I preached from John 14 yesterday and there are so many things that could be said from that chapter. It had to have been abundantly clear that something was about to happen to Jesus. He told them He would die in Jerusalem. He told the He was leaving. He told them one of them would betray Him. Yet they still didn't seem to get it. But Jesus pressed on anyway.
He told them He was going to prepare a place for them. Not a place with mansions as we often sing. But a place where there were many rooms. It really fit the culture of the day when the groom would go to his father's house and add on some rooms where he and his bride could live. His first message to His apostles in this chapter was "Don't worry, trust God." Their future would be secure if they just trusted God.
Of course, Thomas asks where Jesus was going. I truly think he thought he was going to another town, another district, another province...somewhere away from them. Thomas wanted to know the way. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." The way is not Mary. It's not some saint. Jesus is the ONLY way.
The outlandish part of this chapter is found in the latter verses. Jesus told them, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:12-14. Jesus told them they would do greater things. Think about that for just a moment. Jesus healed the blind, raised the dead, cured all kinds of illness, healed lepers, cast out demons, and many other miraculous works. He just told the apostles they would do even greater things! You might say this charge was for the apostles. Was it? Listen to what Paul said in Ephesians 3:20. He said, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!" "Throughout all generations" he said.
What does this mean? I think He calls on us to dream big dreams. To realize that God is in control. We should pray outlandish prayers for phenomenal results. Then we trust Him to see what He accomplishes for His glory. You may ask, "How is this going to be accomplished?" Through the Spirit that He left with us.
I told you there were so many things from this chapter. And I didn't even scratch the surface. Perhaps I should dream bigger. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine..."
Monday, November 2, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
How Does Jesus See You?
A few years ago I heard someone use a very profound illustration. It went something like this. Close your eyes and imagine that Jesus and you are sitting in a room together, face to face, knee to knee. Look at His face. What expression is on His face? I had people write down their reactions to that little example and the results were astounding. Most said He was disappointed or sad.
I would hate for us to go through life in such a way believing that Jesus has a disappointed look on His face as He looks at us. You see, we can fix ourselves up, dress nicely, wear make-up (females only please!!), get our hair styled and look really good. God told us long ago that isn't important to Him.
The Israelites used that measure once when selecting a king. Saul was handsome, head and shoulders taller than anyone else. He looked like a king! The last straw came when he disobeyed God when it came to the Amalekites. It was after this that God sent Samuel out to find a new king. He looked at Jesse's sons and they looked regal. But God told Samuel, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7b
With that being said, what did Jesus look for in someone? In John 4 He met a woman who had had five, count them, five husbands and was living with a guy who wasn't her husband. Can you imagine if this woman walked into our assembly today? We certainly wouldn't pick her to lead the women's ministry. But Jesus saw her heart and He used her. What about in John 8 when a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Him. Caught, which means she probably wasn't wearing much, if anything. Now, Jesus didn't say, "Oh, you're fine." He did say that He didn't condemn her. Then He told her to go and don't sin anymore.
In Mark 10 a rich young man comes to Jesus and asks what he can do to inherit eternal life. The Scripture says He looked at the young man and loved him. Why did He love Him? I think He was looking at His heart. The young man had a choice and He chose to stay with his possessions rather than with Jesus. On the other hand, in Matthew 23, Jesus lays out a lot of "Woe to you's." It was the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. It was the ones who had no intention of following Jesus. They were only in it for the prestige or the political clout they could maintain. Jesus saw their hearts and condemned them greatly.
So back to the original question. How does Jesus see you? It depends. It depends on your heart. And don't think you can pull something on Him. Psalm 139 tells us that even before a word is on our tongue, God knows it. He knows our thoughts, our motives, our very being. My prayer for us to today is found at the end of this great chapter. Heed and pray these words:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23, 24
I would hate for us to go through life in such a way believing that Jesus has a disappointed look on His face as He looks at us. You see, we can fix ourselves up, dress nicely, wear make-up (females only please!!), get our hair styled and look really good. God told us long ago that isn't important to Him.
The Israelites used that measure once when selecting a king. Saul was handsome, head and shoulders taller than anyone else. He looked like a king! The last straw came when he disobeyed God when it came to the Amalekites. It was after this that God sent Samuel out to find a new king. He looked at Jesse's sons and they looked regal. But God told Samuel, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7b
With that being said, what did Jesus look for in someone? In John 4 He met a woman who had had five, count them, five husbands and was living with a guy who wasn't her husband. Can you imagine if this woman walked into our assembly today? We certainly wouldn't pick her to lead the women's ministry. But Jesus saw her heart and He used her. What about in John 8 when a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Him. Caught, which means she probably wasn't wearing much, if anything. Now, Jesus didn't say, "Oh, you're fine." He did say that He didn't condemn her. Then He told her to go and don't sin anymore.
In Mark 10 a rich young man comes to Jesus and asks what he can do to inherit eternal life. The Scripture says He looked at the young man and loved him. Why did He love Him? I think He was looking at His heart. The young man had a choice and He chose to stay with his possessions rather than with Jesus. On the other hand, in Matthew 23, Jesus lays out a lot of "Woe to you's." It was the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. It was the ones who had no intention of following Jesus. They were only in it for the prestige or the political clout they could maintain. Jesus saw their hearts and condemned them greatly.
So back to the original question. How does Jesus see you? It depends. It depends on your heart. And don't think you can pull something on Him. Psalm 139 tells us that even before a word is on our tongue, God knows it. He knows our thoughts, our motives, our very being. My prayer for us to today is found at the end of this great chapter. Heed and pray these words:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23, 24
Monday, October 12, 2015
The Triumphal Entry
How fickle could they be? At one point in Jesus' ministry, He fed a crowd of over 5000. Soon after that, it was a crowd of 4000. We always hear of multitudes and so many people around Him that He couldn't tell who touched Him. The number of His followers would rise and fall. Early in the book of John it tells of a number of them leaving because of His hard teachings. Evidently enough left that He questioned His apostles if they also were leaving. It was Peter who said, "Lord, to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life."
Then, all four gospels record an event at the end of Jesus' life. He comes into Jerusalem for His last Passover riding on a donkey. He's not the conquering hero that many expect riding in on His white steed to lead the armies of Israel to once and for all defeat this occupying force of Romans. Yet the 2.5 to 2.7 million people (according to William Barclay) are clamoring for a king.
"Hosanna to the Son of David."
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
"Hosanna in the highest."
"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David."
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord."
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."
"Blessed os the King of Israel."
Sounds to me as if they were wanting a king. Jesus was willing, but not the kind of king they wanted. He wanted to save them from their sins. They wanted Him to save them from their captives. Oh, if they only realized they were captives of their sins. His offer was much more valuable than the one they wanted. But they misunderstood.
Why did Jesus come into Jerusalem the way He did? First, I think He was trying to tell them they really didn't want a king in the sense they wanted a king. They were thinking David or Solomon. One doesn't have to be much of a biblical scholar to realize the utter failure the Israelite kings were. Those kings were really a concession from God. Perhaps Jesus rode into town on a donkey to say, "I'm not like the other kings."
But I think the second reason why Jesus came the way He did is a little more subtle. Right after the account in John some Greeks come to Philip and they ask to see Jesus. Wait a minute. Jesus' ministry was for the Jews. Right? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell of Jesus cleaning out the temple right after His entry. In Mark, Jesus makes this statement. "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Could it be that Jesus was saying to the world, "It is now time for salvation to come to all."? Neither Jew nor Greek, Slave or Free, Male or Female, but it's open for all! Jesus ushers in this new age because He knows He has come to die for all.
As the disciples meet in Jerusalem after Jesus' resurrection, we find there are only 120 followers. Wow! How sad. Yet, the Bible does say that the road is narrow. Few will find it. Not because He restricts it. But because we are too stubborn to admit our need for a Savior.
Thank you, Lord, for coming into the city in the way you did. May you come into our lives the same way. Humbly. And I pray that we will be one of those who accepts You for who You are...the Savior of the World. Our King!
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
How Can I Even Come Close?
Preachers struggle (At least I do. I'm sure others do, too.) with adequately proclaiming the Message. My prayer every Sunday is an apology to God that I wasn't able to fully describe what He wanted to be proclaimed. God is faithful and He can take the weak words of someone and make them into something relevant. That's what I count on every time I speak.
Last Sunday's sermon was extremely difficult for me to satisfactorily communicate--it was about God's love. But I take heart in the fact that even the Scriptures struggle sometimes to describe His love. Superlatives are almost always used. "For God so loved the world..." "See how great a love he has lavished upon us..." "God has poured out his love into our hearts..." The Old Testament, especially the Psalms, talk of God's unfailing love. I was amused the other day when I read something in the Psalms where the psalmist was questioning God. He said something like, "Has your unfailing love ceased?" If it's unfailing, how could it cease?
But why does God love me? ME? That's what I have a hard time wrapping my arms around. In the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye says something to the affect, "Why do we do the things we do? I'll tell you. I don't know. But it's tradition!" Why does God love me the way He does? I'll tell you. I don't know. But He does! He demonstrates it by giving His own Son. Paul tells us in Romans that nothing, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Our problem is we oftentimes refuse to accept His love. There's the rub. He never quits. We often do. And there comes a time when even He has had enough. Don't believe me? Read the stories of the Israelites and see what happened to them. He'll do the same to us, too.
O, how He loves you! Please. Please. Let's not let Him down.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
Last Sunday's sermon was extremely difficult for me to satisfactorily communicate--it was about God's love. But I take heart in the fact that even the Scriptures struggle sometimes to describe His love. Superlatives are almost always used. "For God so loved the world..." "See how great a love he has lavished upon us..." "God has poured out his love into our hearts..." The Old Testament, especially the Psalms, talk of God's unfailing love. I was amused the other day when I read something in the Psalms where the psalmist was questioning God. He said something like, "Has your unfailing love ceased?" If it's unfailing, how could it cease?
But why does God love me? ME? That's what I have a hard time wrapping my arms around. In the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye says something to the affect, "Why do we do the things we do? I'll tell you. I don't know. But it's tradition!" Why does God love me the way He does? I'll tell you. I don't know. But He does! He demonstrates it by giving His own Son. Paul tells us in Romans that nothing, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Our problem is we oftentimes refuse to accept His love. There's the rub. He never quits. We often do. And there comes a time when even He has had enough. Don't believe me? Read the stories of the Israelites and see what happened to them. He'll do the same to us, too.
O, how He loves you! Please. Please. Let's not let Him down.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Washing Feet
I don't know why Jesus didn't just start over. The twelve He had were incorrigible, stubborn, selfish, egotistical.....I think you get the idea. John doesn't tell us this, but we get the message from the Synoptics.
Let me set the scene for you. The time for Jesus to die is fast approaching. The Passover was a feast that all good Jews celebrated. If you lived within 15 miles of Jerusalem, you were required to be there for the feast. Right before the feast evidently the apostles were having a discussion. Feud would probably be a better description of what was going on. They were arguing among themselves who was the greatest. Peter may have had the inside track because he seemed to be the one who had the right answers. James and John could have made a good argument because they were there with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Matthew could have made the case that he once had lots of money, but he gave it all up to follow Jesus. To which they all probably said, "Join the club! We've all left everything!"
During this "I'm better than you are" talk, Jesus gets up from the table, wraps a towel around His waist, pours a basin of water and starts washing their feet. This is typically a job for the house slave. It was the basic bit of hospitality--much like us offering something to drink today. It was just assumed that you would do that at the very least. But they were too busy jockeying for position. The Creator of the Universe, the Savior, the Messiah, the Way, the Truth and The Life got on His hands and knees and washed the dirty, smelly feet of the apostles.
Here's how John described it. "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power," (Think about that! He had all the power in the world! Yet, He took the role of the servant.) "and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:3-5
I bet that stopped all the arguments! But note what John said. He had come from God and He was returning to God. Isn't that all of us? Didn't we come from God? Isn't that our ultimate destination at the end of our lives to return back to God? So what do we do while we're here on earth? Serve. It's what Jesus said to do. No task is too menial. No one is above anything that advances the Kingdom. No matter how dirty, no matter how silly it looks.
Friends of mine work for the corporate giant Tyson Foods. They are a well known chicken company based in Northwest Arkansas. All of their employees where khaki pants and khaki shirts that have their name and the company logo on it. Even the higher ups wear the traditional garb. One day I asked one of the chief executives why he didn't wear a suit. He said, "Jim, let me ask you a question. If you were wearing a suit, would you likely go into a chicken house?" Touche! All right, let's wrap our towels around our waists and let's start serving. JW
Let me set the scene for you. The time for Jesus to die is fast approaching. The Passover was a feast that all good Jews celebrated. If you lived within 15 miles of Jerusalem, you were required to be there for the feast. Right before the feast evidently the apostles were having a discussion. Feud would probably be a better description of what was going on. They were arguing among themselves who was the greatest. Peter may have had the inside track because he seemed to be the one who had the right answers. James and John could have made a good argument because they were there with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Matthew could have made the case that he once had lots of money, but he gave it all up to follow Jesus. To which they all probably said, "Join the club! We've all left everything!"
During this "I'm better than you are" talk, Jesus gets up from the table, wraps a towel around His waist, pours a basin of water and starts washing their feet. This is typically a job for the house slave. It was the basic bit of hospitality--much like us offering something to drink today. It was just assumed that you would do that at the very least. But they were too busy jockeying for position. The Creator of the Universe, the Savior, the Messiah, the Way, the Truth and The Life got on His hands and knees and washed the dirty, smelly feet of the apostles.
Here's how John described it. "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power," (Think about that! He had all the power in the world! Yet, He took the role of the servant.) "and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:3-5
I bet that stopped all the arguments! But note what John said. He had come from God and He was returning to God. Isn't that all of us? Didn't we come from God? Isn't that our ultimate destination at the end of our lives to return back to God? So what do we do while we're here on earth? Serve. It's what Jesus said to do. No task is too menial. No one is above anything that advances the Kingdom. No matter how dirty, no matter how silly it looks.
Friends of mine work for the corporate giant Tyson Foods. They are a well known chicken company based in Northwest Arkansas. All of their employees where khaki pants and khaki shirts that have their name and the company logo on it. Even the higher ups wear the traditional garb. One day I asked one of the chief executives why he didn't wear a suit. He said, "Jim, let me ask you a question. If you were wearing a suit, would you likely go into a chicken house?" Touche! All right, let's wrap our towels around our waists and let's start serving. JW
Monday, September 14, 2015
The Cup
Several images come to my mind when I think of "The Cup." My first thought goes to the Lord's Supper when Jesus calls His apostles to drink the cup in His memory. Another idea is that of fellowship. Let's sit down and have a cup of coffee (or chai in my case...sorry, not a coffee drinker). But it conjures up the image of fellowship, having something in common.
In ancient times, it was a form of capital punishment. If convicted you drank a cup of poison. Socrates died in such a manner by drinking a cup of hemlock.
James and John sent their mother to do their dirty work; they had her ask Jesus if one could sit on His right side and the other on His left side when He came into His kingdom. Jesus asked them if they could drink the cup that He Himself was going to drink. Mark makes it a little clearer when he quotes Jesus as saying, "Can you drink the cup I drink I drink or be baptized with baptism I am baptized with?" (Mark 10:38)
Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus agonized in prayer over His coming death. He prayed to God, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken away from me." Later in the same scene, the mob comes to arrest Jesus and Peter uses his sword to cut off Malchus' ear. Jesus says to him, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
So I get the idea that this cup image is something important. It's used enough times for me to take heed and listen. Is Jesus calling for a suicide pact of some kind? My answer? Yes and no. His not calling for us to kill ourselves physically. He says, we need to die to ourselves. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." He also said, "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless not I, but Christ lives in me." Jesus calls us to take up our crosses....daily.
William Barclay told the story of an ancient coin that was found with an image of an ox facing two things--an altar and a plough. The inscription reads, "Ready for either." In other words, if God asks us to sacrifice our lives even to the point of death, we are ready. Isn't that what John says in Revelation where he said, "Be faithful unto death."? Or, we should be ready to put on the yoke of Jesus and live "the long routine of Christian life, with all its daily sacrifice, its daily struggle, and its heart-breaks and its disappointments and its tears." Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Whatever He calls us to, Jesus asks us to drink the cup with Him. Come what may, we accept His fate as ours and serve Him all the days of our life. Blessings on your day.
JW
In ancient times, it was a form of capital punishment. If convicted you drank a cup of poison. Socrates died in such a manner by drinking a cup of hemlock.
James and John sent their mother to do their dirty work; they had her ask Jesus if one could sit on His right side and the other on His left side when He came into His kingdom. Jesus asked them if they could drink the cup that He Himself was going to drink. Mark makes it a little clearer when he quotes Jesus as saying, "Can you drink the cup I drink I drink or be baptized with baptism I am baptized with?" (Mark 10:38)
Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus agonized in prayer over His coming death. He prayed to God, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken away from me." Later in the same scene, the mob comes to arrest Jesus and Peter uses his sword to cut off Malchus' ear. Jesus says to him, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
So I get the idea that this cup image is something important. It's used enough times for me to take heed and listen. Is Jesus calling for a suicide pact of some kind? My answer? Yes and no. His not calling for us to kill ourselves physically. He says, we need to die to ourselves. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." He also said, "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless not I, but Christ lives in me." Jesus calls us to take up our crosses....daily.
William Barclay told the story of an ancient coin that was found with an image of an ox facing two things--an altar and a plough. The inscription reads, "Ready for either." In other words, if God asks us to sacrifice our lives even to the point of death, we are ready. Isn't that what John says in Revelation where he said, "Be faithful unto death."? Or, we should be ready to put on the yoke of Jesus and live "the long routine of Christian life, with all its daily sacrifice, its daily struggle, and its heart-breaks and its disappointments and its tears." Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Whatever He calls us to, Jesus asks us to drink the cup with Him. Come what may, we accept His fate as ours and serve Him all the days of our life. Blessings on your day.
JW
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Like Little Children
In Matthew 18, the disciples come to Jesus and ask Him who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? There are several interesting things about this whole situation. First of all, it's the wrong question. All indications are that they were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest. Both Mark 9 and Luke 9 tell the story, but they indicate that the apostles were arguing among themselves about this very question. Their thought process was that Jesus was going to overthrow the Romans and He would become the leader. He would then need a Secretary of State, a Secretary of Treasury, a Speaker of the House... They, as they often did, missed the point. It wasn't about an earthly kingdom, it was about God's kingdom at large.
Another interesting point is, Matthew doesn't bring up the fact that they were arguing among themselves. Mark does. Luke does. But not Matthew. Mark wasn't an apostle. Scholars feel he told the story from Peter's perspective. Luke wrote Acts and Luke and sent them to Theophilus. Luke was a physician, a missionary mate of Paul. He wasn't an apostle either. So neither of them weren't afraid to tell the story. Perhaps, Matthew was a little too embarrassed about this because maybe, just maybe he was in on the argument. So "let's just not bring that up."
So Jesus places a child in their midst and says that's what the kingdom of heaven looks like. William Barclay says it may have been Peter's son. That's an interesting twist! He tells those who were acting like children that they need to be more like children.
In my sermon Sunday, I gave five characteristics of children that I think Jesus would want us to emulate.
Trust--
Depenence-
A Sense of Wonder--
Overlooked--
Humble--
I think you can see all of these except for the "overlooked" one. In his book, Jesus, A Gospel, Henri Nouwen says to be like a child is to pay attention to those who are often overlooked. "Children should be seen and not heard," is the saying. Yet, Jesus says they are the ones to look to as our model.
Learn from a child. See how he still has the purity of youth and has not yet been overcome with the curse of cynicism. Learn to trust God and to be dependent. May we always have a sense of wonder and awe at what God has done and is doing. And may we follow the example of Jesus when he says he is meek and humble in heart.
Blessings to you this day. JW
Another interesting point is, Matthew doesn't bring up the fact that they were arguing among themselves. Mark does. Luke does. But not Matthew. Mark wasn't an apostle. Scholars feel he told the story from Peter's perspective. Luke wrote Acts and Luke and sent them to Theophilus. Luke was a physician, a missionary mate of Paul. He wasn't an apostle either. So neither of them weren't afraid to tell the story. Perhaps, Matthew was a little too embarrassed about this because maybe, just maybe he was in on the argument. So "let's just not bring that up."
So Jesus places a child in their midst and says that's what the kingdom of heaven looks like. William Barclay says it may have been Peter's son. That's an interesting twist! He tells those who were acting like children that they need to be more like children.
In my sermon Sunday, I gave five characteristics of children that I think Jesus would want us to emulate.
Trust--
Depenence-
A Sense of Wonder--
Overlooked--
Humble--
I think you can see all of these except for the "overlooked" one. In his book, Jesus, A Gospel, Henri Nouwen says to be like a child is to pay attention to those who are often overlooked. "Children should be seen and not heard," is the saying. Yet, Jesus says they are the ones to look to as our model.
Learn from a child. See how he still has the purity of youth and has not yet been overcome with the curse of cynicism. Learn to trust God and to be dependent. May we always have a sense of wonder and awe at what God has done and is doing. And may we follow the example of Jesus when he says he is meek and humble in heart.
Blessings to you this day. JW
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