Luke #38 - Family Tree

Luke #38 – Family Tree

“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God” (Luke 3:23-38 – King James Version).

I have a great aunt who declares she can show proof that we are descended from the same family that Queen Elizabeth II descends from. I don’t know about that…no one has invited me over to London for fish and chips and a spot o’ tea. I have gotten no “Dear Sir Timothy…” letters from Cousin Charlie; he didn’t even tell me that he and Lady Diana were having trouble with their marriage a few years ago…maybe I could’ve helped! Some way to treat family, ain’t it? I sure would like a crown; my title would be “Duke of Mayonnaise” or maybe “The Duke formerly known as Prince.” Which one do you like better? I get no respect from my family across the pond. It serves to make me more thankful than ever that through Christ I am in the family of God.

Believe it or not, this is a rich passage. It’s easy to get caught up in all the names and trying to make sense of Jesus’ family tree. If we were to lay it beside Jesus’ family tree found in Matthew we would find several noticeable differences, one huge difference of note that we will talk about tomorrow. First, in Matthew’s Gospel he was writing to a Jewish audience. With that in mind the Holy Spirit gives the Jewish Matthew Jesus’ genealogy in a way to satisfy their Jewish minds; Matthew moved forward from Abraham to Jesus. Luke, on the other hand, moved backward from Jesus to Adam. Matthew was connecting Jesus with His Jewish family and Luke was connecting Jesus to the whole of the human race. Also of note, Matthew record of Jesus’ family tree is the genealogy of Joseph and Luke’s is that of Mary. Pretty neat, huh?

It doesn’t stop there. As Matthew’s account connects Jesus to the line of David through His legal father, Luke’s account connects Jesus to the line of David through his mother, thus connecting Jesus both legally and physically. That’s important for the fact that Jesus came both to fulfill the law and prophecy. Matthew establishes Jesus connection to David through David’s son Solomon. Luke does that through David’s son Nathan. Joseph came from Solomon’s line and Mary from Nathan’s line. (MORE on that tomorrow…good stuff!)

Luke, led of the Spirit, went through the pains of connecting Jesus to Adam that he might correctly establish Jesus as the true Son of God as a man on earth. The first Adam lost his title because of his sin. Jesus came to reclaim that title by being sinless and thusly being accepted by the Father. Jesus took on the same difficulties of Adam, yet He did so with success. By Jesus’ success at remaining sinless and subsequent offering of Himself for our sins, He bought back (redeemed) the privilege of mankind to be called the children of God again. Of course, we know that only happens as we accept this gift that Jesus has purchased for us.

Many folk may think that Jesus has no connection with them. By Jesus’ family tree alone, we can determine that He is connected to all men. By His death on the cross and His rising from the dead we can join with Him in the everlasting family tree and be connected as heirs to the grace of God forever.

I do not think that the royal family of Great Britain will go through any pains to connect themselves to Tim Bowes. I do not think they will even try! God, on the other hand, went through great pains to reestablish contact with me. He reached out across the centuries and sent me a personal love letter / invitation calling me to a great family reunion. That letter was signed in blood by Christ Jesus who bids me come and enjoy the bonds of family again.

That same invitation is open to all who would come. I am so thankful to be in the family tree of Jesus. He purchased that right and privilege for me and for you. This earthly family may forget me; they may disown me; they may not even recognize my existence. God has done none of those things. No, indeed not; in fact, He remembered me even when I wouldn’t think of Him. Thank you God for bringing me back to your family!

Luke #37 - Beginnings

Luke #37 – Beginnings

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, ‘Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21-22 – King James Version).

I don’t show my emotions a lot of the time. It’s not that I don’t feel like crying, the tears just don’t come out. Baptisms get the tears flowing every time. I cry for three reasons, two of which are very different. Whenever I see someone being baptized or have administered baptisms I always think back to the joyous day of my own baptism. That was a monumental day for me; one I’ll NEVER forget. I know what a great new PUBLIC beginning that was for me and when I watch others being baptized I wonder about their new public beginning. I watch in silent awe as I try to imagine how God has become real to that person and how different their present and future has become having met Jesus. I always wonder if that person is just getting wet. Baptism without salvation is just getting dunked. Nothing more; period. If that is the case I get very, very sad when I think about that. I think What if this person is getting baptized and does not know Jesus? Will they think THIS is salvation? One second I am filled with joy at the possibility of someone letting the world know about their NEW LIFE in Christ and the next second I am mourning at the possibility that a person just got dunked for nothing.

Some may wonder why Jesus got baptized; He wasn’t a sinner was He? No, indeed not! There are several good reasons why Jesus was baptized. He was identifying with our humanity and our sin (concerning sin, the keyword being IDENTIFYING). Jesus’ baptism gave us an example to follow. Also, Jesus’ baptism served as the beginning of His public ministry. Whatever the reason (and there are probably more), God was “pleased” with what Jesus was doing.

I think it is key to note that Jesus was there on the Jordan with the sinners when He began His public ministry. Those were the people He chose to associate Himself with. It would have made more sense to the human mind if Jesus had gone to the temple and had a big ceremony. That is still who Jesus wants to identify with, the sinner who knows change is needed. That’s who Jesus wants to be baptized…those who have turned to Him from sin and wants the world to know.

Baptism is a post salvation experience, or at least it’s supposed to be. When we get baptized it is to tell the world four things: (1) we’re turning from sin, (2) we’re starting a new life in Christ that we want known publicly, (3) we are identifying in obedience with Christ, and (4) our baptism serves as a public proclamation and profession of our salvation. It is also the asking of three things from the witnesses: (1) we are asking for Christian love from the body of Christ, (2) we are asking for prayer, and (3) we are asking for accountability in our walk with the Lord. Whether you were able to articulate your baptism in those terms, did it mean that for you?

There is a bunch of folks in churches across America that have been dunked but have no new beginning to go with the water. Granted, Jesus did not sin, but His baptism was nonetheless a new beginning. There are also a lot of people in churches today that were baptized as children, but did not really meet Christ until later on. If that is you friend, let me encourage you to receive a believer’s baptism soon. Sure, there may be some in attendance that remember your first baptism, but what a powerful testimony to tell them that the first one was just water but the new one is a result of having met Christ!

God is the God of new beginnings. Would you have a new beginning today? If you do not know Christ, today can be the day! Then follow Him into baptism and let the world know that you have decided to follow Jesus. Christian…look back at your baptism experience. What was it about? Let’s be sure that it was something in which God would say He was “well pleased.” Did you think that your baptism and joining the church saved you? (By the way…baptism is NOT salvation). Did you realize it was a proclamation and profession of new life in Jesus? That’s what it should be; a sign of a new beginning!

Luke #36 - Unpopular

Luke #36 – Unpopular

“But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison” (Luke 3:19-20 – King James Version)

It was a sickening scene to me; President Bill Clinton acted immorally and our nation basically shrugged our collective shoulders and did nothing. Hearings were held and sex was redefined and that was about the end of the whole thing. From that day until this one every time I hear someone say that America is a Christian nation I openly disagree. At best America is a nation with a lot of churches and some Christians. Every person that claimed any kind of morality at all should have been outraged and shouted that man right out of office. As usual the Christian community, with the exception of a few brave voices, did not rise up and take a stand. Many said it was Clinton’s personal business and had no bearing on his leadership. PHOOEY! I could see forgiving a man who openly admits his mistakes, is broken because of them, learns from them, and repents from such behavior. Not only did Bill Clinton not seem to feel bad about this wrong, but he tried to justify, ignore, and deny it. As an American, it was a sad situation.

John the Baptist lived in a time just like that. Herod was ruler of Galilee and fully cooperative with the occupation forces of Rome. He had basically stolen his brother’s wife and married her. To top it off, Herodias was Herod’s niece. That is both incest and adultery. John called it what it was and it got him in big trouble (Mark 6:17-28). He was imprisoned and later executed (Luke 9).

John’s boldness in speaking the truth made him unpopular to say the least. We should be careful to note that John called sin what it was not because he was being a jerk; rather, it was the opposite. Let’s not forget that John’s mission was to prepare people for the coming Messiah. He was not a man of hateful ways. When he discovered that his disciples were leaving him to follow Jesus, John said, “The bride will go where the Bridegroom is. A Bridegroom's friend rejoices with Him. I am the Bridegroom's friend, and I am filled with joy at His success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:29-30 – NLT). What tenderness! What humility! He was not trying to win people to John but to Jesus.

Why do I bring this up? It is of the utmost importance that we speak the truth about sin even it makes us unpopular. However, we cannot do it from a spirit of arrogance or pride. We must speak the truth in humility, brokenness, and love; being ever mindful of the grim future for those who will not repent and turn to the Lord.

Now, we must also be mindful that being witnesses of Christ will make us very unpopular. Are we willing to risk that? We may be thought strange; we will be ostracized; it will not be easy. I will tell you this much…I am so thankful that there were people who called my sin what it was. I am so thankful that I realized my guilt and met my Savior. I used to get mad at people like Vernon Wilkerson who always talked about God. Now I think Vernon is a saint! Personally, I will run the risk of making folks mad at me. I will be unpopular. I know that if I am bold for Christ this world may levy punishment on me, but if I make one hundred people mad and one of them realizes their sin and turns to God it will ALL be worth it!

Popularity is not my goal; pleasing God is my goal. Turning people on the love of God is my goal. I refuse to simply walk through this life letting people commit spiritual suicide while doing nothing. If that causes me to be unpopular, then let it be so. I want the approval of God, not that of men. I will call sin what it is. I will do my best to do that in love and humility. Will you join me on this holy mission? Will you risk being unpopular? Will you decrease so that Christ may increase?

Luke #35 – Washed Clean and Fired Up

Luke #35 – Washed Clean and Fired Up

“And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, ‘I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I cometh, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable.’ And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people” (Luke 3:15-18 – King James Version).

Have you ever noticed how it seems that spring cleaning requires making things messier before getting things really clean? Recently I cleaned out our cabinets and found tops to dishes that I had not seen in years. I filled up two trash bags with junk that some how we had at one time thought useful, but since had found no use for. I found some things in our cabinets that I had no clue why we ever thought we needed OR wanted. Most heartbreaking was finding products that we bought at one time but never used; obviously we never needed that junk either. At the pinnacle of the purge our entire kitchen floor, the stove, the table, and the counter tops were filled with plates, glasses, crockery, pots, bowls, plastic storage containers, fryers, pans, and every other thing you can think of. I looked at the whole mess and felt like giving up.

When it comes to repentance we often experience something akin to my cleaning adventure. When it comes down to actually repenting we find things in our lives that we had not dealt with in years. We find things that we wonder why we were holding on to. We find things that at one time we could not do without, but discover that that thing was never needed in the first place. We find things that we never wanted and wonder why we even have them. We find our lives in a horrible mess and we might feel like just giving up. We may even think that there is no help for the mess and that we might as well quit and just live with the junk we are holding on to.

John’s preaching on repentance caused the people to begin to think of the coming Messiah. Many wondered whether John was himself that Messiah. John knew his place in the scheme of things. He said, “I am not even worthy of being the slave of the coming Messiah.” (There is a lesson in there somewhere! We need to recognize our place and Christ’s place in the Kingdom. Whose will should come first?) John reminds us today that he was pointing to a much greater and soon coming Christ.

John’s preaching of repentance was like cleaning out the cabinets. John confronted people with the mess all of our lives are in. John baptized with water…his message was “Clean up! Get ready!” The word for today concerning that issue is that we need to realize that true repentance is a messy business that requires commitment and courage. It requires dealing with mess that has been around a long time, much of which we did not even realize we had (pride issues, sinful habits and thoughts, etc.). It requires the willingness to scrap a lot of things we hold on to. Washing, however, is a good thing. Get rid of the mess! It may be painstaking but I am sure it is needful. When it came to my cabinets it was an aggravating affair, but when I look at those well organized cabinets today I rarely think of the trouble they brought in getting them that way.

John then spoke of the Messiah’s baptism which would be the fire of the Holy Spirit. This is the indwelling of God Almighty into the believer enabling them not only to keep what repentance cleaned up but to produce fruit as well.

To delineate from the life that only cleaned the outside, John likened them to chaff. That’s the outside husk of a kernel of wheat; the part that is thrown away. Jesus considers outside change as the disposable part. John warned of that because it is a certain danger to the human way of doing things. Real repentance is being changed. It does not mean LOOKING changed. Repentance will not stick unless we fill with Christ all of the areas we took sin away from. So, we need to be washed clean of our sins by the baptism of repentance and have the Holy Spirit cauterize those areas with His fiery indwelling presence.

Too many times today we are more worried about being caught in sin than we are about ridding ourselves of sin. We don’t worry about the reality of our sin only the possibility that someone will find out. The warning we need to hear in this matter is that Jesus knows all and stands ready with His winnowing fork to separate the wheat and the waste. John knew the Messiah was coming soon…I believe He is coming soon too…COMING BACK that is.

Listen now…we may only see the mess that our lives are and feel like giving up. Have courage! Whatever we give up, Christ will replace with Himself. We all need to be washed clean and fired up…it is a tough business and may even be painful, but it WILL be well worth it!

Luke #34 - Pratical Preaching

Luke #34 – Practical Preaching

“And the people asked him, saying, ‘What shall we do then?’ He answereth and saith unto them, ‘He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.’ Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, ‘Master, what shall we do?’ And he said unto them, ‘Exact no more than that which is appointed you.’ And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, ‘And what shall we do?’ And he said unto them, ‘Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages’” (Luke 3:10-14 – King James Version).

I was talking with a pastor friend on the phone the other day when I asked him what he had preached on that past Sunday. He said “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.” He said “I heard a sermon somewhere and I can remember nothing else besides the three points. They were: They wouldn’t bend, they wouldn’t bow, and they wouldn’t break.” I said, “Yeah, I know that sermon! You gave me the tape of that sermon from the pastor’s conference.” My friend said, “I couldn’t forget those points, so I preached on them.” I couldn’t forget them either. I don’t even remember the pastor that preached the sermon and neither did my pastor friend. The point was that it made its point. We both walked away from the listening to the sermon with something practical to put in our pocket. We both walked away knowing that we could not have a half-hearted faith. It was practical.

That’s the way brother John preached. Let’s look at three very practical examples of John’s preaching that we would do well to learn. The crowd asked “What should we do to show our faith?” John simply says for them to give of what they have. If someone takes something from us, supplement their theft by giving them more. That’s practical AND revolutionary. Rather than giving of what we have in these days and times, we concentrate on getting more for ourselves. Giving what we have proves our faith because we firmly believe that God will not leave us in need.

The tax collectors asked John what they should do. John said, “Whatever you do for a living, do it well and be fair about it.” For example, if you are a policeman reading this, don’t speed just because you can and don’t give tickets because of your personal preferences and prejudices. If you are a mill worker, don’t goof off and put in an honest days work. Goofing off on the job is no better than taking extra taxes as the tax collectors did…both are stealing.

The soldiers then asked what they should do. John said, “Don’t cheat others and be content with your pay.” A Christian that is never satisfied with their wage is a Christian that is not seeking satisfaction in the right place! A Christian that finds that they need to go around the system to make more money (not paying taxes for example) is a Christian that isn’t trusting God to take care of them.

Though John had tough messages to preach, they were practical. His messages were useful. In the few short sentences above John gave us three practical things we can use in our day to day lives. Now we must ask ourselves these three questions and let God analyze our hearts. Do we share what we have? Do we work honestly and deal fairly with others? Are we content with what we have or don’t have?

All three things are basically trust issues and will show us our true level of trust in God. If we really trust Him, we will live like it. We will trust that He will take care of whatever we lose in living for Him. Practical? Yes! Easy to hear and do? No! But, isn’t that the way of practical preaching and practical living? We are challenged to live real and trusting lives before the Lord. Are we doing it?

Here! Here! I like this fellow's style!

THIS ARTICLE IS CREDITED TO BAPTIST PRESS (BP) and can be found in it's original form here: http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=26402



Iorg: Focus on 'Jesus Christ, crucified'

Posted on Sep 10, 2007 | by Amanda Phifer MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP)--Jeff Iorg, at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary's president's convocation, launched a year-long series on becoming "Kingdom-focused leaders."

Iorg urged returning and new students, faculty and staff at the seminary's Mill Valley, Calif., campus to remain focused on "Jesus Christ, crucified," no matter what other matters come along and demand attention.

"The Christian community today is distracted and often fragmented by secondary and tertiary issues," Iorg said. "We need to deal with these issues but not allow them to become our primary message. Never lose sight of the most important message of all -– Jesus Christ, crucified."

Citing the factionalism as well as gender and sexuality and charismatic issues buffeting the New Testament church at Corinth, Iorg noted that believers today face many of the same issues.

Such distractions must be addressed, Iorg said; the Apostle Paul, after all, wrote letters to the Corinthian church to address such issues. But Iorg reminded that "our focus must not be removed from our core message: Jesus Christ, crucified."

Focusing on "Jesus Christ, crucified," Iorg said, has three results: It confounds contemporary wisdom, demonstrates the power of God, and changes lives.

"You live in a world looking for all kinds of ways to incorporate the supernatural with the reasonable," Iorg said. "And you may use any number of methods to engage the culture with Christ -– dialogue, identification, service, study and occasionally even debate -– but don't confuse your method with your message.

"The message of Jesus Christ crucified is as radical, confrontational and controversial as it ever was in the first century," Iorg said. "And like the first century, people are likely to call you either a stumbling block or a fool. But you stay focused on our message -– Jesus Christ, crucified."

Then he added, "I'll tell you why you're here -– because somewhere someone witnessed to you Jesus Christ crucified, and He changed your life. There's no explaining you apart from that, is there?"

As part of the Aug. 23 convocation, students, faculty and staff each made covenant commitments to live out the mission and core values of Golden Gate Seminary.

Golden Gate is entering its 63rd academic year, with more than 1,700 students enrolled, including candidates in the seminary's new doctor of philosophy program in biblical studies. GGBTS encompasses five campuses across the West and dozens of Contextualized Leadership Development centers across the country.
--30—-
Amanda Phifer is a writer at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

Luke #33 - Fear and Kinfolk

Luke #33 – Fear and Kinfolk

“Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, ‘O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, “We have Abraham to our father:” for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire’” (Luke 3:7-9 – King James Version).

I talk to people all the time. That’s my job. That’s what I do. When it comes to excuses I have heard them all. To be fair, I have made a bunch in my time too. I was not raised in church. I wish I had been, but SOMETIMES I am glad I was not. I say that only to make this illustration; you’ll see what I mean.

I have asked many people when they became Christians and get a lot of weird responses. Some common responses are: “I have went to church all my life”; “I was baptized when I was nine (or whatever age)”; I joined the church twenty-five years ago (again, those years vary)”; “My family helped found this church.” Still, all of those responses are noble but leave the question unanswered.

I also ask people what Christ has done in their lives. I get a lot of weird responses to that too. Some are: “I quit drinking”; “I joined the church”; “I went on a mission trip”; “I got baptized.” Again, all good things but usually all they indicate is things they have done, not transformation that Christ has effected.

We would do well to have some of John the Baptist’s preaching in the South today. We are a very religious bunch down here, but I am prayerfully broken at our lack of belief, our transformation, and our weak faith. Now, I don’t think many folks could step into the pulpit and start preaching by saying “O you brood of vipers!” That might not go to well, ya think? John was addressing a crowd who came solely in fear. Hearing John’s prophetic preaching caused fear to come upon them and they were getting hell insurance. John didn’t want them to get baptized thinking that was the cure. John wanted to call attention to the fact that truly meeting God caused an internal change.

Then John wanted to debunk another misconception. Many Jews thought that being related to Abraham was good enough to receive the resurrection. John said “God can raise up more descendants of Abraham by turning rocks into people.” After all man was formed from the ground; if all God wanted was more people, He could turn every rock into a person. It was not relation to Abraham that led people to know God, but faith like the faith Abraham had.

God values reformation more than religion. The study notes in my Life Application Study Bible ask this probing question: “Is your faith motivated by a desire for a new, changed life, or is it only like a vaccination or insurance policy against possible disaster?” We cannot come to God by reciting a few sentences after someone. Wait…I am not saying we cannot be led or lead another in a prayer to accept Christ. What I am saying is that prayer should produce inner change that reforms our outer actions. Do you dig? We cannot simply hear a scary sermon about hell, pray a little prayer, and walk away the same person living the same life and think we are saved. If all that prayer or that baptism or joining the church means to us is that we have a get out of hell free card, then we haven’t met God at all. That’s a hard saying, but it is the heart of John’s message to us today.

Religion very well may be inherited, but faith is not. God has no grandchildren. Everyone has to make a personal decision to accept Christ. Just because your mama’s uncle was a missionary to New Guinea and your grandma taught Sunday School does not make you a Christian. What makes a Christian is the person who comes to Christ Jesus broken over their sins and begging Him for forgiveness and release from sin’s grasp.

Jesus’ hardest words were to religious leaders who had not experienced deep inner change. Following Jesus means acting on what He said, not just saying the right words. I don’t say this to be a jerk; I don’t want anyone to miss out on experiencing God. I can tell you this much, if your experience of God has been limited to 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings, then you have missed the blessings of a kind and gracious Father who is stern yet tender (and so much more!).

God desires that we have “fruits worthy of repentance,” meaning that our lives prove that we have really turned from our sins. For those that have not experienced that, John warns that every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Listen my dear friends, repentance is not about joining the church or quitting smoking or drinking. It is about turning from God and experiencing a deep inner change. If we do that, we will WANT to go to church; we will WANT to live moral lives; we will WANT to be baptized. All of those things will come from the natural flow of knowing God.

So, did you “join the church” or meet Christ? Did you get baptized or receive salvation? Did you repent or simply clean up? Did you pray a little prayer out of fear or fall before the Lord broken? Do you depend on the righteousness of someone you know or do you have a PERSONAL relationship with Christ Jesus? God can raise up church members from rocks. He desires people to know and worship Him in truth and spirit. Don’t miss the boat on this one gang. Check yourself, does your experience with God just mean a “get out of hell free card”? HE IS SO MUCH MORE!

Luke #32 - The Message Before the Word

Luke #32 – The Message Before the Word

“The word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’” (Luke 3:2b-6 – King James Version).

I was involved with a group that brought a famous athlete to speak to a group of teenagers. He was a wonderful speaker and a great guy. Before he came his assistant called and told us exactly what kind of flight arrangements to make, what kind of hotel to call, and what kind room was required. We were also told what kind of food he liked and what kind of soft drinks to have on hand. That struck me as odd. I thought of John the Baptist.

John was bringing a speaker in and that speaker didn’t have a lot of requirements. There was one; REPENT! John’s message was simple and it is all that is needed to prepare a person to receive Jesus. John’s message was indeed strict, but much needed. John was like the fire, wind, and the earthquake that preceded the still small voice of God in Christ Jesus. John’s message was dauntless. He had no fear of what would happen to him nor any fear of what others thought of him…that ‘ol boy just preached! John’s message saw past class distinctions. Take the time to glean from the Gospels the preaching of John and you will find that he had keen insight into human nature; the needs and temptations. John’s message was very practical. It was not a warm and fuzzy type of message, but it was something that one could put in their pocket and take down the road. John’s message was preparatory; it was a threefold message of preparation. “Repent”; turn from your way. “The kingdom of God is at hand”; the time for God’s personal rule over people is coming. “Behold the Lamb of God”; CHRIST IS HERE! John’s message did not have any miracles…it was simple, “Get right and get ready!” John’s message was temporary. It was meant to be that way. He was clearing the way for Jesus. John was not the main attraction; Jesus was and is.

There are several things to learn here. Chief among them in my mind is the fact that we cannot elevate the messenger above the message as was stated in yesterday’s devotion. Also through Isaiah’s prophecy and John’s preaching we see some of the things Jesus would come to do.

He would fill every valley. I see in that the filling of Jesus. I see Jesus as the The One who can take our feelings of lack of purpose and fill us with His purposes. I see Jesus as The One who can tack our feelings of lack of worth and give us worth. I see every need a person may have being filled in Christ Jesus with the innumerable riches that He has stored in heaven. Yes, to all who lack, Jesus comes to fill!

Jesus would come and level every mountain. By His blood Jesus would confront every prideful and self righteous thought or deed of mankind. He would bring low any who thought they could save themselves or who could know God by following some rote or doing a list of deeds. Yes, to all who think they are good enough in their own deeds, Jesus comes to humble!

Jesus would come to straighten the crooked. There were (and ARE) a great many who would bend the word and the faith to suit themselves. Jesus came to straighten them out. He came to take the bends out of their thinking and put them on the direct way of truth. He came to straighten crooked theology, bent deeds, and bowed religion. Yes, all need the straight and narrow and Jesus came to put us on that path!

Jesus came to smooth out the rough spots. Where many had been taught and had lived a rough faith out of ignorance, a lot of folk had been misinformed about how to know God and how to worship Him. Jesus came to straighten that out. Yes, even today, Jesus is meeting with the misinformed and leading them to truly know God in Him!

Finally, Jesus came not only to straighten out the Jews but to make a way for “all flesh” to experience the salvation of God. At the core of John’s message was that we should get ready for that. That same message is still good today. We had better seek a filling from Him while there is time. We had better humble ourselves before it is too late and He humbles us. We had better check the bent parts of our lives and get them straight before He does. We had better settle for no less than straight instruction from the Master; that means we should supplement listening to preachers and knuckleheads like me with personal Bible study mixed with a lot of prayer.

Here’s the point…John was telling the world to get the junk cleared out of the way for the Savior was drawing nigh. Good advice then and still good today. The less junk, the more room. The more room, the bigger the throne. The bigger the throne, the more exalted the King. Give room in your life for THE KING! Repent…get rid of the junk…make more room for Jesus!

Luke #31 - The Voice

Luke #31 – The Voice

“And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’” (Luke 3:3-4 – King James Version).

I once had an interim pastor who was “old school” in his preaching. For example, he might say, “We better obey the Lord-ah!” It was that “ah” on the end that messed me up! It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it. Now don’t get me wrong, there was NOTHING wrong with the way that man preached; I just wasn’t used to it. As a matter of fact, his name was Reverend Groff and he could flat shuck the corn! That brother was anointed of the Lord and delivered a word from God with authority and power every week. He was my pastor when I left my home church to begin full time gospel ministry. I hated to stop hearing his preaching. The point I was getting to was this; Rev. Groff’s speech pattern, his being older, his difference in style and delivery…NONE of that mattered…he was called by God to preach and it was the message that mattered, not the man.

I want to concentrate on two words today: “the voice.” The Scripture that Dr. Luke in 3:4-6 is quoting was a prophecy of Isaiah (Esaias) from 40:3-5. Those two little words, “the voice,” put the emphasis on the work instead of the worker. This is the lesson for today.

We could certainly write a biographical account of John the Baptist that would wow any Bible student or churchman. He was flamboyant, different, and had personality. In doing that we may lose sight of the most important thing, which was “the voice”; the message.

Our concentration should be spent upon the voice, not the man. To concentrate on the man would draw us into the world’s criteria for worth or success. Now, don’t get me wrong, John was a man worth noting; a man of faith worth emulating. Still, there is a “voice” that is more important. There is a message from God in that voice more important than the man. John’s message was to speak against the pride of the Pharisees, the indifference of other religious leaders like the Sadducees, and to speak against the apathy and falsehood of the people at large. To concentrate on the man may cause us to forget the message.

Too many times today we follow preachers. I have seen folks leave churches because the preacher left. That’s wrong. What in the world were they going to the church for anyway? To see a celebrity? To follow a man? To hear a slick presentation?

Too many times today we find fault in the speaker. He is too loud. He is too quiet. He doesn’t do this or he doesn’t do that. He dresses funny. He is not as flamboyant as the last preacher. He is too flamboyant. He is dry. He is boring. Boy howdy…I have heard them all! I believe if we concentrate on the message, instead of the speaker, we will hear a word from God.

The voice is what is important. If that voice speaks by the leading of the Holy Spirit and sticks faithfully to the truth found in Scripture, then that voice is simply God’s loudspeaker. It is, after all, God who we need to hear from. If God can use a donkey to speak His message (Numbers 22:22-35), then He can surely use a preacher whom we find fault with. God desires to speak to buildings full of people every week through all kinds of preachers. Do we desire to hear? On the same token, God desires to take faulty folks, like you and me, and speak His message through us. He desires to use a “voice”. Will you be one?

Luke #30 - Sanctified, Set Apart, and Different

Luke #30 – Sanctified, Set Apart, and Different

“The word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:2b-3 – King James Version).

I know I have told you before, but I was convicted of my sins at the age of eight and knew that Christ was the only answer for that bondage. It took seventeen years for me to surrender to Him. Thank God Almighty that He kept the conviction upon me, for without that shame He gave me I don’t think I would have ever turned to Him. One of the main reasons that I would not turn to Christ was that I understood that my lifestyle and attitude had to change. I was convicted of that at eight. How do you think I felt at eighteen? At twenty-five? Not only was the conviction sharper and more intense, but the habits I had at eight had multiplied and deepened. Where at eight I was a braggart and proud, at twenty-five I was a drunkard, a liar, adulterous, prideful, deceitful, slanderous, foul-tempered, selfish…the list could go on and on. Now friends I tell you truthfully that I don’t like remembering these things accept where I can assure someone that God can forgive anything and heal even the most wicked of sinners, of whom I am chief. My problem was that I did not want to let go of these things. All of these sinful attitudes and habits had been infused into my life; had become part of who I was. For the most part I had found a way, at least in my mind, to justify them. I convinced myself that none of these things were my fault and those things that were my fault I convinced myself were all right. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I knew that to know God meant that He would give me new life and that the old life had to pass away. That was hard to swallow!

John the Baptist preached repentance. People don’t seem to like that message. It is a hard message to hear; that we must change. The common argument today seems to be stated this way: “Jesus was forgiving and accepting of every lifestyle.” Well…Jesus was forgiving, but He would tell the person “Go and sin no more.” Another popular argument is stated in this way: “God would want me to be happy.” PHOOOOEY! God would never want a person to be happy if being happy meant living in sin. Take homosexuality for example; it’s a sin and God simply does not approve of any kind of sin. The person coming to Christ MUST realize that. They MUST turn away from that kind of lifestyle. Does that mean they will NEVER struggle with it again? No, and it would be ridiculous to think otherwise. The church gossip must turn away from that sin as well. The sin of gossip and homosexuality are the same in God’s eyes.

Repentance was John’s message. He wanted people to be prepared to know Christ and serve Him. To do that meant they had to turn from sin. To turn from sin is to turn to God. Yes, a person can straighten up and live moral, but without turning to Christ the guilt of sin is still upon that one. To turn to God is to turn from sin. Yes, a person can think about God, try to talk to God, and even go to church, but if they do not confess their sin and seek God’s forgiveness they have not really turned to God at all. And don’t think confessing is good enough…it must be partnered with forsaking those sins as well. The person that tells me they have turn to God but not did their dead level best to turn from sin has not met Holy God.

To be a Christian does not mean walking a church aisle, reciting after the preacher, getting dunked in the baptistery, and having your name put on a church role. To be a Christian means to trust Christ with everything…it is a transformed life! Listen now, if you are out there today reading this and you think you are a Christian just because you got dunked after VBS one year or sprinkled after confirmation, check yourself. Why you can dunk a donut…does that make it a Christian. You can sprinkle your lawn…does that make it a Christian? I mean it with the utmost love. There has to be change! Are you different? What work has Christ done in your and heart?

The Christian is set apart; different from the world. John the Baptist was set apart from religious society. He ministered in the wilderness by a river, not in Jerusalem at the temple. He ate locust, drank honey and dressed weird. Did that set him apart? No, he lived in such a strange fashion because he was already set apart.

Will going to a Christian school make you set apart? Will not cussing make you set apart? Will reading your Bible make you set apart? Will attending church make you set apart? Will not cheating on your taxes make you set apart? Will not drinking set you apart? Will telling people about Jesus set you apart? Will getting baptized set you apart? Will joining the church set you apart? Will teaching Sunday School set you apart? NO, NO, NO! Any of those things can be done in the power of the flesh. What we should experience is a desire to do those things AFTER meeting Christ, becoming transformed and letting HIM set us apart with forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We won’t even desire to serve God until we are set apart. Read Isaiah 6; it’s the account of Isaiah’s calling. Isaiah met the Lord and realized how sinful he was. God cleansed him…set Isaiah apart…and Isaiah’s response was a resounding, “Send me!”

Trust me on this one…better yet, trust Jesus…He will take our heavy yoke (the one we don’t want to put down) and trade us a lighter one. That being said, we can’t do it our way. We must repent, be changed, be set apart, and be different from the world around us. After all, is God like us? If He is truly at work in us, we will become more and more like Him all the time. When that happens we will continually become less like our old selves and less like this world.

It WILL be hard to let go of sinful thoughts, attitudes, and habits that we have come to embrace, but God is the trade off…now that’s a good deal! Are you sanctified? Are you set apart? Are you different? Has knowing Christ meant only church attendance, or public morality, or is it your “get out of hell free card”? If that’s all He is to you, repent. That’s not relationship and that’s what He desires. Experiencing God requires change. The question before us is simple: “Will we turn from our way and turn to God?”