08

Jump Start # 3204

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3204

Luke 14:28 “For which one of you when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?”

In our verse today, Jesus is revealing that there is a cost to discipleship. Salvation may be free, but staying with Jesus comes with a cost. And, in our verse Jesus uses the illustration of building a tower. Most of us have not built towers, but we have purchased cars, built homes and did some major remodeling and updating. We’ve done that in our home. We’ve gone through four different phases of renovations. A neighbor, who happens to be a top notch custom home builder, is our go to person for all the work we want done. I don’t have the time, the tools or the know how. I can write checks and he does the work for me. And, what folks say is generally true, it takes longer than you expected and often it costs more than you planned. With our neighbor the price is always upfront before he begins. It is at that point that I hit the calculator and do some figuring. Can we afford it? Do we need to trim down some of the plans? Or, does it fit in the budget and do we give our guy a green light?

Calculating…do you have enough? Can you complete the job? In Jesus’ illustration, the failure to count the cost results in an unfinished tower which becomes a point of ridicule from those who see it. He started, but he never finished.

From this we must ask ourselves, just how hard are we trying? Paul described Epaphras as one who is always wrestling in prayer for you (Col 4:12). That’s intense. Hebrews makes the statement, “You have not resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (4:12). How hard are we fighting sin?

Our times doesn’t do well with effort. I saw a sign at a fast food place that was looking to hire help. The sign said, “Paid daily.” Daily. You can’t two weeks to get paid? You can’t wait one week? Work one day and get paid that day. What a nightmare in paper work that must be for the owner of that place.

How hard are you trying? Wrestling? To the point of shedding blood?  Consider:

First, how hard are you trying to attend the worship services each week? Since Covid, many find it easier and easier to skip. Do you allow little things to keep you away from worshipping the God that loves you? You have to put forth some effort and you have to want to. The lazy bones can keep one at home. Not seeing the value of worship and fellowship can keep one at home. If all one thinks about is self, what do I get out of it, what’s in it for me, they are likely to stay home. But when the attention is placed upon the Lord and one understands the great joy of seeing other Christians, then he will push himself to get down to the church building. We must ask, “How hard are you trying?”

Second, how hard are you trying to make a good marriage? Are you forgiving as God has forgiven you? Do you complain a lot? Do you allow things to irritate you? Are you doing those special little things that you did when you were dating? How hard are you trying? Satan would love for you to turn against each other. Satan would love for you to throw in the towel on your marriage. But you know better. God wants better from you. Some days it’s easy to be married. Other days it’s not so easy. Attitudes clash. Opinions differ. Stay home or go out. Buy things or save. Grace, love and forgiveness make all the difference. How hard are you trying?

Third, how hard are you trying to live like Jesus? God wants us to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). Are you letting your light shine? Are you practicing the golden rule? Are you thoughtful and thankful? Are you kind and generous? Is everything always about you? Do you take on the spirit of those around you? Do you find yourself becoming negative like those around you? How hard are you trying?

And, when we stop and really think about it, we’ve done some hard things before. Some worked all day and went to school at night so they could finish a college degree. Some picked up a second job to pay off some debt. We’ve managed babies, aging parents, less than pleasant jobs, family reunions and holiday get togethers that were stressful, and tight budgets. Some have served overseas in the military. Some have worked twelve hour shifts that were more than twelve hours. Some have worked more than sixty hours a week. Some have stayed awake all night in the hospital, watching a loved one as life was slipping away. We understand putting in the extra effort. We know hard work. We understand what it means to bust it. We’ve done those things because it was the right thing to do. We’ve done those things because there was a goal before us. We’ve done those things because we had to and we needed to.

Shouldn’t it be the same for the most important things—worshipping God, building a great marriage and walking with the Lord? Maybe it’s not that we can’t do it, maybe there is a problem with do we want to? We’ve shown that we can do hard things. Maybe we don’t see the value and the upside to what the Lord expects of us.

How hard are you trying? Do you think you could turn it up a notch or two? Would you do that for Jesus?

Roger

07

Jump Start # 3202

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3203

Mark 14:51-52 “A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.”

On Tuesdays I have been teaching both a morning and an evening class on the book of Mark. We are at the end and it has been a great study. Our verse today comes from the time when Judas brought the guards and Jesus was arrested. Peter swung a sword and nearly killed someone. Jesus restored a severed ear. Jesus is bound and led away. And, in all of that commotion comes our verse. It’s only found in Mark and it has nothing to do with the story and it seems very odd for it to be placed there.

Many commentators believe our verse is about Mark. They think that Mark was the young man who was nearly grabbed and fled naked. The thought is that this places Mark at the scene and gives some credibility to what took place.

When this came up in our class, one person declared, “this must have been the first streaker in the world.” Later, another one from our class challenged me to write a Jump Start about that passage. I love challenges and here I go.

First, there are events in life that bring out all kinds of emotions. Here in the garden scene we find, confusion, anger, fear and uncertainty. Peter swinging. Judas kissing. Naked Mark running. Guards grabbing. And, Jesus, humbly being led away. What a furry of fast moving emotions and events.

There are times in our lives when things can be like this.

  • The slowly passing of a loved one can be like that. Decisions have to be made. Tears flow. Family gathers. Sometimes those who have been there caring day and night for the loved one butt heads with those who just arrived. Differences in what ought to be done. Then in the process of the funeral, different ideas can lead to heated words being said. Then after the funeral, family members start taking what they want and a real civil war erupts.
  • Even wonderful occasions such as weddings can bring out the worst in some people. Who is going to sit where? The bride is happily smiling. The mother is crying. The dad is stressing about how he is going to pay for all of this and why was it necessary to invite so many. A mixture of emotions.

And, it is often in those moments, that people see the best in us or the worst in us. Our attitudes, how flexible we are with our opinions, how kind we are towards others, how demanding or selfish we are become visible to everyone. Our lights can shine brightly or they can grow very dim at those moments.

Second, why was Mark only wearing a linen sheet? The events of Jesus arrest take place late in the night and maybe Mark came straight from his bed. We can wonder all day long about that but obviously, he wasn’t prepared to be in a crowd with others. Sometimes young people just don’t think things through very clearly. Did he not have time to put his clothes on? What did he think he would find when he went to the garden? Did he think Jesus would be there alone? The text tells us that there are a bunch of people there. The twelve apostles are there. The temple guard is there. Jesus is there. There may have been twenty to fifty people there. It is dark. There are torches. I expect when they saw Mark wearing a sheet, some laughed at him. And, as he ran off naked, embarrassed, I would suppose that more laughed.

If Mark came to help Jesus, he didn’t. This is why young people need parents to guide them. This is why a congregation needs the experience of shepherds to lead them. Not thinking things through can get us in trouble because of what we said. It can get us in trouble because of rash decisions that were made but not carefully considered. Showing up in a bedsheet or a linen, wasn’t the best decision.

Some ideas simply don’t fly. Some ideas can cause more trouble than any good that they do.

Third, we all have had embarrassing moments in our lives. Embarrassment has a way of letting the air out of our egos. I can connect to the linen sheet in our verse today. Something very close to that happened to me years ago. We had a trampoline that had a cover on it. One day, all the kids were off to school. My wife was off to work. And I was literally stepping in the shower when the phone rang. It was the older lady who lived behind us. The wind was blowing hard and the cover on the trampoline was nearly coming off. She was frantic that I do something. So I put on a robe, much like our Mark passage, with nothing else on. Went out and tied the cover tightly. Went to go back into the house and the door was locked. We did not have garage key pad. I did not have any keys hidden. My cell phone was in the house. I’m in my robe and trying to figure out what to do. I went to the older lady’s house, but she was already gone. The house next door was a young couple. So I went over there to borrow her cell phone. She invited me in. I told her, no, I’ll stay out here. I called my wife at work and told her that she needed to come home at once. She kept asking why and all I could tell her was that I was locked out. I didn’t want to say that I was wearing nothing but a robe because the young woman was standing right beside me.

After that, garage keypads, door keys hidden outside and always, always make sure the door is unlocked when I step out for a moment.

Being able to laugh at yourself and to learn from your mistakes is where life’s experiences and growth comes from. Embarrassing moments teach you things. You learn. You do better the next time. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously.

I doubt Mark was running around outside with just a linen sheet on after that. I expect he learned. The problem is when a person fails to learn. When a person goes through some embarrassing moment and they continue to repeat the same choices again.

Well, this hasn’t been too bad of a lesson taken from a naked man wearing only a linen.

Roger

04

Jump Start # 3202

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3202

2 Corinthians 10:3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.”

Our verse today identifies two important aspects of our faith. First, we are engaged in a battle. There are certain things that are opposed to our walk with Christ. There are certain things that we can never be on the same page with. Opposite directions. Opposite intentions. Opposite purposes. Second, this battle that we are fighting is a spiritual battle. We are of the flesh, but the war is not that way. It’s an internal spiritual battle.

From this, there are some things we need to remember:

First, each person must face his own personal battles. There are battles that we may all be a part of, such as keeping a congregation true to God’s word, but personally, and individually, each of us fight our own war. All of us do. The preacher does. The shepherds do. The Bible class teacher does. And, our battles are just that, personal and internal. We may not know what the next person is going through, but one thing for sure, if they are a disciple of Jesus, there is a tug of war going on within them. Satan is strong and he will find your weak points and he won’t let up.

It’s easy to look at another person and think, his battle is nothing compared to mine. But it is. His battle may not even be a battle within you, but for him it is. Some really struggle with drinking alcohol. Just to look at it, makes them weak and wanting some. For others, they can walk right through the liquor section of a grocery store and not even give it a passing thought. For others, it’s the obsession with money and buying things. It’s always on their minds. Yet, for others, they rarely think about money. Pride for some. Lust for others. Each one of us has our own battle.

Your battle may not be mine, but we both carry the scars of war. I may not understand yours and you may not understand mine, but we both know struggle and the fight is about the desire to do what is right. Your temptation may knock on the door of my heart and I may not even answer the door. But when mine knocks, the battle begins. Do I open the door and let temptation in or do I say, “Go away?”

Sometimes we can be rather judgmental and critical of others because their temptation seems so easy to resist. That is how we see it. But for the person in the midst of the battle, it’s a different story.

Second, God wants us to be kingdom minded and to be victorious over Satan. Be alert, Peter warns us about Satan. James tells us to resist. And, passage after passage helps us with winning this spiritual battle. God’s word is powerful. God’s word works. The stronger our faith becomes, the more we can win these battles.

And, so much of our choices will help us or hurt us in this battle. We understand this when we contrast the bright orange vests that hunters wear and the camouflage uniforms that the military wear. We can make ourselves easy targets by hanging out with the wrong people, watching the wrong shows, and not feeding our faith. If our military wore bright orange vests and hats into combat, they wouldn’t survive. Is it any wonder that we fall repeatedly when we continue to make choices that hurt us rather than help us. God has provided the weapons for victory. God has given us vivid examples to follow. God realizes the power of fellowship and worship. You don’t fight these spiritual battles alone nor on your own. The help of God is there.

Third, in most all wars, there are casualties. This is true of the spiritual battles we face. When we lose the battle, Satan gains a foothold in our heart and in our lives. The next time he comes around, it will be a lot easier for him to have his way. Lose enough battles and one loses the war. Spiritually, that means, our soul is lost. Satan wins.

But even when we resist Satan, and the battle belongs to the Lord, there are casualties. It may come from family and friends who no longer want to be around you. It may come from co-workers who talk about you in a negative way. It may cost you to stand with the Lord. Rather than being dishonest, you are honest. You are honest about the things you sell. Concealing things could bring you more money, but cheating someone is losing a battle. Satan wins. Being honest may mean you are given a ticket for driving too fast. You could make up some story, but that’s not the case. Following Jesus comes with a cost.

There is a battle going on inside of you everyday. Some days you get weary of the war. Some days you just want Satan to go away. Some days your heart says, “Come, Lord Jesus.” But as the hymn goes, “Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before.”

Fight the good fight of faith, the apostle told the young preacher. And, so the battle rages on. Be strong. Be prayerful. Stay close to the Lord and never take your eyes off of Him.

Roger

03

Jump Start # 3201

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3201

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Through the years we have somehow lost the fear of God. God is love we are told. What a friend we have in Jesus, we sing. We know that sin is wrong and that we shouldn’t do it, but we are no longer afraid. Grace is everywhere and somehow we’ll get out of every mess we’ve created. And, this attitude has take the fire out of God.

Contextually, the writer of our verse today is warning about sinning on purpose. We do something wrong, knowing that it is wrong, but thinking that God will forgive us. He has to forgive us. He almost owes us forgiveness, even though we’d never say it that way. So, this casualness towards sin has lessened the impact of the consequences. It is a terrifying thing. Terror. Fearful. Scared. Those are the words that other translations use for this passage. And, those words are simply missing today when we think about God. God is my friend, we say. There’s nothing to be afraid of. And, maybe a dose of fear is what we need these days. The Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards, preached, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” The audience was crying in fear. Today, that kind of preaching wouldn’t fly in most places. We want sermons that describe us walking hand in hand with God. We want sermons that makes us feel good. We don’t want to leave worship scared. We want to sing, “I’m happy today, oh, yes, I’m happy today.” And, what has happened is that the fear of God has disappeared. We can say anything and do anything and God might frown a bit, but He won’t be angry with us. We’ve made “falling into the hands of a living God” a delightful experience.

And, why is it terrifying?

First, because there is no higher power than God. One cannot appeal to someone else. It’s not like a ballgame and a call by the officials is questioned and the videos are reviewed and what was called on the field could be overturned. That may work in sports, but not with God. And, in this way, it makes falling into God’s hands, unprepared, whether in actions or attitudes, a terrifying thing. God is merciful but God is also just. If you don’t agree with the call of God, there is no other place, no other person, no other resource you can go to. God is always right. ALWAYS. God is always fair. ALWAYS. When God told Hezekiah to get his house in order because he was going to die, there is no one other than God that he could turn to.

Second, God’s law is the ultimate rule of right and wrong. His word will not be appealed, updated, amended or changed. It doesn’t matter what we want. It doesn’t matter what culture demands. It doesn’t matter, and that’s the point!

Third, God’s condemnation is the worst thing that could ever happen. It won’t be for a few hours standing in the corner. It’s not going to bed without supper. It’s not having your mouth washed with soap. It’s not a spanking. It’s not taking away privileges. Those all last for a short period of time and usually things are restored back to normal. The punishment of God is forever. It never ends. It doesn’t stop, EVER. There is no restoring of things as they once were.

Fourth, it is terrifying because it doesn’t have to be this way. The rich man in Luke 16 did not have to be in agony. The rich farmer who wanted to have larger barns, did not have to die without God. It was the choices that they made. The most terrifying aspect of the terror of God is that we put ourselves in that position. God is not randomly pulling us out of class and sending us to the principal’s office. Our choices. Our attitudes. Our lack of obedience. Our ignoring the law of God. Our arrogance. Our selfishness. Our refusal to bow to the God of Heaven and earth. It’s terrifying because we have put ourselves there. We have lived with a closed Bible. We have ignored worship. We have done what we wanted to do. And, by that we are falling into the hands of a living God. What terror beholds us. What long judgment awaits us. And, all of this could have been prevented had we chosen to walk with the Savior.

Jesus died so that we would not have to perish. But many will, because they have lived as if there is no God.

For those who walk with the Lord, God is our friend. God’s grace saves us. God is there for us. But for those who want to believe that God isn’t, they will find what a terrifying thing it is to fall into His living hands.

Maybe it’s time to blow the dust off of some old sermons about judgment and Hell. Maybe it’s time to remind ourselves that God is serious, are we?

Roger

02

Jump Start # 3200

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3200

Mark 15:11 “But the chief priests stirred up the multitude to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.”

Our verse today takes place as Jesus stands before Pilate. Time and again, Jesus is declared to be innocent. The trial was fake. The charges were made up. The witnesses were inconsistent and dishonest. Pilate understood that Jesus was innocent. The multitude was quickly turning into a mob. Pilate was concerned about his own status with Rome and his future. Bowing under pressure, Pilate released a murderer and sentenced the innocent Jesus to His death. The Jews thought they had a victory. But Scriptures show otherwise, when up from the grave He arose.

There are some interesting comparisons between Jesus and Barabbas. The best of the best and the worst of the worse.

First, the death of Jesus was always intended to be a substitute for others. The cross was meant for Barabbas. He was the guilty one. He was the one deserving death. He was already in prison. Jesus’ death was a sacrifice and a substitute. The pure died for the guilty. Barabbas is called a thief, a murderer and one who caused insurrection. He was lawless. But the law finally caught up to him. He should have died on the cross.

Second, the death of Jesus allows others to live. The death of Jesus allowed Barabbas to live. It is very likely that Barabbas should have been on that cross. Instead, Jesus was. And, by His dying, Barabbas was given another day. Barabbas was given another chance. Barabbas lived because Jesus died.

Third, the death of Jesus granted freedom. Not only was Barabbas allowed to live another day, but he was released from prison. Because of Jesus’ death, Barabbas was a free man. He could go where he wanted to. He could continue a life of crime or this could be the opportunity to turn his life around. The death of Jesus does the same for us. It breaks the death grip that Satan has on us. It allows us to be free from the prison of addictions. It opens the door so we can escape from fear and worry. Jesus died and Barabbas was released.

Fourth, the death of Jesus brought hope into the world. In the shoes of Barabbas, sitting in a prison, there wasn’t much to hope for. His days were numbered. He had been charged with treason, which is a strike against Rome. His death was certain. Hopeless and helpless, well describe the fate of Barabbas. The death of Jesus changed all of that. Hope came when the prison doors were opened and he was told to go. It was news that he could not dream of. It was better than he ever expected.

And, the death of Jesus has done the same for us. Forgiven. Accepted. Wanted. Loved. That’s what the Lord has done for us. What a mess we have made of things. How wrong we have been. And, until Jesus, there was no hope of ever getting out of that dark prison of doom.

I wonder, as the text of the Gospels unfolds, that Pilate asks who should be released. The crowds scream “Barabbas. Barabbas.” And, sitting in a prison not far away, he hears his name. Why are they shouting my name, he wonders. Then Pilate asks, what about Jesus? The crowds shout louder, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” Again, Barabbas only hears the shouts. He hears his name and then he hears “crucify, crucify.” Soldiers come to the prison and Barabbas believes this is it. They are taking me to the cross. I am going to be executed right now. But instead, the prison doors swing open and he is told to leave. “You are released.” Pilate has granted your freedom. You don’t understand. In an instant you have gone from terrible fear believing you are about to be executed, to now finding out you are free. You don’t ask questions. You don’t stick around for an explanation. You move quickly out of that prison cell. You are free and you want to go immediately.

Were the other two executed with Jesus, thieves we are told, part of Barabbas’ gang? Did he know those men? Did he stick around to watch their deaths? I doubt it. I expect he was running as fast as he could to get out of Jerusalem. He was to die, but now he lives. He was imprisoned, but now he is free. He had no hope, but now he has all hope.

The story of Barabbas is our story. We are Barabbas. Free, where do we turn? Given another chance, what do we do? Back to a life of crime? More wrong choices? More prison time? Or, do we find Jesus? Do we follow the Savior? Does our life change? Are we now Heaven Bound?

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.

Roger