17

Jump Start # 961

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 961

Luke 4:16-17 “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written”

Our passage today is taken from a typical day in the life of Jesus. There are several great things we find in this text. Consider them with me:

  • Jesus returned home. It says, “He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.” Back home again. Home, where family and friends were. Home, where so many knew Him. Jesus returned to His people with the message of salvation. As the text unfolds, it shows that Jesus wasn’t received warmly at Nazareth. The expression, “a prophet is not welcome in his hometown,” comes from this very setting. It’s often hard to present the gospel to family. They know us the best. They have seen who we really are. There are no masks at home. With Jesus, His people could not get past the fact that He was the carpenter’s son. That’s all they saw in Jesus. For us, it’s the mistakes of our past that often cripples our efforts with family. It is important to do what you can. Invite. Show why and how you changed. Take the family to the gospel message. Jesus saw the importance of going home with the message of salvation. Have you talked to your family about the message of Jesus?

 

  • Jesus found His way to God’s people. The text shows Jesus entering the synagogue. This is where God’s people would be. This is where prayers were poured out to God and this is where God’s word was read and discussed. You find Jesus around God’s people. There is a lesson for us. We need to be around God’s people. That’s where you will find Jesus. These people are not perfect. They do not have everything figured out. Yet, they see the value of gathering together, praying together and reading God’s word together. Worship is important. Too many only attend if there isn’t anything better to do. Too many allow simple things such as ballgames, school activities and company keep them from worshipping. It’s not the ballgames, it’s the heart that is the issue. Divided hearts don’t put worship at a high priority. Divided hearts struggle with commitment. If you were looking for Jesus, you’d find him with God’s people worshipping.
  • Jesus found the place where it was written. In the synagogue, Jesus was allowed to read Scripture. The reader usually made comments about what was read. This afforded Jesus the opportunity to show that He was the prophesied Messiah. He made connections between God’s word and His mission. What is fascinating about all of this, is that Jesus found the place. He quotes from Isaiah 61. In Jesus’ days, Isaiah would have been three massive scrolls. This was before chapters and verse numbers were added. Jesus knew what He was looking for. Jesus knew the word. How many times have I heard a person say in Bible class, “I don’t know where it is, but somewhere in the Bible it says…” Often, what they say isn’t in the Bible. Worse, they don’t know that and they can’t find the place. Jesus found the place. There is something about being able to find the place. Today, it’s easy. With concordances, fast electronic searches, we ought to be able to nail down any verse in the Bible. Jesus knew the book. Jesus was a person of the book. That’s our clue. We need to be like that. We need to know the book. We need to know where things are found. Telling others, “somewhere in the Bible, it says…” just doesn’t cut it. Don’t settle for that. Be better. It takes time to know the Bible. Become familiar with what each book is about.
  • Jesus closed the book. After quoting from Isaiah, Luke tells us that Jesus closed the book and handed the book back to the attendant. He then proclaimed what He read was fulfilled in Him. Jesus closed the book. There is symbolism in that statement. Only God can close the book. No one else can. Not the church, not a preacher, only God. Closing the book, ends the discussion. No more is to be said about that. God has closed the book on salvation. What the Bible says about salvation is it. God closed the book on worship. God closed the book on marriage. These things are not evolving and changing and being restructured in modern times. God has closed the book. Same-sex marriage, worship that strives for audience pleasure and not God’s praise, new ways to raise church money, new ways to spend that money, new ways to structure the church…new, new, new. Those who think and spend their time in the world of “new” fail to realize that God closed the book. They are wasting their time. They are doing things without God’s approval and permission. Some want a man to marry a man. Some day, it will be a man marrying a child. Then, it will be a man marrying his dog. Then, it will be a man marrying his wallet. No end. No closing the book. Whatever the masses want. This is where many churchmen spend their days thinking and writing. They ought to open the book that God closed and read it. A closed book means that’s it. Accept it. Deal with it. Teach it. Believe it. But don’t think for a moment that you can open what God closed. It didn’t work on Noah’s ark. God closed the door and only God opened it. It didn’t work for the five foolish virgins in the parable Jesus told. The door was shut and they pleaded for someone to open it. Too late.

 

Jesus and the Bible. They go together. It ought to be the same for us.

Roger

 

16

Jump Start # 960

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 960

Ecclesiastes 12:12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.”

The wise man Solomon, of all people, gives warnings about books. You’d expect and anticipate that he would be promoting books, but instead, he gives warnings about books. I love books. I have a lot of books. I have even transitioned to electronic books. Many people give up on reading. They are too busy, they say. Solomon’s warnings reveal two truths for us:

First, there are a lot of books. He says the writing of books is endless. There were 15 MILLION books published in the United States last year. There are books on every subject. All of this tells us that there are many authors and many people with opinions that they feel ought to be shared with others. There was a time, long ago, to be an author was something of distinction. A person was part of the literary circle to be published. Not so any more. With a few dollars, anyone can be “published.” Not all thoughts, ideas, and opinions are worthy of sharing. Some are not accurate. Some are biased. Some simply need to be kept to themselves.

 

What’s in your “library?” What kind of books do you read? It helps to be balanced in your reading. Don’t read just novels. Don’t read just one type of book or just one author. Words are vehicles that take us places. They explain, explore and persuade. God saw the value of words. He could have sent pictures, instead He had his message recorded in words. Words that could be copied and passed on. Words that could be memorized and remembered. Words that could be studied. God’s words are important. He chose them and expressed them in specific ways to convey His will. Careful thought went into God’s message. God didn’t use “filler” to simply make a big book. Every word, every thought was intended and needed. Interestingly, the word, “Bible,” is not in the Bible. That word means, “Books.” God’s book is a book of books. Books written over a long period of time, in various places and under various conditions by a group of godly men who loved Him and believed in Him. It’s hard to think of our Bible as a library. Sixty-six books—each one telling it’s own story and yet connected to the overall story of God’s redemption for mankind. Without the Bible, we do not know God. The Bible trumps all other opinions and thoughts. When Jesus was questioned about divorce, He referred to the written word of God. When the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus with a story about resurrection and marriage, Jesus went to the Bible. When Satan tempted Jesus, He responded with the Bible. A person cannot be right with God and wrong with the Bible. A person cannot be a Christian a different way than the Bible way. We do not worship the Bible. We worship God. Once the Bible was held supreme in our land. It was used to swear a person in court. It was diligently looked into for answers to life’s problems. Today, many shelve their Bibles and the common thought is, “Oh, that’s just the Bible.” Too many churches have moved away from the Bible, outgrown the message of the Bible and no longer respect the authority of the Bible. Shame on them. Many are racing to the writings of others instead of God. They are letting what others wrote shape their views about the Bible. Why not just read the Bible for itself and not what someone else says about the Bible? Let the Bible speak for itself. It will stand the test of investigation, questions and scrutiny.

Second, “excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” Solomon is not denouncing books. He is not saying reading is a waste. The emphasis is upon, “excessive devotion.” Excessive devotion to anything, other than God is not good. Excessive devotion to chocolate is not good. Excessive devotion to TV is not good. Even excessive devotion to our kids is not good. We tend to smoother them when we do that and we become control freaks. Solomon is not tossing out books, only the excessive devotion.

 

Two thoughts come to my mind.

 

  • It’s good to close the books and go outside. Life is to be lived. Life is more than thinking, dreaming, planning and reading. There are things to be done. Close the books and go do them. There are too many books to be read. A person could spend a lifetime with their nose in the books and have accomplished very little. Make a difference by connecting with others. Be a friend. Be someone’s support. Does this mean, never open the books? No. It’s about balance. Preachers need balance. Some do not like to read. Not good. Others only want to read. Not good. Balance. There is time in the office and there is time to be with people. There are classes to be studied and classes to be taught. Balance. Like walking across a room with one of Solomon’s books on your head. Steady, careful, not too much leaning this way or that way. Our lives need balance. It’s ok to have fun and laugh, but not all the time. There are times to be sober and serious. Balance.
  • Learn to think for yourself. Read the books, but close them and then let the thoughts stir in you for a while. Think. Evaluate. Consider. Don’t let others shape your thinking. Examine everything carefully. Be a free thinker. Put things together in your mind. Don’t accept thoughts just because some hotshot shared his opinions. Experts can be wrong. Only God is right. He is right all the time. Think for yourself is true with sermons and Bible classes, also. Think. Explore. Consider. Chase rabbits. Jesus compared the kingdom to treasure that was buried in the field. A man had to dig at it to find it. We must put some effort into our faith. Why do you believe what you believe? Do you know? Is it because my preacher says so? That’s the wrong answer. I’ve found that many verses through the years have been misused and taken out of context. Folks have bent them to defend their opinions. These verses really didn’t teach what some claimed they did. These misuses were taught and others grabbed a hold of them and passed them on to the next generation without careful study or thinking about them. This is how error grows. We quit thinking and we just accept. Don’t do that. Ask questions. Look. Examine. Put all the pieces together.

 

I wonder what Solomon would think about all the books today. I wonder what God thinks about them?

Roger

 

 

 

15

Jump Start # 959

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 959

John 21:25 “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

 

Our verse today is how the gospel of John ends. It reveals a very interesting thought. We, today, do not know all that Jesus did. John states that “there are also many other things that Jesus did.” This goes beyond the gospel of John, and includes all the gospels. There are several occasions when the gospels reveal that Jesus healed the sick. Which ones? How many? Were there other sermons not recorded? Probably. Were there other encounters like Zaccheus, the woman at the well or the synagogue official? Probably. Were there more parables? Probably. Were there more testing by the Pharisees? Probably. There was more.

 

It may bother us that we don’t know everything about Jesus. We want to know. We want details of every hour He spent on earth. We don’t have those details. What He did between His resurrection and ascension are sketchy. Not much given about those forty days.

There is enough to convince us that He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. The laws of nature could not hold Him. Disease, death and demons were no match for Him. His word brought sight to the blind and caused demons to flee. There is enough evidence in the Gospel to prove that He is the chosen Messiah sent from Heaven.

John estimated that if everything were known and written down, the world could not hold all those books. The world can barely hold all the books about Jesus now. I have books on the Life of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus, the parables of Jesus, the questions of Jesus, the teaching Jesus, the crucified Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the coming of Jesus. A lot of books.

 

So all of this tells us that God was selective in revealing and recording what Jesus did. Instead of giving us everything, God chose what He thought would be enough to prove to us who Jesus is. What we have in our Gospels is handpicked by God. It is what He chose for you to know.

 

God wants you to know the story of His son. God wants you to believe. God wants you to follow Jesus and to become like Him. What God has given us is enough to get the job done.

What a blessing the Gospels are to us. Read them. Study them. Know them. Memorize them. They are hand picked by God for you!

 

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 958

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 958

 

Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

 

Our verse today is one of the “famous” verses in our Bibles. These are verses that are we hear often in sermons and many of us have memorized. All verses in the Bible are important and they all have value.

 

Our verse today comes near the end of Joshua’s life. Israel has witnessed the change of leadership from Moses to Joshua. The land that God had promised to Abraham long ago has finally become a reality and the nation was settled down in their home land. In the process of all of this, many were enamored with the worship of idols and had chased after that. Our verse today is Joshua’s plea for them to worship the Lord. He wasn’t going to force them, but he knew who he was serving, and that was the Lord.

There are a few observations we need to make.

1. Serving God is a choice. There are things in life that we do not get to choose, For instance, we do not get to choose who are parents are, or our physical brothers and sisters. We did not choose our name. We do not get to choose the color of our eyes, our height or in many ways our talents or personality. As the old Westerns would say, “Those are the cards we are dealt with.” What we do get to choose is what we are going to do with our life. One of those choices is following God or not. God has NOT specifically predetermined who will be in Heaven. We have a say in that matter. We have a choice. We can choose to serve God or we can choose not to.

2. How we approach life is a choice. Why is it that some are righteous and others are wicked? It’s the choices that they have made. Why are some kind and others mean? Choices. Why do some forgive and others harbor hatred? Choice. I had a friend named Barbara Johnson, who was an author. She often wrote in her books, “Pain is inevitable, misery is optional.” We cannot choose what will happen to us today. However, we do choose how that will affect us. We can choose to be sour, grumpy and miserable or we can see beyond those things and continue to let our light shine. It’s a choice. You do not have to be miserable. Your circumstances do not dictate how you are on the inside. There are those with cancer who are upbeat, optimistic and cheerful. There are those who can’t find a job who still are pleasant in spirit. There are those who have buried children who are not gloom and doom. “Woe is me,” is a choice. Don’t blame your circumstances for being miserable. You don’t have to be miserable. You choose that. Too many hang their hat on their circumstances. If the weather is pleasant, they are. If it’s cold and rainy, they are in a bad mood. Why? It’s not the weather that made them that way. They have chosen that.

3. Serving God ought never to be disagreeable to any of us. Joshua’s opening words speaks volumes. Why would anyone find serving the Lord disagreeable? Could it be that they didn’t get their way? Try serving idols then. You’ll find you never get your way because idols can’t do a thing. Idols don’t bless. Idols can’t answer prayers. Idols are fake. Could it be they feel that way because God has rules, commands and restrictions? They want freedom which means do as I please. Could it be that they want to be immoral but God won’t let them? Could it be that they want to believe anything but God won’t let them? Could it be that they are more interested in themselves than God? How can anyone find God disagreeable? God is good and gracious. Every good gift, James tells us, comes from God. He blesses us. He forgives us. He seeks after us. He wants us. The idols, the fake gods of the Egyptians, Romans, Greek and the rock ‘n roll, “let’s have a party” atmosphere of many modern churches today is shallow, empty and self serving. They are like eating cotton candy. It tastes great but there is nothing there. The cotton candy theology of too many moderns is the same. All sugar. All fun. No substance. No foundation. When the storms come, and they always do, and that wind blows, their house collapses because it was founded upon fun and not Christ. These things are not about serving the Holy God. They are about finding what makes me happy. The god that most bow down to is “happiness.” Moderns have created a religion of happiness. The message is a happy message. When was the last time you heard a sermon on Hell? When was the last time a modern religious author warned about Hell? Doesn’t happen. Doesn’t fit in with the gospel of happiness. The music, the atmosphere, the spirit is all happy, happy, happy. Little preaching. Too much ignoring the Word. God has become disagreeable to them. How sad.

 

4. Joshua was not going to be swayed by the nation. He was following the Lord. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” is such a powerful, line-in-the-sand statement. The rest of them may find the Lord disagreeable, not Joshua. The rest my be dancing and partying with the idols, not Joshua. This old Joshua remembered Moses coming down the mountain with the tablets of stone. He remembered Moses’ brother making idols. He remembered a whole generation dying in the wilderness because of their disobedient hearts. He remembered God thundering on the mountain. He remembered being fed from Heaven. He remembered the miracles. Joshua had a long history with God. There was nothing disagreeable to Joshua. Each person has to come to their own conclusion about God. Others in the family may not see the value of serving God. You do. Others in the church may not be as serious as they ought to be. You are. You cannot let others determine how you will serve the Lord. You know. You know what the Lord wants. Don’t play follow the leader, you lead. You set the pace. In your home, have prayers. In your life invite God to journey with you. Do not be ashamed of God nor his word. Make no apologizes for what God says.

As for me and my house…how about you and your house?

Roger

 

 

11

Jump Start # 957

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 957

 

Hebrews 13:21 “equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever.”

 

Our verse today reminds us of a great principle and truth that we often forget. The writer tells us that God works in us. That’s an amazing thought. He doesn’t work for us. Nor do we work independent of Him, but together, God using our talents and opportunities works in us and with us.

 

We are not alone in this. God is not on the sidelines simply watching. There is a combined effort, a partnership in the spiritual that takes place. Now some things to remember:

 

  • God is not going to participate in things that are contrary to His will or are not authorized by His word. God is not going to work against Himself. In the name of religion, everything happens from car washes, plays and drama, to big business. Placing the word “ministry” behind something doesn’t mean it is God endorsed. God will stay with His word, even if we don’t.

 

  • Large crowds, big buildings and a lot of energy is not the measurement of spiritual success. Every once in a while someone will see a parking lot full of cars at a church building and make the comment, “They must be doing something right.” No, not necessarily. It simply means they have a large crowd. God never counts people as a measure of success. We do. We take attendance at worship and we fret over numbers. God doesn’t. Noah’s ark…Lot and his family…Gideon’s downsized army…those on the narrow way—all illustrate that success with God is not about how many people are in the crowd. A preacher visits and one of the first things someone will ask is, “How big is your church?” I’m asked that all the time. Why does it matter? If the answer is 50, there is a sad look on the questioners face. If the answer is 400, they are shocked. Spiritual success is measured in terms of people changing for Christ. Large hearts impress God more than large buildings.

 

  • We can lose focus upon what God is after. Slick, new and fancy church buildings serve a need, but at the end of the day, they are simply a building. God is in the people business. When Jesus declared, “Upon this rock I build my church,” He was saying, “I build people.” God builds people from the inside out. He changes them and molds them into a people of character and righteousness. We tend to like programs and stuff and can get caught up in those things failing to see that God wants us to help people connect to Him. That is the key

 

God works in us. This is not divine inspiration. This is not something miraculous. This is not the same as what happened with the apostles. However, it is something beyond ourselves. Once we have saturated ourselves with God’s word and busy engaged in His will, things happen. Good things happen. The busier we are in God’s world, it seems the more He opens doors for us in our world. Partnership works that way. Fellowship with God.

 

You find your niche. Your talent grows. Opportunities become available. You look for ways to invite, teach and shine your light. God is there. He helps. You find yourself doing things that you never thought you could have in the past. You get excited and motivated to spend more time doing spiritual things. Helping people to ready for Heaven becomes a huge passion for you. There is nothing like it.

I had a Bible study with someone recently. They were telling me what it was like. The person said “I was not going to believe it until you proved those things to me. I was stubborn and resisting you. But once I got it, there was this glow on your face. You knew that you had finally shown me what God said. I got it.”

 

God working with us!

 

Roger