“Blessed is the person who is not offended by me.” - Matthew 11:6
To be offended means to stumble or trip. Scripture tells us that Jesus is a rock of offense, or a rock of stumbling, to the disobedient (1 Peter 2:8). In His earthly days, Jesus was constantly offending the religious establishment. But in the above text, Jesus has someone else in mind. He’s speaking to His followers: “Blessed are you, my followers, when you are not offended by me.” The context bears this out.
John the Baptist was utterly loyal to Jesus. He walked a life of total self-denial. He gave everything up for God. And now he finds himself in a cold prison. We have no record that the Lord ever visited him there. John’s probably thinking, “Was it really worth it? I lived my whole life to pave the way for the Messiah, and now I’m in prison. The kingdom hasn’t yet come.” John is wondering and wavering; he’s tempted to stumble at his Lord. So he sends word to Jesus asking, “Are you really the one who was to come? Or should we expect another?”
Again, We have no record that the Lord ever visited him there. But He does send this answer to him via his disciples: "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:4-6)
Over the years, I’ve watched Christians take offense with the Lord. Some of them were passionate followers of Jesus in their youth, but later ended up renouncing Him. Why? Because they chose to be offended by Him. “Blessed is the person who is not offended by me.” This is the forgotten beatitude. So now I want to share a few reasons that I discovered about why Christians become offended by the Lord.
Reason 1: He demands too much. In John 16:1, Jesus tells His disciples that He’s sharing “all these things” so they won’t be offended by Him. Some of those “things” were stern warnings that they would be hated by the world and persecuted (John 15:18). Jesus made clear that following Him won’t lead to a bed of roses. Suffering and loss are involved. Unfortunately, some present a gospel that leaves these parts out. The result: Christians get offended when they realize what they’ve gotten into. But Jesus lets us know up front what following Him entails. Even in His own day, some of His followers stopped walking with Him because they regarded the cost too high (John 6:53-59).
Reason 2: He doesn’t meet our expectations. The Lord often works in ways that we don’t understand. Isaiah says that God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). The Lord works on levels that we cannot fathom. Paul says that God works all things for our good (Romans 8:28). “Why hasn’t God answered this prayer? Why didn’t He fulfill this promise? Why did He let this happen to me? Why did He let this happen to him/her? Why is God silent when I need to hear Him most?”
These are the questions that plague the mind of the serious believer. If you’ve not yet met the God who refuses to meet all your expectations, you will. And how you react in that day will reveal whether you are worshiping Jesus Christ or Santa Claus (see John 6:26). It will show whether or not you love God more than His promises (or really, your interpretation of those promises). Jeanne Guyon once said, “I will still serve Him, even if it sends me to hell.” Job said, “Shall we receive good from the hand of the Lord and not evil?” Recall Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had lived a life loyal to their God. And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Worship my golden image or else you’re going to die in my fiery furnace.” Their answer is telling: “We’re not going to worship this image or serve your gods. The Lord is able to deliver us, and He will deliver us from your fiery furnace. But even if He doesn’t, we’re still not going to bow down to your false gods.” What an attitude. What a posture. What faith. “God will deliver us. But even if He doesn’t, we will still follow Him.”
Those words contain thunder and lightning for every child of God.
If I can use an illustration, we mortals are living on pages 300-400 of a 2,000 page book. Only God can see the whole book. And He’s only given us the ability to see pages 300-400. We have no capacity to understand what’s in pages 1-299 or pages 401 to 2,000. We can only speculate and assume what’s in them (hence we create all sorts of intricate theological systems to explain mysteries we don’t understand). Here’s a lesson to learn: Life always comes down to trusting in the Lord rather than trying to figure out His ways via our finite, limited understanding. Yet together, we can better discover and understand what’s in pages 300-400, and thereby learn to live more effectively within them.
Reason 3: He doesn’t show up on time. He works too slowly. He reacts too late. His deliverance takes too long. God’s clock is a lot slower than ours. We can text or email our prayer to God, and He doesn’t text or email back when we expect. In fact, sometimes we never hear back from Him at all. The screen is blank.
Sometimes we’ll pray for an important matter in our own lives or we’ll pray for someone else . . . for years. And the dial doesn’t move. Waiting on the Lord can become weary. And it can lead to offense. But God always keeps perfect time.
To sum up, here’s how NOT to be offended by the Lord:
• Remember that He demands everything, and He has promised suffering and tribulation along with blessing and eternal life. So don’t sell out for a cheap, easy gospel. Such is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. He told us what we were getting into and exhorted us to count the cost ahead of time (Luke 14:26).
• Remember that His ways are higher than ours, and He doesn’t always show us what He’s doing or why. We may not always understand what He does or allows, but He can still be trusted. This is the nature of walking by faith rather than by sight. Even when His grace isn’t sufficient, it is always sufficient.
• Remember that God is always on time, but His clock ticks differently from ours. He’s a Lord who sometimes shows up long after the hour of healing has passed and we are dead for four days. Just ask Lazarus.
• Being offended by God is a choice. You can choose to take offense at the Lord and stumble over that which you don’t understand. Or you can “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
God’s View of a Woman
It breaks my heart to see how women today are treated. As most of us already know, many males in our society today show women by their actions that they're just a piece of junk. That their just a piece of meat. All that matters to so many guys today is her body, her appearance, and what she can give to them sexually.You won't find too many guys today opening doors for women. Rather than being there spending time with their wives, many guys will be off playing Grand Theft Auto, drinking, or shooting pool with the bros. And how do a vast number of guys in our society define true beauty in a woman? Seductive clothing, makeup, perfect skin, an ideal figure, and so on. Numerous guys in our culture have affairs. To a number of guys today, a woman is only an object. I could go on and on but you get the point. Once again, it breaks my heart. And it makes me sick. I'm sure that many of you women feel the same.
But gals, you know what's awesome? Jesus came.
In Jesus Christ, we find God’s view of a woman. Not man’s view. Not the American view. But God’s view. Consider this. When God decided to make His entrance upon this planet, He visited a woman. He chose a woman to bring forth the Eternal Son, the Messiah—the Anointed One for whom Israel had waited thousands of years. The life of God was first placed in the womb of a woman before it got to you and to me. And God was not ashamed.
Sisters in Christ, this is your Lord’s view of a woman. Take your high place.
But that’s not all. As Jesus ministered, He ripped down all social conventions that were pitted against women. On one occasion, He rose to the defense of a woman caught in adultery. He became her attorney and saved her life. And God was not ashamed.
Jesus was noted for palling around with sinners. He supped with prostitutes and tax collectors. We are told in John Chapter 4 that He met a woman, and He did something that shocked the disciples. He talked to her in public. And He was not ashamed. Not only was she a woman, but she was a divorcee. But not only was she a divorcee, she was actively living in immorality. Yet not only was she a woman, a divorcee, an adulteress living in sin, she was worse than a Gentile. She was a Samaritan—a half-breed. (A Samaritan was a person with whom Jews were never to talk.) But Jesus talked to this divorced, adulterous, Samaritan woman in public, and He forgave her of her sins. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Once Jesus was dining with a self-righteous Pharisee. And in walked a woman. But this was not just any woman. She was a woman of the streets—a prostitute. Upon seeing the Lord, she dropped down to her knees and did something unsettling.
In the presence of Pharisees, this woman unbound her hair and poured costly perfume upon His feet. This unclean woman touched Jesus Christ in public. She wept, washed His feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair.
This scandalous and improper act mortified the self-righteous Pharisees. At that moment, these religious leaders lost all respect for Jesus and doubted that He was a true prophet. But your Lord was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
But that’s not all. Your Lord allowed an unclean woman to touch the hem of His garment, and He was not ashamed. In fact, He praised her for it. He also gave a Canaanite woman who was viewed as a dog in the eyes of Israel one of the highest compliments He ever gave anyone. He also healed her daughter, and He was not ashamed.
In the Lord’s last hours on this earth, He stayed in a small village called Bethany. It was there that He would spend His last days before He gave His life on Calvary. In Bethany, two women whom Jesus loved had their home: Mary and Martha. They were His friends, and they received Him. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
When Jesus Christ was taken to die, the Twelve fled. They checked out. All the disciples (except John) said, “See ya!” But the women stayed with Him. They didn’t leave.
They followed Him up to Calvary to do what they had been doing all along—comforting Him, taking care of Him, tending to His needs. And they watched Him undergo a bloody, gory crucifixion that lasted for hours.
To watch a man die a hideous and horrible death is something that goes against every fiber that lives inside of a woman. Yet they would not leave Him. They stayed the entire time. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Following His death, it was the women who first visited His burial. Even after His death, they were still following Him. They were still taking care of Him. And when He rose again from the dead, the first faces He met—the first eyes that were laid upon Him—were the eyes of women. And it was to them that He gave the privilege of announcing His resurrection, even though their testimony wouldn’t hold up in court. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
But beyond all these wonderful things that the Lord did in showing us how beautiful women are in His eyes, He did something else. He chose you—a woman to depict that which He came to earth to die for—His very Bride. And He is not ashamed.
Sisters, rise to your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Brothers, honor your sisters in the Kingdom of God. For God honors them. When our Lord pulled Eve out of Adam, He didn’t take her out of his feet below him. Nor did He take her out from his head above him. He took her out of his side to be equal to him. There’s not much room for chivalry anymore in today’s culture, but we’re to be radically different as followers of Christ. But this again isn’t easy. We need Christ within us, changing us. In Gods world, there is no reason to romance a girl, play with her emotions, take her heart, – unless there is a clear intention that you think this may be girl that you may wish to commit to – for life. So honor them.
Sisters, you are fellow heirs in the Kingdom of God. You are honored. You are cherished. You are valuable. You are needed.
You are His friends, His followers, His daughters, yea, His own kin.
So sisters, take your high place . . . this is God’s view of you.
But gals, you know what's awesome? Jesus came.
In Jesus Christ, we find God’s view of a woman. Not man’s view. Not the American view. But God’s view. Consider this. When God decided to make His entrance upon this planet, He visited a woman. He chose a woman to bring forth the Eternal Son, the Messiah—the Anointed One for whom Israel had waited thousands of years. The life of God was first placed in the womb of a woman before it got to you and to me. And God was not ashamed.
Sisters in Christ, this is your Lord’s view of a woman. Take your high place.
But that’s not all. As Jesus ministered, He ripped down all social conventions that were pitted against women. On one occasion, He rose to the defense of a woman caught in adultery. He became her attorney and saved her life. And God was not ashamed.
Jesus was noted for palling around with sinners. He supped with prostitutes and tax collectors. We are told in John Chapter 4 that He met a woman, and He did something that shocked the disciples. He talked to her in public. And He was not ashamed. Not only was she a woman, but she was a divorcee. But not only was she a divorcee, she was actively living in immorality. Yet not only was she a woman, a divorcee, an adulteress living in sin, she was worse than a Gentile. She was a Samaritan—a half-breed. (A Samaritan was a person with whom Jews were never to talk.) But Jesus talked to this divorced, adulterous, Samaritan woman in public, and He forgave her of her sins. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Once Jesus was dining with a self-righteous Pharisee. And in walked a woman. But this was not just any woman. She was a woman of the streets—a prostitute. Upon seeing the Lord, she dropped down to her knees and did something unsettling.
In the presence of Pharisees, this woman unbound her hair and poured costly perfume upon His feet. This unclean woman touched Jesus Christ in public. She wept, washed His feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair.
This scandalous and improper act mortified the self-righteous Pharisees. At that moment, these religious leaders lost all respect for Jesus and doubted that He was a true prophet. But your Lord was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
But that’s not all. Your Lord allowed an unclean woman to touch the hem of His garment, and He was not ashamed. In fact, He praised her for it. He also gave a Canaanite woman who was viewed as a dog in the eyes of Israel one of the highest compliments He ever gave anyone. He also healed her daughter, and He was not ashamed.
In the Lord’s last hours on this earth, He stayed in a small village called Bethany. It was there that He would spend His last days before He gave His life on Calvary. In Bethany, two women whom Jesus loved had their home: Mary and Martha. They were His friends, and they received Him. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
When Jesus Christ was taken to die, the Twelve fled. They checked out. All the disciples (except John) said, “See ya!” But the women stayed with Him. They didn’t leave.
They followed Him up to Calvary to do what they had been doing all along—comforting Him, taking care of Him, tending to His needs. And they watched Him undergo a bloody, gory crucifixion that lasted for hours.
To watch a man die a hideous and horrible death is something that goes against every fiber that lives inside of a woman. Yet they would not leave Him. They stayed the entire time. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Following His death, it was the women who first visited His burial. Even after His death, they were still following Him. They were still taking care of Him. And when He rose again from the dead, the first faces He met—the first eyes that were laid upon Him—were the eyes of women. And it was to them that He gave the privilege of announcing His resurrection, even though their testimony wouldn’t hold up in court. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
But beyond all these wonderful things that the Lord did in showing us how beautiful women are in His eyes, He did something else. He chose you—a woman to depict that which He came to earth to die for—His very Bride. And He is not ashamed.
Sisters, rise to your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Brothers, honor your sisters in the Kingdom of God. For God honors them. When our Lord pulled Eve out of Adam, He didn’t take her out of his feet below him. Nor did He take her out from his head above him. He took her out of his side to be equal to him. There’s not much room for chivalry anymore in today’s culture, but we’re to be radically different as followers of Christ. But this again isn’t easy. We need Christ within us, changing us. In Gods world, there is no reason to romance a girl, play with her emotions, take her heart, – unless there is a clear intention that you think this may be girl that you may wish to commit to – for life. So honor them.
Sisters, you are fellow heirs in the Kingdom of God. You are honored. You are cherished. You are valuable. You are needed.
You are His friends, His followers, His daughters, yea, His own kin.
So sisters, take your high place . . . this is God’s view of you.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Lord, Lord, Didn't We…
Matthew 7 is probably one of the scariest, if not the scariest, passages in all of Scripture. The most horrific word in this passage isn't hell. It isn't fire, everlasting, darkness, gloom, or torment. In fact, none of those words appear in this passage. The most frightening word is indeed many. Jesus says, "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" (Matthew 7:22).
This is judgment day. This is the end. There are no second chances. This is the last peaceful breath that many will breathe before they spend eternity in hell. Put yourself there for a second. Fast-forward your life to that day. Will you sound like the many who will call out in desperation, “Lord, Lord, did I not __________ and __________ and __________ in Your name?”
How will Jesus respond to your laundry list of Christian activities–your Easter services, "tithes", Bible studies, church potlucks, and summer-camp conversions? Are you sure you’re on the right side? What evidence do you have that you know Jesus? Please understand my heart. I believe I'm asking these questions for the same reason that Jesus gives the warning. It’s the most loving thing I can do. “Many” will go to hell even though they thought they’d waltz into paradise. Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from me” (Matt. 7:23).
Just as this passage makes clear, your profession of faith is no proof that you’re truly in the faith. Heck, mostly everybody in this whole country professes faith in Jesus Christ. If I went out to knock on every door in my city, do you know what I would find out? That probably around 85% of people here believe themselves to be believers. With most of them probably not concerned about serving. Not giving a hoot about holiness. Not a worry about being separated from the world. And yet they claim to be Christian.
Once again, what evidence do you have that you know Jesus?
That you go to a Sunday worship service every week? That you "give 10%" regularly? That you sing loudly and jump at Christian concerts? Once again, that's a laundry list of Christian activities. Or how about this: That you prayed a sinner's prayer one time? I don't think so. The Christian faith is not a once-and-for all flu shot.
What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance . . . a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves, a growing in holiness and a desire not be like the world, but to be like Christ. The evidence––the way that you can have assurance that you are genuinely a born-again Christian––is that there was not just one time in your life that you repented unto salvation, but that you continue repenting today and continue growing in repentance. That you do, as a style of life, the will of the Father. And no I'm not saying that works will save you. Our works are like filthy rags. I'm talking about the evidence of faith. Works will be that evidence. After all, as James says, faith without works is dead.
Examine yourself. Take the Word of God and what the Word of God says about a true Christian, and examine yourself in light of it. And if you fall short of the test, repent and believe. Throw yourself upon the mercy of Christ. Cry out to Him until a work is done.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Pain
Thank you Lord for pain.
Through it you draw me closer to you. By it you drive me to my knees in prayer. From it you forge in me the image of Christ.
Pain is a friend that I welcome with outstretched hands and open arms. Although he kisses me on the cheek while stabbing me in the side I am still glad to see him. Why? Because he was the closest earthly companion of my best friend Jesus. Pain was there in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus called out in utter desperation to God. But instead of giving up, giving way or giving in, Jesus took the cup that pain offered to him in the garden and drank down every last drop.
Pain was right there when the soldiers swung their whips and wielded their fists toward Jesus. He stood silently in the shadow of the cross as Jesus absorbed the punishment and pain that I so deeply deserved. Through pain Jesus bore the sin of my humanity, of all humanity, and screamed out "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?"
Through pain’s twin brother death I have been justified. By pain’s constant presence I am being sanctified. Out of the ashes of pain and death someday I, like my best friend, will be glorified.
Without pain I’d forget to pray, to trust, to wait.
Pain is the alarm clock that awakens me to the eternal. Pain is the cold water plunge that shocks my senses and makes me run to the warm blanket of my Savior’s love. Pain is the compass that points the way to the true north of hope and heaven.
It is the bitter bread that I must eat. Although I may choke it down, its nutrients are building me stronger every day. With each hard swallow I am taking into my being the bread of life, filling up the sufferings of Christ, so that someday I can partake in his glory at the feast of the Lamb.
Although Satan wants to use pain to destroy me, he will not prevail. I refuse to allow Satan to manipulate my friend pain to distract, embitter or engulf me. No, instead I will allow my dear friend to drive me to the foot of the cross so that I can be reminded of the one who endured the ultimate pain on my behalf.
Heavenly Father, pain is the chisel in your hand that you are using to chip off the excesses of granite sin and rock hard habits that encase my frail frame. I know that your job is not done until the image of Christ appears in me. With one hand you hold the chisel of pain and with the other you wield the hammer of love. I can see the tears in your eyes with each blow. But those tears of love cover me in the midst of my suffering and give me the courage to endure and persevere. It hurts God, but with every swing, every blow and every wince I see more and more of Jesus in me.
Swing hard. Swing true. Swing on.
Through it you draw me closer to you. By it you drive me to my knees in prayer. From it you forge in me the image of Christ.
Pain is a friend that I welcome with outstretched hands and open arms. Although he kisses me on the cheek while stabbing me in the side I am still glad to see him. Why? Because he was the closest earthly companion of my best friend Jesus. Pain was there in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus called out in utter desperation to God. But instead of giving up, giving way or giving in, Jesus took the cup that pain offered to him in the garden and drank down every last drop.
Pain was right there when the soldiers swung their whips and wielded their fists toward Jesus. He stood silently in the shadow of the cross as Jesus absorbed the punishment and pain that I so deeply deserved. Through pain Jesus bore the sin of my humanity, of all humanity, and screamed out "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?"
Through pain’s twin brother death I have been justified. By pain’s constant presence I am being sanctified. Out of the ashes of pain and death someday I, like my best friend, will be glorified.
Without pain I’d forget to pray, to trust, to wait.
Pain is the alarm clock that awakens me to the eternal. Pain is the cold water plunge that shocks my senses and makes me run to the warm blanket of my Savior’s love. Pain is the compass that points the way to the true north of hope and heaven.
It is the bitter bread that I must eat. Although I may choke it down, its nutrients are building me stronger every day. With each hard swallow I am taking into my being the bread of life, filling up the sufferings of Christ, so that someday I can partake in his glory at the feast of the Lamb.
Although Satan wants to use pain to destroy me, he will not prevail. I refuse to allow Satan to manipulate my friend pain to distract, embitter or engulf me. No, instead I will allow my dear friend to drive me to the foot of the cross so that I can be reminded of the one who endured the ultimate pain on my behalf.
Heavenly Father, pain is the chisel in your hand that you are using to chip off the excesses of granite sin and rock hard habits that encase my frail frame. I know that your job is not done until the image of Christ appears in me. With one hand you hold the chisel of pain and with the other you wield the hammer of love. I can see the tears in your eyes with each blow. But those tears of love cover me in the midst of my suffering and give me the courage to endure and persevere. It hurts God, but with every swing, every blow and every wince I see more and more of Jesus in me.
Swing hard. Swing true. Swing on.
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