“Thy Kingdom Come …”

Scripture: Luke 17:20-37

As we saw last week, Jesus offered his lessons of heaven in ways that were difficult to understand. They were, on the surface, about the things of earth, while in truth, every one of them was about our relationship with God. Jesus knew that we didn’t have to learn about our life in the world – we all have had enough physical experience to understand our human life – at least to some degree! But the things of heaven? Not so much!

The Lord knows that we need to learn about him and his ways, and that it isn’t intuitively obvious for us! So what was the reason for his approach with parables, the reason that he didn’t teach in lessons that were plain and clear? It was that faith in him must come first, and that understanding would come later, by faith in Christ, and not by our own ability.

Today, we consider our first parable – “The Coming of the Kingdom”.

Read Luke 17:20-25

Interestingly, the Pharisees were always trying to trap Jesus, but in this instance, their question almost sounds like a legitimate request. And as always, their expectation in the answer fell far short of God’s truth, and if we are honest, Jesus’ response probably surprises us, too! I imagine that most of us think that the Day of the Kingdom will be the day of Christ’s return. Jesus tells us otherwise! And now we know that the kingdom arrived with him at Bethlehem.

So this revelation changes the question from “When will God’s Kingdom arrive?” to “How do we experience God’s Kingdom in the here-and-now?” And this is the question that the Lord actually answers. Remember the line from last week’s introduction to the parables – “We can see and hear the word of God, but until it lives within our heart, we can never know the spiritual significance that it contains.” This week, Jesus is telling us that even though his word and kingdom exist all around us, as well as within us, we don’t experience the fullness of his word, nor can we sense the power of the kingdom’s grace, until we come to a saving knowledge of him as Lord and Savior of our lives.

Imagine - waiting and watching for the coming of God’s Kingdom is nothing more than a waste of our time and energy! It is already here! It is already within us! So why don’t people sense his presence and understand – after all, how often do we pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done”? Can’t that mean, by the very words we speak, that the Kingdom already has come, and that we desire to follow that way? Why can’t we believe?
The problem is that so many people still think that they must continue to watch and wait and prepare, and they refuse to surrender their own plans and expectations, that God’s way might rise up to become divine Way for our life. The point is, that even though the kingdom of earth and the kingdom of heaven are present now, they cannot both be at work within our lives at the same time! We need to choose one or the other, and let those days of “fence straddling” fall by the wayside.

The first two verses of this passage are about what has already come to be through Christ’s first coming, while the rest of our verses are about that which is yet to come - it’s about the time when Jesus Christ returns to claim his rightful place in God’s Kingdom.
And his first thought in verse 22 is that his followers will live in those days when they fervently wish that his return would occur much sooner than later! He knows that the days of our persecution, and conflict, and fear, and struggle, and false accusations will continue to be with us until the day of his return, but that his presence in the Holy Spirit will see us through those times.

We will hear false proclamations that his coming has already occurred, or sometimes that it never will, but through faith in him, we will know the truth – that his return will come, and will be unmistakable for the entire world. We will see false happenings that will seem to be Godly, but by faith, we will know that they are lies. We will be told that Godly presence is just a fabrication of an overactive imagination, but by faith, we will know the difference between our mind’s desires and our heart’s reality.

On the day of Christ, the faithful will know, without a doubt, that when the kingdom rises to fruition, when the King takes his rightful place on the throne of creation, when the darkness and chaos of evil is forever banned, and the light and peace of Jesus Christ reigns eternally - that day will loudly proclaim that the hope of Jesus is no longer just faith, but has become reality.

Read Luke 17:26-30

In Jeremiah 29:4-14, the prophet sends a letter to the exiles who are still in Babylon. It’s a letter of encouragement in the people’s time of despair, it’s a letter intended to reassure them that even though they are a conquered people, being held in a foreign land, that God is still with them and caring for them. And he tells the exiles that their Lord wants them to live lives as normally as they possibly can – they are to get married and have children; they are to build new homes and live new lives; they are to be good citizens in this new land; they are to prosper, and to help the city they live in to also prosper. But they are also to know that their Lord God Jehovah has a plan for their lives – a plan that goes far beyond exile. Beginning in verse 11, we read that this plan will bring prosperity and hope and a glorious future for the people.

That is how the Lord has always worked for his people. Jesus reminds his followers that this is what the story of Noah and his family was all about, and what Lot and his family’s lives were all about – evil surrounded them, and all that they were called to do was to keep their eyes focused on what was ahead of them, and to not let the past, and even the present, cloud their future.

This is both a promise and a warning for what awaits the world when Jesus returns. We have to keep our lives focused on Jesus and his word, not on the world, with the evil and sin that has always defined it.

Read Luke 17:31-37

Don’t plan on taking anything of this world with you! It is worthless.
Don’t count on your relatives or friends to be your justification for the journey – it is only through your personal faith in Jesus that will allow us to experience the fullness of God’s kingdom. Not how close and intimate we may have been with some other follower of Jesus, not how much we may have read, or heard others say, about Jesus, not how much we gave to good causes, not how often we went to church – it is all about our surrender of the world and its ways, and our personal acceptance of Jesus and his way.

At the end of our passage, Jesus reflects on what the Day of Judgment will be for those who have never believed, and he compares it to a death that might occur in the wilderness of earth. Alone, sudden, hopeless, absolute, unavoidable, and a blessing for none but the scavengers.

For those in Christ, life will be eternal joy.
For those on the outside of God’s grace, life will terminate.

It is obviously better to choose Jesus, and receive life in his eternal kingdom. May God and his Kingdom be glorified by your decision for him today!

“Why Parables?”

Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17

Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn’t just speak plainly instead of seemingly beating around the bush all the time? There were those times when he told others to keep what they had discovered about him quiet (Mark 9:2-10), there was the teaching that was totally in opposition to the traditional law and was offered without explanation, and then there were the parables. To my way of thinking, he could have been far more effective, and could have won far more converts, if he had come right out and told the people exactly what he wanted them to know! But then, what do I know? Certainly the Lord knows a lot more and a lot better than I do!

In verses 34 & 35 of this chapter, we read that everything that the Lord taught to the crowds were in parables, but this was nothing new. In Isaiah 6:9-10, God told the prophet to do the same. And the reason? “Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” It seems that seeing and hearing are outward senses, while understanding is inward, a function of our heart.

Let’s see what that means for each of us.

Read Matthew 13:10-13

As Jesus begins to explain to his disciples why he speaks in parables, he begins with the thought that the secrets of heaven, the mysteries of the universe, are revealed to some, but not to all. At first glance, this would seem to be rather narrow minded, maybe even cruel. But we know that the Lord is anything BUT cruel, so he must have something else in mind. Perhaps it isn’t so much about what God gives, but more about what we receive and accept.

Remember our previous reference to Isaiah 6? We can see and hear the word of God, but until it lives within our heart, we can never know the spiritual significance that it contains. And until that time, the word can only have a cultural meaning for us. So I believe that Jesus’ point is that until we love both him and his word, until he is more than just one more possibility, one more option in this life, he can never truly be our Lord and Savior and Life.

The second thought, and one that has also perplexed folks for many years, is that those who have will have more, and those who have nothing will lose everything that they might still have. Our God has always been known as a generous God, one who loves to bless us, one who has no limits and no restrictions. But if we consider the old saying “Use it or lose it”, we might begin to understand what Jesus wants us to understand.

As an example, when I was in high school, I took 4 years of Spanish. I didn’t do all that well in that class, but a couple years later, as a member of the US Navy, I had the chance to use some of what I had learned when we had a port of call in Valencia, Spain. My cousin Jeanne, who was studying abroad that year, was visiting a friend in that city, so I met her and we went out to dinner. I remembered enough Spanish to order dinner for us both, and to get directions to both the rest room, and later back to my ship.
But that was a long time ago (never mind how many years that was!), and now I remember almost nothing that I learned during those 4 years of Spanish classes. I haven’t used it, and have lost most of it. And of course, the opposite is equally true – that if I had continued to use my Spanish knowledge, I would have made up for what I didn’t learn in class, and would probably be quite proficient by now.

Those who have faith, and continue to grow in the truth of Jesus Christ, will come to understand more and more in him. But if we allow the world to intervene, and if we stop using what we have learned from the Lord’s teaching, his way and truth and life will begin to diminish within us, and eventually will vanish from our hearts and minds.

Read Matthew 13:14-15

The people’s hearts had become “calloused”, and their seeing and hearing had also been damaged. Callousness in the hearts and minds of Israel, as well as in the lives of the people of today, has created barriers between us and God since time began. And when the faithful try to share the glory of God in Christ, and when we run up against nonbelievers who are still mired in their lack of trust in Jesus’ teaching, we find it hard to understand what their hang up is all about. Why don’t they get it? What am I saying that is so confusing?

But we have to keep trying, no matter what their reaction may be. We need to be careful with our own faith, though, so that we don’t become discouraged, or even worse - hardened! God will work through our witness, but it is always in his time and way, and practically never in ours. If our faith falters, if our trust wavers, if our love of Christ’s way dims, how will the Lord ever work through our “fog”?

Over and over we read about the hardening of the people’s hearts which, in and of itself, inhibits function, and it is only by faith in Christ that our hearts can begin to understand correctly again. And when the “hardening” ends, Jesus tells us that we might see again with our eyes, hear again with our ears, and then understanding can lead us to greater and greater faith and trust in the Lord and his wisdom. And God wants us to be part of his softening of other hearts!

Read Matthew 13:16-17

Remember Thomas and his need for proof of Jesus’ resurrection? He wanted to put his finger into the nail holes in Jesus’ hands, and to put his hand into the spear wound in his side. (John 20:24-29) And when the truth finally sets in, Jesus tells the disciple that he believes because he has seen, but that others will believe, even though they haven’t seen what Thomas has. That is what faith is all about – believing and staying the course, even though we have never actually seen what we believe.

But what is there about seeing and hearing that is so important to people? Did any of us actually take part in the American Revolution? Were we part of the Apollo 11 space crew when they landed on the moon? How many other events in the past occurred without us actually being present, and still we believe? What is there about Jesus and his life that is so difficult for people to accept?

The truth is that Jesus’ life and teaching is just too radical for some! He not only overturned the moneychangers’ tables in the temple, he overturned societal norms – he turned lives upside down and inside out! And the one absolute truth about the human psyche is that we don’t like to be told that everything we had always thought and believed is wrong, and that we have to accept some new, hard to understand truth, if we want to be one with the Lord.

Faith begins with believing that Jesus is God, and that all that he taught, and all that he did, is for our benefit. This doesn’t mean that our life suddenly becomes perfect, but it does mean that by faith, the Holy Spirit can begin working in and through us. It’s about beginning to see with our heart instead of only depending on our eyes and ears.

Jesus’ parables were designed to share the truth of God with all who would believe in their heart, instead of through hard fact. But those who were still “iffy” in faith were also welcome to come and listen, and when they began to believe, they also began to understand, while those who persisted in their unbelief remained clueless.

First faith, then understanding, and then the revealing of the mystery of God that has existed with us since the beginning. In faith, may the parables speak the truth of eternity to you and through you, and may we all know that the Lord our God will lovingly bless us in his truth.

“Live in Victory” - Easter

Scripture: John 20:10-18


Since the first Sunday in April, we’ve been considering what it means to live in Christ, and what within us has to die before that life can blossom to its fullest.
When we live in his precious Light, the darkness that destroys all hope must perish.
When our Faith begins to grow in Christ and all that he has taught us, the Law and our good works must begin to take a back seat, because those things we do can never lead to faith. But when Faith in Jesus takes first place, the works that we offer will then begin to bring praise to the Lord.
When we trust in the Blood of Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing in our lives, the ways of earth are revealed for the lies that they are and will no longer hold any importance for us.
When we live by the Spirit of God, and when we finally allow the Spirit to live fully within us, we discover that the limitations of earth no longer have any control over us.
And as our life grows in the Lord Jesus through all of these, we find new and glorious ways to bring praise and Adoration to our Almighty God and King.

We all come to a saving knowledge of Jesus in different ways and at different times in our lives. For me, that time came when I was 46 years old, and in a way that I continue to describe as traumatic. I had been involved with the church all my life, but I had never become involved with Jesus as my Lord until the night of May 15, 1993, when I came to know that his sacrifice on Calvary, his surrender to the death of earth, released both him and me to the glory of a new and eternally divine life.

Today we consider the final glory that the power of resurrection holds for all who will simply believe and trust in the Anointed One of God, our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Read John 20:10-13a

This is Resurrection Sunday for all who believe, and it was that same day for Jesus’ followers on that first resurrection day. The women had come to the tomb to complete the preparation of Jesus’ body in death, but when they arrived, the guards were gone, the stone sealing the tomb had been moved, and the tomb was now empty. The disciples had learned of the disappearance, and Peter and John had rushed to see for themselves, and when the reality of the matter began to sink in, they were dumbfounded – even though Jesus had told them over and over that this would happen, they still didn’t understand!

Mary had returned to that empty place of death, not expecting that life had triumphed, and her tears were burdening her heart. And the grief that all of Jesus’ followers were experiencing were blinding them, too, to the truth of the resurrection. But that was all to change very soon.

Read John 20:13b-15

Mary meets the gardener, who, of course, is her Living Lord Jesus, but she can’t recognize him. We aren’t told what is causing her lack of vision, but this isn’t an uncommon malady for many of Jesus’ disciples.
- Remember Peter when he saw Jesus coming through the storm, walking on top of the water, he stepped out of the boat to go and meet his Lord? (Matthew 14:22-33) He was doing OK until he took his eyes off Jesus, and it was then that he began to sink beneath the stormy waves. The world had clouded his vision.
- Remember the Pharisees who could never quite come to the truth of who Jesus really was? Their lives were all wrapped up in the Law of Moses, and it prevented them from sensing the truth and hope that could have been theirs through Jesus. The world had clouded their vision.
- Later, Thomas would be unable to believe the reports that the others shared with him, that Jesus was no longer dead. (John 20:24-29) His fear of the future and all that he imagined that it would bring was still filling his mind and heart. The world would soon be clouding his vision.
- Cleopas and another unnamed man would meet the Risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and as far as they knew, he was just another traveler who was also leaving Jerusalem. Their only thoughts of the Lord were all that had happened to him in recent days – his arrest, his trial, and his crucifixion. The world and its hatred was clouding their vision (Luke 24:13-35).

This was the same reason, I believe, for Mary’s inability to recognize Jesus. Her heart break over her Rabbi’s death, her fears for what may be coming next, the tears and emotional angst over the disappearance of Jesus from her life were the only things she could think about. The worldly aspect of her life had taken over, and it clouded her vision of who this man really was.

But in every instance, Jesus would be able to help them refocus their attention, away from the trials and needs of earth, and toward himself.

Read John 20:16-18

How did Jesus reach out to Peter as he sank? He saved him, and forgave him.
How did Jesus reach out to Thomas in his doubting? He offered the proof that he had asked for.
How did Jesus reach out to Cleopas and his friend in their fear? He would reveal himself in the breaking of the supper’s bread.
How did Jesus reach out to Mary in the depth of her loss? He called her name.

But what about the Pharisees – what did Jesus do for them? Time after time, he spoke the truth of God in their presence, he reminded them of every word from the prophets – words that they already knew, he taught them every lesson they needed in a Godly way, and still they chose to remain bound to their ages long dependency on human understanding, and denied the Godly wisdom that was standing right before them.

Jesus would revealed himself to over 500 people during the next 40 days (1 Corinthians 15:3-6), and each would be inspired to do just as Mary would do – to go and tell others that Jesus was alive, that he was victorious over death, and that this same victory would be given to each and every person who accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives.

She went and told others, and the disciples went and told even more, and the truth of God began to spread – not only in Judea and the Galilee, but in Samaria and throughout the gentile world. And others would begin spreading the word of the Lord, too – Paul, and Timothy, and Barnabas, and Silas, and Pricilla and Aquila, and countless others, and these new apostles would continue to grow both in numbers and in faith.

And in the present days, even with doubters around every corner of our life, even with the world’s attacks on the church through persecution and lies and oppression, and even with the current conflict that we are enduring through a pestilence named Covid-19, the truth of God continues to spread through the faithful lives of Jesus’ people.

So how did Jesus call me out of my focus on the world? He told me that he couldn’t respond to my prayers for guidance until I quite trusting in my own abilities, and begin putting my complete trust in him! It was the last thing that I had ever expected, but it was the exact and perfect thing that I needed to learn.

But the real question for today is how did Jesus call you out of the world and into his victory, and what are you doing about it? Are you sharing the story of your walk with Jesus, and the life that has been won for all who believe and obey, are you sharing your testimony with those who are still walking in worldly ways? Think about it – how will they know if no one tells them? Each of us may be the perfect one to lead them to Jesus.

None of us can ever know until we try.

“Live with Adoration”

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-17

(Note: In the spirit of "separation", we continue to hold worship on line. But of course, the word of God never changes! Praise the Lord. May your Palm Sunday be blessed.)

Winston Churchill once offered a word of advice to his nation during a very difficult time, a word that fits our situation perfectly. He said “When you are going through hell, keep on going!” Jesus would probably have phrased the thought differently, but I believe that he would agree with the sentiment. Romans 5:3-5 tells us that when we find our self in times of struggle, we need to stay the course – that when we stay focused on the goal, when we “keep on keeping on”, and eventually, when we come out on the other side, we will be far better for the experience.

It’s no surprise that our world is going through a time not unlike the one that both Winston Churchill and the apostle Paul knew in their day. Churchill knew that the war would have to get worse before it got better, and Paul experienced persecution over and over, as well as countless other trials. (2 Corinthians 11:24-29) But both remained focused on the day of victory, and encouraged others to do the same.

In our passage for today, we read of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, prepared for the trial of his life, a struggle which would bring an eternal victory for both him and for all who will follow.

Read Matthew 21:1-5

It was the week of Passover, and Jerusalem was filled to overflowing by pilgrims from all over the known world. Passover, of course, was Israel’s celebration of God’s protection from death (Exodus 12:12-14), and it was a time to honor the God who had saved them. Little did they know that their God was joining them in celebration that very day.

But he wasn’t who they expected. He appeared to be just another common Jew – not Godly, not a warrior king, no angelic appearance – just a normal, Jewish man. He was known as a gifted rabbi, as a most unusual teacher, and that was about it. But the indicators were all around him, and each should have told the people who he was.

The first was his mode of transportation, and the commands that he gave to his followers.
He would enter the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. While this beast was used by many to ride upon, it was also the animal that a conquering king rode when entering the capital of a defeated nation. It signified that the war was over, and peace now rested on the benevolence of the people’s new king. Jesus was that king for our world.
He told his disciples that if anyone questioned their taking of the animal, that they should tell them “that the Lord” was in need of them, and that the objections would cease.

God had prepared the way for that entry, right down to the donkey’s owner who would know when the right people came along to claim his animal.

Read Matthew 21:6-9

The branches that were spread before him also had a historical significance. In Leviticus, we read that palms were used to create the booths during the Festival of Tabernacles as an honor to God. (Leviticus 23:39-41) This would be a special honor to Jesus, who was coming, not to be praised by the people of Israel, but to gain honor for his Father, and an offer of victory for the very ones who would be hating him.

And palm fronds were also waived to welcome a victorious king back from his campaigns. What a great description for King Jesus.

But the greatest indicator of all was when the people cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David”. They were asking Jesus, in the traditional name of Messiah, for salvation. Of course, very few actually understood what they were asking for, and who they were asking it from. I expect that most were asking for freedom from the oppression that Rome was subjecting them to, but the truth is that this wasn’t what the expression actually meant! They were asking for salvation from the only one who could grant it. But did they truly believe it?

So this raises the same question for our own lives. When we lift up the name of Jesus, when we ask for something in that one and holy name, do we truly believe that he is God, and that he is the one who can and will respond to our every need? It will never be about what we say – but rather about what we believe and live.

And, of course, faith, and especially the lack of faith, is always a reflection of the truth that rests in our heart. That is what prepares us for adoration and praise, and without an honest and trusting faith, we will never be able to bring glory to our Almighty King.

Read Matthew 21:10-11

This was the beginning of the final week of Jesus’ humanity, his final week of ministry, his last chance to inspire the people to believe in him and the salvation that was only available through faith. He would spend nearly every waking moment in teaching the truth of God - primarily to his disciples, but also to anyone who was close enough to hear.

He would overturn the merchants’ tables in the temple and chase the moneychangers out, telling all that they had nothing to do with worship and
- sacrifice and adherence to the law – that they were nothing more than thieves. (Matthew 21:12-13)

He would soon open the temple to all – not just those who could afford to come - when, at the moment of his death, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, a symbol that the way to God was now open to all who would come near in faith. (Matthew 27:50-53)

In John 12:20-36, he offered one last explanation of why he had to die. He told them that it was for them, that they were to know that he would never try to avoid death, because it was for their salvation, and not his comfort.

He told the Parable of the Wedding Feast, that after the few who had been chosen to be with him had turned the invitation down, the “Marriage celebration” was opened to all who would come – not just for those who had always been close to the bridegroom, but to all. Eternity would be open to all who would come on his terms, not on their own. (Matthew 22:1-14)

At the Last Supper, the last Passover feast that he would celebrate with his followers, he spends 4 chapters in John’s gospel teaching them one last lesson of faith – that he and he alone was the way to heaven. And he prayed for his own strength, and for courage for his disciples, and for victory for you and me. (John 14-17)

During the Lord’s final earthly week, he did everything that he could to convince the people that he was the only way to eternal life, and that every other way could only lead to death.

Only a few actually learned from these lessons. In Acts 1:15, we read that after Jesus’ ascension, there were only 120 believers still gathering together in his name.

Have we learned his lesson?
Are we prepared to share these lessons with those who have yet to believe?
Are we ready to work to the glory of God by leading others into the hope and life of Jesus Christ?
Are we truly living to bring praise and glory and adoration to our Lord and Savior, the One who took, not only the animosity of the world, but the burden of sin that we have created?

Do we live our lives as though we truly love and acknowledge Jesus Christ for all he has done? If not, this would be a good time to begin!