Month: November 2024

For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.
Mark 3:35

While Jesus was discipling His followers, Christ’s family needed to talk with Him. When He was informed that they were outside waiting, he asked, “Who is My mother or My brothers?” Then, signaling with His hand to those who circled Him and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!” (Mark 3:31-34)

The teaching here is about relationships. Being in the family of God is more important and longer lasting than even being in Jesus’ bio-family. At the point in time of these verses, Christ’s brothers weren’t believers. No matter how close a sibling group can be, it’s still just a tangible relationship, constrained by time and space. Those restrictions don’t apply to the spiritual family, which is intangible.

Christ declares that anyone responding to the Spirit’s leading becomes His brother or sister. The law of relationships makes the reverse to be true; the Lord is their brother.

Although the family is a basic human unit, not everyone has one. There are orphans from birth, orphans from neglect, and orphans with unloving parents. The Savior can become a father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5) and a big brother to everyone who feels abandoned. He is the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29).

What can you do with an older brother? You can:

1.     talk about what’s on your mind.
2.     share experiences.
3.     ask for advice.
4.     vent.
5.     ask questions.
6.     unload fears and worries.
7.     get help.
8.     enjoy his company.

If Jesus is your Savior, then He’s also your Brother.

June 12

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.”…
He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.”
Matthew 13:3, 37

Parables were an important part of Jesus’ teaching style, and the parable of the sower is His most famous. Through the years, I must have preached this parable dozens of times because it’s the basic outline of how the gospel is presented and how it is received. In all my sermons, I’m the sower, but I would concede that there are other evangelists out there that are also planting the seed.

It wasn’t until just recently that I realized that the Lord taught that He is the Sower. That really opened my eyes. If He is the Sower, had I been usurping the Savior’s place all this time?

The bottom line of a long thought process was, no, I hadn’t taken anything that wasn’t given me. The gospel message is Christ’s, and He came to this world to spread this word. Some people’s hearts are so hard, nothing gets in. With others, it can be difficulties or worldly wealth that keep the message from taking root. When God uses people and circumstances to prepare the heart, then the gospel seed can germinate in the human soul and develop into a fruitful life.

This is one of the few titles that I can actually share with the Master. It’s always exciting to come across these because it is evidence that I’m being conformed to the image of the Son. I can teach what Jesus taught, but the miracle of new life and spiritual development is still God’s to perform.

Sowing the seed of God’s grace to the world makes someone a channel of Christ’s love to others. It’s a great and noble calling to be a sower just like the Son of Man.

June 11

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:20

Biologists struggle with the definition of physical life. A living thing must be able to grow, respond, metabolize, reproduce, and adapt. Yet there’s something else, something missing. Scientists still can’t make a living cell from undamaged parts of dead cells. Life is certainly much more than the sum of its parts. It contains a spiritual component, although many PhDs won’t admit it.

Conventional wisdom dictates that Eternal Life would be harder to analyze since it’s spiritual and spiritual elements don’t fit into a test tube. Actually, it’s easier. Life in the spiritual realm is both obtained and demonstrated through faith, faith is based on knowledge, and knowledge is revealed in the word of God.

What is eternal life? The simple answer is Jesus. According to the verse above, Christ is the “true God and eternal life.” Contrary to popular opinion, eternal life is not just the ability to live forever. It isn’t just receiving a better body with cells that don’t wear out or grow old. The mystery of eternal life is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

When a person is saved, he doesn’t just receive unending life; he receives Jesus. Before salvation, there’s no spiritual life. It’s receiving the Spirit of Christ in one’s life that makes all the difference (Romans 8:9).

I am in Christ and Christ is in me. I never said I understood it, but I have experienced that it’s true. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Eternal life is what happens when a person is transformed by the grace of God. It’s life that starts with an encounter with the Savior; it then progressively gets better and lasts forever.

For me to live is Christ, and Christ is eternal life.

June 10

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD–Will-Provide;
as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.
Genesis 22:14

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. When God told him to go to the land of Moriah to sacrifice his son, Isaac, Abraham said, “Yes, sir” and got ready for the three day journey. Arriving at the bottom of the opposite hill, the old man unloaded the donkeys and left them with the servants. As Isaac was carrying up the equipment, he became curious. He turned to his dad and asked, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham’s answer was, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:7,8).

When they got to the top, the Angel of the LORD had to stop Abraham from obeying God. When Abraham looked up from the altar, he saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. God had indeed provided the substitute offering.

At that point, Abraham names the place The-LORD–Will-Provide. This name in the Old King James Version is “Jehovah Jirah” and the God’s Word Translation calls it “Yahweh Yirah.” It’s easy to tell in these versions that it is a name of God.

Both Jews and Muslims acknowledge that Mount Moriah is the site of the temple mount. Originally, Solomon’s temple was there, and after it was destroyed, the second temple was built. Again, it was burnt down, and this time the Dome of the Rock Mosque was constructed. This piece of real estate is considered holy by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

It’s interesting that, according to the Bible, Abraham was sent to the land of Moriah, where God would show him the exact place to offer his sacrifice. Old-time gospel preachers routinely proclaimed that the place was actually Mount Calvary, which lies only a quarter mile from Mount Moriah.

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is also the Angel of the LORD who provided the ram for Abraham. Most of all, He is Yahweh Yirah, The-LORD–Will-Provide.

June 9

…who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:3

In a famous sermon illustration, a little girl comes home from Sunday school and starts to draw a picture. “What are you doing?” asks Mom.

“I’m drawing a picture of God,” replied the little voice.

Mother responded, “Nobody knows what God looks like.”

“Well, they will after they see my picture,” the girl said with confidence.

Humans are hardwired to get in touch with their Creator. This drive often takes wrong turns toward false religions that superficially cover that longing. Most Americans would jump at the chance to see God, if it would take 10 minutes or less and cost little or nothing. Others sometimes call themselves atheists and ignore or repress that drive, but that usually leads to feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, or frustration. For this reason, idols and images became popular, even during Adam and Eve’s lifetime. The children of Israel bowed down before golden calves and thought they were worshiping the LORD. During the Middle Ages, praying to icons and images was standard practice. Since this goes against the second commandment, it’s not the way God planned for knowing Him.

Jesus is the express image of God. This doesn’t mean that He has the same facial features as God or that He is a small version of a gigantic human-like figure in heaven. Christ was a living, breathing object lesson that demonstrated the character of God. His words, actions, and attitudes reveal to us the true and living God, so much so that He could say, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also” (John 8:19).

It’s interesting that one reason Christ came to save mankind was that we would be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). In Genesis 1:27 “God created man in His own image,” but the resemblance was marred by sin. Now, through Christ, we can be conformed to the image of the Express Image of God.

June 8

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:10

Gifts and excitement go together – or at least they do if the gift is done right. Anticipation is a key element. Wrapping paper and ribbon turn an ordinary object into a present. Secrecy adds suspense, and that makes it special.

What distinguishes the best gifts from the ordinary ones is the love, thoughtfulness, and effort that go into choosing them. The giver somehow knows what you desire or need when you yourself don’t. It is carefully selected with you in mind, and that makes the gift personal.

The really great gifts you can’t afford for yourself. Window shoppers do it all the time; they look at things they could never really afford and imagine what it would be like to have one of their very own. Every so often, it actually happens: Someone gets you that thing you wanted so much but always dismissed as unattainable.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17). God knows a lot more about gift-giving than people do. Heaven buzzed with fervent expectancy for hundreds of years before the Gift of God was finally given. Prophets dropped hints about this perfect gift, but no one guessed what it really was.

“The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Sinners need a Savior, and this sinful world was clueless about it. People wanted to go to heaven but couldn’t get there because sinners can’t get in. Jesus gives us what we want and need. He makes us new creations; the old, bad stuff is all gone; everything is fresh and new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our salvation cost more than anyone on earth could ever afford “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

 

June 7

…where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free,
but Christ is all and in all.
Colossians 3:11

What are the things that really matter in this life? Power? Great wealth? Fame? Social standing? Houses? Cars? Electronic gadgets? The truth is that none of these are worth diddily squat at the Great White Throne judgment. All the great men and women of human history would trade it all away in a heartbeat if they could just get their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

True believers are the ones who really get it. Christ is all in all and nothing else really matters. The apostle Paul put it this way: “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

To make this idea a little more contemporary, missionary martyr Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” True; all very true, but most Christians don’t really live it.

Sadder yet, all that stuff clutters things up and separates believers from each other. Social status, nationality, cultural background, and educational levels divide Christians for whom Christ shed His blood. Divisions seem more justifiable when we can call them “doctrinal differences.” We become proud that we are right and those “weaker brothers” are wrong.

Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The Lord is trying to get through to His sleepy church in these last days, wanting them to focus on what’s important.

“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22, 23).

June 6

Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary?
And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
Matthew 13:55

This simple verse reveals volumes about Christ’s childhood and upbringing. When the people of Nazareth saw Jesus teaching, healing, and doing amazing things, they were surprised and didn’t expect it. They recognized Him as the carpenter’s son but hadn’t taken much notice of Him. They didn’t take much notice of Joseph, either, other than knowing him as the guy who fixed broken furniture.

Mark 6:3 tells us that Jesus had Himself been a carpenter, a trade He obviously learned from His step-dad. It’s assumed that the creator of trees spent many long hours learning to work with wood. Children from richer families would have spent more years in the synagogue school and could have been discipled to become a rabbi. The carpenter’s son, on the other hand, would have been expected to work in the wood shop most of the day, sharpening tools and preparing lumber.

By age 30, Jesus was a master craftsman, but He left it all to begin his preaching ministry. I like that. Christ was able to earn a working man’s wage and had a skill that took years to develop. In other words, He had firsthand experience in the basics of making a living and had a message that everyday folks could identify with.

I was a school teacher for five years before going to the mission field, and I’ve had other jobs ranging from flipping hamburgers to mixing mortar. It definitely prepared me for serving the Lord. People who work hard to survive really don’t want to be preached at by someone who has never gotten his hands dirty. They need someone who is strong enough to lift their burden and carry the load.

Jesus reached the masses, the poor, and the needy. He wasn’t like other rabbis or the higher-ups in the religious community. He ruffled their feathers because He didn’t seem refined or cultured like them. After all, He was only the Carpenter’s Son.

June 5

The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the  LORD and against His Anointed.
Psalms 2:2
…The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor;
Luke 4:18

This title is a “threefer.” The one original Hebrew word is translated three different ways into English. The base word is “anointed,” but it is also translated as “Messiah” or “Christ,” depending on the context.

To be anointed means to have oil poured on one’s head in a public ceremony. This was done to ordain priests, coronate kings, and designate prophets. Christ was anointed by God for all of these positions; “Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Hebrews 1:9).

The Hebrew word for “anointed” or “anointed one” is “Mashiach,” which is written as “Messiah” in English. This was God’s special chosen one who wasn’t anointed with oil, but with the Holy Spirit. Every prophet, priest, and king in the Old Testament was a mashiach. However, God’s special One was the Mashiach, the Messiah.

When 70 Hebrew scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek, the word “mashiach” became “christos,” and then “Christ” in English. The dispersed Jewish people built their synagogues all around the Greek-speaking world and taught interested Gentiles about the God of the universe and His promised Christ who was to come.

In our day and age we really don’t get the concept of anointing. We think, “Yuck! Who would want to get all greasy like that?” But in the Middle East, oil was also used as a part of a healing process. In a land that is hot and dry, skin and hair become dull and scaly; oil poured out is refreshing and gives the body softness and shine.

Jesus is the Messiah of the Old Testament and the Christ of the New because, for us, He became God’s Anointed.

March 13

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…
Isaiah 53:3

He was born in a barn because there was no room for Him anywhere else. Poverty demanded that only the minimal religious offering be made at His dedication. He grew up being gossiped about, because He was thought to be illegitimate. But they didn’t know the truth; they didn’t know Him.

He healed the blind, the lame, and those with incurable diseases, but wasn’t paid for His services. He often slept outside because He owned no house or even the money for a night’s lodging. He had a group of close followers, but one was a traitor and the rest abandoned Him to His enemies.

He was a rejected king, without an army and without a following. His soul felt troubled, weighed down by the seriousness of His mission, yet He didn’t weep for Himself. When He saw the city of His execution, He wept for the lost and deceived folks inside.

This Man of Sorrows endured the cross and despised the shame because of the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2)– the joy of finally wiping away every tear from the cheek of fallen man.

“Man of Sorrows” what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

-Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876)

June 3