15

Jump Start # 2738

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2738

John 14:3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

  Recently in our weekly podcast (“Heaven Bound”) Jason and I took a look at three hymns that are connected to thankfulness. In that series, we talked about the history of that particular hymn and at the end of the broadcast, we played that song. We both enjoyed doing that and the reception was well received.

Coming off of that, I thought I would write a short series about hymns that have been important to me. Unlike our podcasts, I cannot play the hymn for you. And, the only connection this little series will have is that I like these hymns. There are so many wonderful songs and singing is a valuable part of our worship to God. Singing is something we all can do. You may not sing well, but you can sing. Singing is something we can do alone as well as surrounded in an auditorium full of people. Singing can change our moods and remind us of great eternal truths. What a joy it is to sing hymns!

Near the top of the list of my favorite hymns is: “In the sweet by and by.” It’s a hymn that looks forward to Heaven. In time, or as the hymn states, “in the sweet by and by” we shall meet on that beautiful shore. It’s a hymn that encourages us onward. By and by we shall be there.

The history of this hymn is a great story. The music was written by Joseph Webster. He was known to have great bouts with depression and darkness. The lyrics were written by Fillmore Bennett. The story takes place in Wisconsin, where Bennett was working as a pharmacist. Bennett and Webster knew each other and had worked on other projects together. As the story goes, Webster came into Bennett’s store one day. He was gloomy. Bennett asked Webster what his troubles were this time. Webster replied, “It’s no matter. It will all be right by and by.” Bennett hearing those words said, “that would make a great hymn.” He took out a piece of paper and immediately scribbled down the words and handed them to Webster. Reading the words, Webster started writing down musical notes and within thirty minutes the hymn was completed. It was published and well received. It became one of the greatest pieces that the two worked on together. The hymn was written in 1868.

There are several lessons we see here:

First, we can see Heaven. The hymn states, “And by faith we see it afar.” Jesus said, “blessed are they who have not seen yet believed.” He was talking about Himself. But that idea stretches to all things spiritual. Through the pages of Scriptures we can see Moses parting the Red Sea. By faith, we see Daniel in the lion’s den and Paul singing hymns in the Philippian jail. And, by faith, we see Heaven. More than that, we ought to see ourselves in Heaven. That anticipation and joy ought to motivate us to walk closer to the Lord. It ought lead us to make wise choices and to put God at the top of all things that we do. Talking about Heaven should be one of our favorite topics. A dear friend years ago told me, “Whenever you preach about Heaven, it’s like you just see it.” And, I told her, “I do.”

Second, by and by we shall be there. Don’t let the troubles of this life weigh you down. Don’t get distracted by all the things that do not matter. By and by we will be there. By and by, everything will be ok. Getting to Heaven is like any trip or journey. It takes a while to get there, but once you do, it will be so worth it. By and by we will be there. By and by everything will be ok. This tells us that things are not still up in the air. It’s not like watching a football game and no one knows what the outcome will be. By and by we will be there. By and by is confidence, assurance and motivation. God promises. We must continue walking with Him.

Third, what a wonderful lesson about helping someone. Bennett knew Webster. He knew that he could be depressed. He put before him an opportunity to not only do something worthwhile, but it would get him out of the darkness of his mind. Rather than complaining about his friend. Rather than waiting for him to come around, he helped him. He helped him in a positive way that benefited others. Surrounding us are others just like Webster. They lean toward the negative side of life. Their moods can be dark and depressing. They can pull us down with them or we can find ways to encourage, lift and remind them, as Bennett did with Webster.  This example would work well in our families. It would work well among brethren. Imagine this at work.

Fourth, it is amazing what good can be done in such a short period of time. The hymn was completed within thirty minutes. Many great pop song writers have written hits in a similarly fast period of time. Put your mind to it and use your talents and one can be amazed at all the good that can be accomplished in a short time. Another lesson here is the pulling of talents. Bennett came up with the words. Webster wrote the tune. Each on their own, likely could not have accomplished this. But together, combined, look what they did. Too many want to be a one man show. Refusing to share talent and ideas keeps more good from ever being done. If everyone was the quarterback, who would block for and who would catch the passes? The church is made up of all kinds of talent. Instead of thinking who has the most or who is the most valuable, work together as a team. Bennett’s words and Webster’s musical score produced a favorite hymn for generations.

In the Sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore. Won’t that be wonderful!

Roger

14

Jump Start # 2737

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2737

Psalms 37:17 “Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.”

Our verse is about seeing things clearly. That’s often hard to do. Life can certainly cloud things and our vision becomes blurry. Such was the case for the writer of this Psalm. He was looking in the wrong direction. He was looking at those who were not walking with God. They were arrogant, prosperous and seemed to have few troubles. That just didn’t seem right. The Psalmist was trying to do what was right, yet his life was a struggle. Things were out of balance. It nearly wrecked his faith. He became envious of the wicked. He states:

  • But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped (2)
  • When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight (16)

Then we come to our verse today. The ship is righted. Things are back on course. His vision is clear. It was in the sanctuary of God that he got his perspective and heart in the right place. He perceived their end. Their end was not the death of the wicked. Earlier he stated, “For there are no pains in their death” (4). The end of the wicked is not death, but what happens when they meet God. There justice prevails. There righteousness matters. There, God is absolute.

These verses remind us that inequalities have existed for a long time. A troubled nation is nothing new. Wrong prevailing is not new. And, as this righteous man was bothered by these things, so too, we are bothered. But in the sanctuary everything was made right. He saw things from God’s perspective. He saw what really matters. He saw that God’s word was true and right. And, from this, his heart changed, he got his feet on solid ground, and he saw things as Heaven sees them. No longer was he envious of the wicked. No longer did he feel defeated. No longer was his feet slipping.

We understand that the church building is just that, a building. It’s not the church. The church is saved people. But something special happens in that building. It is there that God’s word is preached with passion. It is there that Heaven is beseeched. It is there that praises lift upward. It is there that our hearts are woven tightly together. It is there that we are taught, warned, encouraged and reminded. It is here that we remember our beloved Savior’s wonderful sacrifice upon the cross. Yes, it’s just a building, but there are special things that happen inside that building. It is a place of goodness, hope and love. It’s just a building, but it’s like a refuge. On the outside is darkness, chaos, and worry. On the outside is trouble. But inside, among the people of God, things seem better and right.

I have spent my adult life in church buildings. For forty years I have had offices at the church building. I have been in church buildings six to seven days a week for decades. I sometimes just sit in the dark auditorium during the week. It’s quiet. It’s a great place to think. It’s a great place to remind self of what is important. Pews and songbooks and pulpits and lights may be the construction of a church building, but it’s the people that make the church. It’s smiles. It’s little ones. It’s big ones. It’s old ones. It’s new faces. It’s familiar faces.

I came to the sanctuary, is what our passage tells us. The church building is not sacred. It’s not like the O.T. temple. Yet, there are few places like the church building. It’s not like our homes. It’s not like an office complex. It’s not like a movie theatre. Something special happens in that church building. Lives are changed by the preaching of God’s word. People commit to do better. The lost begin to see. The lonely are encouraged. The hopeless find another reason to keep hanging on. Such goodness takes place in that place.

What I find interesting about our passage is that the Psalmist entered one way and he left another way. I’m not talking about the doors he used to come in and leave. I’m talking about his attitude, his perspective, and his heart. He changed. The wicked outside the sanctuary didn’t change. God didn’t change. But this worshipper of God did. He came one way and left another.

And, this tells us the powerful impression that worship can have upon us.

First, we can come to worship drained, disgusted and not in a good way. But if we have a mind to participate, engage and look both within and above, that very worship can wipe our attitude clean. It can make us joyful, thankful and kind. The world has a way of dragging us down. Bad news every day. It seems as if the crooks in life are getting away with their crimes. And, like ole’ Popeye once said, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” But worship changes all that.

Second, worship reminds us that we are not alone in this quest for righteousness and Heaven. Look around in worship. Look at all the people. Dozens and dozens, from all walks of life, representing several generations, all bowing, all praising, all loving the Lord. Good people. Honest people. Not perfect, but certainly trying their best to follow the Lord. On the outside, we forget about these things. We see sin. We see the pull of temptation. We see so many doing so many things wrong. But we come into the place of worship. There are those who are putting the Lord first.

Third, worship helps us to see clearly. What matters is not exotic vacations, big houses and fat 401’s. What matters is what happens in “the end.” Where are we with the Lord? Having your sins forgiven, being loved by a church family and walking daily in hope—what else does one need? What is there that equals that? You are a child of the Lord. Your home is in Heaven. What wonderful, wonderful blessings those are. You have a God that loves you. We are a blessed people.

This world can cause us to get our thinking twisted and inside out. But coming into the sanctuary of God sure clears the head…

Roger

11

Jump Start # 2736

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2736

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

The other night I ate a piece of berry pie. It was good. I put the folk in the sink. The next day, there was a berry stain on the sink. My wife got the stain out, but she reminded me to rinse the folk off and not put things that will stain on the bottom of the sink. She’s particular about things like that. I suppose that’s why we have a nice house. No, it’s no supposing, it is the reason we have a nice house. She wants to keep it nice and it means a lot to her. The place would never look as nice as it does if I were there by myself. What love does, it respects and honors what is important to the other person.

In our verse today, we find two parallels. Husbands love your wives and Christ loved the church. The bridge connecting these two thoughts are the little words, “just as.” Those words are sprinkled throughout Ephesians. We are to forgive “JUST AS” God has forgiven us (Eph 4:32). We are to walk in love “JUST AS” Christ loved us (Eph 5:2). Just as—just like. Equal. The same. Those “just as” words take everything to a higher and deeper level. It’s one thing to forgive, but to forgive just as God has forgiven us, that’s tough. That’s what God expects.

And, the love one has for another, will lead the other to better behavior and changes. It’s that way in a marriage and it’s that way with the Lord. Because Jesus loves us, we change.

Here are a few examples:

Instead of being demanding we become submissive and obedient. We can sure be bossy. We can be bossy at home. We can be bossy at work. We can be bossy at church. But Jesus wasn’t that way. Sure He had all authority. Certainly, His way was the only way. But He wasn’t forcing people to do what they didn’t want to do. He never strong armed another. He never made people follow Him, kicking and screaming the whole way.  Jesus loves us. He’s been good to us. He keeps no secrets from us. He accepts us. He invites us to Heaven. He blesses us more than we deserve. And, with that, we change. We stop digging our heels in. We stop resisting. We come to understand that His way is the best way. We take up His banner and follow Him.

Instead of being stingy we become generous. We do that because God has been generous to us. He blesses when we fail to ask and when we fail to thank. He sends food, rain, sunshine and good our way. The parables of Jesus, such as the laborers in the vineyard, or the classic prodigal son, illustrate the generosity of God. He sure has been good to us. And, when we can turn around and do something for His people or help His kingdom, what a joy that becomes. Giving is not a burden but a blessing. In this time of worshipping at home, we must remember to do our part of keeping things going by mailing a check with our contribution to the church. We must remember to help those who are alone. We give of our time, not asking for anything, but are thankful that we can do our part. Love will do that to us. It will turn us from stingy grumps to kind and generous, a reflection of the Lord we love and follow.

Instead of being selfish, we become servants. And, that is the life of Jesus. He came not to be served, but to serve. And, He did that well. He helped. He went. He did. His life was spent caring for others. The miracles not only proved who He was, they helped the people. Jesus could have made comets appear in the sky. He could have pulled a giant tree out of the ground. He could have balanced massive rocks on top of His head. All of those things would have amazed the crowds, but it wouldn’t have changed their lives much. But when Jesus healed the incurable, fed the multitudes, raised the dead, stopped storms, He was improving life for people. He made things better for people. And, the supreme illustration of service was the cross. He, in that one event, touched the lives of every person on the planet for all time. He made Heaven possible. When we see that sacrifice and love before us, it causes us to change. No longer demanding our ways and threatening to leave, but rolling up our sleeves and declaring, “Here am I.”

Love changes a person. It works that way in our walk with the Lord and it works that way in a marriage. Now, to see such love, and remain unchanged, shows how pigheaded we can be. It shows that we are not grateful, nor appreciative of what the Lord has done. It looks like one is taking the advantage of the other. In a marriage, one begins to wonder if the other person even loves them any more. To ignore what is important to the other and to continue to do what you want, is extremely selfish. With the Lord, it shows that we have not become disciples. The very nature of the word disciple means to be taught by another.

Love changes us. I won’t be putting folks in the sink with berry pie on it any more. I will remember. I will remember because I love my wife and it is important to her. Love does things just like that.

Roger

10

Jump Start # 2735

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2735

2 Corinthians 6:15 “Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?”

Our passage today comes from a section deep with contrasts. Within the context of several verses, Paul illustrates for us a true definition of fellowship. Here he uses the following words:

  • Bound together (14)
  • Partnership (14)
  • Harmony (15)
  • In common (15)
  • Agreement (16)

And, the contrasts listed here are about as opposite as one can imagine. Some mistakenly think Paul is talking about the marriage of a Christian to a non-Christian. But further study within these verses really upsets that logic. Paul would say, “Come out from their midst and be separate” (17). If applied to a marriage, Paul is saying that those who have married a non-Christian need to end that marriage. That flies in the face of what the Lord said about divorce in the Gospels and what Peter told Christian wives to do to convert their unbelieving husbands. Here, Paul doesn’t mention that. He doesn’t say change them. He says have nothing to do with them. No, this is not talking about marriage.

The contrasts listed here are all religious or faith-based. We find:

  • Righteousness and lawlessness (14)
  • Light and darkness (14)
  • Christ and Belial (15)
  • Believer and unbeliever (15)
  • Temple of God and idols (16)

Contextually, Paul is trying to get the Corinthians to pull away from idols. They have nothing in common with idols. There can be no merger between idolatry and Christ. There is no blending or mixing of the two systems together. They are opposites. They are not going the same direction. There is nothing in common with them. Idolatry is false and always will be false. Truth by it’s very nature is narrow, exclusive and defined by God.

You’ve seen the COEXIST bumper stickers that has all the emblems from the world’s religions in such a way that they spell “coexist”. That’s impossible. That’s the pipe dream of someone who has never studied religions and has no idea what is going on in the world around them. Just how can a Jew, a Muslim, and a Christian “coexist?” Who Jesus is, is not agreed upon by the three groups. What the New Testament is, is not agreed upon by the three groups. Then you add in fringe progressive philosophies, and there is never a way that they can agree unless they give up what they believe. There are some things that just cannot be tolerated. In fact, to tolerate error is wrong.

But in our verse today we find a simple question. “What has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” Certainly, if we were to be picky, we could find some common characteristics. We both have life. We both need food, water and air to survive. We both share the planet. Reality tells us that we both will die someday.

The drive of Paul’s thoughts are not in the obvious physical things, but in the spiritual. What spiritually does a Christian have in common with a non-Christian? What is important isn’t going to be the same to both. What value systems we have are not going to be the same. What authority we govern our lives by will not be the same. The importance of prayer, Bible, and worship is not the same to both groups. The value of the church is not the same to both groups. The importance of being a servant, supporting the kingdom, and doing all that you can for the Lord is not the seen the same for both groups. Even simple things such as what movies to watch are often not the same for both groups. Morality, ethics, service, kindness, grace and forgiveness are certainly not viewed the same for a Christian and an unbeliever.

A Christian and an unbeliever can work side by side. It may be toxic and hard for the Christian, but many do it every day. A Christian and an unbeliever can live side by side. Many do that. There are situations in which that can be hard for the Christian, but it can be done. Even within our families, we have those who are Christians and those who are not. There are times that is difficult and very trying.

It makes sense for those who are wanting to follow the Lord and please Jesus in all areas of their lives, to surround ourselves with those they have things in common with. This is not about liking the same football team or place to eat. This is about ideology. This is about philosophy of life. This is about what makes us tick and how we are wired. The more and more you have in common with someone spiritually, the more they can help you and you can help them. Now, stretch this thought to include friends. Those we really pour our hearts out to and rely upon when we need them. Common or not so much in common? Do I have more friends who are unbelievers or believers? Do I find myself fitting in better with unbelievers than believers? If that is the case, I best take a serious look at my faith and my walk with the Lord.

Now, stretch this even further to include dating and marriage. We said at the top of this that the passage is not specifically talking about marriage, but Paul’s question certainly must be considered. What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? There are simple things within worship that not being on the same page will surface very quickly. How often are you going to services? All the time? What if the unbeliever only wants you to go once a week? How much are you going to give? What if the unbeliever doesn’t want to put that in the budget? What about having people over from the church? What about drinking? What about skipping services? What about praying? What about…Is there anything in common spiritually?

What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? A question that the Corinthians needed to answer. A question that we need to answer, as well.

Roger

09

Jump Start # 2734

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2734

Exodus 8:10 “Then he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ So he said, ‘May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.”

 

  Our verse today is taken from a conversation between Moses and Pharaoh. It’s in the midst of the ten plagues. The plagues were powerful. It seems that each was directed toward an Egyptian god and was calculated to demonstrate that their gods were powerless and useless. The plagues showed that Pharaoh was in the hands of Jehovah. There was nothing he could do to prevent these plagues. And, these plagues humiliated Pharaoh. The God of the slaves was more powerful that the mighty Egyptians. “Do something,” would have been the common cry from the people.

 

  Specifically, our verse today is about frogs. Creepy, slimy frogs. Frogs everywhere. Years later, in Psalms, we find, “Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings” (105:30). Can you imagine? What a nightmare! You open up a cupboard and a frog leaps out at you. You put your foot on the floor and you squish a frog. Frogs jumping on you. Frogs in your food. Frogs in your bed. Your children screaming because of frogs. You go outside and they are everywhere. You go inside and they are everywhere. You can’t sleep because of all the loud croaking. You can’t eat. You can’t sleep. There is no where to go to escape them. There are too many to kill. They are everywhere. Frogs. Frogs. Frogs.

 

  Pharaoh calls for Moses. He says, “Remove the frogs from me and from my people.” There was a condition attached to removing the frogs. Pharaoh had to let Israel go. He had enough. Pharaoh was throwing in the towel. He gave up and he gave in. Moses won. He’d let the people go. But in a stunning announcement, from our verse today, Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Tomorrow he’d let the people go. But in the meantime there would be one more night with the frogs. One more sleepless night. One more night of misery. One more night of pain and crying. One more night of suffering.

 

  “One more night with frogs,” has been a great sermon topic for most of us preachers, including me. And, Pharaoh’s timetable baffles us. Why not end the misery immediately? Why not get rid of the frogs ASAP? I think it would be hard to tell Mrs. Pharaoh that the frogs will be gone tomorrow, when they could be gone immediately.

 

  And, tomorrow becomes a safe haven for many resolutions, promises and changes. And, with tomorrow, we live one more night in the darkness of sin, misery, missing out on the good that God has awaiting us. Paul told the Corinthians that “Today is the day of salvation.” The Philippian jailer was baptized that same hour of the night. There was no tomorrow in their thinking. Let’s get things right and let’s do it right now.

 

  We do not face frogs like Pharaoh did. What we face is the reality of truth. We stand at the intersection of what is right and wrong. We see the verses in our Bibles. The truth is there. It’s not hard to understand. It’s not a difficulty level. No, for us, it’s the conviction to change. Change is always hard and change comes with risks. The comfortable thing to do is nothing. The comfortable thing is to remain just as we are.

 

  And, so we do. Another night with frogs. Another night in sin. Another night out of God’s grace and forgiveness. Another night separated from God. And, another night to get comfortable with the way things are going. I met a guy who had a serious limp. He couldn’t run. His walk was awkward and it pained me just to watch him. I asked him how it was with that limp. He said at first, very difficult. But now, he said, I don’t even realize I have a limp. And, that’s the problem with another night with frogs. We start naming the frogs. We have frog jumping contests. We draw pictures of frogs. We train frogs. We put little outfits on the frogs. And, right then and there, we’ve learned to live with the frogs. We become accustomed to the croaking. We teach our children not to be afraid of frogs. And, like the man with the limp, life with frogs is not so bad.

 

  • Could this be said of the person outside of Christ. He lives day to day, week to week, never giving much thought about eternity. He has a Bible, but he’s not real sure where he put it. He’s been to church services a few times, but he’s too busy and really enjoys sleeping in on Sundays. Life with frogs is not so bad. But he fails to see that he is on his own. His life could be so much better being guided by the Scriptures and talking to God every day. The way he sees things would change. His priorities would change. Grace, forgiveness, kindness and hope would fill his heart. Pandemics would alter his schedule but it wouldn’t do much to him on the inside. He’d still, in the midst of this storm, find reasons to be thankful to God. But, instead, he chooses another night with the frogs.

 

  • This could be said of the person who is living immorally. He and his girlfriend live as husband and wife, except that they are not husband and wife. Or, here is a person who doesn’t have a right to be married, yet they are married. Happy. Joyful. Having the time of their lives. However, they are living among frogs and they do not even realize it. All their friends are so happy for them, but God is not. They have ignored His laws about purity and marriage. They have chosen to do what they wanted to do, rather than what God wanted. They are so emotionally entangled with each other that they likely will never get rid of the frogs. They’d rather be happy now and take their chances with God, except, there is no chance when one ignores what God has said. Another night with frogs is more appealing to them than walking in the light of God’s holiness and grace.

 

  • This could be said of the person who wants to worship God the way he feels. He doesn’t like be constrained by a book, even if that book is God’s book, the Bible. He wants the freedom to express himself however the moment moves him. He’ll dance, sing, and have a blast at “church,” but in so doing he ignores countless verses and examples of others who did the same things and were condemned by the Lord. Church, for this guy is fun. It doesn’t change him, reform him or move him any closer to the Lord. He’ll feel good, even though he’s living among frogs.

 

  For Pharaoh to get rid of the frogs he had to let the people go. For you and I, we have to repent. We have to let go of feelings and attitudes that are not right. We have to offer forgiveness and grace to others. We have to be willing to follow the Lord.

 

  Let the frogs go…tomorrow. Another night, when it doesn’t have to be that way.

 

  Roger