesus says: focus your eyes in the somewhere else.
“LOOK at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26
"SEE how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6:29
Look at the birds.
Look at the lilies of the field.
When you and I get bogged down with doubt, we need to look around for God... pay attention to what He’s ALREADY done
That’s what Philippians 4 tells us:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Rejoice in the LORD always and peace of God will guard my heart and mind?
What am I supposed to rejoice in?
Well, Paul goes on to say “...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me— put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
I need to think on the things God’s has already done.
The things that are: True, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.
And when I rejoice in those things that God has done THEN the peace of God will be with ME. Worry will be beaten back/ anxiety will disappear. And I will replace doubt and fear with the peace of God.
If we Remember, Rejoice and Give thanks, THEN the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
So the first thing I can do to combat worry in my life is to change my focus from my problems to His Promises.
Then Jesus tells me a 2nd thing I can do:
Right in the middle of his discourse on doubt and faith, Jesus says this
”But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
What does it mean to SEEK something?
It means to hunt for it, search diligently.
Those of you who wear glasses. Have you ever misplaced the You knew roughly where they were – they were in your house somewhere, and you knew that because you can’t drive without them. You searched everywhere for those glasses… which was fairly difficult since YOU CAN’T SEE MUCH WITHOUT THEM.
You eventually found them, but the process of searching for them was a little unnerving. You desperately wanted to find them.
In the same way, Jesus is saying we need to desperately want to find God’s Kingdom and His righteousness in our lives. It needs to be THE highest priority in our lives. And Jesus says that when we do that – He’ll reward us.
That’s a common theme for things that important to God.
We seek, He rewards.
Hebrews 11:6 says “... without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that HE REWARDS those who earnestly seek him.”
In order to please God I must believe not only that He’s out there somewhere. That He exists and I can’t see Him. In order to please God I have to have a faith that says He’s there and He’s willing to reward me if I earnestly seek Him.
So how can I seek Him and His Kingdom and His righteousness?
Well, one way is to tithe
In tithing I am seeking first - not MY kingdom – but His.
In tithing I’m putting my money where my faith is... and I expect God to reward me.
In tithing I am investing in the things that are important to God.
And that’s exactly what God says in Malachi 3:10 said would happen if I tithe: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not THROW OPEN THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN and POUR OUT SO MUCH BLESSING that you will not have room enough for it.”
We seek, He rewards.
Another way of seeking God and His kingdom and righteousness is in giving to others. Proverbs19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
When I help the poor and the needy with my time and resources I have invested in God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness. And notice what God says he’ll do?
We seek – He’ll reward.
And that’s just a couple of ways you can SEEK first His Kingdom and His righteousness.
One last thing: In Matthew 6:32 Jesus said “... your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
1. He knows what you need
2. He knows whether you need food, or clothing... or something else.
Sometimes, food and clothing isn’t really what we need. Sometimes what we need is something else entirely.
A young man who wasn’t very religious once lost his job, and he grew more and more desperate about his situation, until at last he went to see an old preacher that he knew.
He stood by the door and poured out his heart to the preacher... and then he angrily shouted "I’ve begged and begged God to say something to help me, preacher. Why doesn’t God answer?"
The old preacher, who was sitting across the room, spoke a reply so quiet the young man was unable to make it out. The young man stepped across the room.
"What did you say?" he asked.
The preacher repeated himself, again in a soft tone. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair.
"Sorry," he said. "I still didn’t hear you."
With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more.
"God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we will move closer to hear him."
The Bible tells us this world is filled with storms. The Bible is filled with stories of the storms that many of the great men and women of faith encountered in their lives. It matters not if you’re reading of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Samuel, Esther and others, each and every man and woman of faith encountered at least one crisis of faith.
Even Jesus warned us repeatedly that life wouldn’t be easy for those who follow Him.
BUT after having told us all that, the Bible tells us there is ONE thing we must not do.
Jesus is with us in the midst of the storms the one thing we shouldn’t do is worry. He said “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Matthew 6:25
Jesus said: don’t worry about your life.
Don’t worry about where having enough to eat.
Don’t worry about having good enough clothes to wear.
DON’T WORRY.
And other Scriptures say almost exactly the same thing:
Psalm 55:22 tells us "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
Psalm 62:8 declares: "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
And in the New Testament we’re told the same thing:
Paul wrote: "Do not be anxious for anything..." Philippians 4:6
And Peter wrote: "Cast all your anxiety on him" I Peter 5:7
So, I’m not supposed to worry.
I’m not supposed to be anxious.
But I do get anxious. I do worry.
But, why?
Why do I get anxious?
Why do I worry?
Well, you could offer all kinds of reasons:
• I don’t have a job.
• I don’t have much money.
• I have a boatload of debt.
• I’m going through a divorce.
• My family’s falling apart.
And the list could go on and on and on...
But Bible tells me: In the midst of those difficulties in my life I’m not supposed to worry.
Well, great!
I feel better already!
I mean, if I’d only know I shouldn’t be worrying, it would have been all better by now
If I just wouldn’t be anxious life would be smooth sailing.
If I didn’t worry all my problems would be solved.
Is that way it works?
No… it doesn’t work that way does it?
Just because I decide not to worry doesn’t mean my troubles pack up and disappear.
NOT worrying doesn’t SOLVE my problems.
So then, why does God say that I shouldn’t be anxious or filled with worry if that doesn’t really solve anything?
Well, the first thing we need to do here is go back to our original question:
Why do I worry?
Why do I get anxious?
Well, the answer’s very simple actually
I get anxious because something has happened that I can’t control. I don’t have the money, I don’t have the resources, I don’t have the ability, I don’t have the time...
You name it, I ain’t got it.
Essentially, the reason I worry is because there’s a problem and I can’t do anything about it.
I can’t change it!
I can’t fix it!
I can’t do a single thing to alter my situation!
So, I worry because I have a problem I can’t fix.
Ok.
But does worrying help me fix the problem?
Jesus said “no”
He asks "Can any of you - by worrying - add a single hour to your life?"
Well, the answer, of course, is NO!
Worrying can’t change that because worry doesn’t fix anything.
AND SO what Jesus is saying is this: worrying is worthless.
When your back is up against the wall... worrying is a worthless emotion.
It doesn’t change anything... it’s a worthless reaction to my problems.
In fact – worrying is worse than worthless.
Worry NOT ONLY doesn’t change what you’re facing it just makes everything I DO face worse.
Corrie Ten Boom said:
“Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow
It empties today of its strength.”
In fact, worry NOT ONLY robs today of its strength, when worry takes over my thinking it robs ME... physically.
Dr. Charles Mayo himself observed:
"Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system. I have never known a man who died from overwork, but many who died from doubt."
Worry is NOT the solution to our problems.
Now Jesus said: “... do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
Each day has troubles.
Even as a Christian you can’t avoid those troubles.
But worry doesn’t help us... it hurts us.
And SO we need to get it off our plate, we need to get it out of our minds, we need to remove it from our considerations. And we need to do that immediately if not sooner.
So, one of the reasons we worry is because there’s a situation we can’t control.
I hate to say it... but worrying is faith issue.
And I say “I hate to say this” because I’ve been known to worry. To be anxious.
But right in the middle of His teaching on doubt Jesus says:
”Oh Jerry of little faith.”
No… that’s not what He said. He said “Oh you of little faith.”
But He may as well have said my name… and your name… and your name.
He could have said “Jerry don’t you know? Don’t you understand “the PAGANS run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Mt 6:30&32
You see – WORRY is a faith issue.
Worry is when I put more faith in my problems than I do in God’s promises.
Let’s repeat that:
Worry is when I put more faith in my problems than I do in God’s promises.
That’s why so many Scriptures stress looking on God in the midst of our difficulties:
Psalm 55:22 declares "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
Psalm 62:8 declares: "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
And Peter writes in I Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him for He cares for you." 7
You see, God is the doctor for my doubt. God is the antidote for my anxiety. He’s the fix for my lack of faith. And the Bible tells me that over and over and over again.
So if that’s true (and it is) how do I lay hold of God in the midst of my doubt & fears
Well 1st, Jesus says, it’s a question of what you look at.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23
If I focus on doubt and fear and anxiety and worry my eyes grow so dark that my whole body gets FULL of darkness. That doubt and fear will so invade my soul that I won’t be able to see anything else.
So Jesus says: focus your eyes in the somewhere else.
“LOOK at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26
"SEE how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6:29
Look at the birds.
Look at the lilies of the field.
When you and I get bogged down with doubt, we need to look around for God... pay attention to what He’s ALREADY done
That’s what Philippians 4 tells us:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Rejoice in the LORD always and peace of God will guard my heart and mind?
What am I supposed to rejoice in?
Well, Paul goes on to say “...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me— put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
I need to think on the things God’s has already done.
The things that are: True, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.
And when I rejoice in those things that God has done THEN the peace of God will be with ME. Worry will be beaten back/ anxiety will disappear. And I will replace doubt and fear with the peace of God.
If we Remember, Rejoice and Give thanks, THEN the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
So the first thing I can do to combat worry in my life is to change my focus from my problems to His Promises.
Then Jesus tells me a 2nd thing I can do:
Right in the middle of his discourse on doubt and faith, Jesus says this
”But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
What does it mean to SEEK something?
It means to hunt for it, search diligently.
Those of you who wear glasses. Have you ever misplaced the You knew roughly where they were – they were in your house somewhere, and you knew that because you can’t drive without them. You searched everywhere for those glasses… which was fairly difficult since YOU CAN’T SEE MUCH WITHOUT THEM.
You eventually found them, but the process of searching for them was a little unnerving. You desperately wanted to find them.
In the same way, Jesus is saying we need to desperately want to find God’s Kingdom and His righteousness in our lives. It needs to be THE highest priority in our lives. And Jesus says that when we do that – He’ll reward us.
That’s a common theme for things that important to God.
We seek, He rewards.
Hebrews 11:6 says “... without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that HE REWARDS those who earnestly seek him.”
In order to please God I must believe not only that He’s out there somewhere. That He exists and I can’t see Him. In order to please God I have to have a faith that says He’s there and He’s willing to reward me if I earnestly seek Him.
So how can I seek Him and His Kingdom and His righteousness?
Well, one way is to tithe
In tithing I am seeking first - not MY kingdom – but His.
In tithing I’m putting my money where my faith is... and I expect God to reward me.
In tithing I am investing in the things that are important to God.
And that’s exactly what God says in Malachi 3:10 said would happen if I tithe: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not THROW OPEN THE FLOODGATES OF HEAVEN and POUR OUT SO MUCH BLESSING that you will not have room enough for it.”
We seek, He rewards.
Another way of seeking God and His kingdom and righteousness is in giving to others. Proverbs19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
When I help the poor and the needy with my time and resources I have invested in God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness. And notice what God says he’ll do?
We seek – He’ll reward.
And that’s just a couple of ways you can SEEK first His Kingdom and His righteousness.
One last thing: In Matthew 6:32 Jesus said “... your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
1. He knows what you need
2. He knows whether you need food, or clothing... or something else.
Sometimes, food and clothing isn’t really what we need. Sometimes what we need is something else entirely.
A young man who wasn’t very religious once lost his job, and he grew more and more desperate about his situation, until at last he went to see an old preacher that he knew.
He stood by the door and poured out his heart to the preacher... and then he angrily shouted "I’ve begged and begged God to say something to help me, preacher. Why doesn’t God answer?"
The old preacher, who was sitting across the room, spoke a reply so quiet the young man was unable to make it out. The young man stepped across the room.
"What did you say?" he asked.
The preacher repeated himself, again in a soft tone. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair.
"Sorry," he said. "I still didn’t hear you."
With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more.
"God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we will move closer to hear him."
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Some Christmas Facts?
Christmas In The Old Testament
(The life of Jesus as told through the Old Testament. Written roughly 700 years before His birth)
God spoke and said, "O Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)
A Star shall come out of Jacob (Numbers 24:17).
Behold! The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)"
And the world rejoiced and cried out, "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! (Isaiah 9:6)
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6).
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied."
Then God declared, "By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong. Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 10-12)."
Why a Virgin Birth?
Every Christmas season our thoughts turn to the birth of Christ and to his mother, Mary. To some extent, we all take the nativity for granted. But why was Jesus born of a virgin? One answer, of course, is to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "Behold the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
But that's more descriptive than causal: why was it necessary in the first place? There are, of course, many profound theological issues inherent in the virgin birth. One way to view this issue is to address one of the problems it solves.
The Problem
God announced very early that His plan for redemption involved the Messiah being brought forth from the tribe of Judah1, and specifically from the line of David2. The succession of subsequent kings proved to be, with only a few exceptions, a dismal chain. As the succeeding kings of Judah went from bad to worse, we eventually encounter Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin), upon whom God pronounces a " blood curse" : "Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."(Jeremiah 22:30)
This curse created a rather grim and perplexing paradox: the Messiah had to come from the royal line, yet now there was a "blood curse" on that very line of descent! (I always visualize a celebration in the councils of Satan on that day. But then I imagine God turning to His angels, saying, "Watch this one!")
The Solution
The answer emerges in the differing genealogies of Jesus Christ recorded in the gospels. Matthew, as a Levi, focuses his gospel on the Messiahship of Jesus and presents Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Thus, Matthew traces the legal line from Abraham (as any Jew would) through David, then through Solomon (the . royal. line) to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus3.
On the other hand, Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus and presents Him as the Son of Man. Luke traces the blood line from Adam (the first Man) through to David -- and his genealogy from Abraham through David is identical to Matthew's. But then after David, Luke departs from the path taken by Matthew and traces the family tree through another son of David (the second surviving son of Bathsheba), Nathan, down through Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus4.
Zelophehad
One should also note the exception to the law which permitted inheritance through the daughter if no sons were available and she married within her tribe5.
The daughters of Zelophehad had petitioned Moses for a special exception, which was granted when they entered the land under Joshua.
I believe it was C.I. Scofield who first noted that the claims of Christ rely upon this peculiar exception granted to the family of Zelo-phehad in the Torah. Heli, Mary's father, apparently had no sons, and Mary married within the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, of the house and lineage of David and carrying legal title to the line, but without the blood curse of Jeconiah. [I believe that every detail in the Torah -- and the entire Bible -- has a direct link to Jesus Christ. "The volume of the book is written of me." (Psalm 40:7) [For a more detailed discussion, watch for our new book, Cosmic Codes -- Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity, presently in publication.]
Earlier Glimpse
This was no afterthought or post facto remedy, of course. It was first announced in the Garden of Eden when God declared war on Satan: " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."(Genesis 3:15)
The "Seed of the Woman" thus becomes one of the prophetic titles of the Messiah. This biological contradiction is the first hint -- in the early chapters of Genesis -- of the virgin birth.
John also presents a genealogy, of sorts, of the Pre-Existent One in the first three verses of his gospel6. The Prophet Micah also highlights this: " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."(Micah 5:2)
Christmas Questions & Answers
WAS JESUS REALLY BORN DECEMBER 25th?
Probably not. In Luke 2:1-5 we learn that Joseph and Mary were traveling to Bethlehem to register for a census (Rome wanted to know how many people there were so they would know how much was owed to them in taxes). It would be foolish to have so many people travel in the wintertime. The widely held belief is that Jesus was born in the spring, summer or early fall at the latest because the shepherds were more likely to be out in the fields that time of year.
So why is Christmas on December 25th? In 336 AD the church decided to celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25th to offset the pagan celebration of the winter solstice.
WHY WAS JESUS BORN IN BETHLEHEM?
In Micah 5:2, we find a prophecy that tells us the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. If we go to the book of Ruth we find the connection between Jesus and Bethlehem. We discover that the Messianic line (Jesus' earthly family tree) began in Bethlehem. Ruth and her husband Boaz began the line when they had a child named Obed who was David's grandfather.
There is a very old tradition that says that Ruth and Boaz began their family in the exact same location that Jesus was born some 1100 years later and the fields of Ruth 2 are the same fields the angels visited the shepherds in Luke 2. Another interesting connection is found in the meaning of Bethlehem. Bethlehem means "house of bread". An appropriate name for Jesus' birthplace because He referred to Himself as "the bread of life" (John 6:35).
WHO WERE THE MAGI?
The Magi (or Wise Men) were a priesthood of the Medes (known today as the Kurds). They were said to have great religious knowledge and held much political power. But how did they know Jesus was born? In Daniel 5:11 we read that Daniel was made Chief of the Magi. Daniel, no stranger to prophecy, must have taught about the coming of the Messiah.
Because of their high standing and the fact they were traveling into Roman occupied territory, they were certain to have been escorted by many armed guards. This is why Matthew 2:3 says that Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled when they heard the Magi were looking for the true King of the Jews. Herod held that title and it was feared that this was an attempt to overthrow Roman rule! (Matthew 2:1-12).
Their visit led to Herod ordering all male children two years old and under killed (Matt. 2:16-18). He had hoped that Jesus would be among the dead. The Magi presented Jesus with three gifts. Gold, which represented His Kingship, frankincense was a spice used in priestly duties and points to Jesus as our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), and myrrh, an embalming ointment which anticipated His death. Together these gifts present a picture of the Savior: The King (gold) who is Holy (frankincense) and who came to be a Sacrifice for our sins (myrrh).
WHAT WAS THE STAR THE MAGI FOLLOWED?
There are all sorts of ideas about what the star the Magi saw really was in Matthew 2:2. Some have said it was a comet, others have said it was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.
WHY WERE THE SHEPHERDS SO IMPORTANT?
Luke 2:8-15 tells the beautiful story of the angels telling the shepherds about the birth of Jesus. Shepherds were not very high up on the social scale. But while they were not well thought of by men, in the eyes of God they were very special. So special that He sent a multitude of angels to invite them to come and worship His Son. The shepherds were important because they showed that Jesus was a gift to all of us, regardless of who we are.
As we read the accounts of the birth of Jesus we find the Magi -- powerful and respected standing beside the shepherds -- weak and lowly and all were bowing down worshiping the newborn King. All were equal in His sight. And good tidings of great joy were -- and still are today -- for all people.
(The life of Jesus as told through the Old Testament. Written roughly 700 years before His birth)
God spoke and said, "O Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)
A Star shall come out of Jacob (Numbers 24:17).
Behold! The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)"
And the world rejoiced and cried out, "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! (Isaiah 9:6)
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6).
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied."
Then God declared, "By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong. Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 10-12)."
Why a Virgin Birth?
Every Christmas season our thoughts turn to the birth of Christ and to his mother, Mary. To some extent, we all take the nativity for granted. But why was Jesus born of a virgin? One answer, of course, is to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "Behold the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
But that's more descriptive than causal: why was it necessary in the first place? There are, of course, many profound theological issues inherent in the virgin birth. One way to view this issue is to address one of the problems it solves.
The Problem
God announced very early that His plan for redemption involved the Messiah being brought forth from the tribe of Judah1, and specifically from the line of David2. The succession of subsequent kings proved to be, with only a few exceptions, a dismal chain. As the succeeding kings of Judah went from bad to worse, we eventually encounter Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin), upon whom God pronounces a " blood curse" : "Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."(Jeremiah 22:30)
This curse created a rather grim and perplexing paradox: the Messiah had to come from the royal line, yet now there was a "blood curse" on that very line of descent! (I always visualize a celebration in the councils of Satan on that day. But then I imagine God turning to His angels, saying, "Watch this one!")
The Solution
The answer emerges in the differing genealogies of Jesus Christ recorded in the gospels. Matthew, as a Levi, focuses his gospel on the Messiahship of Jesus and presents Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Thus, Matthew traces the legal line from Abraham (as any Jew would) through David, then through Solomon (the . royal. line) to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus3.
On the other hand, Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus and presents Him as the Son of Man. Luke traces the blood line from Adam (the first Man) through to David -- and his genealogy from Abraham through David is identical to Matthew's. But then after David, Luke departs from the path taken by Matthew and traces the family tree through another son of David (the second surviving son of Bathsheba), Nathan, down through Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus4.
Zelophehad
One should also note the exception to the law which permitted inheritance through the daughter if no sons were available and she married within her tribe5.
The daughters of Zelophehad had petitioned Moses for a special exception, which was granted when they entered the land under Joshua.
I believe it was C.I. Scofield who first noted that the claims of Christ rely upon this peculiar exception granted to the family of Zelo-phehad in the Torah. Heli, Mary's father, apparently had no sons, and Mary married within the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, of the house and lineage of David and carrying legal title to the line, but without the blood curse of Jeconiah. [I believe that every detail in the Torah -- and the entire Bible -- has a direct link to Jesus Christ. "The volume of the book is written of me." (Psalm 40:7) [For a more detailed discussion, watch for our new book, Cosmic Codes -- Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity, presently in publication.]
Earlier Glimpse
This was no afterthought or post facto remedy, of course. It was first announced in the Garden of Eden when God declared war on Satan: " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."(Genesis 3:15)
The "Seed of the Woman" thus becomes one of the prophetic titles of the Messiah. This biological contradiction is the first hint -- in the early chapters of Genesis -- of the virgin birth.
John also presents a genealogy, of sorts, of the Pre-Existent One in the first three verses of his gospel6. The Prophet Micah also highlights this: " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."(Micah 5:2)
Christmas Questions & Answers
WAS JESUS REALLY BORN DECEMBER 25th?
Probably not. In Luke 2:1-5 we learn that Joseph and Mary were traveling to Bethlehem to register for a census (Rome wanted to know how many people there were so they would know how much was owed to them in taxes). It would be foolish to have so many people travel in the wintertime. The widely held belief is that Jesus was born in the spring, summer or early fall at the latest because the shepherds were more likely to be out in the fields that time of year.
So why is Christmas on December 25th? In 336 AD the church decided to celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25th to offset the pagan celebration of the winter solstice.
WHY WAS JESUS BORN IN BETHLEHEM?
In Micah 5:2, we find a prophecy that tells us the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. If we go to the book of Ruth we find the connection between Jesus and Bethlehem. We discover that the Messianic line (Jesus' earthly family tree) began in Bethlehem. Ruth and her husband Boaz began the line when they had a child named Obed who was David's grandfather.
There is a very old tradition that says that Ruth and Boaz began their family in the exact same location that Jesus was born some 1100 years later and the fields of Ruth 2 are the same fields the angels visited the shepherds in Luke 2. Another interesting connection is found in the meaning of Bethlehem. Bethlehem means "house of bread". An appropriate name for Jesus' birthplace because He referred to Himself as "the bread of life" (John 6:35).
WHO WERE THE MAGI?
The Magi (or Wise Men) were a priesthood of the Medes (known today as the Kurds). They were said to have great religious knowledge and held much political power. But how did they know Jesus was born? In Daniel 5:11 we read that Daniel was made Chief of the Magi. Daniel, no stranger to prophecy, must have taught about the coming of the Messiah.
Because of their high standing and the fact they were traveling into Roman occupied territory, they were certain to have been escorted by many armed guards. This is why Matthew 2:3 says that Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled when they heard the Magi were looking for the true King of the Jews. Herod held that title and it was feared that this was an attempt to overthrow Roman rule! (Matthew 2:1-12).
Their visit led to Herod ordering all male children two years old and under killed (Matt. 2:16-18). He had hoped that Jesus would be among the dead. The Magi presented Jesus with three gifts. Gold, which represented His Kingship, frankincense was a spice used in priestly duties and points to Jesus as our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), and myrrh, an embalming ointment which anticipated His death. Together these gifts present a picture of the Savior: The King (gold) who is Holy (frankincense) and who came to be a Sacrifice for our sins (myrrh).
WHAT WAS THE STAR THE MAGI FOLLOWED?
There are all sorts of ideas about what the star the Magi saw really was in Matthew 2:2. Some have said it was a comet, others have said it was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.
WHY WERE THE SHEPHERDS SO IMPORTANT?
Luke 2:8-15 tells the beautiful story of the angels telling the shepherds about the birth of Jesus. Shepherds were not very high up on the social scale. But while they were not well thought of by men, in the eyes of God they were very special. So special that He sent a multitude of angels to invite them to come and worship His Son. The shepherds were important because they showed that Jesus was a gift to all of us, regardless of who we are.
As we read the accounts of the birth of Jesus we find the Magi -- powerful and respected standing beside the shepherds -- weak and lowly and all were bowing down worshiping the newborn King. All were equal in His sight. And good tidings of great joy were -- and still are today -- for all people.
Friday, December 09, 2011
Following Christ Is More Than Just A Feeling.
Following Christ is more than feeling. It is more than an exciting time at church. It is more than feeling better when you say amen. Its is more than having chills, thrills, and spiritual spills. Following Christ is more than having our names on a roll and even knowing that we're going to heaven.
Following Christ is more than doing spiritual things. It is more than what we say. It is more than what we do. Following Christ is not just an event. It is a journey, a relationship, it is a process, it is purposeful, productive, and provocative. It is a life filled with problems, promises, people, and potential. B ut it's definitely more than a feeling!
In the past few years I have been processing some things, walking in new places, developing new relationships and learning some things. I must admit it hasn't been the easiest process I've been through. There are days when God is silent. Moments when I am complacent without meaning to be. Days when my feeler doesn't feel anything, but my knower knows that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. I know that I will do exactly what God intends me to do. It just might take some time for me to get there.
Perhaps it's an age thing with me. I consider myself a passionate, progressive, aggressive person. I am rock solid on my convictions and my dreams. Only I will choose the hill I die on. I will fight to the death or at least the enabling of those things I know are right. But as I age I'm not so interested in the short race. I'm looking toward the marathon. I'm hoping to create and develop things that last Something that will leave a legacy. So I'm learning to push past the pain, the lack of feeling at times, and move in faith toward the things and places I know I'm supposed to go.
Just thinking out loud!
Following Christ is more than doing spiritual things. It is more than what we say. It is more than what we do. Following Christ is not just an event. It is a journey, a relationship, it is a process, it is purposeful, productive, and provocative. It is a life filled with problems, promises, people, and potential. B ut it's definitely more than a feeling!
In the past few years I have been processing some things, walking in new places, developing new relationships and learning some things. I must admit it hasn't been the easiest process I've been through. There are days when God is silent. Moments when I am complacent without meaning to be. Days when my feeler doesn't feel anything, but my knower knows that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. I know that I will do exactly what God intends me to do. It just might take some time for me to get there.
Perhaps it's an age thing with me. I consider myself a passionate, progressive, aggressive person. I am rock solid on my convictions and my dreams. Only I will choose the hill I die on. I will fight to the death or at least the enabling of those things I know are right. But as I age I'm not so interested in the short race. I'm looking toward the marathon. I'm hoping to create and develop things that last Something that will leave a legacy. So I'm learning to push past the pain, the lack of feeling at times, and move in faith toward the things and places I know I'm supposed to go.
Just thinking out loud!
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