It seems to me that when people first get saved they have this zeal and excitement about there faith and the first thing they want to do is take the good news of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God to their family and friends. This excitement is beautiful and powerful but seems to fade so quickly.
As I was reading in Mark 6 today I was amazed by this event when Jesus goes to His home town. Jesus and His disciples go into the synagogue where Jesus starts teaching. His teaching and passion and knowledge of God's word amazed the people. But no matter what Jesus did or said He was view as nothing more than the kid who grew up down the street.
"Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him."
Many of us tend to lose our passion for sharing our faith because we are rejected by those that we are the closest to. Jesus responded to this with this statement, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." Jesus knew that this would be a great challenge in the lives of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
The Good News:
What I like most about this event in Jesus' life isn't what happened at this moment but the bigger picture of Jesus' ministry. I don't believe that it was just by chance that two of our New Testament books where penned by two of Jesus' younger brothers. First we have the letter from James. James called himself, "James, the lesser," because he saw himself as the lesser brother of Jesus. The other book is the book of Jude. Jude was written by Judas who refers to himself as, "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James" ~Jude 1:1 Judas didn't even consider himself worthy to be called the brother of our Lord so called himself the brother of James.
The fact is Jesus knew His brothers would come around, you and I don't. We need to remain steadfast, knowing that God will richly bless those who take Him to others, even those who reject Him.
May you hold on to the zeal and excitement of your salvation. May you never be discouraged when you are rejected for His name sake. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD." ~Psalm 118:26a
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 11
As we finish up Mark 5 (verses 21-43)we find two powerful stories in Jesus' life wrapped together in a beautiful tapestry of love and power that can shouts the good news of God's kingdom in a way that is so often over looked by many of us. In fact the beauty of this passage is something that I had missed until I was studying this passage for this blog.
As I began reading this passage, I felt God really impress upon me the fact that this event had everything to do with the fact that God's kingdom is not a kingdom based on gender, age, or race. (Though race isn't in this passage, it can be spelled out clearly with a study of John 4)
As I read this passage from Mark 5 I find in it mainly the story of a sick little girl and a tortured woman. First lets understand the right's of women in the society in which Jesus grew up:
Through Jewish laws and customs (more so customs) women had very little to no rights. For the most part they could have little to no authority. Even in their personal lives they were largely confined to their father's or husband's home. As such the were viewed as vastly inferior to men. "By the time of Jesus, women no longer had the freedoms and status they had enjoyed in the Old Testament era. Jewish society had become very much male-dominated. Women were considered to be inferior beings and were assigned almost the same status as slaves. They were not educated, not allowed to take any leadership roles, and confined to mostly domestic duties." http://www.twopaths.com/faq_womensrights.htm
At the time it wouldn't have been a big deal for a rabbi to go and pray for or bless a religious leaders son but not his daughter. For many a daughter was another mouth to feed until you could get her married. But Jesus saw value in Jairus' daughter. This in its self was a great declaration of God's invitation to women as important members of His kingdom but what follows was even more amazing.
Now if we think back to part 5 of this study when Jesus healed the leper how we discussed the way in which Jesus handled the issue of being unclean, here Jesus does it again. This time it is with a woman with an issue of blood. According to the Jewish law a menstruating woman was ceremonially unclean.
When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.
" 'When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge. ~Leviticus 15:25-30
This woman had been considered unclean for twelve years! This woman then did the unthinkable: she reached out and touched Jesus. Now according to Leviticus 15 this act should have made Jesus unclean, but something happened. Instead of Jesus becoming unclean this woman was made clean, instantly.
The Good News:
Jesus is willing to go and heal the young girl while healing the body and heart of a woman who is called unclean. Woman, Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God to you as well as to men. You are just as valuable and important. As Jesus' ministry on earth continued some of His most dedicated disciples were woman and some of His great leaders were influenced and brought into faith because of the legacy of godly woman. In fact God used woman more than once in the Old Testament used woman to save the nation of Israel.
May you remember your place as a child of God. May you remember always the value that God has placed on you. A value not based on how you may be abused or miss treated. A value not based on your looks or your success. It is a VALUE based in the price that He paid for you sins when He sent His son Jesus to die for you. You are loved by Him who created all things, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Ladies may you stand proud as a daughter of the KING and know the value your Father has in you, His Princess!
As I began reading this passage, I felt God really impress upon me the fact that this event had everything to do with the fact that God's kingdom is not a kingdom based on gender, age, or race. (Though race isn't in this passage, it can be spelled out clearly with a study of John 4)
As I read this passage from Mark 5 I find in it mainly the story of a sick little girl and a tortured woman. First lets understand the right's of women in the society in which Jesus grew up:
Through Jewish laws and customs (more so customs) women had very little to no rights. For the most part they could have little to no authority. Even in their personal lives they were largely confined to their father's or husband's home. As such the were viewed as vastly inferior to men. "By the time of Jesus, women no longer had the freedoms and status they had enjoyed in the Old Testament era. Jewish society had become very much male-dominated. Women were considered to be inferior beings and were assigned almost the same status as slaves. They were not educated, not allowed to take any leadership roles, and confined to mostly domestic duties." http://www.twopaths.com/faq_womensrights.htm
At the time it wouldn't have been a big deal for a rabbi to go and pray for or bless a religious leaders son but not his daughter. For many a daughter was another mouth to feed until you could get her married. But Jesus saw value in Jairus' daughter. This in its self was a great declaration of God's invitation to women as important members of His kingdom but what follows was even more amazing.
Now if we think back to part 5 of this study when Jesus healed the leper how we discussed the way in which Jesus handled the issue of being unclean, here Jesus does it again. This time it is with a woman with an issue of blood. According to the Jewish law a menstruating woman was ceremonially unclean.
When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.
" 'When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge. ~Leviticus 15:25-30
This woman had been considered unclean for twelve years! This woman then did the unthinkable: she reached out and touched Jesus. Now according to Leviticus 15 this act should have made Jesus unclean, but something happened. Instead of Jesus becoming unclean this woman was made clean, instantly.
The Good News:
Jesus is willing to go and heal the young girl while healing the body and heart of a woman who is called unclean. Woman, Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God to you as well as to men. You are just as valuable and important. As Jesus' ministry on earth continued some of His most dedicated disciples were woman and some of His great leaders were influenced and brought into faith because of the legacy of godly woman. In fact God used woman more than once in the Old Testament used woman to save the nation of Israel.
May you remember your place as a child of God. May you remember always the value that God has placed on you. A value not based on how you may be abused or miss treated. A value not based on your looks or your success. It is a VALUE based in the price that He paid for you sins when He sent His son Jesus to die for you. You are loved by Him who created all things, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Ladies may you stand proud as a daughter of the KING and know the value your Father has in you, His Princess!
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 10
Today I want to draw your attention to the passage of Mark 5:1-20. In this passage we find Jesus and His disciples arriving in the region of the Gerasenes, a place on the east of the Sea of Galilee. When they arrived they were meet by a naked man who was possessed by many demons. This man was so feared by the people of this region. They found that they couldn't restrain him even with chains.
Jesus commanded the spirits to leave the man and the begged Him not to torture them. They asked Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs. Jesus agreed and the pigs ran into the sea killing themselves.
We then read about the town people coming to see what happened and there reaction. The scriptures say, "When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid." vs. 15
I find it very interesting how people respond to change, even positive change. It seems we get so comfortable with the way things are that the very notion of change scares us.
The Good News:
What I really love about this event in the life of Lord Jesus is the fact that it didn't matter to Him how messed up this guy was. Think about it. What would be your reaction if a naked man covered in cuts and scars and broken pieces of chain came walking to you from a tomb? How many of us would have got right back on that boat and sailed away?
But not Jesus. Jesus looked at the man and saw great need. This gives me hope! Like this guy I come with a lot of baggage. I come before God with everything exposed, He sees my nakedness. He sees all my cuts and scars. He sees my chains of bondage and all the filth of the grave, in and on me. He also sees the "Legion" of darkness in me. He sees it all and doesn't turn away. He knows my need and He acts, casting away all of these things that corrupt me before Him so that I too may be found, "sitting there, dressed and in his right mind"
The Good News we have is that God doesn't want us to get our life straightened out so that we can come to Him. On the contrary, He bids us to come to Him and then He will straighten out our life. It is this kind of love that set me free from the bondage of addiction. It is this kind of love that cleansed me of the filth of my sin. It is this kind of love that healed my broken heart and mind.
May you come to Jesus as you are, knowing that He loves you and accepts you.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" ~2 Corinthians 5:17
Jesus commanded the spirits to leave the man and the begged Him not to torture them. They asked Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs. Jesus agreed and the pigs ran into the sea killing themselves.
We then read about the town people coming to see what happened and there reaction. The scriptures say, "When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid." vs. 15
I find it very interesting how people respond to change, even positive change. It seems we get so comfortable with the way things are that the very notion of change scares us.
The Good News:
What I really love about this event in the life of Lord Jesus is the fact that it didn't matter to Him how messed up this guy was. Think about it. What would be your reaction if a naked man covered in cuts and scars and broken pieces of chain came walking to you from a tomb? How many of us would have got right back on that boat and sailed away?
But not Jesus. Jesus looked at the man and saw great need. This gives me hope! Like this guy I come with a lot of baggage. I come before God with everything exposed, He sees my nakedness. He sees all my cuts and scars. He sees my chains of bondage and all the filth of the grave, in and on me. He also sees the "Legion" of darkness in me. He sees it all and doesn't turn away. He knows my need and He acts, casting away all of these things that corrupt me before Him so that I too may be found, "sitting there, dressed and in his right mind"
The Good News we have is that God doesn't want us to get our life straightened out so that we can come to Him. On the contrary, He bids us to come to Him and then He will straighten out our life. It is this kind of love that set me free from the bondage of addiction. It is this kind of love that cleansed me of the filth of my sin. It is this kind of love that healed my broken heart and mind.
May you come to Jesus as you are, knowing that He loves you and accepts you.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" ~2 Corinthians 5:17
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 9
Since our last study Jesus has continued traveling around and teaching the people about the kingdom of God. Though they can be a fun study I don't intend to go through all the parables in this series. So we will be jumping ahead to Mark 4:35-41. This event in the life of Jesus' disciples opens our eyes to the fullness of who Jesus is.
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
In this narrative we find Jesus and His disciples climbing on a boat to sail across the Sea of Galilee. It is prefaced with Jesus telling them, "Let us go over to the other side." These words are quit possibly the more important then the rest of the events that happened in this event, but we will get to that more later in this blog.
So these guys set sail and Jesus goes below deck to sleep. As they are sailing a fierce storm hits. Based on the geographic location the Sea of Galilee it is subject to sudden, violent storms that could capsize a ship in a mater of minutes. Many of these guys on the ship had been fisherman, they knew this body of water well. They had seen these sudden storms rise up many times. They knew how to handle a ship in a storm. This is important to note because this particular storm was so bad that these experienced sailors where afraid.
Life is full of storms! It seems all through life we find ourselves in situations and circumstances that are greater than we are. Life is full of these storms! Sometimes they are related to our jobs or families. It could be financial or relational, these storms fill us with dread. We cry out, "why me!" or "What did I do to deserve this?" We throw our hands up knowing we are in a situation we can't escape.
That is where these disciples found themselves. They were in a situation that all their knowledge, experience, and skills couldn't get them out of. Here they were fearing for there lives the cried out to Jesus, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
How often are we guilty of this?
We find ourselves in a tough spot and we think God doesn't care. We feel that we are unworthy of His notice or that He has far more important things to worry about than our problems, but the truth is we missed something.
Remember the words Jesus had spoke, "Let us go over to the other side."
Jesus had already provided assurance for the conclusion of this journey. He didn't say, "Hey we're going on this boat and we might make it through." No, He said they were going to the other side.
The Good News:
As we are going through the storms of life we can be assured that we will make it through because of the words of God Almighty, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Again we are told, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37
"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:57-58
May you trust in the one who can take the storms of life and make them calm. May we trust Him when He says we will make it to the other side, and trust that He will keep us safe in the midst of the storm.
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
In this narrative we find Jesus and His disciples climbing on a boat to sail across the Sea of Galilee. It is prefaced with Jesus telling them, "Let us go over to the other side." These words are quit possibly the more important then the rest of the events that happened in this event, but we will get to that more later in this blog.
So these guys set sail and Jesus goes below deck to sleep. As they are sailing a fierce storm hits. Based on the geographic location the Sea of Galilee it is subject to sudden, violent storms that could capsize a ship in a mater of minutes. Many of these guys on the ship had been fisherman, they knew this body of water well. They had seen these sudden storms rise up many times. They knew how to handle a ship in a storm. This is important to note because this particular storm was so bad that these experienced sailors where afraid.
Life is full of storms! It seems all through life we find ourselves in situations and circumstances that are greater than we are. Life is full of these storms! Sometimes they are related to our jobs or families. It could be financial or relational, these storms fill us with dread. We cry out, "why me!" or "What did I do to deserve this?" We throw our hands up knowing we are in a situation we can't escape.
That is where these disciples found themselves. They were in a situation that all their knowledge, experience, and skills couldn't get them out of. Here they were fearing for there lives the cried out to Jesus, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
How often are we guilty of this?
We find ourselves in a tough spot and we think God doesn't care. We feel that we are unworthy of His notice or that He has far more important things to worry about than our problems, but the truth is we missed something.
Remember the words Jesus had spoke, "Let us go over to the other side."
Jesus had already provided assurance for the conclusion of this journey. He didn't say, "Hey we're going on this boat and we might make it through." No, He said they were going to the other side.
The Good News:
As we are going through the storms of life we can be assured that we will make it through because of the words of God Almighty, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Again we are told, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37
"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:57-58
May you trust in the one who can take the storms of life and make them calm. May we trust Him when He says we will make it to the other side, and trust that He will keep us safe in the midst of the storm.
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 8
I sometimes look at God's people and think, "why do we do that? Why do we say the things we say? Is this the way God intended us to be or have we become so caught up in our traditions that we have lost sight of God's intention for the church?"
This is the heart of our passage today. Our text will be Mark 2:18-3:6 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202:18-3:6&version=NIV
In this passage we see a few things going on. First we find Jesus in a discussion about fasting, then we find two encounters where the sabbath is being disputed between the Pharisees and Jesus. In all of these passages we find Jesus or His disciples going against the grain of the religious norm.
In the first incident we find Jesus' disciples daring to eat while the rest of the people are fasting. (It might be important to note that Jewish Law only required one day of fasting every year but tradition at that time had instilled many more days of fasting.)
It is during this account that we find the point of our good news today. It is found in Jesus' response in Mark 2:21-22 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.
Jesus wants these people to know that God is bringing about something new. That by Jesus being here all of these man made traditions don't matter any more. As we saw with Jesus and the tax collectors Jesus isn't interested in man's ways of doing things He wants to see God's purpose and design to be fulfilled.
This point is then illustrated in two back to back narratives.
The first account has to do with His disciples picking off some grain and eating it while they were walking and the second has to do with whether or not it is ok to heal on the sabbath. In both of these places Jesus challenges the traditions of man and the standard intent of God.
To properly understand what was going on we have to understand what sabbath tradition looked like. Teachers of the law had bogged the sabbath down with so many regulations that it had become a burden. In fact there was specified 39 areas in which a person was prohibited to work. These are:
1. Carrying
2. Burning
3. Extinguishing
4. Finishing
5. Writing
6. Erasing
7. Cooking
8. Washing
9. Sewing
10. Tearing
11. Knotting
12. Untying
13. Shaping
14. Plowing
15. Planting
16. Reaping
17. Harvesting
18. Threshing
19. Winnowing
20. Selecting
21. Sifting
22. Grinding
23. Kneading
24. Combing
25. Spinning
26. Dyeing
27. Chain-stitching
28. Warping
29. Weaving
30. Unraveling
31. Building
32. Demolishing
33. Trapping
34. Shearing
35. Slaughtering
36. Skinning
37. Tanning
38. Smoothing
39. Marking
This doesn't even touch the areas that they had made restrictions for such as walking. On the sabbath a person was only allowed to walk approx. 3/4 of a mile.
The Good News: Jesus isn't interested in us following a long list of do's and don'ts. He desires to see us being drawn closer to the creator of all things. Jesus wants us to know that the law has a purpose but not to drag us down. the purpose of the law is to show us the depth of our sin and our need for a savior. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:20-26
Jesus wants us to throw off the heavy burden of sin and accept His yoke upon us. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29
Jesus also tells us this, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
May you remember that Jesus isn't wait for you to get you life straightened before you come to Him but He calls you, "Come Follow Me." Jesus loves you as you are right now and He desires to show you a better way. You can embrace the kingdom of God in your life today through Jesus.
This is the heart of our passage today. Our text will be Mark 2:18-3:6 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202:18-3:6&version=NIV
In this passage we see a few things going on. First we find Jesus in a discussion about fasting, then we find two encounters where the sabbath is being disputed between the Pharisees and Jesus. In all of these passages we find Jesus or His disciples going against the grain of the religious norm.
In the first incident we find Jesus' disciples daring to eat while the rest of the people are fasting. (It might be important to note that Jewish Law only required one day of fasting every year but tradition at that time had instilled many more days of fasting.)
It is during this account that we find the point of our good news today. It is found in Jesus' response in Mark 2:21-22 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.
Jesus wants these people to know that God is bringing about something new. That by Jesus being here all of these man made traditions don't matter any more. As we saw with Jesus and the tax collectors Jesus isn't interested in man's ways of doing things He wants to see God's purpose and design to be fulfilled.
This point is then illustrated in two back to back narratives.
The first account has to do with His disciples picking off some grain and eating it while they were walking and the second has to do with whether or not it is ok to heal on the sabbath. In both of these places Jesus challenges the traditions of man and the standard intent of God.
To properly understand what was going on we have to understand what sabbath tradition looked like. Teachers of the law had bogged the sabbath down with so many regulations that it had become a burden. In fact there was specified 39 areas in which a person was prohibited to work. These are:
1. Carrying
2. Burning
3. Extinguishing
4. Finishing
5. Writing
6. Erasing
7. Cooking
8. Washing
9. Sewing
10. Tearing
11. Knotting
12. Untying
13. Shaping
14. Plowing
15. Planting
16. Reaping
17. Harvesting
18. Threshing
19. Winnowing
20. Selecting
21. Sifting
22. Grinding
23. Kneading
24. Combing
25. Spinning
26. Dyeing
27. Chain-stitching
28. Warping
29. Weaving
30. Unraveling
31. Building
32. Demolishing
33. Trapping
34. Shearing
35. Slaughtering
36. Skinning
37. Tanning
38. Smoothing
39. Marking
This doesn't even touch the areas that they had made restrictions for such as walking. On the sabbath a person was only allowed to walk approx. 3/4 of a mile.
The Good News: Jesus isn't interested in us following a long list of do's and don'ts. He desires to see us being drawn closer to the creator of all things. Jesus wants us to know that the law has a purpose but not to drag us down. the purpose of the law is to show us the depth of our sin and our need for a savior. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:20-26
Jesus wants us to throw off the heavy burden of sin and accept His yoke upon us. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29
Jesus also tells us this, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
May you remember that Jesus isn't wait for you to get you life straightened before you come to Him but He calls you, "Come Follow Me." Jesus loves you as you are right now and He desires to show you a better way. You can embrace the kingdom of God in your life today through Jesus.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Intermission: the two things
I am feeling a little like Jude today. I sat down to continue in our study of Mark and just couldn't focus on it. The fact is I just have a lot on my mind and heart today. I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
When I am feeling overwhelmed I like to think about the Sermon on the Mount. I particularly like to focus on Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus' message is simple, "Do not worry."
"Simple! Simple!," you may be yelling at me right now, but yes "simple." The fact is we expend a lot of energy worrying about all kinds of things that we have no control over. We get stressed out over all kinds of things. Money, sex, food, money, sex, traffic, money, sex, house repairs, money,ect... and on and on it goes. (The reason I kept listing money and sex is because psychology tells us that they are the two things that people worry and stress out about the most.)
Jesus tells us that there is an answer to the problem of worry. "Seek first..." The simple answer to dealing with worry is to put first things first. The fact is when we worry rather than seeking God first, we are expressing doubt in God's plan for dealing with the things a head of us. When we focus on God first we will find that these other things in our lives that are fighting for our attention don't seem to matter as much anymore.
Are you trusting in God's plan and provision for you? Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
The fact is when we focus on God, we will be forced to see ourselves in light of who He is. When we do this we will begin to see how blessed we really are. This my friend is the simple way to handle your worry.
An old man once told me that there are two things you should never worry about. First never worry about anything you can control because the situation is in hand. Second he said that we should never worry about anything we can't control because there isn't anything we can do about it anyways.
May you seek God in your moment of worry and bring all things to His feet and leave it there.
P.S. God loves you!
When I am feeling overwhelmed I like to think about the Sermon on the Mount. I particularly like to focus on Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus' message is simple, "Do not worry."
"Simple! Simple!," you may be yelling at me right now, but yes "simple." The fact is we expend a lot of energy worrying about all kinds of things that we have no control over. We get stressed out over all kinds of things. Money, sex, food, money, sex, traffic, money, sex, house repairs, money,ect... and on and on it goes. (The reason I kept listing money and sex is because psychology tells us that they are the two things that people worry and stress out about the most.)
Jesus tells us that there is an answer to the problem of worry. "Seek first..." The simple answer to dealing with worry is to put first things first. The fact is when we worry rather than seeking God first, we are expressing doubt in God's plan for dealing with the things a head of us. When we focus on God first we will find that these other things in our lives that are fighting for our attention don't seem to matter as much anymore.
Are you trusting in God's plan and provision for you? Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
The fact is when we focus on God, we will be forced to see ourselves in light of who He is. When we do this we will begin to see how blessed we really are. This my friend is the simple way to handle your worry.
An old man once told me that there are two things you should never worry about. First never worry about anything you can control because the situation is in hand. Second he said that we should never worry about anything we can't control because there isn't anything we can do about it anyways.
May you seek God in your moment of worry and bring all things to His feet and leave it there.
P.S. God loves you!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 7
Today I'd like to look at Mark 2:13-17. In this passage we find Jesus calling another disciple Levi son of Alphaeus, who is later called Matthew. Levi is a tax collector and believe it or not in Jesus' day they were more disliked then they are today.
In fact a Jewish tax collector could assign his own wages. It worked like this. If it was tax time and the tax collectors came to your town they could say, "you owe $10,000 in taxes." The problem is that they knew how much you really owe and you don't. So you might only owe 5 or 6 thousand but they are charging you more.
These guys were not very popular. This disciple being called is a big deal. Jesus calls to Levi, "Follow me." And he does.
After this we find Jesus in Levi's house eating diner. And in this house we find Jesus, Levi, Jesus' other disciples, other tax collectors, and "sinners". (Historical oral tradition suggests that this reference to "sinners" may have been a denotation of loose women or prostitutes.)
This is a huge deal because in the ancient Middle East the sharing of a meal was one of the greatest symbols of intimacy. When they sat at a table they would sit on the floor or on cushions, they would lean on their left hand and eat with their right. Each person would lean on the person sitting next to them. So to say the least you only ate with people you really cared for.
Well it is no surprise that Pharisees became indignant. They couldn't believe that a rabbi would dare to eat with the likes of this crowd. How dare He surround Himself with this kind of filth.
The Good News: When Jesus heard about the complaints of the Pharisees, He responded with these words, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
This is great news for you and me. We have sinned, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. Jesus came to help and call people like you and me. He knows how messed up we are and He still desires to come in and eat with us. Listen to His words in Revelation 3:20, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
May you open the door of your heart to Jesus today. knowing that there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less than He does right now. May you rest assured that Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life that you would be saved.
In fact a Jewish tax collector could assign his own wages. It worked like this. If it was tax time and the tax collectors came to your town they could say, "you owe $10,000 in taxes." The problem is that they knew how much you really owe and you don't. So you might only owe 5 or 6 thousand but they are charging you more.
These guys were not very popular. This disciple being called is a big deal. Jesus calls to Levi, "Follow me." And he does.
After this we find Jesus in Levi's house eating diner. And in this house we find Jesus, Levi, Jesus' other disciples, other tax collectors, and "sinners". (Historical oral tradition suggests that this reference to "sinners" may have been a denotation of loose women or prostitutes.)
This is a huge deal because in the ancient Middle East the sharing of a meal was one of the greatest symbols of intimacy. When they sat at a table they would sit on the floor or on cushions, they would lean on their left hand and eat with their right. Each person would lean on the person sitting next to them. So to say the least you only ate with people you really cared for.
Well it is no surprise that Pharisees became indignant. They couldn't believe that a rabbi would dare to eat with the likes of this crowd. How dare He surround Himself with this kind of filth.
The Good News: When Jesus heard about the complaints of the Pharisees, He responded with these words, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
This is great news for you and me. We have sinned, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. Jesus came to help and call people like you and me. He knows how messed up we are and He still desires to come in and eat with us. Listen to His words in Revelation 3:20, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
May you open the door of your heart to Jesus today. knowing that there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less than He does right now. May you rest assured that Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life that you would be saved.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 6
Continuing or study of Mark we will move to chapter 2 where we find Jesus returning to Capernaum after preaching throughout the Galilee region. The people are excited that Jesus has returned and they begin to crowd around to hear Him teach.
Now there was at that time four guys who had a paralyzed friend who believed that Jesus could help there friend so the picked him up and carried him to the house where Jesus was. The house was so crowded that the couldn't even get to the door.
I don't know about you but when I look at the world all around me and I see all the problems and suffering going on, I wonder how in the world does Jesus have time for me? These guys could have just given up. The could have told their friend, "sorry there are just to many people here." but they didn't.
Look at what they did, "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on." Mark 2:4 The faith of these men was so strong that were willing to do whatever it took to get there friend to Jesus.
Now lets look at Jesus' response, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Jesus saw their faith! James 2:18 says, "But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
Now as the passage goes on some of the teachers of the Law got angry because Jesus said the man's sins were forgiven. So Jesus to prove that He has the authority to forgive sins heals the man.
The Good News: Jesus will always reward sincere faith. May you be willing to do whatever it takes to bring people to Jesus. May we believe that Jesus has the answers to both our physical and spiritual needs. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for your sins and want to heal you, so that you too may walk boldly in front of everyone so that they will be amazed and praise God because of His greatness.
Now there was at that time four guys who had a paralyzed friend who believed that Jesus could help there friend so the picked him up and carried him to the house where Jesus was. The house was so crowded that the couldn't even get to the door.
I don't know about you but when I look at the world all around me and I see all the problems and suffering going on, I wonder how in the world does Jesus have time for me? These guys could have just given up. The could have told their friend, "sorry there are just to many people here." but they didn't.
Look at what they did, "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on." Mark 2:4 The faith of these men was so strong that were willing to do whatever it took to get there friend to Jesus.
Now lets look at Jesus' response, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Jesus saw their faith! James 2:18 says, "But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
Now as the passage goes on some of the teachers of the Law got angry because Jesus said the man's sins were forgiven. So Jesus to prove that He has the authority to forgive sins heals the man.
The Good News: Jesus will always reward sincere faith. May you be willing to do whatever it takes to bring people to Jesus. May we believe that Jesus has the answers to both our physical and spiritual needs. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for your sins and want to heal you, so that you too may walk boldly in front of everyone so that they will be amazed and praise God because of His greatness.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 5
Today we will be closing Mark chapter one looking at the healing of a man with leprosy.
"Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It is characterized by disfiguring skin sores, nerve damage, and progressive debilitation." health.google.com
In Bible times leprosy was incurable and fast spreading and any who contracted the disease was made an outcast of society. The were forced to leave their family, friends, jobs, and places of worship. They were considered "unclean." If you were to touch a person with leprosy you would be considered unclean and where treated as if you had the disease as well.
This knowledge will help us to better understand the Good News we have in Jesus Christ as we look at Mark 1:40-45. Here we find Jesus as He and His disciples are traveling through out Galilee spreading the message that the Kingdom of God is at hand when a man with leprosy comes and knells down before Jesus saying, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
Now the custom of the time was this, if you saw a person with leprosy you would point and yell, "UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN!" to run the person off and let others know that the leper was there and they too would take up the call, "Unclean,unclean..."
It is an understatement to say that lepers suffered. The disease it's self effects the sin and nerves in such a way that it deadens the nerves causing people to get cuts and infections. The infections cause their skin to rot which attracts rats and insects to eat their flesh while they sleep, but on top of that the would be void of human contact. The lost everything.
The Good News: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Mark 1:41
Jesus did the unthinkable, He touched the man. This single act was greater than the fact that Jesus healed the leprosy. Jesus looked at this man who had lost it all. Who had dropped to his knees before Him and call out for help and say his greatest need. This man needed to the loving touch of another person. So Jesus reached out His hand and touched the leper.
In that one action Jesus declared, "I will become unclean for you." This News is the heart of the message we have in Jesus Christ. Every one of us have become "unclean" in our sin. Our sin is more infectious, more deadly, and more offensive then the worst case of leprosy the world has ever seen. And Jesus is willing to make us clean. More than Just wanting to make us clean, He is willing to reach out and touch us in such a way that takes our filth and grime upon Himself and leave us clean.
May you come to the feet of Jesus, hit your knees and cry out, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Knowing fully that Jesus loves you so much that He took your filth with Him upon the cross and in Him you too shall be clean.
"Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It is characterized by disfiguring skin sores, nerve damage, and progressive debilitation." health.google.com
In Bible times leprosy was incurable and fast spreading and any who contracted the disease was made an outcast of society. The were forced to leave their family, friends, jobs, and places of worship. They were considered "unclean." If you were to touch a person with leprosy you would be considered unclean and where treated as if you had the disease as well.
This knowledge will help us to better understand the Good News we have in Jesus Christ as we look at Mark 1:40-45. Here we find Jesus as He and His disciples are traveling through out Galilee spreading the message that the Kingdom of God is at hand when a man with leprosy comes and knells down before Jesus saying, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
Now the custom of the time was this, if you saw a person with leprosy you would point and yell, "UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN!" to run the person off and let others know that the leper was there and they too would take up the call, "Unclean,unclean..."
It is an understatement to say that lepers suffered. The disease it's self effects the sin and nerves in such a way that it deadens the nerves causing people to get cuts and infections. The infections cause their skin to rot which attracts rats and insects to eat their flesh while they sleep, but on top of that the would be void of human contact. The lost everything.
The Good News: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Mark 1:41
Jesus did the unthinkable, He touched the man. This single act was greater than the fact that Jesus healed the leprosy. Jesus looked at this man who had lost it all. Who had dropped to his knees before Him and call out for help and say his greatest need. This man needed to the loving touch of another person. So Jesus reached out His hand and touched the leper.
In that one action Jesus declared, "I will become unclean for you." This News is the heart of the message we have in Jesus Christ. Every one of us have become "unclean" in our sin. Our sin is more infectious, more deadly, and more offensive then the worst case of leprosy the world has ever seen. And Jesus is willing to make us clean. More than Just wanting to make us clean, He is willing to reach out and touch us in such a way that takes our filth and grime upon Himself and leave us clean.
May you come to the feet of Jesus, hit your knees and cry out, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Knowing fully that Jesus loves you so much that He took your filth with Him upon the cross and in Him you too shall be clean.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 4
Sorry about the delay in this study, we lost internet for a couple of days.
As we continue our look at Mark (Mark 1:21-39), we find Jesus in Capernaum, a fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. While there Jesus goes into the synagogue to teach. The Bible tells us that the people were amazed because Jesus taught as one with authority. Jesus' authority was so great that a demon cried from a possessed man, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" Jesus then rebuked the demon, and freed the man from it's presence.
After Jesus leaves the synagogue He went to Simon and Andrew's home where He finds Simon's Mother-in-law sick with a fever. Jesus heals her sickness. That evening the whole community shows up with their sick and demon possessed looking to Jesus for the answers to their problems.
Jesus worked late into the night healing the sick and freeing the possessed. I can imagine an exhausted Jesus climbing into be. Everyone counting on Him to fix their problems. The people sleeping on the ground around the house waiting for Jesus to wake up.
Then we read the most interesting thing, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons."
The Good News:
There are three things that we need to focus on in these passage. The first two I will just briefly look at because we will look at them later the third is the main focus of today's blog.
1. We have a teacher in Jesus who isn't like the other teachers. He has authority over every created thing, both physical and spiritual, and at His very word the demons tremble. James 2:19 says, "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."
2. We have a Lord who cares deeply about His people. He is concerned about all of our problems. Whether we are dealing with sickness, disease, demonic influence, depression, addiction, or a host of other problems that we face in this life freedom is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Who will always bring blessing to His people. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
3. This is the main point that I wanted to share today. When we find Jesus going to pray and then telling His disciples that it is time to go somewhere else, it might catch us off guard. What about all those people that are looking for Him?
The beauty in this passage is that Jesus goes to pray. This gives us a great example for handling the stresses of life. It is easy to get caught up in all the needs surrounding us. And we could spend our lives in one place dealing with one need after another, which would be a good thing. But in the end we could miss God's best for our lives. Jesus could have stayed in that little fishing town healing the sick and casting out demons but then the greater work that God called Him to do would have been sacrificed to the needs of the masses. Jesus' mission was to preach the good news and to ultimately become the fulfillment of the greatest news of all. Your sin debt is paid in full.
Jesus wants us to know that no matter what is going one in your life, we have a friend in Jesus who is always looking out for our best. We may not always understand what is going on around us but we can be sure that Jesus is in control.
May you rest in the good news that Jesus finished is finished the work He came to do. While He was on the cross, He declared, "It is finished." The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom freeing us all to have full access to the Holy of Holies.
As we continue our look at Mark (Mark 1:21-39), we find Jesus in Capernaum, a fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. While there Jesus goes into the synagogue to teach. The Bible tells us that the people were amazed because Jesus taught as one with authority. Jesus' authority was so great that a demon cried from a possessed man, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" Jesus then rebuked the demon, and freed the man from it's presence.
After Jesus leaves the synagogue He went to Simon and Andrew's home where He finds Simon's Mother-in-law sick with a fever. Jesus heals her sickness. That evening the whole community shows up with their sick and demon possessed looking to Jesus for the answers to their problems.
Jesus worked late into the night healing the sick and freeing the possessed. I can imagine an exhausted Jesus climbing into be. Everyone counting on Him to fix their problems. The people sleeping on the ground around the house waiting for Jesus to wake up.
Then we read the most interesting thing, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons."
The Good News:
There are three things that we need to focus on in these passage. The first two I will just briefly look at because we will look at them later the third is the main focus of today's blog.
1. We have a teacher in Jesus who isn't like the other teachers. He has authority over every created thing, both physical and spiritual, and at His very word the demons tremble. James 2:19 says, "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."
2. We have a Lord who cares deeply about His people. He is concerned about all of our problems. Whether we are dealing with sickness, disease, demonic influence, depression, addiction, or a host of other problems that we face in this life freedom is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Who will always bring blessing to His people. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
3. This is the main point that I wanted to share today. When we find Jesus going to pray and then telling His disciples that it is time to go somewhere else, it might catch us off guard. What about all those people that are looking for Him?
The beauty in this passage is that Jesus goes to pray. This gives us a great example for handling the stresses of life. It is easy to get caught up in all the needs surrounding us. And we could spend our lives in one place dealing with one need after another, which would be a good thing. But in the end we could miss God's best for our lives. Jesus could have stayed in that little fishing town healing the sick and casting out demons but then the greater work that God called Him to do would have been sacrificed to the needs of the masses. Jesus' mission was to preach the good news and to ultimately become the fulfillment of the greatest news of all. Your sin debt is paid in full.
Jesus wants us to know that no matter what is going one in your life, we have a friend in Jesus who is always looking out for our best. We may not always understand what is going on around us but we can be sure that Jesus is in control.
May you rest in the good news that Jesus finished is finished the work He came to do. While He was on the cross, He declared, "It is finished." The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom freeing us all to have full access to the Holy of Holies.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 3
In Mark 1:16-20 we find Jesus as He calls His first disciples. This is where we get to the heart of the Good News. Now you may be thinking, "Brad isn't this early to be calling it the 'heart of the Good News'?" Just bear with me.
In Jewish society, the greatest thing that could happen was that a rabbi would pick you to be a disciple of his. Jewish education worked like this:
First one would have to go through Bet Sefer, meaning the house of the book. As a boy at the age of 6 you would begin your training in the torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. You would study in bet Sefer for about four year in which you would memorize the entire text, word for word.
Now if you were the best student, at age 10 you would move into Bet Talmud, the house of learning. It was here that a young man would memorize the rest of the scriptures. The Idea was that by the age of 13 or 14 a young man in Bet Talmud would have memorized the entirety of the Hebrew scriptures.
Once you completed Bet Talmud if you were the best of the best you could then go to well, known and respected rabbi to apply for Bet Midrash, the house of Study. During this stage a rabbi would ask questions, if he thought you were good enough. Then based on the answers to you questions, the rabbi would either answer, "Lech Acharai" – Come, follow me. or "Go, home to your village. Make babies. Pray that they become rabbis. Go home and learn the family business - fishing, farming, carpentry. Because you won’t be studying to be a rabbi."
What is so great about Jesus' disciples are the fact that they had returned to their homes and were working in the trade of their fathers. They were not good enough.
The Good News:
You and I are not good enough to be a disciple of Jesus, but He bids us to come and follow Him. Jesus wants you and me even though we don't have it all together to be His disciples. When Jesus says, "come follow me" what it means is that He believes that you and I can do the things He is doing.
May you delight in the fact that the greatest Rabbi ever has called to you, "come, Follow me." That He sees so much potential in you that He has decided to make you His own. May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi, Jesus, in such a way that people do not know where He stops and you start.
In Jewish society, the greatest thing that could happen was that a rabbi would pick you to be a disciple of his. Jewish education worked like this:
First one would have to go through Bet Sefer, meaning the house of the book. As a boy at the age of 6 you would begin your training in the torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. You would study in bet Sefer for about four year in which you would memorize the entire text, word for word.
Now if you were the best student, at age 10 you would move into Bet Talmud, the house of learning. It was here that a young man would memorize the rest of the scriptures. The Idea was that by the age of 13 or 14 a young man in Bet Talmud would have memorized the entirety of the Hebrew scriptures.
Once you completed Bet Talmud if you were the best of the best you could then go to well, known and respected rabbi to apply for Bet Midrash, the house of Study. During this stage a rabbi would ask questions, if he thought you were good enough. Then based on the answers to you questions, the rabbi would either answer, "Lech Acharai" – Come, follow me. or "Go, home to your village. Make babies. Pray that they become rabbis. Go home and learn the family business - fishing, farming, carpentry. Because you won’t be studying to be a rabbi."
What is so great about Jesus' disciples are the fact that they had returned to their homes and were working in the trade of their fathers. They were not good enough.
The Good News:
You and I are not good enough to be a disciple of Jesus, but He bids us to come and follow Him. Jesus wants you and me even though we don't have it all together to be His disciples. When Jesus says, "come follow me" what it means is that He believes that you and I can do the things He is doing.
May you delight in the fact that the greatest Rabbi ever has called to you, "come, Follow me." That He sees so much potential in you that He has decided to make you His own. May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi, Jesus, in such a way that people do not know where He stops and you start.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 2
In yesterday's study we glanced over a couple verses at the end that I want to focus in on today. These verses are found in Mark 1:12-13.
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
These two verses are huge in our understanding of the depths of the Good News we have in Jesus. Many people in the world today struggle to find connection with God. He is so much greater than we are, it is hard to connect. How can we connect with a God who doesn't understand our weakness and struggles? How can we draw closer to a God who doesn't understand our dependency on food, drink, social interaction, and all the things that fulfill our daily lives?
In steps Jesus. When the light of the world came in human form in the man of Jesus, He limited Himself to be subject to all the needs, hurts, and struggles of the human life. Through His life he dealt with the same things we do. He experienced the dependency that a child has on his or her parents. He experienced what it was to be hungry and thirsty. He knew what it was to morn the death of a friend, to be betrayed by someone close to Him, to be rejected by those He loved, to be mocked, to be slandered, to be ridiculed, and ultimately killed.
The Good News:
Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." Jesus Christ has faced every test and trial the you and I will ever face and He was victorious. He understands what you are facing today.
God wasn't content to sit on a lofty perch and watch and wait for man to struggle fruitlessly to crawl to His thrown. God stepped out of His thrown and into the human experience in order to meet us where we are. God isn't waiting for us to get our lives together so we can come before Him, but He comes to us in the midst of our failure and says, "Follow me. I will show you a better way." God desires to work in your life right now.
May you embrace the Good News that God wants to meet with you right now. He loves you! He desires to do a mighty work in your life today.
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
These two verses are huge in our understanding of the depths of the Good News we have in Jesus. Many people in the world today struggle to find connection with God. He is so much greater than we are, it is hard to connect. How can we connect with a God who doesn't understand our weakness and struggles? How can we draw closer to a God who doesn't understand our dependency on food, drink, social interaction, and all the things that fulfill our daily lives?
In steps Jesus. When the light of the world came in human form in the man of Jesus, He limited Himself to be subject to all the needs, hurts, and struggles of the human life. Through His life he dealt with the same things we do. He experienced the dependency that a child has on his or her parents. He experienced what it was to be hungry and thirsty. He knew what it was to morn the death of a friend, to be betrayed by someone close to Him, to be rejected by those He loved, to be mocked, to be slandered, to be ridiculed, and ultimately killed.
The Good News:
Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." Jesus Christ has faced every test and trial the you and I will ever face and He was victorious. He understands what you are facing today.
God wasn't content to sit on a lofty perch and watch and wait for man to struggle fruitlessly to crawl to His thrown. God stepped out of His thrown and into the human experience in order to meet us where we are. God isn't waiting for us to get our lives together so we can come before Him, but He comes to us in the midst of our failure and says, "Follow me. I will show you a better way." God desires to work in your life right now.
May you embrace the Good News that God wants to meet with you right now. He loves you! He desires to do a mighty work in your life today.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 1
The Gospel of Mark starts with a beautiful statement that we sometimes breeze through to get into the heart of this book. "This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God..." Mark 1:1.
As we begin to read about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we must first realize that we are reading, "Good News". So often we find ourselves reading the passages of scripture seeking our flaws, our failures. We look for judgment for our selves and others but John Mark wants us to look for something else, he wants us to find Good News in what he is telling us.
Being that this is how the book of Mark starts out I have challenged myself to go through the book of Mark and share the "Good News" in this blog. I am sure I will not write on every verse but I will be looking a sections of this Gospel account in hopes that we can grow deeper in our understanding of the Good News that God has given each one of us today.
Part 1:
As we begin to look at the writings of Mark we find Mark leading us to the pages of the Old Testament. He wants everyone to know that God's plan for the redemption of mankind has been planed and promised by God. This wasn't just a momentary choice but a well thought out plan. God had planned our redemption before the beginning of the world and at various times relieved bits and pieces of this plan to His prophets who He called to share His word and love with others.
I also love Mark's approach, he says look what Isaiah said and the prefaces Isaiah with a quote from Malachi 3:1 in which Malachi tells us the same thing then quotes Isaiah 40:3.
Malachi 3:1 says, "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies." - Be ready, there is a messenger coming and when he shows up the messiah is coming soon.
Isaiah 40:3 says, "Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,“Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!" - Isaiah tells us about the very teaching of this coming messenger.
Mark then tells about the coming of John the Baptist, who showed up preaching this message of repentance, yet with these great words of hope, "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
John is announcing to everyone that will listen that the power of sin is about to be broken, that salvation is near at hand. One is coming who will bring the very Spirit of God to the masses. No longer will human tradition and man made buildings be needed to draw men to God. There is one coming that is so great and so mighty that we are not even worthy enough to be His slave yet He will immerse (baptize) us in the Spirit and Power of God Almighty.
The Good News:
"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
The Calling of the First Disciples
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"” - Mark 1:9-15
Jesus came into the world and John the Baptist told us this is the one. The God-man who will take away the sins of the world. Salvation has come.
When Jesus came on the scene His message was this, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" In the King James Translation it says, "the kingdom of God is at hand" What Jesus is telling us from the very beginning of His earthly ministry is that the Kingdom of God is attainable. That is can be reached, NOW! It is now longer something we have to wait on.
Jesus came that you can experience God's kingdom in this life and in the life to come. We have a God who is active, now. He desires to give you blessing now. He desires you to experience the Fruit of His kingdom today. His Love, His Joy, His Peace, His Patience, His Kindness, His Goodness, His Faithfulness, His Gentleness, and His Self-Control.
May this Good News encourage you today as you draw deeper to God through the free gift of salvation found in Jesus, who is both Christ and Lord. Amen
As we begin to read about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we must first realize that we are reading, "Good News". So often we find ourselves reading the passages of scripture seeking our flaws, our failures. We look for judgment for our selves and others but John Mark wants us to look for something else, he wants us to find Good News in what he is telling us.
Being that this is how the book of Mark starts out I have challenged myself to go through the book of Mark and share the "Good News" in this blog. I am sure I will not write on every verse but I will be looking a sections of this Gospel account in hopes that we can grow deeper in our understanding of the Good News that God has given each one of us today.
Part 1:
As we begin to look at the writings of Mark we find Mark leading us to the pages of the Old Testament. He wants everyone to know that God's plan for the redemption of mankind has been planed and promised by God. This wasn't just a momentary choice but a well thought out plan. God had planned our redemption before the beginning of the world and at various times relieved bits and pieces of this plan to His prophets who He called to share His word and love with others.
I also love Mark's approach, he says look what Isaiah said and the prefaces Isaiah with a quote from Malachi 3:1 in which Malachi tells us the same thing then quotes Isaiah 40:3.
Malachi 3:1 says, "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies." - Be ready, there is a messenger coming and when he shows up the messiah is coming soon.
Isaiah 40:3 says, "Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,“Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!" - Isaiah tells us about the very teaching of this coming messenger.
Mark then tells about the coming of John the Baptist, who showed up preaching this message of repentance, yet with these great words of hope, "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
John is announcing to everyone that will listen that the power of sin is about to be broken, that salvation is near at hand. One is coming who will bring the very Spirit of God to the masses. No longer will human tradition and man made buildings be needed to draw men to God. There is one coming that is so great and so mighty that we are not even worthy enough to be His slave yet He will immerse (baptize) us in the Spirit and Power of God Almighty.
The Good News:
"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
The Calling of the First Disciples
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"” - Mark 1:9-15
Jesus came into the world and John the Baptist told us this is the one. The God-man who will take away the sins of the world. Salvation has come.
When Jesus came on the scene His message was this, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" In the King James Translation it says, "the kingdom of God is at hand" What Jesus is telling us from the very beginning of His earthly ministry is that the Kingdom of God is attainable. That is can be reached, NOW! It is now longer something we have to wait on.
Jesus came that you can experience God's kingdom in this life and in the life to come. We have a God who is active, now. He desires to give you blessing now. He desires you to experience the Fruit of His kingdom today. His Love, His Joy, His Peace, His Patience, His Kindness, His Goodness, His Faithfulness, His Gentleness, and His Self-Control.
May this Good News encourage you today as you draw deeper to God through the free gift of salvation found in Jesus, who is both Christ and Lord. Amen
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Provision
There is this great story of God's provision found in the Old Testament. The prophet Elijah was called to confront Ahab, King of Israel, for his worship of the false god Baal, a Canaanite deity of rain and weather, called the "Life-Giver".
God had Elijah go to Ahab and tell him that there would be no rain until Elijah told him it would rain. This was a statement in direct conflict with Ahab's faith in Baal. If Baal was in-charge of rain then who was Elijah, as a servant of the Lord to say it would not rain.
God then told Elijah to go into hiding and in 1 Kings 17 we read these words, Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
God tells Elijah, because you are faithful and trust in me, I am going to take care of you. Hide yourself from Ahab and I will provide for you. Though there will not be rain I will provide you with water to drink and I will even send you food. And God provided. Twice a day Elijah received meat and bread.
This story draws me to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34. In this passage Jesus tells His followers not to worry because God knows and will provide everything you need as long as we "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness"
I discovered this truth first hand when we moved to Pennsylvania. We moved a family of 6 to a place in long term economic collapse to serve in a church that couldn't afford to pay us. Within a couple days in PA I had a job. A job that I kept until God called us to leave.
Now I have moved to Ohio, called by God to launch a new church. Once again God has asked us to trust Him to provide for our needs. This area has seen an 18% unemployment rate over the last year. After being in town for 1 day God has provided me with an interview for a job. I don't share this to draw attention to myself but to the faithfulness of God. God has promised that if we seek Him. (If we place His plans above our own) and His righteousness (If we desire to draw closer to Him in thought, deed, and morality) He will provide.
What is it you are trusting God for today? Are you drawing closer to Him? Are you trusting God's plan for your life?
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
God had Elijah go to Ahab and tell him that there would be no rain until Elijah told him it would rain. This was a statement in direct conflict with Ahab's faith in Baal. If Baal was in-charge of rain then who was Elijah, as a servant of the Lord to say it would not rain.
God then told Elijah to go into hiding and in 1 Kings 17 we read these words, Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
God tells Elijah, because you are faithful and trust in me, I am going to take care of you. Hide yourself from Ahab and I will provide for you. Though there will not be rain I will provide you with water to drink and I will even send you food. And God provided. Twice a day Elijah received meat and bread.
This story draws me to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34. In this passage Jesus tells His followers not to worry because God knows and will provide everything you need as long as we "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness"
I discovered this truth first hand when we moved to Pennsylvania. We moved a family of 6 to a place in long term economic collapse to serve in a church that couldn't afford to pay us. Within a couple days in PA I had a job. A job that I kept until God called us to leave.
Now I have moved to Ohio, called by God to launch a new church. Once again God has asked us to trust Him to provide for our needs. This area has seen an 18% unemployment rate over the last year. After being in town for 1 day God has provided me with an interview for a job. I don't share this to draw attention to myself but to the faithfulness of God. God has promised that if we seek Him. (If we place His plans above our own) and His righteousness (If we desire to draw closer to Him in thought, deed, and morality) He will provide.
What is it you are trusting God for today? Are you drawing closer to Him? Are you trusting God's plan for your life?
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)