24

Jump Start # 2680

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2680

2 Peter 3:8 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Some verses in our Bible are so plain and easy to see. Then there are passages, that the principle is clear, but it’s just hard for us to put our minds around that idea. Our verse today is like that. Peter is saying that time means nothing to God. One day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. What extremes those are, 24 hours compared to 87 million, 6 hundred thousand hours.

Old to us is nothing to God. A long time ago for us is nothing to God. Ancient history is not ancient to God. As I write this, I look around my office at what I consider old, other than looking in a mirror. I have several books printed in the 1800’s. I have an arrowhead in my desk that is very old. But none of those things are old to God.

Within the context, Peter is answering critics who claim that Jesus isn’t coming. Nothing has changed. Nothing ever changes. Everything is the same. It’s always the same. And, in saying these things, they were denying what the Lord said, what the apostles had written and were upsetting the faith of some. These critics had no Biblical evidence for their theories. Their only position was that nothing has changed. And, Peter reminds them first, that they do not understand history. The world has changed. There was creation, then there was a flood. That flood changed everything. The present world is awaiting fire and complete destruction. But, a second point that the critics forgot was that time is nothing to God. In the minds of the critics everything remains the same. But to God, just yesterday, was the flood. And, to God, just tomorrow will be the coming of the Lord. Now, for us on this planet, those two events may be separated by thousands of years, but it’s just yesterday with God.

A thousand years ago, the date was 1020. This country was occupied by native Americans. In Europe at that time, life was nobles and peasants. Survival was the main thought for many people. Many babies died in infancy. Diseases often wiped out villages. Sanitation, diets, and transportation was very primitive. Life was tough. At that point in history, powerful regions were dominated by an apostate church that held a tight grip on the people. Life was hard. And, since that time, there have been wars, famines, diseases, disasters, political turmoil, the rising and falling of nations, and yet the kingdom of God survived and all of that was just yesterday with God.

What lessons do we learn from the one and thousand principle?

First, God doesn’t forget His promises. That’s Peter’s point. God said it and we may think He forgot, but He hasn’t. The next verse states that God is not slow about His promise. God keeps His promises. You and I forget that we made promises. We break our promises. We say things with no intention of keeping them. Not God.

Second, God doesn’t forget His people. Aside from a few kings and warriors, most of us could not name anyone from a thousand years ago. Most could not trace their family history back that far. But within those villages spread throughout Europe, there were disciples who walked by faith in those dark and difficult times. God has not forgotten them. Although we don’t know them, God does. And, sprinkled throughout all of time, there has been those who hearts were devoted to the Lord. Their names have been forgotten to all but God. And, if this world continues on, generations from now, we won’t be remembered. However, God will. He knows your prayers. He knows your heart. He knows what you have done for the kingdom.

Third, God’s timetable is not ours. That is another powerful lesson that Peter is trying to get the people to understand. Our timetable and how soon we think things ought to be is not the Lord’s. God promised Abram a child. Twenty-five years passed by before that was fulfilled. Did God forget? No. It was all in His plans. You and I pray and we expect an answer immediately. Sometimes God does that. When Hezekiah was told that he was going to die, he turned to the wall and prayed. Before the prophet left the palace, God had him turn around and go back to the king with the answer to his prayer. It happens fast sometimes. But, sometimes it doesn’t happen fast, at least to us. We pray and nothing. We pray again, and nothing. We start to wonder. Is it us? Did we do something wrong to upset God? Did we say something wrong in the prayer? We analyze and over think things and just wonder why God isn’t answering our prayer. It just may be that things are not according to His time.

We pray for a son or daughter to straighten out their lives and come back to the Lord. We wait and wait and see no positive results. We may even pass from this life, but that doesn’t mean that God isn’t doing anything. In His time, He does.

We pray for the church to be strong. God wants that. We may not see it in our time, but God has His time. We must not get discouraged and believe that God isn’t listening or caring. Things fall in His time according to His plans and not ours.

One day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. Beautiful concept. Eternal God. Faithful, through and through.

Roger

22

Jump Start # 2679

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2679

2 Corinthians 5:7 “We walk by faith and not by sight.”

 

The other day I was scanning through some of our Jump Starts to find some to read for our Monday podcast. If you haven’t checked that out, you might want to. Every Monday, as part of our Heaven Bound Podcast, I read a Jump Start from the past. We call it, “Jump Start Rewind.”

 

While I was walking through the Jump Starts, and there is a volume of them, over 2600, it made me think of our verse. Every day, except holidays and weekends, for the past ten years I have written a Jump Start. Every day. It’s a good exercise for me and I hope it’s helpful to someone out there. As we look at the Bible, it is easy to make the assumption that God did a similar thing. Every day He was talking to the prophets. Every day He was talking to Moses. Every day Paul was getting messages from above. We might think that way. And, now, you and I do not get those “daily” updates from Heaven. We might think that the people in the Bible had an advantage that we do not have. Had we only lived back then, God would have told us everyday what we needed to do. But, it’s not that way at all. The Biblical record does not support that idea.

 

First, there are long gaps of time often between chapters within the same book of the Bible. The book of Judges, for instance, covers around 400 years. If God was speaking just one sentence or verse every day for 400 years, the book of Judges ought to contain more than 146,000 verses. It doesn’t. Especially, in the prophetic books, there can be long gaps of time in which God did not reveal any messages.

 

Second, God was not speaking to every person directly. Even back in the early days of Genesis, God was speaking to the fathers of the family. Later God spoke to the leaders, such a Moses, the Judges, the kings and the prophets. God did not speak to every house on every street in every village in Judea. In the N.T. God spoke through inspiration to the apostles.

 

Now, this is important. Why should I expect God to speak to me personally, when He has never done that to the rest of His people throughout history. God has not spoken to each person personally. God speaks to us, but it is through the Word of God.

 

Third, what God says, especially in the New Testament period, is for all people. Again, the common thought among so many today is that God will tell me which house I ought to buy, and God will tell my neighbor about a new job he ought to take and God will tell the guy across the street that he needs to step up his act with his family. Every person getting a personalized and daily update from Heaven. Sounds wonderful, but then, why the Bible? Just put my Bible on the shelf and wait for those memos from Heaven.

 

Our verse today helps with all of this. Walking by faith, means just that. It is a journey of trust. It is believing God and having to use some faith. Not much faith is necessary if God is directly telling me everything that I need to do. Do I move? Do I take the job? Absolutely I ought to pray about those things. I should seek advice of godly people on those things. But, in the end, God is not going to whisper or even shout, “Yes.” God speaks through Jesus in these last days. And the word from Jesus is in the Bible.

 

That means you and I have the same message. It’s the same for us as it is for the people in Europe. It’s the same for us as it was for our great grandparents. It’s the same for us as it was for those early disciples long ago. Our faith is wrapped around the words of the Bible. We stand upon the Bible as the foundation of our faith. The more of the Bible that we know and pour into our hearts, the greater and stronger our faith will be.

 

When people believe that God is telling them things directly, it gives a little more confidence and credibility to what they are doing. Who is going to go against God? How can you argue with someone’s decision when God told him to do that? However, since God isn’t saying these things directly, then the person stands or falls on his own with the choices he made. Why did you move your family so far away from everyone they know and to a place where there is no decent church that follows the Bible? Well, “God told me.” No, He didn’t. That was just a dumb idea of your own and now you have to live with the consequences. Had you followed the Bible, you would have understood how valuable godly fellowship with other Christians are. You would have taken into thought the feelings of your family. You would have consulted with the shepherds of the congregation. Instead, you were chasing a wild idea and you stuck God’s name to it so it sounds reasonable when it really isn’t. And, what if that new job out there doesn’t work out? What if you want to move back? Are you now going against “the will of God?”

 

Peter tells us that everything that we need for life and godliness has been given to us. We don’t need daily messages, like Jump Starts to keep us going. We have the word of God. We don’t need direct messages. We have the word of God. We don’t need things so personal and pointed that they only apply to me and no one else. We have the word of God.

 

When God spoke in the Biblical times, whether directly, through visions or dreams, it was understood that this was a divine message. Folks who think that God is talking to them directly today do not have that understanding. It might be from God, they think. Or, it might be just a weird dream. Sometimes a person can so want something that he assumes God does the same thing. So our pursuit of things becomes God’s pursuit of things, in their mind.

 

The message today from Heaven is your Bible. It’s the same message as yesterday’s. It will be the same message a tomorrow. Grab that Bible an go through it as if your life depended upon it, and it does. Know it. Read it. Think it out. Whether you are single or married. Whether you live in the city or a rural community. Whether you are working or retired. The message is to walk by faith and do what the Lord has said in His word. We have to put some application to the principles of God’s word. We have to decide just what does righteousness and holiness look like. We have to decide how to live the message of the Lord.

 

Jump Starts, they help me to think the right direction. God’s people got along just fine before Jump Starts and someday when I stop these, they will get along just fine without them. Now God’s word is another story. We must have that Bible, even though there are not fresh, new messages every day.

 

Roger

 

21

Jump Start # 2678

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2678

Hebrews 1:2 “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

I love this verse! It is stuffed full of lessons, like a suitcase ready to go on vacation. There are so many wonderful things to see, learn and love about the Lord. This verse needs to be preached. The world needs to get this, which it doesn’t.

First, these are the last days. Unlike many of us preachers who say, “in conclusion,” and then preach another thirty minutes, the last days are it. Nothing follows last. It’s final. There are no more days, at least not here, after the last days.

Now, two thoughts from this. First, some believe the earth is eternal. Life is just going to keep on going and going as it always has. Save the planet is important if the planet is supposed to be here forever. But it’s not. And, life does not continually go on here. God is clear about this. Jesus is coming and He’s not going to start things, but end things. The Corinthians were told that when Jesus comes, the kingdom will not be established but rather it will be delivered to God. Peter said when Jesus comes the earth and its works will be burned up. We are in the final days.

But, we, as a second thought, must not hurry up God’s time table. He will pull the plug on this ole’ planet when He is ready. Some of us may want that to be sooner rather than later. All things work in God’s timetable.

Second, God speaks through His Son. He does that in the last days. Since these are the last days, that’s how God speaks today. I’ve been teaching the book of Daniel. There are dreams, visions and the appearance of angels with messages throughout that book. That was then. Today, in these last days, God speaks through His Son. So, that weird dream you had wasn’t a message from Heaven. God doesn’t speak that way in these last days. That divine nudging that you sense isn’t so divine. God speaks through Jesus. And, Jesus speaks to us through His word, the Bible. Progressive revelation, which is the idea that God is still revealing and inspiring like what was done in Biblical times, and there are a host of modern writers today who believe in that, doesn’t fly with this verse. God speaks through Jesus. He doesn’t send you dreams. He doesn’t send you messages. He doesn’t inspire you like He did the apostles.

Third, Jesus is the heir of all things. He is the anointed one. He is the chosen one. He reigns. He sits on the right hand of God. Jesus is the one. There is no other like Him. Prophesied. Fulfilled. And, uniquely positioned, Jesus is God’s only begotten Son.

Fourth, God made the world. He is the creator. From the first pages to the last pages, this is God’s world. Now, those that cannot get this, likely will not get that these are the last days, nor that God speaks through Jesus, nor that Jesus is the heir of all things. This is like a four legged stool. Take out one of the legs, any of them, and it will fall over. Likewise, remove any of these points, and the whole system falls. I can’t have Jesus if I am unwilling to have God as the creator. And, if I have God as the creator, I must have that these are the last days. And, if I have that these are the last days, then I must have that God speaks through Jesus. All of these or none of these—that’s how this works.

What a great passage. Powerful. Pointed. Principled. And, a great starting point to talk to others about the Gospel. Four different starting points: creation; last days; role of Jesus; how God communicates today. Pick any of them and start a conversation. Neatly tied together and found in one place, these words identify for us the role that God has and the wonderful work that He has done.

Roger

18

Jump Start # 2677

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2677

Ecclesiastes 1:4 “A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.”

My wife and I took a recent road trip to visit a dear friend several states away who is battling cancer. Our youngest son came along because she always meant a lot to him. We were in the car more than we were visiting our friend. My son did the bulk of the driving, which included listening to his music. He was brought up on good music, such as Andy Williams and the Oldies and he had several selections from them, but then he had some of his favorites. His list included groups and songs that I have never heard of. Once in a while, when he was getting weary of driving, he’d put on what he called “head banging music.” It’s loud drums and someone screaming as if their fingers are being cut off by a chain saw. It keeps you awake, that’s for sure.

In all of this, our verse came to my mind. A generation goes and a generation comes. The passing of the torch. What one generation likes, often the next generation doesn’t. And, this led me to thinking about a new phenomenon in many congregations today. Many, many now have two preachers, one older and one younger. I’m in such a situation and I’m the old guy. And, I thought I’d share some thoughts about “a generation goes and a generation comes,” as it fits two preachers in the same congregation.

First, the younger guys often do things differently than we older guys do. I’m a book person. My shelves are stuffed with books. So many books that I have two rooms that are lined with bookshelves. Younger preachers have that many books, but they are all electronic. Their entire library is on their laptop. Everywhere they go, they take their library with them. Many of the younger preachers like to sit in coffee shops and write articles and develop sermons there. Not me. I’d get nothing done. I’d be watching the people and be too distracted to think. Are coffee shop sermons wrong? Absolutely not. It’s a generational thing. I like to have everything done by Friday. Lock, loaded and ready to go for Sunday. That’s me. Many are still writing their sermons on Saturday night. I’d be in a frantic mood if I did that. It works for some and that’s fine. A generation comes and a generation goes.

The trouble is when one generation tries to change the other or believes their way is not only the best way, but the only way. That will cause trouble. What works for one doesn’t work for the other. We older preachers, while giving advice, must not appear that we have the corner on how to write a sermon. We don’t.

Second, the younger preachers are often better than the older preachers. OUCH. That’s true. That’s true where I’m at. And, as an older generation goes, and a newer generation comes on, the audience will tend to relate to the younger preacher more. His illustrations about shows and social media are to the times. We older preachers must lay aside those stories about Mayberry, John Wayne, and Gunsmoke. Most in the audience do not know what we are talking about. As the congregation transitions from one generation to the next, the people will naturally turn to the preacher of their generation. Weddings will be done by the younger preacher. More will bring their questions to the younger preacher. And, in a healthy environment, that’s what we should want. The older preacher is not being booted out, but it is natural to talk to someone who has children around the ages of your children rather than a grandfather.

This has the potential for trouble as well. The older preacher can become jealous. His relationship with the younger preacher can become strained and difficult. Rather than working together and helping each other, they seem to be fighting for the same spot on the starting lineup.

Here are some suggestions:

  • This is not a competition about who is the “best.” Some shallow brethren make matters worse. I’ve heard some say, “Well, I like the other preacher better.” We are all in this together and it’s not about which preacher is best, it’s about growing the kingdom and bringing glory to the Lord. We are to be humble servants and we need to get over the idea of “who is best,” or, “who is most liked.” I’m thankful anyone shows up when I preach.
  • The shepherds can do a lot about putting a lid on this or making this situation worse. The jealousy issue usually won’t linger very long. If not carefully handled, one or both preachers leave. Jealousy will do that. That shouldn’t be. When members make comments about liking one more than the other, right then and right there, the shepherds need to let it be known that they are both needed, both loved and both doing powerful work there.
  • The spirit of the younger preacher can help or hurt this as well. Some are aggressive. Some lean a little too much to the arrogant side of things. If they view that the older preacher is holding them back and that they want him out of the way, things will blow up. If they undermine the older preacher and try to rally all the young families around him, things will back fire. Just don’t do that. Be mindful of the years and years of service and the battles the older preacher has fought and how he got the congregation to where it is now. The best cheerleader can be and ought to be the older preacher to the younger preacher and vise versa. There ought to be a respect and genuine love between both of them.

Third, our world moves fast today in technology. Many young preachers thrive in that. Many of us old preachers don’t understand that. Don’t stop progress. Don’t be a stick in the mud because it is different. Learn from each other and help each other.

It is a blessing when two preachers of different generations work well together. Their styles, though different, compliment each other. They realize each other’s strengths and there is a strong bond of trust and goodness between them. I know this, because this is what I have with our preacher Jason. Younger, stronger, more talented, and an amazing thoroughbred that I just need to let him run as fast and as far as he can. I have been the younger preacher. Now, I’m not. A generation goes and a generation comes. A healthy congregation will see that nothing misses and nothing slips when that one generation is gone.

I found myself actually liking someone of my son’s music, that is except for the ‘head banging’ ones!

Roger

17

Jump Start # 2676

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2676

Matthew 22:37 “And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

I had a hymn stuck in my mind the other day. It’s interesting because I don’t remember singing that hymn in a long time. But it is one of things that just stays with you throughout the day. That’s one of the wonderful benefits of hymns and singing. “Near to the heart of God,” is the tune and expression that just kept rolling through my mind.

Things that are near and dear to us are close to our hearts.

Our families ought to be that way. We’d fight a bear for the sake of our families. We love them and we love being around them. I like the story of a lady who was looking for a seat on an airplane. When she saw an empty seat she’d ask the person next to it if they had any grandchildren. If they said, ‘yes,’ she kept going down the row. Finally, she found an empty seat and the person next to it didn’t have any grandchildren. She plopped her self down, took out her wallet and proceeded to show the person next to her each and every one of her grandchildren and all that they were doing. Love our families. We pray for them. We fuss over them. We want them to do right.

Our church ought to be this way. We are not strangers who happen to sit near each other every week. There is a bond and a love between us. We are fellow soldiers in the battle for right. We are fellow worshippers who love the Lord. We are in a fellow-ship together. The church is very much like a family. Some days you’d like to trade some away like they do in sports. We can annoy each other and some days irritate each other and even push the right buttons that can get us upset, just like at home, but these are our people. We love them. They encourage us, remind us, teach us, and help us. Where would we be without those wonderful people. They are near to our hearts.

God’s word is near to our hearts. For a moment, just think how many years you have poured over God’s word. And, just about each time you find little jewels and discoveries that you have never seen before. That Word has changed you and shaped you into a better person. It has lifted you up when you were worried, fearful and unsure. It has kicked you in the pants when you were sitting too close to the Devil. It’s challenged you, helped you and more than anything else, it has opened your eyes to your loving Savior. Death no longer scares you. The future has some certainty to it. And, this is because of what you have seen and learned through the Scriptures. You have a favorite passage. There is a story behind that and that is rich and meaningful to you.

The Lord is near to our hearts. The Lord, more than anyone or anything, has been there for us. He has blessed us, even when we forgot to thank Him. He has heard our prayers. He has seen our tears. He has walked with us through trials and tough times. He has forgiven you. His promises are dear to us. A day, often an hour, never passes without us giving some thought to the Lord. He’s been good to us is the absolute truth.

That hymn, ‘Near to the heart of God,’ is about finding that place, as the hymn states, of quiet rest, comfort sweet, and full release, where we can be close to God. And, this place isn’t necessarily a church building, and often, the church building is so full of people and noise and activity that it’s hard to find quiet, peace and rest. This place may be, as the Lord said, a closet, where we shut the world out and invite God in. It may be sitting on your back porch, listening to the morning song birds and just thinking about the Lord’s grace and love. It may be when we are taking a daily walk. The thoughts turn from our day and our schedules to the amazing God who loves us.

James said, “draw near to Me and I will draw near to you.” Near. Near to God’s heart. And, when we really focus upon those thoughts we find what really matters. Humble love, like a child or grandchild is what the Lord loves. I have seen this with my grandchildren. When they come, it’s not what new toys we have, but spending time with them. Taking a walk in the woods, picking up acorns, racing each other down a hill, sitting on the sidewalk and looking at a caterpillar. The sweet, innocent, pure love of a child that wants nothing more than to be near one that they love. That’s what God is after.

You and I get impressed with things that does not impress God. Got an old car that you restored? Get a few guys together and they can spend hours just looking at that car and talking car stuff. That’s like toys to God. He’d rather spend time with you than that.

Love sports? I do. I can talk about those Dodgers all day long. That doesn’t do much for the Lord. He’s not into baseball. He’s into you.

How about vacations? We love them. We love to talk about them. We love to show pictures of where we have been. For God it doesn’t mean that much. He made all beauty of the earth. He’s more interested in you. He invites you into the most intimate and sacred place you can ever be. More important than Ft. Knox, the Oval Office, Buckingham Palace, or the top secret meetings held across the world. God invites you to His heart. Near to the heart of God. Near to His heart. And, this place isn’t reserved for a select few. One doesn’t have to buy a ticket, nor stand in line, nor be limited to just a few brief moments. You can be near to God’s heart everyday. You can spend time with the most Holy as often as you want. He is never too busy for you. You are never too common or unimportant to Him.

Near to the heart of God…I envision just sitting down beside God. What a wonderful, wonderful blessing that is.

Near to the heart of God—you can find yourself there, if you choose.

Roger