Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’
Friday, June 18th, 2010
Today’s passage in 1 Chronicles 5:1-18 is what in modern day language might be considered a “shoutout”. It’s like when you call up a radio station to wish someone a happy birthday and have their name read aloud over the air. Or when you put their name on the scoreboard at a sporting event. Here is a list of names of the descendants of the sons of Israel. While I realize they were important to the Hebrew people, it can be hard to read the long, seemingly pointless genealogies. But I like to look at passages like this in another way. Imagine that the creator of the universe mentioned you in his instruction book to his children. In a sense, he’s giving you a “shoutout”. That’s quite an honor. The point is that whether these people did good or evil or nothing more notable than being born to someone else who was mentioned, God knew their names. God knows my name. He knows who I am. Just like he knew who each of these people was. He’s not too busy running the universe that he can’t take just a moment and think about me.
In return do we ever give God a “shoutout”? Do those around us know the name of God? In John 13:35 Jesus clearly tells us how we can reciprocate: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” When we choose to love those around us, we’re spreading the name of Jesus around and honoring him.
Tags: Discipleship, genealogy, Jesus, Love, names
Posted in 1 Chronicles, God, Jesus, John, Worship | Comments Off
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
John 10:1-18 provides us with the image of Jesus as the good shepherd. Some of the most popular pictures of Jesus are those that portray him as a shepherd; leading a flock of sheep; caring for the sick; and/or carrying a sheep. This is a wonderful image of our Lord. However, it is not the only image. In John 10 there is another image that is just as important and must be balanced with the caring shepherd image.
There is a tendency to read John 10 as if Jesus is only the good shepherd. But, there is more. Jesus is also the image of the gate. The two “I am” statements of John 10 present the reader with two Christological images that must be held together and not separated. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to God’s people. Yet Jesus is more than the good shepherd for whom Israel waits (Ezekiel 34), because he is also the gate for the sheep. Jesus is the way to life (the gate), and he leads the way to life (the good shepherd). While these are closely related, they are not the same thing. Jesus is the way to life because he is himself life (John 10:10; John 14:6). Jesus leads the way to the life because he lays down his own life (John 10:11; John 10:14-15).
The distortion of this text is easily seen in those who would claim there are multiple gates to God. I beg to differ and so does the Bible. The gateway and shepherd of God is Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God who lays down His life for His sheep. He is not only an exceptional shepherd, He is the gate for the sheep to enter the fold. In other words, “You ain’t gettin’ in, if you don’t know Jesus!”
We should spend some time in reflection of these verses and their meanings in our lives.
Tags: Gate, Jesus, Shepherd
Posted in Jesus, Sheep, Shepherd | Comments Off
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
“Who is this about whom I hear such things? This is the question asked by Herod (Luke 9:7-9). This section answers Herod’s question. Jesus is “the Christ [Messiah or Anointed] of God” (Luke 9:20). The question of who Jesus is, surrounded by what Jesus does. Jesus sends out the Twelve with authority to drive out demons and to cure the sick. Jesus feeds about five thousand. Jesus is proclaimed by Peter that He is “the Christ of God.” Jesus proclaims that to follow Him means we become disciples that give up our lives for His sake. Notice Herod’s question about Jesus does not evolve from what Jesus says about Himself, but out of what Jesus does and what His disciples do. I wonder if Christians should be doing a lot more than just talking about their Christianity? The world of the first century was turned upside down by Jesus and disciples that did what God said instead of just talking about it. Just Do It!
Tags: Herod, Jesus, Just Do it, Talk's Cheap, The Messiah
Posted in Discipleship, Jesus, Luke | 1 Comment »
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
John the Baptist has never been one of those biblical figures that attracts many people. He was popular in his day and many people wondered if he was the coming Messiah (Luke 3:15). He ate locusts and had what we might call an eccentric wardrobe. If anyone needs to go on the television show “What Not To Wear,” it has to be John. John uses phrases like you “brood of vipers” and a “fruit of repentance.” I don’t know but this is not a man that knows how to win friends and influence people, at least not in our culture. It is a shame too, because, John has something to say. John’s preaching contains three important messages. First, he provides a prophetic warning against the coming judgment (JUDGMENT). Second, he calls people to practice justice and compassion in our dealings with others (JUSTICE). Third, he focuses on the real Messiah that is coming (JESUS).
I think churches have been taught to become all things to all people and many have lost their identity. Are we really supposed to become a fashionable identity that bows to the god of political correctness and popularity? Or, are we supposed to be the embassy guard that protects our beliefs so rigidly that we forget about souls? This has been the great debate for years. I wonder if we ought not to heed John’s message of JUDGMENT (Luke 3:7-9), JUSTICE (Luke 3:10-14), and JESUS (Luke 3:15-18). I would really like to know what people think! I have heard the good news that is out there and I am sorry but there needs to be some biblical good news. Thanks, John, for reminding us that God is a God of judgment and that Jesus will separate the good from the bad (Luke 3:17). God is a God of justice and it is important how we treat each other. God is a God of grace, He sends us Jesus to come and save the world and He sends us the church to preach judgment, justice, and Jesus.
Tags: Jesus, John the Baptist, judgment, Justice
Posted in God, Jesus, Judging, Luke | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
In Luke 2:46, Jesus has been separated from his parents and is in the temple courts talking to teachers, listening, and asking questions. I have read this story hundreds of time, but this time, I was caught with a thought, would we want our children to be like Jesus? I think we would all want our kids to be like Jesus. We would want them to be at church, talking to the teachers, listening and asking questions. I think we would like Luke 2:51 especially. Can you imagine a twelve year old that obeyed his/her parents?
This whole story sounds like an April Fools joke. Then again, our modern world says that church is boring and that kids don’t like it. If you think church is boring, do you think sitting at the feet of Rabbis in the temple beats alcohol, drugs, texting, skipping school, video games, sex, etc.? You think Jesus’ Gentile contemporaries didn’t know how to have fun in the Greek world? Yet, Jesus is in the temple studying. I wonder why? Could it be because his parents took him there in the first place? Could it be that they trained him that way? I can hear it now, Randy is just an old fuddy duddy. However, I’d much rather read about Jesus in the temple than about the twelve year-old on drugs, or the ones that killed themselves, or the one who killed an older adult to get a few dollars, or the one that is pregnant — I could go on and on. I may be a fuddy duddy but you can’t tell me there is not something wrong with our families and society.
I think it is time that we teach our children to be like Jesus and to take up their cross and follow Him. Parents, it starts with us teaching through our lives, at our homes, getting involved ourselves at church, and bringing them.
Tags: April Fools, Church, Drugs, Family, Jesus, Parenting, Sex, Video Games, Youth
Posted in Discipleship, Family, Jesus, Luke, Worship | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Joseph and Mary went about fulfilling the requirements of Jewish law. They had Jesus circumcised and named (Luke 2:21); Mary was purified (Luke 2:22); they took Jesus to Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord and offered a sacrifice (Luke 2:22-23); and they received God’s blessing at the temple (Luke 2:27-32). These rituals of commitment to God’s law appear to be a blessing for this young family. It is not the place of Jesus’ birth that seems to be important. It is not the wealth or status of the family that presents the King of Kings. Instead, there was just this ordinary couple going about doing the things of God. Here in this story of Jesus being presented at the temple is a nugget of the Gospel story. In Luke 2:34-35, we find that Jesus will be a sign. A sign of what? Later in Luke 11:29-30, we find that just as the sign of Jonah was judgment against Nineveh, the sign of Jesus will bring judgment to this generation. In Matthew 12:39-41, the sign is Jonah in the belly of the big fish for three days. As Jonah was spit out or vomited up, death will not hold Jesus and He will rise. I wonder what would happen if we were content to live our lives according to God’s Word? Would we find blessings along the way in the people we meet? Would we find the Gospel story of grace and judgment?
I was out in the yard working this past week. Clearing the old dead limbs out of tress. Some just hung there rotting away. I notice new limbs sprouting with new life. In this ordinary act of everyday work, I began to see grace and judgment. There was judgment as I cut the old limbs and threw them off in a burn pile. They had long been separated from the real live branch. I saw grace in the new life beginning to grow as spring approaches. I was left wondering which one was I?
Tags: Grace, Jesus, Jewish Law, Jonah, judgment, Yard Work
Posted in Discipleship, God, God's Word, Jesus, Luke | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
It is census time in America. The Constitution requires a census be taken every 10 years to determine the number of members each state sends to the U.S. House of Representatives and for a number of other purposes. The Gospel of Luke surrounds the birth of Jesus around a Census and grounds Jesus to a historical period. Luke’s reference to the census serves two purposes in his Gospel:
1. It provides a date for the birth of Jesus.
2. It explains why Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem at that time.
We get wrapped up in this story (no pun intended) with the birth of Jesus and our Christmas traditions but we spend little time really thinking about what is happening here. God is acting in history. There are prophecies throughout the Old Testament of a Davidic king, a Messiah, or a Savior that will come. Here is the fulfillment of those promises. God has sovereignty over history. God has acted time and time again in the history of man to reveal His plans and His will. We usually think about the great gift that has been given to us with the birth of Christ, but today, I am just marveling at the fulfillment of God’s work. In the immortal words of Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, “I love it when a plan comes together!”
Tags: A-Team, Birth of Jesus, Census, Christmas, God, God's Will, Jesus
Posted in God, Jesus, Luke | Comments Off
Friday, March 19th, 2010
I spent some time with my son today, I looked into his eyes and remembered all the fun times we had as he was growing up. Oh alright, I thought about the tough times too. I looked into his eyes and I knew much of what he was telling me before he even said it. I realized that our relationship is a wonderful thing and it is a two-way thing. Christianity, I fear has become an institutional juggernaut. We have not always focused on our relationship with Jesus. I hear talk of what Jesus will do for us but hardly ever hear of our dedication to Him. In Mark 14:3-9, we will witness a woman that did something for Jesus and her story will be remembered forever.
A woman entered the house breaking custom and social norms. She went to Jesus and Him only and anointed His head with an ointment that was considered a small fortune. In this outlandish act, everyone is taken back. Even more shocking that no doubt will make the tabloids is that Jesus accepts the anointing. A scandal is brewing because Jesus is not concerned about the fortune, nor that a woman was the one doing the anointing. Here is good news! We witness an act of remarkable generosity, devotion, and faith. We see Jesus on the “way” to the cross and a true disciple that follows and like the widow’s offering (see Day 76) acts in her relationship with Jesus. It is a stark contrast to the betrayal made by Judas and the greed to take from Jesus instead of give. The woman is also different than even Jesus’ disciples. She must understand the purpose of the cross as she anoints Jesus and is focused on Jesus and no other. However, in the disciples’ theology, they were worried about their responsibilities and the pressing needs of their ministry. Their concerns blinded them from the uniqueness of the moment and the specialness of the relationship. Was it a waste of time and money? Jesus did not think so, in fact, it was a priceless moment that would endure as long as the gospel is proclaimed.
I looked into my son’s eyes today and I did not see our responsibilities. Instead, I saw my Son and it was a priceless moment that I will forever remember. As I read the story of the woman anointing Jesus and saw her devotion to Jesus, I pray that we may all have a similar experience. May our time with Jesus be as priceless. May we give all we have and long to be with Jesus and no one else.
Tags: Anointing, Discipleship, Jesus, Ointment
Posted in Cross, Discipleship, Jesus, Mark | 2 Comments »
Friday, March 5th, 2010
I have a preacher friend from another tradition that likes to tease me. When he sees me, he will say something like, “Hey Randy, you still baptizing people or have you learned about grace?” I will answer back something like, “Yes, grace has taught me to baptize.” I don’t think we will ever come to terms with this but when I read our text from Numbers 8:5-22, it makes me think about why cleansing is so important to God. I mean God has already shown His grace to the people by saving them from the Egyptians. He brought them out of Egypt and saved them from Pharaoh at the crossing of the Red Sea. Well then after He shows them His grace, why does He give them the Ten Commandments, expect them to build a tabernacle, and then in our reading tell the people to cleanse themselves for purification of sins? In this long list of things to do, never do the people question God’s grace nor his commandments.
Next time, I see my friend, I am going to yell, “you still telling people to call on the name of Jesus to be saved or have you learned of grace?” I mean if grace saves us why do we need faith, or to call on the name of Jesus, or confess, or repent, or be baptized, or to give money, or to live morally? It seems to me if we understand grace then we understand judgment. The just thing for God to do is to annihilate us from the face of the earth. I mean we have all sinned. We are all guilty. Yet, Jesus died for our sins and saved us from our sins. Jesus is so much greater than the sacrifice and purification in the Old Testament in our reading. I think His call for us to obey His Word today is even greater.
I believe that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). I confess Him (Romans 10:9-10) and call upon His name (Romans 10:13), I repent of my sins (Acts 2:38), and I submit my body to be immersed (buried in water – Colossians 2:12) into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27). I believe that coming up out of that grave of water, that I am born again (John 3:3-5). I am forgiven of past sins (Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16). I am saved (1Peter 3:21 and Mark 16:16). I am added to the church which Jesus built (Matthew 16:18, Acts 2:41, and Acts 2:47). I have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a seal of my salvation (Acts 5:32, Ephesians 1:13-14, and Romans 8:9-11). I am called to live a life worthy of Christ everyday (Ephesians 4:1-6).
Tags: Baptism, Grace, Jesus, Mark, Salvation
Posted in Baptism, Cross, Discipleship, faith, Forgiveness, God, Grace, Numbers, Repentance, Salvation, Sin | Comments Off
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
I love this story. Jesus has just fed the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44) and then He gets the disciples in a boat and sends them off. He dismisses the crowd and then He goes off for some quiet time with the Father in Prayer. He walks on the water and sees they are having a little trouble with the headwind and decides to just pass them on by.
Did you catch that in Mark 6:48? He meant to pass right by them. It kind of reminds me of one time at Wal-Mart. I saw a Christian brother and decided to pass on by around another aisle but he looked up and caught me so we visited for a while. I guess it is biblical to pass your brother and sister by on some occasions. Anyway, Jesus catches up with His disciples and they think they are experiencing a segment from the radio show Coast to Coast because they think their Lord is a ghost and they are terrified. Jesus quiets them down and gets into the boat and calms the wind. I wonder if he calms the winds for the disciples or because the boat is moving slowly and he needs to get to the other side? Oh well, the interesting thing is that the disciples are astounded and they are fretting over the loaves (Mark 6:51-52).
What a story — you see your Lord feed five thousand and then He walks on the water and you get your heart all hardened because you didn’t get what Jesus did with the loaves. I wonder if they were mad because they wanted to send the people away and Jesus told them to feed the people (Mark 6:36-37). Do we ever harden our hearts because Jesus tells us to do something and we don’t understand? Do we ever get a little upset because we don’t get our way? NAAAAAH!
Tags: Disciples, Five Thousand, Jesus, Mark, Walk on Water
Posted in Discipleship, Jesus, Mark | Comments Off