“Believe In Me”

Scripture: Mark 9:14-29

As our season of Lent continues, we will also continue to examine how our faith should be growing, and what it can mean for our lives.

For the next 4 weeks, we will consider 4 words, each beginning with the letter “B” – Believe, Become, Belong and Build. Today, we begin with “Believe”.
We don’t always realize it, but the significance behind this word, at least in Christian terms, is very deep – it calls for trust in Jesus Christ; it carries with it not just a hope but a certainty in all he taught and promised; it involves a confidence in who he is; it demands that we travel in his way; and it is exhibited by a reliance on all of the truths that he stands for.

Today we consider four examples of faith, how they emerged, and how effective it was in each.

Read Mark 9:14-18

A crowd had gathered when a loud discussion had broken out between Jesus’ disciples and the Pharisees. We don’t know what the topic was, but it seems that it attracted a lot of interest. Three of our four faith expressions were gathered here – the disciples, the Pharisees, and the man who was seeking healing for his son.

The disciples were, to a great extent, believers in Jesus, but the depth of their faith tended to waiver at times.
The Pharisees were the second group, but their faith had little connection to Jesus – they looked to the Law for their faith, and the only thing they believed about Jesus was that he was a fraud and a blasphemer.
The third is the man who had come looking for Jesus on behalf of his son. He believed in what Jesus could have done for his child, but the Lord hadn’t been there – he, as well as Peter, James and John were just returning from Jesus’ Transfiguration. (Mark 9:1-10)

The disciples had faith, but they still couldn’t free the young man from the demon’s grasp. Their faith wasn’t quite sufficient.
The Pharisees could only trust in the Law, because it had gained authority over Israel through their efforts, and as such, they were unable to do anything in God’s truth.
The boy’s father believed in Jesus, and trusted that he could heal his son. In all probability, he had never met Jesus before, and may have never heard his teaching. But he had heard the witness of others, and that was enough for his faith be solid and strong and sufficient.
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” That was the faith of the man – he believed in Jesus, even though he had no solid evidence.

Read Mark 9:19-23

“Everything is possible for him who believes.” How does the demon react to Jesus’ presence? By violence against the boy! But that has always been Satan’s approach to God’s presence – when God allowed Satan the opportunity to test Job’s faith, he responded with violence against the man’s property, flocks, family, and finally Job himself.
Obviously, Satan and his minions know who God is, they just won’t surrender to his ways.

But can the demon continue to stand against Jesus? We are told that the love of Christ always triumphs. And 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 tells us that when we work within the good of Jesus Christ, our efforts will never be in vain.

The man’s “labor” was in believing that Jesus could heal his son.
The Pharisee’s “labor” was in the ways of the world – in the Law of Moses instead of in the Love of God.
And the demon? There was no love whatsoever in its attack and control over the boy – only hatred for God.

Read Mark 9:24-27

In verse 19, Jesus offers his frustration over the “unbelieving generation”, and here, the father admits his own unbelief. He is telling Jesus that while he does believe in all that the Lord is and does, his faith is still incomplete. So what could be missing in his faith?

It may be that he was questioning why the master’s authority hadn’t been given to his disciples.
It may be that he was beginning to doubt that Jesus had power over the demons.
But he does look to Jesus for strengthening in his faith. That is what the fullness of faith is all about. The Christian author C.S Lewis once said "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." The man was not only acknowledging his faith in Jesus, but he was also “seeing” that his faith was not as deep and trusting as it should be.

And the demon? Even though he is a follower of Satan, God still has the ultimate authority over him. Jesus demands that he vacate the boy, and after one last attack against the helpless child, he does as Jesus commands. The demon doesn’t willingly follow the way of Light, but he is, nonetheless, compelled to surrender to divine authority.

Interestingly, humanity has the ability to follow Jesus by faith, and can willingly obey his commandments, but we have no obligation to do so. But the demons, those fallen angels of God, the ones who knew the Lord intimately, the ones who had once followed his ways without question, can now only submit to the commands that are given directly to them. And God never demands that we follow his ways – not humanity, and not even Satan and his followers. Following and trusting in Jesus is up to us, but the Lord still has the ultimate authority over all of his creation!

And by the father’s chosen faith, the boy was free once again.

Read Mark 9:28-29

And now we come to the disciples’ failure to cast out the demon on their own. And we need to wonder about this, as in Mark 6:7-13, when the twelve were sent out, they were able to preach, heal and cast out demons. The main difference is that in that passage, we read that they were sent out after being given specific authority over evil spirits.

Jesus had been up on the mountain with Peter, James and John, so he hadn’t commanded the other nine to cast out the demon, and, apparently, they hadn’t prayed for guidance in this situation, and even though they tried, they didn’t have the authority.

Prayer is an important aspect of our faith. It cements our relationship with the Lord; it is our means of seeking his desire for our lives; it proclaims that we trust God, and only wish to do his will. The disciples on this day may have tried to take authority over the demon on their own, but this is never a good idea! If we truly believe in Jesus Christ, if we have truly surrendered our identity to him, if we remain in touch with him through prayer, it is then that the saying in Philippians 4:13 will be true for our lives – “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” But by our own will, it will never happen.

Do we believe in Christ to that extent? Do we readily admit that our faith could be stronger and truer than it is, and seek the better faith through prayer? Do we resist the temptation to go off on our own, thinking that just because we believe in Jesus that we can do anything we want to?

Believing in Jesus means that we trust his judgment, trust his way, and not our own. And that will always be the better way for this life.

“Prepare!”

Scripture: Joel 2:12-18

Lent, the season of preparation for Easter, has begun. It is a time to consider our walk in faith, to acknowledge our shortcomings – to confess those ways that we know as sin, and to turn away from the destructive ways of earth and back to the true and eternal ways of the Lord. But for many, these 6 weeks of Lent have little, if any, significance. Life goes on just as it always has, without any intention, or even desire, to make changes in those things we do or in our attitudes for doing them.

Lent should be a time for change. But before changing, we need to discover just what it is that we need to let go of, and what needs to fill its void. The prophets were all about calling Israel, and the Church, back to Godly ways when they, and we, have strayed too far from the Lord’s way. So let’s see what Joel has to tell us about the what’s and why’s of the changes that we need to make.

Read Joel 2:12-14

Israel had strayed from the Lord’s ways. They had become prosperous in life, and worldly wealth nearly always leads us into complacency in faith. Comfort in our physical life gives us confidence in our own abilities and desires, and we begin to take God for granted - he takes a back seat in our life’s journey when we should be inviting him to take the lead.
And when we decide to reclaim authority for our own lives – a responsibility that should rightly remain with our Lord - not only will our life suffer, but so will our faith. In Israel’s case, it resulted in trading trust in their great Jehovah, for allegiance to the false promises of idols. And whenever we look to the gods of earth for leadership, sin takes control, and it gains power over us, whether we realize that it has or not. We have unwittingly relinquished our hope for eternity, in favor of the earth’s finality.

And so, Joel calls the people to return to the Lord with all their heart, and to show him that they are prepared to mend their ways. For the ancient Hebrews, the heart was the source of intellect, it held the wisdom and will that helped them to make right decisions. In Deuteronomy 6:4-5, the people were called to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”, and while today we would think that this means they were to love in an emotional and passionate way, God was calling them to love him through their will and decision to return and love.

But the prophet doesn’t leave them to their own understand of how to give the Lord that kind of love – he tells them to tear their heart instead of tearing their clothes. Before you think that this sounds rather brutal, the command is more in line with “Change your entire approach to worship – truly love the Lord, and stop just going through the motions!” And then Joel gives them the reason that they should make these changes in their lives – it’s because God truly loves them, in a way and depth as only the Creator can love his creation.

This is the Lord’s nature – he is kind, generous, and considerate – he puts the needs of his people first. He hates anger, and will never let that emotion control him. As a matter of fact, love is his greatest desire, and it holds wrath, revenge, and punishment in check. And the promise remains intact: “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” (Exodus 6:7)

Read Joel 2:15-16

For Israel, the sound of the trumpet was normally a call to battle, but here, it is a call to worship. The nation would be called to war because of some a great threat that was coming against their lives, but now, this threat wasn’t coming from other nations – now it was festering and spreading from the inside out, and it was far greater than anything that the world could throw at them.

The call begins with fasting – a means of focusing the heart on God. Psalm 69:10 tells us that we are humbled when we fast; Isaiah 58:4 implies that honest and forthright fasting is intended to make our voice heard by God, and, conversely, not by the world; Daniel 9:3 says that fasting is a sign of supplication – a time of preparing to offer our requests and petitions to God; and Zechariah 8:18-19 reminds us that fasting should be approached in joy, and not out of obligation.

So they are to begin this “preparation for worship” with all that fasting would imply. Then, and only then, are they to be called to worship. And who is to come? Everyone - the elders, men and women, the children, and even the infants are to come – EVERYONE!

And when the lives are prepared, God (the “bridegroom”) will come to the people, and the people (the “bride”) will be ready to receive his love.

Read Joel 2:17-18

Three petitions:

First, the priests are to call upon the Lord for his great benevolence. They are to “weep” before the Lord, showing the great sorrow that Israel had over their sinful ways. And they are to cry out “Spare us, Lord” – a plea for forgiveness.

Second, a petition is offered to Jehovah that he never forget his covenant with Israel. They are the people of God, and the inheritance of heaven. The Lord is being asked to keep the nation right in his eyes, that he might never reject them.

Third, the priests remind Jehovah that without his forgiveness, without his righteousness, without his salvation for the people, his word will be broken, and the people of earth will never trust him.

And if all of this transpires - if the people reject the ways of earth, if they honestly prepare their lives to receive the Lord, if they repent of their sin, if they come to their God joyfully, humbly, and honestly, they will be forgiven, and received, and rejoiced over by their covenantal God.

And that is what our Lent should be about. Why? When we consider just what our Lord Jesus has done for each of us, from his leaving glory and praise behind so that he might come to us, to be our teacher, to be the fulfillment of all that God’s Law should be for us and to reinforce the words that Joel and all of the other prophets brought to the world, to not only call us to righteous living but to show us what that way of life means, to not only be our forgiveness, but to also be the sacrifice that our sins demand, to give himself entirely, that we might know the love of God through everything he did and said and gained for us.

Jesus, the God of heaven and earth, “changed” into a flesh and blood man, so that he could come to live and feel and struggle and love with each of us. And all that is asked of us in return, is to trust his words, to accept his commandments, and follow him throughout this life and into the next. But before we can do that, we have to empty ourselves of the lies of earth, and make room for the ways of our divine bridegroom. We need to embrace the change he calls us to make, if we have any intention of ever living as his disciple.

May this Lent be that time of change in your and my life, and may the glory of God be ours today.

“Who is Jesus for You?”

Scripture: Mark 9:2-9

Our Lord is an extremely personal God, and yet, how many people, throughout the ages, have ever understood what that means for them? Think about his disciples – it wasn’t until after his crucifixion and resurrection that they even began to come to grips with the divine relationship that he offered to them. For Israel in general, they thought that Jehovah demanded a righteous life and strict adherence to his Law, and that this would be their faith. Even the Church has struggled with this very issue – we have always known that Philippians 2:6-11 tells us that, by faith, we are to fully and truly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
But for many, this act can only be considered as truthful if our life can be seen as a witness to the words! The truth is that Justification, our acceptance of Jesus as Lord of our life, is only the first step, and Sanctification, our growth in faith and good works, only comes through and by our commitment and confession of who Jesus is for us personally!

The point is this – what is our relationship with Jesus based on? Is it in our proving our worthiness of his salvation, in the good works we perform and the good life that we live, in our acts of social justice, or is it in the faith and trust that we place in him, in our acceptance of the new life that God creates for us when we give our lives to Jesus?

What does his truth mean for each of us?

Read Mark 9:2-4

This passage begins with “After six days …”. A number of events in the gospels begin with a reference to something that happened previously. So what were these, as well as other days in a life with Christ, all about?

In Mark 8:27-30, we read that Jesus and his disciples had spent some time in the region of Caesarea Philippi. This was a pagan worship site, and it is the very place that Jesus chooses to get his followers to think about who he was. He asks them who “the people” say he is, and he hears that they believe that he may be the reincarnation of John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the other prophets. These are certainly high compliments, but they still fall far short of the truth of Christ.
He then asks who they say he is, and this is when Peter stands up and proclaims that Jesus is none other than the Christ. Messiah, for Israel, was the long awaited Savior, the one who Jehovah would sent to save the people from oppression and persecution by the people of earth.
But Peter, the proclaimer of who Jesus truly was for him, had his own ups and downs. He would be the one whose faith could only allow him to take a step or two on the water before he began to sink (>Matthew 14:22-33). This one time truth proclaimer would be the one who would chastise Jesus for saying that he must suffer, be rejected, crucified, and only then risen to glory (Mark 8:31-33). This nearly faithful disciple would be the one who loudly proclaimed that even though others may turn against Jesus, that he would never do that (Matthew 26:33-35), but later would do the very thing that he said he would never do (Mark 14:66-72).

But Peter wasn’t the only one who struggled, and even vacillated, over who Jesus was for him. James and John would argue over who should sit next to Jesus at the supper – they were focused on their own honor and greatness, instead of giving their master the honor that he was due (Mark 10:35-40). They would be two of the ones who would fall asleep in the garden, even after the Lord had asked them to stay awake for him while he prayed. (Matthew 26:36-46)

None of them were completely certain of who Jesus was, or who he was for them, or how they should relate to him personally. But on this day, these three men would be given a glimpse into the true nature of Christ. He would be “transfigured” right before their eyes. His true character, the fullness of his identity, is being revealed to the closest of his followers. And who is he being shown to be?

The dazzling whiteness of his clothes indicate that his true nature is of heaven. They became whiter than anything of earth could ever be, implying a purity greater than earth could ever have. Jesus is shown to be clothed in glory.
Second, he is joined by the two greatest figures in all of Jewish history – Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Law that God gave to the nation at Mount Sinai, and Elijah had always been seen as the greatest of the prophets. The appearance of these two figures from Israel’s past reinforced the divine identity that had been missing from Israel’s faith, and proved Jesus’ statement in Matthew 5:17-20 – that he had not come to abolish either the Law or the Word of the prophets - that he had come to fulfill them both.

Read Mark 9:5-7

The three men were so overwhelmed by what they were seeing that they were blown away. And why not – put yourself in their place! They had never met either Moses or Elijah – after all there were no pictures or paintings in those days - but there was no doubt in Peter’s mind – or in the mind of the others – as to whose presence was surrounding them. How self-assured would any of us have been at that moment? How good a grasp would any of us have had on the reality of the situation? Probably about as good as these disciples had!

And the fact that the voice of God again speaks, proclaiming Jesus as his Son, doesn’t help the three either! Imagine – the vision, the cloud, the voice, and all that Jesus had taught them, even the strangest and most unbelievable things – all came together, in one moment, to make this event overwhelming in their minds and in their hearts.
They would know for certain that Jesus is Messiah. And in that truth, he would be greater than either Moses or Elijah! Their Master would be the Hope of Israel, the Anointed One of God, the Savior who they had waited for, the One who would rescue the people from their oppressors. They were standing, if, indeed they could still stand, in the presence of God and His Promise! Is it any wonder that Peter got a little confused over what day it was?

For the early Church, this story was certainly evidence that the coming of God’s kingdom was near – maybe even as near as in their lifetime. So much of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew and Luke was about the nearness of the kingdom, and the importance for the people to prepare their lives for its arrival. Messiah’s arrival would be an important part of the prophecy; Elijah’s coming had already been an important part of the kingdom message; and the coming together of the keeper of the Law, the proclaimer of the Word, and the promised Messiah made the kingdom a certainty.

Just another day in the spiritual influence and revelation of Jesus? Hardly – it was leaps and bounds greater than anything the men had ever seen before!

Read Mark 9:8-9

Remain on the mountain, basking in the memory of the most incredible experience of their life? No – there was still a lot of work to do. Share the truth of Jesus Christ with the other followers? With the children of Israel? With the people of earth? Not yet – the time for revealing the complete truth of Christ was still in the future. Remain close to the glory of the mountain top? No – people in the “valley” still needed to learn so much – they weren’t quite ready to receive the glory.

But the coming of God’s kingdom had been initiated, even while the kingdom of earth was still in place. The battle had now taken on a whole new urgency, though, there was an entirely new expectancy, and the people of earth were caught right in the middle of it. But soon, the Lord’s victory would be guaranteed, when, by his unselfish sacrifice and surrender to the needs of his created, Jesus would freely walk that long and arduous path to Calvary, where he would allow the forces of darkness to attack his mortality. Of course, they could never take control of his immortality – that would be reserved as a gift, to be given to all who would seek Jesus by faith.

What an incredible message of hope! Were they really supposed to keep it from the people of earth? What could be gained by their silence? For now, it must be kept in the hearts of these three disciples, but the time would soon come, to be signaled by the overpowering of death, by the defeat of sin, by the rending of that symbol of separation between humanity and Almighty God - the temple’s curtain. The preliminary work wasn’t complete – until Jesus would speak the words of completion from the cross – “It is finished.” (John 19:28-30) His work would then be complete, but that of the disciples, that of the Church, was just beginning.

Who do they say Jesus is? It doesn’t really matter, except that we must acknowledge that “they” are wrong.
What really matters is who you say Jesus is, and how you will proclaim his truth to the world! Jesus is Messiah, the Christ, come for the salvation of all who will seek him by faith. He is the hope and promise of eternal life. He is the power to defeat the condemnation of sin that rests upon us all. He is the Love of God Incarnate, the divine understanding of our human condition, the healer of our infirmities and the conqueror of our impending death. He is our purpose for today, and he is our promise for tomorrow.

And each of us has, or will have, our own personal experience with Christ, just as Peter, James and John did on the day that Jesus led them up to the top of that mountain. They would, one day, when the time had come, begin to share this experience and the fullness of their life in Jesus with all who would listen.

Are you sharing all that you have experienced in Christ with others? Your day has also come, you know. So if you haven’t begun testifying to the truth of Christ, what’s holding you back?

“Listen Close, and Know”

Scripture: Isaiah 40:21-31

Humanity has always struggled with the question “What is our relationship with God all about?” After all, how does the world even know, with any degree of certainty, that he even exists? And if he does, why should he even care about us? Several years ago, Casting Crowns recorded a song called "Who Am I". The first verse expresses this very sentiment.

“Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart?”

And the refrain answers our question:

“Not because of who I am
But because of what you've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who you are”

The song continues to lay out all the reasons why our Lord of all the earth shouldn’t care a hoot for any of us, and every time, the refrain draws us back to the answer that doesn’t always make a lot of sense to some folks – that it has absolutely nothing to do with who and what we are – it’s all about God and his ways. In Isaiah 55:8-9, we are offered a comparable answer – that our ways, and our understanding, is so limited that even if we were given a more detailed answer to the question, we could never understand it.

God’s greatness, and our lack thereof, will never explain the incredible love that we receive from the Lord. It will always be a mystery – but just the same, it exists, and always will exist,

Isaiah 40:21-24

Israel had been told time and time again about their great God Jehovah! They had heard of his glory and his might; of the power and meaning behind his creation; of his love and plan for their lives and their nation; of his majesty that, at the very least, deserved their allegiance and obedience. And as often as they had heard, they never quite learned.

And what about us? How often have we heard those same great stories that come to us from the Old Testament? The story of Abraham’s family and how the Lord guided their steps to his way, even when they strayed from his path; the rescue of the people from slavery in Egypt; the abject disobedience that should have resulted in their destruction, but how God allowed them another chance after captivity in Babylon and Assyria; stories about the faithful – Daniel, Rahab, Noah, Ruth, Nathaniel, Esther, David and many others. How about the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, as well as those of Amos, Micah, Joel and many more. How much have we heard, and how much do we know about our amazing and gracious and glorious God, and how much do we actually do about our knowledge?

Regardless of what Israel, and we, have heard, unless the people put their learning into practice, the lessons are, for all practical purposes, worthless! Verse 24 reminds us that our existence on this globe is temporary, and our time is limited, and our opportunities to put all that we have learned into action will soon draw to a close. Have any of us done something – anything - to bring honor to our Lord?

“Hearing” is a part of our preparation for something much greater. “Learning” is about putting our hearing to work. And “knowing” is our discovery of the possibilities that lie in following our God. And if we fail to put knowing into action, how will all of our study and learning and knowledge be of any benefit to us, or to anyone else for that matter?

Isaiah 40:25-26

The tone of the passage begins to change. In those first four verses, the pronouns were all third-person – they were coming from a messenger, and not directly from the Lord himself. But now the message is given in the first-person – it comes straight from the mouth and heart of God.
We are asked if anything or anyone can compare to our God? And the prophet steps up and begins to proclaim the glory that exists all around us. “Just look at all the millions and billions of stars that are up there! Have you ever considered just how they got there – how they continue to shine after all these years – how they are able to remain in place and not just fall out of existence?”
The overarching image here is that God is completely in charge – not only of the original creation, but in its continued beauty and existence. The point of the prophet’s call to lift up our eyes to the heavens, to consider the multitude of the heavenly bodies individually, is to call our attention to the grandeur of all that God has done for us.
Imagine the attention that the Lord pays to his creation – knowing each part intimately and by name, and that includes you and me. And in that intimate relationship, think about what he is willing and able to do for each one of us, individually as well as corporately!

The prophet is obviously aware of the Lord’s presence and work, and he calls our attention to the fact that nothing is out of place – that nothing is missing from God’s created order, that we can put our trust in him, that all will be made and kept right, if we let him.

Isaiah 40:27-31

So what do we have to complain about? I’m certain that none of us have ever grumbled about the condition of our lives (!!??) But we know that Israel did during their wilderness days, and if we are completely honest with ourselves, so do we. Israel’s confidence in Jehovah’s provision was very shallow, at best. They became hungry, so the Lord gave them manna and quail; during the forty years of wilderness, their clothes never wore out, the water always seemed to come when it was needed, the food was there every morning and evening, he led them past some enemies and became the means for conquering others, and the presence of the Lord was with them in both the day and the night. (Deuteronomy 8:2-6; Exodus 13:17-22; Numbers 20:9-13)

The Lord never ceased in his caring and leading of Israel – even in their disobedience, he never abandoned them. And he will never leave us to our own ways and means either – unless we feel that we can do better than he can! The Lord never forces himself on anyone, and when we decide to make our own way in this life, or decide to live life in our own way, or decide that we know better than he does, it is then that he will always let us try it our way. In my personal experience, though, my way never seems to work out as well as I had hoped, and it never even comes close to the success that God’s way has always been for me.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard?” Isaiah begins to put it all in perspective when he compares our inabilities and infirmities with all that God is and does on our behalf. Through the prophet, the Lord sets the standard for this life. He reminds us that no matter how young and energetic we may be, we still have our limits – we get tired, we make mistakes, we stumble over the world’s obstacles and fall flat on our face more times than we can count. Our judgment is faulty, our decisions fall short of our potential, and life is always a toss-up as to whether it will turn out good or not.

But our God is always there, caring and blessing our lives, prepared to show us all of his goodness, to work his power for our benefit, to include us in his incredible plans for this world, to be gracious, merciful and forgiving when we fail him, to give us his all, and in return, only asking for our loyalty and trust.

And those who trust in the Lord will soar on the wings of his Spirit! So which sounds better to you? Soaring or stumbling – the choice is up to each of us!