17

Jump Start # 774

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 774

Matthew 12:12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

Our verse today takes us to a synagogue. Jesus was there to teach. The Pharisees were there to accuse. A man with a bad hand, withered, was being used as a ploy to trap Jesus. The Pharisees figured that Jesus couldn’t resist healing such a person. It was Saturday, the Sabbath for the Jews. The law prohibited any work. Their traditions prohibited just about everything else, except being dumb, which they were doing well. This was a staged trap. It was a set up. They planned to expose Jesus. He knew that. He walked in there well aware of the situation. Jesus took the first step and fired the first shot in this skirmish.

Jesus began with, if a sheep fell in a pit on the Sabbath, you would rescue it. Their traditions wouldn’t stop that. A sheep in a pit meant money lost, sacrifice lost and the death of the animal unless it was rescued. A sheep in the pit would panic and injure itself trying to get out. Waiting until the Sabbath was over was not an option. Save the sheep. It would be a 911 situation. Those gathered in the synagogue would see nothing wrong with such a rescue attempt. It wasn’t wrong to do good on the Sabbath. To Jesus, this crippled man was the same as the sheep in the pit. It was the same situation. Healing him, even on the Sabbath, was not law breaking and it was doing good. They needed to get over that.

Our verse phrases a great question, “How much is a man better than a sheep?”

This exchange with the Pharisees seems odd in many ways. It appears that they hoped Jesus would heal this man so they could accuse Him. The very idea that Jesus might heal this man doesn’t seem to impress them. They couldn’t do it, on any day of the week. You’d think that they would have filled the house and excitement lifted the roof, waiting for Jesus to restore a crippled hand. I’d want to sit close so I could see it. I’d want to ask the man what he felt. I’d ask, ‘What was it like having a miracle done to you?’ Today, we’d have our cell phones out to take a video of this and it’d be spread on You-tube before we left building. This is a huge WOW factor and all the Pharisees are concerned about is what day of the week it is. How could they miss that? How could they not be breathless because of Jesus?

Then it made me think, are we much different today? No, we don’t see Jesus restoring hands but we see Jesus restoring lives. A person at the end of church services decides to dedicate their life to Jesus. They want to obey the Lord and be baptized. That process takes some time. Extra songs are sung. There is a waiting period. Do we get anxious because it makes us late for lunch? Do we sigh? Do we think, ‘I wish this happened another day?’ Have we lost the marvel of salvation?

 

Or, one in the church family, who has been struggling, wants help. He asks for prayers. His journey isn’t smooth. He bounces back and forth. He’s weak. We think, ‘there he goes again. What is it this time?’

 

Shame on the Pharisees for missing the wonder of Christ. Same on us for missing the saving power of Christ. Sometimes, most times, it’s good, to put ourselves on hold, suspend our schedules and witness what the Gospel is all about, saving man from his sins!

 

Jesus asked the Pharisees, ‘Is a man better than sheep?’ The answer is, of course. Man is made in the image of God. He has God’s thumb print on his soul. Christ came, not for sheep, but for man. Heaven is not made for sheep, but for man. The cross was salvation for man, not sheep. Yeah, we get that. Easy question to answer.

 

How about this one? Is man better than the NFL playoffs on Sunday? Ouch! Is man better than beating the crowds at the restaurant for dinner? Is man better than my nap? Is man better than going shopping? Is man better than my baby’s schedule?

 

The Pharisees missed Jesus because they were busy trying to trap Him. We can miss Jesus because we are selfish and so focused upon our plans. Could it be that the reason some don’t see Jesus is because they are not looking and they can’t see beyond themselves?

 

I’d sure like to think that I wouldn’t be one in that synagogue long ago waiting to trap Jesus and missing the wonder and awe of a miracle. In the same way, I sure hope I don’t miss Jesus today, in the sweet voice of a child singing, or, a prodigal wanting to come home, or, in a man teaching his first class. The pure and honest heart of someone just wanting to please the Lord is worth seeing. The saving grace of God is worth seeing. The love of God shown through the church family is worth seeing.

Open my eyes, Lord, I want to see Jesus! Don’t miss seeing Him! The Pharisees did.

Roger

 

16

Jump Start # 773

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 773

Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Yesterday, our Jump Start took a look at a passage from the gospel of John where Jesus stated that evil hates the Light. Today, we flip that idea and look at evil from the viewpoint of the righteous.

Romans 12 is a list of what we’d call today “bullet points” of what God’s people should do. There isn’t much explanation nor reasons given. This is what you do. Understand this list isn’t everything. First and foremost, which is not included in this list is to love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. This list does cover many things. Tucked in this list are several attitude words, even in our verse today.

Three statements are found in our verse today. Simple to understand. Complex in fulfilling. Doing these things makes our journey with Christ meaningful and significant. These statements draw a line in the sand for God’s people. There is a distinction between evil and good. Don’t blend the two together. Don’t mix them. Don’t compromise them. Evil and good do not mix.

Paul begins with, “Love without hypocrisy.” Love honestly. Love genuinely. A hypocritical love is faked. It’s forced. It’s not real. It’s love to the face and stab in the back when the person is not around. It’s smiles when you see each other and gossip when you don’t. It’s not a healthy love. It’s not a love that builds, repairs, forgives and grows. It’s forced. It’s tense. Don’t love that way. Love without hypocrisy. Kill the hypocrisy. Go to the Samaritans in your life. Jesus did. Go eat with the tax collectors in your life. Jesus did. Sit with those who are alone. Be kind to the guy who everyone thinks is weird. Invite to your home the people who never get invited. Pray for all. Do for all. Love without hypocrisy!

Abhor what is evil. This implies and necessitates that we recognize what is evil. Back in Isaiah’s day, they had problems with that. They called good, “Evil,” and evil, “good.” God defines. God sets the parameters. So, first, recognize what is evil. Evil is against God. Evil hates the Light. To abhor evil means to be disgusted with evil. It is to avoid evil. Understand, evil here is not used of people but wrong. Avoiding evil does not mean we avoid people. We do not live up in a monastery away from those who are different than we are. We are to be the light of the world. We need to let our lights shine. They shine the brightest in the darkness. Abhor what is evil means to not engage in evil things. Stay away from them. Don’t spend your time with evil. This includes the internet, facebook, books, movies and so forth. Don’t devise wicked things. Don’t dwell upon evil things. Don’t dream of being bank robbers, thugs and desperados. Evil takes us away from God. Evil hurts. Evil is wrong. Abhor it. Hate it. Don’t be passive. Don’t be neutral. Have an opinion. Stand with God. The radicals in the world defend evil. They promote evil. They want evil. God’s people are on the other side. They abhor it. The world would be better without evil.

Cling to what is good. Cling means to hold on to. Cling means to stay with it. Cling means to continue with and don’t let go. When small children cross a street, they cling to the hands of their parent. When we cross this world, we need to cling to the hand of God. Good is all that God is about. Years ago, folks referred to the Bible as “The Good book.” And that it is! Worship is good. Prayer is good.  God’s people are good. Honesty, righteousness and holiness is good. Cling to those things. Stay with those things. Spend your time, effort and energy with those things. Support those things. Be involved with those things.

Three simple statements. Profound in what they mean and how we apply them. These three statements make a difference with our journey with the Lord.

Love honestly, hate evil, hold on to what is good. That’s it! Practice these things and make them your life.

Roger

 

15

Jump Start # 772

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 772

John 3:20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

The words of our passage come from Jesus. They follow what is probably the most famous verse in the Bible, “For God so loved the world…” God loves but often man hates. God invites and often man shuns. God forgives and often man wants to remain in the sewer of sin.

The “Light” of our passage is Jesus. He is the light. Evil hates Jesus. Evil wishes Jesus never came. Evil wants to continue being evil. Evil is dumb. Evil doesn’t realize that it’s traveling rapidly down a dead end street and whether he likes Jesus or not, he will come face to face with Him. There is no future in evil. Evil will not win.

Jesus gives us one of the many reasons evil hates Him. Evil fears that his deeds will be exposed. Evil doesn’t want that. Evil wants to remain in the shadows. Evil thrives in the darkness and the secrets of life. Exposure means all know. Exposure means motives, methods and means will be uncovered. Exposure means guilt, shame, punishment and rejection. Evil fears Jesus. Jesus is truth and there is no darkness in Him.

Jesus never sinned. Jesus never did anything that was inappropriate. Jesus never apologized or had to return the next day and make things right. Jesus was right every time. Right actions. Right words. Right attitudes. Right motives. Jesus was pure and perfect, all the time. Evil doesn’t stand a chance next to that. Evil has no defense when in the presence of Jesus.

Instead of changing, evil flees. Instead of seeking forgiveness, evil hates Jesus. Instead of trying to make self better, evil tries to make Jesus worse. So the books, the TV shows, the blogs, the websites, the documents that attempt to expose Jesus as a fraud. Rumors of the Holy One having been married, or being homosexual, or having an anger issue, or taking advantage of the apostles are nothing more than hateful words of evil. They build ideas and theories about life that do not include God. Evil would rather believe in aliens than in the God of Heaven. They try to discredit the Word of God. They alleged errors and mistakes all the while missing the entirety of the message and the purpose of the Book. They twist passages to say things that God never said. They remake the Bible to support and defend their sinful and evil lives. Evil hates the Light.

It is hard for many of us to grasp that there are people who not only enjoy and thrive on evil, but they want evil. Given the choice between evil and righteous, they’ll take evil every time. There are those who will devote hours upon hours of trying to do wrong. If they had just spent that same time doing right, they wouldn’t have the problems they do. That won’t happen. They love evil. They want evil. If they could vote for evil, they would. They surround themselves with others who think like they do. They love music, movies and literature that promotes evil. The sacredness of life, the noble principles of God, the goodness of mankind are laughed at and mocked by those who are evil. They would love to see all Bible burned, all churches closed down and any reference to God removed from society. Evil has a digressive way about it. Once the barn door is opened, things tend to go from bad to worse. More corrupt. More evil. More godless. More sick. Farther and farther away from God. More callous in heart. More indifferent. More stubborn. More selfish. More lost

These are not happy thoughts. For some of us, family members come to our mind. For some, our co-workers fit this description. Our neighbors may fall into this category. They are not interested in your wonderful Jesus. They don’t want to be invited to church services. They don’t want you praying for them. They don’t want you to give them a verse. They hate Light.

What is sad is that righteous folks know what is coming. The Bible is true. The road and life of evil ends horribly.

Evil and righteous co-exist in this world. What are God’s people to do? Should we avoid evil? Should we ignore evil? What if evil is in our family?

First, we must guard ourselves lest we be influenced and become evil. Guard the hearts of the young. Foul language is not acceptable. Trash talking God, His people or His book should not be tolerated. If someone wants to go toe to toe in an intellectual discussion, go for it. But a one sided, throw mud in the face of God tirade should not be accepted. If evil persists, leave. Remove yourself from that environment until people can respect and be sensible.

 

Second, as God’s people we will continue to invite, pray and try to teach. Yes, evil hates, but evil doesn’t know. Kindness and tact are important, but hiding our faith is not an option. Our faith is who we are. I have known people who have nothing to do with God, calling when there is a crisis. Evil doesn’t have any hope or help at those moments. Evil wants help but doesn’t believe in God. When death comes near, even evil looks for God.

 

Rejoice in that God loves you. Rejoice in that you have found the Lord, or more so, He found you. Rejoice in that you have left evil yourself and can be named among the righteous. Don’t let evil wear you down. Don’t let evil get the best of you. Don’t do evil yourself in combating evil.  Love God and long for sweet, sweet Heaven.

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 771

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 771

Numbers 16:1-3 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown. They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

Our passage today takes a look at an uprising against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. There were many unhappy campers in that group that seems to have been led by Korah. The steps that they took are classic and are repeated in many organizations today.

  • Korah first of all did not recognize nor accept that Moses and Aaron had been chosen by God.
  • Korah felt that everyone else in the nation were as good as Moses and Aaron, “For all the congregation are holy.”
  • Korah stirred up 250 leaders, men of renown. Seldom does one speak out alone.
  • Korah called an assembly and spoke out against Moses
  • Korah failed to acknowledge the good that Moses had done, including standing up to Pharaoh and leading the nation out of Egypt. All that was forgotten.
  • What was coming was the rejection of Moses and Korah taking over the helm of the ship.

This was a mutiny. In churches today, this kind of spirit leads to a division or a split. There are several terms we use to describe this spirit: “backseat driving,” “arm chair quarterback.” Korah thought he could do a better job. Everyone does. Have you noticed how many people think they could do a better job at being President than the one we have? Or, how much better I could be at leading the church? Or, how much better I could do the job than the CEO of the company? Or, how much better I would be as a preacher?

Anybody can criticize and they usually do. There is a lot of things that go on with leadership that most do not see. Getting people to work together and keeping the mission of the organization going is a huge job. It’s more than just barking out orders and sitting in the big chair. Years ago, when I was just a young puppy at preaching, I had a guy chew me out at the door. He felt that if I had all week to work a sermon that I should have done better. He was really giving it to me. I had about enough of this guy so I apologized and told him he was right. I said in fact, I’ll let you take the sermon this coming Sunday. I reminded him that he had two classes to work on that week, the bulletin to write, an evening sermon to work up,  and about a dozen other little things to do plus meet with about four or five people. I told him I’d take the week off and learn from him. I was serious. I think he saw that in my eyes. He was stunned. He said there was no way. He claimed he needed more time to prepare. I told him that was all the time I had. He thought for a moment and then apologized. He later became one of my greatest supporters.

We can look at one decision, one sermon, one action and think, I can do better than that. Maybe you could. But with everything else, maybe you couldn’t. Everyone has an off day. Everyone gets tired and stressed. Even Moses had some bad moments.

 

Korah’s problem was that he was causing a faction. He should have never talked and complained to others. Mistake one. He should have prayed about this, mistake two. He should have spent a day watching all that Moses did, mistake three. He should have recognized that God had chosen Moses and this was a divine mission, greatest mistake. In rejecting Moses, he was rejecting God. That would cost Korah his life.

 

People do not know how to handle disagreements. They want to blow things up and make them worse than what they are. Somehow they feel safer with others so they are always compelled to tell others and find a group of sympathies who will stand behind him. There is generally one Korah in the group. A ring leader. A voice. The loudest complainer. Not happy. Never content. Always seeing the bad and never the good. They love to point out mistakes, faults and wrongs.

There are proper ways to do things. Being a pit bull is not one of them. Gathering a crowd and making demands is not one of them. Making threats is not one of them. Suggesting a division is not one of them. Korah is a classic example in what not to do.

If you are bothered by something, go first to the person responsible. Don’t rally the troops. Put down the guns and the threats. Go with the spirit of helping. Go as a coach not the enemy. Be humble. Set up a time to talk about the things that bother you. Don’t use phrases like, “Everyone is upset,” or, “I know a ton of people who agree with me.” That doesn’t help things. State your feelings calmly. Offer suggestions from your perspective. Then LISTEN. There will probably be things that you have not thought about or even realized.

Habakkuk complained to God about the violence and that God wasn’t doing anything. God responded. He said, “You wouldn’t believe” what I am doing (Hab 1:5). That is often the case. We think we know what is going on and we don’t. Talking calmly, in a non-threatening way is the best way. Appreciate the good that your leaders have done. Recognize that it is hard work.  And finally, there will be some decisions that you may not agree with. Leaders have to make them. Hopefully they have made them with prayer and what is best for the whole group. If you live by the motto, “my way or the highway,” you will find yourself bouncing from job to job and church to church and maybe even marriage to marriage. The Bible tells us to be subject to one another. Pride, stubbornness and selfishness get in the way of unity. Korah is a prime example of that.

There is a right way and a wrong way of disagreeing. Would you agree with that? This works at home…at church…and on the job! Don’t find yourself standing with the Korah’s of the world. God caused the earth to open up and they were swallowed up. Their little uprising failed.

Roger

 

11

Jump Start # 770

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 770

Mark 9:22-23 “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us! And Jesus said to him, ‘If You can? All things are possible to him who believes?”

Today, we travel to Mark 9. What a chapter! There is so much here. It’s like a suitcase that is so stuffed that a person has to sit on it to close it up. This chapter tells us that the kingdom came in the first century. Those who are still looking for Jesus to return to establish His kingdom need to take a close look at the first verse of this chapter. From that we travel to the transfiguration. From that to the demon possessed boy who is cured. From that Jesus reveals His coming resurrection from the dead which confuses the disciples. Then we catch the disciples fussing about which one of them is the greatest. Then warnings about stumbling and finally principles about salt.

 

We often find the disciples confused about what Jesus said and lacking the trusting faith that they would later have. Jesus is patient with them. However, one thing we notice is that the disciples seem to have a moral fiber and spiritual interest about them. They were often confused but never bored. They were not immoral, lawless and engaging in fleshly sins. Jesus did not catch the disciples getting drunk. He did not rebuke them for indecent thoughts or gutter language. Judas pilfered money that had been given to support Jesus, but the rest of them seemed to be men of character and quality. Good men can learn. Good men who have a heart can change. Good men who have a spiritual radar will eventually get it. Godless men who have no character, value, or principles is another story. I have found through the years that sometimes men with little character or no spiritual interests are put in leadership positions in the church. Why? Usually it’s someone’s buddy and the thought is that putting him in that position will turn him into what he should be. What a huge mistake! Trouble abounds. Things get messy. People with no character do not develop a character because they are put in charge of things. Jesus didn’t do that. Why should we? The apostles were good men that got better because of Jesus.

 

Our verse today concerns the father of a demon possessed boy. The text gives us the impression that the boy had been possessed for quite a while. The demon was causing the family many anxious moments. Because of the demon the boy was unable to speak. He often foamed at the mouth. But worst of all, there were times when the demon would throw the boy into a fire. One can only imagine how frightful that would be. He had to be watched all the time. Other times, the demon would throw the boy into water. These were life and death situations. Panic must have filled that home often.

 

The father brings the boy to Jesus with the desperate hope of finding help. Nothing else is working. Desperation has filled the home and their hearts. A large crowd gathers to watch. The father asks, “If you can do anything…” Jesus caught that. He leaped upon that statement. He replied, “If you can…” Wrong word. Belief would have asked, “Will you…” not, “If you.” If, is about ability. Jesus knew that. He could do anything. Casting out demons was common for the Lord. He had cast out legions of demons. There was no “if” about it.

Jesus turned the conversation into a lesson about belief for the father. Do you believe? The father honestly replied, “I do believe. Help my unbelief.”

 

You and I stand right where this father stood. Things happen, especially in our families. We wonder what can be done. We wonder if Jesus could do anything. The prodigal who won’t come home…the marriage that is falling apart…the aging parents that need constant attention…the mounting bills…the stress from work…the burdens of life. Can Jesus do anything? “If,” becomes a part of our vocabulary and our hearts. We wonder. We doubt. We struggle on.  We wonder “if” Jesus cares. We wonder “if” Jesus knows. We wonder “if” there is any point to any of this. That’s where desperation takes you. That’s the dead end of a doubting faith.

Yes, Jesus can. Give Him an honest heart and great things can happen. Give Him some credit, some praise and above all, some faith, and look out. Get that Bible open. Build that confidence. If God can part the seas, close the mouths of lions, and bring down the walls of Jericho, don’t you think He can help your marriage? Don’t give up.

“If” doesn’t belong in our list of words nor our hearts, not as long as we are walking with the Lord.

Lord, help our unbelief…

Roger