Feb. 28, 2010 And the List goes on and on….. John 1:12

 

It starts with a simple testimony by John, of Jesus Christ.

Because a real relationship with anyone starts with who they are or at least an acknowledgement of who they are. This becomes the key to accepting and understanding who we really are in relation to him.  Which leads me to make this point, while Jesus was at the epicenter of the scriptures and should be at the center of our lives, we were in fact at the center of his. We were foreme=ost in his mind and his thoughts. What tends to happen is that in our conversation of christ we forget to understand that all that he was and all that he does and did was for us. This is what makes relationship with him important to us.

It is through his testimony, that John was pushing away any possibility of anyone thinking that he himself was more than he ought – he says and he is somewhat insistent about it  “I am not the light” –in other words don’t look at me , look at him! I just came to testify , to tell you about the light.

And he is sure to make them understand that it is so, that ALL might believe don’t make the mistake in believing that it is about me preaching to you because it’s not. But more  importantly, he notes, it is the proclamation of Jesus – isn’t it amazing how we can get so caught up in church that we forget what it’s all about its about,  JESUS !  But to Jesus it is all about us.

He begins now to deal with the tragedy of the mixed response vs10 – he was in the world and the world received him not. This was the universal rejection that he came and was generally  not received.  Like an author who appears in his own story and isn’t recognized. Then john closes the circle and suggests that then he came unto his own kind and they even rejected him, the world rejecting him, maybe I could understand, yes. But coming to his own, to those who would expect him , to those who were looking for him, to those who were heralding his return as messiah and then they rejected him.

Which essentially leads us to the understanding of freedom of choice or what we like to call freewill.

Looking carefully at this text if we were left with only the idea presented in vers 12 we would say that  salvation  was all based upon only personal human response and nothing else .  Because it says they received him and then after they received him they are given the right – the word “right” – exousia- power or authority. This of course becomes good news for me because it puts me in a position better than I was in before, it gives me an opportunity to at least be saved.

 This imagery that John uses of me coming alive as a child of God is amazing. It suggests that  there is nothing that can keep me from being what I am supposed to be, a CHILD OF GOD, now there is no bondage that can tie me up and imprison me because I have this power that allows me freedom. Freedom from alcohol, freedom from weed, freedom from homosexuality. I now have a right to be free from sin, I have a right to be free from homosexuality, from drug addiction from anything the enemy can use-I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE FREE. Why ? because I received him.

 LETS GET THAT STRAIGHT RIGHT NOW , I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE  FREE

That’s why you cannot allow the enemy to imprison you because of your past, because of the things you have done, I’m telling you –I am just learning it. We have to change our mindset to acknowledge our pasts but to acknowledge our futures as greater than our pasts. “Yes I did it, yes I blew it but  now I have a right to be a child of God”.

Understand , then that while the focus is on the power that produces divine life it is a power that must be exercised by the PERSON. The freewill of a person must be used to establish this wonderful change. It is not forced upon us nor are we bound by it but we choose to move toward this change by receiving the one who came, Jesus.

He does not say that God made them Children of God, but that he gave them the power to become children of God.

Notice then that he uses this clearly in opposition or in contrast to verse 11 where there is a concept of rejection-Jesus was rejected by the world, then rejected by his own. Then in vs12 he talks about receiving on one hand you have rejection on the other hand you have reception.

The one who rejects gets nothing, but the one who receives gets the right to be a child of God,  you might have  a life of horror following you, but you have the right to be a child of God.  You may be holding  a resume of sin; I ain’t talking to folks who ain’t never done nothing, I’m talking to folks who went to bed drunk and got up drunk and then went and drank some more, I’m talking to folks who chased the pipe and then chased the pipe some more, I’m talking to folks who slept in so many beds it’s a wonder you aint  laid out in the aids ward, no matter what you got dragging in behind you,you have a right to be a CHILD OF GOD.

 So who is to blame if you are not what you are supposed to be – YOU !

If we only had vs13 then we could say that it was only divine initiative  in other words all of this was God and there was no accountability for anything on the part of those of us who would receive him. But this is simply not the truth, every one of us holds in our hands some measure of accountability to either accept or deny what the LORD has done for us.

Another point that should be mentioned is that there is nothing that can hinder your change because your change is not birthed out of anything natural,  it does not come from any natural sphere of life or some natural sphere of influence.

Your change doesn’t come because you switch to another job, your salvation isn’t based on who your friends are , your deliverance isn’t based on whether someone likes you or doesn’t like you. Cause your change ain’t natural, your deliverance ain’t natural, your freedom ain’t natural-ITS SPIRITUAL.  That’s why folks can’t stop you from being a child of god because the source is God.

But this life , this transformation this change isn’t forced on you –you have a role to play you have a part to play-it must be received.

And some of us have been receptive, you have named the name of Christ , you have claimed salvation and received him and yet you are still struggling , struggling with men, struggling with women, struggling with your sexuality, struggling with this struggling with that.

But the lord is saying because you have been receptive here-here is your power to be a child of GOD.

You are not a child of god because you come to church, you are not a child of god because you sing the songs, you are not a child of god because you put money in the offering plate all of these are aesthetics. One writer put it like this          “ becoming children of God means we begin to share his divine life , without ceasing to be creatures, believing in Jesus, enables us to have life in his name and share in his divine nature”.

This simply means that all of the things that the LORD has done for us is included in our benefits

Which means I’m

Justified.

United with the Lord. (1 cor 6:17)

Bought with a price.

Belong to god.

Member of Christ body.

Redeemed. (Col 1:14)

Complete. (Col 2:10)

Free from condemnation. (Rom 8:1)

Assured. (Rom 8:28)

Free from any charge.(Rom 8:31-34)

And the list goes on and on an on and on and on and on and……..

Feb. 27, 2010 You may need a touch Matt. 8:1-4

So, imagine this man who offers his own testimony , imagine this man: “for five years no one touched me, not my wife, not even a kiss, not my friends. No one touched me. They saw me, I know they saw me, they spoke to me from afar. But I sensed their fear, I sensed their apprehension, I heard it in their voices. You could see the concern in their eyes but no touch, no one touched me”.

“Imagine that what you take for granted , I desired , what you thought was concern, I coveted a handshake, a touch on the shoulder, a warm embrace. I looked up one day and it was gone, there was no one to touch me. Not even a bump in the crowd. What I would have given to be hugged but for five years nothing. They wouldn’t let me in on the streets, couldn’t go to the market and even the rabbis, the men of god, they kept their distance. I was a leper and I was untouchable”.

In New testament times leprosy was a dreaded disease. The disease rendered the body a mass of ulcers and decay. Fiingers would curl and gnarl and knot up. Blotches of skin would become discolored and begin to stink. And if it were really strong it would numb the nerve endings, so that you could cut a toe and not feel it. You could slam your finger in the door and not feel it. Leprosy was death by inches, a slow death.

Spiritually some of us are leprous- we have  this disease , this thing which has caused us to be disfigured to the point we don’t look like ourselves, I mean other people don’t see the difference but you see it, youre knotted and deformed and not at all what you used to be. We have this thing that desensitizes us and we are just losing small parts of ourselves. A spiritual piece of us keeps being attacked and we see it but cannot do anything about it. We are just losing small spiritual parts of ourselves, lost this at our last job, lost that in out last relationship.

When we look carefully at this I see that the social consequences were,  just as great as the physical.  Because the leper was considered unclean, contagious, so he was quarantined, banished . I wonder how many of us  have ever been in serious trouble and instead of people coming to us to help they stayed away from us, they ran from us. Have you ever felt banished, blacklisted one person stop speaking to you now you got four people not speaking . one person can’t stand you now you got seven people rolling their eyes at you. Sure we have friends but we’re hurting so much – we don’t see it so we feel banished.

He then becomes the ultimate outcast.  Ancient eastern culture isolated their wounded, you would think that the wounded would be tended and taken care of.

Imagine this man.

One day your harvesting wheat in the fields and the tips of your fingers get numb, gripped the tool but couldn’t feel it. Went to wash his hands , put his hands in the water and the water started to redden, he was bleedling freely almost appeared he was bleeding right through the skin.

“I was wounded but didn’t know it, I was sick and didn’t know it. My wife came behind me she said it’s on your clothes too and you smell funny. You should have seen the look she gave me. I cry every time I think about that look. It was ,uh, like a look…of disgust”.

“She sent me to the priest, he looked at my hands all wrapped in a rag. He looked in my eyes and thanked me for all my help around the temple , all my tithes  and all my offerings, thanked me for opening the church on Fridays. But then he covered his mouth, extended his palm and cried unclean, unclean you are unclean!!!”

“With his one pronouncement , I lost my family, my farm, my money, my church, my future.”

“And I really cannot blame my friends . they were caught too, on the one hand they pitied me and on the other side they were scared. I would step up and they would step back”.

“That was some time ago- look at me now, tips of my fingers are missing, portions of my right ear and nose are decaying away. Children point and stare, fathers grab their children, old ladies cover their faces now. And the rags on my body are starting to stink- they can’t cover the sores any more”.

“What did I do to deserve this ? Some think I sinned, some say my parents sinned,  I don’t know- I’m just tired of all this . I took that bell of f they put around my neck.”

“Then one day I did something risky, what did I have to lose?  He calls himself God’s son. Either he will hear my complaint and kill me or accept my demands and heal me”.

“I know I was defiant” (his issue made him defiant, his issue made him angry)

“Then I saw him – remember I’m a father not a poet but when I saw him he looked like the morning sun. The air around his face was bright like a sunrise”.

“Before he spoke I knew that he cared ,there was something about him and the anger all the anger I had it melted away, it had actually begin to change into hope.  All that rage, I remember that rage. But it started  feeling like something else, maybe trust, I don’t know, I was feeling like I wanted to be near him”.

“From behind a rock I watched him, watched him coming down that hill, people followed him , there was so many people behind him. I waited until he was very close..”

“MASTER” MASTER”

“He stopped in his tracks and looked in my direction as did everybody else , people covered their faces, some ran, children started crying. Someone shouted unclean. Everyone stepped back except him- he stepped forward , he stepped toward me. I stepped and he stepped”.

“Lord you can heal me if you will”.

“I will he said- he healed me”.

“Had he healed me with a word I would have been fine. Thrilled , elated, had he cured me with a prayer that would have been wonderful as well”.

“But he wasn’t satisfied with talking to me , he must have known what I needed , he touched me”.

The touch did not heal the disease, the word did. But there was a part of him that needed to be ministered to and it had nothing to do with the leprosy.

He handled his pain but  still touched him.

Speaks to your problem but touches you.

The word healed his disease but the touch healed his heart.

Why is it we have so many saved folks but not enough love to go around? Why is it we have so many people who are Christians but miserable you may need a touch.

The touch was another level of intimacy.

It was the  divine touching the earthly.

He wanted healing but he needed a touch.

You too may need a touch.

Feb. 25, 2010 I May Never Be What I Want To Be, But… Mk 10:35-45

V35 Those who came to him; James and John, the sons of Zebedee come to Jesus naturally, they come to him without pretense without facade and without any falsehood. They are simply the sons of Zebedee.

But more importantly is the circumstances which surround them, in verse 32, we see that they had finally started to believe the things that Jesus had said to them concerning his own death and they watched him. I mean they watched him, even though they began to believe him they watched him, they paid attention to what he did, the things he said. They watch him like one watches the teacher to see if the teacher does something wrong so that contempt might be held. And it’s very interesting to watch people who have to deal with great struggle.

It’s interesting to watch people hold their head as they fight an attack of the enemy.

Its amazing to see people go through great struggle and great adversity and all the while you know, in their heart they are saying “Lord help me keep it together”.

So they watched him, they were first amazed and then at once afraid –why afraid ? Because they had finally began to grasp the enormity of Jesus mission,  because they had finally began to understand what it was that they in turn would have to deal with as his disciples.

But notice how jesus handles it, he does not soften the blow even though he knows that they are watching. He does not make it sound as if it is something that it is not real, he doesn’t make it sound attractive or pleasing or good, he gives it to them raw,again.

He didn’t sugar coat the situation or try to make it appear falsely,  just to silence their concerns or appease their fears: if you are going to walk with God you just are going have to understand that there are going to be some rough days-I wish we would stop lying to ourselves and trying to deceive folks-we are confusing folks with this crazy nonsense, that life is gloriously transformed to something out of a fairytale. Life is real , with real issues, with real hurts, with real drama, real tragedy and real drama. It produces real tears, real hurt, real brokenness and real hard decisions.

What Jesus is saying, through his own circumstances is “ if you are going to walk with me, every once in a while you are going to go through a storm”.

If you are going to have a personal relationship with the Lord you can dance all you want but you are still going to have to fight.

But in verse  35 their sentiment is somewhat suprising as they really begin to ask “ok what are we going to get out of all this ? They had aspirations and there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be more or be better. But they wanted more than that they wanted to make sure that all of this was worth it.  After leaving everything they had behind, after following Jesus wholeheartedly and committing themselves to his ministry they needed validation and what better validation than to sit at his side.

Isn’t this true of us all ? Don’t we want to be validated so that all of our efforts have defined spiritual truth. We want to make sure that we haven’t wasted our lives, those precious fleeting moments. Wouldn’t this trump all of our naysayers ?

The honest truth is ,that neither spiritual reward nor spiritual validation comes easily and is easily manifested to those around us. But more importantly sometimes we are faced with so much doubt about our walk with Christ that we want the validation for ourselves as well. Oftentimes that validation does not come in the forms that we expect or desire but that doesn’t mean that all of this means nothing.

Dont frustrate yourself with this stuff. But instead resign yourself to this fact. You may never get all that you want and you may never be all that you want to be, but you will be what he wants you to be.

March 24, 2010 Grief before growth

The initial question has to be “How do I get what I want from God?

The idea that he leaves all that he has and all that he was, is incredible enough. When he has his experience with the prophet. Elisha was plowing the oxen, leaves oxen, tells mother and father goodbye goes gets some oxen and kills them understand this, the process of transformation- he cuts the ties. There is not indecision, there is swift and immediate action, he knows what he wants and he moves toward it.

Then there is the journey:

1. gigal-the cutting (commitment),

2. bethel-house of god,

3.Jericho-manifestation,

4.Jordan the dying, and through all of this he remains focused, he clings to Elijah like a leech.

Vs9 Finally we get a glimpse of elijah’s sense of all this – What do you want ?

He knew what he wanted. He wanted more, he wanted growth, he wanted to be better than he was.

Now according to jewish law-inheritance law-Deut 21:17  “ but he shall acknowledge the first-born….giving him a double portion of all that he has , for he is the beginning of his strength, to him belongs the right of the first born.

Since Elijah has no known children his 1^st tutor, his first student –not his servant becomes the recipient of his legacy

Double portion meant spiritual inheritance.

V10 singleness of eye is important. Too many of us want too much from the Lord and as a result we very rarely get one thing. We move from one thing to another. We pray about this today and tha tomorrow.

V12 grief – elisha suffered loss both natural and spiritual-with Elijah’s ascent. I guess he felt like, “after all that I have been through, you mean to tell me I ‘m not gonna get what I want “

The grief was twofold: the loss of Elijah that was bad enough.

Then the perception that the double portion was not in fact given.

There was a desperate desire to fulfill his hearts desire.

We seem to be totally mystified by the way in which god will do this

He rent his clothes in two –

Vs 14 he strikes the water – this is the release. He strikes the water out of grief and what happens, there was a manifestation of what he wanted. He had the mantle but he didn’t wear it, he instead used it.

Out of his grief was birthed the necessary actions to reveal the blessing.

Maybe your grief, struggle, anxiety is all just a precursor to the manifestation of your blessing.

You have remained focus, you went through the journey, the mantle is in your hands. Stop crying strike the water and watch what happens.

Feb. 23, 2010 Fixed Fight Rom. 8, Eph.3:16

 

Body soul and spirit

Body I have contact and interaction with the world

Soul I have contact and interaction with myself.

Spirit I have contact and interaction with my God.

When the body and soul are in operation together they operate as they would operate after the fall of man and this is what the scriptures refer to as the “flesh”

Galatians 5:17, 22 flesh lusteth against the spirit- it is not after ,but  lusteth –lust “epithumeo” strong desire with flailing arms.- a desire with action, violent action.

So it is the flesh with strong desire, strong violent desire and action against the spirit

And this violent desire and action is against or in opposition to the spirit of God working in us. The holy spirit may be moving in this direction and the flesh will want to move in the opposite direction just because. The flesh will say no we are not going just because that is the way the spirit is moving. Constantly fighting and warring and starting trouble. Sometimes the fight is so great you cannot even imagine ever winning.

But when you are a believer your spirit which was dead is now quickened and infused, with the spirit of God.

With the spirit of God operating within you against your flesh, you will not lose. The fight is fixed.

Feb. 22, 2010 Every dog has their day. Matt 15:21-28

Giving up is not an option. You cannot give up. Even if you do not hear from God, even if he does not answer you favorably, immediately. You must wait, you must trust him. Giving up is not an option.

Remember as well, that he is sovereign, he can do what he wants, when he wants. While this is a concept we readily understand it is not a concept we easily agree with. Especially when we want answers from God.

V22 a woman of Canaan nameless, without real identity except that she was a woman of Canaan. But she was a syrophenecian woman, which meant she was a mixture of several races. She was of mixed blood, but she came out to meet him. Came out from the curse.

She cries “son of David”-son of David was a connected phrase, you had to be connected to the jews to understand this address and in particular in light of Jesus, she emphasizes the phrase. This simply indicates that she acted uncharacteristically. Think about it, sometimes you have to break character to get the things from God you want. Not because he requires you to. But because it is telling of your earnest committment to your request.

It spoke of the direct descent by promise through prophecy, david being the most illustrious of jews as king and prophet. His line is singled out by the prophets as the one through which the messiah would come.

She calls him, by his prophetic name. She calls him by what the word of God would declare he be.

But this woman has no claim to him as son of david. The re is a sense of entitle ment that many believers carry upon themselves, as if they are owed something from God. This is simply not true. Just because you know how to call his name doesn’t mean you deserve to get the blessing.

Then there is that other group of believers; who because of their weaknesses, failures or past don’t seem to be good enough for any of the blessings of the Lord, this also is not true. There is nothing that you could have possibly done that would make God abandon you. Nobody is that bad, that sinful or horrible.

But her love for her daughter pushed her. Her love became the only proponent. It became enough to make her risk embarrassment and hurt.

He answered her not a word, not because he didn’t want to but he didn’t have to based on order and her own identity.

Sometimes god will delay his blessing. Have you ever asked the lord for something and he didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no, he didn’t address it all. The lord always gives us an opportunity to manifest our faith and earnestness.

He knew what he was doing , he had plans to bless her all along. But she would have to go the distance to get it. Can you go down to get it, can you beg. Some of you all are too proud, to cute- to beg. But if it gets real bad, can you beg?

V23 this surprises me she cried for him, yet it was the disciples that responded. Sometimes you wont get the right response or at least the response you want- they send her away. Sometimes others will respond to your act of faith. They may respond in the negative. They may ask you what is it you hope to accomplish. Why are you behaving in that manner. They will not understand your desperation.

V24 that’s when jesus interrupted – he didn’t say anything until they started to talk about getting rid of her. Isn’t that amazing. They wanted to get rid of her and then he intervenes.

But this where it initially was a bit confusing to me. He defended her but then he speaks somewhat negatively to her by saying he was not there to bless her. He even referred to her and her people as dogs.

But her response was even more amazing. She agreed !!!

And let me tell you, there was more humility in that one-act , that one statement than any of us have ever produced in our lives. Yes, I am a dog but even dogs get something. Even dogs get scraps, crumbs.

With that act. Jesus performs her miracle without her daughter ever even showing up.

You may not be the best person in the world. You may have a horrible past or a closet filled with skeletons. Folks around you may consider you the worst of the worst. A dog in fact.

But remember this, he wants to bless you. And every dog has their day.

Feb. 21, 2010 He’s not going to leave you ezekiel 36:23-26

Imagine if you will for the next couple of seconds imagine that for eight hours perhaps the next eight hours– your heart takes a break, not that it fails or stops, nothing so dreadful as you having a heart attack, or dying, no physical injury or damage. But what if for the next eight hours your heart was switched with the heart of another and that for the next eight hours the heart that wakes in your bed, walks in your shoes , lives in your body, eats your breakfast, touches your partner and communicates with your children is not your heart but the replacement heart.

Now imagine that this heart that has assumed the place of your heart has to deal with your boss, has to talk to your mother, has to discipline your children, has to face your enemies, has to handle your trouble,carry your pains and manage your frustrations.

  

But even with the assumption of the place of your old heart this new heart doesn’t get away with perfection– because nothing else changes, if you were sick, your still sick, if you were unemployed your still unemployed, if you were broke you are still broke, if yo were weak your still weak– there was no change in your problems, no change in your circumstances, no change in your situations, the issues still exist. 

For the next eight hours your heart gets a break , calls in sick, goes on vacation, gets the day off. Now the heart that has taken the place of your heart is leading your life. Now that hearts life priorities govern your actions, that hearts passions drive you , that hearts love directs your behavior. 

How do you think you would act—do you think your children would notice the difference, do you think your spouse would see the change? Would your coworkers see something new ? Would your mother notice? Would you treat the strangers you ride the bus with any different ? Would you treat your friends the same ? Would you treat people that do not like you the same ? How about the people you don’t like ? 

What about you ? How would you feel about yourself ? Would you smile more ? Would you like what you see in the mirror ? Would you still be stressed out when you leave your job at five ? 

Would you lose your temper like you did the other day when your child spilled the glass of water 

Would you sleep better ? Would you look at life differently ? Would you appreciate the things you have more ? How would you look at life ? How would you look at death ? 

Now imagine for one moment that the heart that took over for your old heart , the heart that’s in there beating, that replacement heart was jesus’ heart– yes that’s right, the one at your desk is jesus’ heart. 

Now hold that image because what you see is exactly what god wants in your life– he wants you to think and act like jesus– he wants the center of you the command station ion you to be just like jesus..Phil 2:5 

After all the things that has been done after resurrection after the death and burial of jesus christ after they have whipped and beat him after he has assumed our sins and borne our transgressions after the ridicule there is a plan for you. 

After you have gone through all the hell that you have gone through, after you have felt inadequate, after you have cried at the altar , after you have read the sinners prayer after you have been frustrated and had victories and losses– the plan is that you would not only you would be saved and be delivered and walk freely of those things that had yo bound but that you would also be a reproduction of jesus– that’s the plan– not that you would be free to do your own thing and says your own words and accomplish your own goals—but that you would be free to be more and more like jesus. Bottom line, end of story. 

His plan is to replace the old heart , the old you, the old content of that old heart and give you a new heart, Jesus Heart. 

Once his heart is in you, how can he ever leave you.