Have We Missed The Point Of Life?

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. [Matthew 16.21-27] 

If we are not living to die, we have missed the point.

Jesus ONLY purpose to live on earth was indeed to die.

Peter, under the influence of Satan, overwhelmingly represented every person who misunderstands Jesus' purpose to come to earth. Jesus did not come to earth to entertain or to be entertained - He came to die.

There is no Biblical proof that "life" is ours to preserve. Jesus' example and teaching says it all. God indeed said He would care for us, but we are strictly forbidden to take that matter into our own hands:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [Matthew 6.33]

The pursuit of life is a human perspective of self-centeredness, idols, and Satan himself who inspires us to take our lives into our own hands for the sake of living. This is, as Jesus rebuked Peter for, a dangerous trap.

Do I mean that all the things we do "to live" are a dangerous trap? Yes, that is what Jesus said.

When death is on the line, our motives become clear. Peter only said what all of us feel. That lust to live on earth is the work of Satan. That self-centric motivation is exactly what tripped up Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. At the heart of such error is the notion that God, Who reserves the right to be our everything, is not.

Is it wrong then that we live? Of course not! But it is wrong for any "follower of Christ" to "take matters into their own hands" regarding their life. The apostle Paul said it quite clearly to the Church in Galatia:

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [Galatians 2.20]

Nothing says what or who we trust in more than our "life." Regardless what we have been deceived to believe, any trust in ourselves or other man-made systems is idolatry. It is, in fact, what Jesus warned against in Matthew 16 above: If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?. 

This is serious. This should occupy our thoughts every day... to live only as Christ with zero concern for "living on earth." This preempts "name-it-claim-it" mentality with the question instead, "What is necessary today to bring glory to God living only like Jesus knowing that God "has my back"?" If it's a miracle of epic proportions, fine. If it's the miracle of my cross, even better! Just let me follow Jesus!

Suddenly, the things of life do not matter. Suddenly, finance, insurance, medicine and technology become a clear affront to faith in Christ alone.

Hebrews 11 (the famous faith chapter) is perhaps the most taken-out-of-context chapter in the entire Bible. Everyone loves the first part of Hebrews 11 where those mentioned got the faith-opportunity to live. But most prefer to overlook the last part of Hebrews 11 where others had the faith-opportunity to die! Living or dying is not the focus! The focus is faith in Christ!

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. [Philippians 1.21]

As a believer in Jesus Christ, my "life" is in heaven. I only "live" on earth to serve God's purpose. At least, that's the way it should be...

Father, like Peter, I get so distracted with "living" that I find myself rebuked by Your Word, Jesus. Help me instead to have a proper Biblical evaluation of my life on earth. May I be found giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Jesus. So be it.

The Yeast Of The Pharisees And Sadducees

At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. [Matthew 16.7-12] 

The faith Jesus promoted here in Matthew 16.7-12 is faith that, regardless the circumstances, trusts God implicitly. Such faith transcends science itself in demonstration of God's Kingdom power.

In contrast, the "faith" that Jesus denounced in Matthew 16.7-12 (He didn't call it faith, but instead "the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees") is more worried about protocol and appearances than glorifying God.

The point Jesus constantly drove home with His followers was to trust God - to have faith - in real time and in every situation. Jesus is still driving this point home today and religion and religious people are still resisting it today. 

Man's own way is the way of self-preserving reason and logic (first seen in the Garden of Eden). The way of Jesus miraculously feeds thousands, heals the sick, makes the blind see, makes the deaf hear, makes the lame to walk, raises the dead, and even walks on water ...all without fear.

The way of reason and logic looks upon Jesus' miraculous life and, instead of rejoicing that God might move among them, proudly denies and rejects Him because He does not look and act like them (in their own powerless existence). This is precisely why so many have been compelled to write books, teach lessons, and preach so many sermons about why God's people are so powerless today (deceptively normalizing powerlessness among God's people). The way of reason and logic is, in fact, the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The way of reason and logic trusts man more than God. In this way, the way of reason and logic, from Jesus' time until now, is ever-increasingly more idolatrous. The way of reason and logic - the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees - is still very much with us today.

To address the problem of reason and logic then and now, Jesus gave every would-be follower of Him this timeless demand:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

An attempt by any person to justify and even defend powerlessness in the life of a "believer" is the deceptive yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It is the work of a hard and deceived heart void of God-pleasing faith.

Father in heaven, Jesus didn't 'pull any punches' and so, You have not 'pulled any punches' today. Your Word, Jesus, exists to separate Your people from the world and its powerless, religious, ways. May all who read this today, with me, more clearly see the need to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus (on His terms, not ours). So be it.

 

Was Jesus Out Of Touch With Reality?

Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.” “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” [Matthew 15.15-20] 

Are we to conclude here that Jesus was ignorant of biology? In a world gone wild on "eating right" Jesus' words stand in stark contrast. Modern science traces all sorts of things we eat to certain diseases and physical conditions. I mean, it's science, right?

Jesus says however that evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander are what defile us. In fact, what Jesus said coincides perfectly with what Deuteronomy 28.15-68 says about disobedience to God: all manner of sickness results in addition to all manner of loss otherwise.

I know "sincere Christian people" who are consumed with "eating right" - even religious about it. They justify their actions with both science and God's Word:

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. [1 Corinthians 6.19-20]

The thing is, 1 Corinthians 6.19-20 is not at all about "eating right" but instead the context of that entire chapter is about moral purity (read all of 1 Corinthians 6)! 

Man's sickness, weakness, and disease is NOT the result of what he eats. Jesus unapologetically contradicts such a notion (science be damned) saying man's defilement (that is what sickness and disease are referred to in the Bible) is the direct result of evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. In fact, the apostle Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 6 (if we actually read the whole chapter).

The only real Biblical warning concerning our diet is not found in what we eat, but in how much we eat. Gluttony is repeatedly prohibited in the Bible.

What if people so bent on "eating right" spent that time instead in repentance and devotion to following Jesus? What if people gave as much effort to Matthew 16.24 as they did their diet?

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Was Jesus out of touch with reality? I don't think so.

Father, help us see the futility of "eating right." Help us instead see the absolute necessity of giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. So be it.

They Didn't Understand Miracles

Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed,  for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. [Mark 6.47-52] 

What was it that Mark understood about the miracle of the loaves that the disciples had missed? Most assuredly it was this:

For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ [Matthew 13.15]

Because a hard heart is blinded and deafened by something, it cannot enjoy the miracles of God. Like physical healing, walking on water also qualifies as a miracle the same as feeding 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. The point is, a hard heart gives preference to man's solutions to his problems denying the power of God.

That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. [Matthew 14.15-17]

The simple solution of the blind and deaf hard-hearted disciples was to, "Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." They never even considered a miracle from God instead. The hard-heartedness of never even considering God is a violation of the 1st Commandment:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3]

THINK! How did God bring the Hebrews out of Egypt? WITH UNDENIABLE MIRACLES! In the very context of the 1st Commandment, God demands to be distinguished as His people's ONLY God by powerful miracles. Pharoah did not let God's people go because they posed a significant military threat. Instead, Pharoah let God's people go because He feared their miracle-working God.

The disciples were mindlessly amazed at Jesus walking on the water because their hearts were hard against their miracle-working God. The disciples mindlessly resorted to sending the crowds away to get food because their hearts were hard against their miracle-working God.

Today, God's people mindlessly turn to all manner of man-made solutions for everyday problems because their hearts are hard against their miracle-working God.

Man's "solutions" are idols. Although not an exhaustive list, man's solutions (idols) today are found broadly in his industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology.

Idolatry only sees the problem (wind and waves, hungry people, poverty, vulnerability, sickness, ignorance...). Idolatry is blind and deaf to anything else.

Faith sees the solution (undeniable miracles). Faith believes God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Faith sees every possibility in God the Creator.

To preemptively address any misunderstanding going forward, Jesus placed the responsibility of miracles (and everything else He did) on every believer:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]

Unironically, man has a solution for John 14.12: it's called religion. Like every other man-made solution to "man's problems," religion is also an idol. So firmly established is the idol of religion that books, teachings, and sermons defending man's undeniable failure to comply with John 14.12 cannot be counted. These same books, teachings, and sermons also make damning allowance for man to establish his own spiritual equilibrium regarding Matthew 16.24:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Man's problems identify the condition of his heart. What is the first solution that comes to mind when we encounter a problem? Is it a man-made solution (our way)? Or, is it our miracle-working God (the way of the cross)?

This subject is not going away because the the Word of God is not going away. My "voice" might be silenced, but let us not think for a moment that Jesus' words will ever be silenced!

Father, may the truth of Your Word prevail in this day and age when man's solutions (idols) abound and man's hard heart prevents him from enjoying Your miracles. May there be a revival of Your Word - may there be a revival of Your miraculous intervention in the lives of Your true followers. So be it.

What If Jesus Really Meant What He Said?

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. [Matthew 10.38-39]

What if Jesus really meant what He said? 

This is the proverbial "elephant in the room" no one really wants to talk about. This is where pure undefiled relationship with God takes a u-turn to become false religion. This is where abstraction sets upon what is otherwise clear instruction in God's Word. This is overwhelmingly where the alleged Church finds itself today.

It matters not how many books have been written or how many sermons have been preached to "soften the blow" of Jesus' hard words... Do we dare to interpret the Bible to suit our comfort level? Why would we presume to know more than God? Who would think of such a thing?

"God knows my heart" won't cut it because the fact is, God indeed knows our hearts:

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? [Jeremiah 17.9]

So, if we cannot trust our own heart, who or what can we trust? God's Word: Jesus Christ. Period.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [John 14.6]

How do we identify deceit in our lives? It's simple: the deceiver of mankind would have us focus on ourselves instead of God. This self-centric disregard for what God said is idolatry - it began in the Garden of Eden. 

If then we cannot focus on deceit, we must focus on the Truth. Jesus spoke that Truth, so, we cannot ignore what He said! Jesus really meant every word He said.

Would it not be even more important to do what Jesus said if He repeated it? That is precisely what Jesus did:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Yes, Jesus really meant every word He said.

Father, every one of us makes a decision every day to either follow Jesus, or follow our own heart's idolatrous desires... even knowing that our hearts are "ground zero" for all manner of deceit. Help us to get real - help us stop deceiving ourselves and each other. Help us make personal every directive Jesus gave for all who be His followers. May we truly be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. So be it.

If Only We Could Touch The Hem Of Jesus' Robe!

Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. [Mark 5.21-29]

For all of us who have ever wished we could just touch the hem of Jesus' robe...

Let's consider what John said about Jesus:

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. [John 1.14]

And then, let's consider what the writer of Hebrews said about God's Word:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. [Hebrews 4.12] 

Here then is what we MUST understand from these two passages: 

God's Word and Jesus are synonymous.

With this in mind... Do we then wish to touch the hem of Jesus' robe? We do have this opportunity every minute of every day... We have God's written Word which is synonymous with His Living Word that we might "touch" Him any time we want to! And, it is in this 'want-to' where we find our great disconnect...

In today's One Year Chronological Bible reading we see another important fact about encountering God's Word:

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. [Mark 5.18] 

The formerly demon-possessed man begged to be with Jesus, the Word. The demoniac's want-to had been changed. That attitude is much different than what is demonstrated by most so-called believers today who find it a struggle to 'make time' to read the Bible. Jesus actually spoke to that condition:

Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.” [John 8.47]

The woman who encountered Jesus' touch in Mark 5.21-29 had to finally come to the end of her resources before coming to Jesus. In her case, the woman had realized the futility of medicine abandoning it and turning instead to Jesus. She effectively broke ties with the idol of medicine in order to receive miraculous healing from God. God's Word had no impact on the woman until she turned to Him in earnest - turning only to Jesus, giving up on the idol of medicine, trusting her entire life and well-being to the Word of God. She actually did what Jesus later demanded of all who would be His followers:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Additionally, there was an obvious and distinct feeling of God's Word actually working. Of the woman it was said, "...and she could feel in her body that she had been healed." And of Jesus it was said, "Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him..." (Mark 5.30). So, without question, both parties involved in this healing "felt" something. This is a far cry from what occurs in most "healing ministries" today where nothing is felt by anyone excusing the lack of anything happening by calling it "faith." Yes, people get all emotional, but emotions and Biblical faith are two entirely different things!

There are two schools of thought when nothing is felt regarding healing: One group insists that miraculous healing is not for today (as in ever) and the other group insists that miraculous healing is not for today (as in at that moment). In indicting contrast to both of these Pharisee-like variations, Jesus never left a miracle undone.

We are left then with the choice to believe what God's Word says, or make up our own experience-based, Pharisee-like conclusions. If we believe God's Word for what it actually says, must desire and intentionally turn to God's Word prioritizing Him above all else, and we must bring no idols to that party! Few, if any today, meet these qualifications. But Pharisee-like religion screams cheap, unaccountable "grace" in demonic, soul-damning disagreement with what God's written and living Word says. And, yes, it is that serious...

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” [Matthew 22.14]

The "call" is indeed undeserved grace. The "chosen" are those who, in unmistakable, undivided faith, follow Jesus, the Living Word of God on His terms:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

We cannot make our own rules. We must touch the hem of Jesus' robe - we MUST touch God's Word and be touched by God's Word in a way that is felt.

Father, may we be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. May this experience be felt! So be it.

Not About The Man, But About The Faith

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”  [Matthew 8.23-27]

Jesus illustrated a very bold fact here: 

It's not about the man, but about the faith.

However, the disciples did not get it. Instead, they were amazed, "Who is this man?"

People today still look at Jesus the same way. Even though He constantly referred to Himself as the Son of Man, they still ogled over Him as the Son of God. They missed the point. They were looking at the tree and not the forest represented by the tree. They failed to understand that they were also trees belonging to that same forest.

Any one of the disciples could have spoken to the wind and waves bringing about calm and peace. But instead, they were afraid. Jesus only did what any one of them could have done. Otherwise, His scolding of them, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” was completely unjustified.

If we can see it, the disciples trusted the man-made boat more than God. As sturdy as the boat built by man may have been, it was no match for the wind and waves over which God's Kingdom rules.

While, at first this illustration may seem to justify man's idols of finance, insurance, medicine and technology as "the boat," a more complete look at Jesus' life and ministry in another boating incident reveals otherwise:

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. [Matthew 14.24-33]

Leave it to Peter to "test the waters," Peter whose faith became foundational to the Church! Why did Peter want out of the boat? Was the boat not sufficient? Was the boat certainly not better than nothing? Peter did not think so! So, he asked Jesus if he might come to Him. And, what did Jesus say? "Yes, come." For at least a moment, Peter understood that "if Jesus does it, I can do it." And, Peter concluded further that he should do what Jesus was doing intentionally leaving the boat.

And here is where we are today. We are experiencing the strong winds of life in our man-made idol-industry "boats" of finance, insurance, medicine and technology. God's Word is revealing Jesus to us on every page of the Bible. But instead of desiring to get out of the boat to follow Jesus, we insist that Jesus should get in the boat with us where it's 'safe.'

I suppose Jesus 'met the disciples where they were' when He got back into the boat with Peter. The disciples only witnessed Him again as the Son of God, but only Peter, and only for a moment, witnessed Jesus as the Son of Man when he (Peter) got out of the boat in faith as a man and walked on the water too.

Were the wind and waves real? Of course they were. But Jesus did not need the boat to deal with them.

So, again, why did Peter want out of the boat? Because he just wanted to be where Jesus was doing what Jesus did. He wanted to follow Jesus. The 'security' of the boat, for at least a moment, lost all meaning. Peter took "following Jesus" literally (until he didn't).

The question prevails then, "Do we want to follow Jesus?" Or, do we want instead to just stay in the boat? Getting out of the boat is Kingdom faith. Staying in the boat is ...well, idolatry (trusting something instead of, or in addition to, God).

It should be understood that Peter did not want out of the boat to prove a point as a man in human pride. Peter wanted out of the boat to follow Jesus as a man in Christ-like faith.

There is a scripture that speaks directly to this end:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Imagine that!

Father, I want to follow Jesus. I don't want to sit in the boat any more. May I be found more like Peter, reckless as he was, than those who stayed in the boat never understanding that everything Jesus did as the Son of Man, we are called and empowered to do in faith. May I genuinely give up my own way, take up my cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.