Romans 3:1-2, NASB
Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God. We’ve probably all heard and memorized the line from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The phrase actually dates back to way earlier then Spider-Man (there’s a use of that phrase in a French document regarding public safety written in 1793, and even in Jesus’ teaching - “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” - Luke 12:48). Yeah, the most famous line from Spider-Man is actually from Jesus. Awesome! Have you ever been given a big responsibility? Maybe at work you were put in charge of a project. Or maybe in your household you are in charge of managing the money and making sure bills are paid. There is a lot of power when getting behind the wheel of a vehicle….and a tremendous amount of responsibility. I remember I would do some dumb things as a younger driver. Then one day I realized, “What if, while driving “fun” like this, a child stepped out in front of me and I hit them with my vehicle?” Thankfully God reminded me that there is a huge responsibility to driving, and I was able to change my ways before something dreadful happened. Something really struck me as I was reading this Romans passage. Talking about Israel, Paul rhetorically asks about advantages and benefits. But his first response is awe inspiring - they were entrusted with the actual words of God. Let that thought stir in your minds for a minute. Of all the benefits and advantages Paul could list here, he goes to the actual words of God. And that Israel was the caretakers of God’s Word. That is a a very weighty statement. Talk about a responsibility. Wow! But what was that responsibility? What did it mean that they were entrusted with God’s Word? First, it meant that they knew first hand what God required/desired of them. For other nations, they weren’t sure from day to day what to do to appease their gods. But Israel, Israel knew exactly what God was asking them to do. Second, not only were they entrusted with the words of God about how to live their lives, the same were also very clearly revealed who God was. Yes, as Psalm 19 says, the heavens declare the glory of God for all the nations to see. Nature reveals a picture of God. But the Word of God more accurately and clearly revealed God to Israel. And third, they were entrusted to not only keep God’s Word, but to pass it on to others. Deuteronomy 6:7 states, “And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.” Meaning, they were to not only let God’s Word guide them, they were to share it and teach it wherever they went as well. By now you’ve probably figured out where this is going. Just as Israel was entrusted with the actual words of God, so too are Christ followers today. The question I have is this: What are you doing with the actual words of God? Are you living them out? Are you teaching them? Are you talking about them on the way and at home? Are you treasuring them? Are you letting them collect dust on a bookshelf somewhere? Ooops. How did that slip in there? Probably because more often than not, we don’t realize the great privilege we have today with our access to the word of God. And sometimes life gets so busy, we just don’t have time to read it. Listen, I understand. I get it. I’ve had those days. Those days where you just want to disappear and not have to engage with anyone or anything, just hide in a silence somewhere. Or to get lost in a book or magazine or TV show that is just sort of mind numbing so you don’t have to think. Believe me, I’ve been there a lot. But as followers of Christ, we cannot neglect the entrustment he has given us with His Word. Why do I push for people to be consistent in reading their Bibles? As much as I love preaching and teaching God’s Word, you will see more growth in your walk with Christ by a consistent reading of His Word then you would just by listening to sermons. And as I read Romans 3 I was quickly reminded of the great power God has given us in His Word. In it He reveals Himself clearly. In it He reveals what He wants from us. And with the great power of God’s Word comes a great responsibility: let’s get out there and share it and talk about it with others. -Pastor Brian
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Matthew 20:29-34, NASB
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two people who were blind, sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” But the crowd sternly warned them to be quiet; yet they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. What motivates you to do something? Maybe it is the thought of a reward. “If I do this thing, then I will get this in return.” Maybe it is fear based. “If I don’t do this thing, I’m afraid that I will get into trouble or hurt the relationship of the person who asked me to do it.” Maybe it is because you are a people pleaser. “I have to do this thing so that people think I am this, that, or the other” Maybe it is because of guilt. “I didn’t do this other thing, so I better do this so everything will smooth out and be ok.” I can type all these things because I have responded in all these ways. I'm sure there are a plethora (yes, I know what a plethora is) of other reasons we can list. I don’t know where you are at, and your reasons. But I can be sure that every response we have is driven by some type of motivation. I love reading the Gospels, and seeing the way Jesus lived life, interacted with people, and took the time to be interrupted by people, especially people who were hurting. And this story is no different. Two blind people were crying out to Jesus for mercy, because they heard that Jesus was passing by. Whatever they have heard or learned, they knew Jesus could change their situation. Let’s be honest for a minute. Most of us don’t really know what it is like to have little to no sight at all. These two men were blind. We don’t know if they were blind from birth, or if they developed blindness over time. We don’t know their age. All we know is at this moment and time, they were blind. So I reached out to a couple brothers from our church, Mark and Chuck Resor, who have experienced loss of sight in their lifetime. Here are some of the things they talk about as being an everyday challenge that most people don’t experience nor understand: 1. Lack of independence 2. Lack of mobility 3. Unable to help others as much as I would like to 4. Unable to see the smiling faces of my grandchildren, family 5. Not being able to do things you know how to do, because you can’t complete it as well 6. Hearing construction projects but not being able to see the end results 7. Unable to see what they have found on Mars. I have heard the sounds, but wish I could see it, and see what the Rover looks like. 8. Wish I could see “Galaxy’s Edge” or “Star Wars Land” at Disneyland 9. Not being able to see food served to me (It’s very challenging. I, pastor Brian, went to a “Dining in the Dark” event, where they blindfold you and turn off the lights and serve dinner. Another friend, Ryan, who has very limited sight, coached me and told me you just have to use your hands to touch the food on your plate to know where it is, then just kind of shovel it onto your utensil, and get it into your mouth….think how hard it would be to eat rice and not being able to see it) 10. Grocery stores and grocery shopping 11. Not able to see artwork and paintings On the flip side, they noted some other interesting things as well. Mark said, “It makes one more humble, which I think is a positive thing. It does allow one to be a better listener.” And Chuck also said this, “It has shown me how kind mankind can be…I believe needing help from people (who can see) has proven to be very helpful and shown that mankind is generous and loving.” I want to thank Mark and Chuck for helping me put this together. We often take things for granted, including having our eyesight. Maybe it helps us understand why the two men in this story cried out, and then cried out all the more to Jesus. But there is something else in this story which I think is amazing. It is three simple words about Jesus that get me every time: “Moved with compassion…” The Greek word for compassion is one of the best words ever: splagchnizomai. Just so you know, spell check doesn’t like that word. How do you say it? What does it sound like? Like this: spla (like spa with an “l” added to it), gch (it sounds like you’re clearing your throat) knee - zo -my. Splagchnizomai. Why is it one of my favorite words? Because it literally means to be moved in the bowels. To feel it in your gut. To double over. Jesus didn’t just have pity, he had empathy. He felt their need. He was gutted to the core (as a note, in the first century culture, it was believed that the bowels were the seat of love and pity). Why did Jesus help these two men? To look good to the crowd around him? No. Out of obligation because He has healed other people. Nope. Because He felt guilty because He could see and they couldn’t. Not a chance. Jesus was moved to action because of love, mercy, grace, compassion. It didn’t matter if there were a crowd of people there or not. In front of Him were a couple people in desperate need, and Jesus couldn’t stand to look the other way. If I’m being honest, sometimes I relate more to the “crowd” in this story. Sometimes I am all too eager to push aside the “distractions” so I can keep moving forward to the destination. And yet God’s Word pushes me to be more. God challenges me to be more like the two blind men. Who cried out for mercy, and when told to be quiet, cried out all the more. What do I have to learn from two blind men? Their great faith! They knew that a better life fully depended on Jesus and nothing else could help them. Too many times I keep things to myself. I’m not that important. I don’t want to bother God. I can probably figure this out on my own (which never works out very well). I am thankful for these two men, because they challenge me. They challenge my faith. They challenge my understanding of myself. And they challenge me to cry out to God. Second, I am challenged by Jesus. Jesus, moved by no other emotion or reason then compassion, listens and heals. Not because of guilt, or obligation, or to please the crowd…or any other reason. Moved…with…compassion. Lord God, I pray, I cry out, that you would help this broken heart. That you would chisel off the parts that have turned to stone. That you would redirect the areas where I have allowed false motivations to creep in. Help me to see others the way you see them. God I pray that you take away the guilt and all the other distractions, that I would be left with one thing….compassion. Your compassion. -Pastor Brian Acts 27:20; NASB
Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was slowly abandoned. Despair. It’s not a fun word. It’s a word that seems to bring you deeper and deeper into the abyss. Where the light slowly and slowly fades away into darkness. Despair is defined as “the complete loss or absence of hope.” It’s a place where no person wants to be, nor should we want any person to ever be there. In this story in Acts 27, Paul is a prisoner being transported to Rome. He is on board a ship with 276 people on board. They are trapped in a devastating storm. (Click here to read all of Acts 27:13-44 for the whole story) Before GPS, sailors used the sun and stars to navigate. But it had been stormy for many days. Meaning….no sun nor stars. Meaning….we have no idea where we are and we have no idea where we are going. They are completely lost. They used cables to hold the ship together. They threw cargo and tackle overboard to lighten the load. They were desperate. They were scared. But the storm only intensified. And ever so slowly they lost hope. “All hope of being saved……was………slowly ……..a……ban……doned.” Repeat that sentence again….only read it slower this time. They were closing in on the bottom of the barrel. The only thing seemingly in front of them was destruction and death. In other words…..despair. No hope. Maybe you are reading this right now and it hits too close to home. Maybe that's where you are. Hope is slowly being abandoned. The storm has been raging for too long. You can barely keep your head above water. Would you believe the story of the shipwreck gets worse than that? Yeah, I know, that can’t be right. Yeah….they went another 14 days drifting at sea, not eating. From bad to worse. Out of the frying pan and into the oven. If hope was slowly abandoning them on day one, I think it is completely out the window (maybe better to say it was thrown overboard) by day 14. But one passenger on board did not lose hope: Paul. Paul had an angel visit him and tell him everything would be ok. He had to go stand before Caesar and share the Gospel. Paul proclaims this: “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God…” For I believe God. If there is one person, one thing, one hope that does not let us down, it is God. He is always with us. He is lifting us up. He is providing for us. He is our everything. We have no guarantee that the storms in our life will pass. Maybe they will. Maybe they will pass quickly. Maybe they will pass slowly. Maybe they will sink everything we have. And maybe the storm will be the end of life as we know it on earth. God never promises that we won’t have storms. He never promises to deliver us from all the storms. But He does promise His presence with us always. And more than that, He has promised to prepare a place for us. A hope where moth and rust cannot destroy. An eternal dwelling with a God who loves us wildly and beyond our imagination. All secured through the death and resurrection of Jesus. There is something amazingly, peacefully, joyfully hopeful in Jesus' words on the cross, “It is finished.’ Done. Paid for. Secured. The storms in life may shake and throw you around. But those same storms can never, ever, throw God away from you. They can never dash your future with God to pieces. He is with you. Always. And there lies the hope of the Christian. The hope that is available to all who would believe. I love how this daughter and father have summed up their hope in God: “If God can bring blessing from the broken body of Jesus and glory from something that’s as obscene as the cross, He can bring blessings from my problems and my pain and my unanswered prayer. I just have to trust Him” — Anne Graham Lotz “I’ve read the last page of the Bible. It’s all going to turn out all right.” — Billy Graham Friends, may you live the confidence in God that Paul proclaimed in the midst of a wild storm: “I believe God.” -Pastor Brian Psalm 40:1–4 (ESV)
I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! None of us likes to wait. We get impatient. We get frustrated. We wonder what’s taking so long. We get upset that something was ordered on Amazon Prime and it says next day delivery but it didn’t get here until 6pm. Wha —!! The audacity of a company to say we will get something to you the next day and to not get it to us before noon. Or if you’ve ever gone to El Pollo Loco, and used the drive through. You are immediately hit with the fact that this is taking waaaay to long. This is not fast food! I love how Louis CK, when making fun of impatient people, remarks how a person is on their phone and frustrated that Google or Siri is taking so long to answer. And he buts in and says, “Can you just give it a second! It’s going up to space and coming back down….just….give it a second!” These four verses from Psalm 40 are packed with rich nuggets of truth and advice. And they are written by King David, a man that knows a little bit about the ups and downs of life. When I read these verses it’s no wonder that David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart. Before we tackle the first verse, let’s look at verse 2 - where was David. First he says “the pit of destruction.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound too pleasant. It doesn’t sound like a place I want to spend any amount of time in or even visit. Did you ever see the movie “The Princess Bride?” If not, it’s worth a watch, if you have, you remember the scene where our hero, Westley, has been captured and is taken into a secret torture chamber, lovingly referred to as the pit of despair. The pit of destruction is that place. There’s no hope, seems to be no way out. The walls and roof are closing in and there is o escape. Second, David references a miry bog. What’s that? It’s like swampy ground. Have you ever walked in really wet, slushy mud, where you foot seems to slink down into an endless abyss of massive suction. Then it takes almost all your strength to bring your foot out, and when you do you realize the mud has swallowed your shoe whole. It’s gone. You’re not going to find it or get it back. It’s exhausting. This is “where" David says he has been. And what has he been doing in the horrific places in life. Waiting. Our Bible translates it as waiting patiently. It is actually the same Hebrew word for both (although the nuance of the second word gives the meaning or idea of patiently). Literally David is saying, “While waiting, I waited even more for the Lord.” Maybe some of this resonates with you right now. Maybe you are in that pit of destruction, that miry bog. Maybe you’ve just arrived, maybe you have been there a little, or maybe you’ve been there so long you’ve lost count of the number of days or years. Maybe emotionally or physically you are worn down. Maybe mentally you are on your last straw. Maybe financially you are barely keeping your head above water, and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight. First let me say this, “I’m sorry.” I’m sorry you’re there. I wish life were perfect. I wish I can make it all better. I wish I could take all the struggles and hardship away. But I can’t. What I can do is remind you that David, the man after God’s own heart, gets it. He’s been there too. He knows the struggles we can face in life. And I think he knew the secret that can help us out as well. David knew he wasn’t alone. He knew the love and power and grace of God. He knew that God would not and had not abandoned him, even in his darkest days. So he waited. He waited while waiting. He didn’t grumble. He didn’t shake his fist. He didn’t consult the proud. He didn’t try to solve the problem himself. He didn’t stand there all angry tapping his foot (he couldn’t; it was stuck and sunk down deep in the miry bog). He waited. And….he trusted. He trusted God to know when to do what He does best. He didn’t rush God’s timeline. He didn’t beg. He waited and trusted and believed that God would deliver him. Like tom Petty famously sang, “the waiting is the hardest part.” But the blessings that come from waiting on the Lord are invaluable. How is your waiting going? Patient? Impatient? Frustrated? Content? Vocal? Silent? Complaining? The truth is you decide how you wait. David gave us a great example - while waiting I waited, patiently. What happened to David, that he shares with us. God rescued him. God pulled him from the sinking, sticky, miry bog and set his feet on solid ground, where He didn’t sink into the earth. God gave David the assurance in each step that he took, that he didn’t need to worry about falling, slipping, or sinking (or losing another shoe). And I love this: God gave David a new song to sing. Another reason to shout out praise to God for His great love and mercy and kindness. God gives us a reason to celebrate. That might seem so far away from some of you, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Think back to other times God has delivered you. Maybe it wasn’t anything huge or big; maybe it was small. But God has a way of rescuing us (over and over and over). And each rescue is a reason to sing. God has got you. He is with you. Even in your greatest despair, you are not alone. Trust Him. Wait on His timing for rescue. And he will give you even more reasons to sing. I love how Henry Blackaby talks about our times of waiting on the Lord: “Grass that is here today and gone tomorrow does not require much time to mature. A giant oak tree that lasts for generations requires much more time to grow strong.” Cut It Out
“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire." - Matthew 18:7–9 (ESV) Temptations. They aren't just an R&B group that wrote some great songs (honestly....they wrote some really great songs). Temptations isn't just a fancy name for pet treats either (but my pets do love them). You know temptations. When you are trying to eat healthy and choose a salad, then a waiter or waitress walks by with a sizzling plate of fajitas, that smell so good.....and before you know it the healthy eating is taking a side seat to some sizzling, delicious fajitas (maybe that's just me and you have more will power). When Jesus is teaching about temptations, he isn't just talking about choosing the wrong food when trying to eat healthy because you were tricked into eating unhealthy food (although I swear nobody originally orders fajitas at first, they just walk around the restaurant with them to tempt all the patrons). The Greek word for temptations here is "skandalov". Yep, it's where we get our word scandal, or scandalous from. It literally means "the movable stick or trigger of a trap, any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall, any person or thing by which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin." Meaning, a temptation is intentionally put in place to cause someone to trip or fall or stumble, or to turn away from God and their faith. Think of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. The coyote didn't buy all those acme devices to catch the roadrunner and invite him over for dinner. He wanted to destroy the roadrunner, to get rid of him forever. He wanted to knock him down, trip him up, throw him off course. That's a scandal, a temptation. But Jesus doesn't spend too much time chastising the world for its temptations. Rather he warns us to avoid the pitfalls and traps. To cut them off and throw them away. Jesus isn't talking about physically maiming ourselves. Because the problem isn't our eyes, or hands, or feet....it's our heart. And this is where and why we are so desperate for Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. I love how the Apostle Paul explains it in Colossians 3:1-17. Read through it this week. Don't just read it...ponder it, chew it up, sit with the thoughts of it awhile. Because in it Paul kind of likens our faith and following Jesus like clothing. "Put off these things," Paul says. What things? Things like sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness. They may seem to give the promise of contentment and satisfaction, but in the end they will lead to your destruction. And then Paul reminds us who we are. "You are God's chosen ones, you are holy and beloved," he says. So then, clothe yourselves with these things. Things like patience, forgiveness (the way God has forgiven you), loving, bearing one another's burdens, and letting Christ's peace rule in your hearts. Christ's.....peace.....ruling.......our hearts. That's God's plan for you. That's where He wants to lead you. And He has prepared a path for you to walk on. But watch out, because the world wants you to have nothing to do with that. So it will throw traps, pitfalls, oil spills, balck holes....whatever it can to derail you on your walk with God. The world only wants one thing: to scandalize you and ruin you. All the while God is leading you to peace. So it's time for an introduction. Hello rubber, I'm road. Oh hello road, I'm rubber. (yes, this is where the rubber meets the road) What are things that seem to constantly pitfall your faith? Let's name a few: maybe it's the internet, pornography, or alcohol. Maybe it's your credit cards/money, or your social media accounts. Maybe it's the television and things like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, and more. Maybe it's music or (gasp!) Wordle (or other games on your electronic devices). Maybe it is getting completely wrapped up in hobbies or youth sports. I know, watch out....I may have struck a nerve here with these and I need to navigate very carefully. None of these things in and of themselves are bad (well, some things are definitely only bad). But, they can start to interfere with you growing in your faith, in you following Jesus, in you being transformed by the renewing of your mind and heart by the work of the Holy Spirit. And what Jesus warns us to do is simply this: cut......it......out! What does that mean? If anything is getting in the way of your relationship with God, put it in a timeout and get your priorities straight. It is better to enter eternal life stripped of some things, then to shipwreck your faith because you chased after the limited, fleeting pleasures and scandals of this world. In the end, you know you. Meaning, you know what you struggle with. You know the things that get in the way of you growing with God. The question Jesus is asking each and every one of us is this: "Are you willing to cut it out of your life for the sake of finding eternal life, joy, hope and peace in Christ?" As God works in your hearts and minds over these things remember this: God is with you. He will never leave you. He is your strength. The Holy Spirit is the power of God living in you, enabling you to see and avoid the scandals of the world so that unhindered we can chase after God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. -Pastor Brian |
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