Appetite

We as humans are physical beings, at least in part.  Even those of us who have been reborn “of water and the Spirit are still cocooned in this physical body.  As such, we are naturally driven by our appetites and desires.  We eat when we are hungry.  We sleep when we are tired.  God designed us this way, and like all of creation, it was good.

We sometimes tend to focus primarily on the spiritual matters of our Christianity, until toward the end of the sermon when our stomach starts to growl.  Temptations dwell in the physical realm.   We are tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed by our flesh.

Sin has distorted our appetites.  Eve saw that the fruit was good for food, she desired it in her heart, and succumbed to the disobedience.  Thus, our appetites are altered, waging war in our members.  We lust and do not have.  We murder and covet to obtain.  We are enslaved to the serpent through the desires of our body and mind.

But man does not live by bread alone.  We are not defined by what we want.  We have been set free from sin, and given the ability to desire righteousness in Christ Jesus.  We mustn’t fear our appetites.  Instead we must embrace them, and let them be a constant reminder to seek the Living Water and the Bread of Life, the spiritual provision found in a relationship with God.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    For they shall be filled.

Be Blessed In What You Do

James 1:21-25

Step 1:  Rid yourself of all moral filth and evil.  Put off the sin that distracts and entangles (Hebrews 12:1), and sow to the Spirit and not the flesh (Galatians 6:7-8)

Step 2: Receive the implanted word.  God’s word is transforming (Romans 12:2), gives wisdom (2 Timothy 3:15) and is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

Step 3: Do.  Do not be a mere hearer of the Gospel, be a doer of the Gospel.  We were created in Christ to do (Ephesians 2:10), and faith unaccompanied by works is dead (James 2:17)

Step 4:  Be blessed in what you do!  To sum up, do what Scripture instructs and God will give His blessings.

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Happy Earth Day!

 Psalm 8

1 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

² Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
³ When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
⁴ What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
⁵ For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
⁶ Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
⁷ All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
⁸ The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
⁹ O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Jesus Wept

As a young teenager, I remember my Sunday school teacher encouraging us to memorize a Bible verse.  Being the smart-alec I was, I chose John 11:35, which happened to be the shortest verse in the English Bible.

It wasn’t until recently in my adult life that the magnitude of this verse struck me.

The story begins with Jesus and His disciples receiving the news that their friend Lazarus was gravely ill.  Jesus tarries for two days before traveling to Bethany and by that time Lazarus had died, and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were mourning.  When Mary was told that Jesus was near, she went out to meet Him, and fell at His feet in tears.  Jesus was “deeply moved” and “greatly troubles”.  He inquired where they had laid his body, and Mary showed Him.  Then something peculiarly amazing occurred.

Jesus wept.

The all-knowing, all-mighty, all-holy, Jehovah incarnate was overcome with grief and shed tears.  Why is this peculiar?  Jesus knew Lazarus’ death was temporary.  He was not surprised when Lazarus walked out of his tomb nine verses later.  He knew that Lazarus’ death was for the glory of God.  He knew Lazarus would live again.

And furthermore, Christ knew of the impending victory over death and the grave through His own death and resurrection.  The plan of redemption was no mystery, Christ knew the path to the cross.  He knew that His temple would be destroyed and that He would raise it up again after three days.  For Christ, being raised from the dead, is never to die again, and so death no longer has dominion over Him.

Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, swallowed up death in victory.  And not only this, but He has shared the victory with us who believe.  In so much that, even though we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Him.  Thanks be to God that He gives us the victory over sin and death!  Through Him we are more than conquerors.

Jesus was aware that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  Christ knew that He was in fact the way, truth, and life; and that anyone who believes in Him would inherit eternal life.

O death, where is your victory!?  Where is your sting!?

And yet, Jesus wept.

Jesus loved Lazarus and Mary and Martha.  In His humanity He empathized with thier pain, He was acquainted with their sorrow.

The death of a believer is an intersection where joy and sorrow collide.  Joy in the hope of the resurrection and eternal life in and with Christ Jesus.  Sorrow because our loved on will be missed.  The blessing that was their existence in this harsh world has been taken away.  The pain of separation, though temporal as it may be, is acute. We grieve, however, not as those who do not have hope, for we know that Christ will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.

So with tears of hope and grieving, we celebrate life, both in this world and in Heaven.

Speaking for the Spirit

Luke 12:11-12

¹¹ “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. ¹² For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

I can’t say that I have ever personally experienced this phenomenon, though in all fairness I have never been drug before a magistrate, on trial for my life because of my faith.

The Bible provides several illustrations of the fulfillment of this promise.  I am reminded of Stephan’s eloquent, chapter-long sermon moments before his martyrdom.  Then there is Peter and John’s testimony before the Sanhedrin, and Paul’s defense before Felix.  In all these situations, the Holy Spirit gave special revelation to these men in their time of distress.

That being said, I am leery of those who claim that their words are directly given by the Holy Spirit.  This verse is often sited a proof of these claims.  In no way do I doubt the Holy Spirit’s power or authority to give believers direct words.  Yet I do not see this verse fulfilled in the daily walk of Christians.

It has been my experience that if you ask 10 believers what the Holy Spirit says to them about a particular situation, you will probably get 10 different answers.  I think that many Christians sincerely desire to be more spiritual and in-tune with God, however, they try and take the shortcut bypassing sanctification and wisdom.  I think that they tend to genuinely pray for guidance or for a word from God, and then assume whatever is in their mind is from God.

This is a dangerous assumption.  Our hearts are deceptively wicked.  Because we still carry around this sinful flesh, it is difficult for us to accurately evaluate our motives and emotions.

How many scriptures can you think of that command us to listen to that small voice inside, that feeling in our gut or to follow our emotions and impressions?  Conversely, how many scriptures command us to seek wisdom be sober-minded, and obey God’s word.

For me, I will learn what the Holy Spirit has said, because what He will say is going to be very similar.  And if I do find myself facing a scourging or death sentence because of my faith, then I will lean on this promise from Christ.

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

Chapter 12 of Luke opens with Jesus teaching before a multitude of people trampling on each other as they press closer to Him.  In the midst of this chaos He leans over to His disciples and says, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”  Leaven refers to the yeast that causes bread dough to rise.  My wife sometimes makes (delicious) homemade bread.  She mixes a plethora of flour, oil, eggs, and various other ingredients into a large bowl.  Then she adds a small packet of yeast to the mix.  The yeast comprises less than 1% of the mass of the dough, yet it has a profound effect.  The subsequent biochemical reaction causes the dough to rise, completely changing the form.  This minute bit of leaven has a great influence over the entire bread dough.

Similarly, the Pharisees, though small in number, greatly influenced the Jews.  Their hypocrisy infected the entire Jewish nation and religious system.  They were concerned with the outward appearance of righteousness, but not the true inward righteousness resulting from repentance and faith.  They cared more about the praises of men than they did about pleasing God.  They desired respectful greeting in the marketplace and the honored seats in the synagogue. So they cleaned the outside of the cup, but left the vile filth inside.  Their hypocritical leadership negatively affected the worship of the Jews as a whole.

Jesus went on to say,” I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”

At the core of the Pharisee’s hypocrisy was a fear of man rather than a fear of God.  They sought to be people pleasers, and not God pleasers.  This is backwards and foolishness (after all the fear of the Lord is the begging of wisdom).  Sure people have the power to ridicule, dishonor, injure, and even kill.  But that’s where it ends.  Almighty God, on the other hand, is the sovereign, holy judge who intrinsically has the authority to cast sinners into the hellish afterlife they have earned.  Therefore, like a disobedient child fearful of daddy’s belt, we should have a healthy respect for God and take Him and His word very seriously.

At the same time, though, we are very valuable to God.  Jesus explained that five sparrows are sold for about an hour’s wage, yet God has not forgotten a single one.  So if God cares so much for such an insignificant part of His creation, then how much more shall He remember the creatures that bear His own image?  Indeed, God values humanity so highly that He sent His son Jesus as a sacrifice four our redemption and salvation.

So whom do you fear?  Do you fear the all mighty God who cares for you beyond all comprehension?  Or do you fear the opinions, attitudes and judgments of other people?  Do you strive to please God through repentance, faith, and obedience?  Or do you strive to appear righteous so that you may receive the glory and praise from other men?

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.

Luke 1:37

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