Four Short Parables

Luke 6:39-49

Our Gospel reading for this week, which started the Christian season of Lent, continues in the Book of Luke, where Jesus gave several brief, short parables to teach us the importance of integrity, self-examination, and to live according to His teachings.  Let’s look into each of these short parable teachings that Jesus gave us.

The first brief parable was how one blind person cannot safely lead another blind person in an unfamiliar area (vs. 39-40).  As Jesus pointed out, two physically blind people cannot safely lead each other in an unfamiliar area, as they will get hurt.  Jesus wasn’t just talking about physically blind people in this parable.  He was also referring to spiritual blindness.  If one spiritually blind person (an unsaved person) is seeking to find the truth and the way to God, he cannot expect to find the way by going to someone else who is just as spiritually lost.  There are many who claim to have all of the spiritual answers, they claim to have the truth, some even in the pulpits of so-called “Christian” churches, but they are completely blind and lost.  They are unable to ever lead someone to heaven, and like the two blind men, they will both end up in the spiritual ditch for eternity.  The only way to find the correct way is through the truth of God’s Word and those whose eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit when they accepted Jesus as Savior.

The next parable describes someone who is trying to remove a speck out of someone else’s eye, even though they have a plank in their own eye (vs. 41-42).  Jesus meant for this to seem ridiculous.  How can anyone who would have something big in their own eyes be able to see well enough to remove a speck from someone else’s eyes?  Yet how often do we do that when we criticize or attempt to correct someone for a fault when we have plenty of faults of our own?   Jesus did not say that we should never help our brother get the speck out of their eye.  However, we need to take care of ourself first.  First get the known and willful sins out of our own life, and then we will be able to help our brother while showing proper humility and love.

As we proceed further into our Scripture passage, Jesus gave the parable of the good tree and the bad tree (vs. 43-45).  A good, healthy tree will produce good fruit, whereas an unhealthy tree will bear bad fruit or none at all.  He also reminded us that you can tell what type of tree it is by what type of fruit it gives.  Apple trees bear apples, cherry trees bear cherries.  If you want cherries, you don’t go to an apple tree.

In the same way, a good and godly person bears good fruit in their life, while a sinful person will not.  Someone might think that the sinful, unsaved person might be able to bring something spiritually good.  What they teach might seem and look so on the outside, but one bite will quickly show that it is bad fruit.  People are known by what they produce.  On the outside everything can look good, but inside it is rotten.  True faith produces good fruit in us.  Our actions reflect the true condition of our hearts.  A good tree produces good fruit, just as a righteous person exhibits godly behavior.  Faith founded on strong roots in God, His promises, His Word, and in prayer can’t help but produce good and godly spiritual fruit.

The final parable that Jesus told His followers in this Scripture passage was about the wise and foolish builders (vs. 46-49).  The wise builder built his house upon a rock, a good solid foundation, whereas the foolish built his upon sand.  When storms came, one stood strong while the other collapsed.  Here in the U.S. over the years I have seen news reports with video of houses built on the edge of cliffs, right on top of plain soil.  The views may have been great, but with no solid foundation and a season of heavy rains, the whole structure crashes down the side of the cliff!

Likewise, what are we building our spiritual life upon? Is it the philosophies of the world, those that modern society says are so important in our world today?  Or are we building it upon the Lord Jesus and His Word, the Bible?  We can find peace knowing that as we listen to and obey Jesus, He forms a strong foundation for our lives.  It is important to not only hear Jesus’ words, but also put them into practice.

When the storms of life come upon us, and then when we face our final day with eternity upon us, will our spiritual house stand strong or come crashing down?  If we built upon the sand of what the world said was right, everything will crash down quicker than a California mountainside house!   However if we built upon the strong and sure foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, we can trust that our foundation is solid!

A Good Ambassador

II Corinthians 5:20-6:10

The role of ambassador to a foreign country is a rather important one.  The ambassador strives to keep good relations between his own country and that of the country they are assigned to. Because the ambassador represents the nation, ideally they should be a person of good repute and behavior, and not someone who would bring shame upon the country they represent.   Would you want to be an ambassador for your country or work in an embassy somewhere around the world?  Maybe a country you have always had an interest in or admired, or maybe some exotic location totally different from your own.  In our New Testament Scripture today, the Apostle Paul tells us that we are ambassadors, not for some country, but for the Lord.  Let’s look into this passage and see what he is talking about.

As this portion of Scripture in Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth begins, he tells the believers that we are God’s ambassadors to the unbelieving world (vs. 20).  Just as the president, prime minister, or king usually chooses their ambassadors, Jesus chose us as His representatives to others. We are His ambassadors, and our mission is clear.  That mission is to bring a ministry of reconciliation to people, to mend the broken relationship between each person and God, so that they can go from being His enemy to His child.  The only way to be reconciled to God is for a person to personally accept Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on their own behalf, believing that Jesus, who had never sinned, became sin for them so that they might be made righteous through Him (vs. 21).

If the relationship between two countries becomes somewhat tense and tenuous, the ambassador will relay messages to the other country’s leaders, telling them what is necessary to do if they want to heal and restore their nation’s relationship.  Paul relays to us that we have a message to give the unsaved, and it is an urgent message, just like those ambassadors’ messages would be right before diplomatic ties break down.  We are to plead with them to not receive the offer of God’s grace in vain (vs. 1-2).

The day is going to come when some people are going to be surprised that the doors to heaven are shut to them.  On that day, Judgment Day could also be called “Too Late Day”.  People will find that they have missed the opportunity for heaven.  Paul quotes from Isaiah 49:8.  That day is now, it is not something that should be put off.  As God’s ambassadors, we are to evangelize and urge repentance because the opportunity for salvation is limited.

Depending on where one is an ambassador, the conditions might not be ideal, and as mentioned above, it could be rather tense.  In the second half of our Scripture, Paul describes the trials that we, as God’s ambassadors, may have to face from the world because of our faith and mission (vs. 3-10).  He also urges us to keep our behavior above reproach and righteous (vs. 3).  Needless to say, ambassadors are to live above reproach, as they represent their nation.  They shouldn’t be drunks, or out getting high.  They shouldn’t be breaking the law or live like reprobates.  As Christians representing God, neither should we.

As God’s ambassadors to a hostile world, Paul describes some harsh things we might have to endure.  We may have to endure tribulations, needs (when our provisions may be scarce), distress, stripes (physical abuse), imprisonment, tumults (disturbances, instability), labors, sleeplessness, and fastings.  It isn’t likely that God’s ambassadors will get rich if they are truly and faithfully representing Him and His Word. They may even die while on duty.  However, through all of this we must remain steadfast, trusting the Lord Jesus to sustain us through each trial.

Even while going through all of this, our behavior as ambassador is to be above reproach.  We are to show patience and long suffering, remain pure, and show kindness and love.  When we are dishonored, we give back honor.  When the enemy gives a bad report on us, our life should instead reflect a good report.  When they act with deception, we act in truth.  We may be chastened, our circumstances may be sorrowful, but in Jesus we can rejoice.  We may have very little, even nothing in this world, but we know that we possess heavenly riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

In closing, if you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior, you are His ambassador to this lost and sinful world, and your assignment is to spread the Gospel.  Remain steadfast and trust in God’s power to sustain you, even in the face of adversity.  Our assignment is urgent!  There is no time to waste, so go forth and share the message of reconciliation and salvation!

Mercy And Forgiveness

Psalm 103:8-14

The Book of Psalms has sometimes been called the songbook of the Bible.  Many of them were set to music and sung in the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Biblical days, and many have also been set to music today.  Most Christians who read and are familiar with the Bible have a favorite psalm that they really love.  I have several that are particularly special to me, and today’s psalm is one of those favorites.  Today we’ll take a quick look at several verses that come right in the middle of this beautiful psalm.

With Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent upon us this week, the portion of Psalm 103 from the middle verses is very appropriate, as it speaks of God’s mercy and His forgiveness of our sins when we come to Him in repentance.  There are some people who do not like anything about the Old Testament because they feel that it portrays Yahweh as a mean and vengeful God.  However, as we read through the psalms, particularly our specific verses, we see that it couldn't be farther from the truth.  Our opening verse, verse 8, tells us that Yahweh is merciful and gracious.  Mercy is the act of withholding the punishment that is due to us.  Because of our sins we would rightly deserve punishment, condemnation, and hell.  However, when we turn to God, He shows His compassion and mercy, and withholds that punishment.  Not only that, Yahweh is gracious to us, He shows us His divine grace, giving us the blessings and salvation we do not deserve.

As David continues on in his psalm, he reminds us that the Lord is slow to anger (vs. 8).  Unfortunately that can be said of very few people, as so many today are quite quick to get angry.  It seems that everyone takes offense at the slightest things.  God would have every right to get angry at us and the world, but we see that He is slow to anger, and does not keep His anger forever (vs. 9).   How long do we keep our anger?  We all know people who are angry all the time, and we know those who remain angry over a specific incident for weeks, months, or even years.

We read again in verse 10 about the mercy of God.  David reminds us that we are not punished as we deserve.  If we were, none of us could even stand.  There are some who refuse with arrogance to accept God’s gift of mercy, and will await that day of judgment.  There are others, though, who have accepted God’s mercy with salvation, but who continue to have a difficult time in truly accepting His forgiveness and feel continued guilt.  When God forgives, He also forgets.  We see that in several verses throughout the Bible - Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; and Hebrews 8:12.  Neither Peter nor Paul, who each had great offenses in their past, refused to forgive themselves.  We should never put our own feelings above or superior to God’s Word.

How great is God’s mercy?  David tells us that it is as high as the heavens are above the earth (vs. 11).  When we watch various science fiction shows we see the space crafts going on and on into outer space, never coming to the end of space.  That’s because there is no end.  If there was, then this verse would indicate there would be a limit to the mercy, however, there is no end, which shows how great God’s mercy is.  Another example is how far He has removed our sins from ourself.  Scripture says it is as far as the east is from the west (vs. 12).  There is a measurable distance with north and south.  Once you hit the north pole you start going south, and then once you get there, you start going north.  Not so between east and west.  If you start heading east you will keep going east indefinitely unless you turn around, and same with the west.  That is why God said east and west, and not north and south.  We don’t need to keep dragging our guilt around.  Jesus is waiting to take that load from us, and cast it as far as the east is from the west.  All we have to do is hand the burden over, and receive His forgiveness.

We read that the Lord God pities us, His children, just as a father pities his children (vs. 13), and even more so.  A good majority of fathers have love and compassion towards their children, but there are some of us who did not have fathers like that.  It is natural for us to project onto God many of the same life experiences that we had with our own father.  However, Yahweh is the perfect Father, and He loves us completely, infinitely better than even the best of fathers.

In conclusion, God knows everything about us (vs. 14), and is filled with compassion towards us.  We are never alone, because He is with us.  God knows everything about us and yet He still loves us.  That is something we can rejoice about!

The Day Of The Lord

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Where I live, both in the Chicago area where I lived all my life until last summer, and now in east-central Illinois, on Tuesday mornings around 10:30 am, from March until some time in early October, the tornado alarm siren in the community goes off to test it, just to make sure that it is working properly.  In the Midwest states of the U.S. tornado alerts and warnings are very important.  When you hear it, other than on the regular testing time, you had better make sure that you take action!  There is another warning that people need to take seriously, and that is the warning that the Prophet Joel gave in our Scripture for today.  Unfortunately far too many ignore this warning.  Let’s look into the passage.

This week, beginning with Ash Wednesday, the period of Lent begins, a time of forty days prior to Holy Week and Easter, where Christians spend special time in prayer, fasting, repentance, and turning away from their sinful nature to focus more on the Lord and their relationship with Him.  One very appropriate passage of Scripture to start this season off later this week is the message that the Lord gave Joel, a message of repentance and God’s mercy, while also pointing to His coming judgment.

Our Scripture passage begins with Joel giving warning of the coming of the Day of the Lord.  Most people like to be warned about something big that will be happening, especially if it is something that might be bad.  God instructed Joel to warn the people of this coming day of judgment (vs. 1-2).  They were to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm, letting the people know this day was coming.  No one could say that they didn’t know about this, that they had not been informed.

Joel depicted this coming day as a day of darkness, gloominess, and unprecedented destruction, where God judges the people of earth.  The prophecy had both a near-term judgment on ancient Israel, with both invasions and calamities, as well as a future, ultimate fulfillment with an end-time judgment, when the Lord Jesus returns to earth.

Many people, including some who identify themselves as Christians, say such a day or time will not happen because they do not like to see Yahweh as a God of judgment.  Instead they only like to see Him as a God of love and acceptance.  God is a God of love, but He is also a God of judgment.  He has absolute power over all nations and creation, and in His holiness, He cannot ignore sin.  To those who refuse Him and who turn their backs on His Son, Jesus Christ, spurning His sacrifice on the cross, He will execute righteous judgment.

As our Scripture continues in the second portion, Yahweh pleads with people to turn to Him in repentance for their sins (vs. 12).  Repentance means acknowledging and seeing our sins in the same way that the Lord God does, and then making a 180 degree turn and walking away from them.  This repentance must be genuine and heartfelt, involving fasting, weeping, and mourning, and not just mere outward rituals.

Many take a flippant view of God and His forgiveness.  However, there is a consistent theme in the Bible that forgiveness is linked only with repentance.  People need to move from an outward display of religiosity to a genuine inward change.  Repentance is not just outward action  It is a genuine turning of the whole person back to God.  He graciously forgives when we genuinely repent.

When we have genuine repentance, the Lord will be gracious and merciful, for He is a God that is slow to anger, and of great kindness (vs 13).  Though it is true that His judgment is definitely coming, Yahweh’s mercy is available for all those who turn to Him. This includes the whole community, people of all ages, and including the religious community (vs. 15-17).  They are all called to unite in repentance.  There is a need for revival within the church, and we all need to seek God’s mercy with humility and prayer.

The Prophet Joel’s message is a wake-up call for all of us to examine our hearts and return to God.  He is ready to forgive those who seek Him sincerely.  However, Joel reminds us here of the reality of a coming day of divine judgment.  Just like the tornado alarm siren warns of the approaching tornado, Joel warns of the approaching Day of the Lord.  We can escape that judgment and experience God’s grace when we repent and submit to His will.

Loving And Forgiving Like Jesus

Luke 6:27-38

After a baby is born, family members often spend the next few months considering who the little one looks the most like.  Is it Daddy?  Is it Grandma, or someone else?  Then as the baby grows older, the little boy or girl often strives to be like one of their parents.  They want to run as fast as they do, catch as many fish, and throw a ball as far.  As Christians, we too, should strive to be like our Heavenly Father. We should bear a resemblance to Him by our actions.  Sometimes this might be difficult to do.  Our Scripture today from the Gospel of Luke highlights one area which is especially difficult for most of us to be like the Lord God in our actions.  Let’s look into this Scripture passage.

Our Gospel Scripture for this week contains a teaching that the Lord Jesus gave about the need for His followers to love their enemies, and to show forgiveness to all those who wrong us.  It is a lesson in showing love and mercy to others.  One part of being a loving and merciful person is showing forgiveness to others.  That can often be very difficult to do, especially when Jesus speaks of loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, and blessing those who mistreat you (vs. 27-28).  We might be able to do that with the neighbor who is just an irritating scoundrel.  We can grit our teeth and be kind and forgiving to the person who is always cutting us off in traffic.  But how about to those who are outright enemies and deliberately hurtful to us or our loved ones?

In this segment of Scripture, Jesus is talking about loving others who are deliberately unkind to us, people we don’t feel we can be loving towards.  This kind of love transcends our feelings and requires deliberate actions of kindness and forgiveness.  This is where we need to show the family resemblance to the Lord Jesus.  He loved us, even in our sins, to die on the cross for us, and forgives all who come to Him for salvation, and He continues to forgive all of our ongoing sins.  Jesus gives us the “Golden Rule” here to be a pattern of how we are to treat others (vs. 31).  This should be a cornerstone of our Christian conduct.

Some might question just how far the “turning the other cheek” should go (vs. 29-30).  God doesn’t want us to just stand there and let someone physically beat or abuse us.  What He wants, however, is that we not repay the evil done to us with more evil actions towards our abusers.  Instead we are to repay the evil with blessings and prayers for them.

As Jesus continues His teaching, He contrasts the way the world loves others with that of what God tells us to do (vs. 32-36).  The world, the unsaved, have no problem with loving and being kind to those who act kind and loving back to them.  That’s only natural.  However, as believers we have the Holy Spirit, and can act supernaturally by loving those who are our enemies and doing good to everyone, the good and the bad alike.  He instructs us to show mercy and compassion even to the ungrateful and wicked.  This type of behavior gives evidence of our true relationship with the Lord.

For those who love their enemies, there is a reward in heaven, and we will be called sons of the Most High (vs. 35).  This should be like a family resemblance, where we look like our Heavenly Father, where we look and act like the Lord Jesus does.  To be like God means to be kind and merciful, even to the wicked and ungrateful.   If we want to receive mercy from God, and in all honesty we all surely need His mercy, then we need to show mercy to others (vs. 36).

Jesus concludes this portion of Scripture by telling us that the measure that we use to give out to others in mercy, forgiveness, or condemnation, is the same measure that will be used to give us the same (vs. 37-38).  He urges us to be generous in our forgiveness and grace.  In order to do that, we will need to rely on God’s strength to love, forgive, and show mercy to those who have treated us wrong.  We are to reflect Jesus in our relationships, even when it is difficult, and depend fully on His grace.

In conclusion, God knows our situation.  He knows everything that we have gone through and what others may have done to us.  Yet He has called us to forgive, no matter the circumstances.  No one is perfect, including each of us.  Everyone needs to be forgiven.  Knowing that, Jesus urges us to not stand in the way of our own relationship with God by denying forgiveness to someone else.

Our Resurrection Bodies

I Corinthians 15:35-50

Can you identify what type of plant will come from any specific seed, just by looking at the seed?  Not being a gardener, for the most part I wouldn’t be able to.  There are a few that I am able to identify.  I know a watermelon seed, and I know that an oak tree will grow from an acorn.  I know a small handful of others, but not many.  That is because seeds do not look at all like the plant that will grow from them.  And you cannot plant one type of seed and expect a different plant to come forth.  If I want some broccoli plants, I better make sure I have that type of seed, or I may end up with a patch of some type of flower!  The Apostle Paul uses this analogy, along with a few others to answer the somewhat sarcastic or cynical questions that the doubters of the resurrection asked him.  Let’s continue our look into the resurrection chapter of I Corinthians.

The church in Corinth was one of the major churches that the Apostle Paul had started.  Within a few years some heretical teachings had managed to creep in, along with some problems between various members.  The apostle wrote this letter to the church in Corinth to address these various issues, including doubts about the resurrection that some were having.  In this particular passage of Scripture from chapter 15, Paul responded to their questions and misunderstandings about the nature of the resurrected body.  Some of these doubters had asked, possibly in a scoffing and cynical way, what these so-called resurrected bodies would look like?  (vs. 35).

Paul first uses the analogy of planting a seed, comparing that to the resurrection.  We plant a seed into the ground, and then wait for a specific plant to grow.  Paul compares this process with the dying and burial of a physical body.  A seed is seemingly “dead”.  It lies there lifeless until it is buried in the ground, and only then will it bring forth a living plant.  Each different seed will bring forth a different plant.  Likewise God will give each person a unique resurrection body (vs. 36-38).

The apostle continues with the analogy by comparing other things in creation, how not all living creatures are the same, nor different heavenly bodies (vs. 39-41).  Paul explained that just as there are different types of living animals (fish, birds, mammals, etc.), and different types of heavenly bodies (stars, planets, moons), the resurrection body will differ from the earthly body.

Paul contrasts our natural, physical body with that of the resurrected body (vs. 42-44). Our physical body is perishable, as it will only last a certain number of years.  It becomes weaker as we get older, and for many it gains faults and disabilities over the years.  However, the resurrected body will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual, something that is suitable for eternal life.  Paul then continues by contrasting the first man created, Adam, with that of the Lord Jesus (vs. 45-49).  Our earthly, physical bodies are like that of Adam, but the resurrected body we will receive will be like that of the Lord Jesus’ heavenly body.

Our Scripture concludes by Paul stating that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (vs. 50).  Our current bodies are not fit for eternal life, but at the resurrection the Lord will transform our bodies into heavenly bodies that are made for heaven and eternal life.

As we all grow older day by day, many of us see how our bodies are slowly, or not so slowly, falling apart.  We cannot do the things that we did in our youth.  Sickness and disabilities further wear us down physically.  With all of this, we long for the new body we will have in heaven, where there will be no more sickness, weakness, or disabilities for ourselves and our loved ones.

The apostle wrote this chapter about the resurrection to encourage believers to have faith in our coming, future resurrection and the transformative power of God.  We will shed our faulty, weak, physical bodies and be given a future body like Jesus’.  Paul assures us that we can know that death is not the end, but a transition to a glorious new existence.

Do Not Fret

Psalm 37:1-10

We see them on TV and occasionally around the neighborhood.  Perhaps you know a few at your workplace, or even have some like this in your family.  I’m referring to people who are breaking the law, either openly or more likely in a quiet and unobtrusive way, day after day, yet they are not caught or punished.  On the contrary, they are prospering.  They have a big, expensive house, drive a nice, newer model car every year, and live a life of ease.  There are also plenty who may not be breaking any of man’s laws, but are certainly breaking God’s laws, and they, too, are prospering while you and others like you, who live good and godly lives, struggle to get the bills paid every month and put food on the table.  Thoughts of how unfair this seems goes through your mind, along with perhaps some envy of what they have and how easy the “good things in life” seem to come to them.  Our psalm today speaks of just such a scenario.  Let’s take a look.

Psalm 37 is a rather lengthy psalm written by David.  We will only look at the opening ten verses today.  All throughout his life David had observed how it seems that the wicked, those who break man’s law and/or God’s law, always seem to prosper, while good folks struggle to get by.  We wonder about that, too.  Doesn’t God see?  Where’s the justice?

God’s Word tells us here that we should not fret or become upset or envious of these evildoers.  God lets us know that they are not going to be around forever.  They will one day get their just punishment.  We may not see it happening when we would like it to, and it may not even happen in this lifetime, but God assures us that they will be punished.

Three times in this brief passage the Lord tells us not to fret over this (vs. 1, 7, 8).  What does the word “fret” mean?  It means to be constantly and visibly worried and anxious over something.  It is a worry that causes us distress.  It also has the meaning of wearing away at something, or gnawing on something.  Is this envying over the prosperity of the wicked making you so anxious that you are becoming distressed over it?  Is it wearing away at your spirit, maybe so much that you are becoming sick or depressed?  Do these thoughts keep gnawing away in your mind, just like a dog gnaws on a big bone from the butcher shop?  God tells us that instead of fretting, we need to trust in Him, delight in Him, and to commit our ways to Him (vs. 3-5).

God wants us to trust in Him to provide for all that we need.  How well do we trust in Him?  Many young children have total trust in their parents.  Even at a young age they will leap into a deep pool, trusting that mother or father will catch them.  God is our ever-present help in every situation.  God is a better Father than the best earthly father is.  We can trust Him, and jump into His arms, knowing He won’t miss or drop us.

Now we come upon verse 4, which some Christians think is an all-encompassing promise to get whatever we want, but that is not the case.  To understand this promise we need to look at the conditions in this Scripture passage.  First, God tells us that we’re not to be consumed with the success of the unrighteous people we see who are prospering (vs. 1).  God will deal with them.  We need to only be concerned with ourselves.  We need to be fully trusting in God (vs. 3).  We need to delight in Him and be seeking His desires (vs. 4).  This psalm tells us to commit our ways, to focus our steps in God’s path, and then we’ll head in the right direction (vs. 5).  God won’t bless sinful miss-steps.  Lastly, we need to wait for God, as His timing is perfect (vs. 7).

To delight in the Lord means to take pleasure in discovering more about Him and following His will (vs. 4).  Then the Holy Spirit will align our hearts desires with His.  When we commit our ways to God, we allow our thoughts, goals, and lifestyle to be shaped by His will and the things He loves.  Then our hearts desires will be His hearts desires, too.

Are we still fretting, anxious, and envious about the easy life of the wicked?  Distress over a situation is the opposite of trust.  The antidote is to have absolute trust in Jesus Christ.  He is there to catch us!