31

Jump Start # 2150

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2150

Ezekiel 33:33 “So when it comes to pass—as surely it will– then they will know that a prophet has been in their midst.”

Our passage today is one of the many sad things that Ezekiel went through as a prophet and a preacher. His road was long and it was rugged. Most wouldn’t have been able to do what he did. In this section, we find the conflicting response to his preaching. The crowds love to listen. They tell others and bring others to hear the prophet preach. However, twice in these verses it is stated that the people will not do what the prophet says. They love to hear, but they are not changing. Love to hear, but they are stuck in their ways. This reveals the ups and downs that preachers face. Most preachers would be thrilled to have members telling co-workers, family and neighbors about their sermons. Most would love to have members inviting others to come and hear the words. But how depressing to learn that folks are coming, but no one is interested in changing. No one will actually listen to what you are saying. The place may be packed with people but there are few that truly serious about the message. How sad.

Our verse begins today with that most interesting expression, “So when it comes to pass, as surely it will.” It will come to pass. It will come about. It’s going to be. It will be, because God said so. But there’s something to that “it comes to pass” business. Consider a few thoughts:

First, our problems come to pass. Our problems do not come to stay, but to pass. They may seem to take a long, long time, even a lifetime, however, the day comes when they will be no more. I think about that bent over woman in the Gospel of Luke. For 18 years she was bent double and could not straighten up at all. Eighteen years is a long, long time. She may have thought that she would never be rid of this problem. She may have thought that she’d die with that problem. Some do. Some never get any distance between them and their problems. However, when you are walking with the Lord, your problems will come to pass. They will end. We do not carry these burdens beyond the grave. Health problems, they will end. Financial woes, they will end. Fighting temptation, it will end. Stress, it will end. Fears, they will end. They will all pass.

Living forever only has an appeal if that life is better than what we have here. Who would like to work FOREVER. Can you imagine asking a co-worker how long have he has been there and his response, “only about 50,000 years.” Can you imagine changing diapers FOREVER. Can you imagine paying bills FOREVER. Life eternal is more than just living on and on, it’s living differently. Through Christ that is possible. Your burdens will pass some day.

Second, we ourselves will come to pass. We have a divine appointment with death. This is why the Holy Spirit tells us that life is like a vapor or a weaver’s shutter. We’re not going to stick around here long. You turn around three times and your kids are raised, out of the house and raising their own families. Knowing that we too will pass, behooves us to make the most of our time. Stop putting off what needs to be done. Get to the essential things. Seek ye first, the kingdom of God. First clean the inside of the cup and then wash the outside, He said. There seems to be a order or a priority with these things. First things first. We can get our order out of order and spend so much time with things that do not matter much.

We will come to pass. I go today to a funeral of one of my aunts. There are not many left. All my grandparents have passed. All my uncles have passed. My mom has passed. The numbers are getting fewer and fewer. I remember an old guy telling me once that he knew more people on the other side than on this side of life. The measurement of life shouldn’t be by age, but by what you have done with your time. Given ten lifetimes, some still wouldn’t do much with it other than watch TV, sit around and complain and make life miserable for everyone else. A lifetime is made up of many days. Days like today. Today, how will I encourage someone? Today, how will I show Jesus? Today, what difference will I make? One day quickly turns into a week, which becomes a month, then a year, then a lifetime. So, each day make it the best that you can. Lift hearts. Shed some sunshine. Stand up for Jesus. Smile more. Be thankful. Be helpful. Do it today and it will be easier to do it tomorrow.

Third, my sins do not come to pass without the blood of Jesus. This is a lesson that many do not seem to get. There is no limitations to our sins. Decade old sins are still there. Sins we committed three houses ago, still there. Sins we have forgotten about, still there. Sins back in college, still there. Sins we committed while living in other states, still there. Sins committed in our first jobs, still there. They don’t go away. They don’t evaporate after time. They don’t expire. God’s judgment isn’t limited. Sins of our youth. Sins while we were dating. Sins of anger. Sins of lust. Sins of hatred. Still there. Always there. They do not pass. Only in Christ, can they be forgiven, washed away and removed. Nothing else will do it. Year after year, those sins are stacking up. As it says in Revelation, they have reached Heaven. And, through it all, we see ourselves as pretty good people. We help out at little league. We watch the neighbor’s dog when they are on vacation. We hold doors open for people with packages in their hands. We help out at school. We donate money to charities. All in all, we are fairly decent people. Yet, what about all of those sins? They are there. There is no amount of good that can compensate for those sins. The magnitude of our sins is expressed in Matthew 18, where a man owed his master 10,000 talents. That number is huge. It reaches beyond 10,000 years of work necessary to pay that debt. That’s sin. There isn’t enough life in any of us to overcome what we owe. We are in trouble without Jesus. Sins do not pass away.

Finally, God does not pass away. He’s there. He’s always been there. He sees you, knows you and loves you. He wants to forgive you, help you and invites you to spend forever with Him in eternity. God doesn’t get old, outdated nor out of touch. He was there for Abraham to make sacrifices to. He was there for Noah to pray to. He was there for Paul. And, He is there for you. When alone, God is there. When unsure, God is there. When the world seems to be changing and falling apart, God remains the same. He wants you to trust Him, believe Him and follow Him. He always has. Don’t try to find short cuts. Don’t look for new ways and new approaches. Don’t try to find hidden messages or secrets that no one else knows. It was by faith that the walls of Jericho fell. It was by faith that Noah built and survived in the ark. It was by faith that Peter boldly proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus. And, it is by faith that you and I walk forgiven in the name of Jesus. Does a person need to be baptized? Yes. Yes, because God said so. Had God said to learn a foreign language, then we’d have to learn a foreign language. Had God said everyone must travel to Jerusalem, then we’d have to book a flight to Jerusalem. Had God said be baptized, then we need to be baptized.

Recently, I stood in some old, old places in Rome. Greek period, Roman period, and yet, God remains the same. He still wants you and I to walk by faith. He wants us to live according to His word. He wants us to be like Him.

It comes to pass…what a great expression for us to think about.

Roger

30

Jump Start # 2149

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2149

2 Timothy 4:16 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.”

Our verse today shows a side of reality that we often do not want to admit or talk about. It’s one of the very things that causes some to walk away from the Lord and His people. The setting took place in Rome, the massive city of the Empire. Paul had been sent there to stand before Caesar. It was during this Roman period that many of the books of the N.T. were written. There had been a trial. Paul had squeaked through it. There would be a second trial, and that one would lead to his execution. He knew it was coming.

 

At his first trial, Paul stood alone. This is where our verse is found. No one supported me. All deserted me. No one sitting at his table, if they had such. No one to speak in his behalf. No one to encourage him. And, it’s not that they were all too far away and couldn’t make it. It wasn’t that they were all busy preaching and doing great things. Paul knew. It hurt. It hurt as much as what Caesar would say to him. They all deserted him. He hopes that what they did would be forgiven, by others and by God.

 

There are two sides to our verse today. There is Paul’s side and there is the side of those who deserted.

Let’s being with those who never came. Alone is a terrible feeling. I’ve seen it all too often. Someone sitting alone in the surgery waiting room. The doctor comes out, and tears flow down their face. No one to hug them. No one to hold a hand. No one to whisper words of comfort. All alone. I’ve seen it in a funeral home. A visitation is taking place in one room, and you pass another room, and there stands one or two people looking down in a casket. The room is empty. No one is in there. It seems that they are alone.

 

I can’t speak much for Paul’s times, but I understand our times. I live in it. We are busy. We are too busy with our selves and our own world. We assume others will be there, but they may be making the same assumption about us. We plan to stop by, but things happen, and it just doesn’t happen. We meant to send a card, but we forgot to pick one up at the store. Days turn into weeks and now, it seems too late.

 

Even in large congregations, people can feel alone. They can feel that there is no one that I can talk to. There is no one that I can count on. There is no one that will be there for me. And, too often that’s just what happens. In the hospital, out to rehab, and now back to worship and it seems very few even missed you. It seems very few even knew. Worse, it seems very few even cared.

 

Deserted is a terrible feeling, especially, as in Paul’s situation, it didn’t have to happen. It may well be that some were afraid of being arrested as well. Maybe they were thinking too much of saving their own skin and not thinking about Paul in that Roman dungeon. Often, we hide behind, “I’ll pray for you.” That’s wonderful, if you really do that. But that doesn’t excuse me of other obligations. Praying at home, means I don’t have to drive downtown to the hospitals to visit, fight traffic, pay to park, and give up an afternoon. I can just pray. I can pray means I don’t have to go to the funeral home, stand in line and try to think of something to say. I can just pray. I can pray which means I don’t have to take some food, which means, going to the store, baking something and then taking it over to the family. I can just pray. Prayers are powerful, but don’t let it be an excuse to get out of other things. “Saying, ‘In Jesus name, Amen,’” doesn’t end your responsibilities. We pray for the church to grow, well, after the Amen, we need to greet the visitors at worship and invite our friends. We pray for the sick, after the Amen, we need to go visit them. We pray for those who are mourning, after the Amen, we need to comfort. Prayer is powerful. It invites God into our world, but it doesn’t mean God takes over and I’m now finished with what I need to do.

 

Second, from Paul’s perspective, he was alone and deserted. I’ve not really looked into what Roman trials were like. But from our passage, I expect Paul scanned the audience, looking for a friendly face. That can make all the difference. We do that all the time. I do that. A kid is on the field playing sports, or on the stage preforming. He scans the crowd, looking for the face of mom or dad. He’s looking for confidence. When I preach in other places, I look for a face that I know. It’s comforting to see someone that you recognize and that loves you. Paul would have looked through that audience of strangers, and not seen anyone that he knew or anyone that was comforting to him. No one. Deserted and alone.

 

Abandoned. Forgotten. Alone. Scared. I was reading the obituary of someone the other day. It said that he passed away surrounded by those who loved him. That’s comforting. Paul didn’t have that. He stood alone at his trial. That’s enough to make some bitter. That’s enough to turn the stomach of some on the church. They don’t care about me, I’m not going back—ever.

 

However, with Paul, we find two wonderful thoughts for the deserted. It may happen to you someday. You may be alone in that waiting room. You may be alone and no one called to see how you are doing. Instead of being eaten up with sorrow, pity and loneliness, notice Paul.

 

First, he said, “may it not be counted against them.” Paul didn’t wash his hands of those who could have been there but weren’t. His attitude wasn’t, “just wait until they need me, I won’t be there.” He didn’t think, “After all I have done for them, I am finished helping them.” No. Not Paul. He hopes their failure will not be counted against them. He hopes Heaven forgives. He hopes others will forgive. He hopes others will be able to have the spirit that he did.

 

Second, the next verse states that the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. Paul wasn’t alone. He had someone all the time. He had the greatest with him. He not only had someone with him, but it was the Lord. And the Lord wasn’t just there, He helped Paul. He strengthened Paul. Paul got through this terrible time because of the Lord. Was the Lord literally there? No. The Lord is in Heaven. It was through faith. It was through hope, Scripture, eternal promises and a wonderful relationship with Jesus, that Paul knew the Lord was there.

 

Don’t give up on Jesus because others let you down. The Lord hasn’t done that. Don’t blame the Lord for the failures of others. Don’t throw the towel in on what you know is true and right.

 

Sometimes we have to go through a dark valley to witness all the love, support and care of others. It’s during those times that we often realize that we’ve never been there for others. We haven’t been in the surgery waiting room, we haven’t gone to the funeral home, we haven’t taken any food for others. Here we are on the receiving end of things and what a wonderful and helpful experience that has been. Now, our eyes are opened to do the same for others. Often, it takes that for us to see how important we are to each other.

 

Paul was deserted but he wasn’t ruined. Don’t let what others do ruin you. The Lord is with you.

 

Roger

 

 

 

27

Jump Start # 2148

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2148

Ephesians 4:27 “and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

Our verse today comes from a pair of verses about anger. It is found in a setting of “do nots”. Do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. And, our verse, do not give the devil an opportunity. When angry, we often don’t think as we should and we can be consumed with the cause of anger and become blinded to the big picture.

Today, our attention is drawn to this third statement, “do not give the devil an opportunity.” In essence, don’t help the devil out. Don’t hand the devil a key to your heart. This idea expands far beyond the topic of anger. Stop helping the enemy. Stop handing the devil a weapon to be used on you.

First, we know, but we sometimes fail to realize that the devil isn’t our friend. Worse, he doesn’t care about you at all. He doesn’t care that he trashes your heart and leads you into all kinds of trouble. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that there are serious consequences connected to temptation. He doesn’t care that what happens may lead to a divorce in your marriage. You may have to move out of your house. You may have to sell the house. Your kids will now have visitation rights every other weekend. Their world is turned upside down. The devil doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that his temptations may lead to serious, life long addictions. He doesn’t care that drugs, alcohol or, porn may be a part of your life for decades. He doesn’t care that you may lose your job because of that. He doesn’t care if you get arrested. He doesn’t care if you hurt the people who are nearest to you. He doesn’t care if you are ruined financially. He doesn’t care if your reputation is tarnished. He doesn’t care if fellowship among brethren is withdrawn from you. He doesn’t care that you blame others. And, he certainly doesn’t care that you may lose your soul eternally. He simply doesn’t care about you. There is no fondness. There is no tenderness. There is no love. There is no wishing for the best. There is no wanting you to succeed. He will lie to you. He will twist things. He will use people. He will promise things that he cannot keep. He is dishonest, untrustworthy and a liar. And, yet, far too many times, we will open the door to our hearts and allow him in. He is more dangerous than a snake and he is worse than cancer. And, once he is in, only Christ can get him out.

Who would have ever thought that a little anger, a little flirting, a little arrogance, a little greed, could play right into his hands. He smiles every time a church splits. He laughs every time someone walks away from God. He claps with excitement, every time some fool dishonors God or the Bible on a blog. He knows better and more than most of us about who God is and the power of God’s word. He loves it when professors trash the word of God before a classroom of students. He hopes the credentials of the professor is more impressive to these foolish hearts than the God of Heaven is.

The devil isn’t our friend.

Second, we help the devil, the enemy, every time we dishonor God, disobey God, or ignore God. Satan gets a foot hold and he gains more ground, each time we do this. Satan loves it when we fuss with our brethren in Christ. He gets another chance to score. He loves it when we are just too busy to open the Bible. Too busy to read God’s word, but not too busy to watch TV. He loves it when we forget to pray. Not too busy to send a text, check our email, read some useless post on Facebook, but no time to talk to the eternal God of Heaven who made us and the one we will stand before in judgment. Satan will throw excuses at us to miss worship. Worship is dangerous to Satan. There we are surrounded by people who love God. There the word of God is studied in detail. Praying, preaching and praising God takes place. Folks leave encouraged. Folks leave committed. Worship is powerful. So, Satan will work it out for you to stay up late on Saturday night, so you are tired and sleepy in worship. He’ll work it out for you to oversleep. The dog will get sick. The kids won’t be able to find their shoes. Reasons after reasons to stay home. Someone invites you to the lake. It’s a great day to go to the lake. Satan smiles. You child has baseball practice, on a Sunday morning! You don’t want him to sit on the bench for missing a practice, so you skip a Sunday. Satan smiles. Your mom calls and she needs you. Another reason to miss worship. Satan is great at arranging these things on a Sunday morning. He knows.

Third, we help the enemy, the devil, when we don’t listen to our conscience. Our conscience, if governed by the Bible, is a wonderful reminder of what we ought to do. There was a saying long ago, “Don’t listen to your conscience,” that’s not good advice. You should, under specific conditions. Your conscience is like a watch. It’s great if it’s working and set to the right time. A watch that is set to London time, won’t help much where I live. It’s not set correct. However, one that is working and set correctly, is of great benefit.

You’re with some people, and they get talking about someone who isn’t there. Something juicy about that person pops in your head. It’s mean and it’s not nice, but you want to top all the other stories. Immediately, a thought crosses your mind, this is gossip and I shouldn’t repeat this. I help the enemy when I ignore my conscience and repeat what I shouldn’t. We get upset and we feel like letting someone have it, a thought crosses our mind, Jesus wouldn’t do this. When we ignore that thought, and chew someone out, we help the enemy out. When we hear about someone doing well, and it just makes us envious and jealous, and we start picking them apart, a thought crosses our mind, rejoice with those who rejoice. But we ignore that thought, and we trash the person, either in our hearts or before others, you have helped the enemy. Even during worship, Satan is there. A certain song leader gets up to lead, and we think, “Not this guy. He can’t lead.” Rather than focusing upon the God we are praising, we help the enemy destroy our worship by thinking about the wrong things. The same could be said about who is preaching, who is teaching a class. We can help the enemy by ignoring our conscience.

What can we do? Stop helping the enemy! Get your mind, heart and soul in the right place with God. Realize how sneaky, destructive and evil Satan is. Get close to God and stay there. Surround yourself with godly people and fill your heart and mind with the things God loves.

Stop helping the enemy!

Roger

26

Jump Start # 2147

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2147

Hebrews 10:34 “For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.”

 

I was reading the other day about Trajan Decius, a Roman emperor who reigned from 249-251 A.D. A short reign. Short, but dangerous, ugly and harsh to Christians. He made an edict that forced every citizen to sacrifice to the state gods. They had to do this before local authorities. If they refused, threats, imprisonments, torture, and confiscation of property would follow. He tried to force all into idolatry. Immediately, our verse today came to mind. The Hebrew Christians, much earlier, faced similar persecutions and sufferings. The seizure of your property is what stands out today.

 

I like my house. I like the way it looks. I like where it is located. I’ve lived in a lot of houses through the years. This one is my favorite. I was thinking about the “seizure of your property,” when it comes to my house and everything in it. This expression is so un-American, that we cannot grasp it. The idea of someone taking what is ours just doesn’t happen. We’d be calling lawyers, local officials, the police, ghost busters. Someone. This isn’t fair, right or nice. People can’t take what is not theirs. They can’t take what belongs to us. Where would we live if our property was seized? It would be worse than starting over. Most times, insurance will help some. Not for the Hebrews. Not for those living under the rule of Decius. There is no one to call. There is no one to make this injustice right. All that you worked for, gone. Gone because you believe in Jesus. Gone because you worship Jehovah and not a Caesar. Gone and it’s never coming back. Think about all your knick-knacks. Think about all your favorite things you’ve collected. Your tools. Your photos. Your heirlooms. Gone. Most of it trashed by heathens who have no heart. You escape with just what you happen to be wearing. Everything else seized. Gone. It’s all gone.

 

What is remarkable about all of this is the expression found in Hebrews, “accepted joyfully the seizure of your property.” This was not a fight to the death. This wasn’t a tug-of-war and the stronger ones pulled items out of your hands. They accepted it. They accepted it joyfully. Can you imagine? No ugly name calling. No giving them a piece of your mind. No threats. Not even, tears. They accepted joyfully. Joyful and the tears of sadness do not fit together well. The joyful heart is not sad. The sad heart is not joyful. They accepted the seizure of their property joyfully.

 

This runs parallel to what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount. There we are reminded, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

I do think many of us would have trouble with the seizure of our property. I think about my books, my baseball collection, my colorful socks. I’d like to think I could stand with those who were joyful about this, but I honestly think I’d probably go down kicking and screaming. Here are a few simple helps for us:

 

First, it’s just stuff. I know it’s OUR stuff and we have worked hard for it and we paid for it, but in the end, it’s just stuff. When the Lord comes, all of it will be destroyed. We can become too attached to our stuff. What we have does not define us nor does it describe us. Enjoy things as you have them, but it’s not life and your life does not consist of possessions, is what the Lord teaches us.

 

Second, our faith comes before all things, including our stuff, our property and even our lives. Jesus never promised His followers that they would be safe. He didn’t say, you may be bumped about some, but you’ll be ok. No, some would lose their lives. Some would suffer. Some would have their property seized. It would be hard. But God was aware of all these things and keeping our faith first, will make all things ok in the end. Jesus asked, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Well, some may be thinking, I’ll go down fighting. That’s not the language of the N.T. Accepted joyfully is what the Hebrews were called. Blessed is what Jesus said. Don’t allow anything or anyone to come before your faith.

 

Third, there was something coming for those who remained faithful. There was a reward, an inheritance far greater than anything these people ever saw or owned. It was being with God forever in Heaven. They carried about in their character the spirit of Jesus. It showed. It was noticed. There were consequences because of that. God never forgot. Those early Christians that were poor, many were servants, and they were crushed by the bloody hands of persecutors are now resting in Paradise. The battle is over for them. They won. The property that was stolen has long gone to the wayside. Those mean and aggressive persecutors have been forgotten by history. But Heaven knows and Heaven remembers those, such as Antipas, who gave their lives for Jesus.

 

We sing, “This world is not my home,” but I wonder if we really mean that. I wonder how much we truly desire Heaven. I wonder if the sword of persecutors came, would we sacrifice to false idols just to save our necks? Would we compromise just to save our stuff? The story is told, I don’t know if it’s true of not, but during the sinking of the Titanic, one wealthy person went back to her stateroom to retrieve her valuables. She never made it off the ship. It was just stuff.

 

We spend a lot of time thinking about stuff. We shop for stuff. We fill our time with stuff. Jesus reminds us that these treasures can rust and they can be stolen. What no one can take away from you is your love and faith in the Lord. Hard times won’t. Standing alone won’t. Temptations won’t. The only way we give up our faith is by our choice. No one can force you.

 

I expect hard times followed the seizure of their property. It’s hard to cook, it someone has taken away the pot to cook in. It’s hard to plow if someone took your ox. It’s hard to find a decent place to sleep if someone took your bed and your home. Tough times might have followed. Yet, they accepted joyfully the seizure of their property. They were recognized as being those who belonged to Him. The pagans weren’t bothered. Their property wasn’t seized. It was the Christians. They were noticed, identified and now suffered for that. This didn’t discourage them. They accepted it joyfully. They were like the prophets of old. They were like others who had made the choice to stand with the Lord.

 

Instead of crushing their spirits and defeating them, the seizure of the property, made their spirits soar with the Lord. They were counted worthy. They were among the blessed.

 

What a difficult time, and yet what a refreshing and profound spirit we find among those early disciples. Don’t you wish we could have the same attitude and heart? Don’t you wish that we could handle difficulties like they did? Don’t you wish that we could learn from them? You can.

 

Accepted joyfully…

 

Roger

 

25

Jump Start # 2146

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2146

Luke 10:26 “And He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”

 

I heard on the news recently of a man that was arrested in a nationally known fitness gym. The gym advertises on TV as “No judging.” I always took that to mean one doesn’t have to be fit, muscular to work out in that gym. A person could be overweight, capable of only doing a few exercises and that’s ok. There would be no judging. Well, the man arrested the other day was working out in the buff. He was naked. When the police took him away, he said, “I thought you stood for ‘No judging.’”

 

Now, this is a classic example of context and interpretation. Does the slogan “No judging” mean a person could do anything that they wanted, legal or illegal and there would be “No judging?” In our culture today, could a person be a racist in that gym and there would be “No judging.” Could a person use drugs? Is there no limits to what a person could do? Could a person sell gym memberships to a competing gym? No judging, right?

 

Obviously, the company had a different meaning and interpretation of “No judging” than the naked man. The police were called and he was arrested. It’s against the law to be naked in the public. Now, he may believe that’s judging, but that’s the law.

 

What does this have to do with Jump Starts? Context and interpretation are the keys to understanding the Bible. Without those two principles, the Bible can be used to say things that God never intended. God commanded Noah to build an ark. Most do not feel compelled to do the same. Why? That command was for Noah. Context. Interpretation.

 

In our verse today, Jesus asks two questions. They are not the same question. These questions are a reply to a question asked of Jesus. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus answered with these two questions. First, what is written in the Law? The Law is the standard. It will read the same for this person as it did for Jesus. The answer is in the Law. There are not different meanings for different people. The Law is the same. We ought to see this and understand this as we drive. The speed limit is the speed limit. It’s not different for pickups or sports car. It’s not different if you are a young driver or a senior citizen. The fact that so few drive the speed limit doesn’t change what is written in the law.

 

The second question is about application. How does it read to you is asking what are you going to do with what the Law says? How are you going to apply the Law? How do you plan to live by this Law?

 

The danger of ignoring context leads to unsound ideas and principles that are not supported Biblically. This is why a person reading the Bible must understand who is talking, what are the circumstances, and who is being talked to. Those thoughts help frame a context. Then it is essential to read several verses above and following the verse we are looking at. Otherwise, it’s like walking into a room, where two people are having a conversation, and you hear one sentence and you get all upset because of what you heard. What you missed was the context. They could be talking about a movie and you think they are talking about each other. They may be talking about someone else and you assume that they are talking about you. Out of context leads to wrong conclusions and wrong ideas.

 

A popular out of context violation today is believing that the Holy Spirit revealed things directly to Paul and so the same should happen to me. I’ve read modern writers who claimed the Holy Spirit led them to write certain paragraphs, led them to certain passages and paralleled that experience to what was happening to Paul in the New Testament. Out of Context! Paul was an apostle, we are not. Paul was promised the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of God’s word, we are not. Paul could do miracles. We can not.

 

So, when a person is reading about the apostle Paul, he must realize that Paul wore three hats. First, he was a Christian. Second, he was a preacher. Third, he was an apostle. Before we start following Paul, we must understand which hat he is wearing. We cannot do everything he did. That’s context. So, when Paul told the Corinthians, to be imitators of me, he was talking about character and behavior as a Christian. Context demands that. He wasn’t saying, do miracles, like I do miracles. We can’t. He wasn’t saying, write books of the Bible, like I write books of the Bible. We can’t. He wasn’t saying, the Holy Spirit will tell you what to write, just like He tells me what to write. We can’t. Context.

 

Many folks want to use Jesus as an example of drinking alcohol. Jesus turned water into wine, so that’s Heaven’s stamp of approval for you and I to hit the bars. Context. Have you noticed the passage never says that Jesus drank any of it. Also, the point isn’t issuing a green light to drink. It was showing the miraculous powers of Christ to change substance. It’s unlikely that it was even alcoholic. But greater than that, if we use what Jesus did to justify drinking, what are we going to do when Jesus turned tables over in the temple? Does that allow us to trash the property of those we disagree with? Can we use whips to run people off that we do not agree with? Context.

 

Jesus fed the crowds. Does that mean today’s church ought to do the same? Context. Finding a verse that supports my ideas and agenda does not always mean that the Bible actually teaches that. There is an old, old story called “Jumbled Up Scriptures” in which a guy randomly opened the Bible. He was going to do whatever the Bible said. The gist of the story is that he opened to a passage that said Judas went out and hung himself. In his horror, he closed the Bible and reopened it. He came to another passage that told him to do it quickly.

 

Jesus said do not judge. Folks love that passage. Yet, more than once within that same chapter, Jesus tells us to judge. If we never judged, then we could never say anything was wrong. That would be judging. Yet, how were early preachers, such as Timothy to reprove and rebuke, as they were told to do, if they could not judge. Context. What did Jesus mean by do not judge?

 

The Ephesians were told that they were saved by grace through faith. The world has stopped on that verse. Saved by grace. Nothing else to do. Nothing else required. Anything further would be work and we are not saved by works. Do you have to repent? Yeah, probably. Do you have to go to church? You should. How about being baptized? No. Never, they’d declare. Saved by grace and baptism is works, they scream. Context. Jesus, Himself, told the world to be baptized. Context.

 

We must allow God to speak through His word. Instead of telling God what He needs to tell us, let the Bible speak in it’s context. This takes a little digging. This takes some study. This takes some thinking.

 

Did the fitness gym judge the naked man? Yes. Did that violate their advertising campaign? No. It’s a matter of context. The political battleground these days are examples of not understanding context. A statement is made. War is declared politically and in the media. It doesn’t matter the context, some say, the statement was made. People are missing the point.

 

Using the Bible wrongly is not much different than not using the Bible at all. Using the Bible to say what it doesn’t say will not find God’s support and approval. Putting words in God’s mouth will not make Him smile at you.

 

Context—observe it. Understand it. Follow it. Use it.

 

Roger