“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9–10, NKJV)
THE UNDERDOG
Have you ever been the underdog?
When watching sports, if you don’t know either team, you may not know much more than the rankings.
Sometimes in the NCAA tournament, a lower-ranked team starts beating teams nobody expected them to beat. They call those Cinderella teams. Don’t you want to root for the underdog in those moments? It’s exciting to see them win.
That’s the situation we find the Apostle Paul in Acts 18.
KEEP PREACHING
When Paul traveled, he often stayed for a short time to establish a church and then left once elders were appointed to care for it. He stayed longer in Corinth than usual, though.
Paul knew there was very real danger there as he had encountered before, being beaten and left for dead. But God told Paul he didn’t have to fear. He told him nobody would hurt him because He had many people in that city. He was telling Paul that there were people in the congregation he didn’t know about and people who, if they could hear the gospel, would come to Christ.
He always did as the Lord instructed, even if others were warning him against it. So he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half teaching the Word of God among them.
As a hospice chaplain, I often went to nursing homes. Sometimes while visiting someone, I just talked with them and provided comfort. Other times, I was able to share the gospel.
One time, the man I was supposed to see wasn’t in his room, so I went down to the common area. There were about six people there, and I found him sitting in his wheelchair. I spoke with him and asked about his church background. He told me he didn’t have one, but he listened as I talked about the Bible. I went over the verse in Romans that says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” He said he knew that meant him and he believed it was true. I came to the part where it says the wages of sin is death. In other words, the penalty for sin is death. He nodded yes.
I said, “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And I asked him if he would like to do that. He said, “Yes.” I prayed a sample prayer and he prayed along with me. I then invited him to pray in his own words, and he accepted the Lord that day.
You see, he was sitting in that common area in his wheelchair that day waiting and ready to hear how to be saved.
Only God knows how many are in your city waiting for someone to tell them about Jesus.
The ones already active with Paul were part of the many in the city. But there were many who would come to accept Christ while Paul was there, and there were also those who were already believers that Paul had not met yet.
It’s kind of like what happened with Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah stood before the 450 prophets of Baal and challenged them to call on their god to send fire to their sacrifice. They cried out to Baal all morning, danced around the altar, and even cut themselves, but nothing happened. Elijah mocked them, suggesting their god was busy or asleep. But when Elijah called upon God for fire, He sent fire!
When Queen Jezebel heard what had happened, she threatened Elijah’s life. He fled into the wilderness and became discouraged, telling God that he was the only one left who was serving Him. But God told him he wasn’t alone. There were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
Just like Elijah, Paul knew there were people who were serving God that he didn’t know about. God told Elijah there were 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal, and He told Paul, “I have many people in this city.” Because Paul believed God’s promise, he stayed at Corinth longer than he stayed at most places.
KEEP MOVING
(Verses 18-23) So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.
And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
I want you to notice all the movements going on here. When God impresses upon us that it’s time to move, we need to move. If He impresses upon us to stay, we should stay. Difficulties happening around you are not always a reason to leave.
What matters is obeying what God has put on your heart, just as Paul did here.
There was a tribe in Africa that always believed there must be a creator just by looking at the sky. When someone came to teach them about evolution, the tribe just laughed!
But when a missionary, sent by God, visited this tribe, they asked him, “Are you the one that’s going to come with the words that help us understand the Creator of the universe?” He answered, “Yes.”
The tribe, who had never even seen a Bible, were captivated as the missionary spoke. He began in Genesis telling stories all the way to the New Testament, the life of Jesus, and then the crucifixion. It was so vivid in their minds that they began to weep! They were left in remorse waiting until morning when the missionary came to finish the story.
He told them how Jesus had risen from the dead, and the whole tribe got excited! As was their custom, they got up, jumping up and down on one foot and celebrated the risen King!
KEEP LEARNING
(Verses 24-26) Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
John the Baptist’s message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Aquila and Priscilla explained to him, “you need to be preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, as well as repentance.” He did not get upset when they corrected him. He received it and went on to help others greatly.
An older pastor went to a young seminary graduate with a doctorate degree with a question. He said, “I don’t understand the meaning of just one word in John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world.’ It’s the word ‘so.’”
The young man looked up at his degree and it couldn’t help him answer the pastor.
As you go through life, the longer you live, the more you find out you don’t know. But you should keep learning. Get in the Scriptures and let the Word of God teach you new things. There is always something more to learn, even in the verses you think you know well.
CONCLUSION
When God tells you to do so, keep preaching. Keep teaching. Move when He tells you to move and stay when He tells you to stay.
Most of all, keep learning.
Have you at least learned that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God? And that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus!
If you repent of your sins, believe in Jesus, trust in Him, and call upon Him, He will bring you salvation.
If you haven’t done that, I would encourage you to come to Christ today.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it.”
Psalm 127 begins with a simple truth: if the Lord is not in what we are building, our labor is in vain. That applies to our homes, our families, our churches, and even our nation.
After the Revolutionary War, the American colonies had won their independence, but they still needed a government that could hold the new nation together. In 1787, delegates gathered in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. They quickly found themselves divided over what that government should look like.
Benjamin Franklin, at 81 years old, rose during the disagreements and reminded the delegates how often they had prayed for God’s help during the struggle for independence. He said that the longer he lived, the more convinced he became that “God governs in the affairs of men.”
Franklin then referred to Psalm 127 and proposed that prayers asking for God’s help be held before the Convention’s daily business. His proposal was not adopted, but his words still pointed to an important truth.
Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain.
We can work, plan, organize, and try to build everything ourselves, but ultimately our hope must be in the Lord.
Our Nation Needs Hope
Our nation needs hope. There are wars, economic concerns, natural disasters, uncertainty, and pressures facing young people that many of us never faced when we were their age. We can look around and find plenty of reasons to become discouraged.
But our hope is not ultimately in circumstances getting better. Our hope is in Jesus.
Years ago, I went through a time when I was deeply depressed. I could not even explain why I was so discouraged. I attended a conference where they taught different techniques and ideas, but those things were not really what helped me.
What helped me was hope.
Something about that experience reminded me that there was hope, and my outlook began to change. Maybe you have experienced that too. You were discouraged, and someone gave you a little encouragement. Maybe God sent a blessing at just the right moment that reminded you not to give up.
Hope can change things.
And Psalm 127 points us toward another source of hope.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.”
Children Are Like Arrows
I have not had a great deal of success with bows and arrows.
When I was young, I bought a little plastic bow and arrow from a dime store. I was proud of it and took it to show my cousins. Within about thirty minutes, the bow was lying in the yard in two pieces with the string between them.
Later, at Boy Scout camp, we went to the archery range. They asked whether I wanted a light bow or a strong one. Looking at the target in the distance, I decided I needed the strong one.
That bow was so strong that my hand trembled trying to pull the string back. When I finally released the arrow, it did not come anywhere close to the target.
So I am probably not the person you want teaching an archery class.
But Psalm 127 tells us that children are like arrows in the hands of a warrior. An arrow has the ability to go beyond the person holding the bow. In the same way, our children and young people can go places, reach people, and accomplish things for the Lord that extend far beyond us.
Sometimes we say young people are the church of tomorrow. I hope they are.
But they can also be the church of today.
A Mighty Force
I learned something about young people being a mighty force when I was in high school.
Being a freshman was not exactly the most honored position in school. There were some seniors who had a habit of grabbing freshmen by the feet while they were sitting on the tall gym bleachers and pulling them down.
One day, two seniors came into the gym and did it to a freshman. The boy was left sitting there with tears in his eyes.
The seniors walked away laughing and sat farther down the bleachers.
Then something happened.
The basketballs stopped bouncing. A group of freshmen gathered together. The seniors were not paying much attention as that group moved toward them.
Instead of going after the smaller senior, they picked the biggest one.
There were suddenly hands everywhere. They grabbed his feet, pulled, and down he came.
As far as I know, they never did that to another freshman again.
There is strength when young people come together with a purpose.
Imagine what can happen when young people give that strength, energy, and willingness to the Lord.
Children Used by the Lord
When my own children were in high school, I knew people would eventually start asking them that question young people hear all the time: “What are you going to do when you get out of school?”
A lot of young people do not know yet.
I told mine, “Just tell them, ‘I’m going to serve the Lord.’”
At the time, I was partly giving them something to say when they did not know how to answer the question. But today I can praise God that all of them are serving the Lord.
That is what we should desire for our children.
I once had a friend named Ralph Rice who worked with young people at church camp. Years later, he and his wife were in a store when a young man approached him and asked, “Brother Rice, do you remember me?”
The boy had grown up.
He thanked Brother Rice for caring about him and loving him when he was young. Then he told him that he was now working in the church himself.
That is encouragement for every Sunday school teacher, youth worker, parent, grandparent, pastor, and church member who has ever wondered whether investing in a child really makes a difference.
Kids grow up.
You may not immediately see what God is doing through the time you spend teaching them, loving them, praying for them, and pointing them toward Christ. But those children are growing, and God can use them.
Our young people are not merely waiting for their turn to become part of the church. They are part of the church now.
So let’s pray for them. Let’s encourage them. Let’s teach them the Word of God and give them opportunities to serve.
And young people, if God is leading you to do something for Him, do it. You do not have to wait until you are older to serve the Lord.
You can be one of those mighty arrows in His hand.
Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain. But when the Lord is the One doing the building, there is hope for our homes, our churches, our children, and the generations still to come.
Encountering the Risen Lord Leads to Faith and Belief And Belief Leads to Life
Introduction
Mary Magdalene was discouraged by the events of the days preceding the resurrection. She, and many others, had seen their Lord falsely accused and beaten so badly that His flesh was unrecognizable. Then He was made to carry a cross so heavy that He fell under its weight.
They witnessed the awfulness of the crucifixion and heard their Lord cry out, “My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?” Then He cried, “It is finished!” and gave up the Spirit. His own disciples placed His lifeless body in the tomb.
Mary and some other women went to the tomb with spices to prepare His body, wondering how they would move the heavy stone covering the tomb.
They soon realized it had already been removed.
Encounter the Word John 20:1-10
Mary was coming from the tomb, running to find Peter and John to tell them the tomb was empty!
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
Peter and John ran to the tomb and looked into the place where the Lord’s body should have lain. They saw the cloth that had covered Jesus’ face, folded and put in place. The rest of the grave clothes looked as if they had settled down as they went right through His body, and they had.
Jesus had come back to life. The tomb was empty.
Many times the Lord had tried to prepare them for this moment. He told them He was going to be crucified at the hands of sinful men and would rise again in three days. They had also seen Jesus do unbelievable miracles, like feeding the 5,000. These things helped them believe the words He had spoken, but this encounter was still hard to believe. The empty tomb reminded them of His promises. Since He is the Living Word of God, these realities helped them with their encounter with the Word.
When we hear the Scriptures tell us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and we believe it to be true, it brings conviction. We understand that with this sin problem, we are not fit to be accepted into Heaven.
Then we hear the Word of God, that Jesus Christ loves us and that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If you are saved, you have encountered the Word of God. You have not only heard the Word, but you believe it.
Encounter Jesus Personally John 20:11-20
When Mary had finished talking with Peter and John, she returned to the tomb. There she saw two angels where Jesus once was. They told her Jesus was not there. She still wanted to know where His body was. She turned around to see a man standing with her and supposed He must be a gardener, so she asked Him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
He spoke her name, “Mary,” and she knew that it was Jesus. She cried out to Him, “Rabboni!” which is a term of respect for a teacher.
She had already encountered the Word of God, and now Mary had encountered her risen Lord personally. He was alive!
That is what happens to us when we are saved. We encounter the Word of God, choose to believe it, and meet the Living Lord.
I don’t know what it was like on the day you were saved, or if that day has happened yet. Some people are overcome with sorrow over their sin and the realization that Jesus went to the cross because of it. Others are overcome with joy because they understand that their sins have been forgiven and removed as far as the east is from the west. Our experiences may be different, but we encounter Jesus personally.
Mary heard Jesus speak her name. Did you know Jesus knows your name?
I think about the old children’s song, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” I have a friend who sometimes signs his emails, “Jesus knows me, this I love.” And it’s true. God knows every one of us, and He loves every one of us.
But Mary wasn’t the only one who encountered Jesus. Later that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered behind closed doors when Jesus appeared in their midst and said, “Peace be unto you.”
They had already heard that He would rise again on the third day. Now they were experiencing it for themselves. They encountered Jesus personally.
Move from Skepticism to Belief John 20:24-28
Much of the world looks at things as if God is not in the picture. There are influences that can cause us to doubt the things of God, what He can do, and whether miracles can happen.
There may be evidence of a miracle, such as when a doctor finds something concerning in an X-ray, and after prayer, we go back for another X-ray and it is gone. The doctor may say he made a mistake the first time, but we know it was God. That may be the kind of miracle the average person encounters today.
But the disciples saw Jesus walk on water. Peter even stepped out of the boat and onto the water. When he took his eyes off the Lord and lost his faith for a moment, he began to sink. His only hope was the living Lord who was there with him. Jesus reached down and picked him up.
Though we have encountered the living Lord, skepticism may still come our way, and many are reluctant to believe.
Verses 24-28Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!“
Have you ever been so ashamed of yourself for failing God that you were in real need of peace? Have you faced turmoil? Aren’t you glad the Word of God comes to remind you that if you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness? There that peace comes once again.
Jesus said, “Peace be unto you.”
I am convinced that Thomas didn’t need to place his hands on Jesus’ side to know it was Him once he saw Him. He knew it was the Lord and cried out, “My Lord and my God!” What a beautiful declaration of faith!
We often refer to him as “Doubting Thomas.” But there was also a believing Thomas. We, too, can go from skepticism to belief.
Belief Leads to Life John 20:29-31
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
It’s only through Christ and trusting in Him that we can have life. I can’t promise you everything will be wonderful all the time, but I do know that life with God is so much better than the alternative.
Richard Wurmbrand endured years of imprisonment and torture for his faith in Christ. While imprisoned, a guard mocked him for praying and asked what he could possibly have to pray about after everything he had suffered.
Wurmbrand replied, “I can pray for you.” And he did. He had a life in Christ that transcended what was happening around him.
Jesus has come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
One person I knew was close to death, and her loved ones tried to comfort her by telling her she would get better. I heard her say, “I don’t know whether I will or not, but I am so excited to go to Heaven.” Then she turned to me and said, “Isn’t that what you’ve preached about for 50 years?”
Heaven is real, too. If you have encountered the Word of God and the living Lord and have put your faith and trust in Him, you know Him.
That leads to life, life abundantly, and eternal life in Heaven.
Do you have that today? If not, today could be the day.
“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. Some said, ‘What does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,’ because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.” (Acts 17:16–18)
“And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean.’ For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.” (Acts 17:19–21)
Before we look at what happened in Athens, consider the journey that brought Paul there. It began in Philippi, where Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. At midnight they prayed and sang praises to God, and God miraculously opened the prison doors. The jailer came in, fearing the prisoners had escaped, and was about to take his own life rather than face the Roman authorities. But Paul called out, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
By the beginning of Acts 17, Paul had traveled to Thessalonica. As was his custom, he first went into the synagogue and preached to the Jewish people. Many believed. Others rejected the message, stirred up the crowd, and recruited troublemakers to form a mob. Paul’s life was in danger; his friends urged him to leave.
From there, Paul traveled to Berea. The Bible says the Bereans were more noble, or fair-minded, than those in Thessalonica. They listened carefully to Paul’s preaching and searched the Scriptures to see whether what he was saying was true. As a result, many believed.
Unfortunately, the opposition from Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea and stirred up another crowd. Once again, Paul’s friends urged him to leave for his own safety. They escorted him to Athens.
That is where we find Paul in this passage.
The Sadness, Idolatry, and Deception
Paul had asked Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, but they had not arrived yet. While waiting, Paul walked through Athens. The population of Athens was about 10,000 people, yet historians estimate there were around 30,000 idols in the city, three idols for every person.
As Paul walked through Athens and saw that the city was wholly given over to idolatry, it grieved his heart. He came from a very different background, growing up studying the Old Testament under Gamaliel, one of the most respected teachers of the Law in that day. Then everything changed.
Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Before that encounter, Paul had zealously opposed Christianity. These followers of Jesus seemed to contradict everything he had been taught. But after meeting Christ, Paul returned to the Scriptures and discovered this “new way”, he saw that Jesus was the Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament.
The same zeal Paul once used to oppose Christ became the zeal with which he preached that Jesus is Lord and God had proved it by raising Him from the dead.
But, behind the idolatry in the city was the deception of Satan.
The King James Version says, **”**Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.” Other translations say they were “very religious.” But, religion without God is nothing but superstition!
Paul had met the Savior. He knew there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved. None of the names written on those thousands of idols could save anyone. There was only one way to heaven, and that way was Jesus Christ.
There is freedom of religion in the United States. God Himself gives people the freedom to love Him or reject Him. Likewise, our nation gives people the freedom to be Christians, atheists, or followers of other religions.
Sometimes people begin to think it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. That is a lie from the pit of hell. It does matter what you believe!
The place where Paul spoke was the Areopagus. The Greek god associated with that place was Ares, while the Romans worshiped the same god under the name Mars. That is why it is often called Mars Hill. It was a place where people gathered to debate ideas and discuss philosophy.
Paul warned us to be careful that we are not “cheated through philosophy and empty deceit.” Satan is the father of lies, and one of his greatest tools is deception. He wants people to believe that any path is acceptable or truth doesn’t really matter.
There are many issues in our culture today where people, regardless of political party, fail to line up with God’s Word. This is not a political statement, nor is it an attack on individuals. But when our laws begin to approve what God’s Word says is wrong, we must stand with the Word of God.
Waves of philosophy and empty deceit continue to come against people today. Paul understood that personally because there was a time when he had been deceived, traveling in the wrong direction, sincerely believing he was doing God’s will, until he met Jesus Christ.
The Message That Could Have Brought Salvation
When some certain philosophers heard Paul preaching, they asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be proclaiming foreign gods,“ because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
They invited him to the Areopagus.
In one sense, that’s a good thing. People should be willing to listen and examine ideas honestly. Paul accepted the invitation and began by saying, “I perceive that in every way you are very religious.” As he walked through Athens he saw their many idols and beliefs. They were religious, but they did not know the true God.
Paul did not begin by attacking them. He began where they were and pointed them to the truth. He told them about the God who made the world and everything in it. This God does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything. He is the One who gives life and breath to all things.
The God they needed to know was not another idol among thousands. He was the Creator of all things. The message Paul preached could have brought salvation to every person who was willing to listen, repent, and believe. But sadly, not everyone was willing to hear the truth.
The Message That Did Bring Salvation to a Few
When Paul spoke of the resurrection of the dead they cut him short. When he spoke of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked him, while others said they would hear him again on the matter.
Yet the message did bring salvation to a few.
“When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” (Acts 17:32–34)
Some people might have looked at Paul’s ministry in Athens and thought he had very little success. But God does not measure success the way we do.
The message brought salvation to Dionysius, Damaris, and others who believed. Much depends on the attitude of those who are listening. Will they be like the Bereans, searching the Scriptures to see whether these things are true? Or will they allow prejudice and preconceived ideas to keep them from hearing God’s Word?
For those who believed, the difference was that they listened. They believed the Word of God and came to the one true God through Jesus Christ.
You could have pointed to any of the idols that filled Athens and asked, “Did this god die for you?”
No!
Or ask, “Did this god die and rise again?”
No!
The gospel of Jesus Christ is different.
The good news is that although we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Because He is the Son of God, His sacrifice was sufficient for every person in every generation. His death was the complete payment for sin.
Yet not everyone is saved because not everyone accepts the gift He offers. Jesus offers salvation freely, but if someone rejects Him, there is nowhere else to turn. With Christ, there is hope. Without Christ, there is no hope.
Will You Reject the Deception of Satan and Accept Christ?
Are you fully trusting Him, or are the philosophies of this world, the pressures of society, and the lies of the enemy pulling you away from God?
The world pulls against us. What we hear in the media, what we see on television, and what our culture celebrates can cause people to question God and doubt His truth.
Friend, there is an answer. There is a way.
Will you reject the lies of Satan and simply trust Jesus? Will you trust Him completely for your salvation? Have you truly placed your faith in Him?
If you have, praise God. But if you’re not sure you’ve ever really done that, then there is an invitation from Jesus Himself:
“Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Introduction
“I can’t get in!” said George Duffield, the new Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His friends watched him standing at the locked church door and called, “Come over here!” He followed them to the side of the church, where they opened a window and pushed him in. He then opened the doors for them. Duffield faced opposition to his ministry even before the Revolutionary War. His support for independence later caused him more trouble, but he eventually became accepted and preached for more than 50 years.
One of Rob Morgan’s 100 verses that made America is Micah 6:8. John Winthrop referenced this verse in his famous sermon, A City on a Hill. John Adams frequently mentioned it, and George Washington referenced it in his 1783 Circular Letter to the States.
God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Do Justly
At the beginning of the war, the British put a price on George Duffield’s head! He went into hiding to protect his life. British soldiers took possession of his church, turned it into a hospital, and burned the pews to keep their soldiers warm. Still, Duffield continued to be an active military chaplain.
There is an old saying often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” The passage of Scripture we are focused on tells us to do justly. One translation puts it like this: “do what is right.”
An old friend of mine, Stan, owned a carpet company with his brother. One time a church made a large carpet purchase from his company. Unfortunately, the carpet didn’t hold up well, and the threads began pulling out. Stan called the manufacturer to make it right, but they would neither replace the carpet nor compensate him.
Stan knew replacing it from his own inventory would cost him a lot of money. Still, he did what was right and replaced all the carpet the church needed at no charge. It seemed Stan lost a lot of money that day, but word got around that his business had integrity and stood behind its product. Who knows how many sales came over the years because he did what was right?
The world tells us to look out for number one. It would tell Stan the defective carpet wasn’t his fault, so why should he lose money? Let the manufacturer deal with it! But the Bible says to do justly. Do what is right.
God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Love Mercy
Stan was also a friend I went to high school with, and he showed that same integrity even back then. We had study hall together. If you’re smart, you’ll get your homework done and study. If you’re like a lot of us, you go in there and mess around.
There were only four of us in the class. One of the coaches was our teacher, and he felt there were better things to do than sit with four students. He told us, “Hey guys, I’m not going to be in here,” and gave us freedom to have fun in the gym. I asked if we could go outside. “Sure,” he said, “as long as you don’t go around the other rooms.” It was going to be a great year. We’d just had freedom handed to us.
One day Stan and another friend, Steve, were playing tag. Steve ran into the gym with Stan chasing him, then held the door shut from the other side. Stan got an idea! Holding the doorknob, he put his foot on the door frame. I heard a cracking noise. The crack went up both sides and across the top. Just like that, the door fell open.
We had torn up the gym door, and we knew it. Steve got as far away as possible. Stan and I thought maybe we could fix it quickly, but the ag teacher walked up. Have you ever done something you know is your fault and wondered what the consequences would be? I wondered if I was going to get kicked out of school. Our parents could have been called in. There could have been a school board meeting.
Instead, the ag teacher, who was known for being a Christian man, looked at the damage and told Stan, “The shop is right over here. Let’s get the hammer and nails.” They came back and fixed the door frame. Justice could have come down on us that day, but he showed mercy. Do justly. But also, love mercy.
An old story is told about a soldier under the great general Napoleon who deserted his army. He was caught and brought back, facing a penalty that could have been death. His mother learned he would appear before Napoleon for judgment and somehow made her way around the guards to plead for her son.
Napoleon told her that her son deserved the justice coming to him and that he wanted to make an example of him. She did not argue his innocence. She fell to her knees and said, “Sir, I do not ask for justice. I ask for mercy.” Napoleon was so touched that he granted mercy and allowed her son to live.
The Bible tells us to do justly, to do what is right. Those words of Scripture were applied to this new nation. We were told America is great because she is good. She does justly because she shows mercy. But if America ever ceases to do good, she will no longer be great.
The world says, “Fight back! Take care of number one.” But Jesus said, “Turn the other cheek.” Hanging on the cross, He looked at those crucifying Him and mercifully said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We can know Christ as our Savior because Jesus is merciful to us. On our behalf He said, “Father, forgive them.”
God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Walk Humbly with Your God
There was a man whose life stretched from the Civil War into WWII. Granny Clampett called the Civil War “the war of northern aggression!” It was a time in America we aren’t proud of, when human slavery was taking place. George Washington Carver was born into slavery during this time. When he grew up, he became an important part of the Tuskegee Institute, one of the early Black colleges in America.
While doing research there, Carver prayed God would give him knowledge of peanut crops. He did all kinds of experiments, and God answered those prayers. He found over 300 uses for peanuts, helping produce a better market for the crop and becoming a well-known man in the United States.
A story is told of Dr. Carver standing in a hotel lobby one day in his everyday clothes. A white traveler walked in, saw him and said, “Hey boy! Get my bags!” Dr. Carver picked up the man’s bags, no questions asked. The hotel proprietor was shocked. “Oh, Dr. Carver! You don’t have to do that. I’ll get someone to take care of it.” The traveler realized his mistake and asked, “Are you Dr. Carver?” Carver simply said, “At your service.”
To walk humbly with our God is our third instruction. The disciples once argued as they walked about which of them would be the greatest. Jesus asked what they were arguing about, and they were ashamed. He used a small child to teach them about greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven and that they must humble themselves and become like children.
In reading the whole passage, we learn what George Washington Carver had learned. Jesus teaches that true greatness is to humbly serve others without thought of reward. Have you ever thought about how Jesus is the Lord of Glory? He was the Lord of Heaven! The Son was in Heaven with the Father and the Spirit, with angels to do His bidding.
Yet He came to earth knowing Judas would betray Him. Jesus was in the garden when Roman soldiers and authorities came to capture Him. When Jesus identified Himself, they drew back and fell to the ground. Still, He willingly allowed them to carry Him off to Pilate.
Here was the Lord of Glory humbling Himself. He became a little lower than the angels, just as the Bible says we all are. He left Heaven’s glory to come to earth and live as humans do. The most powerful being in the universe experienced tiredness and thirst. He was mocked, spit on, and had hairs plucked from His beard. He experienced it all willingly. He came to humbly serve us as a loving Savior.
Conclusion
Jesus is our King. He is The King! He is my King. Oh! He’s such a wonderful King. He is the One who was willing to lay down His power and give His life as a ransom for sin.
You and I owe a debt we cannot pay. He paid that debt in full so that we might be saved. So I ask you, is He your Savior today?
At my house, we have a landing at the top of the stairs overlooking our living room. From the landing, you can see the TV. I often head upstairs only to get distracted by the TV. By the time I’m ready to get back to what I was doing, I think, “Was I going upstairs or was I going downstairs?”
Focus is the key to remembering why you headed upstairs.
I’ll encourage you to focus on five things. To help you remember, we will state them as commands.
Loving God
Matthew 22:34-40: The Great Commandment
When the Pharisees asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
The first command is to LOVE GOD. That is the great commandment.
The Jewish young men and women, as they grew up, learned from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 that they were to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The focus was on loving God.
In the Old Testament, the nation did well when they had a good king who loved God. But when they had a king who did not love God, the nation did not fare as well. Eventually, the kingdom split into two nations: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.
During this time was King Hezekiah. Scripture says he was a good king. He focused on that first commandment to LOVE GOD, and modeled that to his nation.
When Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh did not follow in his father’s footsteps. Instead, he set up idols throughout the land where pagan and ungodly worship of false gods took place. One of those false gods was called Molech. They had a large statue that they would heat until it turned red from the fire, and they would sacrifice their children by laying them on that statue. These practices were promoted by evil kings, causing the nation to decline. Judgment was coming.
Babylon captured Manasseh, put him in chains, and carried him away. While he was in captivity, he came to his senses. He realized, “I have not been worshiping God. I have not focused on loving God, the true God, the God of my father.”
He cried out to God. He sincerely repented of his sin. God heard his prayers. He was restored as king of Judah and lived the rest of his life with God’s blessing because he returned his focus to God.
So, our first command is to LOVE GOD.
Loving Others
The commandment second to the greatest one is to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus quoted that, and someone asked Him, “Who is my neighbor?” He was looking for a way to avoid loving everybody, perhaps because some people are hard to love.
Jesus answered by telling the story of a man who was attacked by robbers. They robbed him, beat him so badly that he could not move himself, and left him without the means to care for himself. As he lay there, people came by. Some stayed on the other side of the road, some crossed to the opposite side to avoid him. One was a priest, another a Levite.
One was a Samaritan.
The Jews despised the Samaritans, yet Jesus said the Samaritan had compassion on the wounded man. He went to him, cared for his wounds, took him to an inn, and said, “Take care of him, and when I come back, I will settle up with you.”
Then Jesus asked, “Which one was a neighbor to the man who was robbed?”
It was the despised Samaritan.
These are your commands:
LOVE GOD
LOVE OTHERS
Loving the Church
Ephesians 5:18-6:4 teaches us what it looks like to live under the influence of the Spirit. Paul explains the importance of submitting to one another, loving our families, and living according to God’s design. He reminds husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.
Think of how Jesus demonstrated that love in John 17 when He prayed for the church. He prayed for His disciples, and He prayed for those who would come after them. He was praying for you and me as well.
A man named Brian said, “When my love for the church mirrors Christ’s love for the church, things will go well.”
Brian said Jesus was optimistic because He looked at these disciples and believed these flaky men would change the world. When Jesus was crucified, they all ran away and hid. Yet after He was gone, Jesus was depending on those same disciples to establish the church and care for it. He knew they would.
Remain committed to the gospel. This is the good news of Jesus!
A seminar I attended mentioned that each one of us should be doing whatever we can to share Christ. We were challenged to come up with a fifteen-second testimony. I want to extend this challenge to you.
If you’re saved, think of what your life was like before Christ and what it is like after. Try to find a way to tell those two things in 15 seconds.
My 15-second testimony would be: Before I came to Christ, I didn’t think anybody could know for sure they would go to heaven. They couldn’t know it until they died. After I met Christ, I found out you can be sure and I’m on my way to heaven. In fact, the Bible tells us over and over that we can be sure.
Do you have a story like that? As you go through life, there will be opportunities to take the conversation in a spiritual direction. Sometimes all it takes is asking someone, “Could I tell you a short story about my own life?”
Remember, their salvation doesn’t depend on you. You simply share the good news that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin.
That’s the gospel.
Whenever my love for the church mirrors Christ’s love for the church, I actively pursue peace and unity. When my love for the church mirrors Christ’s love for the church, I seek God’s glory and not my own.
These are your commands:
LOVE GOD
LOVE OTHERS
LOVE YOUR CHURCH
Loving Your Family
I know a family that was a great example to others. The husband was a pastor, with a faithful wife, and they were raising their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Both sons eventually accepted the call to preach. To the shock of his family and those who had sat under his ministry, the pastor became involved with another woman, and the marriage ended in divorce.
If you identify with the husband in this story and have come to Christ in repentance, you have been forgiven. You can focus on your family where you are right now.
This story reminds us why we must focus on our families. Our choices do not only affect us. They can have far-reaching effects on those we love and those who look to us for guidance.
These are your commandments:
LOVE GOD
LOVE OTHERS
LOVE YOUR CHURCH
LOVE YOUR FAMILY
Fulfilling Your Mission
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
This is The Great Commission.
As we live out our lives, we are to announce the gospel to every people group in the world.
Some of us cannot physically go out to do that. We can support others who do, however. Our church supports several missionaries on a regular basis. They usually let us know how we can support them.
Sometimes we focus on “going into all the world” as a command to go somewhere, but as we are going through life, we share the gospel with others in our everyday lives.
This is accomplished in these commands:
LOVE GOD
LOVE OTHERS
LOVE YOUR CHURCH
LOVE YOUR FAMIL
FULFILL YOUR MISSION
Keep thinking about that 15-second testimony and share it with someone this week.
Troubles come to each of us. But with Jesus, you can have victory over the trials and tribulations in your life.
Troubles From Without
King David and his men were hiding in a cave when they heard King Saul’s army approaching. Saul was deeply jealous of David. After David won a great victory, the people sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul took that as a slight, grew jealous, and threw spears at David on a couple of occasions, forcing David to flee for his life.
While 600 of David’s men waited silently in the cave, Saul walked inside alone to relieve himself. One of David’s men whispered, “Your enemy is here. You can get him now.” But David replied, “I will not touch the Lord’s anointed.” Instead, he secretly cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
After Saul left and was a safe distance away, David called out from the entrance, holding up the piece of garment: “Why are you chasing me? Don’t you understand that I don’t want to kill you? I had my chance just a few minutes ago.”
Saul, who struggled with jealousy and periods of mental instability, had a lucid moment. He said, “David, my son, you have been more righteous than I because you spared my life.”
Yet David still faced troubles from without. After returning home, Saul began to dwell on what happened, letting it fester. He thought, “I should have attacked him. I had thousands of men, and he only had 600.” When he heard where David was, Saul set out with his army once again.
That night, David and his man Abishai slipped into Saul’s camp under the cover of darkness. They found the army asleep in a protective ring around King Saul, his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abishai said, “Here’s your chance again. God has delivered your enemy into your hands.” But David answered, “No. I will not do it. He is still the Lord’s anointed.”
David took Saul’s spear and water jug and slipped away. At daybreak, David called out from a nearby hillside, “King Saul! I could have killed you today. Send someone up here to get your spear and your water jug.”
Once again, God delivered David. Knowing Saul would likely try again, David prayed:
“Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life…
Let those who love Your salvation continually say, ‘The Lord be glorified.’”
— Psalm 40:13–15
We can experience trouble from without in our own lives: at work, through jealousy, or when issues aren’t worked through and people become enemies. The hardest trouble to handle comes from people who misunderstand you and believe you’re trying to harm them when you’re not.
Troubles From Within
Then there is the struggle from within:
“For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head…”
— Psalm 40:12
Many times, the problems we face are of our own making. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and we know that the wages of sin is death. That inner struggle is the pull of sin within our lives, and sin must be forgiven and dealt with.
Paul describes this same struggle in Romans 7. He notes that there are things he knows he ought to do that he doesn’t do, and things he shouldn’t do that he finds himself doing. He asks, “Who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death?” Then he answers, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
David viewed his own iniquities as too many to count, yet earlier in the Psalm he said, “It is written in the book; I have come to do Your will.” He came to the Lord. That’s the answer for us, too.
Mark Twain once said, “There are many things in the Bible that are hard to understand. My problem is not with the things I don’t understand, but with the things I do understand.”
The Serenity Prayer speaks to this as well: “Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change” (troubles from without), “give me the courage to change the things I can” (struggles from within), and “give me the wisdom to know the difference.”
Victory in Jesus
In the opening verses of Psalm 40, David writes of experiencing joy and salvation:
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”
— Psalm 40:1–2
David described being down in a horrible pit of miry clay. That clay is slick and slippery; if you try to move, you’re in danger of falling, or your feet become stuck.
Sometimes we get stuck in our lives, whether in dealing with other people or dealing with ourselves. Other times, we are walking on slippery places where our faith slips and slides. But God brings us up out of that miry clay and sets our feet firmly upon a rock. Through every struggle, we can have victory through Jesus Christ.
Tell Others About That Victory
When God delivers us and gives us victory over troubles without and struggles within, our response should be to praise Him and share it:
“He has put a new song in my mouth:
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”
— Psalm 40:3
David said, “I have proclaimed Your righteousness in the great congregation.” When we receive that victory, we ought to go out and tell others about the brand-new life we have in Him.
Max Lucado wrote a book called “God Came Near.” I haven’t read it but the title always intrigued me, so I will borrow it for today’s post. I’m thinking about the time that God became man to save the world.
I’m sure he must have been surprised At where this road had taken him ‘Cause never in a million lives Would he have dreamed of Bethlehem And standing at the manger He saw with his own eyes The message from the angel come alive And Joseph said Why me, I’m just a simple man of trade Why Him, with all the rulers in the world Why here, inside this stable filled with hay Why her, she’s just an ordinary girl Now I’m not one to second guess What angels have to say But this is such a strange way to save the world To think of how it could have been If Jesus had come as He deserved There would have been no Bethlehem No lowly shepherds at His birth But Joseph knew the reason Love had to reach so far And as he held the Savior in his arms He must have thought Why me, I’m just a simple man of trade Why Him, with all the rulers in the world Why here, inside this stable filled with hay Why her, she’s just an ordinary girl Now I’m not one to second guess What angels have to say But this is such a strange way to save the world
Joseph
In Matthew chapter one, we read that Joseph had learned of Mary’s pregnancy. They were not yet married but were engaged. In those days, that was as good as a marriage contract. He knew that he was not the child’s father. Because he was a just man, he planned to “put her away” (divorce) her privately. Then an angel appeared to him.
Gabriel the angel came to Joseph in a dream.
Matthew 1: 18-25 (MEV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way: After His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, had in mind to divorce her privately. 20 But while he thought on these things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for He who is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this occurred to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, saying, 23 “A virgin shall be with child, and will bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is interpreted, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and remained with his wife, 25 and did not know her until she had given birth to her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
Why?
God became man. Why? I want to look at some reasons why He did.
The first was to fulfill prophesy. The second was to show what God is like. The third was to communicate with us. The fourth was to identify with us in our struggles. Finally, to be the Lamb of God.
Fulfilling Prophesy
The passage above mentions one of those prophesies. Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel
That is exactly what took place. That’s what Christmas is all about. The baby in the manger, born of a virgin, is that prophecy being fulfilled.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as Micah had prophesied.
Micah prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)
There are about 300 other prophecies that proclaimed that God was going to become man. They were all fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ.
King David was told that his descendants would be on the throne forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5-6)
You may wonder who is on the throne today. You can research the genealogy of David down to the time of Jesus. (Matthew 1:2-16, Luke 3:23-38)
Jesus is the king. We don’t need anybody beyond that. He’s still the king and will be forever, sitting at the right hand of God.
Hebrews 1:8-9
8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, lasts forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness, therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
It was prophesied that King David’s descendants would be on the throne forever. Jesus, through both Mary and Joseph, is the fulfillment of that prophecy.
What God is Like
Jesus was born to show the world what God is like.
Bing Crosby played a character named Hank Martin in a movie made in 1949 called “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” which was based on a book written by Mark Twain.
The main character was somehow transported back in time to the medieval times of King Arthur. He was in trouble because he was dressed in clothing from another century and he thought he needed to do something spectacular to avoid being arrested.
Because people of that time believed in magic and sorcery, the character took his magnifying glass and concentrated the sun’s rays on a piece of paper and burst into flames. The king believed it was magic.
They looked at him differently then, and he was in the king’s good graces for a time.
Later, Hank challenged the king, saying he didn’t know his subjects as well as he thought. The pair began traveling around the country in disguise.
The people didn’t realize the king was among them.
On their travels, they overheard complaints about the king. Arthur wasn’t used to that and almost stuck the speaker before Hank reminded him that he wasn’t “the king” right then.
Farther along, they heard some positive comments about the king, and that pleased Arthur.
The king was in their midst, but they didn’t know it.
Jesus came to the earth and the King was present but many people didn’t realize it until after the resurrection.
Undercover Boss
You may have seen the show “Undercover Boss.” The owner of the company will go undercover and work as a regular employee and see how the actual employees perform. Sometimes they complain about the owner, but other times they are very diligent and hard-working.
Then near the end of the episode, the employees will hear that the owner is coming for a visit. They’re all sitting in a room and in walks the owner.
Some employees are nervous when they realize the things they said and to whom they were said. Others are just happy to see their coworker again and learn that he or she is the boss.
Sometimes the troublemakers get fired, other times, the boss gives them another chance or more training
Jesus came to show us what God is like.
John 14:8-11
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is sufficient for us.”9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority. But the Father who lives in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me. Or else believe Me on account of the works themselves.
If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father.
Communication with the World
Hebrews 1: 1-2
God, who at various times and in diverse ways spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world.
In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets. In the days of the New Testament, God spoke to them, and us, through Jesus Christ His Son.
Paul Harvey once told the story of a man whose wife and children asked if he was attending church with them since it was Christmas.
The man declined. He usually just left it at a simple no, but he elaborated on his refusal this time.
“All this stuff about God becoming man, I just don’t quite get that.”
His family left to go to church and the man was sitting in his living room looking out the window. As he gazed outside, it began to snow. He saw some birds on the ground that appeared to be shivering from the cold.
They didn’t understand he was trying to help.
He went out to his shed, turned on the heater, and left the door open so the birds could go inside and be warmed.
He waited for the birds to go in, but they didn’t. He attempted to approach them but when he got close, they flitted away.
There was food on the ground so they didn’t go far, but they eluded him.
He tried to get near them again, but they flew away again.
He began talking to them, “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to help you.” He realized they didn’t understand what he was saying. How can I communicate with them? If only I were a bird.”
Then it hit him.
That’s why God came to this earth: So He could communicate with us.
Identify with the Struggles of the World
Another reason, I believe, that He came, is to identify with our struggles.
Hebrews 4: 14-16
14 Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who was in every sense tempted like we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then come with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
He came to this earth to be able to identify with our struggles.
You may feel that God is so distant and doesn’t know what it’s like for you. But Jesus knows. He came and showed us that He knew what it’s like.
The story of the woman at the well shows His humanness. John 4:6 says He was “exhausted.” He knows what it’s like to be tired. He knew what it was like to be thirsty. (John 4:7-8, John 19:28)
Jesus knows the struggles the people of the world face.
He knows what it’s like to be rejected. He knows what it’s like to have physical pain. He knew what it was like to have to restrain His power. He could have called thousands of angels to deliver him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He chose not to.
Lamb of God to Save the World
John 1:26-29
26 John (the Baptist) answered them, “I baptize with water, but One stands among you, whom you do not know. 27 This is He who comes after me, who is preferred before me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Jesus came to the earth to be the Lamb of God; a sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for the world.
The Bible tells us that we have all sinned. (Romans 3:23) We’re all in the same boat. Some of us have what the world would consider “bigger” sins, but they’re all the same in God’s eyes. We have all sinned and come far short of God’s glory.
The Bible also tells us that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) That’s the bad news.
Each time you attend a funeral, you’re dealing with physical death The soul has separated from the body. Life has moved out and left behind is the shell.
There’s another kind of death called spiritual death. That’s when the soul is separated from God.
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death.
We all have a death sentence on our heads.
But Jesus came, as John the Baptist pointed out, to be the Lamb of God.
His listeners knew the significance of the lamb because year after year there had been sacrifices of an unblemished lamb to atone for their sins.
God sent His Son to the earth to be the ultimate sacrifice: the Lamb of God.
Revelation 20:14-15
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
While everyone faces physical death, you don’t have to experience the second death.
Jesus came to be the Lamb of God and shed His blood as a sacrifice for our sins. He made it possible for everyone to be saved! That’s why He came.
Bringing Redemption to the World
That’s why God became man.
Why would Jesus leave Heaven, where they would do His bidding, and come to this earth to be rejected (Isaiah 53;3) and crucified?
Jesus was fully God but also fully man.
Many men have died, but none could take our place.
The divine son of God became human and physically died. But because of His deity, His death covers the sins of the world.
Jesus’ death on the cross covered the sin of the world.
That’s why you and I can be saved. He made it possible.
If you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
We strongly, fully believe that Jesus died, rose again, the tomb was empty, and He was seen alive more than once after He was dead. It’s not a fairy tale.
Because He lives, we have the hope that we will live forever.
If you believe in your heart, you are very close. Romans 10:9 also says you need to confess with your mouth that He is Lord.
Have you done that? Do you know that you know that Jesus is your Lord?
If you don’t, today is the day. The Bible says today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2)
The bad news is that the yoke of sin enslaves us all and Satan whispers lies to us. But there’s good news! God offers deliverance.
Beware of Bears
A park ranger was instructing a group that was preparing to go for a hike. He said, “You need to be careful out there because there are sometimes grizzly bears on the trails.” He had some items to help them stay safe.
He first gave them some bells. He said, “Wear these at all times. They’ll make noise when you move and the bears will know that you’re coming and hopefully, the bears will avoid you if they hear you.”
The second item he gave the hikers was a whistle. He said, “Keep this around your neck. If the bells don’t scare the bears, you can blow the whistle. That might keep them away. At least it could alert someone who may be able to help you.”
Finally, the ranger handed them a can of pepper spray. He said, “If all else fails and a grizzly is coming for you, try spraying them in the eyes with this pepper spray.”
Concerned, one of the hikers asked, “How will we know if we’re in an area with grizzly bears?”
Watch out for grizzly bears!
The ranger responded, “It’s simple. Just look for bear droppings.”
“How can we tell the bear droppings from other animal droppings?” they asked.
“Well,” the ranger replied, “the bear droppings will have bells and whistles in them and smell like pepper spray.”
It’s important to heed the warnings that come your way.
Volcanic Warnings
Recently, the news has reported that a volcano in Hawaii is erupting. It’s a famous volcano called the Mauna Loa, part of the Kilauea crater.
In 1985 my wife and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Hawaii. We were living in the Dallas, Texas area and I was writing the science curriculum for Accelerated Christian Education.
The curriculum was talking about volcanoes and it described a lava tube.
Inside a lava tube
A lava tube is a tunnel of sorts that is formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave.
I was writing about that kind of thing so when we got to Hawaii, we went to the park that has that crater where the volcano is. We got to walk through one of those lava tubes.
The current eruption is shooting lava as high as 168 feet. The thing that amazes me is the national park is still open for visitors!
There’s one road that is closed.
I think that would be a good warning to heed and not get on that road.
There are some warnings that we need to heed.
History, Parallel, and a Warning from Jeremiah
Jeremiah has some warnings that he put forth to God’s people. I’m not going to put all three chapters in here, but I will give you the summary and enough information that you’ll be able to see what’s going on.
You’ll see the historical happenings that Jeremiah was describing and then I want to look at the parallels between that and the entire story of redemption that’s in the Bible from the beginning to the end. The Bible is a book of redemption.
It’s a book that tells of the need for deliverance and it tells you how to be delivered, which is through Jesus Christ.
As I go through this, you’ll see the yoke of sin, the lies of Satan, and the deliverance of God.
Yoke of Sin
Jeremiah 27:1-8 contains the historical content of this.
Before I continue, I want to give you a little tip that helped me. In these chapters, there are three names mentioned and I got a little confused.
The first is Jehoiakim who was the king of Judah.
The second is his son, Jeconiah, who was also a king of Judah. However, he was taken into captivity.
While he was in captivity in Jerusalem, Zedekiah was king.
Jeremiah 27:1-2 (all scripture is from the MEV)
1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 Thus says the Lord to me: Make bonds and yokes and put them on your neck,
Wooden yoke
Yokes were wooden devices that were put on oxen and hooked to carts, plows, or whatever you wanted them to pull. If you had a yoke on your neck, it would be something that was difficult. God told Jeremiah to put one on his neck as an object lesson and then send some to the kings of the surrounding countries.
Jeremiah 27:6
6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant. And also I have given to him the beasts of the field to serve him.
God refers to Nebuchadnezzar as His servant Sometimes God will use people who are not very close to Him for His purposes.
Nebuchadnezzar had moments when he worshiped God and instructed others to do so. Other times, he became prideful and turned away from God.
Jeremiah told the kings that they were going to be under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar and they needed to accept it because they were going to be in captivity.
Now let’s look at the picture of redemption.
We All Bear It
We have the yoke of sin that is put upon us. Since the Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), everyone has to deal with this yoke of sin.
Each one of us bears the yoke of sin.
We should be concerned about the yoke of sin.
It was what caused Adam and Eve to be cast out of the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3)
It was the thing that caused the first murder to take place. (Genesis 4:8)
The yoke of sin destroys lives and it destroys families.
The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
We all know about physical death. We’re reminded of it often The body dies. Physical death came in because of sin.
Beyond physical death, however, is spiritual death which causes us to be separated from God.
Jeremiah 27:8
8 It shall come to pass that I will punish the nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, says the Lord. I will punish that nation with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
God was telling them that Nebuchadnezzar was the world leader. He had warned His people to “straighten up” or go into captivity.
Judah’s brother to the north, Israel, had already been taken into captivity by Assyria.
Babylon was gaining power and was going to take over Assyria. But Babylon was then going to go into Judah and capture the rest of them.
One of the many lies that were put forth during this time is found in Jeremiah 27:14.
14 Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, “You will not serve the king of Babylon,” because they prophesy a lie to you.
The remainder of chapter 27 discusses those who would lie.
Of course, the people would like to be delivered. Of course, they wanted to rise up and be victorious over their enemies.
But Jeremiah told them that wouldn’t be the case. God was going to use those events to punish them. They had been warned.
The lies continue in chapter 28.
Jeremiah 28:1-4
1 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back into this place all the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went into Babylon, says the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the Lord, 6 even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen. May the Lord do so; may the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the house of the Lord and all that was carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.
Jeremiah knew what God had told him, but he hoped that Hananiah was correct.
Jeremiah 28:10-17
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. 11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within the space of two full years.” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying: 13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus says the Lord: You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron. 14 For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. And I have given him the beasts of the field also. 15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah. The Lord has not sent you, and you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: I am about to cast you from off the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.” 17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
Hananiah was a false prophet.
You see the lies of the false prophet, and the consequences of those lies, in this passage.
The Lies of Satan
Satan is a liar. His lies come to us who have sinned. We have the yoke of sin in our lives.
Satan tells us, “You’re ok.”
But we’re not ok. We are all hellbound without God.
Satan’s lies tell us there is no hell, and that there are no consequences of sin. These lies are very subtle.
Some of those lies seem right to us as human beings. There are people who are openly and brazenly disobeying the commands of God but human nature says, “Oh, it’s ok. They’re ok.” That’s one of the lies of Satan.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)
The lies of Satan lead to destruction.
Satan’s lies sound good.
But the lies of Satan can sound really good because sometimes he appears as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
The lies of Satan provide a false sense of peace.
The yoke of sin is the fault of all mankind because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everyone needs to be saved. Everyone needs their sin forgiven.
The lie of Satan is, “You don’t need that. It’s all a bunch of hogwash.”
The truth is that one day we’re going to stand before God and it will matter what we have done with Jesus Christ. Whether or not we have believed in Him, whether or not we have accepted Him, and whether or not we have trusted in Him. That’s what’s going to make all the difference when we stand before God and are judged. (Romans 14:10-12, Revelation 20:15)
There’s a yoke of sin that we all carry.
Satan lies to everyone he can.
But there is the promise of deliverance!
The Promise of Deliverance
Hananiah had promised deliverance but he was dead and it had been 2 years and nothing happened.
While they were in captivity, they weren’t severely treated. They were allowed to work and have areas where they could build houses for themselves. Considering they were in captivity, they were treated fairly well.
Jeremiah delivered a message to them
Jeremiah 29:4-14
4 Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all who have been carried away captive whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters; so that you may increase there and not diminish. 7 Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them, says the Lord. 10 For thus says the Lord: When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you shall call upon Me, and you shall come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You shall seek Me and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will turn away your captivity and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back into the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.
God provided deliverance. They were to be under the yoke of captivity for 70 years, although the lies of the prophet said it wouldn’t be that long.
Then God gave them a promise.
At the end of the 70 years, they would be released and able to go home.
There are reasons to be excited about the deliverance that God provides.
The Bible speaks of the yoke of sin and of the lies of Satan that tell us that salvation is unnecessary.
But it speaks of real deliverance for those who have had the yoke of sin weighing down on their hearts and minds. There is deliverance for those who have been the enemy of God and realize that they were wrong and turn their life around.
There is freedom through Christ!
This deliverance comes and grabs ahold of someone like the Apostle Paul who had the yoke of sin on his life and was an enemy of the people of God. Then on the road to Damascus, he met the living Christ, got knocked off of his horse, and realized he had been wrong. He acknowledged who Jesus is and gave his life in wholehearted service to the Lord. (Acts 9:1-19)
There are reasons to be excited about that!
One reason is that you are forgiven of your sins. Corrie Ten Boom said, “God buries our sins in the depths of the sea and then puts up a sign that reads, “No fishing.”
He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12)
As Christians, we have been justified. There’s a little play on words that says justified means “just as if I’d never sinned.”
Justification through Jesus
That’s something to be excited about.
When God comes into your life, although you are born with the yoke of sin, you become just as if you’d never sinned.
Going Home
There is the promise of Heaven. They had been in captivity but they got to go home
One of these days, you (if you’ve accepted Jesus) and I will get to go home.
When you visit people in the hospital, they will sometimes talk about going home. You might wonder what they mean. Sometimes they’re talking about going to their physical earthly home, but sometimes they’re talking about Heaven.
I’m so glad that one day, instead of returning to the building made of wood and rock, I’ll go to a beautiful eternal home.
These three chapters contain the whole picture of redemption: the yoke of sin, the lies of Satan, and the deliverance of God.
Don’t listen to the lies of Satan. Believe the truth of God. Believe in Jesus. Come to Him. Trust in Him. The Bible says that if you seek after Him with your whole heart, you will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13)
Whosoever
Some know that they have sinned and are on their way to a place that’s not Heaven. They would like to change that but Satan whispers lies to them. He says, “You can’t be saved. What you’ve done is too bad. You are too far gone.”
YOU are a whosoever!
But the truth of God is God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
When I was in 6th grade, I overheard 2 boys talking. They were certain that if they died in a car wreck they would go to Heaven. At the time I thought there was no way they could know that. I thought about that knowing all week. Then I read John 3:16, which I probably had memorized. I realized it was a truth of God that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have eternal life.
I knelt down and said, “God, Jesus, I do believe in You. I do believe you died on the cross. I don’t know everything about all of this but as much as I know how I give You my life right now.”
The Truth of God comes and brings salvation to your soul.
Had I walked up on those boys’ conversation the next week, I wouldn’t have turned and walked away. I would have walked up and joined them and said, “Yeah, Me too!”
I couldn’t have said it the week before because I was listening to the lies of Satan Then I came to Jesus.
Seek Him with your whole heart and you will find Him. Knock and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7-8)
Of course, they weren’t looking forward to going into captivity. It was peaceful where they were living and they liked it there. Jeremiah warned them that it would not be good.
Then they realized that they were suffering the consequences of their sin.
He told them it wouldn’t be as bad as it could be. They would be allowed to build some houses and live life normally, But they would long for home
After 70 years they were going to get to go home.
We have sinned and we have listened to the lies of Satan. We’ve been confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ: that He died to pay the penalty for our sins. But if we claim the gift of salvation, we will receive eternal life.
The Time is Now
Have you ever come to Jesus?
Do you know Jesus now?
If you do you have reason to rejoice. Thank God for His promises, but you probably have some friends who need to know about those promises. Maybe it’s up to you to be the one to talk to them.
In closing, I want to tell you to live life as it comes. It may be good or it may be bad, but through it all continue to trust God. Trust Him through it all and He will bless you for doing that.
Let God remove the yoke of sin from your life.
If you don’t know for sure, if you have any doubts, about your salvation, I encourage you to get alone with Jesus and ask Him into your heart. The Bible says whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)
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