Willing and Able!

Matthew 8:1-3

"When he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him! Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.' Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying "I am willing, be made clean,' Immediately his disease was healed."

It's been a long time since I have added anything to the blog. I could provide numerous excuses and multiple reasons for my absence. But in reality, I just got busy doing other things. And after the 90 Days in the Bible, the creative cupboard was bare and it needed to be restocked with some time between me and the Lord. The Sunday School class is still walking through the life of Jesus. We just finished the Sermon on the Mount last week.

This brief meeting between a man with leprosy and Jesus reminds me of many things. The first is the way the man approached Jesus. He came up and knelt down. This reflect two things: Honor and Humility. The leprous man showed respect to the one who has the authority. He also showed his regard for himself in the presence of the holy and righteous Son of God. It is a lesson that I need to remember daily; The poor in spirit inherit the kingdom.

The second thing it reminds me of is the utter dependence on Jesus's will. "If you are willing, you can make me clean," Too often I approach Jesus with my desires and wishes without the proper perspective of His will.

Lastly, I am reminded we are all lepers with a disease called sin. And only Jesus can do the healing. "I am willing, be made clean." What an amazing promise and blessing!

Troy

What is Good News!

Mark 1:1
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

Bad news. It seems that is the majority of what we get when we read the front page of the newspaper or listen to the news on TV.

Economically, we hear that the divide between rich and poor is greater everyday. While plenty abounds in many countries, there is hunger, starvation, and disease in even more.

Culturally, there is mistrust and animosity between people of different nations. There is also discrimination and oppression between different cultures within many countries.

Politically, there are numerous rulers that wield a heavy hand. They imprison and put to death those that disagree. They live in splendor while the majority of those in their countries scrape by on less than two dollars a day.

Spiritually, the world is following their many gods down the paths of immorality or cruelty. Man follows what seems right to them and tries to earn the favor of God, but it leads to an emptiness of the soul. The so-called "religious" leaders are either intolerant or self-righteous. Too many have been influenced by political power and many more have lost all touch with their fellow man. And there is a hunger in the soul that needs to be filled.

Those words not only describe life today, most of it could describe life in 1st Century Palestine under Roman rule and Herod the Great. It had been over 400 years since God had spoken through one of His prophets. The Jews were waiting for a deliverer, one anointed from God. A king with military might that would overthrow Roman rule. A king after God's own heart that would purify the Temple and lead the nation back to God. A king that would restore Israel's economic and social prosperity to it's original height under Solomon.

Many today are waiting for a message. They are waiting for a deliverer, one anointed from God that will bring peace to their troubled soul and overthrow Satan's rule in their lives. They are waiting for somone to lead them back to God, to purify their hearts and minds. They are waiting to be restored to their orginial creation.

We all need some Good News! And it comes through Jesus, the Son of God.

However, we will find out just like the Israelites that our expectations of the Messiah may be mistaken. He brings peace to the soul, but not peace to the world. He heals and rescues the sick, not the (self) righteous. He overthrows the bondage of sin, but following Him may lead to oppresion for some. He may grant you economic prosperity, but it will only be for the benefit of His kingdom. A kingdom that is not of this world, but of the heart and soul.

So what is so "good news" about the gospel?

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power of salvation to everyone who believes."

2 Corinthians 5:18 "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

It's because it meets the one need we have the most and didn't even know it. It's reconciliation with the God who created us. That reconciliation is our salvation. The gospel is not what, but who.

The good news is that Jesus reconciles those that believe to God and establishes His kingdom where it matters the most, in our hearts.

The Gospel: From the Beginning

Mark 1:1 & Luke 1:1-4

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!" (NASB)

Beginnings.

The thought of beginning anything new carries with it multiple emotions. Hope, Anticipation, Nervousness, and Apprehension.

It is the hope that our lives can be better. It is the anticipation of getting to know ourselves and the One who created us. It is the nervousness of being real and honest with ourselves and God. It is the apprehension that we cannot come face to face with Jesus and remain the same.

It also brings multiple questions.
What did Jesus actually say and do? How does that apply to my life?
How will my life change if I am actually conformed to His image?
How can I know for certain everything about Jesus that I have been taught?
What will happen if I truly know this man called Jesus?

To really get to know someone you have to spend time with them. Lots of time. For many of us our time with Jesus is limited to a few minutes a day, and a few hours on Sunday and Wednesday. So starting today, we begin a journey. A journey filled with emotions, to answer the questions that we seek. A journey to investigate the gospels and forever be changed by a relationship with Jesus.

"Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." (NIV)

Much like Luke, we are going to investigate and study from the beginning all the accounts of Jesus. We are going to take a harmony of the gospels and view Jesus' life. Many of us have scrapbooks of different periods of our lives. They don't tell every detail, they highlight the key points. The gospels do much the same. They provide us the key points of His birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. And at the end, we will know the certainty of things we have been taught.

A few years ago, my mother put together a scrapbook that contained many of my ancestors and then it proceeded to highlight my life from birth until my mid-twenties. It is an extremely valuable book to me. At the end of the scrapbook, she wrote: "This is where you came from, only you can determine where you are going!"

And so each of us is at a crossroads. We can look back and see where we came from and what brought us here to this moment. We can continue on the path that we have been on that keeps Jesus at a comfortable distance, OR we can change paths. The new path is narrow, uphill, and rocky. It bends in the distance to a place we can't see. But we know where it ends. It ends at a bloody cross, an empty tomb, and a seat at the right hand of the Father.

And it leads to another beginning! You, as a memeber of the Body and Bride of Christ.

The Hall of Faith

Hebrews 11
(The following picture is used with permission from Greg Madej from http://www.gregsartdomain.com/Cathedral-Hallway.gif)

Hbr 11:1-2
"Now faith is the assurance of {things} hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval."

In the original Greek, Faith is the "hupostasis" and "elegchos" of our hope; which literally translated means our faith has both a foundation to stand on and proof of existence. It is not a "blind faith" that God calls us to; but one that has thousands of years of assurance through the fulfillment of promises that God fulfilled; in the "men and women of old." The Lord has provided these men and women of faith to give you and I conviction in what we believe, and the hope that what God has promised is true.

In the darkness of our world, these "men and women" provide a light to our path in following the Lord. Just like the windows of "Inside the Cathedral" provide guidance and illumination to the the door; there have been men and women of faith that light your path to the Saviour who is the door to eternal life. They also guide you into the truth.

Abel (11:4)

Many say that Cain's crops were not the firstfruits, while Abel's sacrifice included the shedding of blood from the innocent lamb. But Hebrews says the difference in the sacrifices was not in the external offerings, but internally in the heart. Because of Abel's faith his offerings were accepted.

Enoch (11:5-6)

Enoch pleased God because he trusted the Lord. Enoch believed that God is who He says He is and because of his faith, Enoch was taken up by the Lord.

Noah (11:7)

Noah had never seen rain much less a flood, but Noah began building the Ark 120 years before the Flood. I can imagine what his neighbors thought; that Noah was a few sheep short of a flock. But we can also see why God chose him; because of his faith. Noah (and his family) were rescued because of his faith that God would provide for their salvation.

Abraham (11:8-10, 17-19)

I can see the conversation now. Abraham, I want you to leave everything you know and move to someplace new; but I am not going to tell you where you are going. Later, God would ask Abraham to give up his only son which is a foreshadowing to Jesus's crucifixion. Abraham's faith was based on a foundation that God was truth and proof that God always delivered.

Sarah (11:11-12)

God told Sarah that she would conceive a son, even though she was well beyond her years of childbearing. Sarah had faith that what God had promised would come to pass because of his continued faithfulness to her and Abraham.

Joseph (11:22)

As Joseph was dying in Egypt, he made his descendants promise to take his body back to the land given to Abraham. Because of his faith, he knew that God would lead the Israelites back to the land that was promised.

Moses (11:23-29)

Because of his faith in God's ability to deliver Israel, Moses entered the courts of Pharoah, demanding that he let them go. By faith, he led the Israelites through the Red Sea. By faith Moses followed the Lord in the wilderness for 40 years because he knew that God would fulfill his promises.

Rahab (11:30-31)

By faith in the God of Israel, Rahab sided with them instead of the people of Jericho. By faith, she and her family were delivered.

The Faithful (11:32-34, 35b-39)

"And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated men of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith"

And you and I could add to the list. There are parents, teachers, brothers, sisters, pastors, and friends that have provided a foundation of assurance that God is who He says He is. They have provided proof of our conviction that God delivers on His promises, that He will provide for our salvation.

The path is illuminated by the lives of the faithful, Jesus just asks you to open the door.

The Veil is Torn

Hebrews 10:19-21
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have we have a great priest over the house of God."

From the beginning of Hebrews 1:1 to 10:18 the author has laid the foundation and exposed the truth concerning Jesus. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." From Hebrews 1:1-3 we see that Jesus is God in the flesh, that He is Creator, Sustainer, King, Sacrifice, and Savior.

We have seen that Jesus is superior to angels, prophets, Moses, Melchizedek, priests, and the levitical system. We have shown that Jesus is the true tabernacle, the real Sabbath, and the anchor of our soul. We have been warned to pay attention (2:1), to not harden our hearts (3:8), and not to fall away(6:6).

Because of all this we have access to the Most Holy Place. We have access to God through Jesus Christ. The body has been broken and the veil torn, the blood has been used to satisfy the consequences of our sin, and the great High Priest sits at the right hand.

Because of Jesus, the scripture states in Chapter 10, we can

Draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith (22) because you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit washes you on a daily basis and reminds you of impurities in your life.
Hold unswervingly to the hope we profess (23) because His is always faithful even when we are not. Because our hope is in someone rather than something.
Consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (24) by meeting together and encouraging one another with testimonies of the work of Jesus in our lives.

And we are to continue to do so, to perservere in the faith until "He who is coming will come."

We can have this confidence because the one who tore the veil, is the one who lives in your heart. He is the author and perfecter of your salvation. He is the anchor of your soul.

Jesus: The Tabernacle Revealed

This week we are in Hebrews 8 & 9. This tabernacle illustrates how Jesus is superior to the Old Covenant. (This is from a post I wrote over a month ago on Exodus on another blog)

Ex 25:8-9 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.”

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.”

The tabernacle is a type of Christ. It consists of the Outer Court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

Salvation

Everything in the Outer Court is connected to salvation and the cleansing of sins. There is a single gate for its entrance, an altar for sacrifices, and a laver for washing.

The Outer Courtyard Entrance (not pictured) –The Way
John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father except through me”
John 10:9 “I am the door (gate), whoever enters through me will be saved.”

The Bronze Altar of Burnt Offering – The Sacrifice
John 1:29 “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”

The Laver – The Forgiveness
John 13:8 “Unless, I wash you, you have no part with me.”

Sanctification

As we leave the courtyard and enter the Holy Place (we enter into a relationship with Jesus.) We can see a table, a lampstand, an altar, and a veil.

Table of Showbread –
John 6:35 “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The Lampstand -
John 8:12 “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Altar of Incense – The High Priest
John 17:9 “I pray for them.”
John 17:20 “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message

The Veil – The Blood and the Body
Hebrews 10:19-20 “ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain (veil), that is, His body.”

Glorification

As we pass throught the veil and enter the Holy of Holies (we have access with God, the Father) and we behold the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat.

Ark of the Covenant

Golden Jar of Manna
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”

Aaron’s budded Rod
John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Tablets of the Covenant
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

This week:
Thank God the Father that He sent His only son, Jesus, to dwell among us and fulfill all the roles in the real tabernacle in heaven.

Jesus: The Anchor of our Soul

Hebrews 6:19-20b
"We have this hope - like a sure and firm anchor of the soul - that enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf."

HOPE should be one of those identifying characterics of a believer. It should be evident to everyone around us that we have a hope that does not change with the circumstances and seasons in our life.

HOPE should be like the anchor of a ship. It grounds the ship in place, makes it immovable from its position. Likewise, our hope that rests in Jesus should ground us in our fellowship with God. Our hope makes our belief in the sufficiency of God for all of life immovable.

Our hope is not anchored in anything this world has to offer. It is not connected to our job, our bank account, our hobbies, our homes, our possessions, or any person of this world.

Our HOPE lies in the person and work of Jesus as our "high priest - holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens." Our hope is that Jesus - our Creator, Sustainer, and Savior intercedes constantly on our behalf.

Our HOPE is anchored in the all powerful, unchangeable God; who promises our restoration for believing in His son Jesus.

Our HOPE is anchored in His grace and mercy; which He has promised based on who we are in Christ.

This week make sure people know and see the hope that is in you, that Jesus anchors your soul.