24

Jump Start # 189

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 189 

Revelation 3:20-21 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

  Our passage today comes from the section of Revelation that specifically addresses the seven churches of Asia. The last church addressed, where our passage comes from, was Laodicea—the lukewarm church that sickened the Lord. There were many problems at that church. They didn’t see themselves as God saw them. That’s always dangerous. They didn’t think they needed anything, especially changing. But they did.

  God didn’t give up on them. He didn’t throw them out. Instructions were given to turn them around and right the wrongs found there. And as with the other letters addressed to the churches, it ends with a promise. If you will do these things, this is what it will do for you.

  There are two wonderful promises found in our verses today. First, the promise to dine with Jesus. This of course is figurative and shows the picture of closeness and friendship. We don’t eat with strangers. Most try to avoid the enemy (maybe we shouldn’t, but we do). But dining with family and friends is such a wonderful event. Families catch up on what everyone is doing. Laughter fills the air. People tell stories and go down memory lane. Parents use the opportunity to “parent.” When we grow older and move out on our own and think back to our childhood days, generally it’s not the TV set that we miss, but family time and that often surrounded the kitchen table. Dining with Jesus. Would that make you nervous? Could you be yourself or would you be so afraid of saying something out of turn that you just looked at your food and said nothing? The image is warmth. Jesus wants us at the table. Just as the Father of the prodigal longed for both of his sons to join him around the table, that is what Christ wants. He doesn’t want you to fear Him. He knows you. He knows what you are like. He knows what you have done. And He still longs for you to join Him around the table. That’s awesome!

  The second promise is to sit with Jesus on His throne. Wow! I’ve been to the White House. They didn’t let me go to the Oval Office. Even if they did, they wouldn’t let me sit in “the” chair. Only the President sits there. Here Christ is inviting you to sit with Him. Come join me is what He is saying. Notice, Jesus doesn’t vacate the throne. The throne is always occupied by God. It is never empty. When we sit, it is with Jesus. That image implies trust. I have a wonderful chair in my office. I spent weeks looking and trying out chair before I bought this one. It is the softest office chair I’ve ever sat it. I let people try it out, but just for a moment. That chair is special to me. Don’t you think God feels the same about His throne? It is before the throne that we will stand some day and be judged. To sit with Jesus on His throne shows that He really loves and trusts us.

  The Laodiceans had to light the fire once again and get serious about Jesus. These promises offered to them were not to buy their faithfulness but reminders that this is how God treats His children. We need to walk that way.

  Great promises. Give these some thought today. God has great things in store for you!

Roger

23

Jump Start # 188

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 188 

Mark 3:5 “After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch our your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” 

  Our passage today is one of the many miracles of Jesus. This is the healing of the man with the withered hand. Sometimes Luke gives us little insights into what happened, such as a person was crippled from birth or the bent over woman suffered from a spirit. We’re not told here. Born that way? Work injury? Luke doesn’t say. The very words, “withered”  has always seemed strange to me. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a withered hand. I’ve known folks who lost some fingers. I read about a man in our area whose severed hand was reattached through a series of surgeries. But withered?

  The context of this healing mirrors the healing of the bent over woman. Jesus is in a synagogue. It is another Sabbath day. There will be an argument about healing on the Sabbath. The setting of this miracle seems more staged than the bent over woman. Luke says, “they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.” They anticipated and even expected Jesus to heal this withered hand. In many ways, the critics of Jesus were starting to figure Him out. Jesus had a heart for the hurting. They knew that He couldn’t pass on the opportunity to heal this man’s hand.

  What they failed to see was that Jesus knew what they were up to. He knew it was a trap. He knew that they were using people to get to Jesus. It doesn’t seem that they really cared much about the man with the withered hand. He was bait to trap Jesus.

  In a most unusual passage, Luke says Jesus “looked at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…” An angry Jesus? Many have never thought of that. This was not the only occasion. Remember, when Jesus turned the tables over in the temple and drove out the money changers? I don’t think He had a smile on His face when this happened.

  Paul told the Ephesians to “be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” I’d thought he’d say, “Do NOT be angry.” But he didn’t. He said, “BE angry…BUT.” It’s what anger does to you that makes the difference. It’s hard for us to be angry and not say things we wish later on we hadn’t said. It’s hard not to be angry and give someone a piece of our mind. Anger can make us boil on the inside until we “blow up.” Then trouble comes. The nasty phone call. The chewing out. The road rage. The invitations to Satan to use our anger to lead us to sin.

  Jesus was angry but He never sinned. He never had to apologize for saying the wrong thing. He never returned the next day and had to say that He lost his cool and was sorry for that. Not Jesus. Not once.

  And since we’re on this, did you ever notice what made Jesus angry? It wasn’t that He had to wait for supper or that the store was closed or that there was a long line waiting to get on a boat or the zillion of things that fire us up. Rather, the lack of faith angered Jesus. People using people angered Jesus. Misusing the Temple and taking advantage of others angered Jesus. His was a righteous anger. Often mine is a selfish anger. I get mad at the way I’m treated. Those are not the same. And, when I get angry I get in a sour mood. I pout. I threaten to do this or that. I get bothered. I don’t see that in Jesus. On this occasion, He used the healing as yet another attempt to open the closed minds of his opponents. His anger led Him to construction ways to change things.

  You can learn a lot from anger. You learn even more from Jesus.

Roger

22

Jump Start # 187

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 187 

Luke 13:12 “When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your sickness.’”

  Our verse today finds the Lord in the synagogue on Saturday, the Sabbath day. The synagogue was a gathering place for prayers and the reading of Scriptures. Jesus taught often in synagogues.

  On this particular day, the bent over woman is there. I certain everyone in the village knew her. She’d be hard to forget. Bent double for 18 years is what Luke, the doctor, said. She had a sickness caused by a spirit, most likely a demon. And on this particular Sabbath day, Jesus healed her.

  There are some interesting things that took place. First of all, it is remarkable that she is in the synagogue. There is no indication that she knew Jesus was going to be there, nor if she really knew who Jesus was. For 18 years she was bent double. She’d have a hard time reaching up for things. You can’t really lift a child up when you are bent double. Getting dressed is hard for bent over folks. I expect she’d walk rather slow, being bent over and all. Kids probably stared and snickered at her. When I’m not feeling too well, I pray. I want to feel normal. Don’t you think she prayed. And prayed. And prayed. Eighteen years of prayer with no results. And where do we find her? Not at the bar drowning her sorrows in booze, but at the place of worship, the synagogue. She hasn’t given up on God. Not yet. I love her for that, and I think the Lord did as well.

  Jesus sees her. Most others looked right past her. Jesus always sees. What happens next is amazing. Jesus calls her over. First of all, women didn’t speak much in synagogues. They often sat in the back while the men sat in the front. That’s just the way things were done. Jesus is in his early 30’s. He’s worked as a carpenter. He’s strong. It’d take Jesus just a few steps and He could be where she’s sitting. Instead, He calls her to Him. Everyone notices. Some whisper. That’s most unusual. It’d take a few moments for the bent over woman to get where Jesus was. He declares that she is healed. To verify, He touches her. The results are immediate. She stands straight and tall and praises God. The old fogies get stirred by this. A woman speaking out in the synagogue? The nerve! The official of the synagogue blows a gasket. He accuses Jesus of violating the Sabbath, but he doesn’t speak to Jesus directly, he talks to the crowd. He’s playing a political game. He’s trying to win the crowd to his side.

  Jesus responds. He defends the woman and what He has just done. He hasn’t done anything more than untying a donkey from the stall. No rules were broken. No sins committed. Jesus speaks not to the crowd, but to the official himself. He calls the woman, “a daughter of Abraham,” a term of endearment and position. She’s of more value than a donkey.

  The crowd rejoices! The official and his group are embarrassed and stunned. They have lost control, power and leadership. This is a great page from the life of Jesus.

  What can we learn from this:

  • Jesus always sees. You may be bent double with grief, shame, worry or problems. Maybe week after week you keep making your way to the church house and no one really notices you. That’s normal. You hurt. You’re discouraged. You want relief. You’ve prayed and prayed. Don’t give up. Jesus sees. He knows.

 

  • Some make rules where God hasn’t. They tell you that you can’t do this or that. You can’t wear this or that. They want to keep things safe, so they make a rule. They fear what could happen, so they make a rule. The rules are not Bible. The rules make things stuffy and stale. The rules keep people in fear, don’t want to break a rule or I’ll be in trouble. Every once in a while some young person challenges the rules. Folks get upset. The solution is forget the rules and just follow the Bible. It’s God’s rules that we need to keep.

 

  • God wants to help us. He’s not against us, He is for us. It is not a rich and peaceful life that He desires for you, but a righteous life that is dependent upon Him.

 

  • Jesus has called you. Will you come to Him? It means getting out of your seat and walking, bent over, where everyone can see you. That’s tough. But it’s the way to be whole. Do you truth Jesus?  Listen to Him. Do what He says. He knows.

Roger

21

Jump Start # 186

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 186 

Luke 19:5 “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

  Zaccheus, the “wee little man who climbed up in the sycamore tree,” do you remember that song? It’s probably been a long time since many of us actually sang that unless we were sitting in a VBS.

  Luke is the only gospel that reveals the meeting between Jesus and Zaccheus. The Lord was on His way to Jerusalem. He had an appointment with the cross. Passing through Jericho, massive crowds line the streets to see Jesus. People have heard. The miracle worker was in the area. Stories have spread about Jesus. Casting out demons…raising the dead…healing the lame. These were not occasional stories from odd people, but more and more people had the same stories. Some were wondering if this indeed could be the Messiah. Hope swelled. Jesus is traveling to His death. He is not so focused that He can’t stop and connect with Zaccheus.

  Zaccheus is an interesting person. Most people would not have like him. He was a Jewish tax collector, which meant he gathered taxes from Jews and gave it to the Romans. That alone, is an act of a traitor. Tax collectors made their wages by elevating the tax that Rome required. Many tax collectors were dishonest cheats who became wealthy from defrauding their own people. Zaccheus was a chief tax collector. Zaccheus was defined as being short in size. Most men get teased a lot about being short. It gets old after a while.

  Jesus was coming. Zaccheus wanted to see Him. I believe there was a personal interest for Zaccheus. He may have heard that Jesus ate at the home of a tax collector, or more than that, one of his chosen disciples, Matthew, was a tax collector. His critics accused Him of being a friend of tax collectors. That’s something a person in those days rarely heard. So he climbs a tree to get a glimpse. He just wants to see for Himself.

  As Jesus passes, He stops. He looks up and calls the tax collector by His name. How did He know? Of all the people crowded along the streets, He picks Zaccheus to talk to. Amazing. Jesus invites Himself to Zaccheus’ home. Jesus had been in many homes, but He did not invite Himself, He was always asked. This time He just said, “I’m coming to your house.”

  Zaccheus was shocked. He hurried down that tree. He promises to change His ways and His life. The grumblers in the crowd, once again grumble. Jesus defends, not Himself, but Zaccheus. He calls him “a son of Abraham.”

  You and I often hide up in trees. We hope people won’t see us. We just want to see Jesus at a distance. We don’t want to walk beside Jesus, yet we don’t want to miss out either. So up the tree we climb. Just a peek this week at church, nothing too much. Just wet the appetite. Don’t ask me to sign up for a class…don’t count on me doing something everyday, that’s not for me. I’m happy to just stay up here in the tree and look down at what is going on. This is close enough. This is comfortable. This doesn’t hurt anyone. But there stands Jesus, right in front of our tree. He’s stopped. He sees us. He’s not moving. He calls you by name. He wants you to come out of the tree. He wants you to take Him to your home. What are you going to say? Sure wish the papers and kids toys had been picked up before we left this morning. Wonder if there are dirty dishes in the sink? Hope the kids made their beds this morning. Jesus wants to come to my house? Why can’t we meet at the church building? Isn’t that His house anyway? How did He see me? How did He know my name? He wants me to know Him? Why did He pick me? There are so many others, why me? He’s waiting.

  Are you going to come out of the tree? Are you going to take Jesus to your home? I wonder if you will change your ways and your life?

Roger

20

Jump Start # 185

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 185 

Matthew 7:25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.”

  The wise man and the foolish man! Many of us first learned of this story when we were children in a Bible class. We sang a song and with our fingers made the rains come down and the floods came up. Then with great excitement we slapped our hands together when the ole’ foolish man’s house went ker-plat! What memories! What a fun song…

  But now we are adults and we don’t go back to that story very often. Let’s do so today. This is how Jesus ended his great sermon on the mount. It ends with a story, a parable. The story is pointed to the audience. They have been listening to Jesus, now what are they going to do? Did the message make a difference to them? Did they believe? For three chapters Jesus has been showing the righteous life that God wants from all of us. His topics have been wide spread. He’s talked about prayer and lust and giving and divorce and worry and influence and beatitudes and judging and now He ends with this story.

  Notice there are some differences in the two men:

One is wise and the other is foolish. One builds upon the rock and the other upon the sand. One house stands and the other house collapses. One man heard and did, that’s rock building. The other man heard and wasn’t changed and did nothing, that’s sand castles. The difference was doing what Jesus said.

  But we must also notice the similarities. It rained on both men. Both men had to deal with the rising flood and the blowing winds. Coming to Christ is not a promise of sunny days and gentle winds. No. The floods rise. You’ll face driving rains and harsh winds. The difference is the foundation. Standing upon Christ you can and you will survive. That is the promise of this passage. We often pray for the storms to cease. But they don’t. We wonder if God hears us or loves us. Instead of keeping us from the storms, he supplies us with all we need to keep the storms from coming within us.

 Foundations. That is a concern to builders in earthquake areas. They must do special things so the structures will stand. Foundations is a concern for those who want to go to Heaven. We must do special things so we can with stand the storms of life.

  What this passage is driving at is the impact that the words of Jesus has upon us. How can we hear Jesus and not be different? Those precious words impact us. They affect us. We change, we build, we alter our life because of those words. And it makes a difference. When the storm comes, we are still standing.

  Sometimes we don’t know what a person is made of until the storm hits. Then you see. Some go to pieces—must be people who used sand to build. Some get angry (sand people). Some become destructive by abusing self, others even take their life. But some keep on going. They still cling to the Lord. They don’t give up. They don’t seem shaken at all. We wonder, “How?” It has to do with what is under them and when we look, we find rock. Not just any rock, but the rock, Jesus Christ. That makes all the difference in the world!

Roger