29

Jump Start # 3133

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3133

1 Corinthians 15:45 “So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

Our verse today comes from the resurrection chapter of the N.T. The apostle goes into great detail explaining and giving proof that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He makes a contrast between the first man and Christ, being the last man. Through the first man, death came. Through the last man, life came.

It is that expression, “the first man, Adam,” that I want to explore with you today.

First, the first man wasn’t a cave man that pulled his woman by the hair and grunted. The Fred Flintstone, pre-historic, transitional species between ape and human image just isn’t supported Biblically. The first man, Adam, could name the animals, work the garden and communicate with God. In fact, if we take a stand with the Bible, the only thing that is pre-historic is God. History begins in Genesis one with the creation. Museums, TV documentaries, thousands of books on anthropology, college professors have this all tangled up and confused.

Second, God was communicating with Adam from the very beginning. I wonder what language God chose. Adam had to understand words, concepts and be able to communicate back to the Lord. God built a vocabulary and a language within Adam. It is very likely the same language until Babel when God separated people and confused their language.

Today, we have to teach our children how to speak and to write. We study languages and see the connections from one language to another. But for Adam, he knew words, ideas and what God meant. When God talked about trees, Adam knew. When God told Adam not to eat from a certain tree, he knew. I think we might be amazed at how intelligent Adam was.

Third, Adam didn’t have the troubles of the world as you and I do. He never dealt with traffic. I doubt he ever had bad weather. No weeds in the garden. No neighbors to complain about. No nightly news that reminded him of the pain and sorrow that we cause each other. No mass shootings. No identity theft. No pandemics. Nothing to fear. Nothing to stress about. No worries.

There is hardly a day, if any day, that we do not hear some bad news, or, we are troubled, stressed, worried, bothered or are hurting some how. Tears, sorrow and pain are as normal for us as the sunshine. It’s the only thing we’ve ever known. This world is all that we have ever known. Adam’s world is like a fanciful dream to us. Wouldn’t it be nice, but we know it will never be, at least not down here. And, this is one of the strong tugs upon our hearts to want to be in Heaven. No tears. No sorrow. No death. No pain. We can’t imagine. For many of us, the day begins with a handful of medicine that is necessary to keep us going. Our bones ache when we get up and our backs hurt when we sit down. And, that’s just the outside of us. We worry that we may run out of money someday. We are concerned about the kids and the grandchildren. We wonder why some are not as spiritual as they could be. We are bothered to hear that some have made wrong choices and have ruined their marriages and killed their reputation.

Fourth, it is interesting as one reads the first pages of the Bible that God didn’t give Adam a whole list of “dos and don’ts.” We read of one negative, don’t eat from the forbidden tree. Not even Ten Commandments. Not a dozen things to do to please the Lord. How simple that seems. How easy we assume Adam had it. Yet, the one thing to keep away from, he didn’t. The one command he broke. The one thing he had to do, stay away from that tree, he couldn’t do. In our minds, we’d consider building a high privacy fence around that tree so it wouldn’t tempt us. We’d think about moving to the other side of the garden and getting away from it. Backseat driving, arm chair quarterbacking seems so easy. Yet, how you and I struggle to stay away from our forbidden fruit. We are on this side of the cross and we have the grace of God to help us, we also have the entire will of God in our hands, and yet, we are tempted. Our eyes can’t stay focused upon Jesus. Our hearts tend to wander. We get easily distracted. The glitter of the world draws our attention.

It is easy from where we sit to think Adam had it so easy. He might say the same about us. Each person and each generation must walk with the Lord by faith. There are challenges, obstacles, duties, encouragement and help that is before all of us.

The first man was Adam. God created him just the way God wanted. And, God has created you just the way you are. Some of us look in the mirror and wish we had a different nose or ears, or hair texture. Some of us wish we weren’t so shy. Some of us wish we had the talent of others. But God has made you the way you are. He has put you in this generation for a reason. You are wired, equipped and surrounded with the tools you need to become a powerful disciple of Jesus.

Finding our talent and then using that talent for the glory of God is what is the major task before us. Bring joy to the Lord by doing what God wants you to do.

The first man was Adam.

Roger

28

Jump Start # 3132

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3132

Ephesians 5:19 “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.”

Most know the name Martin Luther as the reforming monk who nailed 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door and started a revolution against the corruption within the Catholic church. From his writings sprang the reformation movement that spread throughout Europe and turned the world upside down.

Luther was much more than a preacher. He was a teacher and a scholar. But he was also a hymn writer. In 1524 he published a series of hymns for the church. One of the things he did was to take popular songs of the day and put sacred words to them. The people already knew the tunes. Luther is said to have made the statement, “The devil should not have the best tunes.” In our times, the movie “Sister Act” and the sequels were built around that concept of taking pop hits and putting a spiritual twist to them.

Singing is an important part of our worship and our lives. Throughout the day, most of us do not preach to ourselves, but we can and do sing and hum tunes. One doesn’t have to be gifted in music nor have a wonderful voice to do that. Our hymns remind us. Our hymns teach us. Our hymns challenges us. Our hymns  can by sung by the little ones as well as the big ones. Get a group of disciples together and break out in some good ole’ fashioned singing. What a wonderful time that is. It’s encouraging. It’s faith building.

Our verse today contains two directions. The directions are set off by the word “to.” First, we are to sing TO one another. This is where the teaching, reminding and encouraging comes from. You sing to me and I sing to you. And, not only are we helping each other out, but the blending of our voices is a demonstration of unity. If I’m singing one song and you’re singing a different song, all at the same time, it’ll likely sound like a cat fight. But together, same hymn, in unity, blending voices is reflective of blending attitudes, hearts and hopes. We pray together. We work together. We have one mind, one heart and one voice. Singing to each other reminds us of this.

Our verse has another, “to.” It’s found at the end of the passage. We are to make melody with our hearts TO the Lord. We must remember that our singing is worship. What we say matters. It is to honor and praise the Lord. We sing TO each other and we sing TO the Lord.

Now some thoughts:

First, everyone has hymns that they like and we all have hymns that we don’t like so much. Some of us like the hymns we grew up with. Others like faster, newer hymns. Part of unity is singing the hymns that may not be my favorite. I think it’s rather funny when the song before I am supposed to preach is “It won’t be very long.” I wonder if the song leader is hoping that’s the way the sermon will be—not very long. If I only sing the songs that I like and don’t sing the ones that I don’t like, then I am demonstrating a rather sour and selfish spirit. That’s counter to unity. I’ll have it my way or I won’t participate. That doesn’t set well with the Lord, the church or trying to accomplish things. So, I have sung hymns that I hardly knew. I have sung hymns that weren’t my favorite. And, I have sung hymns that I love so much that I wish we could sing it again and again.

Second, putting thought into the words is the key to our hymn singing. It’s easy to just sing without thinking about what we are singing. But in that, there is little praise TO God and we are not doing much for one another. Think about the words. Put names in your mind behind some of the words. When we sing, “Faith of our fathers,” think about some of those early Christians, such as Antipas who died for his faith. Think about those in your life who has helped you on your spiritual journey. The thoughts you put into the hymns can build your faith and make your worship so meaningful.

Third, get in the practice of singing hymns outside the worship period. In your car, sing some hymns. This is a great family activity to do. Singing a hymn can set your mind to where it ought to be. It can place Heaven before your eyes. It can turn your mood around and it can get you through some difficult tasks. I knew a disciple who had to lay still for a long time during a medical test. He was told to bring a headset to listen to music. He chose to sing hymns to himself. The test was over but he wasn’t finished singing hymns. The staff was amazed at how calm and still he remained throughout the test. I wasn’t. His mind and his heart were somewhere else. The hymns brought a peace to him. He was singing TO the Lord.

The devil shouldn’t have the best tunes. I think Luther was right about that. I’m thankful for the gifted brethren who use their talents to continually write new hymns and to bring glory to the Lord.

Singing to one another and singing to the Lord. This is something all of can do. This is something that is good to do. Singing isn’t filler in our worship time. It’s as important as the other aspects of our worship.

Singing TO the Lord. How about picking out a hymn right now, and start singing. I’ve got Blessed Assurance on my mind…how about you?

Roger

27

Jump Start # 3131

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3131

Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”

Our verse today comes from what is commonly known as the fall of mankind. The serpent spoke. Eve listened. Adam ate. And, with that, everything good that God had established unraveled. Sin was not part of God’s plan. Disobedience was not part of the plan. Dishonoring God was not part of the plan. And, now, as our verse indicates, man has become like God, knowing good and evil.

And, with that simple statement, we are introduced to a much larger concept than we have thought of before. God knows evil. Man, the Lord says, has become like Us, knowing good and evil. Now, this thought troubles some. They would assume that God only knows good. God is completely unaware of what evil is. Yet, it is God who declares that He knows both good and evil.

Knowledge of evil does not mean that God participates in evil, accepts evil or encourages evil. Without an awareness of wrong, how could things be declared wrong? If there is no out of bounds marker, one could not say that something is out of bounds. Sin is a violation of the will of God. It is God who declares what is unlawful or sinful. It’s not the church, nor you and I that determine what is sinful. Only God can do that.

Knowing what is wrong is necessary to bring about the recovery of what is right. A person will not turn and flee from wrong unless he understands that what he is doing is wrong. This is the first step towards repentance and returning home. When the prodigal came home, his words recognized the wrong that he had chosen. “I have sinned against Heaven and in your sight,” were the remorseful words of a broken spirit that understood evil.

Although God knows evil, He does not participate in evil. Mankind now knows evil and has spent years dropping deeper and deeper into the sewer of evil. Just a page after our verse today, evil rises up and Cain offers an unacceptable sacrifice to God and then kills his brother. Then just a couple of pages more in Genesis and we come to the flood. The thoughts and intent of man was evil continually. Man not only knew evil, but man chose to dwell in evil.

Here are some thoughts:

First, some spend a lifetime in evil. It’s the only world that they know. The people they surrounded themselves with are evil. Their thoughts are evil. Their plans are tainted with deception, cheating and dishonesty. They tell lies without any regret or sorrow. They devise, plan and engage in wicked, evil and selfish endeavors.

Second, the Bible warns about envying the wicked. Hollywood has built a fascination around the gangster, the outlaw, the bad guy. On the screen, there is an adventurous attraction to the evil, but in reality, there is a path of pain, destruction and heartache that follows them. They are not walking in righteousness and their deeds reflect a wasted mind and wasted talent that was given to them by the Lord.

Third, even among the people of God, we can spend far too much time in studying what is wrong rather than what is right. Religious history is a sad story of departures from the simple plan of God. Man thinks he has a better way than what God has devised and authorized. Evil comes in many forms and it wears many masks, including, the devil who can appear to be an angel of the light. We are told to be innocent as doves. The Ephesians were told that it was disgraceful to even speak of the things that were being done by some in secret.

Fourth, knowing evil and what evil can do to a person, ought to compel us to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We do not have to engage in evil. We do not have to participate in evil. The mocking of God and His way ought to bother us. There are some things that we just need to steer clear and not engage in them. They will not build up our hearts and strength our souls. Poor Lot felt his soul vexed daily by the unrighteous conduct of the citizens of Sodom. The evil was all around him. It bothered him. It ought to bother us. When we get to the point that we no longer are embarrassed or no longer can blush, as in Jeremiah’s day, then we have spent too much time among the evil. Worship, prayer and spending time with the righteous God will open your eyes.

We know good and evil. We know what evil can do. We see that every day in the broken lives of those who are trying to find joy and purpose. But, we also know good. We know what works. We know what pleases God.

This world is not my home…how true that sounds more and more each day!

Roger

26

Jump Start # 3130

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3130

Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows opened toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.”

Recently I was passing through London’s Heathrow airport. It’s big and crowded. On the people movers, as I call them, the conveyor walkways that you stand on and moves you down the road, I saw a sign hanging above it. It was one of those signs that preachers say, “that’ll preach.” The sign said, “Face the direction you are going.” The idea is that if you are on one of the people movers, but are facing the opposite way, possibly engaged in a conversation, you might run into the back of someone or worse, as the people mover comes to an end, you might fall down. Face forward. Face the direction you are going. That’s it. That’s what we need to be doing.

People want to go to Heaven, but they are not facing that direction. They are looking back at the world. They are looking at all their friends. They are looking at all the things that move and shake this planet. Face the direction that you are going!

Our passage today is what got Daniel into the lion’s den. He was praying. More than that he was praying towards Jerusalem. He was facing the direction he was going. He prayed knowing the king outlawed praying. He prayed knowing that praying could get him in trouble. Now, Daniel could have shut the window and likely no one would have seen him. Daniel could have said a silent prayer and no one would have heard him. Daniel could have prayed in bed and been safe. But he had been praying in the window toward Jerusalem and law or no law, he was still praying. He faced the direction he was going.

The sluggish and drifting Hebrew brethren were told to fix their eyes upon Jesus. Face the direction you are going. They were told about the faith of their forefathers who left a country and sought a heavenly country. They did not think about where they left. They desired a better country, a heavenly one. They faced the direction that they were going.

Now, some lessons for us:

First, when we face the wrong direction, we become influenced by those going the wrong direction. Worry, fear, doubt fill the lives of those who are looking in the wrong direction. Recession. Covid. Russia. Rising gas prices. Empty shelves. Someone said to me, “Have we ever seen such hard times?” My thought was, “Face the direction you are going.” Maybe we haven’t. Maybe things will get worse. But God has been through wars, famines, changes in kingdoms, conflicts, storms and troubles. We can face those who don’t know what to do, or we can turn and face the God who has seen all these things. Lion’s dens, prison walls, massive fortified cities, seas and storms and our Bibles are filled with God delivering His people. Are you facing the direction you are going?

Second, when we face the right direction, we find hope, assurance and confidence. The history of football tells the stories of fumbles being picked up and the player running the wrong direction. His own team chases him and tries to stop him. He happily runs into the end zone only to discover that he has run the wrong direction. Face the direction you are going fills our hearts with blessed assurance. We know that we are doing the Lord’s will. We walk by faith. We stand upon the promises of God as we journey in the right direction.

Third, facing the direction that we are going is a purposed choice that is built upon faith. The crowd may be headed the other direction. We don’t follow the crowd. We follow the Lord. We face the direction that we are going. This is our choice. This is what we want. We want Heaven and so we face that direction. Facing the right direction involves worshipping the Lord. It involves being engaged in good deeds. It involves developing a heart of compassion, kindness and forgiveness. The world looks into a mirror. The world is more interested in feelings than facts. The world is more focused upon what it wants than what the Lord wants. But that’s the world. It’s moving the other direction. It’s becoming more and more secular and atheistic. It closes it’s eyes to the reality and evidence of God. It ignores the word of the Lord.

Fourth, facing the direction we are going makes the things of the world grow dim in our eyes. Success. Top of the ladder. The best. Houses. Boats. Vacations. Plaques. Trophies. Awards. Name brands. All those things tend to lose their value and luster as we face the direction we are going. We are Heaven Bound! What matters is character, heart, faith and trust in the Lord. Who kisses who in Hollywood doesn’t impress us. Facing the direction we are going makes all the difference.

A simple sign in a busy airport. I needed that reminder.

Face the direction that you are going!

Roger

25

Jump Start # 3129

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3129

Ecclesiastes 3:8 “A time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.”

Our verse today comes from Solomon’s “seasons of life.” There is a time for everything, he says. And, what follows is a series of couplets and opposites. Many of them we really enjoy, such as hugs, birth and love. And, many of the opposites, we dread, such as hate, war and death.

Our focus today is on the ending of today’s verse, “a time for war and a time for peace.” As I write this, the war in Ukraine is entering yet another month. I think most people thought the war would be ended by this time. The events do not headline the nightly news anymore.

There needs to be some thought put into “a time for war.” Solomon is writing generically. He doesn’t identify if the war is between nations, families, ethnic groups or simply two co-workers who can’t get along. There is a time for war and there is a time for peace. When is there a time for war? When is it appropriate to launch into battle? And, Solomon doesn’t identify what kind of war he has in mind. Physical war with soldiers? A war with words? A husband and wife who are having an argument? A mad teen who slams the door to her bedroom? Political skirmishes between candidates? Religious wars that we often call persecution?

There is a time for war. Here’s some things to help us:

First not every battle is my battle, nor should I fight in ever battle. People tend to be involved in far too many things that are not any of their business. Two co-workers who cannot get along, explodes into the entire office taking sides and people who once liked each other and got along well, now don’t. This is true in families. This is true within the church. We preachers can stick our noses in the business of other congregations and get ourselves involved in things are not our battles. Staying out is hard. But one of the best things is to let the people involved work their differences out.

Second, when you are involved, do all that you can to make peace and avoid a war with others. That’s the spirit of the New Testament. Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus said. The Romans were told, “if possible, as far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Among the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians is peace. Listed in Peter’s characteristics of virtues are love and self control. Some like to irritate. Some like to stir things up. Some just know how to push the right buttons and they do that all day long. It’s like riding with your little brother in the back seat of the car. A touch becomes a poke, which becomes a pinch, which turns into a slap, which turns into a hit. About that time, dad has stopped the car and both get a spanking. Make peace when you can.

Third, lines must be drawn where God has established them. There are wars that need to be fought. There are battles that must take place. Standing for the integrity of Scriptures and God’s pattern for things is one such battle. There are those who want to twist Scriptures, introduce new concepts, change the way of God and reinvent what the Lord has introduced. Doctrinally, morally, culturally—there are battles taking place. To sit on the sidelines because one doesn’t like confrontations or the mess of wars is to allow the enemy to take over.

Near where I live, Corydon, Indiana, there was a battle that took place during the Civil War. It was the only battle fought in Indiana. Morgan’s Raiders came up from Kentucky into Indiana. A they approach little towns, they demanded horses, supplies and money. If they didn’t get that, they would fight and destroy the town. Every town quietly and cowardly surrendered, except my Corydon. They put up a fight. Cannons were fired. Muskets were shot. Several on both sides died. In the end, the defenders of Corydon surrendered. But the delay it caused, allowed Union troops to pursue and later capture most of Morgan’s Raiders.

Just like Morgan’s Raiders, Satan is trying to move in and take over. To surrender without a fight is to lack faith, courage and conviction.  A person needs to fight for their marriage and not let the devil destroy it. Shepherds need to fight for the truth that is to be fed to the flock. Many a pied piper has fooled people with slick messages, fancy books and stealth like motives. There is a time for war.

We sing, “Solders of Christ arise.” Will we? Will we be ready? Will we engage the enemy for what is right? I fear sometimes that we fight, but we are fighting in the wrong wars. And what we ought to be fighting, we are not. Standing on the principles or sitting on the sidelines?

There is a time for war and a time for peace. Knowing what time it is, makes all the difference.

Roger