03

Jump Start # 2857

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2857

Proverbs 10:6 “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”

This coming Sunday, if God allows, I want to preach a lesson about the windows of Heaven. That’s an expression found in the O.T. It’s about blessings. It’s the idea that Heaven’s windows are opened up and the blessings flow down. The children sing a song like that, the prayers go up and the blessings come down.

The thought of a window in Heaven is fascinating. And, although my lesson isn’t going this direction, some are likely to feel that God has closed that window. The blessings no longer flow. Life is hard and they do not see an end to it. Where are the blessings? Where is God? And, when Christians get this way, it really hits their faith. This is the cause for some to walk away from God.

Our verse today, blessings are on the head of the righteous, is not encouraging, when you feel the windows to Heaven are closed. You begin to question everything. It starts with yourself. Maybe I’m not righteous? Maybe God has stopped the blessings because my heart is not right? And, the guilt flows. The guilt replaces the blessings. Guilt seems like a heavy rock that presses you down.

This is how Job felt. Not from God, but from his friends. That suffering soul was continually criticized and layered with guilt from his friends. They were wrong. They thought they were right, but they weren’t. The blessings, they believed, would start flowing again, once Job repented of his sins. Stop the sin and the flow of blessings return. It’s as if sin had clogged up the drain of blessings. Seems logical, even preachable. However, that wasn’t the case for Job.

What should we do when it seems the windows of Heaven have closed?

First, realize that Heaven’s windows are not actually closed. The blessings that you feel that you are missing out on, does not mean all blessings have ceased. You are alive. You have today. Those are both powerful blessings. It may be that God has some lessons for you to learn. It may God has other things in store for you. There are so many blessings that we can feel that all of them are shut off, when they are not.

Second, when God says NO to your prayers, He has a reason. You may not see the reason, nor understand it at the time, but God does. Blessings come in many forms and so do the answers to our prayers. You may be looking at a specific way, and God has provided a much better way.

Third, all of God’s people have had seasons of suffering. All of them. And, if you are walking with the Lord, you’ll have your season. And, when we are going through those tough seasons and that valley seems so long and dark, it is easy to assume that God has turned His back on you. He hasn’t. Shipwrecks. Beatings. Prison. Those things followed Paul most of his life.

If life was so wonderful here all the time and there were no disappointments or hardships, we might not long for Heaven so much. Because this world is broken and tears fill our days, it makes our hearts long for that place where there is no mourning, death or tears.

Finally, God loves us. He always has. He has loved us when we didn’t love Him. He has loved us when we were off in the far country dancing to the song of the devil. He loved us when we didn’t think about Him very much. The ease of our life or the amount of blessings is no indication of how much God loves us. Spoiled, ungrateful and selfish is no place to be. Maybe God knows us better than we know ourselves. While some can handle some blessings, maybe you and I can’t.

The windows of Heaven—what a great expression. Those windows are opened for us.

Roger

02

Jump Start # 2856

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2856

John 18:2 “Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place; for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.”

Judas was coming with a band of soldiers to arrest Jesus. What is interesting is that Judas “knew the place.” When Judas left Jesus, the Lord was in Jerusalem. Now, some time later, the Lord is in the garden outside the city. Judas left, but he knew where to find Jesus. He knew, because Jesus had often gone to the garden. Predictable. Habits. Customs. Nothing wrong with those things. A lot of us have similar things. Our families know where to find us on a Sunday morning, sitting in the church building worshipping. Many sit in the same pew every time. Nothing wrong with that. Many of us will say a prayer before we eat. Get some people together and there is that awkward moment waiting for someone to say the prayer. No one dares take a bite until the prayer is offered. Nothing wrong with that.

Judas went looking for Jesus. He knew where to find Him. That’s an interesting thought. Where might we find Jesus today? If we went looking for Him, where would we find Him?

First, Jesus would be found in the pages of the Bible. Your Bible is not Jesus. It’s the story of Jesus. But through those pages, we come to know Him, love Him, believe in Him and desire to follow Him. Some might say, you find the Lord in nature. But if you look at a green leaf, it’s not going to tell you much about Jesus. You might see a design. You might reflect upon the color. But that leaf will not tell you the Lord’s name, His mission, or what He wants from you. If you want to find Jesus, go to the Bible. That Bible will bring Jesus alive in your heart.

Second, Jesus would be found in the hearts of His disciples. We are His disciples, we who believe, obey and follow the Lord. And, what people would see is goodness, kindness, service and forgiveness. Those very qualities come from the Lord. People who go out of their way to help others. People who have been hurt, but carry on. People who love to talk about the Lord. People who teach God’s wonderful word. Where are you going to find Jesus? You’ll find Jesus in His disciples.

Third, Jesus would be found in pure N.T. worship. God loves for His people to gather together in praise and fellowship. Good things come out of our times together. God is honored. God is the central focus. Prayers going upward to God. Hymns that honor God. And, a worship that reflects the desires of the Lord. Worship helps remind us that we need God. Worship instructs us and builds faith. Worship has a way of getting our order back in order. Worship reminds us that we are not the center of the universe and that God and then others are more important to us. One can drag into the worship building on Sunday, tired, stressed, worried and just not doing so well. But an hour with God’s people, the singing, the heartfelt prayers, the passionate preaching and the driest, most discouraged spirit can be lifted upward. Our hearts soar to Heaven as we honor the Lord. We leave in such a better condition and state of mind than when we came. Want to find Jesus? Look for Him in Biblical based worship.

Fourth, Jesus would be found in Heaven. That’s where He is, reigning. He’s not gone into retirement. He’s busy, very busy. He’s been to our world. He’s experienced what we deal with every day. He was hungry. He was tired. He had to deal with bugs, people, and problems. He was tempted. He was challenged. He was surrounded with toxic people. Yes, He’s been here. And, He was the best who has been here. And, someday, He is wanting you to spend forever with Him in His home—Heaven. And, there in Heaven, we won’t be bothered with bugs, toxic people or temptation. And, there we shall see the face of God. And, there we will always be.

Judas knew just where Jesus was. He knew the place. We too, know where Jesus can be found. There are times in your life that you will be looking for Jesus. There will be times when the walls around you seem to be caving in. There will be times when you seem all alone. There will be times when the sorrows of death seem to be more than you can handle. There will be times when friends do not understand and family is just too busy. There will be times when you need to find Jesus. You need Jesus close to you.

I need Thee every hour…more than a hymn, it’s a standard of life.

Roger

01

Jump Start # 2855

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2855

1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

“How large is your church?” That question is asked especially when one travels and visits other congregations. It’s just a number. It doesn’t tell the total picture. It doesn’t reveal spiritual strength. It doesn’t indicate whether a church is alive and healthy or just going through the motions. In fact, some have gone so far as to say that God doesn’t care about numbers. I thought about that. Does God care about numbers?

You and I do. We stand on the scales and those numbers are important to us. We look in our bank book or 401 statement and those numbers mean a lot to us. At tax time, numbers are important. If you are a sports fan, the number of wins and losses matter. The square footage of a house, the size of a TV screen, the yardage of a fly ball in baseball all matter. Numbers matter.

But is it true that God doesn’t care about numbers? Interestingly, one of the books of the Bible is called, “Numbers.” There were many times the people were numbered by tribes in ancient Israel. David got in trouble for counting the people. In Acts, it is God who tells us that 3,000 were baptized and then later 5,000. In Revelation, there are numbered bowls, elders, seals and even Heaven is measured. The number of days Jesus was in the tomb mattered. God tells us that the synagogue official’s dying girl was twelve years old. We are told the price Judas was paid to betray Jesus. Ten plagues. Ten commandments. Seven servants chosen in Acts to care for neglected widows. Forty days and forty nights. Six days of creation. All through the Scriptures we find numbers. It sure seems that God is interested in numbers.

Why do numbers matter?

First, when it comes to counting people, each person is a soul loved by God and ready to be redeemed by the Savior. People matter when it comes to God. The story of the lost sheep in Luke 15 reminds us that every single one matters to God. God wants all to be saved. Go into all the world and preach to every person is what the apostles were commissioned. That’s every continent. That’s every nation. That’s every state. That’s every city. That’s every street. That’s every house. That’s everyone in each house. God didn’t send the apostles to the state houses or the seats of government. He sent them to the people.

Second, numbers tell a story. Rising numbers reveal increases and growth. Declining numbers reveal departures and trouble. Looking at numbers can tell shepherds what adjustments need to be made in classrooms and where some attention needs to be focused. The lack of attendance is often the first sign others notice, but it can be the final step one takes in leaving the Lord. Long before this the prayers stopped. The Bible reading ended. The virtuous living ceased. And, then, the last bold step was to stop attending. Oh, it’s just a number some say, but that number is a soul.

Third, I have participated in the funerals of several people who were in their high 90’s. Many of these people were Christians for seven to eight decades! Think about the number of hymns that they sang. I wonder how many sermons they heard. How many Bible classes they were a part of. And, all those years later, they were faithful, strong and dedicated to the Lord. Their example was truly an example. Do you think numbers mattered? It’s one thing to be a Christian for a week. But for seventy or eighty years? Truly remarkable. That’s walking with the Lord when it was easy and when it was hard. That’s staying with the Lord when the wheels were coming off the nation. It’s during wars and pandemics and floods and unrest and attacks and economic downturns. It’s staying with the Lord after funerals. It’s staying with the Lord when friends move away. It’s staying with the Lord when preachers come and go. It’s staying with the Lord because He has always been true and always been there for you.

Finally, the scene from Heaven is a crowd that no one could count (Rev 7:9). There were many things counted in Revelation, from the 1,000 years to 144,000 to thirty minutes. But, here, around the throne of God was a number so large that it could not be counted.

That image is encouraging to us. It reveals that many made it. It shows that so many loved the Lord and sacrificed for Him. It shows that Heaven is not a small gathering with pitiful singing. Not at all. The number is so large that it can’t be counted. Faithful. Trusting. Loving. Forgiving. Walking with Jesus. That number will include people you know. It will include people you have heard about. It will include those you have read about in the Bible. All parts of the planet. Different periods of time. But all having one thing in common, the blood of Jesus saved them.

And, there is one other number that is important to God—and, that is YOU. Your life. Your soul. Your story. Your journey. All these numbers of the saved do not mean much if you are not numbered among them. If you are that one lost sheep, God wants to find you and bring you back where you belong. God is not satisfied with cutting the loses and focusing upon the majority. He is interested in YOU. He wants YOU to be saved. He wants YOU to be numbered among the righteous.

You are more than a number in society. Your street address. Your phone number. Your social security number. Your driver’s license number. Lots and lots of numbers. The greatest is if you are numbered among those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life.

God not interested in numbers? I tend to think that He is.

Roger