10

Jump Start # 2506

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2506

John 9:29 “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

Our verse today comes from a heated conversation between a man who was formerly blind and Pharisees who were spiritually blind. We are not told the man’s name. We know his parents were still alive. He was born blind. And, that is a thought. He never saw his mother’s face. He never saw a cloud. He didn’t know what a dog looked like. He never saw the color of blood. He wouldn’t understand the idea of a blue sky. He didn’t even know what he looked like.

When Jesus and the disciples passed this blind man, who was begging, a question arose. The disciples wanted to know who sinned. They thought he was blind because he was being punished. They saw a link between physical handicaps and sin. Had someone not sinned, then this man would not have been blind. They never asked if Jesus could heal him. They never looked with compassion. They were curious. They wanted to know why and that’s all. Their thoughts led them to one of two conclusions, either this man sinned or else his parents sinned. They could not think of any other way that this man was born blind. Sin had to be involved.

Now, if what they were thinking was true, and many have those thoughts, such as, Job’s friends, why would God punish an innocent baby for the parent’s sins? Didn’t Ezekiel 18 address this? And, as they thought, if this man had sinned, when did he sin? He was born blind. Did he sin in the womb? Are babies capable of sinning? The disciples were talking out loud when they should have been thinking more. We do the same. If we thought things out, we’d know better. Their theology was broken.

Jesus gives sight to this blind man. Then the questions come. The Pharisees can’t be still. They question the man multiple times. They question his parents. They question the man even more. And, it is in these rounds of questions, interrogations, and accusations that our verse is found. The Pharisees boasted that they were disciples of Moses. They accused this man of being a disciple of Jesus. Then our verse, “we know that God has spoken to Moses…”

Just how did they know that? They weren’t around to see Moses. Yet they could see Jesus. They could see what Jesus was doing. The writings of Moses was classified as “scripture,” which came to mean the writings of God. Tradition supported that. In the synagogues and in the Temple the writings of Moses were read. They were memorized. They were studied. They were taught. Through Moses, God had declared promises. Through Moses there were miracles. Through Moses the hope of the Messiah was to come. Yet, it came down to faith. It wasn’t a blind faith. It didn’t lack evidence. They knew that God had spoken to Moses. That was true. That was the right thing to believe.

But the eyes of these Pharisees could not see what was before them. The prophet that Moses prophesied was Jesus. The Messiah that the prophets talked about was Jesus. And, the proof was a blind man who now could see.

The eyes of some can become so clouded with what they think is right, that often they can never see what is truly right. Jesus was there right among them. Jesus was doing miracles. Jesus was teaching as no one had ever taught. Jesus was connecting the dots between the prophesied Messiah and Himself. Demons knew who He was. Others saw who He was. But, for these blind Pharisees, the truth was standing in front of them and they never saw it.

Now, from this, there are some lessons for us:

First, we can stand in the same shadows as these blind Pharisees. What we need to do is right there in the Scriptures. The answers to our questions are right there. Lesson upon lesson from the pages of the Bible about God being there. Yet, because we do not see it, we become crippled with fear and worry. We wring our hands in despair. We sing, “woe are we,” when the pages of the Bible teaches us to trust in the Lord.

Second, Jesus didn’t fit what the Pharisees were looking for in a Messiah. Where was the white horse? Where were the banners? Where were the legions of soldiers that would march on Rome and set things right? Jesus looked too much like one of them. He didn’t live in a palace. He didn’t even own a home. Surely, this wasn’t the one. And, for us, it’s not much different. We need an answer to our marriage questions. It’s not the answer that we were hoping for. It’s not what we were wanting. We have something else in mind. So, we keep asking around. We keep looking until we find what we wanted. Then, with great excitement we declare that we have found a new way of looking at things. We proclaim with joy that we’ve discovered something that no one has ever seen before.

Third, in a positive light for these Pharisees, they knew that God had spoken to Moses. They were right, He had. Do our young people know this? Do they know why we believe Jesus is the Son of God? Do they know what the church is? Do they know that God does not continually reveal and inspire things to people today? Our young people head off to college with simple faith and sit before arrogant professors who ridicule the word of God as nothing more than a collection of myths woven together by men through the ages. The miracles are reduced to unusual natural events. Jesus is lowered to being nothing more than a young radical reformer. Truth is turned into a cultural explanation that is fluid and always changing. Wrong is declared to be right. And, right is declared to be wrong because it is narrow and exclusive. These loose hinged professors use the examples of dying children as proof that there is no God. They pull passages out of the Bible about killing and slaughter and declare that God is evil. And, our young people, surrounded with peers who know nothing different, are swayed. They become confused. Many join the ranks of scoffers and unbelievers. The Pharisees in our passage knew that God spoke to Moses. They knew that. Do our young people know?

Maybe it’s time to move past talking about drugs and sex over and over and instill a deep faith and understanding in inspiration and in God Himself. Do we contribute to the loss of their faith when we send them off unprepared? Imagine taking these same young people and sending them to the front lines of a war without any weapons or any training. They wouldn’t make it. Yet, we send them into the arena of a spiritual war, much too often, without any spiritual training or weapons.

We know God spoke to Moses. You and I also know that Jesus is the Son of God. We know these things because the Scriptures teach us. It is our jobs now to be teaching others, so they will know.

Roger

09

Jump Start # 2505

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2505

Romans 1:25 “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Exchange is nothing more than trading. And, trading, or exchange, is the fiber of commerce. We trade money for services. You need a haircut. You don’t want to do it yourself because it won’t turn out well. So, you find someone who will cut your hair. They cut your hair and you give them money for their services. That is an exchange. Your car makes a funny noise. You take it to a mechanic. You trade money for his services to fix your car. We do this when we buy groceries, go to the doctor or even buy things on Ebay. We exchange money for something that we want or value.

However, in our passage, no money was passed. A person traded in what they believed for something that they wanted to believe in. They traded the truth for a lie. The exchange wasn’t a good one. What they gave up wasn’t equal to what they received. They traded light for darkness. They traded God for the Devil. They traded being right for being wrong. The trade is foolish. The trade isn’t thought out. The trade often is based upon superficial feelings and instant pleasure. The trade involves exchanging the eternal for the here and now.

And, behind every sin, this lopsided, one sided, uneven exchange is found. Esau exchanged his birth right for one common meal. What would he do the next day when he was hungry again? He exchanged the spiritual for the physical. He traded a blessing and got not a year’s supply of food, but one simple bowl of food. How foolish that was. Eve traded her relationship with God and her home in Eden to take a bite of the forbidden fruit. Was it a good trade? No. Was it an even trade? No. Not thought out. Not carefully planned, she exchanged the best for the worst. The prodigal did the same thing. He took his father’s life savings, his share of the inheritance and blew it on loose living. He had nothing to show for it. He came home empty. No investments. No real estate. No business bought. Spent it all. Wasted it all. He exchanged an inheritance for a little sinful pleasure. He ended up on a dead end street. His life was a mess and he had no hope and no help. What a terrible exchange he made.

In our passage, Paul is detailing the descent of the Gentile mind. Rather than honoring God, whom they knew, they became like animals. They sank deeper and deeper into the pit of sin. They abandoned what was natural and what God had made. Their minds became depraved. They took themselves into things that are not proper, holy or right. They exchanged God for the devil. And, the cost of that exchange was their very souls.

It’s hard to understand why people continue to leave what the Bible teaches for things the Bible does not teach. This exchange doesn’t make sense. They are trading what is right for what is wrong. They do it be happy. They do it to be free. They do it because they believe it’s fun. Every year people walk away from the Lord, His word and His people. They run off to dance with the devil, laughing and having a delight the whole time. They don’t even look back. They have no regrets. And, their once washed souls are again marred with the stains of sin and error.

I’ve been reading about a most fascinating preacher in the 1800’s. His name was Jesse Ferguson. He preached in the largest congregation in the country at that time. It was in Nashville, TN. He was so popular and well known that he spoke before legislatures and gave speeches throughout the country. He started a paper, called the Christian Magazine. His name and his fame was spreading like a prairie fire across the land. But something happened. It all came to a crashing end. He got caught up in the spiritualist movement of the time. He believed spirits, ghosts and other phenomenal beings existed and communicated through mediums. That led to believing one could communicate with the dead and that the dead communicated with the living. And, in this downward spiral, he never saw that he was exchanging the truth for a lie. He got connected with a couple of brothers who claimed that spirits were doing magical things that no one could explain. Across Europe, Ferguson was the master of ceremonies for the famed Davenport brothers. Ferguson was convinced spirits were working through them. The Davenports were proven to be frauds. Ferguson died in Nashville. Not the man of faith that he once was. Fallen, alone and broken, he exchanged his soul for a lie. His once powerful congregation dwindled.

We look at such a story and wonder, how does that happen? How does a preacher give up the truth? How does any believer give up the truth? How does one exchange the truth for a lie?

It begins when the truth is spoken but not firmly believed. The foundation of faith must be the rock of Christ. When it’s the church, the people, the joyful feelings we get from worship and fellowship, then those things can be exchanged. We trade one group of people for another group of people. We trade one feeling for another feeling. Our faith must be personal, real and stand the test of trials, challenges and error. Our faith must be in what the Scriptures teach.

Next, the lie begins to change. The lie no longer seems like a lie. It’s possible, we think. Others are saying it’s true. We spend more time chasing our doubts and theories than we do strengthening our faith. Look at those who depart. Notice what they have been looking at on the internet. It’s not faith building sites. Look at what books they are reading. It’s not the Bible. Look who they are talking to. It’s not people of faith. It’s doubters. It’s critics. It’s champions in error. When Eve was talking to the serpent, that was mistake number one, he said, you will not die. Where’s the proof? Where’s the evidence? She allowed her doubts to grow and she stepped on what faith she had.

Then a person starts seeing everything wrong with what was right. They complain. They are critical. They point fingers. They accuse. They see that for years they have been held back and their eyes have been blinded. But not any more, they believe. Freedom. Run as fast as you can from the things you were taught.

Finally, once a person embraces the lie, the truth becomes a lie to them. They become outspoken critics of the very things they once believed. They turn against God’s word. They turn against God’s people. They even turn against God. Happily, they believe that they have found real truth. They have deceived themselves into thinking that they are the enlighten ones. They see the people that they left behind as poor, gullible simpletons who have been blinded to what is really right.

The reality is, they have exchanged truth for a lie. They traded God for the devil. Sure, they may be happy. They may think that they are finally free. They even convince themselves and others that they are more spiritual now than they have ever been. That’s why all of this is a lie. It’s not true. It may seem to be true but it’s not.

What’s the answer? What can be done? Teach God’s word. Give real answers to real questions. Realize God’s word never changes. Truth has nothing to fear. Investigate it. Challenge it. Look at it. Examine it. It stands the test of time. The lies will fail under similar tests. The lies come apart when looked at carefully. The lies are just that, lies.

Exchange. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. And, what did they get for that exchange? A lifetime of sinful living and an eternity away from God.

Roger

08

Jump Start # 2504

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2504

Ephesians 5:17 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Understand…understand the will of the Lord. One of the keys to development in maturity and spiritually is understanding. When we know, then we can function. Knowing gives us confidence and assurance. One can know that he is right with the Lord because he understands what God expects.

There are some things we need to see here:

First, God’s will can be understood. It’s been long believed by many that no two people can read the Bible and come to the same conclusion. It is thought that the Bible means different things to different people. Often, these differences do not come from the pages of the Bible, but what folks are wanting the Bible to say or starting with their own agendas. The apostle said, God’s will can be understood. Jesus said, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’ Can we know it? God says, ‘Yes!’

Second, for you and I to understand God’s will we must have the same platform or information. We do. It’s the pages of the Bible. What God says must take precedence over what we feel. I cannot feel the way you feel. Your background, your knowledge, your experiences all shape how you feel about things. Your feelings are based upon you. My feelings are based upon me. Two of us can go to a modern art museum and stand before a canvas of multiple colors that look like they were thrown on there. I can look at that for about two seconds and walk on by thinking, anyone could have done that. You can stand in front of it for a long time and see the artist’s pain and his transition to a better time in his life. Impressions. Feelings. That’s not the basis of understanding. The foundation of unity and understanding is in words. Words that can be defined. Words that have absolute meaning. Words that can be translated. Words that can be memorized. Words that carry the same definitions and meanings across generations and across the planet. We can understand God’s will when we gather around God’s word and agree to make it the only basis of our faith.

Third, understanding God’s will takes some effort on our part. It doesn’t just happen. It takes an understanding of words. It takes the ability to know words, read words and understand what those words mean. As an example, the word ‘baptism,’ can have many definitions if you look at a modern dictionary. The Greek word means to dip or immerse. When we see how the Bible defines the word we see that baptism is compared to a burial. Now a modern dictionary can leave the impression that baptism is nothing more than pouring a little water on someone’s head. If you search the internet, you get the idea that baptism is a step one follows after they are saved. Some would even say that it’s not necessary at all. So if I build my faith based upon modern dictionaries and the internet, I journey through this life convinced that one doesn’t have to be baptized. Is that God’s will? Is that understanding God’s will? Is that what the Bible teaches? Looking in the Bible, and doing some digging and research in the Scriptures, one sees over and over that forgiveness, remission of sins, cleansing and even salvation are the result of being baptized. The Biblical conclusion one reaches is that a person must be baptized to be saved. To understand God’s will one must let the Bible speak for itself. Put down all the other books and just read the Bible. Look at the context. Look at the order of the words. Put on your thinking cap. You can understand the will of God.

Fourth, there are some things in life that are hard to understand. It’s hard to understand some people. It’s hard to understand why some are mean. It’s hard to understand, given the choice between right and wrong, why some will take the wrong. It’s hard to understand why some do not want to honor and worship God. It’s hard to understand why some people love drama in families. It’s hard to understand why some are content to live as if there is no God. It’s hard to understand why some want to twist and change the word of God. It’s hard for normal to understand abnormal. It’s hard for the natural to understand the unnatural. It’s hard for the righteous to understand the unrighteous. I hear some say, “I don’t understand why some people are the way they are.” I understand why they don’t understand. Through your eyes it’s upside down, inside out and twisted. Through your eyes it’s all wrong. But in their eyes, it seems perfectly normal.

It’s hard to understand why Eve chose the fruit from one tree that was off limits when she had all the other trees to choose from. It’s hard to understand why David chose to have a sexual relationship with someone he was not married to, when he had all those wives. But the same could be said of us. Why do we choose to tell a lie when we could tell the truth? Why do we choose the easy path, when the right path is the best? Why do we gossip about a friend? Why do we find excuses that we know are flimsy and wrong? Why do we judge others so much? Why do we complain so often?

Sometimes it’s easier to understand the will of God than it is to understand ourselves. Sometimes we find ourselves doing things that beats all sense, reason and logic. Sometimes there is no understanding what we do. We remember that the prodigal came to his senses. He then came home. Sin can be senseless. Sin can be just plain dumb.

And, what helps us is knowing the will of God. Knowing what is right, leads to doing what is right. Knowing the will of God is the drive behind our preaching and Bible classes. An informed church that knows the will of God will be on track to do what is right. It’s when we do not know that we start going down the path that leads to a dead end street. Senseless and thoughtless are the components of trouble. “I didn’t know it was wrong,” are the words of someone who does not know the will of God.

Get that Bible open. Spend some time looking, thinking, learning and remembering. God’s word leads to a common understanding of God’s will. That is our only hope for unity and our only hope for pleasing the Lord.

You can understand the will of God.

Roger

07

Jump Start # 2503

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2503

Revelation 21:4 “and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

This year hold many anniversaries for me. I’m one of those people who recognizes dates, anniversaries and milestones. This is the tenth year of our Jump Starts. Later in the year I will come to the milestone of preaching forty years. This is also the 40th anniversary year of my marriage. Big year. Many reasons to have parties the whole year long!

This week was also another anniversary for me. It’s one I don’t talk about much but it’s important. Twenty-five years ago my mom passed away. It was January 2nd. I was sitting on her bed as she passed through the doorway of death. A few days later I preached her funeral. It’s been twenty five years. My children were young and some barely remember her. None of the grandkids were born.

I thought I’d write a few reflections about this anniversary. I hope these words help those who have parents who have passed through the doorway of death. I’ve heard people say, “There is not a day passes that I do not think about my departed parent.” It’s not that way for me. To be honest I don’t think about it that much and long periods of time passes without me thinking about her. She was a Christian and I believe that by His grace she is with the Lord. I know she is in the best place and she is more joyous than she has ever been. My mom was a hard worker. She didn’t sit around and watch TV much. My memory of her was always busy around the house. She never was idle. I get a lot of that from her.

First, the pain of grief gets better through time. I remember that first year after she died, all I could do was think about her. On the first anniversary of her death, I got out a box of sympathy cards that had been sent to me and read all of them. Time is an amazing healer. It’s very much like surgery. At first, it just hurts and there is no fast forwarding past that. But time passes. Life goes on. Faith helps. And, the pain is replaced with fond memories.

Second, it’s different when one is a Christian and the one who passed is a Christian. It still hurts. Jesus, knowing that He was going to raise Lazarus, still wept at his grave. The unknown is removed by understanding Scriptures. Lessons on death, the rich man and Lazarus, Hades, eternity all solidify what is in our faith. God is good and one realizes that when a Christian dies, the angels have carried that soul to a place of comfort. Never again will that soul suffer from temptation, sickness, disease or heartache. We sing, “Does Jesus care when I’ve said good-bye to the dearest on earth to me…when my sad heart aches until it nearly breaks…” And the chorus reminds us, “Oh, yes He cares, I know He cares. His heart is touched with my grief.” It is comforting to believe and to know that one is safe with the Lord.

Third, one must be careful not to let wild ideas, false teaching and erroneous ideas take away from what the Bible teaches. I do not talk to my mom. I do not pray to my mom. I do not believe that she has sent me signs, messages or other things. She is in God’s other room. I have asked God to take care of her. There is a strong pull to want to talk to one who has left us. And, that strong desire has led some to believe things that just cannot be supported by the Scriptures. Finding pennies on the sidewalk is thought by some to be a sign from a departed loved one. Now, just what is that supposed to mean? A penny? Now, finding a hundred bill would be exciting, but not a penny. And, who knows what that is supposed to mean. It’s vague and fueled by our wishes more than truth.

Fourth, all of us are leaving footprints for those around us. Someday it will be our time to go through that doorway of death. Faith in Christ takes away the fear of that. And, someday, we will just be a memory to those whose lives we touched. All of this reminds us that building bonds, encouraging others, making a difference is more important than what’s on TV. Our times are strange. People would rather spend an hour staring into a cell phone than talking to someone. And, when our time to depart comes, how will we be remembered? Too busy to play with little ones? Too much into social media to care about those around us? Too busy for the Lord? Footprints—we all leave them. The Lord left them. Our footprints point to what is important to us. Nothing can replace you giving you to another. Take the time to touch the lives of others. Little ones will be influenced. Big ones will care.

Our verse today, tells of coming changes. There is a day coming in which sorrow, pain, crying and mourning will pass. It’s not today. It’s to come. Those things are still with us. We must journey with those things. But soon, all these things will be of the past. The first things will be done away. Interestingly, all those things, crying, pain, mourning, death are connected to sin. Sin causes all of those things. The regrets, the guilt, the consequences, the sorrow, the pain that sin has caused will be gone. God will take His children away from this broken world. Together, we shall see the Lord.

Do I miss my mom? Yes. Do I wish she was here? No. Instead, I wish I was where she is. A journey completed. A faith kept. A battle fought and won. Home with the Lord. Safe, cared for and loved. I couldn’t want anything more. I couldn’t do for her what the Lord is. And, someday, it will be our turn.

We must serve the purpose of God in our generation, as David did. That is what’s before us!

Roger

06

Jump Start # 2502

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2502

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.”

Our verse today is interesting when one considers the larger context and picture of what is going on behind the scenes. One of the messengers who carried Paul’s letter to the Colossians was Onesimus, the run-away slave that the book of Philemon is about.

The slave, who was now a Christian, was carrying this letter to the church about instructions concerning slaves and masters. He was returning as a slave. Paul did not grant him freedom. Paul didn’t have that right and couldn’t do that. He left as a slave and now he was returning as a slave. And, with him, he carried apostolic instructions about how slaves were to behave. We are not told why he ran. We can guess all day, but we just do not know. But now that he was coming back, he would know, as well as the church, just how he was to conduct himself.

This is where our verse is found. Paul lists a series of four instructions:

  • Obey your masters completely (22)
  • Work as if you are working for the Lord (23)
  • You serve the Lord (24)
  • There are consequences for doing wrong (25)

It is interesting that the N.T. didn’t outright condemn slavery. That would have upset the political empire of Rome, where it is estimated that slaves outnumbered free men, three to one. Yet, in every culture that the Gospel saturates, slavery is eventually abandoned. It is hard to practice the golden rule when you own someone. That’s certainly not the way any one would want to be treated.

Our verse transcends not just the world of slavery, but the work ethic and spirit we are to carry as we labor in our jobs. Work heartily—boy that seems missing in many places today. Work as if you are working for the Lord—that is missing as well. In far too many places, doing as little as possible seems to be the norm. People would rather shop on line, gossip, and do nothing, while receiving a paycheck for supposedly working. More money and less work is the spirit that too many carry.

Now, for the people of God, there ought to be a noticeable difference in the way we work. Hiring Christians ought to be a blessing, not a pain and a regret. We must go against the norm of today and be the excellent workers that God wants. That includes us preachers. The lazy preacher is a curse to himself and the kingdom. It is easy these days to get lessons off the internet, use class material that others have written and spend your day playing rather than working. Shame on all who do this. Work hard. Bust it. Give it your all. Wear yourself out for the Lord.

Here’s a few suggestions:

  • Make fill in the blank notecards to go along with the sermon and powerpoint. It’s been said that people will remember so much of what they hear. They will remember more what they hear and see. They remember still more what they hear, see and write. It’s not hard to do and it certainly doesn’t take long to do them. I showed a few to a preacher a while back. His comment was, “that’s too much work.” My thought was, what are you supposed to be doing? Work, man.
  • Write your own class material. Make it attractive. Put some color on it. Doing this makes you get deeper into what you want to teach and the direction that you want to go. Again, this is work. But isn’t that why one is being paid? You are to teach, preach and encourage. Get at it, man.

And, as one does this, keep the wonderful spirit that you are doing this for the Lord. The end of the year is a killer time for me. There is so much to be done as the new year begins. Theme books to be prepared for the year, new quarter of classes, new month of quick quotes to get ready, another batch of Friday Fives to present, always the Jump Starts, sermons and dozens of other things. Long hours are put in to getting everything just right. Are these things necessary? Do they have to be done? Why not take off time like the rest of the world does? Because, working heartily as for the Lord means giving our all. Nothing less than excellence is expected.

And, when that spirit carries over to a congregation, folks will do the same. They will burn the midnight oil to make sure everything is up and running for a Sunday worship. They will go out of their way to make sure the place is clean and polished. They will make sure all the lights are bright, all the copiers have toner, all the steps are swept off, all the communion trays are ready. The song leader will approach his song leading with this spirit. The shepherds will approach their work with this spirit.

We give it our best, because we are doing this for the Lord. In the old days, we’d be bringing an unblemished lamb to the Lord. We don’t do that today, but we bring our unblemished hearts and work ethic to the Lord. Give it the best, because God is the best. Give it the best, because God has given His best. Give it the best, because anything else simply isn’t good enough.

Remember that ole’ hymn, “We’ll work, till Jesus comes, we’ll work.” That’s the spirit. It’s not just working, it’s working our best!

Heartily and to the Lord—can’t beat that!

Roger