19

Jump Start # 3786

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 3786

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”

 

I write this on a Friday afternoon. This morning I preached the funeral of one of our members. He was at services Sunday and that night the Lord called him home. He hadn’t been sick. It was a real shock to all of us. Such a wonderful man.

 

I believe in all the various layers of things I do as a preacher, and there are many layers, preaching a funeral is one of the hardest on me. Writing. Teaching. Private Bible studies. Counseling. Preaching. Even, weddings. Nothing drains me more than funerals. I’ve done tons of funerals and just about every situation you can think of. I preached the funeral for both of my parents. I preached the funeral of a lady who was 99 years old. I’d did the funeral for a sixteen year old who was killed in a car crash. I did the funeral of a young man who was killed in a drive by shooting. The funeral of elders. I preached the funeral of friends. I preached the funeral of strangers. I spoke at a hospital ceremony for mother’s who lost babies. I have preached a lot funerals. I’ve stood outside at a grave site speaking words in thunderstorms and heavy snow showers, blazing hot summer sun and freezing winter chill. After all of these years I still get nervous doing funerals.

 

I put lots of pressure on myself in funerals. Probably more pressure than necessary.  I want the service to be as close to perfect as it can be. I have three goals in every funeral: comfort the family, honor the deceased, and help the rest of us take it to heart. I sit down and write an original message for every funeral. I may use similar passages, but it becomes a brand new sermon. I wonder if I say enough about the person who died. I wonder if the message is too long. I wonder if the message seems too short. Do I present the Lord in an accurate and positive manner? How do I say something that will help those who are not Christians?

 

I’ve been to funerals where the message seemed too light. I’ve been to some where the name of the person who passed away was rarely if ever mentioned. I’ve seen funerals and you can tell the audience is thinking this is taking way too long. I’ve been to some where it seems the preacher was talking more about himself than anyone else.

 

Writing funerals are the hardest sermons to write, at least they are for me. And, when I am done, I feel like an old washrag that has been squeezed so much that there isn’t a drop left.

 

Here are some thoughts around this topic:

 

First, as Joseph and Nicodemus quickly buried Jesus, I wonder if they paused and said a prayer? I wonder if they quoted any passages from Psalms? Did Jesus have a funeral? As I thought this day, what would I have said, if I was preaching the funeral of Jesus?

 

  • One of the things I’d say was how kind, helpful and better He made lives. He healed the sick, and cast out demons. Parents brought their sick, dying and possessed children to Jesus. He never turned anyone away.

 

  • I think I’d have to mention the preaching of Jesus. He was the authority. Truthful. Personal. Cutting to our hearts, but what we needed to hear. His words had a way of touching hearts and though challenging, they offered hope. That’s the words of Jesus.

 

  • One would have to quote some of the things Jesus said.

 

  • How could we not notice what God had said about Jesus.

 

  • We would have to say something about the manner in which Jesus died. He was executed by the state for crimes he did not commit. His death was unfair.

 

And, within the same family, John the baptist and Jesus, both young, both died violently for doing what was good and right. How would you comfort a family that has gone through double tragedies?

 

The funeral for Jesus. That’d make an interesting study.

 

Second, I’ve learned that grief is a journey and each person travels at their own pace. Some seem to bounce back to a normal routine fairly quickly. Others, like Job’s wife, never seems to recover. Don’t fault some from taking their time on this journey. Be patient and be helpful.

 

Third, as I said this morning in the funeral I preached, there are two fascinating things about obituaries. First, it’s hard to sum up a life in a few sentences. We mention accomplishments, awards and victories. But, what about those thousands of meals together. The vacations. The holidays. The hugs. The prayers. The times worshipped together. The serious conversations. The obit misses all of that.

 

The other thing that the obituary does is that it reveals things that many did not know. We learn about these things too late. “I didn’t know he did that,” is a common expression after the obit is read. Especially among God’s people, we don’t brag about all that we have done. We just don’t do that.

 

It is an honor to be called by a family to say some words about someone they loved so dearly. One cannot take that responsibility lightly. It is a privilege to speak at funerals.

 

My brain is tired, but I have a bit more office work to do before I can call it quits today.

 

Today, I preached a funeral…

 

Roger

 

 

18

Jump Start # 3785

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start# 3785

James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him”

 

In our verse today, James is telling his readers to pray for wisdom. We don’t hear that prayer very often in our public worship. Maybe we ought to. It is easy to confuse knowledge with wisdom. They are close cousins, but they are not the same. Without knowledge there can be no wisdom. But, knowledge alone won’t change a person.

 

Knowledge is facts. Knowledge is understanding. It’s seeing principles and doctrine. It’s grasping dispensations, covenants and commands. Our Bible class start at very young ages teaching the basic facts. We start by singing songs about the books of the Bible, or asking over and over, ‘How many books are in the Bible?’ And, as the child grows, the facts become deeper. But, if we stay on this trajectory a person enters into middle school, high school, college, or even adulthood, with a head full of facts and very little wisdom.

 

James tells us not to pray for knowledge, but for wisdom. The difference between these two words, knowledge and wisdom, can be summed up as facts and application. Knowledge put into practice becomes wisdom. It is wisdom that leads to a change in heart and a change in practice.

 

So, how do we develop wisdom among us?

 

First, in both classes and sermons, we need to understand our audiences. We can be guilty of information overload. Quotes upon quotes. Footnotes as if we are reading a collegiate dissertation. In our audiences are simple people. They are not dumb nor naïve. What they are looking for is how can I navigate through this week in a godly and righteous way. How do I conduct myself among co-workers and neighbors? How do I find hope in the midst of storms?

 

If anyone could have done a deep dive into the background of prophecies, ancient history and mysterious and unusual facts, our Lord was the one. But, He didn’t. When teaching His disciples how to pray, Matthew 6, how simple the words and how understandable the expressions are. One doesn’t have to run to the dictionary to figure out what the Lord was saying. This is not a call to dumb down our messages, but realize who we are teaching and make things so practical that they become useful. That’s when wisdom puts on shoes and changes come about.

 

Second, we ought to read the Bible with the idea of how can I use this? If man is not to live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, as Jesus says, then God’s word must be presented as living, useful, helpful and practical. We live on that word. And, this wisdom aspect could be what’s missing in many hearts, homes and congregations these days. I saw the other day that it takes about 120 classroom hours to earn a PhD. Now, you take a Christian who has been sitting in sermons and classes for decades upon decades. He has more than 120 hours of class time. Yet, he continues to struggle with the same questions, the same sins, the same fears and the same worries, year after year. He’s got the classroom time, but he failed to bridge the gap between knowledge and wisdom.

 

Some of the best students of the Bible have not been the college teachers, but the farmer, the housewife, the mechanic, who have worn out the Bible reading it over and over and over. They know the word of God. Not only do they know it, but their lives demonstrate the word of God.

 

Many of the first preachers in the restoration movement were simple farmers who took God’s word to heart and then preached their heart out. Many had the level of education that we would consider high school,  yet they understood God’s word and they understood people.

 

Third, once you enter the world of wisdom, you see ways to apply what you have learned all around you. God’s word becomes alive and through observing eyes you journey closer and closer to Him. You become challenged. Your thinking cap never comes off. And, in this manner, you move to being a disciple or student of Christ.

 

Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word. Loaded with facts, it’s seeing the love and grace of Jesus that touches our hearts and builds faith deep within our souls.

 

Pray for wisdom…that is a prayer we all need to pray.

 

Roger

 

17

Jump Start # 3784

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3784

Matthew 5:45 “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

 

We were off to the symphony the other evening to hear Stravinsky’s Firebird. I admit that sometimes when I attend I do not focus so much on the music as I do people watch. We had in the previous two concerts that we attended an old guy sitting next to me who cough so hard, I thought his lung was coming out. It really irritated the guy sitting in front of him and he gave him some stern words as the show was over. But, this time, the cougher wasn’t sitting next to me. As the show was about to begin, two twenty-something females came in about five rows in front of us. One was wearing a strap thing which you could see most of her bare back, but she had a shawl which covered her. I could see that she had a series of sentences tattooed across her back. All I could make out was “I want…” During the intermission, they stepped out and I could read the last sentence tattooed on her back. It read,  “I want sin.” I had to look again because I thought I must of misread that. But, no. There it was, “I want sin.”

 

I don’t know if this was her bucket list tattooed on her, or, what the intention was, but it speaks volumes. I want sin, what a sad, sad thing to mark your body with and worse, to live that way in life. Carefree. Indifferent. Godless. Clueless. Happy as one can try to be, but blind to the realities of God and His word.

 

Some thoughts:

 

First, the Bible declares that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Wanting sin is easy to accomplish. You won’t meet an adult today who has not tasted the bitter fruit of sin. We all have. From the best among us, to the worst among us, we all have sinned. Our sin is what has separated us from God. God doesn’t move, we do. And, when following sin, we move further and further away from God.

 

Why would anyone want that? It must come from a soul that does not believe in it’s Creator. It comes from one who wants to do what they want. It comes from one who does not realize that they are headed rapidly to a judgment with the God they did not believe existed.

 

As the music played in our concert, I kept thinking about what I would say to such a person if we could sit across a table and have a conversation. Where to begin? And, as the thoughts were swirling around I landed on the idea that “God really loves you.” Maybe she had a bad experience with religion. Maybe she had some horrific things happen to her when she was a child. Maybe life hasn’t worked out the way she planned. But God has been there and there has been blessings from Heaven upon her, as Jesus said in our verse today. God’s rain and God’s sunshine aren’t just for the righteous. But the wicked and the evil benefit from God even though they do not believe in Him.

 

Second, rather than tattooing your back with “I want…,” I want…,” “I want.” How much better to pursue, God wants. What I want most times leads straight into sin. It’s when I follow what He wants that righteousness, peace and goodness follows. And, just what happens when a “I want,” person doesn’t get what they want? Most times, they’ll get angry, upset and feel cheated.

 

We know that the first step into discipleship is to deny yourself (Luke 9:23). When people start demanding in church, “I want…,” “I want…, “ “I want,” it won’t be long before they leave. The church isn’t arranged to satisfy all of your wants. The church is not a democracy. The church is to be the bride of Christ. We are to honor the Lord. Selfish Christians don’t do well in a fellowship. Selfish Christians do not do well in submitting to one another. Selfish Christians don’t do well with the Bible. Selfish Christians won’t do well with the Lord.

 

Third, as I write this on a Monday morning, tears are in my eyes. I just got off the phone with the wife of one of our members. He was with us in worship yesterday. He died in his sleep. Sweet, kind and just a good heart was Max. He loved the Lord. He came to us after the pandemic shutdowns. His church didn’t have any services and had nothing on line. He found us on the internet. He started watching. He showed up one Sunday morning. He didn’t know anyone. He and I struck a bond. We got together and studied. I baptized him. He was loved by our church family. Well dressed and always with a smile on his face. Because of him, a few others came. We had a lengthy Lord’s Supper talk yesterday and then I preached. As he left, Max whispered to me, “We had two sermons this morning, but I liked yours the best.” And, now, Max is on the other side.

 

I wonder what the “I want sin” girl would have to say about all that? I know what God says, “Well done, good and faithful…enter into the joy of your Master.”

 

The concert ended and as I was leaving I saw the man who coughs. He was several rows behind us. Lessons all around us, if we will open our eyes and look. By the way, Firebird is an amazing piece to listen to.

 

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 3783

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3783

 

Matthew 5:41 “And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.”

 

 

I recently preached on this passage that comes from the famous Sermon on the Mount. The statement is about being a servant. It calls for us to do the unexpected. But, in the times Jesus spoke it, how outrageous, radical and even offensive this must have sounded to those listening ears.

 

There was a law in Judea that was strictly enforced. A Roman soldier could compel a Jew to carry his pack, his shield, his spear, for one mile. One mile was the limit. History tells us that there were one mile markers outside of Jewish villages identifying how far the equipment of a Roman soldier could be carried. One mile.

 

Rome did that to harass, humiliate, annoy, irritate, bother and oppress the Jews. This was a regular reminder that the Jews were not an independent nation. They were oppressed and they were to serve their oppressors. If you had your arms full of boxes, a Roman soldier would enjoy forcing you to drop those boxes and carry his gear. Would your boxes still be there when you returned? The Roman didn’t care. They would see a Jew walking very fast, as if he was in a hurry, and they’d make that person carry the equipment for a mile. A protesting Jew could be beaten. Worse, he could be arrested for treason. You might be walking one way and a Roman soldier the opposite way, and he would make you carry his stuff the direction he was going. Your anger would build because of how these soldiers treated you and others. But, there was nothing you could do. The Romans could mock and make fun of you as you carried their stuff one mile. Many Jews would look carefully to see if any soldiers were in the area before they tried to make their journey. They would hide, not wanting to walk the mile with the soldier.

 

This was life for the Jews. And, now Jesus adds to this, if you are forced to go one mile, go two. No one went two miles. No one could make you go two miles. One mile is all that was required. One mile is what was expected and demanded. If a soldier caught you going the wrong direction and made you walk with him one mile, you are now two miles from where you started. With Jesus’ words, you would be four miles from where you started.

 

The interesting thing about this is that when a disciple got to the one mile marker, he’d keep walking. The soldier might tell him to stop, but the disciple would keep going. He would do this, not complaining. He would not gripe about Roman occupation. In fact, it would shock the soldier. He’d be telling you, that is enough. But, onward you’d keep walking. Walking with a smile. Walking way out of your way. You’d do this because that’s what Jesus did towards us. He always went out of the way for us.

 

Now some thoughts from this:

 

First, because I do not have to, is not a reason not to. This is a common thought about attendance. Someone will say, “Wednesday night is not in the Bible, so I don’t have to come.” The point of our passage is just that. You don’t have to walk a second mile. No one can make you walk a second mile. You do it by choice. You do it because you want to.

 

When we do only what we have to do, that becomes duty. That’s not the heart of a servant. When we only do things if we get paid, that’s called a job. That’s not the heart of a servant. But, when we do things that we do not have to do, and no one asks us to do them, now, we begin to understand a servant.

 

Second, there are plenty of one mile Christians. They will do their duty. I’ve even heard some pray, “Lord, we pray for those who it is our duty to pray for.” What about those it’s not our duty to pray for. What about praying for Russia’s Putin. We talk about him. We criticize him. We blame him. Have we ever prayed for him? Doing only what is expected and nothing more, sure sucks the air out of a congregation. Paul praised Philemon because he knew he would do even more than what Paul said. The Thessalonians were encouraged to excel still more.

 

Duty minded Christians seem to be in a hurry to get out of the church building. I’ve seen others, nearly an hour after services talking, some with Bibles opened, engaging and helping one another. Do they have to do that? That’s the point! Second mile people go beyond what they have to do.

 

Third, second mile Christians don’t wait to be asked. No one would ask a Jew to go two miles. That would never happen. A Roman soldier could not do that. Going the second mile in forgiveness. Going the second mile in fellowship. Going the second mile like the captured servant girl did when she told Naaman’s wife about a prophet in Israel who could heal his leprosy. Going the second mile like Paul did when he gave Mark a second chance. Earlier, Paul got into an argument not wanting to bring Mark. But, later, Paul declared that Mark was useful for him. A second mile. A second mile like David inviting Saul’s grandson to sit at his table.

 

Matthew five, where our passage comes from, ends with the question, “What do you do more than others?” Back then, anyone could walk one mile. They had to if a Roman soldier demanded it. But, who goes the second mile? Who goes out of his way?

 

Second mile Christians…I know some of them. They are amazing.

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 3782

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3782

 

Psalms 101:2 “I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.”

 

Our verse today, one of David’s many Psalms, puts two important concepts on the table for us. The first one, most obvious, is integrity. Honesty. Truthfulness. One of the greatest deceptions of our times is what we do to ourselves. We deceive ourselves. We tell others we are ok, when we are not. This is true financially. This is true when it comes to our health. This is true with our feelings toward our spouse. This is true spiritually. We hate to admit that we need help. It seems like a sign of failure on our part.

 

I recently had a foot problem. The problem was it hurt. Being married to a nurse can be wonderful and it can also mean you are not getting out of this until you go to the doctor. So, off I went. Got some medicine and within a day it was so much better. Knowing myself, I would probably had waited another week or so. I already was starting to limb a little. My way, I’d likely be on the floor crawling. Just ask for help.

 

But, the other wonderful concept this passage brings to us is the location of the integrity. David says, “I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.” My house. Not, God’s house. Not your house. My house. David hadn’t always done this. His adultery with Bathsheba began when he was on the rooftop of his house. My house, David says. Then, David had messengers bring Bathsheba to his house. The sin took place in his house. David wasn’t very good in his house.

 

The importance of my house. Let’s give that some thought:

 

First, we are very careful about what we say when we are in public and around others. We are careful not to gossip. We don’t talk about others in a negative way. We are respectful. We listen. We take our turn in conversations. But, what happens when we get home? Some of the meanest things said are said to the people we love the most. We can snap, be critical, judgmental, demanding, shouting all while we are in our house. We’d never do that in a store. We’d never do that in the church building. But, at home, our house, where people see us the most and know us the best, we drop all the niceness and can become a real grouch.

 

I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.

 

Second, our greatest field of evangelism is within my house. Noah a preacher of righteousness, only saved his family. But, it was his family that was saved. Day in and day out, good days and bad days, special days, and plain ordinary days, our family sees us, hears us, and knows us. We want our children to be honest with us, so we must be honest with them. We want them to tell the truth, so we must tell the truth. And, through the years, your family ought to see that you are serious about Jesus. They see you in worship and they see you at home. They know what shows you watch. They hear the words that come out of your mouth. There ought to be a consistency. You in the church building ought to be the same as you at home. It’s here at home where love, acceptance, grace and forgiveness are first learned. And, through you, your children will see Jesus.

 

I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.

 

Third, it is that inconsistent manner of life that will cause some to question your faith and even challenge you as a hypocrite. You are one thing in the public, but a different person at home. And, that kills faith faster than any false doctrine can. Integrity in paying your taxes. Integrity when talking on the phone. Integrity when posting on social media. Integrity when dealing with money and selling things. How does the car run, someone asks who is interested in buying yours? Integrity. Is there anything wrong with the house, you are asked from someone who wants to buy it. Integrity. It may kill a sell. You may not make as much money in a deal, but you walk with a whole heart, knowing that you were honest.

 

One must wonder, if a person cannot be honest at home, can they be honest anywhere? The lack of integrity at home is something that may keep a man from serving as a deacon or shepherd in God’s church. His family knows.

 

I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.

 

And, if I can’t walk with integrity among my family, how will I ever be honest with my God? God who knows all. God who sees all. God who knows my motives. God who knows my whole story. I can convince myself that I am ok, when I am really not.

 

I’m glad I listened to my wife. The Lord knows I really need her. I’d be a mess without her. And, my foot feels great.

 

Roger