17

Jump Start # 4014

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4014

 

Leviticus 10:3 “Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.’ So Aaron, therefore kept silent.”

 

 

Our verse today follows a very tragic story in our Bibles. Aaron’s two sons, serving as priests, are killed during an act of worship. In today’s world, cameramen, reporters, first responders, police would all be at the scene. A mic would be shoved in front Aaron to get his comments. Moses would be interviewed. But, none of that happened.

 

Aaron’s sons offered a strange fire. The ESV words it “unauthorized.” Did they want to be different? Did they think it didn’t matter? Did they want to make a name for themselves by doing this? Did they think God would be ok with this?

 

The fire consumed the two of them and they died. They died right there. Moses doesn’t try to find a way to justify what they did. He didn’t find an excuse. He stood with God. They approached God in an unholy manner. Priests or not, God doesn’t tolerate such attitudes.

 

They died. Struck down by God. Died in disobedience. Died not honoring the Lord. And, as Moses explains this to his brother Aaron, our verse ends with the words, “Aaron kept silent.” Others word this, “Aaron held his peace.”

 

Aaron didn’t lash out at God. He didn’t complain that the Lord didn’t give them a second chance. By killing them, they had no opportunity to repent and do better. Was the punishment more than the crime? Why was the Lord moving so quickly on what they did? Aaron held his peace.

 

Solomon tells us that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. Most never know when that time it is. Somehow empty heads seems to speak the loudest and the longest. Aaron held his peace.

 

Job’s friends followed this path for a short time. For a week, they sat with Job without saying anything. Then they felt compelled to respond to Job and things went down hill very quickly. They should have remained silent.

 

Here are some lessons for us:

 

First, sermon critics are the most popular position in many churches. They have a keen eye to catch every typo and misspelled word. Their ears can hear every butchered rule of grammar. A lady came to Henry Ward Beecher after one of his sermons and proclaimed, “I caught only three grammar mistakes in your sermon.” Beecher replied, “Sometimes grammar gets in the way when I’m preaching.” So true!

 

Aaron kept silent. Something to think about. This doesn’t fit just sermons, but song leading, praying, announcements.

 

Second, what could Aaron say? His sons were wrong. There is no way to repackage this so that his sons come out looking good. They don’t. Aaron knew that you can’t fight God. You’ll lose every time. Aaron didn’t want to participate in wrong by accusing the Lord. That would make Aaron unholy.

 

There was a time when a kid got in trouble at school, he really got in trouble when he got home. But, these days, mom and dad march back to the school, demanding an apology, their attorney’s number on speed dial, making threats and acting very unholy. Aaron held his peace.

 

Someone at the congregation is disciplined. Fellowship is withdrawn. What follows is that all that person’s family and friends pitch a big fuss and they leave. Aaron held his peace. There are thoughts that we just need to keep to ourselves. There are things that should not be spoken to others.

 

Third, there are moments when silence speaks louder than words. I can’t imagine what Aaron thought that night as he pillowed his head and thought about the death of his sons. I wonder what words he spoke to the Lord? Did he say that he was sorry for what they did?

 

Nadab and Abihu for thousands of years have become the poster children of disobedience and rebellion. They are used over and over in lessons about authority. They are the proof point of what happens when you don’t follow the Lord. And, through all of this, Aaron held his peace.

 

Roger

 

16

Jump Start # 4013

Posted on February 16, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4013

 

Acts 2:33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promises of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.”

 

American’s love winners. The Dodgers in baseball, IU in college football, gold medals in the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby, the Indy 500, we love our winners. Many of us have ribbons and trophies from victories in the past. We’ve kept those honors for decades. They were special times. The first to break the ribbon. Standing on the podium. Cameras flashing and crowds applauding, that’s the taste of victory.

 

Winning is hard. It takes long dedication, practice and commitment. And, as one wins, there are always many others who didn’t. They came in second, or third, on down to last place. The victor wins. Others didn’t.

 

Our verse today reminds us of the victory of the Christ. There was a time He seemed defeated. Dying on the cross. Closed up in a tomb. Days of silence. But, on that special first day of the week, the Lord came out of that tomb and later ascended, as our verse states, to the right hand of God. He was triumphant.

 

There are three powerful things that Jesus defeated.

 

First, He defeated temptation. He was tempted, not just in the wilderness, but constantly throughout His ministry. He was accused, questioned, denied, and scoffed at. He was challenged to do things that He didn’t want to do. His own apostles often got in the way by saying things that they did not understand.

 

And, the powerful way Jesus defeated temptation is the same way you and I can do it. He didn’t use a miracle. He didn’t call down angels. Consistently using the word of God, He countered every temptation that came His way. He was the sinless sacrifice. He was the chief cornerstone, chosen and proven to be true.

 

Second, He defeated death. Coming out of the grave, He arose never to die again. Everyone that had been resurrected, had to die again. Not Jesus. Death is our greatest fear and foe. There is no escaping it. When our divine appointment comes, we can’t reschedule it for another time. We can’t cancel that appointment. There is no getting around that divine appointment. And, when we leave this place, we are not coming back. The door of death swings only one way.

 

The resurrection of Jesus proved that death doesn’t have the final word. We will live on and on and on in eternity. There is no “The End,” to our story. Death is a moment. Death isn’t forever. Death is a passage way, a door to the next room in God’s house.  No legislation can stop death. No armies can stop death. One can’t buy their way around death. Death seems to conquer us, but it won’t. The resurrection of Jesus defeated death. Jesus is the victory.

 

Third, Jesus defeated Satan. Behind all temptations is Satan. Behind death is Satan. The crushing blow to the serpent’s head, was the resurrection of Jesus. That victory destroyed Satan. His doom is set. His future is certain. There are no prayers for the devil. There are not sweet words for the devil. Eternal punishment is what awaits him. He has lost the war and is defeated. There is no hope for the devil. Game over. Lights out.  Elvis has left the building. Ding, dong, the witch is dead. No matter how you express it, Satan has been crushed by the Christ. Defeated.

 

Now, with that being said, which side do I want to be on? We know the outcome. Satan loses. It’s not up for grabs. It’s not a contest that could go either way. It’s not a wait and see situation. Satan loses and Christ wins.

 

Our Lord is triumphant. The Corinthians were told, “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

The triumphant Christ. The winning Jesus. The victor is the Lord. The battle belongs to the Lord!

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 4012

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4012

 

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

 

A sure sign of a church that is in trouble is when truth no longer is important. A church gets that way when the truth is no longer important to the leaders and the members. Some are more interested in a full house instead of hearts that are filled with the word of God.

 

Some want a truth that is unique to each person. Like snow flakes, no two people would have the same truth. For others, it’s their feelings. They believe how they feel is more important than what the Bible says. As long as I feel good about something, that’s all that matters. Yet, others claim that truth is forever evolving, changing and what worked in one generation may not work in another generation.

 

God’s truth is revealed in the word of God. And, that truth at first will not bring instant comfort and joy. In fact, it will likely make you miserable. It will reveal that you’ve not been on the right course with God. God’s truth will show that you have sinned and in that condition and direction you are traveling, your future is hopeless.

 

But, stay with the truth. Get beyond that and you will find, as our passage illustrates, that the word of God works like a sword. It cuts through the excuses that we have hid behind for years. It will slice the opinions that have believed and loved. It will destroy the error that can make us feel comfortable and safe.

 

Here are three things that the truth of God’s word will show you:

 

First, God’s truth will show you how patient the Lord has been with you. You are still here. God has put people in your life and reminders along the way to help you come back to Him. God has never given up on you. There has been days upon days when you have never even thought about the Lord. But there has never been a day that He has not thought of you. Blessings from Heaven. People intersecting your life. Reminders from His word. It’s all around us. It’s all the time.

 

Second, God’s truth will show you the depth that the Lord went to in order to save you. The journey of Jesus, first told in the Prophets, then lived in the Gospels and highlighted with a cross at Calvary. Nothing else would save you. God sent the best. God has given you the best people on the planet to help you, His people. God has saved and preserved His divine word so you can know His will and follow Him. Powerful rulers have tried to crush the Bible, yet it remains. Progressive minds have tried to denounce the Bible, but it remains. Solid, dependable and helpful.

 

Third, God’s truth will lead you to doing things that you never thought you could. As our journey begins with Jesus, we see others who are so far ahead of us. We tell ourselves that we will never be that good. But, the truth of God’s way leads you to becoming that righteous person. You learn to resist the Devil. You learn to feed your faith.

 

That truth will lead you to apologize and forgive others. You may have been hurt and think that you can never get over that. But, the truth leads you to doing those things. The truth will lead you to be thoughtful and helpful. The truth will make you kind and generous. It will change your insides which changes your outsides. While looking the same, you are no longer the same. You are a child of God. You are a disciple of Jesus. Your outlook changes. What impresses you changes. How you define success changes. Who you confide in and who you count as friends changes.

 

And, it’s more than simply changing, it is improving. Better attitudes. Better language. Better habits. Better friends. Better heart. Better parent. Better marriage. And, the starting point is God’s word, the truth. We need to dive deeply into God’s word. We need to demand the truth be preached from the pulpit. We want Bible classes that teach the truth. It’s not less Bible, but more Bible that we need.

 

Roger

 

12

Jump Start # 4011

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4011

 

Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’”

 

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

 

The Determination to Obey the Lord

 

At Shell Knob, Missouri, a few years ago I was preaching one miserably cold day. The thermometer registered ten degrees below zero when we started to the meeting house. The ground was completely covered with sleet and ice, and the crowd was rather small as a result of slick roads. I preached a simple and practical lesson, but noted as I began, a young mother with a tiny baby in her arms who had come in and was seated near the stove. When the closing song was sung (more as a matter of formality than anything else, for I had no idea that there was anyone there who was not a Christian) this young mother went forward and told me she wanted to be baptized. I asked her, “When?” She answered, “Right now.” That started a murmur among the folk present. A few of them were not very well informed I suppose, and they were heard to say, “It will kill her” and “It will make her sick,” etc.

 

Well, we went down to White River and Henry Applegate took a crowbar and walked out on the ice to a place where he thought the water could be about the proper depth for baptizing and broke through the ice until a pit large enough had been broken through. He pulled a piece of the ice up on top and measured it with a carpenter’s rule. It was EIGHT INCHES THICK. I slipped off into the water and two men took the woman by her arms and lifted her over the edge of the ice. I tucked her long coat about her feet as she was let down into the icy water, but she never so much as shivered! I baptized her and she was put into a car and taken back to the house where warm, dry clothing was provided.

 

The weather warmed up that afternoon and we had a house almost full for the evening service. When I entered the church house I saw that little mother with her baby again. I walked up and looked at her and with mock surprise said, “Aren’t you dead?” She smiled and said, “I am very much alive and quite well.” I then said, “Why surely you have pneumonia, or measles, or maybe pellagra!!!” She insisted that she was perfectly well and happy. So I said, “Well, that proves that people can be mistaken. Some of the folk here this morning said it would kill you if you dared the cold to obey the Lord’s commandment to ‘be baptized.’ I was certain that our Lord would never ask a person to do something which would kill him to do.”

 

It is better to obey God than men.

 

Rue Porter (1890-1967) from I Remember, pg. 54-55

 

Roger

January, 2006

 

11

Jump Start # 4010

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4010

 

Psalms 119:18 “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.”

 

Our verse today is a beautiful request and prayer from the Psalmist. It was more than just stop and smell the roses. It was more than just look around you. This prayer is pinpointed. It is specific. It wasn’t rainbows and sunsets that he wanted to see. He prayed that he would see wonderful things in God’s law. He was praying that his eyes would be open to the word of God. Let me see the Bible.

 

I believe that this could well be something that is said before every Bible class. It is something that we could quietly say before we engage in our daily Bible readings. Open my eyes, Lord.

 

So many wonderful thoughts come from this simple sentence. A dozen words, but oh, the things that they ask.

 

First, there are wonderful things in God’s law. There is truth. In the fog of our culture today, God declares and defines what is right. How great it is to know how to please the Lord. There are precious promises found in God’s word. Promises that give us hope. Promises that we know ring true, because they come from the Lord. There are powerful examples in our Bibles. The leadership of Moses. The courage of David. The boldness of Peter. And, even within these characters, we see lessons from their sins and mistakes. Moses dishonored the Lord. David broke God’s law. Peter denied. We can sure learn so much from these lessons.

 

Second, there are some who never see. They have eyesight but no insight and no vision. Some cannot see beyond themselves and that is why their heart and character is defined by selfishness. Others cannot see beyond the moment and that is why the consequences of their choices trip them and trap them. Others cannot see beyond this world. They are doomed eternally because this is all they seek and all that they see.

 

Jesus told the disciples, “blessed are your eyes because they see.”

 

Third, when we beyond the wonderful things in God’s law it enriches our lives and makes us a better people. Our hearts grow stronger in faith and our walk more determined. Gems of truths found in the parables, seen in the questions, illustrated in the compassion of our Lord.

 

As one reads the word of God, try to put yourself in the story. Be old Daniel in the lions den. Be Job staring at the graves of your children. Be Jonah sleeping in the bottom of a boat. What would you have done? What lessons do you see? How do these things help you?

 

Sometimes we read too fast. In high school, I took a class in speed reading. A book was placed on a machine with a light that would scroll down the page. You were to keep up with the light. At the end of the class you were tested to see what you remembered from what you had read. I got pretty good at that. I still can read quickly. I’ve learned to scan and find the important details while not getting bogged down in things that do not matter. But, this is no way to read the Bible. Slow down. Notice the words. Find repeated words. Notice the order of the words. Think, chew a while and mediate on what you are reading. There are wonderful things if you notice them.

 

Open my eyes is helped by having a clear mind and a calm heart. When hurried, we won’t see things. When bothered and stressed we won’t see things.

 

In the opening of the Revelation, we find a double blessing. Blessed is he who reads and blessed are those who hear. Reading and hearing—both are important. Both are necessary.

 

A prayer before we read… Open my eyes, Lord. I want to see the wonderful things in your word.

 

Roger