05

Jump Start # 747

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 747

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

We continue our look at questions found in the New Testament. Some questions we find were asked because people wanted to know. There was doubt and uncertainty and their question sought clarification. Other questions didn’t need an answer. They were intended as statements that were directed to motives, attitudes and forced a person to look within. Our question today is one of those.

What follows this question is the Lord’s parable about the wise and foolish man. The foolish man represents the type of person that Jesus’ question identified, a person who calls Jesus, ‘Lord,’ but doesn’t obey Him. If you remember, the foolish man, who built his house upon the sand, heard Jesus, but didn’t do what He said. Away he went. Ignoring warnings, confident that he knew what he was doing, and planning for the future. He built a house upon the sand. The image of a beachfront house comes to our mind. Great view. Walk out your door to sandy beaches and the ocean. His home was the envy of others. How happy this man was. Then the storms came. Today, we’d most likely call it a hurricane. We know the damage that they can do, especially to those homes next to the ocean. The wind, the rain, the floods. All too common in our news. The house was destroyed. It was a complete loss. No insurance back then. No FEMA to come and help back then. No Red Cross to house you for a while back then. Back then, it was a total loss. The man was destroyed. He was ruined. He was wiped out.

Jesus is not talking about beaches, houses, sand and views. That is not the point of His parable. It’s about listening to Him and doing what He says. Jesus knows what He is talking about. The man who heard Jesus and ignored Him, thought otherwise. He thought he knew better than Jesus. He found out how totally wrong he was. Destroyed relationships. Destroyed health. Destroyed souls. Ruined, not because he was caught off guard, but because he wouldn’t listen. Stubborn. Prideful. Going to prove a point. Going to show others that it can be done. He became the poster child of failure.

 

So, why would a person acknowledge Jesus as “Lord,” and not do what He says? Obviously, such a person recognizes that Jesus isn’t just anybody. His claims, His words, His miracles, His good all point to the fact that He is Lord. This wasn’t a made up claim. This wasn’t something that He stole but never earned. Peter tells us in that first Gospel sermon that God made Him both Lord and Christ. To not recognize that Jesus is Lord is plain dumb. That fact is beyond question or dispute. The evidence is overwhelming.

The problem is a head and heart thing. Our heads tell us that Jesus is Lord. He is in charge. He is right. He is God. He is the one that we need to listen to. Our hearts tell us that we can get along just fine without doing things His way. Our hearts want to do something else. It’s a battle that every person fights. Some learn early and some never do seem to learn. They want Jesus to be Lord, but not in all things. They still want to build a house upon the sand and yet maintain Jesus as Lord. That simply won’t work. That head and heart battle will produce guilt, frustration and doubt. Too much Christ in you to be happy in the world. Too much world in you to be a happy Christian. Head and heart. The head knows what to do. The head has heard Jesus. It’s not a matter of not knowing, the head knows. He has heard Jesus. He has read the Bible. He has listened to sermons and Bible studies. He knows.

 

The heart simply doesn’t want to do what the head knows. The outcome of this internal battle is based upon which one is more powerful. If he listens to his head, reason and Scripture will prevail. He will do the right thing. He will be tempted, but he will come through because of his head. If the heart is stronger, emotions and feelings will conquer reason and Scripture. Weak excuses champion why he chooses what he does. He finds a way to ignore the warnings of the Bible. He justifies a life that disobeys Jesus. Often the church is blamed. Sometimes the finger is pointed to the failure of other Christians. This becomes his reason to not do what Jesus said. He still holds to the fact that Jesus is Lord, but he will also build his house upon the sand in spite of what Jesus said. No one is going to tell him how to live, not even the Lord Jesus. He is confident that he will be fine. Everything will work out. And for a while it seems he is right, until the storm comes. There is always a storm. The storm changes everything. No one wants a beachfront home in a hurricane. Worst place to be. The storm proved that Jesus was right. Jesus knew what He was talking about. What a tragic mistake the man made by building his house upon the sand. If he had only listened and obeyed Jesus!

 

I have found that most head and heart battles, the desires to build upon the sand, most often involve personal matters instead of doctrinal matters. A relationship grows old and one wants out of a marriage. The Lord has spoken about that. A head and heart battle takes place.  Which will win? Reason and Scripture or emotion and pride? It depends which is stronger. Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say? That’s what this is about.

 

Flirting with the world, bending the rules, less strict, more blending in with others—all of these things comes down to, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” When the heart wins, our choices and decisions are saying that Jesus is Lord but that doesn’t do anything for me. When the head wins, our choices and decisions are saying that Jesus is the Lord of my life. Self control and righteousness are the core values that define who I am.

Head and heart…it’s a constant battle. Reason vs. emotion. Facts vs. selfishness. Lord vs. self. Building upon rock or building upon the sand.

We know…it’s the doing part that’s hard. The doing part gets easier when you want to do what Jesus said. Build faith. Build upon what is true. Listen to Jesus. He knows.

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 746

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 746

Acts 8:30 “Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’”

This week we are taking a look at some of the great questions found in the New Testament. Many of these questions are not hard or difficult questions, instead they are personal, penetrating and get to the point of what is truly important.

Our question today comes from the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. He had been to Jerusalem to worship and was now traveling back home. He was an important man, in charge of the queen’s finances. His position put him in important places and around important people.  His position would have provided a grand income. Part of that is illustrated by the fact that he has a copy of Isaiah. That book would have been composed of three large scrolls. It was extremely rare for anyone to have a personal copy. This Ethiopian did, somehow. That is impressive!

God called Philip away from Samaria and sent him to the Ethiopian. Philip found him along the road. Our passage says that Philip ran to the chariot. He heard the Ethiopian reading. Two thoughts:

Philip is excited and ready to do God’s work. He ran. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t delay. He didn’t spend all this time planning on the sidelines. He got right into things. Sometime folks, and churches, spend too much time in the huddle and not enough time just doing what they ought to do. Philip ran. Folks back in those days didn’t run much. They didn’t run for recreation as we often do. We remember that the father of the prodigal “ran” to him when he saw the boy returning home. Running shows the urgency and the excitement that Philip felt.

We also notice that Philip “heard” the Ethiopian reading. He was reading out loud. He may have been sharing this with those who were traveling with him. He was an important man and he would have had assistants and servants and others with him. Reading aloud, much like Paul and Silas, singing aloud in a Philippian jail, influences those around. People hear. The message is powerful. Sometimes reading aloud is a good study practice for us. We hear things that our eyes tend to miss.

Philip began their conversation with a question. It’s a great question. It’s a simple question. “Do you understand what you are reading?” That question opens the door to a conversation about the Bible and about God. Notice, Philip did not begin by saying, “Let me tell you what you this means.” He could have. He didn’t. He asked, “do you understand…”

 

The Ethiopian was honest in his answer. He didn’t understand. He wanted to know, so he invited Philip to teach him. How easily the Ethiopian could have ended the conversation by saying, “Yes, I do understand.” Instead, he opened the door for Philip. Honesty, and humbleness and a desire to know God’s word fill the atmosphere of what happened here.

Do you understand? That question led to teaching about Jesus and the conversion of the Ethiopian. How easily it started with simply, “Do you understand…?”

Without understanding a person is in the dark. Without understanding they don’t “get” what they are reading. Without understanding the message becomes choppy, confusing and boring. A person will stop reading if they do not understand. I wonder how often that happens today? A person feels guilty for not reading the Bible and they pick up that big book and start reading but a few paragraphs later, they do not understand what is going on, why something is happening the way it does and the darkness and confusion takes over and they quit reading. They try again several months later and the same thing happens again. They become convinced that the Bible is too hard to understand. They need a Philip to help them. They need to understand what is going on.

God’s word can be understood. Paul said, “understand the will of God” (Eph 5:17).

 

There are three simple lessons for us:

1. We need to understand what we are reading. If we don’t, we need to ask for help. What is the message God is telling us? What does God expect you to do? Take time with God’s word. Take it slowly. Understand what you are reading. Don’t be too proud to invite a Philip into your life to help you understand.

 

2. God can use you as an instrument to help others. There are others who do not understand. You can help them. Show them. Walk them through the things you have learned. Don’t guess. Don’t tell them things that you are not sure yourself. But what you do know, share it and help them. You will see the fog of darkness lifted once someone understands. Philip had to understand first, before he could teach someone else. So must we.

 

3. Use Philip’s question. It’s a great question. It’s an easy one. When you see someone reading the Bible, ask, “Do you understand what you are reading?” A conversation may follow. A Bible study may take place. Someone may become a Christian. This question can be used even when someone is not reading the Bible. A conversation takes place around the kitchen table or at work, or school, and you ask, “Do you understand what the Bible says about that?” Many have no idea that the Bible addresses so many subjects. They are in the dark about what God says. Do you understand is a great way to build a bridge to those subjects.

Do you understand…a simple question and a profound result!

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 745

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 745

Matthew 26:22 “Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

This week, our Jump Starts are going to explore some of the great questions of the N.T. Asking questions is a powerful way of learning things. Not only was Jesus asked many questions, He used questions as a means to get people to look within. Children are known to ask questions every day. Their “why” and “how come” can seem endless but they are part of a curious mind that is growing and learning. I expect when we stop asking questions, we’ve just about stopped learning and growing. We should never fear questions nor be afraid to ask questions. In the setting of faith, the only acceptable answers must be what the Bible says. “Because I said so,” isn’t acceptable when dealing with things of salvation. Show me in the Bible, must be our plea.

Our question today comes from the setting of the Passover meal and the last supper that Jesus ate with the disciples before being arrested and crucified. The clock was ticking. Everything was about to happen. Jesus knew. He revealed that one of them, one of the chosen twelve, was going to betray Him (v. 21). That bothered the disciples. It should have. Two things come from Jesus’ statement.

First, they were grieved. Betraying Jesus was an incredible breach of trust and loyalty. That statement revealed that things were not getting better, but worse. They certainly did not grasp all that was involved with the betrayal—the arrest, the trials, the abuse, the fear, and finally, His execution. They couldn’t see all that. They couldn’t imagine someone who knew Jesus wanting to turn on Him. The critics had been accusing Jesus for a long time, but they never really understood Him nor tried to listen to Him. This was different. Someone that knew Jesus was going to turn. A traitor. Quitting. Surrendering. All those have a negative impact upon people. We do not have a national holiday to honor a traitor in history. We do not remember battles which we had to surrender. Those are dark and painful memories.

 

Not only was Jesus about to be betrayed, but one of the twelve, one of the apostles was going to do it. How could they? They, of all people, knew Jesus the best. They had witnessed the miracles. They have listened to Him countless times. They have asked Him questions, traveled with Him and seen Jesus in every circumstance possible. Yet, one of the twelve was going to turn. Unbelievable.

 

The question they ask, “Surely not I, Lord?” A great question. A personal question. A question that looks within, the best kind of question and reflection. Instead of looking at each other, and pointing fingers or saying, “I think it will be Peter…” , they asked, “Is it I?”

 

That question has a lot to do with how we think and look at things today. Some many are worried about the other guy, how others are living and what others are doing. They want to judge others, criticize others, and tell others what they ought to do. The question asks, “Is it I?” If each of us would put more attention upon ourselves and our walk with Jesus, and worried less about others, things would be much better. This is not a call to become selfish nor close our eyes to help those around us. It is a call to be less concerned about who is doing what and to look more at “what am I doing?”

 

Our walk and our relationship with Jesus is a personal one. I must ask look at myself. No one knows me better than me. I know why I do what I do. I know what I am after. I know when I’m playing and when I am serious. I know when I don’t feel like doing something and when my heart is really into it. I know me. Other than God, no one knows me as well as I do.  When I am honest, I know my strengths and weaknesses. I know when I have failed and when I have done well. I know when Satan knocks on the door of my heart and when I have opened that door to let him in.

 

Surely not I, or, “Is it I” as other versions put it, is great question. What about me? The more I try to make a better me, the better the world becomes. We spend so much time trying to fix the other guy, and too little time trying to work on our self.

 

What a great question, “Surely not I, Lord?” Surely I wouldn’t betray you? Surely I wouldn’t let you down. Surely not I? A look within makes us realize that we are not so different than others. Our circumstances, our journey, our pasts may be different, but basically we are all the same. We have the same needs, the same concerns, the same issues. Surely not I causes us to pause and wonder, could it be me?

How about me? The humble heart looks in. The proud heart looks outward. The humble heart is honest. The proud heart boasts. The humble heart has hope. The proud heart is a problem. The humble heart considers, Surely not I? The proud heart thinks, “I know who it is.” The humble heart thinks, “this is written for me.” The proud heart thinks, “I know who he is writing this about.”

 

Is it I, Lord?

Roger