July_30

SHARING BREAD

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

John 7:32 (NIV)

Christ was grabbing the attention of the crowds and these guardians of the Jewish traditions were red flagged over the whisperings they heard.  Ready to shred our Lord’s approval ratings to pieces by arresting Him, these Pharisees were desirous of ridding Him from their presence.  He was a thorn in their flesh and they wanted that thorn on Him rather than in them.  It all makes perfect sense – they anxiously wanted Him out of the picture because He shed light on their dark ways which they simply were unwilling to change.  He was a kink in their plans, an annoyance – He made them look bad to others and they were not going to have any part of it.  Isn’t that the way human nature often responds when presented with the Truth particularly when it sheds light on our bad actions or character?  If something or someone makes us feel uncomfortable or feel worse about ourselves or look bad, then we want leave of it or of them rather than deal with the issue at hand in our own hearts.  Why that’s the American way – we are so high on self-esteem even when it is unwarranted yet all the while Jesus speaks clearly that His way is not about self at all rather to die to self.  While these Pharisees were big on espousing God’s Truth, they were not living anything like it – practicing what they preached was obviously not in their lengthy set of rules.  We find the following Words of Jesus in Mark attesting to this fact:

 ⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:  “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. ⁷ They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’  ⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” ⁹ And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!    Mark 7:6-9 (NIV)

Exactly what is the appropriate response when confronted by the Truth of our actions that need addressing?  For starters, Proverbs gives us the following Truth:

⁶ Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.   Prov 27:6 (NIV)

One may appear to be a friend by their flattering tongue but the Bible states that the one who loves us enough to be willing to confront us with Truth when our lives are askew is the one that can be trusted.  I am thankful in my own life for those who loved me enough to point me in a different direction through their frank and clear presentation of Truth regarding my behavior.  It is never easy to change one’s behavior particularly if the bent is ingrained and has been a part of one’s life for many years yet if it is contrary to God’s Word or inhibits our growth in Christ Jesus; it must go when brought to light.  We are not left powerless to do this great feat – it is the relinquishment of our will which God’s seeks, it is He who provides the power of the Holy Spirit always giving strength sufficient for the obedience of the task required.  Paul tells us in Philippians:

¹³ I can do everything through him who gives me strength.   Phil 4:13 (NIV)

I am reminded of King David when God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him over his sins in the Bathsheba escapade.  In a fairly brief period of time, King David had committed quite of list of transgressions not the least of which being lust, adultery, deception, and murder.  Bravely Nathan begins by telling David a story eventually bringing David to the realization of his sin.  The entire story is a great read and is found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 but for today our attention is drawn to David’s response to Nathan’s confrontation found below:

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”   2 Sam 12:13 (NIV)

 

David expressed genuine and contrite repentance and while his sin of adultery and murder were sufficient cause to execute even a king, God’s grace was more than sufficient to forgive and restore him.  One must note though that while David was forgiven and restored the impact and consequences for his sins remained and continued to work sorrow and death for the rest of his life.  God is serious about sin.  He neither winks at it nor overlooks it if you are His child.  It always carries with it a death sentence – death to trust, death to relationship, death to freedom, etc.  That is why He is so fiercely opposed to sin in His children’s life – it always delivers ruin rather than restoration.  Hebrews tells us that God disciplines those He loves and punishes everyone He accepts as a son.  If we are not disciplined when we are entangled and in the midst of sin then Scripture states we must question if we are indeed true sons.

⁵ And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶ because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.    Heb 12:5-8 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

• I can trust a friend who wounds me regarding my actions with the Truth of God’s Word.
• I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
• A contrite heart God never despises.  ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.   Psalms 51:17 (NIV) 

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July_28

SHARING BREAD

³¹ Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?”

John 7:31 (NIV)

Even amongst the prideful and jealous nay saying of the religious elite, there remained a remnant persuaded of the truthfulness of our Lord Jesus – His miraculous signs being to them as finger marks of God.  This comes as no surprise – throughout all of His-story, God has always and will always, maintain a remnant.  This remnant bears witness and ministers as well as brings glory and honor to God’s great name.  The preservation of a faithful remnant is and always has been the gracious work of our Holy God.

⁵ So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.    Romans 11:5 (NIV)

 

“God is continually drawing us to Himself in everything we experience.”  Gerard Hughes

It would seem Jeremiah’s words to be a fitting addition to our look at today’s verse:

¹ “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. ² Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD. ³ “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. ⁴ I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.   Jer 23:1-4 (NIV)

Israel’s leaders were not only leading the Israelites astray but they were also refusing to bestow care and concern on their behalf.  Certainly Jesus came down hard on these Pharisees who should have used their position and knowledge for God’s glory and mankind’s good rather than their own selfish ambition and vain conceits.  God is neither deceived nor impressed by our external pomp and splendor.  Pride is such an insidious monster and modern day leaders of God’s flocks should be just as aware. Just as those who are given wealth are accountable for that wealth, those who have been bestowed greater knowledge are held more accountable for that knowledge.  Our gifts are not to be for us alone – hoarding like the Israelites did of the manna as it turned to worms – they are to be for others as well.  In God’s economy, one has been blessed to be a blessing.  We find Jesus’ Words pointing us to this Truth:

¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  ¹⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.     Matt 23:13-15 (NIV)

 

⁴⁶ “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁷ They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.  Such men will be punished most severely.”   Luke 20:46-47 (NIV)

 

 ²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.    Matt 23:23 (NIV)

 

“Though our Savior’s passion is over, His compassion is not.”  William Penn

It would seem that Satan accomplishes more by imitation than by fierce opposition.  Filling these shepherds with pride and lack of concern for their flocks certainly led many down the wrong path.  Indeed, it is doubtful if any would have followed them had they claimed to be satanic leaders!  We are to be aware of his wiles.  Scripture tells us:

⁸ Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.   1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

• God has always and will always have a remnant that follows hard after Him.
• I am blessed by God to be a blessing.
• I am to be both self-controlled and alert.

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July_26

SHARING BREAD

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.

John 7:30 (NIV)

The sweet and pleasant thoughts of the sovereignty of God bring much comfort and consolation to the believer’s soul.  We do well to remember this doctrine particularly in our time of need – we do much better to recall it at all times.  It reminds us of His constant care and concern as well as directing our thoughts to the Omnipresent, Omnipotent One who is ever on the Throne.  Make no mistake about it, God is in control – always has been, always will be – and He has a plan which cannot be thwarted.  He is never taken by surprise, He is never mistaken, He is never anxious, He is never left wondering.  He is the all-sufficient One, the great “I AM”.  Hallelujah and glory to His great Name for that!  God tells us through the prophet Isaiah:

⁸ “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. ⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. ¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.   Isaiah 46:8-10 (NIV)

 

In our verse for today, the attempt to seize our Savior was thwarted as the fullness of His time had not yet arrived.   Just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not toast in the flames or Daniel did not get destroyed by the lions, our Savior’s sojourn on this earth had not been completed therefore Divine interposition frustrated His arrest by His provoked enemies.  Even though Satan had filled and incited the hearts of our Lord’s enemies, God had tied their hands. 

“God’s servants are sometimes wonderfully protected by indiscernible unaccountable means.  Christ had His time set.   So have all His people and all His ministers.  Nor can all the powers of hell and earth prevail against them, until they have finished their testimony.”   Matthew Henry

 

Indeed, our Lord Jesus spoke these Words to Pilate confirming this Truth:

 ¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.   John 19:11 (NIV)

Satan must have permission before he is allowed to mess with any of God’s children.  I am reminded of two accounts in Scripture where this is blatantly evident.  One is found in the book of Job and the other is found in Luke:

⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” ⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” ¹² The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”  Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.     Job 1:8-12 (NIV)

 

³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”   Luke 22:31-32 (NIV)

Satan cannot run interference with the Most High’s agenda.  I am reminded of God’s words found in Jeremiah:

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   Jer 29:11 (NIV)

When Jesus did eventually fall into enemy hands it was not due to His inability to escape rather to the fact that His “hour had come” whereby He voluntarily became the substitute for our sins.  God’s timing is neither a day early nor a day late.    God overrules all events and times – nothing can happen but by His permission making believers immortal until our work on earth is complete.  As David stated in Psalm 31 – our times are in His hands:    

¹⁴ But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” ¹⁵ My times are in your hands;   Psalms 31:14-15 (NIV)   

 “It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man.”    John Witherspoon

 

This truth should bring the believer the utmost comfort – His eye is ever upon us, why even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from God’s will.  We find our Lord’s Words in Matthew stating this fact:

²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.    Matt 10:28-31 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

• God is Sovereign over the affairs of my life.
• Neither Satan nor the world can thwart God’s plan for my life.
• All the powers of hell and earth cannot prevail against me until I have finished my testimony.

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July_23

SHARING BREAD

²⁸ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, ²⁹ but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

John 7:28-29 (NIV)

In our verses for today we find Jesus lifting His voice in an effort to arouse the Jews from wallowing in their perverse ignorance and persistent blindness to the Evidence before them that demanded a verdict.  It was as if He were saying:  “You think you know me and where I am from because you know where I have been raised and who my relatives of the flesh are but, quite frankly, you are simply clueless.”  The reality was they knew very little of His Divine nature and of His unity with the Father.  Clearly Jesus states He was sent from God whom He knows and who is true.   There was intimate union between Jesus and the Father. The gospel of John is replete with this theme – thirty-nine times John refers to Jesus as the One that God had sent thus affirming Jesus’ Deity and His heavenly origin as well as God’s love and plan for redemption of mankind.

³¹ “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.    John 3:31-35 (NIV)

Jesus’ words that God had sent Him were much more than a mere assertion of a prophet’s commission.  It was rather a declaration that He indeed was the Sent One, the Messiah, the Prophet that would be greater than Moses, the Promised One.

“I am the Seed of the woman sent to bruise the serpent’s head.  I am He whom the Father covenanted and engaged to send for the redemption of a lost world.   I am He whom the Father hath sent to be the Savior of lost man.  I proclaim myself the Sent One – the Christ of God.”   J.C. Ryle

Jesus charges these unbelieving Jews with ignorance of the God that they so zealously claim to serve and for whose honor they professed to be jealous.  All of their boasting and zeal amounted only to lots of thunder but with no rain.  As the house built upon the sand will not stand, neither would their hope and trust in their Law and Religion as they rejected God’s only Remedy for mankind.   Sadly, they did not really know God; stumbling over the “stumbling stone”, they rejected God’s Messenger of Truth – as Truth was standing right before their eyes and they would not accept Him.  Paul tells us in Romans:

¹ Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.    Romans 10:1-4 (NIV)

Paul, like Jesus, had a deep spiritual burden for the salvation of the people of Israel.  He was fully aware of their zeal having himself been a participant but it was a zeal which lacked full knowledge as they continually pursued righteousness through their own works.  They refused to turn to Christ for righteousness apart from which they could not be saved.  Not much has changed in 2,000 years – man still refuses his only Surety.  Salvation comes through Christ alone.  All of us are born with the terminal disease of sin – hopelessly broken and in need of a Savior.  We are incapable of saving ourselves no matter how hard we work or how zealous we are.  Peter filled with Spirit tells us in Acts:

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”   Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Our Savior also plainly tells us:

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”    John 14:6-7 (NIV)

 

Salvation, contrary to what many people may believe, is not obtainable in many ways – Jesus being our only access to the Father – He is the One and Only from the Father, full of grace and truth.  Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God therefore to believe in Jesus is to believe in God.  We find in John a most remarkable statement from the mouth of our Savior:

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.   John 12:44-46 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

• It breaks Jesus’ heart when men stubbornly refuse to embrace Truth.
• Jesus is my Surety, my salvation.  “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.  On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.  All other ground is sinking sand.  When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found!  Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.  On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.  All other ground is sinking sand.”  Edward Mote
• Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. 

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July_19

SHARING BREAD

²¹ Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. ²² Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. ²³ Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

John 7:21-24 (NIV)

Jesus’ healing of a paralytic at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath caused quite a stir.  A fierce controversy among the Jews developed regarding this incident inciting them to the point of hotly desiring our Lord’s demise.  Blind to their own ways of allowing a baby’s circumcision on the Sabbath when it fell on the eighth day after its birth to prevent from breaking the Law of Moses, Jesus reasoned with them that their act of obedience and mercy  would only partially heal while His healed the whole man.   They conveniently forgot in their blind hostility the fourth commandment was not given to prevent works of mercy or necessity – the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  In Luke we find Jesus asking the following penetrating questions to the Pharisees and experts of the law in an effort to open their blind eyes albeit leaving them speechless:

³ Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” ⁴ But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. ⁵ Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” ⁶ And they had nothing to say.   Luke 14:3-6 (NIV)

 

The prophet Micah gives us an appropriate answer to the attitude of the heart God seeks in His children:

⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:8 (NIV)

 

“Nothing graces the Christian soul as much as mercy.”   Ambrose

 

Actually, it simply boils down to two things:  love God and love others.  As we love God, He empowers us through His Spirit to love others.  We are enabled to be fair and just in our dealings with those in our spheres – loving them and helping them to meet their needs – which in turn demonstrates God’s love for this needy world to see. 

“He does much who loves much.”   Thomas a Kempis

It is God’s desire for us to flesh out His love to those around us through acts of mercy and kindness and justice as we walk humbly with Him.  These actions demonstrate what Jesus stated as the greatest commandment:

 ²⁸ One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” ²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”   Mark 12:28-31 (NIV)

We can be certain God will never ask of us apart from equipping us.  As Paul rightly exclaims in Philippians:

¹³ I can do everything through him who gives me strength.   Phil 4:13 (NIV)

 

We are to claim the promises of God’s Word particularly when we find ourselves want of kindness, mercy and justice toward others.  God gives us the following encouraging Words in Scripture to demonstrate that it is He who equips us for His tasks of righteousness and not something we must muster up in our own strength:

⁹ For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.   2 Chron 16:9 (NIV)

 

King David described in Scripture as a man after God’s own heart, also attested to this fact over and over again in the Psalms.  Below is a small sampling for us to savor and apply:

³ No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame…….⁵ guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long……. ⁸ Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.  ⁹ He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalms 25:3, 5, 8-9 (NIV)

¹¹ The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.   Psalms 29:11 (NIV)

 

²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalms 73:26 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

• Jesus demonstrated kindness and mercy and justice therefore so should I.
• I am to love God and to love others.
• It is God who gives me the strength to do what He bids – I am to seek His face always.  ⁴ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.   Psalms 105:4 (NIV) 

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July_16

SHARING BREAD

¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

²⁰ “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

John 7:19-20 (NIV)

The Jews were forever boasting of their pedigree to Moses and the Law yet in our verses for today Jesus claims their possession to be empty and useless for their lack of obedience – they themselves being notorious breakers of it.  Jesus states that their neglect of the Law was universal.  Assuming themselves to be Law keepers, they were self-confident over their religion and standing with a total disregard for the depravity in their own hearts.  Their very desire to exalt themselves was a bad symptom and indicator of something wrong within. They made an outward profession of loving God but in their hearts and thoughts and choices they proved to be paste gems and not genuine. It is good to be reminded that daily practices, choices, conduct, habits and private character are the true evidence of a man and not what he boasts.  We find Jesus Words in Mark testifying to this fact:

⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. ⁷ They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ ⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”   Mark 7:6-8 (NIV)

It is a good to take a careful look over what one exalts in their own lives – man or Jesus.  Which do we strive to glorify and place on the throne?  Happy is the one that hides behind the cross.  He will be both a blessing to others and blessed himself as well. 

The hearts and thoughts of all men being pristinely clear to His eyes, Jesus asks of these hearers why they were trying to kill Him.  Jealous of His powers and following coupled with the fact that He put a severe kink in their own religious thinking and paths, these Jews wanted rid of our Jesus.  Rather than seeking to understand His miraculous ways and Words they sought to rid themselves of Him.  Do we find ourselves on this same course of action?  Perhaps not taking the time or effort to seek or to understand Him, we kill the urging of the Spirit with our embracing of ourselves or simply our lack of desire to change when confronted with Truth.

“The teachings of Jesus hit us where we live.  We cannot stand as impostors before Him for even one second.  The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before.”   Oswald Chambers   

 We should never flatter ourselves into thinking all is right simply because it is right before men – what does that matter?   What is of utmost importance is that our character is right before God.  Christians are to be in the process of being transformed into Christ’s image in ever increasing glory – Christlikeness being the goal of the Christian’s walk.   Paul tells us:

¹⁸ And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.   2 Cor 3:18 (NIV)

 

It would do us well to remember that God searches and judges the hearts and minds of all men and does not look upon us outwardly as man does.  When God was leading Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, He gave him the following Truth:

⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”   1 Sam 16:7 (NIV)

 

Interestingly, when Jesus confronted His hearers with the Truth they lashed out with a verbal assault from the pit of hell.  Claiming Him to be demonically possessed, they covered His discovered Truth of their hearts with a lie, pretending they were not after His demise.  Darkness hates light because light exposes deeds and manifests truth ridding the cover up of hypocrisy.  

“Let us not think it strange if the best of men are ascribed the worst character.  Those who would be like Christ must put up with insults, must not regard them, much less resent them, and least of all revenge them.”  Matthew Henry

Darkness likes remaining in darkness.  Men often prefer to hide behind their masks feigning righteousness rather than deal with the sin through the power of the Spirit which the light shows forth.  Scripture tells us:

¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”   John 3:19-21 (NIV)

What I glean from this:

• I should never boast in anything but the cross of Christ:   ¹⁴ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.   Gal 6:14 (NIV)
• Jesus’ teachings show me where I am being an impostor.  When confronted, I am to change by the power of the Holy Spirit.  I am to be in the process of becoming like Jesus.   
•  Darkness does not like light as it exposes wickedness.    

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July_14

SHARING BREAD

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. ¹⁷ If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. ¹⁸ He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

John 7:16-18 (NIV)

Jealous and offended over His teaching as He had not been taught by one they had held in high esteem, Jesus divulges the mystery of His learning to His Jewish audience – His doctrine was not His own rather divine.  What they did not comprehend was that Jesus had no need to be taught by mere man as His teaching was not learned instead it was by divine revelation.   Jesus was commanded by the Father what to say and how to say it.  We find these words of our Lord later in John dittoing the same sentiment:

⁴⁷ “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. ⁴⁸ There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”    John 12:47-50 (NIV)

 

Many people complain regarding their ability to discover Truth in religion – unfortunately they reach the point where it becomes their excuse to simply have none at all.  In our verses for today, Jesus tells us one secret key to knowledge – obedience to the light which we have been given.  As we are obedient in the simple things we will be taught the deeper ones.  Anyone who chooses to do God’s will – having a proper response to the Word and the Spirit – Jesus tells us, will succeed in their search for the Truth.  Simply put, those who progressively submit to divine law will progressively be given divine light.  As the Spirit leads us through conviction and we are obedient to change, we grow in Christlikeness – conforming to His image.  This process is called sanctification and is commanded in Scripture.  Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians:

⁷ For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. ⁸ Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.  1 Thess 4:7-8 (NIV)

“The plain things in religion are undeniably very many.  Let a man honestly attend to them, and he shall be taught the deep things of God.  Whatever some may say about their inability to find out truth, you will rarely find one of them who does not know better than he practices.”   J. C. Ryle

 

Jesus lived a perfect life – indeed, Jesus lived the life God calls mankind to.  We are certainly incapable of following His steps albeit apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Jesus came to flesh out God to man.  Those who follow our Lord through the Holy Spirit’s leading and power are to flesh out God to man as well.  Jesus brought God honor through His willing obedience likewise we are to bring God honor through our willing obedience.  Believers have been made a kingdom and priests to serve God through the blood of Christ.  Revelation gives us the following Truth:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  ¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”   Rev 5:9-10 (NIV)

 

In Malachi we are told that God rebuked the Levite priests for their failure to listen and for their failure to honor His great Name.  We find the following admonition:

¹ “And now this admonition is for you, O priests. ² If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.   Mal 2:1-2 (NIV)

 

The priests knew they were to honor God in reverence with their words and their actions – their teaching and instruction to be true, nothing false found on their lips.  Walking in peace and uprightness they would turn many from sin.  The following verses in Malachi confirm this:

⁵ “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.   Mal 2:5-6 (NIV)

In similar fashion, believers in Jesus are a royal priesthood – termed by Peter – called to declare His praises, not stumbling through disobedience to the message rather living in such a way that our lives reflect His glory turning others to Him:

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.   1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

 

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.    Matt 5:14-16 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

• I discover more Truth through my obedience to the Truth revealed.
• God calls me to honor Him by living a holy life.
• My life is to be a light pointing others to Jesus.

 

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July_12

SHARING BREAD

¹⁴ Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. ¹⁵ The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?”

John 7:14-15 (NIV)

Jesus was constantly blowing the crowds away with the depth of His insight, authority, wisdom and understanding.  His Words, not to mention His demonstrations of the miraculous, often left His audiences scratching their heads with mouths and eyes wide open – surprise, surprise to that!  There was something definitely different in His instruction and His miraculous powers that caught their attention and powerfully cut to the quick their souls.  Again, this comes as no surprise.  We find the following in Scripture regarding the crowd’s reactions to His teachings.  After the Sermon on the Mount Matthew records:

 ²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.   Matt 7:28-29 (NIV)

 

Matthew also gives us this additional insight:

⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.    Matt 13:54 (NIV)

 

Unfortunately, rather than being desirous of following our Lord, many of the Jewish leaders of the day were annoyed and disgruntled and even perhaps a bit jealous over Jesus’ abilities and wisdom.  How could He have achieved such insight without sitting at the feet of a Rabbi they highly esteemed?  His teaching was learned and spiritually penetrating yet He had never been a disciple in a Rabbinical school.  They did not like taking God out of their box by going against their favored tradition in education of the day.  Basically, He was not respected because He carried with Him no grandiose academic credentials.  Unlike Paul who sat at the feet of the famous Gamaliel – a rabbi highly honored and regarded by all the people – to them, Jesus was a simple carpenter who they wrongly assumed was unlearned and ordinary.   Jesus was anything but that.  Having received the Spirit without limit, Jesus had no need to learn from mere man.  Our Lord, being fully God and fully Man, was Himself the fullness of all wisdom and knowledge.  Paul gives us the following Truth regarding Jesus in Colossians:

² My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.   Col 2:2-3 (NIV)

Christ being the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form came to reveal God to man being the image of the invisible God.  All wisdom and knowledge are found in our Jesus – knowledge being the apprehension of Truth and wisdom being the application of that knowledge – knowledge governing judgment and wisdom governing actions. Christ had learning without formally being taught certainly making Him truly the “One and Only”.  While it is necessary for His followers to take great pains in learning – since we cannot expect it through inspiration or some sort of osmosis, we must learn through ordinary ways.  That is why Christ stood out as being so wonderful and truly great.  Some took notice of Jesus to His honor while sadly others held Him in contempt.  Not being able to understand His abilities and His ways some even believed He practiced magic arts.  Oftentimes, what we humans perhaps do not understand – because we see so poorly – we can easily be deluded into believing something false.  This is why it is of great importance for His followers to know Truth.  This comes from studying God’s Word and applying the Truth’s learned – always praying for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes that are blind – granting us wisdom – to the understanding of its pure treasure.  Paul tells us in his famous Doxology in Romans:

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!  ³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has been his counselor?”   Romans 11:33-34 (NIV)

God’s ways are incapable of being tracked by footprints.  He is, totally Other.  In His mercy, He has given us His revealed will through the Scriptures and while we cannot know all things on this side of heaven, we can certainly know some.  His Word gives us knowledge and our obedience to His Truth revealed is our steps to wisdom.  We do ourselves a great disservice and harm by our neglect and ignorance of it.

“Do not be misled by the moral and spiritual relativity of our age.  God has revealed His truth to us – in His written Word, the Bible, and in the Loving Word, Jesus Christ.”   Billy Graham    

¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.   2 Tim 2:15 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

• Jesus always amazed the crowds with His teaching oftentimes leaving them wondering where He had received this depth of insight and wisdom.  This along with His demonstrations of the miraculous was evidence used to point them to God.
• I should not put God in a box thinking He will use only human ways to accomplish His purposes.
• I grow in wisdom and knowledge as I study God’s Word and apply its Truth to my life otherwise, unfortunately, I go backward. 

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July_09

SHARING BREAD

¹⁰ However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹ Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”

¹² Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” ¹³ But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

John 7:10-13 (NIV)

To be sure, Jesus has always been and remains the subject for much debate and controversy.  In our verses for today there was widespread murmuring among the crowds regarding their varied opinions of our Lord Jesus albeit all cloaked in secrecy due to fear of the Jewish religious leaders of the day.  Some believed Him to be good, benevolent, profitable and useful while others were deluded, thinking Him to be a deceiver leading people astray – their words being scornful and contemptible.  Certainly in our day differences and divisions still occur regarding our Savior – some loving Christ while others openly hating Him.  We should not be surprised at this as it is simply a modern manifestation of an age old disease – the insidious sin of unbelief.  Jesus tells us there will always be division regarding Him even among familial ties:

⁵¹ Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”    Luke 12:51-53 (NIV)

 

Jesus also prepares His disciples with the following Truth:

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.    John 15:18-21 (NIV)

 

Sadly, the gospel will not meet with a universal welcome.  Indeed, multitudes will not embrace Truth – not only will they not receive it but they will also openly oppose it and be hostile to it.  Yet there will remain in each generation the faithful remnant.  Therefore, as long as the world stands there will be those who love and those who hate; those that will believe and those that will believe not.  John tells us:

¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.   John 1:11-13 (NIV)

 

His own home, His own people rejected Him refusing to accept Him as the Revelation sent by the Father confirming the prophet Isaiah’s words:

 

¹ Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?   Isaiah 53:1 (NIV)

Lastly, we see in our verses a clear demonstration of the power of the fear of “they”.  Afraid to speak for fear of what will “they” think or what will “they” do or what will “they” say.  We all too often care inordinately regarding man’s opinion and acceptance rather than God’s opinion and acceptance.  Jesus did not let man’s opinion sway Him yet unfortunately it is all too often a stumbling stone for us.  We must beware of this in our own lives – are we seeking the praises of men or of God?  We should not allow man’s criticism or acceptance or opinions to manipulate and control our words and actions.  We do not ultimately answer to man but to God therefore we should seek His praise and approval.  This is nothing new.  Scripture tells us:

⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.   John 12:42-43 (NIV)

 

“To inoculate me from the praise of man, God baptized me into the criticism of man, until I died to the control of man.”   Francis Frangipane

“We have the truth, and we need not be afraid to say so.”  John Charles Ryle

 What I glean from this:

• There will always be division in the world regarding our Lord Jesus.
•  The world hated Jesus first and it follows that the world will hate His followers.
• I should not seek the praises of man but of God.

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July_07

SHARING BREAD

⁶ Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. ⁸ You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.” ⁹ Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

John 7:6-9 (NIV)

Ever about His Father’s will and always in agreement with the Father’s opportune time, Jesus responds mildly to His brother’s insulting remarks by merely stating the Truth – those following God will be on God’s timing pursuing God’s agenda yet for those who wallow in the world, delving in depravity or simply seeking to please self, any time is right.  Jesus was always pristinely clear of His mission – His time filled with purpose and meaning.  Contrast to those who chose to indulge in revelry – living useless lives – their time being inconsequential.  We find in Scripture the following: 

²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹ The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”    John 8:28-29 (NIV)

“The confinement of business is a thousand times better than the liberty of idleness.”   Matthew Henry

Jesus tells His hearers that He is hated by the world and they, on the other hand, are embraced by it.  Certainly there is honor and acceptance among thieves – like enjoys and is entwined with like.  No one wants their toes stepped on so they avoid stepping on anyone else’s toes.  Truth becomes relative – what is right for you is right for you, what is right for me is right for me.  Yet the Bible loudly proclaims, “Wrong!”  Truth is not relative.  Truth is a person and His Name is Jesus – He is the very embodiment of Truth.  He tells us in His Word:

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”    John 14:6-7 (NIV)

It is a great provocation and uneasiness to the world to be convicted of its evil works.  People do not want to change.  They could readily accept Jesus’ teaching if it did not begin to mess in their business.  Not much is different 2000 years later is it?  We still do not like our toes stepped on – we still do not like to be confronted with our sin.  It is uncomfortable.  It makes us uneasy.  It makes us feel bad about ourselves and we are a feel good about ourselves kind of people.  Besides that, we enjoy our Delilah’s.  We can accept a religion that is non-confrontational but when it causes conviction, it simply must go – we cannot be bothered.  When abstract doctrines are presented, few find fault.  We belong to the feel good, what’s in it for me denomination.  Jesus does not attend there.  Jesus says that is not the way it works.

“It was not so much the high doctrines which He preached, as the high standard of practice which He proclaimed, which gave offence.  It was not even His claim to be received the Messiah which men disliked so much, as His witness against the wickedness of their lives.  In short, they could have tolerated His opinions if He would only have spared their sins.”   J.C. Ryle     

 ²³ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?   Luke 9:23-25 (NIV)

 

“Truth demands confrontation; loving confrontation, but confrontation nonetheless.”   Francis Schaeffer

 

God confronts and convicts us with Truth for us to change – for our good.  We have a vicious and sadistic enemy who delights in our destruction and derives exceeding pleasure in getting us to self destruct with our own poor choices.  Yet recovery for spiritual slavery and bondage to sin and self is ours through Jesus – lasting recovery is based on our freedom in Christ.  Paul tells us in Romans:

⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin– Romans 6:6 (NIV)

 

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.   Romans 6:11-14 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

• Jesus was always about His Father’s business in His Father’s timing – as His child, I am called to do likewise.  ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.     1 John 2:6 (NIV)
• The world embraces those of the world yet hates those who confront it whether by their words or their actions.
• In Christ I have been given the freedom and power to die to the slavery and bondage of sin in order to live in the joy and righteousness of Jesus.    

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