FIGHTING OUR GOLIATHS PART 2

March 10, 2012 at 10:52 AM (Fighting Our Goliaths, Spiritual Warfare)
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THE GOLIATHS THAT FRIGHTEN AND INTIMIDATE US

1 Samuel 17:4-10,  And there went out a champion [that’s an okay rendering of the text, but I’ll come back to it in just a moment] out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. [That’s 9’ 9” tall; and as high as 11’ 10” tall depending on which cubit is being used.] (5)  And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; [This coat of mail was made of overlapping sheets of metal. If you can envision the scales on a fish, this is what the coat of mail was like.] and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. [That’s about 200 lbs!]  (6)  And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, [The greaves were two long, fitted sheets of metal that protected the thighs and legs down to the ankles.] and a target of brass between his shoulders. [The target of brass was a javelin that he carried on his back, much the way an archer would  carry  his  quiver.]  (7)   And  the  staff  of  his spear was like a weaver’s beam; [The wooden shaft of Goliath’s spear was as thick as that found on a weaver’s loom.] and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: [That’s between 17 and 18 lbs.] and one bearing a shield went before him.

(8)  And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? [Going back to verse 4, we read that Goliath was a champion. The word in the Hebrew means the middle man or man in between. The middle man stands in the middle of two opposing armies as a combatant and representative of his army. He was the army’s best soldier, hence, their champion. Anyways, the war between the armies is fought by a single duel or fight between the middle man of each army. Whichever man wins the fight, his army wins the battle.] choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.  (9)  If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.  (10)  And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

Goliath was the world’s original Incredible Hulk, just a lot taller. The mere sight of him struck fear in the hearts of the Israelites. They were instantly paralyzed with fear that they had absolutely no courage to fight.

So what is your Goliath? What strikes your heart with total fear and dread? What robs you of all the courage and faith you’ve got? Cancer? A nicotine habit that you just can’t kick? A porn problem that just won’t let you go?  Can’t  get  rid  of the bottle no matter how hard you try? Is it unforgiveness? Resentment? Anger? An unfaithful husband? A whore of a wife? Children who refuse to have anything to do with God? Death?

What battles can’t be won? What victories can’t be gotten? What obstacles can’t be overcome? What trials can’t be endured? What temptations can’t be resisted? What promises are just too good to be true? What prayers just can’t be answered? These are your Goliath.

Unless you kill him, he’ll end up killing you. So what’s it going be? You can kill him, as David shows us you can. But in order to do that you’re going to have to fight him. But before you fight him you’ve got to fight the fear that’s within you. And this brings me to the fourth thing that I’d like for you to see in the text of Scripture today. IN ORDER TO FIGHT YOU’VE GOT TO GET RID OF THE FEAR THAT KEEPS YOU FROM FIGHTING.

Coming Up On My Next Blog, Part 3. A look at the disastrous consequences of letting fear keep us entrenched in the foxholes.

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FIGHTING OUR GOLIATHS PART 1

March 5, 2012 at 12:39 PM (Fighting Our Goliaths, Spiritual Warfare)
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INTRODUCTION

I’d like to talk to you about FIGHTING OUR GOLIATHS. Some of us have fought our Goliaths and won. Some of you are fighting your Goliaths right now. You’re in the fight of your life. And the Lord has His strong arms uplifted for you. He’ll keep them up until the battle’s won.

Some of you may not have ever fought against a Goliath. You will. One day. You’ll walk into the Valley of Elah, and unbeknownst to you, you’ll find a Goliath waiting for you. Waiting to tempt, ensnare, and enslave you. Waiting to kill you. Waiting to damn you. And your job will be to face him, fight him, and beat him. It can be done with God’s grace. And God’s here today to show us how—how to fight what looks like an unbeatable foe and beat him with God’s help. That’s the theme for today’s lesson. Our text will be the familiar story of David and Goliath.

WE’RE AT WAR!

1 Samuel 17:1a,  Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle. The first thing that I’d like for you to see from the verse of Scripture is the fact that we’re at war. We have an enemy, named Satan. He has a host of demons under his command. And he’s gathered his forces against us to wage a life-and-death struggle for our very soul.

There’s a war going on all around us. You may not like the fact that we’re at war. You may not believe there’s a war going on. You may choose not to fight or participate in the war.  But  the  fact of the matter is, whether you participate in the war or not, we’re at war. The Devil’s on the move. He’s on the prowl. And he’s brought the war to our home, to our doorsteps. He’s got Christian casserole on the menu today and he’s hoping we’re in it.

But I got news for you. We’re not going to be in his casserole because we’re going to do what the Bible tells us to do, and that is, be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, (1 Peter 5:8).  The Devil’s brought his war to us. And that’s the second thing that I want you to see.

WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!

1 Samuel 17:1,  Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. Notice where the Philistines were at. They were at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah. In other words, the Philistine army has invaded Israel, starting here at the town of Shochoh. So what we have here is an invading, attacking force. 

Like I said, THE DEVIL HAS BROUGHT THE WAR TO US AND WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! Do you wonder why, all of a sudden, out of the blue, you’re going through this trial? Do you marvel or despair at the intensity and duration of the trial? Have you found yourself, as of late, dealing with one problem after another? Do you find yourself faced with situations you thought you would never face? Problems in the family. Problems with your friends. Problems in the church. Problems with the job.

Wonder no more, my friends.  The Devil’s attacking you! The Devil’s got your number and he’s doing his level best to kill you and damn you. If not that, he’s going to steal what you’ve got: your health, your money, your family, your job, your peace, your joy, your close walk with the Lord. In Jesus’ words,  the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John10:10).

This Philistine invasion of Judah tells us that our enemy isn’t a passive, peaceable foe. He’s bold and daring. He attacks. We’re a people of peace. We don’t want war. We’re busy minding our business in Judah. But, to our alarm and dismay, the Philistines have invaded us without cause. Brethren, we have been thrust into a spiritual war and it is our duty as Christians to fight back and repulse this Philistine invasion. WE ARE AT WAR!  And we must fight!

Why fight? Brethren, look at everything we’ve got to lose. The Philistines of old came looking for new lands to conquer and possess. New vineyards and flocks to possess. New riches. New homes. New slaves.

The Philistines of the spiritual realm have come to take us on a detour away from Heaven and get us rocking, drinking, doping, drugging, fornicating, gambling, cheating, stealing, lying, and more, on the road to Hell. The Philistines have come to steal what is rightfully ours by way of inheritance. To sicken and infirm us. To plague and disease us.  To divide marriages and destroy homes. To alienate a husband from his wife. To alienate the children from their parents. To divide churches. To keep brethren apart. To make brethren adversaries of one another. To malign and spread slander and lies about us. To give the world a wrong and evil impression of Christ, the Church, and Christians. To outlaw Christianity and forbid the free exercise of our religion. To tempt. To persecute. To kill and to destroy. To damn our souls.

In view of everything that’s at stake—our bodies, our lives, our marriages, our homes, our children, our churches, our liberties, our souls, our future, and our eternal rewards—we cannot remain passive and complacent about the war that has been thrust upon us. There’s a lot at stake and we simply can’t go on with life as usual. We’re at war! And we’ve got to start fighting the Devil back. Not ignore him. Or befriend him. Not go into league with him. Or pacify him and serve him. Not live in peace with him. But fight him and win the war! And this brings me to the third thing that I’d like for us to see.

WE’VE GOT TO TAKE A STAND AND FIGHT!

1 Samuel 17:2-3,  And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.[They were dressed and armed for battle; they formed their front line and got ready to fight.] (3)  And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

The Israelites started off doing the right thing. They rushed their army to the Valley of Elah to take a stand and stop this Philistine invasion. Unfortunately, that’s where the fight stopped. It never even got started. Instead of attacking, they stood still and were aghast! Without firing a single shot, the Philistines stole the Israelite army’s courage and faith and filled them with fear instead.

Reminds me a lot of ourselves. We start feeling sick. Or we get a prayer request. And we immediately rush to the Valley of Elah and go to prayer. That’s a good thing. But as soon as we find out what we’re dealing with, what we’re up against; as soon as we put a name on the sickness or hear the diagnosis and prognosis; we come to a screeching halt and, like the Israelites, stand aghast as the enemy steals our courage and faith and renders us unable to fight because of cowardice and fear.

Coming Up On My Next Blog, Part 2. A look at the Goliaths that frighten us. Join me, won’t you? I’d love to have you!

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THE JESUS I DIDN’T KNOW: THRU THE ROOF

February 29, 2012 at 9:51 AM (Life of Christ, The Jesus I Didn't Know)
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How well do you know Jesus? We all like to think we know Jesus pretty well. I’ve had close to fifty years of wonderful, sweet communion with Jesus. I’ve devoted over forty years of my life to studying and teaching His Word. I’m talking about going back to the original languages and learning as much as I can about Jewish culture, institutions, and beliefs. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Know-It-All. And you can ask my kids: I’m not inerrant or infallible. But still, knowing what I know, I’d like to think I know Jesus pretty good. To my pleasant surprise, however, I don’t know Jesus as good as I think I do. To this day, He still shows me more about Himself. Here, let me give you some snippets of the Jesus I never knew.

THRU THE ROOF

Placing myself in John’s sandals, Hey guys. It’s me, John the Beloved, the Lord’s disciple. If you think following the Lord was all peachy and hunky-dory, well, you got it wrong. Us disciples had our times and disagreements when we didn’t see eye-to-eye with the God Man. I wished He’d listen to us sometimes. But He didn’t. And we all, especially Him, got in a heap of trouble for it.

Let me tell you something that happened that sent the scribes thru the roof. You know who the scribes are, don’t you? They’re the guys who copied the Scriptures by hand. Because of their job, they knew every jot-and-tittle of the Scriptures. They knew it more than anyone else around or alive. So everybody, including us Christians, respected them as experts and scholars of the Scriptures.

Well, Jesus was home in Capernaum one day and the house was crammed full of folks who wanted to hear Jesus teach. I’d never seen such spiritual hunger before. No joke, there wasn’t any space left to get another soul in that house. In fact, there was a lot more people outdoors and everyone was just itching to hear what Jesus had to say. Among the privileged folks who got to have a seat in the house was a handful of scribes who’d come from Jerusalem to see what Jesus had to say.

Anyways, things was going along just fine, Jesus was preaching away when, suddenly, bits and pieces of the roof started falling on us like hail from the sky. We all looked up, flabbergasted, as we seen four guys tearing up the roof. I kid you not. These guys were taking the tiles off the roof! It looked like the Lucas Oil Stadium on a hot Sunday afternoon. I guess everyone of us was shocked—not even the homeowner said anything about it. We just sat there, dumbfounded, that these guys had the nerve to tear someone’s roof apart. What in tarnation were they up to? That’s what we all wanted to know.

Before long, here comes a stretcher down thru the roof. On it lay a paralyzed fella. He looked about as shook up as we all were. Betcha he was relieved just to be back on solid ground. I can imagine how scared he must have been to get carried up there, then lowered thru the roof. His buddies tried to bring him thru the door, but there was just no letting them in. There wasn’t any room. So they climbed on the roof—stretcher and all—and tore the roof apart to get the hapless chap to Jesus.  Obviously, they wanted Jesus to heal him.

I wish the God Man didn’t do what He did next. This is one of those times when we just didn’t see eye-to-eye. Anyways, the God Man looked at the guy on the stretcher and says, My son, your sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5). This is when, in the spirit, I seen these scribes go right thru the roof like a rocket taking off from Cape Canaveral. No one can forgive sins but God alone!, these scribes said quietly to themselves. This Guy’s a blasphemer! He’s no Man of God!

Well, Jesus knew plain as day that these scribes were sitting right in front of Him. And He knew full well that He’d get flack for saying something like this. Why couldn’t He have said that quietly instead of out loud? If He’d done it like I would have, He wouldn’t have riled these scribes up and sent them thru the roof.

You know me. I’m the apostle of love. If it was up to me, I’d work with these scholars, patient and gentle like. I’d try to convince them that I really am the God Man. Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 9:6-7 talked about Me. The prophet told us, and the scribes would have remembered it once I reminded them about it, that God would one day come into our midst as a Man. He’d come as a Jew, looking like any other Jew. Except He’d be God. Well, I’m that God Man. And that’s why I can forgive this guy’s sins. So it’s not blasphemy for Me to do it. If Jesus had only done it my way, we’d have won these scribes to our side and, man, what a witness that would have been! It’d have been a whole lot nicer to have these Scripture heavyweights on our side, instead of against us. But, we lost them that day, no thanks to Jesus.

Just so you know, I’m not a God Man. I don’t know everything. And I need to be reminded, from time to time, that My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord (Isaiah 55:8). I guess I learned that day that the God Man isn’t out to win everybody to His side. He didn’t do that for the religious leaders in Jerusalem, nor for the Pharisees, and now for the scribes. He knew who His inveterate critics were and He didn’t try to win them. Truth is, most of them would never be won. They had their minds made up about Jesus and no one, not even the God Man, was gonna change them. At the start, I had this picture that Jesus was gonna win everybody. He wasn’t gonna make enemies. He was gonna be peaceable-like and not send anybody thru the roof. Boy was I wrong! I just didn’t know Jesus that good. But thanks to Him, I know Him better. And, yes, take it from me. The God Man knows best. His ways are better than ours. And none of us is smarter than Him. I thought I was. But I ain’t. Now I know.

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BEST DECISION EVER: HANGIN’ AROUND

February 23, 2012 at 5:54 PM (Best Decision Ever, Christian Living)
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In the course of a twenty-four hour period we make gobs of decisions. Some of these we make with a serious amount of forethought and prayer. Others we make spontaneously with little or no thought as to the consequences or impact our decisions will have—not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives are intertwined with ours.

Have you ever thought much about how a single decision can change your life forever? For better or worse?

In these blog posts I’d like to look at the one good decision that some people in the Bible made that changed the course of their life for the better. By looking at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word I hope we’ll all take comfort, courage, and hope in the fact that, despite the mess we’re presently faced with, we can still turn things around. A lousy past or dismal present doesn’t have to give us the same future. By God’s grace, our future and life can be changed for the better…if we only make the right decision today. May God help us do that on a daily basis!

HANGIN’ AROUND

Many of us are familiar with the trials and triumphs of the apostle Peter. On the night of Jesus’ arrest, just hours prior to that, Jesus prophesied that all His disciples would fail and desert Him that very night (Matthew 26:31). No way!, Peter vowed.  He’d never deny the Lord (Matthew 26:35). He’d rather go to prison and die for Jesus than deny Him (John 13:37). In fact, at that very moment, he was all pumped up and ready to follow Jesus to the very end (Luke 22:33). Come what may, Peter was going to be supremely faithful to his Lord. No way was he ever going to deny the Lord! The poor guy was surely intent on proving the Lord wrong!

But, as surely as the Lord prophesied, Peter and the rest of the disciples all forsook and deserted our Lord that evening. To his credit, however, Peter followed the arresting party to the High Priest’s house and watched from a distance what would become of Jesus. He hid himself, as it were, as he wandered fearfully about the lion’s den. When folks recognized him as one of Jesus’ disciples, Peter would deny the charge, brush his accusers aside, then go to some other dark corner of the courtyard to hide. Alas, when the cock crew, he caught a glance of Jesus just as Jesus turned and looked him straight in the eyes. He’d just denied the Lord thrice, just as Jesus said he would. And with the shameful realization of what he’d just done, Peter left the courtyard and went out into the night, weeping profusely in condemnation and sorrow (Luke 22:62).

I feel so sorry for Peter at that very moment of realization because that’s exactly what I would have done. I’d be so condemned that, apart from God’s grace, I’d have killed myself. There’s no way I could have lived with the guilt and shame of denying my precious Lord. I’d rather die than live with the torments and haunts of my cowardice and guilt.

Honestly, if you were in Peter’s sandals, feeling everything he was feeling, what would you have done that night after you left the High Priest’s house? Some of us would opt for suicide. Others among us would have left the city immediately: no way am I gonna hang around and see my precious Jesus get Himself crucified and killed. That would only be adding infinitely more grief and unbearable guilt to that which were already killing me.

My first thought would be to go back home to Capernaum, my adopted hometown; or back to Bethsaida where I originally came from. But then, on second thought, I’d probably not go anywhere where I’d be recognized as being one of Jesus’ disciples. I couldn’t bear the people’s scorn and ridicule.

No, I’ll buy me a one-way ticket to nowhere where I would be a complete stranger, go on with life, and find a way to live with myself. In any wise, I definitely wouldn’t hang around Jerusalem. I wouldn’t go back to my friends and the other apostles. I just couldn’t handle the shame and guilt that were sure to come from them. No, just let me leave on a jet plane, I’ll not be back again. I’m done. I’m through. I’m all washed up. I’m a has-been. And that’s what I’ll always be.

But to Peter’s credit, he didn’t kill himself or leave. Just like he did at the High Priest’s home, Peter decided to hang around. He stayed put in Jerusalem. Presumably, he was in the crowd of Jesus’ followers who stood afar off at Calvary and watched the agony of Jesus’ crucifixion (Luke 23:49). On Resurrection Sunday when the women found the empty tomb, they hurried back into the city and relayed the news to the eleven apostles (Luke 24:9). Peter was there. And both he and John ran to the empty tomb to ascertain the truth of the women’s incredible report (Luke 24:12). It wasn’t until later that same night when Peter and the other apostles saw Jesus alive for the very first time after His crucifixion (Luke 24:33,36). I’m sure all the disciples were reinvigorated when they saw the risen Lord for themselves. The depression and guilt that hung on their shoulders weighed heavily upon them. I’m so totally sure that they got things right with Jesus and went on to have a fabulous time with the Lord for the remainder of the evening.

Peter, however, was not totally healed or relieved of his guilt—not as far as he was concerned. Just a few days later, he decided to go fishing (John 21:3). The sense in the Greek text of the Scripture is that he was going back to fishing as a livelihood. He was abandoning his apostolic calling and ministry. He was calling it quits. He was walking out on the Lord and the apostles. He was through being an apostle. That’s when the Lord showed up on Galilee’s shores and called him back to the ministry (John 21:15-19). Thankfully, Peter acceded and the rest is history.

Think about Peter’s fiery Pentecostal sermon that resulted in the conversion of thousands of Jews (Acts 2). His bold stance against the the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Acts 3-4). His judgment of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). By him the first Gentiles were saved (Acts 10). When the apostles questioned his ministry among the Gentiles, it was Peter who convinced them to open the doors of the church to the Gentiles (Acts 11). Peter didn’t stay put in Jerusalem. He went out and became a travelling missionary in Asia Minor. And he wrote a couple of letters that became a permanent part of the Holy Scriptures.

Wow! What an amazing comeback from a guy who sobbed bucket loads of tears, got buried ‘neathe a load of guilt and shame, survived the worst case of self-condemnation and depression, and went on to become a shining light of the early church. Man oh man! What happened to him? What changed him? How did he do it? Here’s the answer. Instead of Peter killing himself or splitting the scene, he decided to hang around town and stay with the rest of the disciples. I’m very sure this was a difficult thing for him to decide and do. It took guts and loads of humility. But he made the decision to stay put. And, in doing so, he put himself in a position where Jesus could crown him the comeback kid.

Have you ever made a mistake that just killed you? Are you tempted to run off and forsake the Lord and the church? Are you wanting to fall into some dark hole and die? Dear friends, look at Peter. Hang tight. Hang tough. Hang around. God’s not done with you. Resurrection Sunday’s coming round for you and Jesus is coming to crown you the next comeback kid. So cry out to God, get back to church, and make this your best decision ever. God bless you and help you be the next comeback kid.

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GLAD I’M NOT AN ANGEL

February 17, 2012 at 10:10 AM (From The Bible, Musings)
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1 Peter 1:12 talks about the gospel and the plan of salvation that’s been revealed to men by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. Angels want to know more about the plan of salvation. They don’t know about it because it doesn’t apply to them. The plan of salvation applies to men, not angels. To them, salvation is a wonderful thing. It arrests their attention; it arouses their interest; it piques their curiosity. So they live with the longing to know more, to investigate and look into, this wonderful gospel of salvation.

Why did God choose to save sinful men, but not sinful angels? Both men and angels are rational beings with a mind to think freely. They both have free will to choose to obey God or disobey Him; free will to follow Lucifer, or stay true to God (Isaiah 14:12-14, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6).

Both have bodies, though of a different sort or composition. If Adam had not sinned, death would not have entered the world. Adam and Eve, and their posterity, would have lived endlessly without suffering, sickness, or death. Because of sin, their bodies became subject to death. Angels live endlessly. When many of them sinned against God and followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God, their bodies, I’m sure, underwent change. For those of us who’ve seen demons and angels, demons don’t look anywhere near as nice or angelic as angels. They’re rather ugly, frightful creatures (Revelation 9:1-10). And it’s certain that God did not make them this way. They became what they are now because of their rebellion. So their bodies changed appearance, but, unlike men, they didn’t become subject to death. They live endlessly in a tormented existence.

Good angels are ministering beings that assist believers (Psalm 91:11, Hebrews 1:14). They’re with us here on Earth, though, for the most part, they’re unseen by us. They have free will and a mind. They see things. When they see a man and woman kiss, do they long to know this sort of love? When they see a man and woman consummate their love, do they long to feel such oneness, and wonder, and ecstasy? When they see a family playing together and having gobs of fun, when they hear the laughter of children, when they see the tight hugs of parents and children; do the angels long to experience such happiness and joy? These God-sent angels see countless things, both good and bad. Do they ever wonder what it would be like to be human? Do they ever covet, or envy, being human? Can these good angels sin at any time, being tempted by all the enticements of humanity? Are good angels sinning right now and becoming damned demons?

I don’t know the answer to these questions. I just know that, for whatever reasons, God—in His sovereignty—decided not to save sinful angels or demons. He chose to provide salvation for sinful men, conditioned on their faith and repentance. But He made no such provision for demons. He extended no such offer to fallen angels. Demons live without the hope of redemption and salvation from hell. Fallen, sinful angels live tormented with the fact that they’ll never know the heavenly bliss they once knew many eons ago. They live eternally damned without hope.

That’s why I’m glad I’m not an angel. If I was, would I have followed Lucifer or God? If, as an angel, I see all the things humans do, would I follow suit and sin in the process? I don’t know. Do you? What would you have done if you were an angel? I look at myself today and ask, Do you know how temptable I am? You ought to know because I’m just as human as you are. We’ll all temptable. We’ve all fallen at some time or another. As humans, we at least have a chance at repentance, forgiveness, and salvation. We have a shot at Heaven. But for angels that sin even once, they have no such chance. They had their chance and they blew it. Now they live tormented for all eternity without the hope of redemption or reconciliation. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. I wouldn’t want to take that chance. Yeah, I’m thankful I wasn’t created an angel. Infinitely more, I’m thankful for a God who loves me immeasurably. He made a way for me—and countless others—to be saved. Because of Him and the Christ who died for our redemption, we can spend eternity with Him. Yes, the human experience is filled with tears and troubles. Heartaches and pain. But as long as I have hope of Heaven, I’ll always be thankful I’m human and not an angel.

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ONE BAD DECISION: AN AWESOME NIGHT IN BED

February 10, 2012 at 11:31 AM (Christian Living, One Bad Decision)
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In the course of a twenty-four hour period we make gobs of decisions. Some of these we make with a serious amount of forethought and prayer. Others we make spontaneously with little or no thought as to the consequences or impact our decisions will have—not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives are intertwined with  ours.

Have you ever thought much about how a single decision can change your life forever? Sometimes a single decision will change us for the better. And sometimes a single decision will change us for the worse.

In these blog posts I’d like to look at the one bad decision that some people in the Bible made that changed their lives forever…for the worse. By looking at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word it’ll give us reason to stop and think about both the long-term, and short-term, ramifications of the decisions we make. Lots of forethought and prayer, I’m convinced, will save us from the pain and regret of a hastily-made decision for the worse.

AN AWESOME NIGHT IN BED

King David was a mighty warrior, a brilliant General and superb military strategist. The nations of the earth trembled at his military prowess and victories. He restored a sense of national pride to Israel that had been lost during the long, dark period of the Judges. So, quite understandably, the King was very well respected and revered as a national hero. A living legend.

The winter rains had stopped. Spring was here. The flowers were in bloom. The fruit trees were blossoming. The water-logged fields were now dry. The ground could once again support the trampling of soldiers’ feet, chariot wheels, armament carts, and the countless horses of the cavaliers. It was that time of year when kings would go to war. And it was a time of war in Israel.

But the good King David, on this one particular occasion, chose to stay back in Jerusalem. Instead, he let his top General by the name of Joab lead the Israelite army into battle.

2 Samuel 11:1, In the spring, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, his mercenaries, and Israel’s army to war. They destroyed the Ammonites and attacked Rabbah, while David stayed in Jerusalem.

As it turned out, unbeknownst to the good King, this decision to stay back in Jerusalem and not lead his army into battle would change his life forever. It was the beginning of troubles that would dog him for many years to come.

2 Samuel 11:2, Now, when evening came, David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the royal palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, and she was very pretty.

I don’t know how much you young ladies and single sisters know about the effect you have on men—on any man—whether they’re young and single, or old and married. But when a man sees the naked body of a woman it makes most men go berserk. It’d be comical if it weren’t so tragic. Seeing a woman’s skin (or her privates) makes a man do dumb, stupid, sinful things. And that’s exactly what King David did. He fetched the woman, laid with her, and had the most fantastic, memorable night with her in bed.

2 Samuel 11:3-4, David sent someone to ask about the woman. The man said, “She’s Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite.”  (4)  So David sent messengers and took her. She came to him, and he went to bed with her. (She had just cleansed herself after her monthly period.) Then she went home.

The only problem with having such a wonderful night in bed is, (and don’t you just hate it!), night always ends and morning invariably, unstoppably, comes. In David’s case, morning came soon enough. Bathsheba had to go home. And David had to figure out how he was going to cover up his mischief.

2 Samuel 11:5-11, The woman had become pregnant. So she sent someone to tell David that she was pregnant.  (6)  Then David sent a messenger to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David.  (7)  When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the troops were and how the war was going.  (8)  “Go home,” David said to Uriah, “and wash your feet.” Uriah left the royal palace, and the king sent a present to him.  (9)  But Uriah slept at the entrance of the royal palace among his superior’s mercenaries. He didn’t go home.  (10)  When they told David, “Uriah didn’t go home,” David asked Uriah, “Didn’t you just come from a journey? Why didn’t you go home?”  (11)  Uriah answered David, “The ark and the army of Israel and Judah are in temporary shelters, and my commander Joab and Your Majesty’s mercenaries are living in the field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? I solemnly swear, as sure as you’re living, I won’t do this!”

Well, David’s cover up didn’t go as planned. Uriah refused to go home and sleep with his wife. Bathsheba’s pregnant and Uriah’s gonna know that he’s not the father of the child. So David gets himself into more trouble. He comes up with a devious plan to steal this married woman away from her husband and get her for himself.

To make a long story short, he commanded General Joab to take his soldiers and this woman’s  husband,  who  happened to be a soldier, to the front lines. Once there, the army was to retreat, leaving Uriah by himself at the front line to fight the enemy by himself.

Well, you know what happened. Uriah got killed. And David got himself a new wife! How happy he must have been on his wedding day! There’d be many more memorable nights in bed! I can almost hear the King shouting Yahoooooo!, as he skipped gleefully throughout the Royal Palace.

But what David did was wrong. Sin has consequences. And when you choose to sin you automatically, unavoidably, choose to suffer sin’s consequences. You don’t choose what these consequences are. The only choice you have is to sin or not sin. And when you choose to sin, you’ve chosen to suffer the troubles and heartaches that sin brings. Unbeknownst to David while he lay with Bathsheba in bed, there’d be consequences he’d have to suffer.

God sent the prophet Nathan to David. What David hid, God brought to light. David thought he could get away with sin. But he got caught. You’ll always get caught! God misses no one! David had sown his wild oats. Now it was time for him to pay up. 

2 Samuel 12:7b-12, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I anointed you king over Israel and rescued you from Saul.  (8)  I gave you your master Saul’s house and his wives. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if this weren’t enough, I would have given you even more.  (9)  Why did you despise my word by doing what I considered evil? You had Uriah the Hittite killed in battle. You took his wife as your wife. You used the Ammonites to kill him.  (10)  So warfare will never leave your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.  (11)  “This is what the Lord says: I will stir up trouble against you within your own household, and before your own eyes I will take your wives and give them to someone close to you. He will go to bed with your wives in broad daylight.  (12) You did this secretly, but I will make this happen in broad daylight in front of all Israel.”

All that the Lord prophesied through Nathan the prophet came to pass. David brought civil war upon himself and the nation. And, to top it all off, the baby conceived in sin died (2 Samuel 12:14-18).

So the decision to stay in Jerusalem and not go to war with the rest of the army led David into adultery. Adultery led to lying. Then murder. A just and honorable warrior was killed. A woman sinned against husband. Then lost him. An innocent baby died. And the heretofore strong Israelite nation was subsequently weakened by civil strife. David’s sin not only affected him and Bathsheba, but it affected the entire nation! It’s amazing how ONE DECISION–JUST ONE!–CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER AND AFFECT THE LIVES OF SO MANY OTHERS.

Brethren, don’t be hasty or short-sighted about the decisions you make. Think. Pray. Make the right decision. God’s decision. It’ll save you a heap of trouble, pain, and regret. And your future will definitely be brighter! God bless you and keep you from making a bad decision.

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THE JESUS I DIDN’T KNOW: THE KING WHO WOULDN’T BE KING

February 3, 2012 at 8:20 AM (Life of Christ, The Jesus I Didn't Know)
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How well do you know Jesus? We all like to think we know Jesus pretty well. I’ve had close to fifty years of wonderful, sweet communion with Jesus. I’ve devoted over forty years of my life to studying and teaching His Word. I’m talking about going back to the original languages and learning as much as I can about Jewish culture, institutions, and beliefs. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Know-It-All. And you can ask my kids: I’m not inerrant or infallible. But still, knowing what I know, I’d like to think I know Jesus pretty good. To my pleasant surprise, however, I don’t know Jesus as good as I think I do. To this day, He still shows me more about Himself. Here, let me give you some snippets of the Jesus I never knew.

THE KING WHO WOULDN’T BE KING

Placing myself in James’ sandals, Hello everyone. My name is James and I’m one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. I hate to shove that in your face, but I make no bones about being one of the privileged few to be in Jesus’ inner circle of followers. I’m proud, I speak my mind, and I’m pretty loud about what I want and believe. They don’t call me the Son of Thunder for nothing, you know. I’ve got spiritual ambitions. I’m going straight to the top. One of these days I’ll be sitting on a throne at Jesus’ right side. I even got my ma going to bat for me; she’s gonna ask Jesus to let me and my brother John sit on either side of Him in glory. Yes sirree bub, I’m all about power and glory. And I’m gonna get there one day, just you wait and see.

Anyways, speaking about thrones, I’d like to tell you about a time in Jesus’ life that took me years to understand and accept. I’d been following Jesus from day one and, ever since that first time we met and talked, I just knew that the Guy was our long-prophesied King. Many of you know Him by Messiah, but I prefer to call Him King because that’s what Messiah really is—the King of Israel. A bunch of our prophets from years past prophesied that He’d come one day and reign on David’s throne. He’d rule—not only over Israel, but over all the world. Imagine that! A Jewish King of the whole world! Hey, I’m all for that. I live for that. I breathe for that. Naturally, when Jesus came along, you bet your bloomers I was happier than a hound dog. We Jews have been trampled under foot long enough by these no-good Romans. We’re ready for freedom. We want our independence. With Jesus at the Head of the army, we’re gonna rule the world! Gosh, I get the goose bumps just talking about it!

Well, we were at the outskirts of Bethsaida one day. Gobs and gobs of people were gathered there to hear Jesus preach and watch Him work miracles. We guesstimated about 5,000 men. Factoring in the women and kids, there was at least 10,000 folks there, no joshing. What a sight that was! It’s soooo cool being popular!

Anyways, Jesus came to us and asked us where we could get enough food to feed this humongous crowd. You’ve got to be kidding!, we all said in sheer disbelief. There was no way we had this kind of dough to buy the food. Besides that, there aren’t any restaurants or super Walmarts in Bethsaida that would have enough food to feed this starving mass. No way, Jesus!, we all chimed in.

Well, it just so happened that Andrew, a good buddy of mine, spotted a kid with 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fishes. He told Jesus about it and, to make a long story short, Jesus had us set all the people down. The kid gave his food to the Lord. Jesus prayed over it. Then He started passing out chunks of bread and fish for us to put in baskets, like offering plates, and pass around to all the people. We were dumbfounded! I mean to tell you, I kid you not, I saw it with my own two eyes, the Guy kept tearing off chunks of bread and fish without ever running out of the stuff! It was unreal! We couldn’t believe it. We’d never seen anything like it. We kept passing out baskets of food. And as soon as we’d empty a basket, Jesus had another basket ready and full. When it was all said and done, those 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fishes fed everyone to the gill! In fact, there was a bunch left over and Jesus had us collect them so that we could send food home with the people.

Well, everybody knew what Jesus had done. He’d miraculously multiplied the bread and fishes just so that He could feed them. He really cared about them. He didn’t want to see them go home starved. So He fed them, even if it took a miracle to do it. The people were so thankful and excited by the miracle that they got out of hand. From a distance, someone shouted King Jesus! King Jesus! And before we knew it, everyone picked up the chant. It was so loud that I bet you we were heard clear down to Jerusalem! Gobs of folks went up to Jesus, grabbed ahold of Him, and were going to make Him King (John 6:15). Of course, all of us disciples got caught up in the mood and the move. Everyone was hooting and hollering. This was the hour we’d all waited for. Jesus would be King! I stood proud and tall, knowing that we were on the verge of an historic independence and world-wide rule. My dreams of power and glory were finally coming to pass! Golly, how excited I was!

What happened next is what took me years to understand and accept. The King brushed the mob aside, He pulled a disappearing act, and, in a flash, He was gone! What’s happening?, we all asked. What’s going on? Where’s the King?  It was a really embarrassing moment for us disciples as the mob pressed us for an explanation. Jesus’ conduct was not what we’d expected from a King. I don’t remember what we told them. We just came up with something nice, something to calm them down. Then the twelve of us disciples went off in search for Him.

When we finally found Him and questioned Him, we weren’t quite ready for what we heard. We were mad! I mean, really volcanic! Turned out, Jesus didn’t want to be King! Why in Heaven not? Here was the King. He even told us many times that He was the King. Then, when it came time to be King, He turned it down and ran off like a possum about to be treed by a pack of hyenas. We were all shaken. We were in disbelief. And we were really ticked off. All along we believed that Jesus was the King. Now here He was, refusing to be King. Was He the King or not? Was He lying to us all along? If He was the King, then be the King and rule over the world. Jesus, you were meant to rule! That was the awfulest night we’d ever had. We couldn’t understand nothing. All our dreams of independence, power, and glory went up in the smoke of our campfire that night. And we were all too hurt to say anything, much less be nice. We just went to bed without saying a word.

Years later, after Jesus was killed and rose from the dead, we finally understood. Jesus was the King. He’d be coming back to earth to reign and rule as King. But first, He had to be the Lamb of God. A lamb dies so that a sinner can be saved and be forgiven. That’s what Jesus did at Calvary. He was the Lamb. He was the King too, but He was the Lamb first. He told me that many many times. But being the fool head that I was, I wouldn’t have any of this talk about dying. I was all wrapped up in ruling. That’s why I didn’t understand Him at Bethsaida. I thought I knew the King. I guess I was wrong. But I ain’t making that mistake again! Glory to God, I know Him now.

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IN DUE SEASON

January 28, 2012 at 8:44 AM (Endurance, Faith)
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One of the hardest things to do in life is wait, especially when you want–no, strike that, when you need–something now. When the deadline’s come, when you’re hurting really bad, when you can’t possibly endure a moment longer, when the next step can only end in certain death; we all need answers now. We need miracles today.

I’d like to share with you a verse of Scripture that’s been of immense comfort and encouragement to me. It’s taken the grumbling and doubting out of all my waits. It’s given me the assurance that, come what may, no matter how long it takes, God will keep His Word. He will come through for me. Here’s the verse.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

1. In order to reap we must first sow.  Galatians 6:7 exhorts us, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

  • Planting comes before harvest.
  • You work before you get the paycheck.

In the spiritual realm,

  •  Praying comes before answered prayer. Matthew 7:7, Ask, and it shall be given you.
  • Praying in accordance with God’s will comes before answered prayer. 1 John 5:14-15,  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  (15)  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
  • Believing comes before answered prayer. Matthew 21:22, And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
  • Obedience comes before answered prayer. I John 3:22, And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Answered prayer requires praying in accordance with God’s will, believing, and obeying. You can’t expect an answer to prayer if you haven’t prayed, believed, or obeyed God.

So many want to reap without sowing. They want answers to prayer, healings, provisions, blessings, and a whole lot more; without having to believe or obey God. Brethren, it doesn’t work this way! If you want a healing or an answer to prayer, you’ve first got to believe and obey before you ask.

2. Because we have sown, we then have God’s promise and assurance that we shall reap.  In due season we shall reap.

There is an air of finality or certainty about this word shall. It leaves you with no room for doubt or question about what will happen after we’ve sown, prayed, believed, and obeyed: we shall reap! It’s not maybe, or perhaps, or might, or probably. God said, Shall reap.

Are you going to get your answer to prayer? Are you going to be healed? Is the money going to come? Is the loved one going to get saved? On the authority of God’s Word, the answer is Yes!

  • You shall receive. Matthew 21:22, And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
  • You shall be healed. The prayer of faith shall heal the sick and the Lord shall raise him up, James 5:15.
  • Shall be heard and shall be helped.  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him, (16) With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation, Psalm 91:15,16.

There are no doubts about it, no doubt about how it’s going to end, no doubt about what God’s going to do, no doubt about what’s going to happen to you.

How do you know you’re going to get it? How can you be confident you’re going to be manifestly healed when it isn’t manifested yet? How do you know something is going to happen when it hasn’t happened yet?

When you order something through the mail, on the internet, or on the phone, you believe you’re going to get what you ordered and paid for. You don’t even think about doubting! You know you’re going to get what you ordered. How can you be so sure you’re going to get it?

  • You’ve met the conditions: you’ve placed the order and paid for the merchandise. It works the same way in the spiritual realm with answered prayer. You’re confident about receiving the answer because you’ve met the conditions. Confidence of answered prayer, brethren, comes by meeting the conditions for answered prayer. Look at 1 John 5:14-15 again, And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  (15)  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
  • You trust the mail-order company to fill your order and send it to you; you trust the postal delivery system to deliver it to your door. You see, you’re confident in the ability and integrity of both the mail-order company and the postal delivery system to do their part and send you your order.

Now there are all kinds of questions you could raise: Is the company reliable? Are they going to gyp me? Did UPS deliver it to the wrong house? Yes, there are all kinds of questions you could ask, all kinds of doubts you could raise. But you don’t ask the questions and you don’t raise the doubts. Why? Because you believe the company’s honest and so is the post office: they’re going to get the product to you.

Can you believe God the same way? It would be mighty embarrassing for you to have faith and confidence in men that can lie and steal, but not have faith and confidence in a God who can’t lie and steal.

3. There is a time for answered prayer.  In due season we shall reap. What does due season mean? The word in the Greek means, the proper time, the right time, the appointed or ordained time. God, my friends, has an appointed time to answer prayer. When that appointed time comes, when it’s the right time, He gives you what you’ve asked of Him.

  • Sometimes you know the exact time something is going to happen. For example, you know that every Friday at noon you’ll get your paycheck. You know exactly when you’re going to get it.
  •  Sometimes you know the approximate time when something is going to happen, even though you don’t know exactly when. For example, a mother knows she’ll give birth to a baby nine months from now, but she doesn’t know exactly what day that will be.
  • Sometimes, however, you don’t know the exact or approximate time something is going to happen. In school it’s called a pop quiz. In industry it’s called a surprise inspection. In war, it’s called a surprise attack.

Look at Mark 11:24, Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Note that the Lord tells you you’ll get the answer to your prayer, but He doesn’t tell you when! Even though He doesn’t tell you when, He nevertheless guarantees you that the time will come when you will get it.

Brethren, you’ve got to leave the time in God’s hands. Don’t be disheartened or doubtful that you’ll never get what you asked God for. Be encouraged. We shall reap! That’s God’s promise to you and He won’t break it!

4. In order to reap there’s one final condition we must meet, one more thing we must do, and that is persevere or hold fast.  For in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  Now the word faint simply means to get weary or tired; exhausted. It means giving up or quitting.

Quitting is easy, but you seldom, if ever, get anything good out of quitting.

  • You don’t win the race if you quit running.
  • You don’t enjoy the new house if you quit building.
  • You don’t get the veggies from the garden if you quit planting, tilling, and watering.

My friends, you don’t reap if you quit doing what’s good.

Receiving requires endurance.  Hebrews 6:11,12,15. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:  (12)  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Skip down to verse 15, And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

What does endurance mean? It means

  • to wait patiently on God.
  • to continue doing good.
  • to continue believing and confessing even when things don’t look good.
  • to not grow weary or doubtful.
  • to not give up when you’re tempted to give in and quit.
  • to continue serving God when you’re tempted to turn your back on Him.

Brethren, I know it’s hard to wait. I know the doubts and frustrations and fears that you battle. It seems so unfair, unreasonable, and hard. You don’t understand why God’s taking so long. I don’t understand either. But God is God and He can do no wrong.

We all want answers now. We want to be healed now. We want to feel good now. We want our needs met now.

But if it hasn’t happened yet, then now is not the right time for these things to happen; now is not God’s due season. God’s promise is, we shall reap in due season. If now was the right time, we would have the answer now. But we don’t have the answer now. Why?

  • It’s not because God has changed His mind.
  • It’s not because God can’t do what we’re asked Him to do.
  • It’s not because God doesn’t love us and He doesn’t want to answer our prayer.
  • It’s because now is not the due season or appointed time. Now is not the right time.

Rest assured, brethren, that there is a right time. And with each passing hour and day, that right time is coming. We’re getting closer and closer. And when that time finally comes, we shall have it. We shall receive. We shall reap.

So continue waiting, believing, and doing good. It’s just about harvest time!

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THE JESUS I DIDN’T KNOW: THE HEALER WHO WOULDN’T HEAL

January 21, 2012 at 8:35 AM (Life of Christ, The Jesus I Didn't Know)

How well do you know Jesus? We all like to think we know Jesus pretty well. I’ve had close to fifty years of wonderful, sweet communion with Jesus. I’ve devoted over forty years of my life to studying and teaching His Word. I’m talking about going back to the original languages and learning as much as I can about Jewish culture, institutions, and beliefs. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Know-It-All. And you can ask my kids: I’m not inerrant or infallible. But still, knowing what I know, I’d like to think I know Jesus pretty good. To my pleasant surprise, however, I don’t know Jesus as good as I think I do. To this day, He still shows me more about Himself. Here, let me give you some snippets of the Jesus I never knew.

THE HEALER WHO WOULDN’T HEAL

Stepping into Peter’s sandals, I remember our first Sabbath in Capernaum. What a day that was! Jesus moved to Capernaum and, naturally, being His first disciples, we followed Him there. It was Andrew my brother, James, his brother John, and me. When Sabbath came, Jesus got invited to preach. I stood proud and tall that morning as the Rabbi preached like only He can.

Then, suddenly, the reverence and awe of the moment were shattered when a guy stood up and yelled churlishly, Leave us alone, Jesus of Nazareth. Have you come to torment us before our time? We know who you are. You are the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24). I immediately turned around and looked into his eyes and, man, I mean to tell you, a devil was written all over this guy. It didn’t take rocket science to know that this guy was definitely demonic. I’d never seen anything like it. And I’m not ashamed to admit it: the guy scared the livin’ daylights out of me.

I’ll never forget what happened next. Jesus calmly looked at the hapless chap, full of compassion, and told the demon in him, Shut up and come out of him. In an instant, no joke, the guy went limp like a baby, he slid back in his chair, and didn’t say a peep for the rest of the service. We all knew a miracle of exorcism had just taken place. Jesus had the whole place rip roaring with amazement: we had never before seen this kind of power used over the devil. All of us knew right then and there that Jesus was no ordinary Man.

After service, we went over to my place for lunch. It just so happened that my mother-in-law was sick of the fever that day. When Jesus saw her lying there, He went over to her, rebuked the fever, and the woman actually rose up right then and there and started helping my wife with the lunch (Luke 4:38-39). Wow! I liked having this Guy around! And to think that He was in my house, having lunch with me: I was so proud, I couldn’t hardly stand it.

We talked right thru the afternoon and, before long, nightfall came. A knock on the door was heard. Strange. We weren’t expecting any company. When I opened the door I was completely dumbfounded. There was a huge group of people outside—the sick and oppressed—wondering if Jesus would heal them. Well, there was no need asking. Jesus went right to work healing the people with a touch of His hand or a word from His mouth (Luke 4:40-41). I rightly don’t recollect how many people were healed that night, but I can tell you that it was like an old time revival service. There was so much hooting and hollering as the healing power of God came down and flowed through people’s bodies, setting them free from a lifetime of demonic oppression. There wasn’t a dry eye or quiet soul in the house that evening.

By this time it was completely dark, we were all getting pretty wore out. So we decided to shut things down and get to bed. There were still more people needing help, but we sent them away with the promise that, come morning, Jesus would be here to pick up where He off. That seemed to settle them down, so they sauntered off into the night and left us to our peace and sleep.

I got up bright and early the next morning. I wanted to make sure we had a big breakfast to see us through what was certainly going to be a busy day. I was puzzled, however, when I couldn’t find Jesus. I looked in every room, I even looked outdoors, and He was no where to be found. I started to panic. Did someone break in and kidnap Him? I yelled for the others and we four went out looking for Him. We combed all over town with no luck. Finally, we decided to check the outskirts of town.  You can imagine how relieved we were when I finally spotted Him, on His knees, praying His heart out (Mark 1:35).

“There You are, Jesus,” I said. “We’ve been looking all over for You. The whole town’s looking for You. Are You ready to get on with the healing service?”

“There isn’t going to be a service today,” Jesus said. I couldn’t believe my ears. None of us could. Maybe we heard Him wrong. So we asked Him to repeat Himself and, sure enough, the dreaded words came out. “We aren’t hanging around here today. We’re taking a trip throughout the province. There are lots of other folks out there who need My help” (Mark 1:37-38). And, with that, He headed back towards home and left us frozen in our tracks.

Jesus didn’t get very far, however. It seemed like the whole town came out to where we were. The people had come out for their miracle and, when they heard that Jesus was skipping town, they got downright nasty and belligerent! “O no, You’re not leaving! We need You to finish what You started last night. We’ve got a lot of hurting folks here needing Your healing power.” But nothing doing. Jesus wasn’t budging on His resolve. He was skipping town. There wouldn’t be any healing miracles today.

Well, the Capernaumites didn’t take too kindly to that, so they surrounded us. I mean, they completely surrounded us—you know, like in the movies. It definitely didn’t look very good. For a moment there, I thought we were going to get lynched (Luke 4:42). The angry townsfolk let us know in no uncertain terms that we weren’t leaving until they got their miracles.

Needless to say, I was definitely baffled by Jesus’ refusal to help these poor folks. I even asked Him to reconsider. We could spend the morning here, helping these people, getting them off our backs. Then come lunch time, we could quietly slip out the back door and head out on our trip. “I mean, look at these sick people here, Jesus. They need You. Can’t You just take a few moments and heal them? It shouldn’t take too long.” But even I couldn’t convince Him otherwise. I tell you, when the Guy has His mind made up, it’s made up and no one’s going to change it. Miraculously, Jesus found a way through the maddening crowd and He made it out of there without a scratch.

All eyes were turned to us when Jesus left. We felt as small as ticks on a possum. We were so embarrassed, I bet we were red as beets. Here were all these sick folk and the Healer wouldn’t heal them. He left them high and dry. He walked out on them. I was stunned. I’d always thought the Miracle Worker was a really kind, compassionate sort of Fellow. He really had a heart to heal. But, evidently, I was wrong. This morning I got another picture of the Healer that I hadn’t seen before.

Well, before I lead you wrong, we grumbled all the way back home and, to make a long story short, we found out what the Healer was doing out there on the dirt. He’d been praying to His Father and, evidently, the Father gave Him His marching orders for the day and for the next several days. The Father wanted Him to go throughout Galilee and help other people. I know Jesus told us that when we were out there with Him. But for some reason, it just didn’t click. We were just too wound up with disbelief and frustration—okay, you got me; we were angry with the Guy—that we just couldn’t get what He was saying. The Healer was obeying His Father and His level of commitment and obedience was such that not even a whole mess of sick and angry folks was going to stop Him from obeying His Father.

Jesus is all about obeying the Father. He didn’t heal the people that day—not because He didn’t want to, not because He didn’t care about them. But rather, because it wasn’t the Father’s will for that day. Their time of healing will come some other day. The important thing was for the Healer to obey the Father and head out right away to the other villages and towns where He was needed too. For a moment there, I really thought that the Healer didn’t always want to heal. He didn’t always care about everyone who was sick. In hindsight, I was wrong. I just seen a side of Jesus that I hadn’t seen before. But now I know.

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ONLY BELIEVE PART 2

January 14, 2012 at 10:39 AM (Endurance, Faith, Life of Christ, Miracles)

The exciting conclusion of last week’s blog on Jairus.

Mark 5:25-34,  And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,  (26)  And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,  (27)  When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.  (28)  For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.  (29)  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.  (30)  And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?  (31)  And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?  (32)  And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.  (33)  But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.  (34)  And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

As they’re walking along, a woman pushes and fights her way through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. With great effort and difficulty, she succeeds and, in an instant of time, her twelve years of suffering were ended. She knew, she felt, that she’d been healed.

Well, Jesus knew that healing power had gone out of Him. So He stops dead in His tracks, looks around, and, above all the din and noise of the crowd, He asks who touched Him. “What do you mean who touched You?,” His disciples asked incredulously. “We’re surrounded by people. We’re crammed like sardines. A lot of people are touching You.”

Jesus doesn’t pay His disciples any mind. He stands still, turns around, and looks for the woman who touched the hem of His garment. The clock’s ticking. The people are asking, and looking for, the person who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.

Caught and discovered, the woman instantly goes into fear and panic mode. She’s shaking like a leaf. Jesus is looking for her. He’s waiting for her to step up. So with trembling footsteps, she makes her way to Jesus and fesses up to what she’d done. She gives Him her story; she’s taking a huge chunk of Jesus’ time.

Now all the while this is happening, Jairus is standing by forlornly, impatiently, perhaps even angrily. “Jesus, we’ve got to hurry. My daughter’s life’s on the line. We ain’t got time to mess with this woman. We’ll look for her another time. I’ll make an announcement in synagogue next Sabbath. I’ll even help you look. But please, don’t just stand there. We’ve got to hurry.”

Things go from bad to worse as Jairus gets the bad news that he’s dreaded. Mark 5:35,  While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

Brethren, what do you do when bad news come? When you come face to face with your worst nightmare, your biggest fear; what do you do? Give up? Get mad at God? Turn away from God and blame Him for letting the disease go this far?

When you’re in a trial, you need to get alone with God and ask Him what His will is. What you should do. If you ask Him, and wait, and listen; God will speak to you and tell you what He wants you to do next. Look at it with me in Mark 5:36,  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Notice Jesus’ words here because they’re significant. The first thing He does, the first thing He says, is Don’t be afraid. WHEN YOU’VE GOTTEN YOUR BAD NEWS AND YOU’RE AFRAID, JESUS CALMS YOUR FEAR. No matter how bad it looks, God doesn’t want you to be afraid.

Notice, in the second place, Jesus’ words. Only believe. He’s telling Jairus what to do. Even though the girl’s dead, Jesus wants Jairus to continue believing for healing and life.

Brethren, unless God tells you otherwise, unless God shows you that it’s your time to die; the promise of healing is still yours. It’s still God’s will to heal you. And no matter what’s happened, God doesn’t want you to give up what you were praying and believing Him for. He wants you to keep on believing. Stick with what you originally asked God for. Hold fast. Expect God to answer your prayer.

I want you to look carefully at Jesus’ words in the parallel account in Luke 8:50, But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. While it was God’s will to heal the girl, Jesus wasn’t going to heal her unless Jairus believed. She wasn’t going to get healed without Jairus’ faith.

Do you see what Jesus did here? He laid the burden of responsibility for the child’s welfare squarely on Jairus’ shoulders. Now that’s a pretty heavy responsibility to bear. It makes us nervous and scared to know that the trial’s outcome depends on us.

But I want you to note a couple of things here. First, note what Jesus said: Believe only, and she shall be made whole. Jesus told Jairus how it would end. Death’s not the end. The girl will live again. Do you see what He’s doing here? He’s encouraging Jairus to believe. He’s showing Jairus what could happen if he only believed.

Brethren, WHEN THINGS LOOK BAD, JESUS KNOWS WHAT TO SAY, HE KNOWS WHAT TO DO, TO ENCOURAGE, STRENGTHEN, AND REVIVE YOUR FAITH. That’s why it’s so important for you to get alone with God when you get your bad news. Instead of letting your mind and emotions run wild with fear and despair, you need to look at your God and listen because God knows exactly what to say to you to calm your fear and resurrect your faith.

Note, in the second place, what Jesus did after He spoke these words to Jairus: He kept on walking to Jairus’ house. You see, Jesus wasn’t standing there, waiting for Jairus’ reply. He kept on walking to Jairus’ house! And that, my friends, can only mean it’s still Jesus’ will to heal, He still intends to heal, and death isn’t going to stop Him from healing!

You see, brethren, Jesus placed the burden of responsibility on Jairus’ shoulders. But Jesus helped him believe!  He kept on walking and He gave Jairus reason to keep on believing.

Jesus also gave Jairus reason and hope to keep on believing by stopping to perform this miracle for the lady with the issue of blood. Now that was a time-consuming incident. And if we were in the flesh, when time is of the utmost essence, we haven’t got time to mess around. “We can’t wait any longer! We need a miracle now! God, you’ve got to act now!” We can get mad at God for the obstacles, the hindrances, setbacks, and delays.

Do you wonder sometimes why God takes His time and lets things get worse? He takes His time—not because He wants you to lose your faith, but rather, because He wants to boost and encourage your faith!

Unbeknownst to Jairus at the time, this clock-ticking, time-consuming miracle was Jesus’ encouragement to Jairus to keep on believing.  “Look, Jairus. A woman suffered from an incurable bleeding condition for twelve long years. But when she touched the hem of My garment she was instantly healed!” Jairus, Jesus healed an incurable disease! There’s nothing too hard for Him to heal! There isn’t a sickness He can’t heal! What Jesus did for a hopeless case woman He could do for your hopeless case daughter! Be not afraid. Only believe!

Well, you know how the story ends. Jesus gets to Jairus’ house, He sends everybody out of the room, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. {55} And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat (Mark 5:54-55).  Wow! There really is nothing too hard for God to do!

Brethren, when God comes to you, or speaks to you, and says Only Believe, Keep On Believing; it’s because He’s got a promise to keep. He’s got a prayer to answer. He gave you His Word and He intends to make good on His Word. Why is that? Because He loves you and He wants to help you. He’s not a liar. He’s faithful. And He will not fail.

So when you get your bad news and the outlook doesn’t look very good, go to God and listen. Whatever He tells you is going to be good. You get to either go home and be with Him where you’ll never get sick and hurt again. Or you’ll live and see the day when you get up out of that sick bed and walk again. God knows exactly what to say to you to calm, encourage, and lift up you. May God grant us the courage and faith to only believe.

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