LIFE LESSONS

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:  (Genesis 49:1)

If you are taking a trip somewhere that I have been, you are wise to listen to me before you travel.  I can tell you the best road to take, good places to eat, where to stay, and what to see.  If there are places to avoid, I can warn you.  We have the experiences of spiritual pilgrims recorded in Scripture.  “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”  (1 Cor.10:11)  There are life lessons from Jacob’s prophetic blessing in Genesis 49.

Reuben was commended for his strength (v.3), but condemned for his lack of stability (v.4), which led to immoral sensuality.  We are warned of being, “a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)  Such are bound to trip and fall.

If Reuben’s problem was instability then Simeon and Levi’s was cruelty (v.5-7).  Rather than controlling their anger, it dominated them.  “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”  (James 1:19-20)

Judah would rise to sovereignty (v.8-12).  His would be the line from which the kings would come—and ultimately the King of kings, the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ.  Since we are heirs with Christ, then we shall reign with Him also (read Rom.8:17; Rev.22:5).

Zebulun and Issachar teach us about opportunity (v.13-15).  Zebulun would seize it, and Issachar would shun it.  Dwelling by the sea, Zebulun’s heirs would master commerce.  Issachar’s strength gave great potential, but indifference led to enslavement.  God gives us such wisdom in His Word about financial matters, but too often, “the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.” (Luke 16:8b)

Dan warns us of duplicity (v.16-18).  He is pictured as a serpent lying in wait, striking the unsuspecting.  In this he is like his spiritual father—the Devil.  Our only hope to escape the same sin and sentence is to cry out to God for salvation (v.18).

Gad, Asher and Naphtali will experience victory and exhibit prosperity (v.19-21).  So should we: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Cor.2:14). ‎

Joseph’s life lesson instructs us in purity (v.22-26).  His painful experiences were God’s pruning to prepare him for fruitfulness.  They had a refining quality that molded his character into a vessel God could us.  A sanctified life is one God delights to bless.

Benjamin teaches us about activity (v.27).  Morning and evening would find him on the move.  His productivity would lead to prosperity.  God never blesses laziness!  Do we, like Benjamin, have an appetite to achieve?

As you look into the mirror of God’s Word here, what do you see about your life?

THE CENTRALITY OF THE CROSS

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  (1 Corinthians 2:2)

In the very center of London you will find a place called Charing Cross.  The locals simply call it “the Cross.” The story is told of a London police officer who came upon a lost child.  The child was crying and unable to tell him where he lived. The boy said, “If you will take me to the Cross, I think I can find my way home from there”.  That is still true today!  In an age where many churches are taking down the cross from their buildings so as not to be offensive, we will still cling to the old rugged cross!  When has it not been offensive?  At the center of our faith stands the cross.

The cross is central in its PROCLAMATION (1 Cor.2:1)  It was the core of New Testament preaching.  Paul underscores this in his ministry.  He did not seek to enthrall them with soaring oratory—with human eloquence—or to enchant them with sublime philosophy—with human intelligence.  Rather it was a simple sermon—a testimony.  Notice that the Apostle connects his preaching with the glory of God (1 Cor.1:26-31), so he will not seek to exalt himself but exalt Christ!  No preacher can seek his own glory and seek God’s at the same time.  Paul wrote in Gal.6:14, “God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  

The cross is central in its PREEMINENCE (1 Cor.2:2)  There had been many crosses erected on that skull-shaped hill outside Jerusalem.  Perhaps hundreds of Jews had been crucified there.  On that day there were three crosses—but it is the central cross that is pre-eminent—the cross where Jesus was crucified.  That is our focus.  It draws our gaze.  We stand transfixed at it—its horror and its attraction, at the same time.  There are those who want to take the cross and make it an object of beauty—gilding it with gold and setting it with precious gems.  That is not the cross of Christ.  Rather it was a cruel instrument of death.  It is in the Son of God crucified that we can be forgiven—paying the debt of sin we couldn’t pay.

The cross is central in its POWER (1 Cor.2:3-5).  Apparently, there was nothing imposing about Paul’s physical presence.  He may have sounded more like Don Knotts than James Earl Jones.  But it wasn’t the charisma of his person, but the content of his preaching that provided the power to transform lives.  He contrasts the faith that is rooted in man’s wisdom and that which is in God’s power.  The former is a sham-faith and the latter a saving faith.  In the first, some Christian salesman uses emotional manipulation and psychological techniques to talk someone into a decision.  I bought a time-share like that once—and came to regret it and sold it.  It wasn’t what it was cracked up to be.  That only cost a few thousand dollars.  This kind of preaching can cost an eternal soul!  When the Gospel is proclaimed in faithfulness, the Holy Spirit’s power convicts of sin, and generates faith in the heart of man. It is a miracle—a dead man coming to life, a blind man coming to see, a deaf man to hear, and a crippled man to walk!  Only God can do that!  Is that where your faith rests?  Is it in the cross alone?

THE DAWN OF HOPE

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  (Luke 1:13-14)

They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn.  That was the condition of the nation of Israel 2,000 years ago.  Four centuries passed and they were still in spiritual darkness, without a word from God, since the last prophet, Malachi, had spoken.  Yet, he promised, “The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (4:2a).  That new day was about to dawn.  As the sun returns to the sky after the darkness of night, so hope would return with a fresh word. 

It came TO A SEPARATED PERSON (Luke 1:5-9)  Zacharias was a priest, set apart for service in the temple.  He and his wife Elizabeth were faithful people who let their light shine during those dark days.  They clung to hope when it seemed hope was lost.  This godly couple was not perfect, but they were pure.  God occupied the throne of their lives and directed their steps.  Their walk in public was without scandal and their walk in private was without shame.  All was done under the supervision of God who put His stamp of approval on their conduct.  You don’t have to be a gifted person for God to use, but you have to be a godly person.

The dawn of hope came AT A STRATEGIC POINT (Luke 1:9-10)   Nothing is by accident for the child of God—it is by appointment!  Paul said that it was in the fullness of time that God sent His Son into the world—in the most strategic moment, God would cause the Light to dawn.  We see His providential hand selecting Zacharias—by lot.  It wasn’t human chance, but heavenly choice.  God is directing the events of your life—even the painful ones.  God uses pressure to mold us and fire to make us fit vessels.  When the priest went in to offer incense a bell was sounded calling the people to pray.  Incense is symbolic of intercession—a sweet fragrance arising to God.  When God gets ready to move, he moves us to pray.

The word came THROUGH A SUPERNATURAL PRESENCE (Luke 1:11-12)  If God opened our spiritual eyes, we would see there are angels all around us.  We are never alone—God is near!  We are so casual and careless about holy things and sacred places.  Irreverence comes from failing to see God as He is!  If an angel could so terrify a good man, what reverence should be shown the Lord?

The dawn of hope came BY A SACRED PROCLAMATION (Luke 1:13-25)    John the Baptist would be the herald of the King!  Here is a description of spiritual awakening—in the nation, the church and the home.  We need that now!  God spoke and Zacharias couldn’t.  Unbelief can rob us of blessing, but it won’t stop God’s purposes.

Will you respond to Him?  Will you hear and heed His voice?  Today could be the dawn of a new day for you—hope could arise, even in this dark hour.

 

THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”  So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.  I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”  (Genesis 46:2-4)

The word “providence” is a composite word—from “pro,” meaning “before,” and “video,” meaning “to see,”—thus, “to see before,” and describes God’s foresight in directing people and events to His predetermined purpose.

The Old Testament story of Joseph is a dramatic demonstration of this doctrine.  God birthed a dream in Joseph’s heart that his brothers would someday bow to him.  That seemed impossible, when through a series of events, Joseph was cast down into a pit, went down to Egypt as a slave, was put down into a dungeon as a prisoner, and yet this would be the very means by which God would bring him up!  He becomes the second most powerful man in the world, and his brothers bow before him, just as God had foreordained.  This became the means by which Jacob’s family was saved from famine—and we may add, how we are saved from hell!  Christ would be born of this line—and had they perished of starvation, then we would have no Savior!

In the story of Joseph we learn that God’s providence is universal—it extends to all people and to all places.  Though He does not make us puppets on a string, He takes even the bad decisions people make and works them for eternal good and glory.  Certainly, evil things were done to Joseph.  God didn’t make his brothers, for example, do what they did, for He cannot inspire evil, still, He used those very actions to work His will.

His providence is never unrighteous—though it may seem unfair at times.  Surely, Joseph must have felt that way—and so do we.  All he ever tried to do was to be faithful to God and an obedient son.  What did it get him?  The pit!  In Potiphar’s house, he was a loyal servant, and rejected the seduction of his master’s wife, and what was the result? The prison!  Yet, there was more to the story, and we see the righteousness of God prevail over man’s sinfulness.

His providence is not always understandable.  God knows more than we know, sees farther than we see, and works in ways beyond our grasp.  Although we eventually see what God was doing in Joseph’s life, we still wonder why He worked in this way.  I can only say, it was the best way, but only God knows why!

His providence is unchangeable.  Much is made of the “freewill of man,” and yet, those very choices freely made will ultimately result in the will of God being done.  His agenda cannot be thwarted!  No angel in heaven, no demon below, neither ruler on earth, nor circumstance in life can stop the irresistible movement of God’s program.  Always remember that when life seems out of control, God is very much in control.  How comforting!

IN MY PLACE

So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.  (Mark 15:15)

Imagine your car stalled on railroad tracks.  A train is bearing down; death is imminent.  Then a big football player, has you shift into neutral, and with every ounce of strength he has, gives a mighty push and your car just gets off the tracks.  It is too late for him, however—he dies in your place.  Can you imagine the gratitude you would feel?  You would do anything in your power for his family, after the sacrifice he made for you.

Judgment was coming like a speeding locomotive for sinners like us.  We faced more than physical death; we were destined for the second death, which is the Lake of Fire.  What did Jesus do?  He died in our place!  How we ought to be overwhelmed with praise for such love, and do all we can for His family—the church!  The story of Barabbas illustrates this great spiritual truth.

The Gospel writer tells us that Barabbas was in prison (Mark 15:6-7), and deservedly so.  He was a criminal—a notorious one.  Barabbas was a zealot, a fanatic, an extremist.  We would liken him to Islamic terrorists today who commit violent acts to achieve political ends.  He would have been on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list had he lived in our era.  When I look into the mirror, I see Barabbas looking back.  As he defied the authority of Rome, I have rebelled against the King of Heaven.  Because we have committed such evils, we are now in prison to sin’s bondage.  The day of reckoning looms.

Barabbas was on death row.  Three crosses had been erected for the pubic execution of him and two co-conspirators.  Being the ringleader, the middle cross was his.  Can you picture the condemned man the night before his death, looking at his hands, and rubbing his wrists, as he thinks about the iron spikes that will be driven through his flesh the next day?  When he drifts off into a fitful sleep, he is suddenly awakened by the clanging of s metal door being shut elsewhere in the prison.  He jumps, breaks into a cold sweat—it sounds like a hammer ringing down on metal nails!  The dawn of his death day comes—a bloody red glow spreading across the horizon.  How apropos!  Then, he listens at the sound of a mob gathering together—they are coming to watch the spectacle.  He himself had witnessed the brutality of crucifixion, and now others would gawk at his naked body pinned on the tree.  From the distance, he hears voices—a lone man, the Roman governor is speaking, but he cannot make out the words.  Then the crowd erupts into a shout—they are calling his name!  “Barabbas!  Barabbas!” Then a brief interlude—the low hum of Pontius Pilate’s voice, again indistinguishable from the distance.  There is no mistaking the next words—they are screaming, “Crucify him!  Crucify him!”  Next, the hob nailed boots of his executioners echo down the corridor, growing closer and closer, louder and louder—he thinks they are coming to take him away, but when they open the cell door—he cannot believe his ears—they say, “Get out!  Jesus is dying in your place!”

Scripture says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God….” (1 Pet.3:18a)  He died in my place.  I am Barabbas.

LIBERTY AND OUR LORD

 

For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.  (Romans 14:8)

Followers of Christ are no longer slaves, but sons.  Jesus promised, “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”  (John 8:36)  We are no more in bondage to sin, nor under the burden of law.  Understand, however, that we are not free to do what we want, but free to do what we ought.  Our liberty operates within the boundaries of the Lordship of Christ and our love for Christians.

Paul addresses A PROBLEM THAT UNDERMINES UNITY (Rom.14:1-6).  The conflict that had arisen in the church at Rome was over special diets and sacred days.  Positions were stated, Scriptures were quoted, sides were taken, and unity was threatened.  The Devil uses the tool of division to tear up churches.  How does such a breach in fellowship occur?

With out lips we may confess that salvation in solely by grace, but if we aren’t careful we add to it a list of rules.  Christians form their checklists and then we are back in bondage to legalism.  When we try to impose our regulations on someone else, then disputes arise.  Then, there were those who championed liberty who felt free to judge those who had a tender conscience and did not want to eat certain things associated with their former pagan ways.  They insisted on their rights—and unity was threatened.  Paul says that rather than impose our rules on others, or insist on our rights with others, we need to embrace our responsibilities to others.  Augustine said it well: “In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things charity.”

Paul announces A PRINCIPLE THAT UNDERGIRDS UNITY (Rom.14:7-12).  The overriding principle that guards the Christian’s path and guides the church’s practice can be simply stated, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”  It is simple to say, but profound in practice.  All things are moving to that ultimate end when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Christ has the right to rule over us because of who He is—the Lord—and because of what He has done—save us.  In this life, we are responsible to Him, and in death we are accountable to Him.  Because of this, we must not use our liberty as a license to sin.  Grace provides the means and the might for holy living—that is, obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  On the other hand, we are careful about using our convictions to judge others for that Christian belongs to Jesus and not us.  Christ is quite capable of directing them without our meddling.

When my sister and I used to get into an argument, we might point a finger at each other and say, “She started it; He started it!”  Dad would answer, “And I’m going to finish it!”  He did.  Jesus sets the standards for His saints.  He gets the final word to settle our disputes.  Within the parameters of His Lordship and our love for others, we are free.

DAZED AND CONFUSED

 

For He crushes me with a tempest,

And multiplies my wounds without cause. 

He will not allow me to catch my breath,

But fills me with bitterness.  (Job 9:17-18)

Have you ever had a concussion?  I have—playing football in High School.  I was knocked out making a tackle.  I tried to tell the coaches something was wrong, but they didn’t believe me.  Finally, they put me on the sideline.  I was dazed and confused.

Job was that way.  He had been blindsided.  Blow after blow had driven him to the ground, so that he didn’t know which way was up.  His friends who came to comfort him, did anything but that—indeed, they condemned him!  They offered religious clichés and pious phrases—simplistic soliloquies that were nothing but so much hot air.  We hear a lot of that today.  Their basic premise was, “Job, you are suffering because you are a sinner, and if you would get right with God, then your problems would go away.”

We want life wrapped up in a nice little box of propositions and tied together with a ribbon of reason into a neat bow of certainty.  More often, life looks like the aftermath of Christmas morning carnage—the wrapping paper torn and scattered, the box ripped apart and the contents gone.  Meanwhile, we sit in the corner—shell-shocked.

Job had more questions than answers.  He goes through a series of them in the ninth chapter.  His “friends” have accused him of being a sinner, so he says, “But how can a man be righteous before God?” (Job 9:2b).  They have told Job to turn to God and he says, “If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’”  (v.11-12).  Job’s comforters have challenged him to understand God’s ways—as they certainly claim to do—and the sufferer responds, “How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him?”  (v.14)  The three men, who function like prosecuting attorneys as they indict Job, tell him to come before the Judge and plead for mercy.  Job is dismayed and says, “If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?”  What Job wants in the day he stands before the Judge of the Universe is a defense attorney, but he doesn’t know where to find one, and in despair cries, “For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together.   Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.”  (v.32-33).

Thankfully, the New Testament responds to these questions with one word—Jesus!  We can be just before God by faith in Christ; though we cannot find Him, He seeks us; though we may not understand why we suffer, Christ knows what we suffer for He has also; He is the Mediator who has come to take God’s hand and our hand and reconcile us!  In our confusion, let us look to Him.  We may not have all the answers to our heartaches in this life, but we will have every tear wiped from our eyes then!  Jesus is all we need!

DEPTH PERCEPTION: Seeing Things As They Truly Are

 

Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  (Mark 12:24)

We do not live in a flat world, but in 3-D.  Things have depth and proper vision recognizes that.  When we lose depth perception, it is difficult to walk without falling or grab something without failing.  Depth perception helps us see things as they truly are.  In the twelfth chapter of Mark’s Gospel, we see those with a distorted spiritual vision.  If we understand what Jesus is teaching, it is because we have spiritual depth perception—we see things as they truly are. 

For example, we see SALVATION AS IT TRULY IS (v.1-12)  The religious leaders of Jesus day, rather than receiving the Savior who had come, had decided to devise a salvation of their own religion and ritual.  God planted and provided for His vineyard, Israel, and expected fruit.  The religious leaders were to cultivate the spiritual welfare of the nation.  God sent his prophets to look for fruit and they were hated.  Then, He sent His Son and they would kill Him! This rebellion would bring retribution.  Others would receive the vineyard and become the people of God—the Gentiles who largely comprise the church.  Christ quotes from Psalm 118 (v.10-11).  Those Christ came to, evaluated Him, and decided He was unworthy to be the Messiah, but God had made Him the chief cornerstone!  In Christ alone is salvation!

Then we can see SUBMISSION AS IT TRULY IS (v.13-17)  There was the perception among the Herodians that submission to Caesar was in order—to compromise with Rome would secure their status.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, saw this as defiling and rebellion was demanded.  They sought to draw Jesus into the middle of the conflict—knowing He was bound to alienate someone.  These men were not seeking truth, but setting a trap.  They lacked depth perception.  Jesus tells us that we do have a Christian duty to the state.  As bad as we might hate to pay taxes, and may disagree with how much of it is spent, we receive benefit from the government and are responsible to fund it.  We are responsible to be good citizens by submitting to the laws of the land.  Ultimate allegiance, however, is to God—so civil disobedience may be needed if man’s laws contradict God’s!

Furthermore, we observe RESURRECTION AS IT TRULY IS (v.18-27)  The Sadducees did not understand the resurrection.  It was a doctrine they rejected.  Not believing in the resurrection is what made them “sad you see”!  They were the liberals of their day.  The argument hinges on the tense of the text and that says much about the reliability of Scripture!  Many denominations are headed for the ecclesiastical garbage dump because they have abandoned the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints.  They have turned their ears from the Word of God unto fables.  Liberal preachers have sown the seeds of error and we are reaping the bitter harvest of evil in moral relativism in America.  Such know neither the Word of God nor the power of God.

Do you have a Biblical worldview that enables you to see things as they truly are?  Open our eyes Lord, so we may have spiritual depth perception!

GOD IS NOT THROUGH WITH THE JEW

 

“And so all Israel will be saved….”  (Romans 11:26a)

It would only take one word to convince me of the existence of God and the authority of Scripture: ISRAEL.  There is no explanation for how the Jews have survived and thrived unless God exists and the Bible is true.  Jews comprise less than a quarter of 1% of the world’s population, yet, they have known more prejudice and persecution than any race.  The four most influential people in human history are all Jews: Moses, Jesus, Paul and Marx.  This tiny nation is continually at the center of world events.  Why?  They are God’s chosen people.  Paul wants us to know that God is not through with the Jew!

When the church was born on the Day of Pentecost, it was exclusively Jewish.  A Jew named Peter preached about a Jewish Messiah and about 3,000 Jews were converted.  As the Gospel penetrated the Roman world, increasingly there was receptivity by Gentiles, and rejection by most Jews—and judicial hardness set in to a nation that predominately rejected Christ.  Still, God has never lacked a remnant of Jews who were not only racially identified with Abraham’s line, but religiously infused with Abraham’s faith!  This is spiritual Israel—and though they are few, there are Messianic Jews today—not only born with Abraham’s DNA, but born again in Christ (Rom.11:1-6)!

The tragedy of Israel, as a whole, is a nation of great privilege, but grave rebellion.  Prophet after prophet issued a call to repentance. They were chastened and carried into captivity.  At last, God sent His Son to them, but they demanded His death.  God raised Him from the dead, and still they would not believe.  No one—Jew or Gentile—can harden their heart for so long without it having a spiritually deadening effect.  That blindness is the judgment of God for those who refuse to see and come to the Light (Rom.11:7-10).

Paul reaches into the realm of agriculture to illustrate this spiritual principle (Rom.11:11-24).  The salvation of the Gentiles has Jewish roots—the law given to Israel convicts us of sin.  The Savior who converts us was a Jew.  The Apostles who shared the Gospel were Jews.  I’m a Christian today because of the outreach of Jewish missionaries 2,000 years ago!  Israel is God’s cultivated olive tree.  Gentiles are branches of a wild olive tree.  The branches of unbelieving Jews were broken off, and believing Gentile branches were grafted in.  God is looking for fruit, and Israel as a nation had none, and so were judged—as will Gentiles be who spurn His salvation.

 God is not through with the Jew!  They will be grafted back in!  God’s covenant to Abraham was a covenant of grace with that man and his descendants.  It was renewed with Isaac and Jacob, and expanded with David.  Those promises cannot be broken (Rom.11:25-32).  That covenant was unconditional.  Israel’s sin brought chastisement and is still doing so today, but God has not and cannot ultimately cast them away!  The world is turning once more against the Jews—even our own government—which will bring our destruction.  Christ will return and deliver Israel, ushering in earth’s golden age!  How exciting!  Let’s sing the doxology (Rom.11:33-36)!

GOD’S STANDARD FOR SERVANTS

 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:45)

You have heard it said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  Then, what might we understand from four pictures?  That is what we have in the Gospels—four portraits of Christ.  They are not contradictory, but complimentary accounts—giving us a better grasp of God through these pictures of His Son.  Matthew portrays Jesus as the Son of David, come to fulfill Old Testament prophecy—the rightful heir to David’s throne.  Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man, fully God and yet fully man, living as God intended for man to live.  John pictures Jesus as the Son of God, stressing His Deity—God in the flesh come to save us.  It is Mark’s perspective that we will focus on—and he promotes Jesus as the Servant of Jehovah—emphasizing what Jesus did more than what He said.  Jesus is God’s standard for servants.  Mark 10:45 is the key verse.

Jesus, in this verse, highlights HIS SERVICE, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve….”  The first ten chapters of Mark’s Gospel account fit under this heading.  Mark puts the GO in Gospel.  The word, “immediately,” is the Greek word, “euthus,” and is used forty times in Mark’s Gospel.  We see Jesus in action—moving from place to place—consumed with His mission.  He had three and one-half years to complete His assignment, and so the pace He kept was amazing.  That, however, is what servants do.  The standard has been set for those of us who have come to faith in Christ.  Do you know why you are here and what are you doing about it?  The same Spirit who rested on Jesus, resides with us—and all in view of replicating Christ’s work through His body—the church!

The Lord further spoke of HIS SACRIFICE, “and to give His life….”  The bulk of Mark’s material concentrates on chapters eleven through fifteen—and basically one week of the Savior’s life!  Imagine, almost three and one-half years, compressed into ten chapters, while seven days are spread across five chapters!  But that was the week that changed the world—the final days of Christ’s service that brought Him to the fulfillment of His work.  From His entrance, carried on a donkey’s back into Jerusalem with shouts, to His exit, His body carried by the disciple’s hands from Jerusalem amid sobs—the focus is one Calvary.  His sacrifice was the reason He came.  The cross was central to His service—it will be to ours.  Jesus has summoned all who would follow Him to take up the cross, in dying to what we want and living to what God wills.  My daily life is to be an outpouring of surrender to Him—giving my all to the One who gave His all for me!

The final chapter testifies to HIS SUCCESS, “a ransom for many.”  The tomb is not the end of the story!  His resurrection was the visible affirmation of the acceptance of His sacrifice—mission accomplished!  He had done all that was required to obtain our salvation, and could ascend back into the glory from whence He came.  One day too, our service will be over, and I pray that we will hear God’s commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joys of your Lord.”  May we be faithful and fruitful in our service today and everyday!

STAYING CLEAN IN A SEXUALIZED CULTURE

 

How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”  (Genesis 39:9b)

Sex is used to sell everything from hamburgers to video games.  You cannot access the internet or go to a movie without encountering temptation.  Wherever you turn, you will see more flesh than you should and hear more lurid conversation than you ought.  Ours is a sex-saturated society.  Yet, God calls His people to holiness.  How is this possible?  The story of Joseph helps us understand how to stay clean in a sexualized culture.

We note THE DANGER THAT HE FACED (Gen.39:1-7).  Joseph was a red-blooded young man with all the sexual desire any man his age possesses.  God has wired us up that way.  He has also, however, established marriage to be the place where that joyful experience is celebrated.  Sin—in whatever form—is exceeding the boundaries God has established.  Temptation came to Joseph as he goes through his normal course of life.  The challenge to our purity will arise, the issue is how we will respond to it.

There was THE DECISION THAT HE FORTIFIED (v.8-9).  Joseph had developed moral convictions.  His prompt reaction shows he had thought this matter through and was prepared for the crisis.  He knew God’s demands, and was determined to follow them.  With each decision made to stand, that commitment was fortified.  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  (Rom.12:2)  We are either being conformed to the world or transformed by the Word.

So came THE DEFILEMENT THAT HE FLED (v.10-12).  You don’t have to go looking for temptation—it will come seeking you.  It did for Joseph.  His temptation was not an occasional matter, but a continual challenge.  Then came the moment when he had no choice but to run—the fire was too hot!  We cannot get away from all temptation in the world we live in, but there comes the point in which we must, “Flee sexual immorality.” (1 Cor.6:18a).  It may mean installing internet monitoring software, getting an accountability partner, not traveling out of town alone, or something else, but linger long enough near the edge of that polluted stream, and you will one day dive in!

Still, there was THE DIFFICULTY THAT HE FACED (v.13-20).  We have heard the expression, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” and this story illustrates it.  If we decide to stand for God, don’t assume that means you are free from trouble.  The world will seek the downfall of the godly.  If they can’t find a legitimate means of attack, then they will spread false accusation.  Satan will then whisper, “See, what serving God gets you!”  As Joseph was isolated in a prison cell, those who seek holiness will feel very much alone—on an island in an ocean of pleasure-seekers.

Yet, there was THE DELIGHT THAT HE FOUND (v.21-23).  God blessed Him despite his circumstances.  The Lord still had a wonderful plan for his future.  Had he yielded to sin, he would have disqualified himself.  Instead, God favored his faithful servant.  Trust Him!  He will help you stay clean in a sexualized culture—and in the end it is rewarded.

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

 

So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  (Mark 8:23-25)

Apart from Christ, we are in the darkness of sin—blind to the truth.  We grope along to find heaven while walking ever closer to the abyss.  The hymn writer expressed the idea this way: “The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin; the Light of the World is Jesus; like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in; the Light of the World is Jesus.  Come to the Light, ‘tis shining for thee; sweetly the Light has dawned upon me; Once I was blind, but now I can see; the Light of the World is Jesus.”  Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12).  This is the theme developed in our text.  There are two kinds of blindness here—and the former is worse than the latter.  The first is a blindness of the soul and the second of the senses.

There was A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM (8:13-21).  Blind Helen Keller said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”   Jesus rebukes His disciples lack of spiritual perception in saying, ‎“Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?” (v.17b-18).  Jesus had warned them of the danger of false teaching: “the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”  The leaven of the Pharisees was legalism and the leaven of Herod was materialism.  The former was the belief that you had to work your way to heaven, and the latter was the philosophy that you made your heaven on earth.    This is spiritual blindness, and even the disciples were somewhat still in the dark.

But, there came A SYMBOLICAL PROVISION (8:22-26).   In the healing of the blind man, there is an illustration of how God’s light can break into the darkness.

·         There is progression in spiritual insight.  This man didn’t receive his sight all at once.  When the light of truth dawns upon us—it isn’t like a light turning on in a dark room,  but as the sun coming up.  So, we are converted to know Christ, but then all of our Christian life is about coming to know Him more fully—to see more keenly (Phil.3:4-10).  There was a time when Paul was a blind Pharisee.  He had fully digested their leaven.  Then he saw the light and asked, “Who are you Lord?” After coming to faith, there was a desire for more light.  Peter exhorted, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

·         There is perfection in spiritual insight.  As this man came to see clearly, so would these disciples eventually.  Paul said in 1 Cor.13:12, “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”   Heaven will bring us into the fullness of the light of God’s glory and boundless enjoyment of His infinite Person!

WINNING THE WAR WITHIN

For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.  (Romans 7:19)

Someone has described the typical church member’s spiritual experience as an old iron bedstead—firm on both ends, and sagging in the middle!  We may be firm on the side of salvation—we have heard and responded to the Gospel.  Then, we are firm on the side of glorification—we believe and look forward to heaven.  Now, however, concerning sanctification—our daily walk of holiness in this wicked world—we often seem more like victims to sin than victors over it.  It might surprise us that so great a champion of faith as the Apostle Paul had a similar struggle.  He defines his frustration in Romans 7.  I can identify.  I genuinely want to obey God, but despite my best effort I find myself falling.  I know better than to yield to temptation—that its fruit so sweet at first bite will become a bitter poison—then I reach out and do it anyway.  With the Apostle, I cry out, “O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  (Rom.7:24)

What many Christians conclude is that we must try harder!  We need a deeper commitment, more prayer, spend more time in church, give more money, serve in a ministry, read the Bible more consistently—and the list goes on and on.  Our outward activity may change, but the inward disposition seems much the same.  A good intention has taken us down a dead end of frustration.  The reality is that we cannot be saved by keeping rules.  The law can point out our flaws, but it cannot correct them.  If we understand the Gospel at all, we will acknowledge that salvation is only by grace through faith in Christ.  It is no different concerning sanctification!  Only God’s grace operating by faith—the life of Christ within—that can enable us to rise above being a wretch to being a winner in this war within.  You cannot overcome the flesh by the flesh.  It is the Spirit of God, who makes us new men and women, and gives us the power for triumphant living.

Paul answered the question of Romans 7:24 in the next verse, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” (7:25) He speaks of two different laws that are at work:

I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.  ‎For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  ‎But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  (7:21-23)

The law of sin is like the law of gravity—ever present and pulling us down.  Flap your arms all you want, and you will still crash.  Yet, a jet, weighing tons, can fly!  There is a higher law in operation—aerodynamics—that is akin to the law of the Spirit.  Let Christ pilot your life.  His Spirit will provide the thrust that raises you up.  You can’t beat the flesh, but Christ has already conquered, and makes us more than conquerors through Him.  Don’t stop in Romans 7—move on to Romans 8!

GET BACK

 

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”  (Genesis 35:1)

I borrowed the title for this devotional from a Beatle’s song.  The chorus calls, “Get back, get back. Get back to where you once belonged.”  Basically, that is what God says to Jacob in Genesis 35.  Jacob left the Promised Land three decades earlier.  Those years were marked by hardship and heartache.  Much of his trouble was of his own making.  God had disciplined him, and now it was time for him to return to the spot where he had departed—Bethel.

This is JEHOVAH’S CALL (v.1).  Jacob was to return to Bethel—the place of the forgotten vow.  When he had been there before, and had a dramatic encounter with God, Jacob had promised to serve Him, but much of his life had been spent pursuing his own interests.  God, however, proved Himself faithful, even when Jacob did not.  So, the Lord calls him to get back, and notice this: “go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there….”  If you need to go up, that means you have gone down.  Should you need to return to the house of God (and that is what “Bethel” literally means), then it is because one has departed from it.    Jacob had gone off course, went down into the world.  Has it happened to you?

Jehovah’s call led to JACOB’S CHOICE (v.2-4).  He responds decisively.  He is like the Prodigal Son who said, “I will arise and go to my father.”  I love the old hymn, “I will arise and go to Jesus; He will embrace me, in His arms.  In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms.”  God has given us this awesome power of choice.  We see that this father’s decision not only impacted him, but his family.  When a father chooses to serve the Lord, he can lead his children to the altar with him.  Have you wandered?  Is God calling?  It is time to act.  Jacob consecrated his life and cleansed his home.  What are you waiting for?

Jacob’s choice brought him under JEHOVAH’S CARE (v.5-6).  Not everyone was happy to see Jacob and his entourage show up.  The pagan inhabitants of the land were poised to attack them.  It was a hostile environment, but God cared for them.  I will not try to paint you a lovely picture—and inaccurate one—that choosing to follow the Lord will take you to easy street.  This world is no friend to those who seek after God.  We must never forget, however, that if God is for us—then none can stand against us.

Jehovah’s care inspired JACOB’S COMMUNION (v.7-15).  The altar is rebuilt.  The communion with God that had been removed by rebellion has now been restored by repentance.  Jacob was back to where he once belonged!  There is a way back to God. 

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

THE PROBLEM OF PAIN

 

Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”  (Job 1:20-21)

On the one hand you have a God of infinite love and immeasurable power, yet people die of starvation everyday—even little children.  Why doesn’t God do something?  That is a problem.  On the other hand you have a Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy Empire who as far as I know has lived in health and wealth—a long life of luxury built on selling sin.  Why doesn’t God do something?  That is a problem.  When a tornado tears through the Midwest a beer joint may be spared, but then a church building might be smashed.  Why?  That is a problem.  Don’t be ashamed if you struggle with these questions.  I know a man of great faith and superior devotion to God who wrestled with doubt and depression over the problem of pain.  His name is Job.  He didn’t find all the answers, but he did find God and that was enough! 

Consider first JOB’S CHARACTER (1:1-5).  He wasn’t a sinless man, but he was a man who sinned less—morally blameless.  He loved God and loathed evil.  We find him blessed of God with a precious family and a life of luxury (v.2-4).  He knew that providing for the material well-being of his children wasn’t enough and so consistently prayed for them (v.5).  Yet, Job’s character would not exempt him from pain.  A heart surrendered may still be heart suffering.  Eventually, all of us will find a time of blessedness becoming brokenness.  “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” (1 Pet.4:12).

This led to JOB’S CHALLENGE (1:6-12).  The challenge to Job’s faith would be the result of a challenge from God to Satan (v.6-8).  God is sovereign and even the Devil must check in and is limited in what he can do (v.9-12).  There was a protective hedge around Job and that is true of every believer. Satan would destroy us all if he could.  But God will only permit him to do so much and we may be sure that if God allows it, the ultimate result will be His glory and our good.  This reminds us that when a Christian suffers, there is more than meets the eye.  God draws back the veil and lets us see into the unseen world.  We view what happened, though we are not certain why it happened.

Then came JOB’S CALAMITY (1:13-22).  Wave after wave of disaster broke upon Job.  One scarcely receded until another larger one struck—in rapid succession the bad news comes of losing his flocks, his finances and worst of all his family—all his children dead.  He expressed his grief, crumpled to the ground in sorrow, but still worshipped the Lord!  Job’s response is such a lesson for us.  He acknowledges the sovereignty of God.  All we have comes from Him and belongs to Him.  Pain will either cause you to run from God or run to Him.  We cannot control what happens to us, but can control what happens in us.   When all is gone and all we have is God, we can find that God is all we need!