Puzzled About Jesus

Men of the Bible Series - Herod didn't know if Jesus was someone back from the dead, not yet but soon he would be!

Luke 9:7-9  When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. 8 Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead. 9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” And he kept trying to see him.

Luke 23:8-11 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

---

Could there be a second personality in town stirring things up? Herod had to wonder, he thought that the one making all of the fuss in town was dead when he had John the Baptist beheaded, Herod was paranoid  because of his guilty conscience. John was arrested because he criticized Herod's illicit marriage to his brother's wife.

Puzzled about what was going on, Herod asked, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” Herod seemed to want to know more about Jesus but he never sent for Jesus to come to him, he never gave much thought and consideration about Jesus. So some time later when Jesus is on trial, Herod is delighted to see him, his delight didn't last for long as he became angry when his questions were ignored by Jesus.

Herod Antipas was one of four sons of Herod the Great, he inherited a fourth of his fathers territory upon his death, later Antipas was accused by his nephew Agrippa of conspiracy against the new Roman emperor Caligula.

We need to take some time to consider who Jesus is and why he came to earth, Herod didn't go beyond a superficial, careless inquiry into who Jesus is and he doesn't have a clue what his ministry is about. If you come to the wrong conclusion about Jesus or you don't even give his life and ministry any consideration then you will have made the greatest mistake of all. 

Luke 9:20  Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”

We need to consider the evidence that brought Peter to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah. Peter was an eyewitness to Jesus power over sickness, his power to feed the crowds with a sack lunch and Peter was the one that got out of the boat and took a walk with Jesus on the water.

Thank you Lord for your Word and for the eyewitness accounts that show us that you are really the Savior of the world. I pray that we will all consider the evidence thoroughly and come to the right conclusion.

Jesus Is That Important

Men of the Bible Series -  Zacchaeus didn't let anything get in the way.

Luke 19:1-10  He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. 4 So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He was about to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, because today I must stay at your house."

6 So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7 All who saw it began to complain, "He's gone to lodge with a sinful man!"

8 But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, I'll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I'll pay back four times as much!"

9 "Today salvation has come to this house," Jesus told him, "because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost."

---

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem (Luke 19:28) on a trip that must have taken quite a bit of time, he was stopped by the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19), then there were the people that kept on bringing their kids to him (Luke 18:15), and he was doing a lot of teaching along the way as well. Zacchaeus must have heard about all of the uproar that Jesus was causing and he knew that he had to meet Jesus for himself.

As Jesus approached Zacchaeus location, it became clear to him that he would not be able to see Jesus over the crowds so he ran ahead and climbed a tree. Zacchaeus proved that he had a great desire to find out about Jesus and was determined to overcome the obstacles that got in the way.  

Notice that Zacchaeus efforts are rewarded, Jesus calls hims down from the tree and invites himself to dinner with him, if we reach out to meet Jesus and make a bold move then we will not be disappointed. The question we have to answer for our self is "Is Jesus that important to me?" If we have the desire to get close to Jesus then it will happen, he will find us in our tree and invite himself in to get close to us.

We don't know what was said or how Jesus had an affect on Zacchaeus, but we do know that he experienced genuine change and to prove it he quickly announced that his life wasn't going to be the same, for now on he would live in surrender to Christ.

Jesus needs to be THAT important! He needs to be so important that it has an effect on the way I live, I need to desire to meet with him despite the obstacles, I need to seek him out everyday and keep my eyes on him. There are more than enough ways to be distracted but if we keep our eyes on Jesus then "the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

Help me Lord to keep my eyes on you and not let the things that the world has to offer get in the way or cause my desire for you to fade.

An Awesome Church Leader

Men of the Bible Series - Stephen was a great leader ... but not for too long.

Acts 6:5-15  The proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

8 Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some from what is called the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

11 Then they persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, dragged him off, and took him to the Sanhedrin. 13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. 14 For we heard him say that Jesus, this Nazarene, will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Acts 7:59  They were stoning Stephen as he called out: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

---

The first church was experiencing awesome growth and were expanding at an incredible rate. So fast that they had to decide on how to organize the work of the church, after-all the twelve disciples couldn't do everything that needed to be done.

Stephen became one of the first church leaders in this plan to organize the work of the church. This was not your average deacon, the Bible tells us that Stephen was:

• Full of Faith - Acts 6:5
• Full of Grace - Acts 6:8
• Full of Power - Acts 6:8
• Full of Light - Acts 6:15
• Full of Scripture - Acts 7 (He preached a long sermon.)
• Full of Wisdom - Acts 6:3, 10, James. 1:5
• Full of Courage - Acts 7:51-56
• Full of Love - Acts 7:60

Stephen was doing a great work for the Lord which some trouble makers couldn't stand. After they had words with Stephen and couldn't stand up to him they decided to stir up rumors about him.

Although he was a great leader that we would all do well to imitate, Stephen wasn't a leader for too long, God didn't protect him from his accusers. Like many of our church leaders he was a victim of slander and gossip, and when they couldn't stop him from his good works and his preaching they over took him and stoned him.

Thank you Lord for our church leaders and their sacrifice. I pray that you will bless them with people that will yield to their leadership. Help us all to be as Christ like as Stephen was.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

God's People Act Like They Aren't

Men of the Bible Series - Hosea portrays God's love for his unfaithful people.

Hosea 1:2  When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.

Hosea 3:1-2  Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver and five bushels of barley.

Hosea 4:1  Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land!

---

Many of the prophets in the Old Testament were told to do something as an illustration of the message that God wanted to get across.

God told the prophet Hosea to go and marry a prostitute and to love her as an illustration of Israel's faithless relationship with God and his faithfulness in loving his bride despite how she behaves.

Israel had become proud and had forgotten God's grace, they were engaging in idolatry, they were trusting in man rather than in God. They were guilty of injustice and violence, including murder, theft, lying, and oppression of the defenseless. They sound a lot like God's people today.

Hosea was faithful to God and showed his people the wholehearted love that God has for his people. Despite the pain that his people cause him, God is still willing to pursue them and forgive them for their unfaithfulness, he is willing to take back those of us that acknowledge him as Savior and Lord of our life.

Hosea 13:4  I have been Yahweh your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, and no Savior exists besides Me.

God deserves not only to be number one but he also deserves to be the only one, I need to behave like a member of God's family and be totally devoted to him.

Lord help me to live each day remembering that you are my everything. I need to act like I belong to you by living according to your commands.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Encourage Your Pastor

Men of the Bible Series - Titus was Paul's support man.

2 Corinthians 7:5-6  In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were afflicted in every way: struggles on the outside, fears inside. 6 But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

2 Corinthians 7:12-15  In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.

14 For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth. 15 And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling.

2 Corinthians 8:16-17  Thanks be to God who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he accepted our urging and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice.

---

Paul was having a very difficult time in Macedonia, he tells us that he had "struggles on the outside and fears on the inside"

We can see in the book of Acts that Paul was facing some difficulties in his ministry in the Macedonia region. On the outside he was put in prison for healing a slave girl and just a few weeks later he was caught up in a riot in Thessalonica (Acts 16,17) this guy needed some comfort, he needed some peace.

It sounds surprising to me to read that Paul had "fears inside" but it shouldn't surprise us, Paul wrote about his personal struggles in many of his letters. Paul was honest about his humanness, his request that his followers pray for him to know how to minister and how to preach, this guy is real.

Paul, a Jew, called Titus his son, something that he also said about Timothy (Titus 1:1, 1 Timothy 1:2). Paul loved Titus and he may have been responsible for leading him to Christ. Paul was encouraged by this devoted Christ follower, Titus was somebody that Paul could count on in his ministry, he was able to join in with the work that Paul was doing but he also went back to Corinth on his own to minister.

I need to be like Titus. I need to join in the ministry that my pastors are doing and I also need to be a minister working on my own calling that God has set aside for me, one of the ministries that I can have is to encourage and pray for the pastors of my church.

You are an awesome God, it is amazing that you choose to use us for your work. Help me to be faithful in my ministry and to be an encouragement to the spiritual leaders in my life.
You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Who Is Your God?

Men of the Bible Series - Elijah shows his people the evidence and lets them decide.

1 Kings 18:20-24  So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God.” All the people answered, “That sounds good.”

1 Kings 18:36-39  At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. 37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.”

38 Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell face down and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!”

---

Elijah was seriously outnumbered yet he dared to confront the people of Israel about their decision to worship Baal. Elijah asked them to makeup their minds about the issue, after all if God is God and he is everything that we know that God is, then why in the world are you playing around with something else that was created to take his place?

Gather around people and get ready for the biggest showdown since the God of Israel took on the gods of Egypt. The worshipers of Baal really believed that Baal had a chance and that he would start the fire on their sacrifice but after about 3 hours Elijah began to mock their god and reduce him to human behaviors, insinuating that he may not be anywhere close by (not omnipresent) or that he may be napping.

There was only one offering that was burned that day and it was burned even after all the water was poured on the altar, Elijah made sure that it was clear that the fire on Gods altar was not started by any other means.

Numbers 14:11  “How long will these people despise Me? How long will they not trust in Me despite all the signs I have performed among them?

We are just as bad off much of the time. We seek self worth, value, healing, purpose in life and the forgiveness of our sins in so many other ways that we have created. We need help and we run off looking for it in various ways that are displeasing to God.

I need take a look at the evidence all around me and say “Yahweh, He is God!" every minute of my life. That would keep me consistent in my daily walk and trusting in God alone.

Lord help me to grow in my faith and to have allegiance to you alone.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.