Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Spending Time With God

God's word should be really important to his children.



Deuteronomy 29:29  "The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions."

The Bible is an awesome book from an awesome God. There are so many things that we do not know and we can not understand about him and for all of those things we do not need to be concerned with but for the revelation that he did give us in our Bibles we need to pay attention.

God didn't create us and run off and let it all go wild. He has revealed himself through his word so that we can get to know him. It is amazing how many people refer to the Bible as "God's word" but then they ignore it like it has no value. Most of the people that have an opinion about the Bible have never checked it out thoroughly for themselves.

The purpose of my blog is to encourage you to learn what the Word of God says and to apply it's teachings to your everyday conduct. A daily diet of Bible study is crucial because the Bible is the Word of God so we should read it, study and meditate so that we don't miss what God is saying.

The first step in Bible study is simply reading it, you can't just read other books and devotions that talk about the Bible, you need to be "digging the word" for yourself.
Romans 15:4  Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled.
The Apostle Paul tells us several times that we shouldn't skip the Old Testament just because it is old and maybe more difficult to understand. One potential cause for confusion in reading the Old Testament is that the books are not always in the order that they occurred. At Bible Gateway you can choose to read the Bible daily in chronological order. Just click the drop down menu at the top of the page and choose chronological or choose from many other options that they have.

Only when you've correctly interpreted a passage of scripture can you apply it to your life and bring glory to God. Once you read the Bible and know what it says, the next step is to find out what it means, you need to study it so that you can apply the proper teaching to your life. You can get some insight into the scripture when you search for a passage of scripture. After you have found the scripture you can click on "show resources" and have access to many different Bible study tools.
2 Timothy 2:15  Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
Correctly explaining the scriptures is a key point that Paul makes in his letter to Timothy. It is easy for us to incorrectly interpret a passage for our own benefit. Make sure the Bible says what you are trying to force it to say. Be careful when people ask,  "What does this verse mean to you?"
2 Corinthians 2:17  You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us.
One thing to keep in mind is that scripture will not disagree with itself and that you can compare your interpretation of one passage with the totality of Scripture. A lot of strange teaching come from one Bible verse being taken out of context and being used in a way that contradicts the rest of the Bible.
Psalm 1:1-2 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
Meditating on the Bible and keeping a journal are great ways to get more from your study and they help you apply what you have learned. Don't be in a hurry when you study God's Word. When you concentrate on the scripture enough to write about it in your journal then it really sticks in your mind. An easy way to start journaling is to use the S.O.A.P. method that is fully explained here.

A lifelong habit of "digging the word' will help you to know what God wants, help you steer away from temptation and it will help you tell others about God.As Jesus told his disciples after one of his greatest teaching moments:
John 13:17 "Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them."
Checkout all of the resources at "Bible Gateway" including their mobile apps and audio Bibles.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Rejoice!

Does the baby thrill you?



Luke 2:20  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:37-38  Then she (Anna, a prophet) lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.

38  She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

Matthew 2:9-10  After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

The people that missed Christmas did so for many different reasons. They had a very different reaction when they found out about this little baby. Among them the innkeeper was too busy, Herod was too scared, the religious leaders didn't care and the Romans were so busy with their idols that they didn't need to have another god.

A lot of people get excited about Christmas but for those that are spiritually minded it goes way beyond what is waiting for them under a decorated tree. It means far more to them than pretty decorations, parties or delicious treats. For these people the baby is more exciting than Frosty, Rudolph and Santa!

The devil has a very good replacement for Jesus, it is easier to like Santa than it is to like Jesus, Santa has a lot of power but he doesn't demand too much from us:
What is remarkable about Santa is that his supposed power is eerily similar to God’s. He’s a transcendent being, not limited by the physical laws of this world. He can fly around the entire planet in a single night, stopping at every house along the way. Santa is also omnipresent—he sees you when you’re sleeping. He’s omniscient—he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake.
The mythological Santa operates in a paradigm of benevolent promises and benign threats. If you’re good, you’ll get gifts. If you’re bad, you won’t. But, really, aren’t we left with the sense that everyone is rewarded with a gift, and any naughtiness is forgiven with a wink of Santa’s eye?John MacArthur - The Christmas Intruder
There were two groups of people in the Christmas story two thousand years ago and it is still that way today. There are still a lot of people that miss Christmas and get caught up in the worldly view of Christmas. They continue to live for themselves instead of living for Jesus.

The people that were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah were excited when they heard the good news. All of them reacted with a sense of wonder and awe that God would come and be with us. The shepherds, Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38), the wise men and even the baby in Elizabeth's womb (Luke 1:39-45) were all thrilled.
Does the Messiah thrill you?
Luke 19:37-38  When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.  38  "Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!"
God's people should get excited when they think about the birth of Jesus, we are the people that realize that we were in a desperate situation without hope, finally there is a reason to expect to have a bright future for eternity instead of the punishment that we deserve.

God's people cannot be indifferent or refuse to give Jesus control of their lives. If you are spiritually minded then you will realize that Jesus wants all of you, you cannot worship Jesus and self, you cannot worship Jesus and other things. Let's get excited and rejoice about the real reason for the Christmas season!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Jesus Is Alive

Noel, Noel, Jesus is alive! Emanuel, hope is here tonight!



Wish that I was there
On that silent night
When your tiny heart
started beating for mine

I wish I could have seen
The star in David's town
When you turned a stable into a Holy ground
I sing along, the angel's song

Noel, Noel, Jesus is alive
Emanuel, hope is here tonight
So go, and tell, the world that death has died
'Cause Jesus is alive, yeah Jesus is alive

The God who made us all
With these two little hands
Is bringing us his kingdom
Quiet as a lamb

Oh such Amazing Grace
A divine conspiracy
This Savior in a manger changes everything
That's why we sing

Noel, Noel, Jesus is alive
Emanuel, hope is here tonight
So go, and tell, the world that death has died
'Cause Jesus is alive, yeah Jesus is alive

Sin you have no sting
Hell you have no power (Jesus is alive)
Curse you are no more
This is your final hour (Jesus is alive)

Because the son of God
Has not left us alone (Jesus is alive)
He'll live and die and rise again
And then he'll bring us home (Jesus is alive)

The old will pass away
And we will become new (Jesus is alive)
This baby boy is making all sad things untrue

Noel, Noel, Jesus is alive
Emanuel, hope is here tonight
So go, and tell, the world that death has died

Noel, Noel, Jesus is alive (Jesus is alive)
Emanuel, hope is here tonight (Jesus is alive)
So go, and tell, the world that death has died
'Cause Jesus is alive, yeah Jesus is alive
Yeah Jesus is alive

Jesus is alive!

Josh Wilson - Jesus Is Alive

Sunday, December 22, 2013

More Evidence That God Sent His Son

Who was Jesus? Does it really matter? Consider the evidence for yourself.



John 3:16-17  "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  17  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.

Romans 1:2-4  God promised this Good News long ago through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.  The Good News is about His Son. In His earthly life He was born into King David's family line,  and He was shown to be the Son of God when He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:8  But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

1 John 4:9-10  God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.  10  This is real love--not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Who was Jesus? Does it really matter? Many people think that indifference is the right way to react to Jesus but if the things that have been said about him are really true then indifference is a very dangerous reaction.

In the previous post "God Sent His Son" we saw that Jesus arrival was:

✔ Predicted with great detail long before it happened.
✔ Announced and celebrated with a lot of heavenly delight.
✔ Marked with a supernatural sign in the sky.

In this post I want to look at Jesus life for more evidence that Jesus was God's son.

Jesus claimed to be equal with God.


John 17:21 I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one--as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.

There has been a lot written on this topic, after doing a great deal of research, many people have come to the conclusion that Jesus had to be who he said that he is or he must have been the greatest liar or the craziest lunatic the world has ever known. In his book "Mere Christianity," C.S. Lewis says:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell."

"You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."

There isn't any middle ground with Jesus, you either love him as Lord or you reject him as a madman.

A voice from heaven told us who Jesus is.


Matthew 3:16-17 After His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on Him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy."

Luke 9:35 Then a voice from the cloud said, "This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him."

How much more obvious can God make it?

Jesus sinless character.


John 8:46 Which of you can truthfully accuse Me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe Me?

If God became a man what characteristics would that person have?

You would expect him to be sinless, speak profoundly with great wisdom, have an effect on the people that were around him, do miracles, know the future. Jesus did that!

Jesus friends testified about him.


John 3:31-36 "He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else."

32 "He testifies about what He has seen and heard, but how few believe what He tells them! 33 Anyone who accepts His testimony can affirm that God is true. 34 For He is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit."

John 6:66-69 At this point many of His disciples turned away and deserted Him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you also going to leave?" 68 Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know You are the Holy One of God. "

These are just two examples, John the Baptist and Peter, of Jesus friends testifying about who Jesus is.

The early church testified about Jesus.


Acts 4:23-28 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said.

24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: "O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, Your servant, saying, 'Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? 26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the LORD and against His Messiah.'

27 "In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, Your holy servant, whom You anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to Your will.”

Jesus friends worshiped him.


John 20:28-29 "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me."

The people that knew Jesus best knew his true identity and they were not afraid to worship him. 

Jesus miracles supported his claim.


John 20:30-31 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name.

Jesus’ miracles recorded in the New Testament were not for show, he wasn't trying to impress us, Jesus used miracles to help us believe his claim to be God's son. Could anybody else raise a dead man from the grave? Could anybody else fix body parts that never worked? How about walking on water?

Demons knew who Jesus was.


Matthew 8:28-29 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met Him. They lived in a cemetery and were so violent that no one could go through that area. 29 They began screaming at Him, "Why are You interfering with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torture us before God's appointed time?"

There were many times that demons referred to Jesus as the Son of God. Even the Devil and his demons can't help but tell the truth when confronted with Jesus.

Jesus death and resurrection.


1 Corinthians 15:4-8 He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him.

Acts 13:27-33 The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the One the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned Him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets' words that are read every Sabbath. 28 They found no legal reason to execute Him, but they asked Pilate to have Him killed anyway. 29 "When they had done all that the prophecies said about Him, they took Him down from the cross and placed Him in a tomb. 30 But God raised Him from the dead! 31 And over a period of many days He appeared to those who had gone with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to the people of Israel. 32 "And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, 33 and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: 'You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father. '

The eyewitnesses were so convinced of his resurrection that they were willing to suffer and die because of their belief.

Jesus departure was as big as his arrival.


Acts 1:9-11 After saying this, He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see Him. 10 As they strained to see Him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go!"

Many people down through history have claimed to be a god or the son of God, yet only one person has the proof, the evidence in favor of Jesus being God's son is awesome. God knew that there would be skeptics, he knew that we would want a logical explanation, thankfully he has revealed the truth to us so that we can believe.

Thank you Lord for loving us and allowing us to know you.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Missing Christmas: Familiarity

Nazareth was too familiar with Jesus to think that he was special.


Luke 4:14-22  Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power. Reports about Him spread quickly through the whole region.  15  He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16  When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.  17  The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,  19  and that the time of the LORD's favor has come. "

20  He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently.  21  Then He began to speak to them. "The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!"  22  Everyone spoke well of Him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips. "How can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

Nazareth was a crude, uncultured town that was quite a distance from Bethlehem. It wasn't know as a nice place to raise a family but that is where God decided that Jesus would grow up. Remember the words of Nathanael when he said: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

Jesus grew up in this rough town yet he did not sin, the devil must have been at work in this town, I don't think that he would leave Jesus alone for thirty years without trying to get him to sin. It seems to me that Jesus would have stood out as somebody special in the crude environment that he grew up in yet the people that knew him best completely missed him.

Since none of the people in his hometown figured it out he went to the temple one day and announced it to them. They were very familiar with the passage that he read from Isaiah, they knew that it was about the Messiah that they had been anxiously waiting for, they knew that Jesus was the only kid in town that never did anything wrong yet they missed out on Christmas.
Luke 4:22  Everyone spoke well of Him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips. "How can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?"
Luke 4:28-31  When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.  29  Jumping up, they mobbed Him and forced Him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push Him over the cliff,  30  but He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.  31  Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day.
Despite having all of the facts about Jesus and having their own testimony of what they had seen and what they had heard for thirty years they still thought that killing Jesus was the best reaction to him. The people of Nazareth, who knew Him better than anyone, had no idea who He really was. Mark 6:6 says that even Jesus wondered at their unbelief.
They thought they knew Jesus
Acts 7:51-52  "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!  52  Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One--the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered."
What was their problem? Familiarity. They knew him too well or they thought that they knew him. As Stephen said to the crowd before he was stoned, "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth." Many people think that they know Jesus and they don't think that he is anybody special because they haven't really met Jesus.

It is sad to see this happen so often in the United States. There is so much access to information about Jesus that we might as well be in his hometown watching him grow up yet so many people in our country don't really know him.

I am reminded of Jesus warning that "when someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." (Luke 12:48)

Monday, December 09, 2013

Missing Christmas: Idolatry

The Romans had so many gods they didn't need Jesus.



Luke 2:1  At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.

It wasn't just the Jews that missed Christmas, the entire Roman Empire also missed Christmas even though they God used them to bring about the circumstances that the prophets told us would be a part of Jesus birthday. Caesar Augustus ordered the census that took Mary and Joseph to the prophesied birth place of Jesus.

Caesar Augustus is mentioned in the Bible as a part of the Christmas story. He ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 14 AD. His first name was Octavianus. He was the nephew of Julius Caesar and he came to power after Julius Caesar was assassinated.

Roman soldiers were probably all over the place trying to deal with crowd control and overseeing the census. They tried to be in charge and all knowing but there is something about one of the babies that they counted in Bethlehem that they don't know about.

Rome missed Christmas because of their idolatry. They had their own gods and they were even willing to let their emperor pretend to be God. Wikipedia reports that: "The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, and attributed their success as a world power to their collective piety in maintaining good relations with the gods." (Wikipedia, "Religion In Ancient Rome")

You don't have to go to a distant land where they never heard of Christ to find paganism and idolatry. You can find plenty of idolatry right here close to home. Most people around these parts don’t worship carved idols or follow demonic superstition like the Romans did, but they nevertheless worship false gods.

Some people worship money. Others worship sex. I know people who worship cars, boats, houses, power, prestige, popularity, and fame. Those things represent the pagan gods of the 21st century: selfishness and materialism. If that is what you worship, you’ll miss Christmas.

The Christmas season itself is full of idols that replace the real reason for the season. From Frosty, to Santa and Rudolph, there are plenty of fictional characters to distract us from the real personality of Christmas. Decorated trees and houses covered with lights are a lot of fun but if all of the fun stuff at Christmas takes the place of the baby Jesus in your heart then there is a problem.

Nobody wants to stop the celebration of Christmas with all of it's fun and the boost in economic spending but what the world wants to do is take the attention off of the baby. It's the same thing that the world does all of the time, it's okay to mention worlds like God, faith and prayer, just don't mention Jesus! It really is important to keep your focus as you celebrate the reason for the season.

Forgive me Lord for allowing other stuff to creep in and become more important than you on your birthday. I want to celebrate your birthday with my focus on you and your reason for coming to earth.

Sunday, December 08, 2013

Missing Christmas: Religious

The shepherds story amazed everybody but nobody else went to see Jesus.


Luke 2:8-20  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified,  10  but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  11  The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  12  And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."

13  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God and saying,  14  "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

15  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  16  They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

17  After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  18  All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished,  19  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  20  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

The dirtiest most despised outcast of Jewish social groups were the people that watched sheep. This is the same group of people that the Egyptians didn't like either.  (Genesis 46:33-34) The shepherds didn't have the opportunity to maintain the ceremonial washings and observe all the religious festivals and feasts. They didn't have the opportunity to allow religion to come between themselves and God.

These shepherds were just outside of the city of Jerusalem, possibly staying in the fields that are between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, possibly caring for the sheep that would be used in the temple sacrifices. How fitting it is that they were the first to know that the Lamb of God had arrived!

The amazing thing is that the shepherds were excited about Jesus birth and they went to see him and then they gave their testimony about what happened and nobody else went to find Jesus. All of Jerusalem missed Christmas except for some shepherds.

Why did Jerusalem miss Christmas? They missed Christmas because of religion. These people were very religious, they visited the temple on a regular basis, they made their sacrifices, they followed all of the ceremonies and attended all of the feasts and festivals and yet they missed Christmas. They were looking for a great leader; not a child in a manger. They were looking for relief from the Romans: not for somebody that would tell them to love their enemies.

They hoped for a leader who would support their religious system, Jesus opposed everything that they thought was important when he gave the Sermon on the Mount, they were disappointed in who Jesus is. He offered truth that would free them from the tyrannical, demanding, oppressive, legalistic religion the scribes and Pharisees had burdened the people with but the majority of people were so established in their religion that they wouldn’t listen to the good news.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15  But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  15  So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
Religion can be a deadly trap, ritual and rules help us feel spiritual when we are not, church tradition will send you to hell if that is all you have. Church membership isn't going to help you when you step into eternity, being baptized and taking the Lord's supper isn't going to have any value to you when you stand before God. Satan loves religion because it helps us feel righteous even when genuine righteousness is found in one place.
Romans 3:20-22  For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.  21  But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.  22  We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
You may be a follower of Jesus and you may be on your way to heaven but you may miss Christmas because of religion. We can pack the church calendar with a lot of good things that keep us too busy this time of year. We need to focus on and be thankful for the gift of being made right with God through Jesus.

Saturday, December 07, 2013

Missing Christmas: Indifference

The Religious Leaders didn't care that the Messiah had arrived.



Matthew 2:3-6  King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"   

"In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:   

'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for My people Israel.'"

A whole group of people missed the first Christmas, a group of people that should have never been guilty of missing something so obvious, these people were the religious leaders.

The religious leaders were experts in the Old Testament so when Herod went to them and asked them about the new king that the Magi were asking about they should have taken notice. They were the theologians of the day, they knew that the answer to Herod's question could be found in Micah 5:2. They knew that the Messiah was going to be born a few miles south of Jerusalem in Bethlehem.

You can see how much the arrival of the Messiah meant to the people when John the Baptist started his ministry (Matthew 3:1-5) but despite all of the anticipation for the arrival of the Messiah none of them bothered to go to Bethlehem and see if he was there. With all of the oppression that the nation was experiencing under the Romans you would think that they would be excited about the possibility of a Messiah whose kingdom and reign would restore the nation you would think that they would take a short walk and see if the thing that the nation of Israel had been waiting for had finally happened.

The religious leaders missed Christmas because of their indifference. They knew all of the facts about the Messiah but they didn't care. Having the Messiah was no big deal to them. They didn't need a Messiah because they were already self-righteous. They felt that their works were good enough, in their minds God couldn't want them to be anything more that they were, these guys were proud.

Indifference is one of the most common reactions to Jesus, many times it is the "good" people that are the hardest ones to convert, they do not see themselves the way that God sees them. Their good works have become their God.
Luke 5:32  I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."
If you don't know you need a Savior then you wont see any value in Jesus, they don't oppose Jesus, they aren't evil people, they just don't see their need for him. What a dangerous place to be, to imagine that you are good enough, and then to find out that you were wrong.

How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3)

Thursday, December 05, 2013

This Is Love

This Is Love / Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” from Paul Baloche & Kathryn Scott



Heaven’s splendor left behind
The King of glory born to die
God and man to reconcile
You came to offer up Your life
This is love, This is love
Incarnate King, begotten Son
This is Love, This is Love
You choose to make Your home in us

Worship fell that holy night
Angel voices fill the sky
Lowly shepherds raise their eyes
Following the star so bright
This is love, This is love
Incarnate King, begotten Son
This is Love, This is Love
You choose to make Your home in us

Come Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee
This is love, This is love
Incarnate King, begotten Son
This is Love, This is Love
You choose to make Your home in us

Missing Christmas: Fear

Herod didn't want to give up his throne.



Matthew 2:1-3  Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

Another person that missed Christmas was Herod. He had worked hard to impress Rome and convince them that he should have the title of "King of the Jews." So he wasn't happy when a group of guys came into town started asking around about a new king that had just been born.

In the previous post we saw that the innkeeper missed Christmas due to ignorance but Herod is very different. He was well informed, he was told all of the facts about Jesus birth by the religious leaders and the wise men also told him what they knew, but he still missed Christmas.

The scriptures tell us that he was troubled, the original wording of this text uses the word that means to be agitated or shaken up, Herod wasn't just a little annoyed. Herod wasn't willing to let anybody live that was perceived as a threat to his throne. He was a madman that would kill members of his own family.

Herod devised a plan and asked the Magi to come back after they found the child so that he could go and worship him. After he realized that the Magi had neglected to return to him and inform him where the baby was he decided to kill all of the baby's in his kingdom.

Herod missed Christmas because of fear.


The political situation in Israel was similar to many governments that we have in power today. There are kings and presidents that are similar to Herod. They slaughter innocent people in order to protect their throne. Other governments do terrible things to their people in order to suppress the church.

It isn't only world leaders that play the part of Herod, like it or not, there is a little bit of Herod in all of us. We resist the idea of somebody else sitting on our throne and taking control of our little kingdom. Whoever sits on our throne gets to decide important things about our life, this new King may interfere with our career plans, our family plans or he may ask us to give up our luxuries.
Proverbs 21:30  No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD.
We are no different than Herod. Sooner or later you will find out that the Lord's plans and his purposes are different from our own. We will have to decide if we are going to give up our crown and our throne and allow God to have the controls. God's plans are not going to be changed because we think that we are in charge. Herod tried to be in control and interfere with God's plans but Herod is dead and gone and God's plans are still moving forward.

Losing control is one of the main reasons for rejecting Christ. There are plenty of people that want the comfort and the resources that are available to the child of God. There are many that try to claim the promises of God's children when they are dealing with a death in the family. They run to the church and ask the minister to give them comfort when there isn't any reason to have the same hope that God gives to his children.

Jesus wants to be more than just a spiritual resource that we run to when life is hard, he wants to be more than a ticket to get out of hell, he wants to be crowned Lord of our life. All of us should respond to God's reign in our lives the same way that Mary did. Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." (Luke 1:38)

What about you? Have you said no to Jesus in your life because you are afraid to give up your throne? Because you want to be the Lord of your life? The master of your fate?

Help me Lord to give you the throne of my life, it is so difficult to have 100% trust in you.

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Missing Christmas: Preoccupied

The innkeeper was too busy for Christmas.


Luke 2:1-7 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiance, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

"Obviously pregnant" is how Matthew describes Mary's condition. Mary came into the busy city with Joseph and requested a room at the inn but they were turned away.

How could the innkeeper not notice? Couldn't he see that she needed a room so she would have a clean place to give birth? Wouldn't he care enough to send his wife over to where they were staying? Maybe he could have called for a midwife. Certainly a midwife would make some room somewhere and give Mary the help that she needed.

The verses in Luke say that "she brought forth her first born son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger." It sounds like Mary had this child without any assistance. The prophets said He would be despised and rejected so it isn't any surprise that his mother gave birth to him without any help, without the sanitary conditions that we expect, she had to clean him up and wrap him and lay him in a feeding trough.

The first person who missed Christmas was the innkeeper. It was right in front of him but he missed it. He told them that he didn't have room but he also missed Christmas by being so indifferent that it looks like he didn't even call for help for Mary when she gave birth.
Matthew 11:28  Then Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
The innkeeper missed Christmas because he was too busy, he was  preoccupied, his business was booming. The city was overflowing with people from out of town because of the census. Imagine how many people were asking him for a room, there must have been people in tents and sleeping out in the open, every room of his inn was probably filled with more people than normal.

So many times we are just like the innkeeper that said that there is no room. We fill our Christmas with stuff that doesn't matter and we miss the birth of our Savior. The world around us tries to dictate what Christmas should be and it offers us plenty of distractions that take our focus off of the baby.

Just like the innkeeper the the world is ignorant, the real Christmas is right in front of them but it is getting squeezed out by a lot of false ideas of what Christmas is, many of them don't know who this baby is. All of the distractions of the season make it difficult for them to get what it is all about.

I need to be careful that I don't get distracted by the world's idea of Christmas and miss the real reason for the Christmas season. I need to share the real Christmas message with someone who doesn't know.

Sunday, December 01, 2013

Talking To God About His Family

We need God to: “Give us,” “forgive us,” and “lead us.”



Luke 11:3-4 "Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

In the previous post we looked at the first half of the Lord's Prayer and we saw that it gave us an example of how to "Talk to God About God."

We looked at the part of the prayer that says: “Hallowed be Your Name,” “Your kingdom come,” “Your will be done.” We learned that we should get our minds away from our selfish ways and focus on him, then we will be able to pray as we should for our own needs and desires. It doesn't seem proper to come before the throne of grace without revering God's name, without desiring for his kingdom and his will to be done.

The second half of the Lord's Prayer is a look at talking to the Father about His family—the children’s need for provision, pardon, and protection: “Give us day by day our daily bread,” “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us,” and “Do not lead us into temptation.”

His Provision – Give us this day our daily bread.

God cares for our needs and it is okay to talk to him about them. Praying for our daily bread shows a level of dependence on God. This doesn't have as much meaning to us and it is easy to forget to be truly thankful for our daily bread when we have freezers and cabinets full of groceries at home. When Jesus gave this example of how to pray there was a much greater concern for getting food for the day.

We need to realize our dependence on God for everything that we need. Jesus didn’t give us a blank check to ask for anything and everything. Most of us need to realize how blessed we are and that we need to pass some of those blessings on to others.

His Pardon – Forgive us our sins.

After we ask for provision we need to ask for pardon. We spend a lot of time worrying about our daily provision and we dwell on that a lot but most of us are not as concerned about our need for forgiveness.

We all like to get forgiven but we don't like to offer it to others. Jesus told us to ask for forgiveness for our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Why did he have to put that in there? Forgive me but why do I have to forgive others?

If I honestly see my sin the way that I should then I realize that I am not righteous and I am in desperate need of God’s forgiveness. If I am truly grateful for God’s forgiveness in my life then I will feel obligated to show forgiveness to others. Since God has given up his right for revenge and he has offered mercy to me then I must do the same. We are never more Christ-like than when we offer pardon to those people in our lives that have hurt us.

His Protection – Do not lead us into temptation.

You may have heard the saying, "Do not lead me into temptation, I can find it myself." We seldom want to be delivered from temptation, it promises too much fun, maybe you have heard it said “Don’t resist temptation, it may not come back.” We like to play around with sin.

We have a natural inclination to do the opposite of what God desires. It isn't easy to consistently do what pleases God. The work of Satan threatens to seduce us to live life apart from God. We will be tempted to build ourselves up and honor our own names, to build our own kingdoms, to take credit for supplying our own needs and denying our need for forgiveness.
God Provides
Philippians 4:19  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
I need to realize my complete dependence on God for provision, pardon, and protection. I have nothing without him. He takes care of my daily needs as well as my need for forgiveness and for protection until I reach my eternal home.