Gospel

The impulse to know God

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Signal – Response.

The impulse to know God.

I wonder if its a reflexive action?

But I know the impulse to know God can be denied.  It can be ignored.  It can be covered up.

Just like the impulse to pick my nose in public.

Signal – Response.

Is God signaling to us?

He’s called the “Great I AM,” the same “yesterday, today, and tomorrow,”

The Alpha and Omega — the beginning and the end.

When I read the Scripture’s story I hear Him signalling.

The signals to know God are coming from Him and they are all around us.

And every once in a while we may say honestly with Philip, a man who spent several years with Jesus,

“Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Are you satisfied with Jesus’ answer?

9Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.  John 14:9-11

Open your eyes.

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Open your eyes.

See the grass pushing up through the mud?

See the the crow keeping watch on the city parking meter?

See the man collecting bottles tilt his most recent acquisition and drain it?

Did you see what Jesus has done?

Jesus…

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.   Colossians 1:15-17

What are you studying today?

It was made by Jesus.

It was made for Jesus.

It is held together today by Jesus.

Maybe your studies are an exploration of the human effect.

Some of that’s good.  Some of that’s not so good.

But at the root of it all, all we’ve had to work with started with Jesus.

He is before all things.

 

When Jesus gives you your life back…

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This morning we read Luke 17:11-19 at my breakfast table.  There where no fireworks over our oatmeal but I did feel the Lord move my heart.

When you have lost so much and then Jesus unexpectedly gives it back… gratitude can light up the sky!

The ten people who met Jesus in the story have not only had to deal with a medical condition, they have had to grieve their persistent social alienation day after humiliating day.

And now because of God’s grace they could start over!

Only one came back to tell Jesus, “thank you.”

And I think this one, got so much more than new skin!

Did he get a new heart?

Now he could go home as a changed man.  His “faith had made him well.”

From this day forward faith in Jesus is something he lives with.

Judgement and a full-bodied view of evil

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Scripture:  2 Peter 5:3-10

Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8(for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.  Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones…

Observations:

Peter affirms that God is judging those who distort the truth, abuse His name, and  exploit people.

Application:

God is not asleep.  When it seems like wickedness is prevailing Peter reminds these people under pressure that God’s judgment has appeared, and will come again.  This is particularly important because of the hubris that accompanies willful rebellion against God and His Gospel.  A view of God’s judgment also is important for helping us metabolize the lack of mindfulness toward God and the lack of empathy toward people that may characterize people doing evil things.  Jesus said, “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”  But what do we do, when they do know what they are doing?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, To trust that you will ultimately put all things right means that I believe you are the solution to evil and to the brokenness generated by our independence from you.  To trust that you are putting things right through Jesus Christ means that I abandon revenge and self-righteousness.  To trust that you are putting things right means that I believe we can find some measure of justice in this world for others who suffer from the evil deeds and decisions humans are capable of.  But even then nothing will be so satisfying as knowing you.  AMEN.

False Teachers and Fast Ferries

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Scripture:  2 Peter 2:1-3 (NLT)

1But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. 3In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

Observations:

Peter warns the church to pay attention:  false teachers will show up.

They are cleaver teachers with “destructive heresies.”

They deny Jesus.

They will get a following.

The “way of truth” will be slandered because of the false teachers.

They will be greedy.

Application:

A few years ago BC introduced the “fast ferry” to our fleet of ships.  They didn’t last long on the water!  The wake created by these sleek and fast boats damaged the shore lines.  The boats were expensive to maintain.  Soon they were docked and ultimately sold at a great loss.

Every leader creates a wake.  All leaders and messages are not equal in the size of their wake.  Smooth talkers will abound.  Crowds may come.  But the character and heart of a false teachers is false even as they distort the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.  In the wake of such false teachers many other people are hurt and washed up on the shore.  Then the way of Jesus is slandered by those who see the devastation.

In this text, Peter would have us pay attention to two aspects of a leader’s life:  1.  The way they handle the Gospel.  2.  The way they handle people and their money.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, may your church become so familiar with your Word and the character of Christ that they recognize what is false and distance themselves from it.  Please bring healing to those who have been hurt by false teachers.  May both your tender mercy and your fierce love prevail so that Jesus is lifted up.  May your Kingdom come.  AMEN.