29

Jump Start # 338

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 338

Revelation 21:9 “And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’” 

 Today the royal wedding took place. The young prince married his princess. What a spectacle it was. Throughout the Bible we read of weddings. Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding. Esther married King Ahasuerus. Most weddings we read about in the Bible were not the grand event we witnessed in England.

  There is one other royal wedding that is found in the Bible. It is between Jesus and His people, the saved, the church. Our passage today talks about that. The wife of the Lamb is the saved, God’s people.

  In Ephesians Paul said that Christ loved the church (5:25). He sanctifies the church, cleansing her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless. A beautiful bride—that’s how views us and wants us to be. We are the chosen of God.

  Sometimes we don’t feel like that beautiful bride of Christ. In fact, there are days that we seem rather pungent with odor. I’ve noticed a similar concept with church buildings. I have spent a lot of time in church buildings. On Sunday mornings, everything is bright, swept, clean and sparkling. The building is ready to receive people. It smells good and it looks good. Have you ever walked through a building after everyone has left on a Sunday service? It’s amazing how trashed the place can look. Bulletins stuffed in the song book racks, paper on the floor, trash cans full, little finger prints on the front door, papers and books with a shuffled and out of place look to them. The place is a mess. That’s kinda like us. We gather on Sunday, bright and sparkling, Bibles in hand and hearts ready to praise God. But after services are over, get us home and we start falling apart. Our hearts become cluttered and filled. Our minds can’t stay focused. We look messy on the inside—just like the church building.

  Maybe it would help to remember how God sees us. We are the bride of Christ. He wants to be with us. He has chosen us. He loves us. He has always loved us. Even when we weren’t much to talk about, He loved us.

  Have you ever noticed engaged girls? They are on a different planet once they get that engagement ring on their finger. All they can think about is that wedding coming up. The right napkins, the right photographer, the right place, the right preacher, the right dress—it’s all they think about. Now, how come? Are they doing all these things so their beloved will love them? No. He already loves. He’s proven that by asking her to marry him and by giving her a ring, not just any ole’ ring, but an expensive engagement ring. So, if the bride to be is already loved, why does she go through all those decisions to have the perfect wedding? It’s not to win his love, it is because he loves. She does these things because she is loved. Now, it’s no different with us. We don’t get up and go to church services on Sunday so God will love us. He already does. Watch your language, spend some time in the Bible, work on that attitude and all the things we do, not so He will love us, but rather because He loves us.

  The royal wedding isn’t in England—it actually takes place in Heaven between Jesus and His people. And what a celebration that will be!

Roger

28

Jump Start # 337

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 337 

Luke 13:4 “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 

  I write this morning with a heavy heart. Massive tornados have devastated large portions of Alabama and Georgia. Hundreds were killed. The destruction is unbelievable. There are many Christians who live in those areas. I have visited and preached in some of those places. This passage came to my mind today.

  In Luke 13, a report came to Jesus of bad news. Fellow Galileans were killed by Pilate. Jesus said, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Then Jesus tells of the eighteen who were killed by the tower.

  Jesus uses these two “news reports” to teach some valuable lessons. First, those who were killed were not being punished for their sins. That’s not how God operates. There are a few exceptions, dealing with rebellion when God would strike someone down and use it as a lesson. But those are few in the total history of the Bible. God wants people to come to Him. Peter tells us that God doesn’t want any to perish but all to come to repentance. The fact that some were killed and others survived is not an indication of God’s justice being invoked. It’s easy to think that. It’s easy to start judging. Jesus twice in news reports said, “No.”

  The loss of life happens. Life is precious and very fragile. We watch these reality shows where people scale mountains, leap great distances over objects and we tend to forget that it doesn’t take much to end life. There were towers that fell in the days of Jesus. There were towers that fell last night in Alabama and Georgia. The survivors struggle first with moving on, and then with the emotional and mental concerns of “why.” All it takes for some is death by a tower and that’s enough for them to walk away from God. In their thinking a good and gracious God would never allow towers to fall, any where, any time. Because they do, must mean either God doesn’t care, or else, even worse, maybe He isn’t real. We have it in our thinking that every day ought to be sunny and that each day ought to bring smiles to our faces and God ought to make my life nice and easy. Where have we gotten this theology? Not from the Bible. It doesn’t teach that. Remember at the end of the sermon on the mount, Jesus ended with the parable of the wise man and the foolish man. Both men, not just the foolish man, but both men had rain, winds and floods. Both men. The wise and the fool. The wicked and the righteous. God never said that this world is Heaven. Ever since Adam chose to disobey God, man has been excluded from paradise. This world is not paradise. Towers will fall. Cars will crash. Storms will rage through the nights. Flood waters will rise. Some will die. Even some righteous will die. Our thoughts are, “Doesn’t seem right. Doesn’t seem fair.” And it’s not. This world is broken. This world is engaged in a great spiritual fight. Satan and Christ. If you want a land that is without nights, storms, and death, that place is called Heaven. Could it be that is why Jesus twice said in our verses today, “unless you repent you will likewise perish.”

  I think the Lord is using a play on words here. The eighteen men in the tower perished. They were killed. Jesus is not implying, if you repent you will not perish. No, Heb 9:27 reminds us that we have an appointment with death. The perish Jesus has in mind is spiritual. That’s why the call for us to repent. By repenting and turning toward God we will not perish, spiritually. That was the message of John the Baptist—repent. That is the message of Jesus. Stop what you are doing. Turn toward God and follow Him. If you don’t, you won’t make it. You’ll perish. In the Lord’s way of thinking, perishing spiritually is far worse than perishing by a falling tower.

  These news reports that were brought to Jesus about disasters and death allowed Him to remind the disciples that they too, we too, have a coming appointment with death. The men who died in the tower died suddenly. It was not expected. The tower fell. We don’t know the details. Were they a construction crew that was building a tower and something terribly wrong happened and it fell? Were they are group of tourist who were visiting this tower? Was it a windy day and the thing blew over? We don’t know. They died. Someday we will die. We need to be ready. This is why Jesus brought up turning toward God.

  What can we do when towers fall or tornados kill? First, pray. Pray for the families affected. Thank the Lord for your safety through the night. As the sun rises on a new day, make it a new day, a better day. Realize that today is a gift. Not everyone got that gift. Whether they were killed in a storm, died in a cancer unit or were killed serving our country, each day is a gift. Use it like a gift. Stop demanding as if someone, especially God, owes us anything. He doesn’t. Quit being selfish. Learn to connect, to serve, to help others. Glorify God by following Him.

  Our days are not so different from the days we read about in our Bibles.

Roger

27

Jump Start # 336

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 336

2 Tim 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

  Today we look at Paul’s words to the young preacher Timothy. The books of 1 & 2 Timothy are instructions written concerning preachers. Now, since most of our readers are not preachers, it might be easy to dismiss these thoughts as something that most of us will never need. But don’t do that. There are wonderful lessons in all of God’s word. Sometimes it takes a little digging and a bit of work, but usually there is something there for everyone. That’s just the way the Bible is. I suppose that’s why it’s living and active as the book of Hebrews tells us.

  Preachers are to preach the word. The expression, “The word” implies and means the word of God—not the word of the preacher. To preach it, a person has to know it. This tells us much about the business of preaching. First, a person has to like to read. The preacher has to spend time with his nose in the book—and not just any book, but THE BOOK. It  shows when he has done this, and it shows when he hasn’t. You can tell.

  Preaching is just an interesting thing. I’ve been doing it for most of my adult life and I’ve come to learn a few things about this thing called preaching. Preaching is communicating. It’s taking the story of Jesus and making it real. I don’t have much tolerance for many preachers today, because they’ve become showmen and not preachers. Their sermons are an event and not a discourse in the word of God. Good preaching doesn’t have to be long, dry and painful. Not at all. Preaching ought to grab our attention. Most folks only see the finished product on Sunday morning—the sermon. I can tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks. What happens on Sunday morning is the easiest part of preaching. What happens before that determines what kind of sermon it’s going to be. The idea…the research…the thought process…the right words…the right illustrations…the organization…knowing how to say something in kindness and love. Preaching is more than giving a speech, it’s persuading people, as Paul told the Corinthians. It’s connecting with hearts and getting those hearts connected to God. Preaching is showing the goodness of God and convincing folks that they need to journey with God. Preaching is hard work, but I’m convinced more than that, there is a talent that is a gift from God.

  Our verse tells us that the preacher is to be ready in season and out of season. We know that expression. There are certain foods that are in season, that is, they can be found in gardens and local produce stands. Then there are the out of season stuff. Here in the north, most produce stands are boarded up in January. Nothing is in season. Paul is telling Timothy to preach the word—when folks want to hear it and when folks don’t want to hear it. What Paul did was bring the audience into the realm of preaching. There are times, there are lessons, that some folks are just not eager to hear. Often it is a lesson that will “step on toes.” The out of season sermons make us squirm in the pew. It causes guilt and often anger. Instead of being mad at ourselves, we get mad at the preacher for preaching those kind of sermons. Out of season does not mean rude, offensive or crude. It is not the place to be unkind, off color, or mean. The reason the sermons are out of season is not because of the way they were delivered, but because of the heart of the audience. They simply did not want to hear that.

  In season sermons are the easiest to preach. Folks love them. But it’s the out of season lessons that often do the most good. Those are hard to preach. Sometimes we blister the preacher when all he has done was do what God wanted him to.

  I’ve also found through the years that preaching a sermon is a whole lot easier than living a sermon. But that is what the preacher is expecting and wanting the audience to do, so he ought to lead the way himself and be practicing what he is preaching.

  It is the preached word that will save our souls. It’s the preached word that encourages us, especially when we are down. It’s the preached word that drives fear away and builds faith. Getting people to the word is the job of the preacher.

  Much of what is going on these days is anything but preaching the word. Too many are trying to build a church, run an organization, keep the people happy and entertained, rather than spending time in the word. It would do well if every preacher just remembered what he was supposed to do, what God wants him to do. The more of us that got back to the word of God and started doing things the way He wants, the fewer the problems we’d have.

  Thanks for letting this preacher share some words with you about preaching. I am amazed that God would take the perfect message about His perfect Son and allow imperfect people like me to preach it. I’m not sure why He does that, but I’m glad He does.

  Preach the word—that’s what preachers need to hear!

Roger

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Jump Start # 333

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Start # 333

1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

  Paul’s instructions to Timothy, the young preacher, fits very well for us today. He wanted Timothy to pray. That is something we all can do. Not all can preach. Not all can lead. But we can all pray. Prayer shouldn’t be looked upon as the last thing you turn to after you have exhausted all other possibilities, instead, it ought to be our first choice. Bring God into the situation. Invite God. Solicit God’s help. That’s what prayer does.

  Paul gives us four words here: entreaties, prayers, petitions and thanksgivings. The word “entreaties” means to entreat, to ask. In some prayers, not all prayers, we are asking God for help, we are entreating Him. We are dependent upon God. We can’t get through without God’s help. There are some things, in fact there are many things, that are bigger than we are.

  The word “prayers” is the generic word for talking to God. Entreaties is a form of prayer.

  The word “petitions” is translated “intercessions” in other versions. It is the prayer we offer for someone else. It’s not just our problems, but others that we need God’s help with.

  The final word, “thanksgivings” is often neglected in our prayer life. It is to “thank God.” Thank God for life, for Jesus, for hope, for the answer of earlier prayers. There is much to be thankful for.

  Paul doesn’t stop there. Within this sentence he continues to tell Timothy that he needs to pray for kings and all who are in authority. In Timothy’s world that would have included the powerful Roman government, including the Caesars. They were not nice people. They were violent, oppressive and not known for being honoring human rights. Paul wanted Timothy to pray for those “kings.” There was a reason behind this. Ultimately, it would affect the disciples. The goal was so that they could worship, live and serve God in peace.

  Now this comes to us. It’s easy to complain about Congress, gripe about the President, and generally have a soul disposition toward all politicians. Maybe they’ve earned it. Maybe they have forgotten what they are supposed to do. Whatever our political slant may be, our first persuasion is toward God. We want what God wants. We want all people, everywhere to come to know Jesus Christ. We need to pray for kings and all who are in authority. We need to ask God to touch their hearts, to open their eyes and to lead them to righteous ways.

  Praying for someone you may not like isn’t easy. This isn’t the first time this comes up in our Bibles. Remember Jesus telling the disciples to pray for your enemies and those that persecute you. That’s hard to do. It’s easy to pray for your friends, your church, your family. But those that you don’t care about, we’d just as soon ignore them. Our inclination is to keep God to ourselves and not allow them to have access to “Our” God. That’s just human nature I suppose. That’s why Christ doesn’t want us to be stuck on “human nature” but on “God’s nature.” 

  Praying for someone you don’t like. To pray for their well being, to pray for them to find Christ, it takes a lot of character to do that, but once you have, you tend to see your enemy in a different way. Give this some thought. Who is someone that you really don’t like? It may be the President. It may be a neighbor. It may be someone in the family. Have you prayed for them, and I don’t mean, praying that a giant rock lands on them. Praying for them as God wants you to. Praying that their heart will change. Praying that they will become Christ like.

  Maybe, we’ve kept prayer to ourselves all this time. Maybe it’s about time we started praying for others…for those who serve in the government…and for those who we don’t like. Praying for others, tends to ease the lines of jealously and hatred. It can mend broken fences. It can build relationships. More than that, it can help our hearts. Not liking others leads to hatred, ill will and a host of other ugly words. It’s certainly not like Jesus. He loved. Upon the cross He prayed for those putting Him to death. When ridiculed, He didn’t respond. They may have hated Jesus, but Jesus didn’t hate them. That’s the steps we need to follow.

  It begins by praying for all, including the kings and the governors, and it includes praying for those who don’t like you. Try it today. It will help, because you are asking God to get involved.

Roger

22

Jump Start # 332

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 332

1 Cor 15:22-23 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

  Resurrection. That is defining moment in the Bible. Without the resurrection, Christ fails, Christianity fails. That is the theme of this chapter in Corinthians. You cannot have faith without a resurrected Christ. Paul shows that. Paul proves that. Paul makes application based upon that.

  The curse of Adam’s sin, was death. All die. Even Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old, died. Other than, Enoch and Elijah, who were taken up to Heaven by God, every one died. But the blessing in Christ is that all will be resurrected. John 5:28-29 says, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”  Do you notice that all are being raised. The good and the evil. It’s not just the good who live on. Nothing is said about coming back in some reincarnated form, or another life. That doesn’t happen.

  So this reminds us that death is not the end of the journey. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. Dying may not put one out of their misery because we live on and we will be raised some day.

  Paul tells us that Christ is the “first fruits.” We are getting into the garden season. We don’t go to all the work of a garden just to get one piece of fruit per plant. That wouldn’t be worth it. The first tomato, means there are more to come. The first melon, more are on the way. Christ, the first resurrected, means more are on the way. There were others resurrected before Jesus, but they all had to die again. Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, Dorcus—they were all raised, but they all had to die again. Not Jesus.

  Jesus was the first raised, who never died after that. He is the first fruits. This reminds us that when we leave a loved one in the cemetery, someday, they will be raised. We know that because Jesus was raised.

  Paul gives us a time marker for this event, the grand resurrection, “at His coming.” This is when all this takes place. Not before. Not in different stages. But at His coming. At His coming, things will be different. The world will come to an end, the kingdom will be given to the Father and the resurrection will take place.

  There are all kinds of questions folks have about resurrection. What will we look like? Will a person have to have their glasses, hearing aids and so forth? Will I look young, old? Paul addresses some of those thoughts in this Corinthian chapter. He borrows an illustration from nature to explain it. A seed is put into the ground. After a while, a plant comes up—maybe wheat, maybe a flower. The plant doesn’t look like the seed. It’s beautiful. Paul’s point is that we now are like the seed. We’ll die. We’ll be buried. We’ll be raised a glorious state when Jesus comes. Don’t need to worry about that. Everything God does is wonderful.

  Now the thought of all of us being raised may be not pleasant for some. It means our soul will continue on. Suicide is not the end of the road. Those who have chosen to live apart from Christ and ignore God’s way, the thought of resurrection isn’t comforting. It means forever without God. A popular movement today denies Hell. Jesus didn’t. In fact, He linked Heaven and Hell together in the same sentence. If there is no Hell, there is no Heaven. If there is a Heaven, then there is a Hell.

  Why would God make a Hell? He needs a place for people who don’t want Him. They haven’t listened to Him, followed Him, nor chosen Him. All will be raised. Those that don’t want God now, won’t have Him later. Hell’s just the place.

  There was a phrase in our verse today that caught my attention. It says, “those who are Christ’s…” Those who belong to Jesus. Those who have included God in their life. Those who have followed. Those who have obeyed. Those who have chosen God. Those are Christ’s. For those, the resurrection is an incredible concept. Can’t wait! It means Heaven!

  Are you Christ’s? Best get busy getting there…time is running out for all of us. There is a great day coming…a great day coming…

Roger