10

Jump Start # 956

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 956

2 Corinthians 7:6 “But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”

A friend sent me a message this week letting me know that he was in the area. We met for lunch. He’s incredible. We went to school together and our paths have crisscrossed several times since. We both preached in a lectureship in Dallas this summer. Although we haven’t spent a lot of time together, he is one of the special people in my life. There is a rich goodness about him. He’s an amazing preacher that is passionate and kind in heart. Our lunch went too quickly and we parted. I’m not sure when we will see each other again, but I hope it’s soon. We all have people that come and go in our lives. There are people that remain, we call them friends. Then there are those few who are very special to us. They bring out the best in us. They help us spiritually and keep us connected with the Lord.

Our passage today reminds us of three powerful truths.

 

First, God’s people get depressed. Paul put himself in that category. Depression isn’t something that happens only to the weak of faith. Here, an apostle admitted that he was depressed. Paul had a lot on his mind and heart. The Corinthians were not doing well. Many were questioning Paul’s authority and right as an apostle. At Ephesus, Paul fought wild beasts, most likely, describing persecutors. At Thessalonica, Paul had to sneak out of town in the night to escape persecutors. There were some who were denying the resurrection of Christ. Some were living immorally. Some were trying to tie the old law to the gospel of Christ. It seems everywhere there were things that were not right and people who were not getting it. Paul wondered out loud if his work was useless. There was enough to depress Paul.

We need to recognize something about Paul’s depression. I understand there is such a thing as clinical depression where a person has a chemical imbalance and they need prescriptions to help with that balance. We may think our hope and salvation is in a pill. It’s not. A pill may set your moods in order, but they do not remove the problems that put you there. Pills do not take away problems. Paul was depressed, but he didn’t quit. Too many use depression as a reason for not attending worship, for not continuing their walk with God, for a quick exit out of the Christian life. Not Paul. Depressed, yes. Quitting? Never!

Second, God comforts. God understands. God is the help. Paul was not alone with his burdens. God was there. What turned Paul around was God. When we run from God when we are depressed, we are running from the very source that can help us. God recognized Paul’s troubles. Paul was not threatened by God. Paul was comforted by God. Depressed times are times for prayer, soul searching and reading God’s word. Too many hang their hat on the expression, “I don’t feel like it.” Maybe you don’t. You probably don’t. We have learned that we have to do things that we don’t like. Many would like to stay in bed half the day, but they can’t. They go to work when they don’t feel like it. Many parents don’t feel like being a parent on some days. They continue on. There are days when Christians may not want to let their light shine, but they do. I don’t feel like it, isn’t a reason to quit. Onward we must go.

Third, God’s comfort to Paul was not in removing all his stress. It was not in removing all his problems. It came in the form of Titus, a person. We may wonder why God doesn’t help us and that help is often standing right in front of us, in the form of a Christian. We miss that because we aren’t looking for that form of help. We want problems removed. We want problems solved. We don’t need people. We need solutions to problems. That’s how we think. God knows. God sent Titus. Titus was better than a pill. Titus brought good news to Paul. The brethren were starting to turn around. Paul’s letters and teachings were beginning to take shape. Good news brought by a good friend—that’s enough to turn the depressed around.

 

This shows us one of the benefits of our worship. We have each other. There is something about seeing each other. Presence matters. There is encouragement, hope and reminders when we see each other. There is a positive peer pressure when we see each other. We are reminded that we are not alone when we see each other. My good friend Bill is full of cancer. I walked into the church building with him last night. That was such a boast and thrill to my heart to see him out worshipping the Lord he loves. Some look for the first and easiest excuse to miss. Their hearts are not right. Bill, having every reason to stay home, didn’t. Bill is a Titus to me. His smile, his great spirit and his overall goodness turns the darkest day to sunshine.

 

What happens when we stay home or stay away from other Christians? What happens when we do not include them in our lives? In Paul’s case, as well as ours, we would remain depressed. We wonder why God doesn’t answer our prayers. We wonder why God isn’t doing anything to help us, when the help is there, we just fail to recognize it. We stay home, singing, “gloom, despair and misery on me,” while our Titus is at the church building, sent by God, looking for us, ready to comfort us, and no connection is made.  God sent Titus. God’s comfort was in the form of Titus.

 

Do you have a Titus in your life? Preachers need them. If apostles get depressed, I’m certain preachers get depressed. Often our buckets get empty. We are there for others, but who is there for us? Titus is. You need to meet that Christian friend for lunch. You need a Bill in your life, who with all his health issues, is a fountain of joy for others. You need others. You need that Christian who will be honest with you. You need that Christian who recognizes when you are slipping. You need that Christian who is there for you.

 

God sent Titus to Paul. Comfort was given. I have so many Titus’ in my life. Some do not live very close to me, but they are always there for me, just a phone call away. Wonderful memories, strong encouragement, helpful comfort is what they provide. I think of a retired school principle by the name of Jim. He’s a Titus to me. I think of friends like Rickie J. and Don, powerful Titus’ to me. I think of four wonderful kids who look at me as dad. They are a Titus to me. There are layers and layers of dear, dear people that God has put in my life. I am not unique. Many of you can say the same. We would not be the same without these people. God has helped us by sending quality people into our lives.

 

For those who do not have a Titus in your life. He’s out there. He’s there to help you. He’s strong, spiritual and Heaven sent. Include Titus in your life. Let him be God’s comfort to you. This is what Biblical fellowship is all about. It’s not hotdogs and games. It’s hearts connecting. It’s care and love. It’s support and friendship. It’s meaningful time with quality people.

 

I have found that my list of Titus’ continues to grow. I found some new ones recently in Minnesota. Who would have thought that there would have been a Titus way up there. But there was. New friendships. New memories. Great hope. Great comfort.

 

Thank you, Lord for my friends who mean so much to me. Thank you for the comfort you give me through them. Thank you, for lunch with spiritual giants, like Kenny. It didn’t make my day, it made my week!

 

And lest we forget, you need to be a Titus to someone else. You may be God’s answer to someone’s depressed heart. You may be the very comfort that someone is needing. Take time. Allow your schedule to be interrupted. Connect. Be there. Listen. Share. Lift the hearts of others.

Titus was a key part of Paul being Paul.

Roger

 

09

Jump Start # 955

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 955

Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.”

One of the frustrating things about speaking publicly is when someone in the audience misses the point of what you are saying. Sometimes the speaker has to consider if he is clear and plain in his speaking. Other times, especially when it seems everyone else gets the point, there will be one who was in la-la land and he misses it. I like to use illustrations and stories in my lessons. I feel they help connect with what I am saying. Every once in a while someone will grab hold of the illustration and talk more about that than anything else. I’ve even had some who will write out detailed step by step notes about my illustration, which means that they were busy writing and missing what I was saying. That happened again recently. The illustration was picking apples. Someone gave me a detailed note about how to pick apples. He even explained to me every step that he had written out on the note. He was passionate about apple picking. That’s all he talked about. He didn’t say anything about the lesson, only the apple illustration. I’m glad he cared enough to enlighten me about apple picking but I’d much rather engage in a conversation about what I was talking about on the spiritual level.

I wonder if anyone ever did that to Jesus. I wonder if someone talked to the Lord about how to sow the seed? Did they hand Jesus a note about the best way to scatter seed? Jesus wasn’t really talking about farming. He used that to discuss a spiritual lesson. I have seen audiences laugh. I have seen them brought to tears. I have seen people smiling while the preacher was serious. I’m sure the preacher must have wondered what he was missing, what was going on, or what had just happened.

Our verse today is found in the Lord’s explanation about parables. We typically would not consider this one of the “Beatitudes” but it looks just like one of them. Blessed are your eyes and your ears. Blessed because they are doing what they should spiritually. Your eyes are seeing spiritually. Your ears are hearing spiritually. This isn’t easy for some folks. Thinking spiritually isn’t done very often. They don’t have their spiritual radar turned on. Ask a question of depth and insight and some give you that “deer in the headlights” look. Their world is simple, shallow and what is before them. They don’t think spiritually. Jesus wants us to. He wants our eyes seeing spiritually. He wants our ears listening spiritually.

How? How do some do that and others don’t? It comes down to a choice. It involves thinking. Outside of our jobs, there isn’t a lot of thinking that takes place. TV is very shallow. Turn the brain off when it is on. Most don’t read anymore. There isn’t a lot of brain cells being used. That’s where spiritual vision begins. Thinking. Thinking spiritually. When David saying, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Ps 8:3). David was “considering. Hebrews 11 says Moses was “considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (26). Moses was considering. They were thinking spiritually. They were looking within and connecting to the word of God.

Thinking spiritually is the key to success with God. We cannot always be spoon fed and told step by step this is what you do. We need to think for ourselves. We need to apply what God says inward.

 

Jesus understood the value of this. This is why He said, “blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear.” Many only heard stories that Jesus told. The disciples grasped life changing lessons in those stories. They became better people because of Jesus’ words.

 

So, it’s fair to ask, “Am I getting the point?” Listening to sermons, reading, even these Jump Starts, are mediums to connect us to the word of God. I must make that connection. If you miss your connection, you are stuck in the airport physically. If you miss the connection spiritually, you fail to get the point and nothing happens. Could that be why some complain, “I don’t get anything out of church?” Could it be that their eyes and ears are not working spiritually? Could it be that they are missing the point?

 

One of the greatest joys of preaching is when someone remembers a point you made years ago and it stuck with him. That happens. It’s wonderful. It makes you realize that yes you are doing something right.

Eyes and ears—are they working spiritually? Are they making connections? Are they making you think? Are they making you look within?

 

The best eyesight is the one that can look in spiritually.

Roger

 

08

Jump Start # 954

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 954

 

Isaiah 6:6-7 “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

Our passage today comes from the incredible vision that Isaiah had. It is marked with a time reference, “in the year of King Uzziah’s death.” Isaiah saw God. He saw GOD! How did he see God and live? He did steal a peak at God. It was God who sent this vision. It was God who wanted Isaiah to see Him.

 

What he saw was incredible. He saw God sitting on his throne—lofty and exalted. Seraphim stood above God. They called out, “Holy, holy, holy.” The foundations shook and the temple filled with smoke. This was an incredible picture.

 

The first words out of Isaiah’s mouth was not something stupid, irreverent, or cocky. He didn’t speak to God directly. He said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips; and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

 

Isaiah recognized the holiness of God and his own sinfulness. He immediately acknowledged that he had unclean lips and he was standing before the clean God. Unclean lips…unclean heart…unclean choices…unclean life. There is no denying it. It was true. The presence of God brought that out.

As soon as he says that, our verse takes place. One of the seraphim took a burning coal from the altar, where sacrifices are made, and touched Isaiah’s lips. That took away his sin.

 

Two thoughts for us:

 

Removing sin is painful. Although this passage is a vision, the reality of it is very vivid. A burning coal placed on someone’s lips would cause immediate pain, swelling and all kinds of problems. Sin hurts. Removing sin, hurts. God doesn’t speak in this section, the seraphim did. The seraphim didn’t tell Isaiah that his unclean lips were ok. He didn’t say, “Well, everyone is like that.” He sinned and needed forgiveness. It hurts to acknowledge sin. It hurts to realize that you have failed others and broken and disappointed God. It took the death of Jesus upon the cross, a violent, and slow and painful death to remove our sins. Removing sin is painful.

 

Second, it was God who is first to do something about our sin. God sent the seraphim to the altar and then to Isaiah. Isaiah didn’t do this on his own. He wouldn’t know what to do. His thought was that he was “ruined,” which probably meant that he was going to die. God wouldn’t have that. God forgave him. God is active in forgiving us. It was God who sent Jesus. We didn’t call for Jesus to come, He was sent. It was God’s plan, not ours, that put Jesus upon the cross.

God wants you forgiven. God wants you saved. God wants you with Him. God works hard to accomplish that. Isaiah had to allow the seraphim to put the coal to his lips. We have to believe God’s plan and obey Him. Don’t resist what God is trying to do for you. For Isaiah, it was hot coals on the lips. For us, it’s the waters of baptism. Both, God designed, planned and Heaven sent.

 

Forgiveness is wonderful. It’s a fresh and new start. It’s being clean. For some, it’s been a long, long time since they were clean from the heart out. It’s seeing that God hasn’t turned his back on you. It’s seeing how much God loves you.

Forgiven…standing before God…clean! It can happen to you. God wants that. Do you?

Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 953

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 953

Isaiah 40:22 “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and it’s inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.”

 

I have more to write about parenting but will take a break from that this week. My good friend Zack, who is an amazing preacher, referred to this passage last evening and it got me thinking about how wonderful God is.

Three observations from this passage:

First, God sits. There is a footnote in my Bible that says, “Enthroned.” God is not just sitting, He is enthroned. God sits on His throne. The throne of Heaven is always occupied by God. In Isaiah 6, the prophet saw God sitting upon the throne. In Revelation 4, John saw God sitting on the throne. The throne is never empty. The throne is never occupied by one of us. It is God’s throne and He sits upon it. All is well because God is upon the throne. I like the great thought Zack shared last evening about this. God is not pacing back in forth, as if He is worried or not sure what to do. He is sitting. He is at the helm. All is ok, because God is on the throne. During wars, storms, fretful nights, emergencies, and scary times, God is upon the throne. When children are frightened during a storm, they craw into bed with mom and dad. The storm is still there. It is the presence of mom and dad that calms the child. The presence of God does that for us.

Secondly, God sits above the circle of the earth. The earth is a circle. Most get that. There was a time when most didn’t get that. It was thought flat. There wasn’t much knowledge of what was on the “other side” of earth. Some thought the earth was held by a god like Atlas. Others thought it was on the back of a giant turtle. Most thought that the sun revolved around the earth. Now, if the Bible wasn’t written by God, the only other conclusion was that it was written by man. Old passages, such as Isaiah, reveal thought that was not known. Few, if any, were floating the concept of a round earth that was not held up by something else. How could this be written when it wasn’t known? There are tons of passages like this. The Bible predates common scientific wisdom at the time. This is another piece of evidence for the inspiration of the Bible. Add to this the accuracy of the Bible in geography, history and other sciences, plus, the fulfillment of prophecy, the internal unity, and what the Bible itself claims—there is no other place this book could come from than God. It is He who sits above the circle of the earth.

 

Thirdly, “it’s inhabitants are like grasshoppers.” Interesting comparison. The inhabitants are us, the residents of earth. We are like grasshoppers. Think I would have suggested “ants.” God knows what He sees. We are busy hopping around, stopping once in a while and off we go. It must be amusing for God to see us. We think we are big stuff. We think we know everything and have everything figured out. The grasshopper can’t even see us watching it. The grasshopper has a small range of vision. His world is right before his eyes. If I had my choice of bugs or insects to be, I don’t think a grasshopper would make the list. I’d choose a cricket before a grasshopper and that would be low on my list. We too often think too much of ourselves. To God, we look like grasshoppers. That’s rather humbling.

There was a pop song several years ago that talked about God from a distance. “From a distance…” God is not so far away that He cannot see, hear or know each of us. He knows what you face. He knows what you are capable of. He knows what your day is like. He sits above the circle of the earth, yet He is right there for you.

 

God is amazing. He loves you. He wants you. He longs for you to spend forever with Him. Don’t give up on Him. Don’t think your problems are too great for Him. Don’t think that you’re too far gone for Him. He won’t give up on you, leave you or quit on you. However, He won’t do anything without our part. We pray and want God to take away all of our problems. Won’t happen. He will walk with you through your problems. He’s there.

 

Sitting above the circle of the earth is our God!

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 952

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 952

 

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

We continue our look at parenting through the eyes of the Lord. We can not have too many lessons about the home. There are so many assaults on the home from so many different places that we need to be reminded and taught and warned about the great spiritual lessons from the Bible.

 

Our passage today is a classic parenting verse. It is one of the first ones that people go to when we think about parenting and the Bible. This passage emphasizes the input that parents have in their child’s life. Proverbs by definition are truisms. They are not absolute, 100% every time. Truisms mean generally this is the way it is. There will always be some exception. There are many wonderful parents who have done great jobs yet their kids did not turn out so wonderful. It’s easy to point fingers, blame the parent and often this passage is cited. Blaming good parents for the poor choices of grown children doesn’t change things. It only makes those parents feel worse. Remember, many Old Testament illustrations shows Israel as the child of God. Israel was rebellious, wayward and disobedient to God. Was God at fault for having a wayward child? Was God to carry the blame for the sins of a nation who didn’t love Him or care for Him? No. So, if God, the perfect parent, had a rebellious child, Israel, let’s be careful with spooning out guilt on parents who’s hearts are already breaking because of the decisions of their children.

Our passage gives us two thoughts:

 

First, Train Up. That involves time, instruction, energy and an understanding in what you are training for and what the goal is. So often, young families begin having babies the same time they are busy getting established in their careers. The demands of work pulls one away from the home. Choices have to be made. Children can’t be paused and then when you have time, you come back to them. Doesn’t work that way. They will grow up with or without you. They will learn, either from you or from someone else. They will be taught the Bible—either the right way through you, the parent, or the wrong way through their friends, or a teacher. They will learn love, the Biblical way, through you the parent, or they will learn selfish and lustful love through a boyfriend or girlfriend. They will learn about the church, through you the parent or through their friends, which may be a distorted, wacko version of what the Bible teaches. You children will learn. They will learn the right way or the wrong way. They can’t wait for you to get your life, your career, or your act together. They are growing. They are learning. By the time some of us are ready to talk, they are no longer wanting to listen. They know. They have learned a distorted definition of what God wants and off they go fulfilling that nightmare.

 

Train up. Work at it. Spend time with them. Teach. Show. Take them. Answer questions. Ask them questions. Probe. Get them thinking. Challenge them. Build that faith. Lay the foundation in Jesus. Everyone loves the quarterback this time of the year. Every kid wants to be that varsity quarterback on the high school team. However, in August when it’s hot and most kids are inside playing video games, few want to be that quarterback who is running and training. What he does in August determines how he will be in October. The training is work. The training is tough. The training determines the outcome. Parents are to train up their child.

 

Second, in the way he should go. Train up a child in the way he should go. Most of us see Heaven and righteousness here. That’s the way a child ought to go and therefore that is the way parents ought to train him. That makes good sense. That’s what parents ought to do. However, this passage has another meaning. The original words give us a different thought. It is talking about a person’s natural leanings or “bent.” All of us have a certain “wiring” within us that comes from God. It is what makes us unique. We sometimes call this “God given talent,” and that’s a fair assessment of things, because they are God given. I have a friend in my congregation who is “artsy.” She draws unbelievable things. She has taken her talent, studied more, practiced and uses it in wonderful ways. I can’t draw a straight line across a board. That is her “bent.” Others are dreamers. They are planners. They come up with great ideas. Where many of us are stuck not knowing what to do, these folks come up with the solutions. That is their bent. For others it’s music. My wife is that way. She has an “ear” for music. She can hear a song and tell you what key it is in. She recognizes when someone is out of pitch. She has taken that talent and studied more and practiced more and is very gifted in that area. All I know is that when the notes go up, your voice goes up and when they go down your voice goes down and when they stop, you stop. I’m pitiful in music. That’s not my “bent.” Others, can talk easily to a stranger and strike up a conversation so well. Others, it’s math and numbers. Others, it’s compassion.

 

Train up a child in the way he should go. Train up a child according to his “bent.” Don’t “unbend” him. I have a tree in my yard that the first owners planted. It was planted crooked. It’s a big tree now. It has grown crooked. It’s too late to straighten that tree up. It has a “bent” to it. It has grown according to that “bent.”  This is what this passage is saying. Now what did this mean to the people back then? They didn’t have the options of sports like our kids do today. Most likely, a parent could tell if a child was wired to teach or work with hands or was a thinker or was artsy. Develop or train up a child according to his “Bent.” Someone who is not good with working with their hands shouldn’t be pushed into mechanics. Some are good at writing. Some are good at explaining things. Train them according to their bent.

 

Now, how do you know a kid’s “bent”? You have to try some different things. You will find each child is “bent” a different way. Don’t expect each child to do the same as the others. This makes challenges with running kids to different things. This is hard for some parents. Some want their kids to be bent a certain way—like sports. That may not be their thing. The pressure put upon the child and what we say about those things can determine success or failure.

 

Have you figured out your bent yet? You have one. Are you using your strengths? Do you know how your child is bent? Are you helping him in that way?

Roger