John 11:17-44
One of the most heartbreaking times in life is when someone close and dear to us suddenly or unexpectedly dies. Perhaps an accident takes them, or a quick and fatal illness. Around the world right now, so many families are going through this with the world-encompassing COVID-19 illness, with family members once alive and healthy, now suddenly lying dead. We might then question God with why. “Why did You let this happen? You could have kept them from dying! Don’t You care? Don’t You love us?” In today’s Scripture passage we read about the death of someone close and dear to Jesus.
In addition to the twelve apostles, Jesus had many other disciples and followers. Among them was a small family, a brother and two sisters, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. They lived in Bethany, a small village about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. The three were some of Jesus’ closest friends, and He often stayed with them when He was in Jerusalem. Then one day Lazarus fell very gravely ill of some undisclosed illness, and the sisters sent immediate word to Jesus that His dear friend Lazarus was ill, and would He please come to bring him healing. When Jesus received the message, He delayed several days in leaving to go to Bethany (John 11:1-6).
Martha and Mary’s grief must have grown when Jesus did not immediately respond to their call. God’s silence is difficult to accept. We need to remember that He promises to meet our needs. His silence has a purpose. God is always with us. His silence won’t last forever (Psalm 38:15, Hebrews 13:5). Jesus wanted to bring the sisters to a personal trust in Him, Who alone can raise the dead. Resurrection and eternal life does not exist without Jesus (vs. 25-26). Jesus is life, and He can restore life.
When we go through a devastating loss, such as the death of a loved one, we may feel as if Jesus doesn’t care. This must have been so puzzling to the sisters, that Jesus hadn’t come immediately. As Mary stated to Him, “If You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (vs. 32). As they saw, and we can read in Scripture, Jesus does care. He does love us. Unlike some religious philosophies that teach that God has no emotions, and doesn’t get involved with humans, Jesus showed emotions - compassion, indignation, and sorrow (vs. 33-38).
Most of us are familiar with verse 35, the shortest verse in the English Bible. Only two words - Jesus wept. Jesus was not mourning the death of Lazarus in the same way that Martha and Mary were. Jesus knew He would be raising him from the dead in a few moments. Jesus was, though, grieving for a fallen world filled with sin, sin which had entered into the world and which causes sorrow and death, like what had come to the family of His friends.
Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying, but He chose to do something far better, even though this caused momentary great grief. Sometimes what we go through seems unbearable, but God has a greater purpose in mind. The sisters benefited far more when they witnessed Jesus’ power over death.
Standing outside of the tomb, which was a small cavern carved into a rocky area, with a large boulder over the entrance to protect the body from wild animals and grave robbers, the people were mourning, and wondering what Jesus would do. The body had lain in the tomb for four days, not just a few hours, and would have started to decay. Jesus, though, was looking with the eyes of faith, not with human eyes. He did not see a stone in front of the tomb. He did not see that it had been four days. He did not hear the wailing mourners. Death had to flee when Jesus looked past the natural and operated in the spiritual. He tells us in His Word to walk by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). Believe in God, and believe that His purpose and plan is bigger than our problems. He makes the impossible possible.
As mentioned earlier, “Jesus wept” is the shortest verse in the English Bible. Two words. There is another short, 2-word verse in I Thessalonians 5:16. “Rejoice evermore”. Jesus wept so that we can rejoice evermore. Jesus wept so that we don’t have to. Death does not have the last word. Jesus does.
Friday, April 3, 2020
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Slaves To Sin
Romans 6:16-23
It is probably fairly safe to say that none of you reading this has ever been a slave to someone else. Some may feel that their boss treats them as a slave, or that their parents or spouse does, but in actuality they are not true slaves. People who suffer from addictions, such as to alcohol, illegal drugs, or anything else that seems to hold control over them, often speak of being like a slave to that thing. Some of us may have been told by others that we are slaves to our work, our hobbies, sports, or something else, as they seem to control our life. In our Scripture passage for today from Paul’s letter to the Romans he teaches us of a slavery that we all were under at one point in our life, and some may still be under, and that is a slave to sin.
Paul begins our passage by stating something that would seem to be obvious - a slave will obey his master. The slave is under subjection. What the master says he has to do, he is the slave. Sin whispers in our ear to do this or that sinful act or behavior. The Holy Spirit also speaks to our heart to follow Him. Who do we obey? Who do we follow? Paul tells us here that whoever we follow and obey, that is who we are a slave to. The Lord Jesus said the same thing when He said in John 8:34 that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
Sin draws us to itself like a fish to a lure. That lure sparkles and seemingly promises something good. But it is like standing on the edge of a very steep and deep cliff. One more step and we fall into danger and death. Flirting with temptation is a fool’s dream. To do so will draw us into deeper and darker evil. Sin and Satan are hard task masters, paying a wage of death.
Being a slave has a penalty. Slavery brings loss of freedom. The slave cannot do whatever they want, or come and go as they please. They must obey their master and stay on the plantation. The slave to alcohol or drugs pays the price of a ruined life and ruined relationships. When someone breaks the law there is a penalty that must be paid. Sin is breaking God’s law, and He decreed that the penalty for sin is death. Our sins earned us death. One way or another the debt must be paid. We cannot leave prison until there has been a death. How was there a death if we are still alive, we might ask. There was a death, though, and that death occurred on Calvary. God offered a graphic solution to the world’s sin problem. He gave His Son, Jesus, who shed His Blood for us. Jesus came and paid our penalty. He served our time. He satisfied the penalty and set us free from the slavery to sin.
Either we attempt to pay the penalty ourselves, and get eternal death, or we accept that Jesus paid it, and we get eternal life. All of our attempts at good works will not earn us a place in heaven. God paid for the mess we made with the Blood of His Son. He forgives that debt when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Without blood, a body is a lifeless corpse. Without the Blood of Jesus we are just as spiritually dead. Jesus gives us a gift of eternal life, something we could never achieve otherwise.
Today’s culture has influenced many Christians to soften the Gospel message, focusing exclusively on the joy, peace, and love of Christ, and downplaying sin. There is joy and peace when we find Jesus. But that follows acknowledging that one is a sinner, and in need of a Savior.
Who are we obeying? Who are we a slave to? Sin or righteousness? Is sin, and thus Satan our master, or is Jesus our Master? Everyone has one or the other. Let’s be sure to choose Jesus!
It is probably fairly safe to say that none of you reading this has ever been a slave to someone else. Some may feel that their boss treats them as a slave, or that their parents or spouse does, but in actuality they are not true slaves. People who suffer from addictions, such as to alcohol, illegal drugs, or anything else that seems to hold control over them, often speak of being like a slave to that thing. Some of us may have been told by others that we are slaves to our work, our hobbies, sports, or something else, as they seem to control our life. In our Scripture passage for today from Paul’s letter to the Romans he teaches us of a slavery that we all were under at one point in our life, and some may still be under, and that is a slave to sin.
Paul begins our passage by stating something that would seem to be obvious - a slave will obey his master. The slave is under subjection. What the master says he has to do, he is the slave. Sin whispers in our ear to do this or that sinful act or behavior. The Holy Spirit also speaks to our heart to follow Him. Who do we obey? Who do we follow? Paul tells us here that whoever we follow and obey, that is who we are a slave to. The Lord Jesus said the same thing when He said in John 8:34 that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
Sin draws us to itself like a fish to a lure. That lure sparkles and seemingly promises something good. But it is like standing on the edge of a very steep and deep cliff. One more step and we fall into danger and death. Flirting with temptation is a fool’s dream. To do so will draw us into deeper and darker evil. Sin and Satan are hard task masters, paying a wage of death.
Being a slave has a penalty. Slavery brings loss of freedom. The slave cannot do whatever they want, or come and go as they please. They must obey their master and stay on the plantation. The slave to alcohol or drugs pays the price of a ruined life and ruined relationships. When someone breaks the law there is a penalty that must be paid. Sin is breaking God’s law, and He decreed that the penalty for sin is death. Our sins earned us death. One way or another the debt must be paid. We cannot leave prison until there has been a death. How was there a death if we are still alive, we might ask. There was a death, though, and that death occurred on Calvary. God offered a graphic solution to the world’s sin problem. He gave His Son, Jesus, who shed His Blood for us. Jesus came and paid our penalty. He served our time. He satisfied the penalty and set us free from the slavery to sin.
Either we attempt to pay the penalty ourselves, and get eternal death, or we accept that Jesus paid it, and we get eternal life. All of our attempts at good works will not earn us a place in heaven. God paid for the mess we made with the Blood of His Son. He forgives that debt when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Without blood, a body is a lifeless corpse. Without the Blood of Jesus we are just as spiritually dead. Jesus gives us a gift of eternal life, something we could never achieve otherwise.
Today’s culture has influenced many Christians to soften the Gospel message, focusing exclusively on the joy, peace, and love of Christ, and downplaying sin. There is joy and peace when we find Jesus. But that follows acknowledging that one is a sinner, and in need of a Savior.
Who are we obeying? Who are we a slave to? Sin or righteousness? Is sin, and thus Satan our master, or is Jesus our Master? Everyone has one or the other. Let’s be sure to choose Jesus!
Monday, March 30, 2020
Waiting For God's Help
Psalm 130
The feeling of sinking is not a pleasant one. It can be terrifying for someone who doesn’t know how to swim to suddenly find themselves in the deep end of the pool. The feeling of sinking can come to people when they have an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, of being deep in something over their head, such as sinking in debt, or sinking in some job, or a relationship. Sometimes people have recurring nightmares of sinking, waking up in a fear-driven panic. Our psalm today is a plea and a cry to God from someone who felt that he was sinking. Let’s take a look at the psalm and see what we can learn and apply to our own life.
Our psalmist is in some sort of unnamed trouble or problem. He feels like he is sinking down deep, unable to get out of this situation by himself (vs. 1). What do we do when we are in a similar circumstance? We try on our own to find a solution, but we find we are unable to do anything just by ourselves. Perhaps we have some friends that we can turn to, someone who is more clever than we are, or who has more resources. However, there are times we have no one we can turn to, or maybe the problem we have is more than anyone can handle. Where do we go then? This is where our psalmist is. Where did he turn? From the very depths of his problem he cries out to Yahweh for help, pleading with Him to hear his voice (vs. 2).
Though the source of his problem is never specifically mentioned, there is a hint in this psalm that it might have been due to some sin he had committed. The psalmist acknowledges that if God marks down all of our sins and transgressions, no one would be able to stand before Him (vs. 3). This spiritual truth that we are all sinners is echoed throughout the Bible, specifically by David in Psalm 14:1-3, by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 7:20, and by Paul in Romans 3:10. However, our psalmist knows that Yahweh is a merciful and forgiving God (vs. 4), that His forgiveness is never ending. We have assurance that God will forgive us if we confess our sins to Him.
Often when we cry out to God in prayer over some desperate problem we are facing, His answer seems long in coming. All too often we get frustrated and even angry at God. We might even be tempted to throw our hands up in despair, saying that God has forgotten us or that He doesn’t care. Our psalmist shares another Scriptural truth here with us, that often we need to wait for the Lord’s answer (vs. 5-6).
Waiting for anything can often be difficult. No one enjoys waiting to hear if one has been hired, following that nerve-wracking interview, or waiting for that important check to come in the mail. When one is sinking deep in a problem, waiting for help can be very difficult. If a friend has promised help, we want them to come right away. When we have prayed to God for an answer, we don’t want Him to take long in answering. God, though, often seems to wait a long time. Why do we have to wait? Doesn’t God see that we have sunken deep into our problem, and need the help now? God waits until the very best moment to intervene in a problem in our life. He goes by His timetable. As we wait, we need to learn to trust Him. God may seem to be slow, but He is never late.
In closing, our psalmist urges us to put our hope in the Lord (vs. 7-8). Our help comes from Him. He, alone, is the only One we can truly rely on. He, alone, is the only one who can redeem us from our sins, and bring us redemption. When we feel most isolated and distant from God, that is when we need Him the most. Our problems should lead us to confession, and then God’s mercy and forgiveness. Always remember, as our psalmist proclaims, with the Lord there is mercy.
The feeling of sinking is not a pleasant one. It can be terrifying for someone who doesn’t know how to swim to suddenly find themselves in the deep end of the pool. The feeling of sinking can come to people when they have an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, of being deep in something over their head, such as sinking in debt, or sinking in some job, or a relationship. Sometimes people have recurring nightmares of sinking, waking up in a fear-driven panic. Our psalm today is a plea and a cry to God from someone who felt that he was sinking. Let’s take a look at the psalm and see what we can learn and apply to our own life.
Our psalmist is in some sort of unnamed trouble or problem. He feels like he is sinking down deep, unable to get out of this situation by himself (vs. 1). What do we do when we are in a similar circumstance? We try on our own to find a solution, but we find we are unable to do anything just by ourselves. Perhaps we have some friends that we can turn to, someone who is more clever than we are, or who has more resources. However, there are times we have no one we can turn to, or maybe the problem we have is more than anyone can handle. Where do we go then? This is where our psalmist is. Where did he turn? From the very depths of his problem he cries out to Yahweh for help, pleading with Him to hear his voice (vs. 2).
Though the source of his problem is never specifically mentioned, there is a hint in this psalm that it might have been due to some sin he had committed. The psalmist acknowledges that if God marks down all of our sins and transgressions, no one would be able to stand before Him (vs. 3). This spiritual truth that we are all sinners is echoed throughout the Bible, specifically by David in Psalm 14:1-3, by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 7:20, and by Paul in Romans 3:10. However, our psalmist knows that Yahweh is a merciful and forgiving God (vs. 4), that His forgiveness is never ending. We have assurance that God will forgive us if we confess our sins to Him.
Often when we cry out to God in prayer over some desperate problem we are facing, His answer seems long in coming. All too often we get frustrated and even angry at God. We might even be tempted to throw our hands up in despair, saying that God has forgotten us or that He doesn’t care. Our psalmist shares another Scriptural truth here with us, that often we need to wait for the Lord’s answer (vs. 5-6).
Waiting for anything can often be difficult. No one enjoys waiting to hear if one has been hired, following that nerve-wracking interview, or waiting for that important check to come in the mail. When one is sinking deep in a problem, waiting for help can be very difficult. If a friend has promised help, we want them to come right away. When we have prayed to God for an answer, we don’t want Him to take long in answering. God, though, often seems to wait a long time. Why do we have to wait? Doesn’t God see that we have sunken deep into our problem, and need the help now? God waits until the very best moment to intervene in a problem in our life. He goes by His timetable. As we wait, we need to learn to trust Him. God may seem to be slow, but He is never late.
In closing, our psalmist urges us to put our hope in the Lord (vs. 7-8). Our help comes from Him. He, alone, is the only One we can truly rely on. He, alone, is the only one who can redeem us from our sins, and bring us redemption. When we feel most isolated and distant from God, that is when we need Him the most. Our problems should lead us to confession, and then God’s mercy and forgiveness. Always remember, as our psalmist proclaims, with the Lord there is mercy.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Can These Bones Live?
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Have you ever looked at something, or at a situation, and thought that it was beyond all hope? Perhaps you have a person in your family, or a friend, for whom you have been praying, particularly praying for their salvation, and it seems hopeless. In our Scripture passage for today, the prophet Ezekiel looked out at something that looked beyond all hope, something that looked completely dead, but God gave him reason to have hope. Let’s look into this passage together.
Ezekiel was one of the prophets who ministered and preached to the Jewish people during the time of exile in Babylon. Most of the Jewish people had been carried off from the land of Judah into captivity in the east, into the land of Babylon. Ezekiel went with them into captivity, and proclaimed God’s Word to them there. In a vision, the Lord God brought Ezekiel to a valley that was filled with bones. There were multiple hundreds of bones, scattered all throughout this valley. Different types of bones - leg bones, arm bones, spinal cord bones, ribs, skulls, etc. They were all dried out, with no life in them at all.
Then God asks Ezekiel an odd question. He asks him whether these bones could live (vs. 3). If we were looking upon a similar scene, thousands of bones, all separated from each other, lying dried and bleached by the sun, we would answer no. God then tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, telling them to hear the Word of the Lord (vs. 4). In Ezekiel’s vision, the bones start to come together in their right positions and they stand upright. Muscles and skin come upon the bones. However they were still dead. There was no breath upon them (vs. 7-8).
These bones represented the Jewish people, spiritually dead and scattered. Not only were the Jewish people taken into captivity by the Babylonians in the late 6th century BC, but years later they were scattered around the world when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Today Israel is a nation in unbelief. They are the bones put together, with skin, but no breath, no spirit, no life (vs. 8). The overwhelming majority of Jewish people have never accepted Jesus as the Messiah, and are spiritually dead, like these bones. However, as God proclaims in these verses, there is hope. There will come a day in the future when the Jewish people will turn to Jesus, and acknowledge that He is, indeed, the promised Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). At that time they will then become spiritually alive, with God’s Spirit in them (vs. 14). Until then, they are spiritually dead, like everyone else around the world who has never accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. God says, though, that though their bones are dry, and it looks like there is no hope (vs. 11), that with Him there is hope.
We can take hope from this passage, as well. Many of us have been praying for unsaved family members and friends. They may be so spiritually lost and gone, just like a pile of dried and scattered bones. We may look at them, and question within ourselves, “Can these bones live?” Is there any chance that they might get saved? We must keep praying for our unsaved loved ones. I remember an older pastor that I had, whose very elderly father was unsaved. My pastor had witnessed and shared the Gospel with him over many years, but his father stubbornly, and sometimes angrily, refused to believe. He seemed like dry bones, without any hope of spiritual life. My former pastor and his wife continued to pray for him over many years. Several weeks before he would pass away, though, my pastor’s wife talked to him about Jesus one more time, and his dry bones came to life. He accepted Jesus as his Savior! People may be spiritually dead and dry bones, like my former pastor’s father, but God can always breath spiritual life into them when they turn to Jesus. When they hear the Word of the Lord (vs. 4), and accept its truth, they will come spiritually alive.
Have you ever looked at something, or at a situation, and thought that it was beyond all hope? Perhaps you have a person in your family, or a friend, for whom you have been praying, particularly praying for their salvation, and it seems hopeless. In our Scripture passage for today, the prophet Ezekiel looked out at something that looked beyond all hope, something that looked completely dead, but God gave him reason to have hope. Let’s look into this passage together.
Ezekiel was one of the prophets who ministered and preached to the Jewish people during the time of exile in Babylon. Most of the Jewish people had been carried off from the land of Judah into captivity in the east, into the land of Babylon. Ezekiel went with them into captivity, and proclaimed God’s Word to them there. In a vision, the Lord God brought Ezekiel to a valley that was filled with bones. There were multiple hundreds of bones, scattered all throughout this valley. Different types of bones - leg bones, arm bones, spinal cord bones, ribs, skulls, etc. They were all dried out, with no life in them at all.
Then God asks Ezekiel an odd question. He asks him whether these bones could live (vs. 3). If we were looking upon a similar scene, thousands of bones, all separated from each other, lying dried and bleached by the sun, we would answer no. God then tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, telling them to hear the Word of the Lord (vs. 4). In Ezekiel’s vision, the bones start to come together in their right positions and they stand upright. Muscles and skin come upon the bones. However they were still dead. There was no breath upon them (vs. 7-8).
These bones represented the Jewish people, spiritually dead and scattered. Not only were the Jewish people taken into captivity by the Babylonians in the late 6th century BC, but years later they were scattered around the world when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Today Israel is a nation in unbelief. They are the bones put together, with skin, but no breath, no spirit, no life (vs. 8). The overwhelming majority of Jewish people have never accepted Jesus as the Messiah, and are spiritually dead, like these bones. However, as God proclaims in these verses, there is hope. There will come a day in the future when the Jewish people will turn to Jesus, and acknowledge that He is, indeed, the promised Messiah (Zechariah 12:10). At that time they will then become spiritually alive, with God’s Spirit in them (vs. 14). Until then, they are spiritually dead, like everyone else around the world who has never accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. God says, though, that though their bones are dry, and it looks like there is no hope (vs. 11), that with Him there is hope.
We can take hope from this passage, as well. Many of us have been praying for unsaved family members and friends. They may be so spiritually lost and gone, just like a pile of dried and scattered bones. We may look at them, and question within ourselves, “Can these bones live?” Is there any chance that they might get saved? We must keep praying for our unsaved loved ones. I remember an older pastor that I had, whose very elderly father was unsaved. My pastor had witnessed and shared the Gospel with him over many years, but his father stubbornly, and sometimes angrily, refused to believe. He seemed like dry bones, without any hope of spiritual life. My former pastor and his wife continued to pray for him over many years. Several weeks before he would pass away, though, my pastor’s wife talked to him about Jesus one more time, and his dry bones came to life. He accepted Jesus as his Savior! People may be spiritually dead and dry bones, like my former pastor’s father, but God can always breath spiritual life into them when they turn to Jesus. When they hear the Word of the Lord (vs. 4), and accept its truth, they will come spiritually alive.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Who Are The Truly Blind?
John 9:1-41
I was looking all over for something, but I couldn’t see it. After much frustration, my daughter pointed it out to me. It was right in front of my eyes, but I hadn’t seen it. I might as well have been blind. How often has that happened to us, where something is right in front of us, as plain as day, but we don’t see it? Maybe it is an item on a shelf at the grocery store, or a book on the bookshelf. Perhaps it is a spiritual truth, but our stubborn and hardened heart has blinded our mind. In today’s Gospel reading we will read the account of Jesus healing the man born blind, and the response of the Pharisees, his neighbors, family, and himself, and see who really was blind.
As our account begins, Jesus and His disciples pass by a man who was blind from birth. Jesus turned to him and made clay from the ground and applied it to the eyes of the blind man, and then told him to go and wash it off (vs. 6-7). The blind man was obedient to Jesus, and he went to wash the clay from his eyes, even if it seemed unbelievable. His obedience brought about his healing, and the man was now able to see. He stepped out in faith, doing what the Lord told him. Had the man said to himself that it was ridiculous to believe that simply washing his eyes would bring about his healing, and then failed to obey, he would have remained blind. His obedience brought healing.
Now the problems began. Rather than rejoicing with this miracle, the whole neighborhood went into an uproar. We read in this passage of the different reactions to the healing of the blind man. First, there were the people of the neighborhood who were surprised and skeptical (vs. 8-9). They had seen him day after day begging his living on the street. They were eyewitnesses to this miracle, and yet where were the praises to what God had obviously done? Then there were the blind man’s own parents. They believed, but kept quiet for fear of the Pharisees, and fear of being excommunicated (vs. 18-23). We should never allow the fear of anyone keep us from proclaiming God’s truth.
Then we have the reaction of the Pharisees. As we read throughout all four Gospels, these religious leaders had hard hearts, and would not believe anything Jesus did or taught. This miraculous healing, the restoring of sight to a man born blind, was no exception. They already were seeking ways to bring Jesus down, arrest and destroy Him. They were proud, and extremely jealous of the attention and popularity of Jesus. Here He went and healed a man born blind, which was unheard of. And what was worst of all in their minds was that He healed people on the Sabbath day! In their minds no one could be a true servant of God and also break the Sabbath.
The fourth reaction was that of the man born blind, whom Jesus healed. This man showed consistent and growing faith. At the first, he didn’t really know who Jesus was, only that He had healed his blindness. When the Pharisees thoroughly, and then later harshly questioned the man, he went over the events to them, again and again. He didn’t know how or why he was healed, but he knew Jesus had healed him, and he was not afraid to tell the truth. He said that Jesus must be a prophet, a man of God, because obviously God heard His prayers and brought healing to a man born blind.
His bold and faithful comments about Jesus angered the jealous Pharisees, and they threw the man out of the synagogue. In the Jewish community, to be thrown out the synagogue was to ostracize someone, throw them out of the community, and shun them, sometimes leaving them with no way to make a living. When Jesus heard this had happened, He came to the man and revealed Himself as the Messiah, bringing the man to faith in Him (vs. 35-38). The man, whose heart and mind were opened, seeing the truth as well as his eyes could now see, believed and accepted Jesus as Savior.
This man who had been born blind, and thus would not have had any formal education, demonstrated more spiritual insight and common sense than all the religious authorities combined, who sat in judgment of Jesus and the healed man. They were blinded by their stubborn pride, jealousy, and sin (vs. 39-41). Here was a great miracle that God performed before their very eyes, but because of their sin, the Pharisees would not see or acknowledge it. Are we blind to what God is showing us before our very eyes? Are our hearts equally hardened? Are we skeptical or indifferent, like the neighbors? Are we afraid to speak out for God, like his parents were? Or do we seek God, like the healed man did, with open hearts, and speak out boldly for Him? Let’s open our eyes, see God working around us, and boldly give Him praise and glory.
I was looking all over for something, but I couldn’t see it. After much frustration, my daughter pointed it out to me. It was right in front of my eyes, but I hadn’t seen it. I might as well have been blind. How often has that happened to us, where something is right in front of us, as plain as day, but we don’t see it? Maybe it is an item on a shelf at the grocery store, or a book on the bookshelf. Perhaps it is a spiritual truth, but our stubborn and hardened heart has blinded our mind. In today’s Gospel reading we will read the account of Jesus healing the man born blind, and the response of the Pharisees, his neighbors, family, and himself, and see who really was blind.
As our account begins, Jesus and His disciples pass by a man who was blind from birth. Jesus turned to him and made clay from the ground and applied it to the eyes of the blind man, and then told him to go and wash it off (vs. 6-7). The blind man was obedient to Jesus, and he went to wash the clay from his eyes, even if it seemed unbelievable. His obedience brought about his healing, and the man was now able to see. He stepped out in faith, doing what the Lord told him. Had the man said to himself that it was ridiculous to believe that simply washing his eyes would bring about his healing, and then failed to obey, he would have remained blind. His obedience brought healing.
Now the problems began. Rather than rejoicing with this miracle, the whole neighborhood went into an uproar. We read in this passage of the different reactions to the healing of the blind man. First, there were the people of the neighborhood who were surprised and skeptical (vs. 8-9). They had seen him day after day begging his living on the street. They were eyewitnesses to this miracle, and yet where were the praises to what God had obviously done? Then there were the blind man’s own parents. They believed, but kept quiet for fear of the Pharisees, and fear of being excommunicated (vs. 18-23). We should never allow the fear of anyone keep us from proclaiming God’s truth.
Then we have the reaction of the Pharisees. As we read throughout all four Gospels, these religious leaders had hard hearts, and would not believe anything Jesus did or taught. This miraculous healing, the restoring of sight to a man born blind, was no exception. They already were seeking ways to bring Jesus down, arrest and destroy Him. They were proud, and extremely jealous of the attention and popularity of Jesus. Here He went and healed a man born blind, which was unheard of. And what was worst of all in their minds was that He healed people on the Sabbath day! In their minds no one could be a true servant of God and also break the Sabbath.
The fourth reaction was that of the man born blind, whom Jesus healed. This man showed consistent and growing faith. At the first, he didn’t really know who Jesus was, only that He had healed his blindness. When the Pharisees thoroughly, and then later harshly questioned the man, he went over the events to them, again and again. He didn’t know how or why he was healed, but he knew Jesus had healed him, and he was not afraid to tell the truth. He said that Jesus must be a prophet, a man of God, because obviously God heard His prayers and brought healing to a man born blind.
His bold and faithful comments about Jesus angered the jealous Pharisees, and they threw the man out of the synagogue. In the Jewish community, to be thrown out the synagogue was to ostracize someone, throw them out of the community, and shun them, sometimes leaving them with no way to make a living. When Jesus heard this had happened, He came to the man and revealed Himself as the Messiah, bringing the man to faith in Him (vs. 35-38). The man, whose heart and mind were opened, seeing the truth as well as his eyes could now see, believed and accepted Jesus as Savior.
This man who had been born blind, and thus would not have had any formal education, demonstrated more spiritual insight and common sense than all the religious authorities combined, who sat in judgment of Jesus and the healed man. They were blinded by their stubborn pride, jealousy, and sin (vs. 39-41). Here was a great miracle that God performed before their very eyes, but because of their sin, the Pharisees would not see or acknowledge it. Are we blind to what God is showing us before our very eyes? Are our hearts equally hardened? Are we skeptical or indifferent, like the neighbors? Are we afraid to speak out for God, like his parents were? Or do we seek God, like the healed man did, with open hearts, and speak out boldly for Him? Let’s open our eyes, see God working around us, and boldly give Him praise and glory.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Who Are We Imitating?
Ephesians 5:1-14
Little children like to imitate their parents. When daddy is out mowing the lawn, a young child might follow along after him, pushing a toy lawnmower. They like to dress up like mommy and daddy, and copy their mannerisms. As parents, we hope our children will imitate our good qualities, and not any bad ones. In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul urges Christians to be imitators of God, our Heavenly Father. As we seek to imitate Him in our life, there should be changes in our lifestyle and conduct, as Paul teaches us in our passage today.
Just like children imitate their parents, Christians should imitate their Heavenly Father (vs. 1). If we are refusing to walk in His ways, there might be a question as to who our father really is (I John 3:10). Paul also urges believers to spread the aroma of Christ through our life and behavior (vs. 2). Just like when a woman puts a little perfume on herself to smell attractive, Christ should so permeate our life, that His character, like a pleasant aroma, is evident.
Paul goes on to teach in this Scripture passage that certain behavior should not be practiced by believers who want to be following and imitating the Lord Jesus (vs. 3-7). Contrary to what many people teach from the pulpits of some churches, it does matter to God what we, as believers, do. It is true that we can’t earn our salvation, but it matters very much how our behavior is, and what our actions are. Spiritually dead people are confused in their moral thinking. To walk in Jesus’ path we must have Biblical principles and standards. We need to imitate and obey God. Act as He would act. Do what Jesus would do. Sinfulness and impurity is foul-smelling to Him. God’s holiness does not compromise with sin. There shouldn’t even be a hint of such behavior, or approval of it, in the church.
How can we praise God and speak to others of His goodness when we use filthy language? (vs. 4) There is an old saying - See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. Christians should be careful what they watch (Psalm 101:3). We shouldn’t spend time discussing dark and evil things. We should not be listening to the false philosophies so popular in the world today (Psalm 1:1-2, Colossians 2:8). Christians should not condone sinful lifestyles or make excuses for bad behavior. Though we can befriend unbelievers, and lead them to the Lord, we must be wary of those who are evil, immoral, and who are viciously opposed to Christ and the Bible. God does not tolerate sin. It has no place in His kingdom, nor will any person whose life pattern is one of habitual immorality or impurity.
Our Scripture passage continues with contrasting light and darkness (vs. 8-14). There is a contrast between worldly darkness and Christian light. One cannot claim to have fellowship with Jesus, but walk in darkness. Christians are to be beacons of light in this dark world, showing the way to spiritual safety to the lost (Matthew 5:14-16). Our actions should reflect our faith and God’s goodness to others.
A tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:16-18). The fruit of living in the light versus living in the dark is clear. Live as children of the light. Pursue goodness, righteousness, and truth. Do what pleases God. Have nothing to do with darkness, and those who live in dark lifestyles. Christians should have no participation or association in such behavior, nor give any approval to this activity. Instead, a believer should take a stand for what is right, as often silence is seen as approval. God has moral principles which most often oppose popular culture. We need to judge sin, and rid it from our life.
Satan seeks to destroy God’s children, and turn them as far away as possible from His image. In light of this, Christians should seek to live in righteousness and purity, and have nothing to do with Satan’s evil ways and works. As believers, each of us needs to take our place as sons and daughters to our Heavenly Father. We need to appropriate the shed Blood of the Lamb of God, so that we can fulfill our destiny as children of God, and walk in the Light as He is in the Light.
Little children like to imitate their parents. When daddy is out mowing the lawn, a young child might follow along after him, pushing a toy lawnmower. They like to dress up like mommy and daddy, and copy their mannerisms. As parents, we hope our children will imitate our good qualities, and not any bad ones. In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul urges Christians to be imitators of God, our Heavenly Father. As we seek to imitate Him in our life, there should be changes in our lifestyle and conduct, as Paul teaches us in our passage today.
Just like children imitate their parents, Christians should imitate their Heavenly Father (vs. 1). If we are refusing to walk in His ways, there might be a question as to who our father really is (I John 3:10). Paul also urges believers to spread the aroma of Christ through our life and behavior (vs. 2). Just like when a woman puts a little perfume on herself to smell attractive, Christ should so permeate our life, that His character, like a pleasant aroma, is evident.
Paul goes on to teach in this Scripture passage that certain behavior should not be practiced by believers who want to be following and imitating the Lord Jesus (vs. 3-7). Contrary to what many people teach from the pulpits of some churches, it does matter to God what we, as believers, do. It is true that we can’t earn our salvation, but it matters very much how our behavior is, and what our actions are. Spiritually dead people are confused in their moral thinking. To walk in Jesus’ path we must have Biblical principles and standards. We need to imitate and obey God. Act as He would act. Do what Jesus would do. Sinfulness and impurity is foul-smelling to Him. God’s holiness does not compromise with sin. There shouldn’t even be a hint of such behavior, or approval of it, in the church.
How can we praise God and speak to others of His goodness when we use filthy language? (vs. 4) There is an old saying - See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. Christians should be careful what they watch (Psalm 101:3). We shouldn’t spend time discussing dark and evil things. We should not be listening to the false philosophies so popular in the world today (Psalm 1:1-2, Colossians 2:8). Christians should not condone sinful lifestyles or make excuses for bad behavior. Though we can befriend unbelievers, and lead them to the Lord, we must be wary of those who are evil, immoral, and who are viciously opposed to Christ and the Bible. God does not tolerate sin. It has no place in His kingdom, nor will any person whose life pattern is one of habitual immorality or impurity.
Our Scripture passage continues with contrasting light and darkness (vs. 8-14). There is a contrast between worldly darkness and Christian light. One cannot claim to have fellowship with Jesus, but walk in darkness. Christians are to be beacons of light in this dark world, showing the way to spiritual safety to the lost (Matthew 5:14-16). Our actions should reflect our faith and God’s goodness to others.
A tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:16-18). The fruit of living in the light versus living in the dark is clear. Live as children of the light. Pursue goodness, righteousness, and truth. Do what pleases God. Have nothing to do with darkness, and those who live in dark lifestyles. Christians should have no participation or association in such behavior, nor give any approval to this activity. Instead, a believer should take a stand for what is right, as often silence is seen as approval. God has moral principles which most often oppose popular culture. We need to judge sin, and rid it from our life.
Satan seeks to destroy God’s children, and turn them as far away as possible from His image. In light of this, Christians should seek to live in righteousness and purity, and have nothing to do with Satan’s evil ways and works. As believers, each of us needs to take our place as sons and daughters to our Heavenly Father. We need to appropriate the shed Blood of the Lamb of God, so that we can fulfill our destiny as children of God, and walk in the Light as He is in the Light.
Monday, March 23, 2020
The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death
Psalm 23
With all of the current fears over the coronavirus (Covid-19) going around, many are succumbing to fear and panic. Psalm 23 is one of many Scriptures we can meditate on, which by God’s blessing is the Psalm in the Book of Common Prayer’s Lectionary this week. Today I will focus on verse 4.
Living just a couple of miles west of Chicago, I live in the “flatlands”. However, I have driven in both the Rocky Mountains, about a thousand miles to my west, and in the Appalachian Mountains, about 500 miles to my east. Deep in the mountains there are valleys that might only get a few hours of sunlight, remaining in shadows for many more hours of the day. Back in the day when all travel was done on foot, or if lucky, on a horse or mule, dark and shadowy valleys could be fearsome, with bandits lurking in hiding for the traveler to pass through. Deep in the mountains there would be no hesitation for the bandit to harm or even kill the traveler.
Our life is a journey, traveling from the day of our birth to that of our death. There are some sunny, bright days, and some not so sunny ones. Sometimes passing through valleys, and even a valley of the shadow of death. As we all know, one doesn’t have to be old and gray for death’s shadow to come close. The shadow can come at any time in life, falling near us or a loved one. There are all sorts of illnesses that haunt the valley of the shadow of death - cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, and countless others, including just plain old age. Accidents haunt this valley, as well. This is a fearsome valley. Sunshine and light do not often reach here. Sudden death comes.
Death can cast a frightening shadow over us. There is nothing we can do to permanently stop it. At best we can struggle to put it off for a few years, perhaps, but not forever. David, our psalm’s author, conveys that the valley of the shadow of death is a perilously threatening environment. Death has the final word. God, the Good Shepherd, can walk with us through that dark valley of death, and bring us safely to the other side.
If we are believers and followers of Jesus, we will never walk through these dark valleys alone. Jesus promises to be with us. The Good Shepherd Jesus protects and guides His sheep through every twist and turn of this valley. His rod is a shepherd’s club, used to fight off predatory animals. The staff has a crooked neck, which is used to guide a wayward sheep back from danger and into the fold again. Both of these our Shepherd will use to guide and protect us.
God’s Word is the primary means of comfort the Good Shepherd uses. The truths of Scripture assure us of God’s love and strength, which can enable us to endure and grow through difficult experiences. One truth is that we can never be snatched away from Jesus’ protective hand (John 10:29). Another promise is that He will never leave us, never, even in the midst of the dark valley we travel through (Hebrews 13:5-6). He will never leave us, including during this world-wide pandemic, so we do not need to fear. Since God is leading us, and if we are faithfully following Him, we have nothing to fear.
We need to follow our Shepherd’s voice wherever He leads, even though the valley. Stop worrying, and believe in God. Look to the Shepherd. Listen to the Shepherd. Lean on the Shepherd.
With all of the current fears over the coronavirus (Covid-19) going around, many are succumbing to fear and panic. Psalm 23 is one of many Scriptures we can meditate on, which by God’s blessing is the Psalm in the Book of Common Prayer’s Lectionary this week. Today I will focus on verse 4.
Living just a couple of miles west of Chicago, I live in the “flatlands”. However, I have driven in both the Rocky Mountains, about a thousand miles to my west, and in the Appalachian Mountains, about 500 miles to my east. Deep in the mountains there are valleys that might only get a few hours of sunlight, remaining in shadows for many more hours of the day. Back in the day when all travel was done on foot, or if lucky, on a horse or mule, dark and shadowy valleys could be fearsome, with bandits lurking in hiding for the traveler to pass through. Deep in the mountains there would be no hesitation for the bandit to harm or even kill the traveler.
Our life is a journey, traveling from the day of our birth to that of our death. There are some sunny, bright days, and some not so sunny ones. Sometimes passing through valleys, and even a valley of the shadow of death. As we all know, one doesn’t have to be old and gray for death’s shadow to come close. The shadow can come at any time in life, falling near us or a loved one. There are all sorts of illnesses that haunt the valley of the shadow of death - cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, and countless others, including just plain old age. Accidents haunt this valley, as well. This is a fearsome valley. Sunshine and light do not often reach here. Sudden death comes.
Death can cast a frightening shadow over us. There is nothing we can do to permanently stop it. At best we can struggle to put it off for a few years, perhaps, but not forever. David, our psalm’s author, conveys that the valley of the shadow of death is a perilously threatening environment. Death has the final word. God, the Good Shepherd, can walk with us through that dark valley of death, and bring us safely to the other side.
If we are believers and followers of Jesus, we will never walk through these dark valleys alone. Jesus promises to be with us. The Good Shepherd Jesus protects and guides His sheep through every twist and turn of this valley. His rod is a shepherd’s club, used to fight off predatory animals. The staff has a crooked neck, which is used to guide a wayward sheep back from danger and into the fold again. Both of these our Shepherd will use to guide and protect us.
God’s Word is the primary means of comfort the Good Shepherd uses. The truths of Scripture assure us of God’s love and strength, which can enable us to endure and grow through difficult experiences. One truth is that we can never be snatched away from Jesus’ protective hand (John 10:29). Another promise is that He will never leave us, never, even in the midst of the dark valley we travel through (Hebrews 13:5-6). He will never leave us, including during this world-wide pandemic, so we do not need to fear. Since God is leading us, and if we are faithfully following Him, we have nothing to fear.
We need to follow our Shepherd’s voice wherever He leads, even though the valley. Stop worrying, and believe in God. Look to the Shepherd. Listen to the Shepherd. Lean on the Shepherd.
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