May 18 - 55 - Ephesians 2:1

Once you were dead,

doomed forever because

of your many sins.

Ephesians 2:1

Bible Rank: 55

Dead, doomed, and sinful. That's what this verse tells us, and that, indeed, is the natural human state. 

Dead, doomed, and sinful. What we've learned, journeying for a few months through TopVerses, is that when a verse is the first verse in a chapter, it's really saying, "Read what comes next too."

 

Today's question, then, is this: If dead, doomed, and sinful is our natural condition, what then is the solution and where is our hope? To answer that, we must keep reading what is perhaps my favorite collection of verses in scripture. 

 

After saying that we are "dead" and "doomed" "because of our many sins," the Apostle Paul delves deeper into our original condition, saying, "2 You used to live just like the rest of the world." Ouch! You and I are common thieves. Wait. We're common. Just plain common, broken, sinful, doomed. 

 

He calls this situation "2 full of sin." He describes it as "2 obeying Satan" and he describes the devil as "2 the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God." Read that last sentence again. Satan is the influence driving the world's rebellion against God. 

 

And what percentage of us do you think is vulnerable to these distraction? The Apostle says, "3 All of us used to live that way." What way? "3 following the passions and desires of our evil nature." And lest we blame everything on demonic influence, we must admit that we -- ourselves, not Satan -- are the real problem. Paul says, "3 We were born with an evil nature and" -- what was the result? -- "we were under God's anger just like everyone else."

Stop. Comprehend that. Sin equals God's anger and judgment. Period. Unless God intervenes, your sin (and mine) always and inevitably equals dead and doomed. Thus, since you and I have a sin nature, we are dead, judged, and doomed. And that is our natural situation. 

 

"4 But ..." Ah! Here comes the hope -- God's rescue plan!!

God's utter holiness puts us "under God's anger." But what about God's other key trait? Love?! "4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead." Jesus took our penalty upon himself. Our "1 dead" became him "dead." Our "doomed" led to his dark appointment with the cross. Our "sinful[ness]" was laid upon him, and because he rose, we can rise in faith, hope, and confidence. 

And it's not our doing -- our nature is sinful (lest we ever get prideful and boast). Rather it's all God's doing. "5 By grace you have been saved!" is this passages' rightful conclusion. And our only response should be thankfulness and praise. 

God transferred you from doomed to forgiven and alive. Praise him! Praise him!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's a masterpiece

 

(Wait! That's not what I say about myself!

That's God's assessment five verses later!

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece.

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so we can do the good things

he planned for us long ago.")

May 14-15 - 54 - Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13

Bible Rank: 54

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

 

I want you to memorize a verse. (This one’s easy! It’s a rhyme.)

 

You

can do

all thru

Christ who

Strengthens you!

 

Now, I must confess … My natural inclination is to tamp down your expectations when we encounter verses like this! I don’t want to promise you the moon, and have you get no more than Swiss cheese.

 

I mean, can you really say to a mountain, “Move!,” and have it tumble into the sea? Of course not, right? Let’s be realistic!

 

Yes, let’s flat-out ignore Jesus who said precisely this about moving mountains in Matthew 17:20 (and then added, “ nothing will be impossible for you … if you have faith the size of a mustard seed”). Yes, by all means, let’s flat-out ignore the promises of Scripture and the power of God so that we can be calm, cool, and rational, right?!

 

But guess what? When your faith insist on a faith with no wonder, guess what … you don’t get to see the wonder! You’ve shut your eyes. You’ve made an agreement with God, to not show you anything wonderful.

 

But … can I really point to the Rocky Mountains and say, “Tumble,” and expect to have a less mountainous drive between Denver and Salt Lake City? No!!! and Yes!!!

 

What do I mean?

 

·         What if I said, “Lord, I am mad at my neighbor. Move him … move him straight into the grave”? Would God be obligated to “obey” my command? Of course not!

 

·         Why, because asking God to kill my neighbor is not God’s will. It’s something I’d be doing without even a scant mustard seed of faith. It’d be in my anger. My malice. My hatred. My will. (And any of sixty-six other daunting self-centered sins).

 

·         So, let’s be clear on this: God is not obligated to do anything that’s not in line with what he intends to do!  

 

·         In fact, how often do we tell God what we intend to do … and then ask him to join us. Shouldn’t we be listening to what God wants to do, and then join him!

 

·         That’s what praying in God’s name is really all about!

 

·         It’s developing a relationship with God first.

 

·         Why? So that we can know his voice, hear his heart, and discern his plans, ways, and desires.

 

·         Then if we ask according to his plan and join him in what He’s doing already, then we surely can do all thru Christ who strengthens us … because he’s doing it around us … and with us … and through us!

 

·         Now, leveling the Rocky Mountains is so big that it’d obviously have to be God who did that, right? And it would be absolutely obvious that we did absolutely nothing to make it happen … except maybe saying prophetically, “Mountains be gone.” (And guess what … God needs an occasional prophet! So do what he clearly asks.)

 

·         But what it’s a smaller thing?! What if God wants you to teach Sunday School children (… and what if you really don’t want to … or don’t think you’re qualified)? In the same way that the Creator of the Universe could level mountains if he wanted to, He can make you a powerful Sunday School teacher if that’s what He wants! And the miracle might not be moving a whole mountain, but getting you to move a few things on your calendar and moving your hand up to volunteer. Because …

 

You

can do

all thru

Christ who

strengthens you!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy with really strong biceps

(I’ve raised my arms up

to volunteer enough that

I’ve strengthened my muscles)

 

May 13 - 53 - John 4:24

Jesus said, "God is spirit, and

his worshipers must worship

in the Spirit and in truth."

John 4:24

Bible Rank: 53

 

Do you know where this quote comes from? It’s from the midst of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. The Savior has wandered into Samaria … a land despised by all “good Jews.”

 

And why did Jews hate the Samaritans? Here’s the quick story:

 

·         In about 1000 BC, King David ruled Israel.

 

·         But after David’s son Solomon died – about 950 BC – their kingdom split in two.

 

·         The Southern Kingdom was basically the remnants of the tribe of Judah (from which we get the term “the Jews”). Jerusalem was the southern capital. The Temple (in Jerusalem) was the center of their worship-life. And though Judah was wildly imperfect, these Jews eventually maintained their religious identity and they (and the line of David) survived to the days of Jesus.

 

·         The Northern Kingdom (called Israel) did not. A succession of evil kings, afraid that their people would return to Jerusalem to worship, set up new “temples” in places like their new capital city of Samaria. And their faith wasn’t orthodox. And their object of worship wasn’t God, but a golden calf! (As if God’s people hadn’t had enough trouble trying to worship a golden calf during the Exodus, King Jeroboam repeated the sin.)

 

·         God allowed the rebellious Northern Kingdom to be conquered by the Assyrians in about 740 BC, and the residents of this kingdom (centered around the city of Samaria) were either killed, dispersed, or assimilated into series of empires (Assyrian, Babylonia, Persian, Greek, and Roman) and thus disappeared.   

 

·         As a result, three quarters of a millennium later (and by the time of Jesus), the geographical area north of Jerusalem (called Samaria) was left with a people who worshipped an odd mix of

 

o   Judaism (they had old Jewish roots),

o   Jewish heresy (shaped by the pick-and-choose perversions of their idol worshiping kings),

o   pagan worship (Assyrian),

o   Baal (Satan) worship (popularized under Northern kings like Ahab),

o   Greek philosophy (part of their newer culture), and

o   Roman emporer worship (another part of their culture by the days of Jesus).

 

They were a mess! And what really infuriated many Jews is that many mish-mashed Samaritans still called them good Jews.

 

So into this mixed-up, Samaritan religious/culture journeys the Son of God! Rather than being appalled by their religious heresy, Jesus – in love – sees an opportunity to proclaim the Good News and set more captives!!!

 

Therefore, Jesus models God’s amazing grace as he ministers to a woman with a checkered past. And she’s shocked! She’s shocked by his kindness. She’s shocked by his prophetic insight into her past. And most of all, she’s shocked that such a kind and wise Jewish teacher would have anything to do with her, a hated Samaritan.

 

Overtaken by his love and grace, she finally says, “‘²⁷ Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you [read, “you Jews”] say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’

 

“²¹ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth …’”

 

And this is the long – but necessary – lead up to this important question: What does it mean to worship in “spirit” and “truth.”

 

·         IN TRUTH: First, he’s teaching this woman – a woman without friendship and hope – that she (and we) will never discover love, joy, and peace without first discovering truth. God is not to be found in a some mix of godly religion, cultural heresy, pagan worship, human philosophy, government dependence, or compromises with evil. There is one God. There is one way, one truth, and one life … and by the way, this way, truth, and life was sitting right in front of this woman. He was loving her, ministering to her, and caring for her.

 

·         IN SPIRIT: Furthermore, Jesus was saying that Jerusalem, the Temple, the old sacrificial rituals, and the binding religious dependence upon “place” was coming to an end. Jesus was saying, to worship God, you don’t need a place … you need a person. Jesus Christ is that person! And when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell with you (as we’ll learn in future discussions of Jesus and the Apostles), you become the new temple. It’s not a place made with brick and mortal and hands. It’s a place fashioned by faith and indwelt by God.

 

In Christ’s Love

a guy whose building a fence

with a cattle-guard

(no metallic cows near my temple)

 

May 12 - 52 - John 13:34

Jesus said,

"A new command I give you:

Love one another.

As I have loved you,

so you must love one another."

John 13:34

Bible Rank: 52

 

I’ve written of God’s love lately … and I’ve recently written of human love too. Therefore, I’m going to let you hear another voice on “loving one another” today – the great modern contemplative, Henri Nouwen.

 

In this passage he’s explaining why “so many are angry” nowadays.

 

Why?

 

Because, he says, “they cannot forgive people for offering only limited expressions of an unlimited love.”

 

Wait. Stop for a moment. “Unpack” that. He says, “God’s love is unlimited, but people’s love is not.” And what we get so angry about in our lives … in our families … in our marriages … about our world … is that people are “not … God.”

 

We want …

 

·         their character to be perfect …

·         their love to be unlimited …

·         their patience to be eternal …

·         their generosity to be abundant …

·         and their forgiveness immediate.  

 

“The interesting thing,” says Nouwen, “is that when you can forgive people for not being God …”

 

Wait! Stop again. Sit for that a minute! Are you mad at someone because they’re not God?! … that they’re not perfect?! … that they’re not satisfying your every need?!

 

They’re not supposed to! They’re not God! And if you’re looking for any human to fill most every need, then you have a false god!

 

So here’s the conclusion of the quote: “The interesting thing is that when you can forgive people for not being God, then you can celebrate that they are …” – what? – “… a reflection of God.” In other words, when you can forgive them for not being God, you can begin to see what God sees in them.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s not God

but sees God in a lot of people

 

May 11 - 51 - Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel:

The LORD our God,

the LORD is one

Deuteronomy 6:4

Bible Rank: 51

It's funny how scripture connects. Yesterday we sighted Deuteronomy 6:5 and asked how we can love God -- heart, soul, strength, and mind?

That's the "Shema." It's one of Israel's most important verses. God's people are commanded to ...

·       "7 Recite them to your children ..."

·       "7 to ... talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise."

·       "8 [To] bind them as a sign on your hand" 

·       "8 [To] fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and ...

·       "9 [To] write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

If you've ever been to a Jewish home, you'll see a little casing attached to their door frame. In it is a little piece of paper with the command to love God with our all -- all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Today's verse is the lead-in to this command. 

What is it saying? 

We'd be incorrect to think it's a Trinitarian reference. (Although our God is one.)

Rather, it is a reminder that the ancient world (and a billion people still today, largely Hindus) believe that there are many gods. When this is saying is that there is one God and one God alone. We are warned to not chase after the philosophies and priorities and pagan practices of this world. Rather, we are called to love the one true God with our all. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't have

a mizzuzah on his doorpost

(but does have Christ in his heart)

May 10 - 50 - John 14:15

Jesus said, "If you love me,

obey my commands"

John 14:15

Bible Rank: 50

We talked about this a few weeks ago in worship: If the greatest command is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind," how do we do that?

We mentioned several scripturally defined ways. 

·       We love God by worshiping him. 

·       We love God by serving him. 

·       We love God by loving what he loves.

·       And we love God by hating what he hates (which is what it specifically says in Psalm 97:10, "Let those who love the Lord hate evil.")

Today's verse adds another key component ...

We love God by obeying his commands. 

Obedience reveals trust. And submission. It's a practical acknowledgement that we agree that his ways are higher than our ways. Obedience to God is taking ourselves off the throne in our own heart, and allowing God to be the ruler of our lives. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who views God

as generous, not burdensome --

"For this is the love of God, that

we keep His commandments;

and His commandments

are not burdensome."

1 John 5:3

May 9 - 49 - Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given, and

the government will be

on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6

Bible Rank: 49

I can't help but break into song when I hear this verse -- specifically, Handel's Messiah. 

 

This verse is clearly a Messianic prophecy. The hope of a faltering nation was not on current politicians. Indeed, their hope was not on anything in the present at all. God's people were currently a floundering mess. That's why the prophet was sent in the first place. 

 

Their hope was in the future. And the future was pregnant with a blessing -- a coming child. 

We know now that the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy was Jesus, the Messiah, but sit for a minute with what Isaiah was saying ...

 

·         Your nation is a disaster. (Our nation is trending that way too.)

·         You're betraying God and worshiping idols. (Our nation has plenty of false priorities.)

·         Therefore, any hope for any future is forty years into the future when your generation has passed and a child -- yet to be born -- is finally ready to reign. (In spite of a gradually shrinking, faithful remnant, would it be fair if that was our fate in judgment too?)

 

Yes, it would be fair for God to judge us. And forty year patterns of rebellion and defeat were not atypical in the scriptures -- see the book of Judges. And we absolutely deserve this judgment if we're waiting for an earthly solution ... and forgetting that the promised child has already come!

 

Jesus is here. Now. We don't need to wait for a human savior; we have an eternal King. We just need to give him room to work in our hearts again. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's a child

 

… of the Child

May 7-8 - 48 - John 8:32

"Then you will know the truth,

and the truth will set you free." 

John 8:32

Bible Rank: 48

 

As a pastor, I counsel a lot. And a current theme is worry and anxiety. Here's what I've been telling people lately ... and it deals directly with knowing the truth and being set free. 

When we say we're feeling anxious, what do we mean? Symptomatically, people sweat, their chest gets tight, their heart hammers, etc. And I remind people that those are good things. It's adrenaline kicking in. And adrenaline is good. If a bear jumps out at you in the forest, "fight or flight" is a healthy natural reaction!

 

What's happening, though, is that our "feeling brain" -- or "worry brain" -- is trumping our "thinking brain." (Different areas of the brain legitimately control different aspects of life and personality -- thoughts, feelings, senses, etc.) 

 

Have you ever been with a pregnant woman, and all of a sudden she squirms uncomfortably, running out of the room, saying something about the baby standing on her bladder? It's sudden. It's urgent. It's real. 

 

Well, worry is the baby (the feeling part of the brain, the temporal lobe) standing suddenly on the bladder (the brain stem, the part which controls heart rate, breathing, and temperature) and suddenly we feel like we must run to the bathroom (fight or flight). 

 

Alright, that's an analogy that probably doesn't work exactly like that physiologically, but you get the point, right?! The feeling of anxiety comes when our feeling and worry brains are overactive. 

 

And the antidote is going back to our thinking brain (the frontal lobe). The antidote, indeed, is truth!

Jesus says, "know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

 

I heard writer Beth Moore speak once about "The Shield of Faith." Think about these truths and how they might set even a worrying person free:

 

1.    God is who he says he is -- God is powerful. He is loving. He is forgiving. Thus even your mistakes can't drive a wedge between you and him. 

 

2.    God can do what he says he can do -- God can provide protection from whatever you're worrying about, he can provide clarity when all you see is he can see is confusion, he provides hope when all you see is despair, light in the midst of darkness, and most of all peace in the face of life's battles. 

3.   
You are who God says you are -- You are God's child. He loves you. He forgives you. He will protect you. He is the Good Shepherd. You are his. 

 

4.    You can do what God says you can do (which is all things through Christ who strengthens you) -- You can battle the trials boldly for you are more than a conqueror through him who loves you. 

5.   
God's Word is Alive and Active in Me -- If you tend to worry, those steps above provide a college level education. Indeed, keep diving deeper and deeper into the truth (of God's love and provision) and you will be set free. And how we keep mining the depths of God's love and discovering more and more of God's peace is through making all of God's truths -- found in his Word -- more and more real. 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who knows that these truths 

help most worries and worriers

(at least to get them to a manageable level) ...

but if you know these things, "work" these truths,

and keep getting swallowed by anxiety, 

come and talk to me and we can embark

on graduate level studies in God's peace

 

 

 

May 6 - 47 - Romans 10:13

For, "Everyone who

calls on the name of the Lord

will be saved."

Romans 10:13

Bible Rank: 47

This verse is self-explanatory: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be ..." 

Wait? What is the beginning of salvation?! It's realizing that there is someone bigger than you. It's realizing that you can't do it all by yourself. And it's finally reaching up, crying out, calling on the Lord. 

That's self-explanatory. So let me tell you something different! Here's what I hear whenever I hear this verse …

Let me tell you about a testimony from Jim Cymbala's "When God's People Pray." A successful man spiraled into a cycle of drugs and alcohol and growing despair, and only one person really cared, a young client who kept saying, "I know it. I can see it. You're in real trouble. So what I really want you to know is this ... 'The day you call on the name of the Lord you will be saved.'"

Any explanation of mine can't possibly do this justice. Take a listen! https://youtu.be/uwf24QKtnHs

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is saying, "Wow!

Thank you, God."

May 4-5 - 46 - Romans 8:1

Therefore, there is now

no condemnation for

those who are in Christ Jesus

Romans 8:1

Bible Rank: 46

What is the first word in today's verse?

Do you know what Bible teachers say about this word? "Whenever you see a 'therefore,' ask what it is There For!" In other words, what is the lead up to this verse?

Up to this point, Romans has been a long, systematic, logical, theological argument. In a legalistic world where everyone assumed that you had to earn your way to God with good works, the Apostle Paul has been systematically showing us how human works are futile (we all sin and fall far short of the glory of God); therefore, it is God who must work to save us ... and God, through Jesus Christ, acts with overwhelming love and amazing grace. 

By the end chapter seven -- including the verses that precede Paul's "therefore" -- the Apostle has just cried out in utter human frustration: 

"7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

He wants to be holy and perfect and pure. He honestly "delight[s] in the law of God in [his] inmost self." He knows God's precepts are good and right and that they draw him near to him. 

But -- as he sadly says -- "7:23 I see in my [flesh] another law at war with the law of my mind." What is this more powerful human law and overwhelming force? It is sin. Paul cries that he is utterly "captive to ... sin." "19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do."

So what is the answer to "24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Paul answers it in the next verse: "25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

On our own we are slaves to sin. 

Through Jesus Christ -- and his sacrificial death on the cross -- we can be forgiven. We can be free. "Thanks be to God," indeed. 

"Therefore" -- and here comes today's verse -- "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

·      
On my own ... wretchedness and condemnation. 

·       Through Jesus? ... no condemnation and forgiveness and grace. 

Thanks be to God!

In Christ's Love, 

a guy who better not be left to be on his own

May 3 - 45 - 2 Timothy 2:15

Do your best to

present yourself to God

as one approved,

a worker who does not

need to be ashamed and

who correctly handles

the word of truth

2 Timothy 2:15

Bible Rank: 45

At our church we host AWANA.  Most of us know it's a fun, Bible-learning program for kids. But do you know what AWANA means?

It's an acronym. It means 2 Timothy 2:15! In this verse for today are the words, "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed." And this statement means that  ...

·       When we first believed and the Holy Spirit came to dwell with us, this was God setting his seal upon us (Approved)

·       ... and when we then minister for the kingdom (Workmen)

·       ... we should minister boldly -- passionate about what the Creator thinks rather than what created human creatures think (Not Ashamed). 

Two scriptures speak to this final point. The first - Romans 1:16 - offers a theological reason for why we can say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." Why? Because "it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith." Theologically I need to not be fearful or ashamed because here is the only true source of power in the universe! And it is precisely when I act boldly (not ashamed) and when I proclaim Christ's name (as a workman), that I then tap into this power. 

The second passage offers another reason to be a workman who proclaims. The first offered a theological reason (power). The second offers an interpersonal priority: Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? ... If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10). 

When we seek to please God and proclaim boldly, we receive power. When we seek to please people (who are ultimately dust), then we receive dust. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants

to rename AWANA;

it should be AWRP --

when those of us who believe and thus

have the seal of the Spirit (Approved)

decide to minister (Workmen who work),

we R.P. (Receive Power)

May Prayer Time ... How Can we Pray?

Monthly Pray Time

Come anytime Saturday, May 7, 8-noon

Or pick up a prayer list in the Front Lobby

How can pray for you?

Email me back by Thursday afternoon.

May 2 - 44 - Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure

of what we hope for and

certain of what we do not see

Hebrews 11:1

Bible Rank: 44

 

I like to hold out my hands to the kids. I say with confidence that I have a quarter in my hand. And I ask, "Do you believe me?"  

"Yes."

"Why?"

And ultimately it comes back to this: "Because we trust you."

 

That's faith. We can't see it (yet); nevertheless, we trust. 

 

On Easter Sunday evening, Jesus appeared to his twelve disciples. Except Thomas wasn't there. So when the others told Thomas, this last disciple said, "Unless I see and until I touch, I will not believe."

 

Did Jesus cast Thomas out because of his lack of "faith"? No. The gentle Savior reached out his hand and said, "Touch. See. Believe."

 

And yet Jesus knew that this was a temporary aberration. It was a unique gift to the twelve who must lay the foundation of the church through their faith. The rest of human history, must rely on their testimony ... or as Jesus said to Thomas and the rest, "blessed are those who do not see and yet believe."

 

Thus, every preacher for two thousand years has said, "I hold a truth in my hands and in my heart. Do you believe it?"

 

Some say, "No." "Why?" And one of the reasons is, "Because we cannot see it."

 

But others say, "Yes." "Why?" "Because we trust ... who?" Hopefully they trust more than the pastor! The pastor is flesh and blood and God, understanding the human nature needs to touch and see, graciously gave us under-shepherds, tangible human witnesses. But pastors will come and go. And humans will let us down. Eventually, and hopefully very very quickly, the story will read like this ... 

A preacher (or a passage of scripture ... or a "God-incidence") will say, "I hold a truth in my hands and in my heart. Do you believe it?"

 

And we will say, "Yes."

 

"Why? You can't see it. You can't touch it. You have to just accept it on blind faith."

And you'll say, "It's simple. It's because I trust Jesus."

In Christ's Love,

a guy who has a 

quarter in his hand