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03/06/18 - Luke 3


March 6, 2018 – Luke 3

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Luke 3:8

Our behavior demonstrates our true beliefs---if Jesus is truly Lord, then we should live like it.

You’ve been there.  All of us have.

Either being caught or realizing you had failed, you came clean and apologized for the mistake, and said you’d never do it again.  It was authentic, heart-felt, and intentional.  You were ready to make the changes necessary, and avoid whatever caused the failure.  You may have even put in guardrails in your life to stay clear of the problem.

But then it happens again.  Either by mistake or by thinking the situation was different, you find yourself repeating the failure.  Then doubts creep in, making you wonder if you can change.  And justification shows its ugly head, trying to convince you that this vice is not as bad as others you could have.  Soon, the repetition picks up momentum and you find yourself in a full-on battle to deal with this ugly sin that has started happening in your life.

All from one little lie (that was my problem when I was young … maybe you were thinking something else J).

Why do we get caught in the repetition trap?  The answer is simple – though not always obvious.  We’re focusing on the sin, and playing avoidance as we keep watching it.  Like a fly drawn to the light, our focus on trying to avoid the sin actually sends us right into it.  The answer to correcting failure is to pursue the fruit of repentance.  Instead of focusing on the sin, focus on right fruit.

So in my case, instead of trying not exaggerate stories for attention, I should have focused on the fruit of truth – like longer friendships, appreciating honesty, saying less & listening more. 

Maybe for the angry person, producing fruit means seeking peace, asking more questions, appreciating challenges and trusting in people to figure it out, instead of trying to manage their anger.

Maybe for the worrier, producing fruit is simply counting daily blessings, keeping a journal of God’s provision, and focusing on today’s challenges instead of thinking about tomorrow’s.

Whatever your sin challenge, the secret to lasting repentance from John the Baptist was to focus on producing right fruit, instead of avoiding the wrong kind.  That’s a great lesson for all of us.  If we trust Jesus and believe Him to be the Son of God, then trust His instructions and live them out.  If we struggle with a sin area, then look to replace the temptation with effort for positive fruit. 

You might just find yourself changed by repentance in the long run.  And find yourself closer to God in the process.

03/05/18 - Luke 2


March 5, 2018 – Luke 2

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14

The presence of Jesus brings us peace in the MIDST of circumstances.

Most of us consider peace as the absence of unpleasant circumstances.  Just think of parents who hunger for peace from the houseful of screaming kids.  Or the manager that is looking for some peace from all the day’s problems.  Or maybe the patient who can’t find peace with the news of returning cancer.

But Jesus doesn’t separate peace from circumstances.  In fact, peace is finding rest in the MIDST of the circumstances. 

That’s why the angels can announce peace to shepherds who are surrounded by noise & burdens, living in a country ruled by Roman paganism, and in short order facing the death of their baby boys.  Peace is not the absence of problems for these people, it’s more the courage to move through the problems knowing God is still there.

That’s why Peter can sing songs in a Roman jail, and stand before the Sanhedrin with boldness to proclaim the salvation of Jesus against threats of stoning.

That’s why Paul can go through flogging, stoning, persecution & pain, and still be ready to pick himself off the ground and travel to the next city to preach the Gospel.

That’s why great hymn writers can bless us with amazing songs over the ages, pronouncing hope and grace after facing terrible pain or grief.  It’s why missionaries lay down their lives in foreign countries, some facing prison, some even martyred, only to see their family or friends pick up the cause of their mission. 

And it’s why you can continue to have hope in your circumstances – no matter how enduring or painful they are, because Jesus’ peace is not killed or eliminated by unpleasant circumstances.  In fact, it is stronger than our circumstances.  Jesus brings peace that outlasts our circumstances.  And He saw fit to let it rest on you and me!

We are a blessed generation, because we live in that generation of favor.  His favor is not about bank accounts or material blessing.  His favor is about peace.  We have His Peace to overcome our circumstances.  And that peace is what allows you to shout “Glory to God in the Highest”, no matter what struggles you face.

Watch for it!  You will see the ‘Peace which Passes All Understanding’ show up in the midst of circumstances.  You will hear it in the sounds of worship that come from people who have endured great difficulty.  You will discover true peace – not in the sheltered life, but in the overcoming life. 

And when you do, remember to Give God the Glory!  You’ve found His Peace!

03/02/18- Luke 1


March 2, 2018 – Luke 1 

You will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Luke 1:76-77

To understand salvation, we must first understand sin and forgiveness.

Looking for a little excitement on a Friday night?  Walk into a mall and pick out a person who doesn’t intimidate you, and say to them: “I forgive you.”  Then walk away!  They will be thinking about it for DAYS!  Why?  Because their spirit will be unsettled until they understand what it was they did that needed forgiveness.  It’s the ultimate “To Be Continued” that never finds resolution.  (Okay, don’t really do that – it would really be rude and could mar them for life! J)

Some things are so interconnected that you just can’t have one without the other.  Forgiveness and Sin are two such things.  Where there is no sin, there is no need for forgiveness.  And there is no understanding of salvation if we don’t understand sin.  We must see our sin to need a savior. Likewise, seeing our sin creates an internal need for forgiveness, and a desire to be saved from the consequences.

John the Baptist had a huge task.  His job was to preach about sin so that people would be burdened with the desire for forgiveness.  Then, when they were ready to accept God’s help, John would baptize them with the baptism of repentance – asking God to forgive the person for the sin and heal their heart.  Later, Jesus would leverage that act as not only one of forgiveness, but one of accepting salvation from Jesus, and receiving the Holy Spirit to help us live free of sin.  All of that started from one basic teaching: we have sinned!  Recognizing sin starts the whole process!

These days, people try everything they can to avoid hearing that message.  And honestly, most churches have been careful about labeling people as sinners.  We prefer to call sin other things, like mistakes, errors, misunderstandings, lapses of memory, failures, hang-ups or even diseases.  But what we really need to hear is that those are all sin in need of forgiveness.  Without understanding sin, we don’t pursue forgiveness.  And without forgiveness, there is no salvation.

Maybe it is time for us to put on our big boy pants and not be so afraid of the “s” word!  If we’re truly going to help people, let’s just call it sin.  And if we are going to be fully forgiven, we must call our actions sin too.  God didn’t send Jesus to condemn us of our sin, but to forgive us and pay the penalty for our sin.  So let’s gratefully accept His incredible offer, and make the connection --- we have sinned, we have fallen short, but God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  We have all received salvation & grace from our sin, through the blood of salvation!

Jesus walked up to people many times and told them they were forgiven.  The Pharisees couldn’t stand it, but the people loved it, because they knew that forgiveness was attached to sin, and they were sinners.  Jesus has the same thing to offer us too.  He might even walk into a mall and pick you out, and say to you “I forgive you.”  Then walk away.  But instead of thinking about it for days, maybe it would cause you to seek resolution. 

Wash away that sin with forgiveness – they are fully interconnected.  And then you will understand salvation.

03/01/18 - Mark 16


March 1, 2018 – Mark 16

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16

Belief that takes action is the way to salvation.

Many preachers and motivational speakers have used the story of “The Great Blondin”, a French tightrope walker that traversed the Niagara Falls many times in 1859 – forward, backwards, with a wheelbarrow, even with a man on his back.  A story is often told of him asking the crowd: “Do you believe I can carry a man in this wheelbarrow across the Falls?” The crowd would fully agree.  Then he would ask: “So then which of you will get into the wheelbarrow?”

Belief means nothing if it is not followed up with action.  That’s at least part of the reason Jesus instituted confession and baptism as part of the salvation experience.  It’s not that your public expression or dunking in water saves you – it’s the belief that is demonstrated in action.  Believing ABOUT Jesus doesn’t save us, it’s believing IN Jesus.

Mark’s language about belief is very strong – we’re either IN or OUT based on our belief.  But that belief is not silent … it takes the form of action.  It requires us to actually live like we believe.  It calls us to get in the wheelbarrow and let Jesus drive.  That step of belief is far greater than just a private prayer, it calls for public commitment. 

And hear Mark clearly – he’s not trying to create a theological argument here, he’s just simplifying it down to the nuts & bolts, just like his whole gospel.  Yes or No, In or Out, Saved or Unsaved.  Simple – did you believe and did you take action on it.  The greatest assurance of our salvation is always found in living out our faith. 

I agree with many of our ancestors – confession of sin and baptism were never meant to be theological battlegrounds.  Let’s just accept them as a gift God gave us to act out our newfound belief and receive this indescribable grace we’ve been given.  And let’s not take over God’s position as judge.  Instead, we can keep it simple. 

If you believe and are baptized (take action), you will be saved. 

What a simple and incredibly easy solution to our eternal problem!  J

03/01/18 - Mark 15


March 1, 2018 – Mark 15

Let this Christ come down from the cross, that we may see and believe. Mark 15:32

Proof is not found in demanding signs, but in recognizing truth --- seeing Jesus as Truth eliminates the need for signs.

The proof is in the pudding.  It was an old line my grandparents used to say, but didn’t make much sense.  So I did a little research.

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating” is a very old phrase, dating back to at least 1605.  It meant that tasting the result will decide if it was good or not.  In other words, you can say all you want about how good it looks and how great the recipe is, but everyone will be decided at the point they eat it.  Somewhere along the line we shortened the phrase: The Proof is in the Pudding.

Most people operate with a “proof in the pudding” mentality.  Today’s phrase is: Show me the money!  In Jesus’ day it was: Show me a sign!  People want to judge things by the results.  A CEO is considered great only if the company grew.  A President is determined to be great if the nation was protected and gainfully employed.  Parents are proved successful by their children’s behavior.  A movie is good only if I liked how it affected me.  Bottom Line: It’s our mentality to judge a book by its cover.  (Isn’t that the saying?  J)

Jesus faced those attitudes all through His ministry, even up to the cross.  Everyone wanted proof, no matter how many people he had healed, or how many thousands were fed.  Last week’s results weren’t enough, they wanted more.  But Jesus chose not to prove Himself by signs.  He proved Himself by Truth.  If every words spoken ended up true, that would be proof enough.  The miracles & signs were just icing on the cake.

Let’s face it, Resurrection was the ULTIMATE SIGN, and people still don’t believe even based on that.  We still want God to prove Himself by giving us a better job, or providing improved living conditions, or financing our dreams.  The pudding of centuries may be all around us, but we’re not eating out of that bowl.  We want proof that makes us happy, not just believe.

But --- if instead of looking at the pudding, we started looking at the proof --- we might discover that Jesus IS the Proof.  He doesn’t need to produce one more sign … His Word was completely true.  His predictions all happened.  He Rose from the Dead!  He is perfect Truth, and that makes Him proof enough.  Stop looking for more pudding, and focus on the proof.

And furthermore, those of us trying to ‘prove ourselves’ might do better by simply living out the Truth instead of trying to tell everyone.  Truth needs no additional backing – it’s successful on its own.  So don’t concoct a batch of pudding to prove yourself.  Let your obedience and your lifestyle of Truth be proof enough.  In the long run, your pudding will taste great!

So maybe we can change the old saying a little.  Instead of the proof being in the pudding – maybe we should start saying: The Proof is in the Person. J