Sunday, March 31, 2013

April 1, 2013

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26

This is quite a claim made by Jesus! Very confident and quite comforting!

If you will live and believe in Jesus, and if you allow Him to live in you by faith, you will never die!

However, there ARE several things that WILL die when you die and I feel compelled to point those out.

When you die, suffering dies. The moment you slip away from your earthly body and into eternity with Jesus - your suffering is over! Forever!

When you die, sorrow dies. At your last breath in this life, you are done with sorrow! Once your spirit enters into the presence of God there will be only joy! Sadness has no place in Heaven! You will shed no more tears. You will know no more heartbreak!

When you die, sin dies. If you die in Christ and enter into His paradise you will enter a safe, secure, sin-free enviornment. Not only will you be free from sin but you will not have to deal with temptation either!

So, you see, death is final - final for the things that are not worthy of God or right for eternity!

As we bring the Easter Holiday to a close I just wanted to remind you of a few reasons why it is the pivotal event in all of human history! You will never die, but all the things that make your life difficult or painful will die!

He's alive! You will live! Your heart-ache and hardships won't! Your crises and crosses will become crowns!



Saturday, March 30, 2013

March 31, 2013

"The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Matthew 28:6-10

I want you to try and put yourself in the place of these women who went to the tomb in the early morning hours of that first Easter. But I want you to imagine that instead of going to the burial place of Jesus, you are going to the grave of your mother, or your father, or your child, or that of your best friend. As you approach you are struggling with that same old sense of sadness that always grips you when you visit here. But this morning is different! For when you get there the grave is open. Your sadness turns to shock, then to horror, but then you hear the voice of your loved one and you turn immediately toward the sound.

You cannot believe it! You blink once and then you blink again. There stands your loved one - alive and well! In fact, they look better than they ever! Without thinking or speaking or without consciously moving you find yourself locked in a warm tight embrace! They are alive! They are back!

Can you imagine the joy? If you can you may begin to understand what these women experienced outside Jesus' tomb that morning.

Sound impossible? That is precisely what happened that morning! These women arrived grieving and ready to prepare a dead body but found a risen Savior Who looked better than they had ever seen! They were filled with joy - and wonder - and hope! All the grief and despair of the last two days was gone! He was alive! He arose as He had said!

Easter is about life! Powerful life! Resurrection life! Eternal life! God's life! The only thing that died that morning was death!

Oh, about that scenario involving your loved one! It has happened! Because of the atoning death and because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, your loved one IS alive - more alive than ever! And some day their grave WILL be empty and you will see them in their glorified body! That very same type of glorified body the women saw that morning by His tomb!

"So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:42-58

Celebrate! Rejoice! He has risen from the dead! He arose as He said! He is alive! Hallelujah!
 
HAVE A BLESSED EASTER SUNDAY!

Friday, March 29, 2013

March 30, 2013

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

You often hear this portion of Scripture read at funerals for obvious reasons. I have shared it a number of times myself. And why not? What a comforting message these words give.

As good as they sound, take a few moments to absorb what they say!

Think of the Source of these words - "I am"!

God identified Himself to Moses as, "I am". So, when Jesus announces that "I am the resurrection and the life" He is saying, "I am God - and because I am God I am life!" What other source of life is there? What other source do you need?

Think of the Substance of these words - "the resurrection and the life". You could paraphrase this sentence to say "I am the life before death and the life after death - I AM LIFE PERIOD!" And, He is!

Think of the Solace of these words - "He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die". Life in Christ is eternal! It never ends! Even when you die - you live! The body may die but the real you never does! HE IS LIFE! THE LIFE! And why is He life? Because He is the resurrection! Easter changes everything!

Think of the Stipulation of these words - "He who believes in me", "whoever lives and believes in me", "Do you believe this?” If you want to live on with Jesus you must live in Him! That requires faith. That requires confessing your sins and repenting of them and receiving Jesus for your Savior. Once you receive Him for your salvation you must remain in Him by obedience. Salvation comes by faith and then is followed by faithful service. It is not enough to believe Jesus in your head, but you must live out His love through your life. And when He dwells in you by His Spirit, His life also dwells in you! Because He lives in you, His life is at work in you. So when your early life ends, His life will carry your spirit to the "place He has been preparing for you"!

Do you believe this! Easter says, "Believe it! He has risen!" and if you live in Him and believe in Him you will never die!









Thursday, March 28, 2013

March 29, 2013

"When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” Luke 23:33-39

Not much good on this Friday.

Terrible Friday makes sense. Horrible Friday would be accurate. Awful Friday certainly would fit. But GOOD Friday?

If you were lynched by an angry mob in the middle of the night, betrayed by a close friend, arrested on trumped up charges, ridiculed and then spat upon, would you call that a good day?

Would you call it a good day if you were savagely beaten and scourged until your back looked like hamburger and then have a roughly hewn cross thrown onto your raw shoulder and forced to carry it one-half of a mile to the place where you would be nailed to that cross?

Jesus was cruelly crucified on a day that has come to be known and even celebrated as Good Friday! How can that be?

It can only be known as Good Friday because of what happened bright and early on Sunday morning! Good Friday was good only because of the resurrection! That single miraculous event changed everything before it and everything after it forever! The bloody cross of Golgotha led to the empty tomb in the garden!

And since that empty tomb, indeed, because of the resurrection the dark, difficult and painful Fridays of your life will always be followed by a Sunday! That is the power of a Risen Savior! That is the promise from a Risen Savior! Thus is the presence with a Risen Savior!

As Tony Campolo has declared, "It's Friday - but Sunday's coming!"

That's the glory of Easter! He's alive! He has risen as He said!

"But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." Romans 8:10-11

If you are in a Friday time in your life - hold on - Sunday is coming!





Wednesday, March 27, 2013

March 28, 2013

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." John 1:1-18
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me." John 14:6
The Bible is referred to as the Word of God.
John records in his much loved and highly acclaimed Gospel that Jesus was the "Word that became flesh". He therefore identifies Jesus as the living Word of God.
Jesus identified Himself as such.
Bible scholars have identified as many as 300 prophecies fulfilled in the events surrounding the virgin birth, life, sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There was not one prophecy that went unfulfilled. In other words, the scorecard reads "God - 300" "skeptics - 0".
Remember that those prophecies were recorded centuries before the birth of Jesus and were regularly taught to and by the rabbi's and religious leaders of the Jews.
The capstone of these hundreds of prophecies was the resurrection of Jesus just as foretold by ancient prophets.
Biblical historians claim that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the best documented events in history.
The Romans inadvertently provided evidence in their attempt to prevent the predicted resurrection from happening. By sealing the tomb and posting guards they assured the body of Jesus was not stolen out of the tomb.
There are eleven references in the New Testament concerning post-resurrection appearances of Jesus.
Paul, the well-regarded scholar and Apostle made this claim in one of his letters and it is presented in a way that assumes his hearers are familiar with the fact of his claim:
"I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once," I Corinthians 15:3-6
So, the historical evidence of 300 fulfilled prophecies, the Romans at the tomb and the documented appearances of Jesus up to 40 days after His resurrection make a strong case for the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and that the Bible is the reliable Word of God.
Anyone who claims otherwise stands on shaky ground with dubious evidence.
One more reason to celebrate Easter and one more case where Jesus is right and all who doubt Him are wrong!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

March 27, 2013

"He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spoke to you when he was yet in Galilee?" Luke 24:6
 
What is wrong with us that we don't believe what Jesus tells us?
 
Could it be SIN maybe?
 
Maybe!
 
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central tenet of the Christian Faith. If it isn't true Christianity is just another mythical mystical religion.
 
BUT IT IS TRUE! Jesus DID die to take our judgment for our sins (the atonement) and He DID arise from the dead on the third day AS HE HAD PREDICTED!
 
Amazing as it is, while the disciples either didn't grasp His prediction or didn't believe it the Romans did! They posted several guards in an attempt to prevent it. Ironically, by placing guards by the tomb to prevent the prediction of Jesus rising from the dead they actually helped to DOCUMENT IT!
 
As I claimed in yesterday's post, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ proves conclusively once and for all that any and all who doubted the claims of Christ are wrong and He is right! So, if they are wrong about the resurrection I wonder what else they are wrong about?
 
Yesterday I made the case that those who disagree with Jesus about the definition of marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman are wrong and He is right! Until you rise from the dead I would encourage you to not disagree with One who did!
 
This morning I would like to make the case for life since those who embrace the truth of the resurrection also tend to embrace the sanctity of life. Those who champion abortion tend to have doubts about the sanctity of human life.
 
When the angel announced to Mary that the Holy Spirit would cause her to conceive and she would become pregnant with the Son of God, (Luke 1:26-38) he wasn't referring to "an unviable tissue mass". He was proclaiming the miraculous merging of the divine life with human life indicating that Jesus was very much alive at the moment of the Immaculate Conception!
 
Not only is Jesus a champion of life, He IS LIFE! "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" declared Jesus! (John 14:6) Given the fact that Jesus arose from the dead it is rather hard to argue again this claim. Again, I say, when you arise from the dead then you are in a position to disagree with His proclamations.
 
Jesus is pro-life - human life, abundant life, and eternal life - and He believes abortion is evil. He is right and anyone who disagrees with Him is wrong.
 
The Resurrection is proof He is right! What is your proof?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, March 25, 2013

March 26, 2013

"Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” Matthew 28:1-7
 
Easter Sunday is the most important day of any year and it is one of the top three or four events of history! (Creation was real important! Noah building the ark was real important! The birth of Jesus was very important! The second coming of Jesus will be real significant!)
 
Not only is the resurrection of Jesus of central importance to the Christian faith as an historical event, it is equally as significant on this 26th of March, 2013!
 
Let me show you what I mean and why the resurrection REALLY matters!
 
In John's account of the resurrection, as in the other three Gospels, the followers of Jesus went to the tomb at dawn on the third day expecting to find a body to prepare. In each case they were shocked to find the tomb empty, the body gone and an angel present. In other words, they were wrong!
 
It wasn't that Jesus hadn't told them that He would rise again because He clearly had! They just didn't get it. He told them right but they heard it wrong!
 
Therefore, the resurrection of Jesus is an enduring reminder that He was right and His disciples were wrong. He always is right and when we disagree with Him we are always wrong!
 
Doesn't it make you wonder what else He is right about that we have wrong? I can think of several relevant issues where men think they are right but God says is wrong.
 
How about a moral issue that is begin considered today by our Supreme Court - the issue of same-sex marriage?
 
Here is what God says is right:
 
"Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again. The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him. And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:1-9
 
The conclusion Jesus gave is that if God has designed marriage as a lifelong relationship, why end it? Yes, adultery/sexual immorality and desertion are named in other places in the New Testament as reasons (and these can possibly be interpreted broadly to include other situations), Jesus' standard is lifelong, monogamous, male-female marriage.
 
Some argue that marriage ought to be redefined to include two partners of the same sex. Jesus said on this and other occasions that marriage is defined as and therefore limited to a man and a woman.
 
Just as it was with the resurrection, He is right and those who want to redefine marriage are wrong.
 
Furthermore, not only is the Supreme Court being asked to redefine marriage but it is being asked to overturn Proposition 8 which was a referendum passed in California by a majority of the voters in that State to legally uphold the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.
 
So, not only are these proponents of same-sex marriage asking the Court to say the expressed will of God is wrong but they are also wanting the Court to overturn the expressed will of the people of California! (And 30 other states who have voted to support the Biblical definition of marriage!)

Jesus told everyone who would listen He would be killed and would rise again on the third day. No one believed Him but the First Easter is proof that God is right and anyone who disagrees with His Word is wrong!
 
 
 
 

Sunday, March 24, 2013

March 25, 2013

"The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
 
“Hosanna!”
 
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
 
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
 
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion, see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” John 12:12-15


It was one of the most inspiring sights of World War II. Four chaplains were standing on the deck of the USS Dorchester, hand-in-hand, singing the old hymn "Nearer My God To Thee." But then, these were inspiring men. And this was a scene the men of the USS Dorchester would never forget.
 
George Fox was the oldest of the chaplains. A veteran of WW I and a recipient of the Silver Star for bravery. He had become a public accountant after the war and then a minister. When WW II began he told his wife he would have to go. "I know from experience what our boys are about to face," he said, "They need me."
 
Alexander D. Goode was the only Rabbi in the group. A father of four and a medical doctor, he was patriotic to the core.

Johnny P. Washington came from a poor Irish immigrant family. He grew up in the slums of Newark, New Jersey, but went on to become a Catholic priest. He was known for his laughter and his love of music.
 
Clark V. Poling, the youngest of the four chaplains, was a minister from the Dutch Reformed church. Clark was the seventh generation in an unbroken line of ministers. However, he wanted to be a fighting soldier instead of a chaplain. He didn’t want people to think he was "hiding behind the church." But when he found out that the mortality rate of the chaplains was the highest of all he felt he would be doing his full part as a chaplain.
 
It was a stirring sight to see these four men united, hand-in-hand, on the deck of that ship. But they weren’t conducting a service for the men as you might think -- they were preparing to die. It was in the early morning hours of February 3, 1943. The ship was bound for Greenland with 906 men on board. Suddenly a torpedo from a Nazi U-boat ripped through the hull and the ship began to sink in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
 
Fear gave way to panic among the soldiers. Rushing to the deck, many left their lifejackets below. The chaplains helped calm the panic by helping the men escape the sinking ship. Then, with the lifeboats full, they gave their own lifejackets to soldiers who had none. The ship completely sank in only twenty-seven minutes.
 
As the men who had escaped looked back at their doomed ship they saw the four chaplains standing on board the sinking ship hand-in-hand and listened as the men lifted their voices to God. It was a sight that would forever be etched in their memories.    
 
Had the sovereign hand of God directed each of them down the same road or had they chosen it for themselves? What we know for sure is that they chose to give their lives for others. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." (John 15:13) Jesus was traveling this road into Jerusalem to do just that -- lay down His life for His friends.
 
This "triumphal entry" was actually a road of sorrow He chose for himself. It too was an inspiring sight for those who can see it for what it was.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

March 24, 2013

"Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Mark 4:8
 
Have you learned more by asking or by listening?
 
Before Jesus told the Parable of the Sower he emphasized, "Listen!" And again, when He ended it He said, "Listen!"
 
Actually, He said, "He who has ears to hear let him hear." In other words, "Listen!"
 
The parable is about listening, or at least hearing, the message of the Gospel. Jesus identifies four different types of hearers.
 
First is the Egocentric Hearer as represented by the seed that fell on the path.
 
This person listens to hear what he wants to hear or for what sounds good to him and dismisses anything else. Ignoring or dismissing truth will harden your heart.
 
Second is the Emergency Hearer as represented by the rocky soil.
 
The emergency hearer usually begins listening when things get rocky or painful in his and life. But because he only wants relief but not the responsibility of a relationship he fails to grow roots to sustain him.
 
Third is the Emotional Hearer as illustrated by the thorny soil.
 
An emotional hearer listens and learns but falls in love the feeling rather getting grounded in faith. So when the trials of life begin to pressure him and the emotions turn from good to bad his faith wanes.
 
Finally is the Effective Hearer as represented by the good soil that produced a bountiful harvest.
 
An effective hearer listens to the Word, he learns the Word, loves the Word and most importantly - he lives the Word. Because he lives the Word it affects other lives through him.
 
Jesus identifies four types of hearers.
 
One of those four is you. Which is it?
 
What will you do about it?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

March 23, 2013

 
 "Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”  Mark 4:1-9

Growing up in Northern Indiana I am very familiar with seed and planting and soil. In that part of the country we were blessed with some of the most fertile soil in the world. But, as good as the soil is it still has to be plowed and harrowed and fertilized in order to be prepared for the seed that will be planted.

In the parable Jesus told in Mark  4 the seed represents the Word of God which is always fertile seed, but the emphasis is placed on the condition of the soil. The soil represents the human heart and He mentions four soil conditions, or conditions of the heart.

The first condition is represented by the path. Because of the constant foot traffic over this soil it has become hardened and unreceptive to the seed. Before the seed has a chance to put down roots it is either crushed under foot or snatched by the birds.This is the hearer who may hear the Word but doesn't listen to it.

I call him the ego-centered hearer. He doesn't think he really needs to hear the Word and so when he does he only listens to what he wants to hear. Therefore, his heart becomes hardened.

The second sort of hearer mentioned in the Parable of the Sower is represented by the rocky soil. This is the hearer who listens to the Word and receives it gladly. His faith is stirred and is initiated within his spirit.
Often this is the person who experiences trouble and rocky times in his life and turns to faith looking for help. And he finds it because any time you sincerely call on the name of the Lord you will find Him.
But while he heard the Master's voice and listened, he didn't have time to learn from the Word and put down deep roots. Since his faith is shallow from lack of knowledge he doesn't withstand the heat of life's trials and faith dies.
 
Regarding the second hearer, he is what I call the emergency hearer. This hearer finds himself in a bad situation and his life has become rocky so he turns to God for help. Sure enough, he finds help from a faithful God. But he doesn't diligently continue to listen and learn from the Word so his shallow spiritual roots are not deep enough to sustain him.
 
Jesus talked about a third condition illustrated by thorny ground. When the seed lands among the weeds and thorns it springs up quickly but is choked out by the weeds before it can produce a harvest.
 
Such a heart is one who hears the Word and listens but doesn't learn the truth of it. Therefore, it cannot survive the attacks of the weeds. I call this the emotional hearer. He hears the Word at an emotional point in his life, listens and believes but depends on emotions when emotions change so does he.
 
Let me ask you, "Which sort of soil is in your heart?"
 
One of these conditions is true of your heart.
 
Are you an ego-centric hearer, an emergency hearer or an emotional hearer?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

March 22, 2013

"Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." Mark 4:5-6
 
When I was growing up one of the leading brands of electronic products was RCA. Their logo showed a dog sitting near an old Victrola-style phonograph with a listening ear leaned toward the speaker. The tag line attached to the logo was, "The master's voice".
 
 
Shouldn't this be the picture of a Christian listening to hear the voice of their Master?
 
The second sort of hearer mentioned in the Parable of the Sower is represented by the rocky soil. This is the hearer who listens to the Word and receives it gladly. His faith is stirred and is initiated within his spirit.
 
Often this is the person who experiences trouble and rocky times in his life and turns to faith looking for help. And he finds it because any time you sincerely call on the name of the Lord you will find Him.
 
But while he heard the Master's voice and listened, he didn't have time to learn from the Word and put down deep roots. Since his faith is shallow from lack of knowledge he doesn't withstand the heat of life's trials and faith dies.
 
So, we have the hearer who doesn't listen and we have the hearer who listens but doesn't learn.
 
The first I call the ego-centered hearer. He doesn't think he really needs to hear the Word and so when he does he only listens to what he wants to hear. Therefore, his heart becomes hardened.
 
Regarding the second hearer, he is what I call the emergency hearer. This hearer finds himself in a bad situation and his life has become rocky so he turns to God for help. Sure enough, he finds help from a faithful God. But he doesn't diligently continue to listen and learn from the Word so his shallow spiritual roots are not deep enough to sustain him.
 
Do either of these scenarios apply to you?
 
Are you listening to the voice of God through His Word or through preaching or teaching ministries? Are you studying to learn from God's Word so you can put down deep roots?
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

March 21, 2013

"He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up." Mark 4:2-4
 
When someone who is in authority says, "Listen!" you should listen. When that person commanding you to listen is Jesus, well..............!
 
After He called the crowd to attention He began telling the parable about the sower and the seed. Sowing is how they planted seed in those days. First they would plow the soil of their field and then walk across the field and back tossing the seeds onto the soil from their hand. I assume the more experienced a sower was the more accurate his tossing of the seed, but still there was seed that landed in unintended places. In His parable the Master made each place represent a different type of hearing heart and the seed represents the Word of God.
 
Some seed landed on the path. The path would be the equivalent of a sidewalk today. It was where everyone walked when they passed by that area and because it drew so much traffic the dirt was packed down hard. So hard was this packed down soil that seed landing there had no chance to put down roots before a bird swept down to snatch it. Any seed that landed on the path was wasted seed unless you were a bird.
 
A heart becomes hardened just as a path gets hardened, by the pressure of constant use. When a heart frequently hears the Word but never listens to it that heart becomes hardened. The Word of God never has a neutral result. When the Word is heard and obeyed it becomes soft and molded like clay. But if the Word is heard and deliberately disregarded or disobeyed that heart becomes hardened.
 
My mother tells me I earned my first spanking when I intentionally disobeyed her. I was three years old at the time and loved to crawl into the cabinets under the kitchen counter and play with her pots and pans. She gave me stern orders to not do so again.
 
One day she couldn't locate me and began to call out my name. As she continued to call with no response her level of concern increased. Just as she was about to panic she heard a clank in the area of the lower cabinet. Opening the doors she saw me sittting under there playing with her pots and pans.
 
Relieved but angered, she sternly rebuked me, "Bradley, didn't you hear me calling you? I have been calling your name for quite awhile now!"
 
According to her my response was, "I hear you - but I pay no attention!"
 
She got my attention! She warmed my cold, disobedient heart from the backside up!
 
What is the condition of your heart? Are you obeying God's Word? Are you hearing but paying no attention? Do you listen to what He says to you? Are you yielding to conviction or are you resisting it?
 
Once a heart grows hardened it is hard to change. It is a dangerous condition to allow.
 
When you hear God's Word today - will you listen?
 
 
 
 

March 20, 2013

"Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:1-9

As someone who has been married for over a quarter century, I know the importance of listening to my wife, Barbara.

I discovered early and painfully the difference between hearing her and listening to her. It is the one area where I find the most trouble. If she senses that I didn't pay attention to what she told me she will ask, "What did I just say?"

I'd better give her that right answer when she asks or she gets her feelings hurt and I get in trouble.

Failing to listen to Jesus is a sure prescription for disaster as well.

In this part of Mark's Gospel Jesus begins His parable by saying, "Listen!" and ending the portion by again saying, "He who has ears to hear, let them hear!"

Parables were Jesus' favorite and most effective way to teach. In this parable of the sower He is teaching us that there are four types of listeners. And we also discover that hearing happens with the heart, not just the ears.

Over the next several posts I want to explore those four types of "hearing hearts" but this evening I want to call you attention to how Jesus addressed the audience assembled on the lake shore that day. And according to Mark's account it was a large crowd.

Those familiar with this area where Jesus did this teaching tell us the rocks that line the shore are positioned like church pews. Behind those rows of boulders are steep banks that rise above the level of the lake. That combination of terrain made an ideal ampitheater. When you consider that Jesus was in a boat on the water several yards from the shore speaking over the water, he had perfect accoustics for being clearly heard by anyone who was present that day.

So when Jesus began His teaching by saying, "Listen" He had no doubt that everyone could hear Him clearly. He wasn't so sure everyone who was hearing was really listening.

Jesus knows how to position Himself in your life so you can hear Him when He speaks to you. But you must position your heart so you will listen.

Will you listen to God today? Will you open your heart to hear what He will say to you? He will be speaking! I hope you're listening!

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22







  

Monday, March 18, 2013

March 19, 2013

"He that has ears to hear, let him hear"' Matthew 11:15

Let me ask you a question. "If the Word of God fell near you in the woods, would you hear it?"
 
This variation of the "if a tree fell in the woods" question actually has a serious point. It is very important to learn to listen to God. I am sure you would agree. But do you know how to listen to God?
 
Hear what God says.
 
Read His Word and listen for His voice. Spending regular time reading and studying the Bible is a primary way of hearing God speak.
 
Listen to the preaching of the Word and the teaching of the Word on a frequent basis.
 
Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of God."

God's Word is the only way to build a life on a foundation of truth. But that is only possible if you are hearing it.

Hear what God says to you.

As important as it is to hear the truth of God's Word, it is even more important to hear the truth specifically applied to your life and your situation.  That is the function of the Holy Spirit and the purpose of the Word.

Hear what God says you should do.

James says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22

When Jesus prefaced His teachings with, "He that has hears to hear, let Him hear" He is not just suggesting they listen, He is telling them to hear it AND obey what it specifically says to them!

If listening to God doesn't result in living for God then you haven't really heard His Word. Listening to God involves hearing what He says, hearing what He says to you, and hearing what you should do - and then doing it!

Are you listening to God?
 
 


Sunday, March 17, 2013

March 18, 2013

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." I John 4:10

One way the need for significance manifests itself in 2018 is the phenomenon known as "social networking". Millions are texting or tweeting or posting on Facebook. Essentially, they are saying, "Notice me!" or "Let me know I matter!" or "Make me feel significant!"

The more friends you have or the more tweets you get the more accepted you feel. you want to be known and know you matter. I contend that the wild popularity of these social networks is fueled by the fear of not mattering.

I am sure God is beyond fear, BUT if He would have a fear I believe it would be the fear that He would not matter to us. He needs for you to recognize His significance. It is in your best interest as well as His.

So, God texted you! Yes, He did! He sent His Commandments through His servant, Moses! He made it clear what matters to Him. He showed you what should matter to you!

Next, God tweeted us! Through His Prophets and His Patriarchs He inspired the great Scriptures of the Old Testament to let us know what He was doing and what He was planning to do in the future. He did not want you to miss what He was doing in our behalf.

Finally, He posted on Facebook! Yes, He did! He sent His Son, Jesus - the God-man - to allow you to get a look at His profile. He wanted us to know what He looks like and what He loves. By posting His picture in the portrait of Jesus, God revealed His nature and His heart. He wanted to know you and to be known by you!

One way you can know you are significant to God is to understand through Scripture just how badly He wants to matter to you! He is the One Who created you and is the only One Who can recreate you into His image!

When you decide to let God know how much He matters to you, then you will begin to understand how much you matter to Him.