Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Exod 27–28
Chronological Order: Gen 38–40
The Shadow Of The Cross
The shadow of the cross hung over the manger in which Jesus lay at His birth. It continued to hang over him through His life and His ministry. As we read today that shadow gets bigger. Jesus has been preparing His disciples for His eventual departure from the first moment He called them. Today He specifically tells them He will die and be resurrected but first He is transfigured before the very eyes of Peter, James, and John. Interestingly enough the conversation He had with Moses and Elijah during the transfiguration concerned His coming crucifixion. We read of that in Luke’s version of the transfiguration.
Luke 9:30-31
“And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”
What was to be accomplished? The crucifixion was to be accomplished. His death and resurrection was to be accomplished. The salvation of all who would accept His sacrifice was to be accomplished. Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented the prophets. Jesus was the fulfillment of the law and prophecy. When Jesus hung on that cross and breathed His last He said “It is finished” and it was indeed finished. The Law and the Prophets culminated in His sacrifice; His resurrection assured.
Later, as Jesus walked down the mountain with His three disciples He told them point blank:
Matthew 17:9 ESV
“And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
Remember that the phrase “Son of Man” is an euphemism for the Messiah and that Peter earlier stated that he was aware that Jesus was the Messiah, the “Son of Man”. This means that when Jesus says to tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead He is telling them He will die and be resurrected. Jesus did a lot of this. He told them often what was coming but they just couldn’t wrap their heads around it. They never even realized what He meant until He stood among them after His death and resurrection.
He told them a second time in today’s reading:
Matthew 17:22-23 ESV
“As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.”
So Jesus got even more explicit and they were upset for a time but still they could not comprehend His fate. Jesus did a lot of great things while He lived but His purpose was not to heal or to perform miracles or even to teach. His purpose was to die. The preparation of His disciples was intended for their purpose. Their purpose was to spread the Gospel. That is your purpose today as well. Jesus did His part and died on the cross for you, for me, and for anyone willing to turn over authority over their lives to Him. Are you doing the part assigned to you?
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Exod 24–26
Chronological Order: Gen 35–37
You Have The Keys
In these few short verses today we have two extremely controversial statements by Christ that continue to confound many to this very day. One of these statements has become a wedge that divides the body of Christ.
Matthew 16:18 ESV
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Jesus began this conversation by challenging His disciples to properly identify Him. There was much controversy among the people of that day as to who Jesus was. Was He a prophet like Jeremiah? Was He the resurrected Elijah as promised in the Bible? Was He John the Baptist, that is to say a great teacher, but nothing more? These were the various opinions being bandied about as Jesus walked the Holy Land. It is confession of Jesus as the Son of God which leads to salvation. It is this very question “Who is Christ?” which every person to this day must answer for themself.
Now Peter, being led by the Holy Spirit answered “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Peter’s answer resulted in Jesus telling him that he was blessed because flesh and blood had not revealed this to him. Now wait a minute. Wasn’t it Jesus who mentored Peter and the other disciples? Why would this have been revealed by God in Heaven rather than by Jesus on Earth? Some of us today wish we could have been there 2,000 years ago and sat at the Master’s feet as He taught. We seem to think it would have made belief in who He is somehow easier. Evidently not. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed the identity of Christ to Peter and the others back then just as He does today.
Okay so now we have this statement that “on this rock I will build my church”. Some believe that Jesus was saying that He would build His church on Peter or on his efforts. The Catholic church believes it is this very verse that gives the Pope spiritual authority over all Christians. Well this verse and the next:
Matthew 16:19 ESV
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Others believe that verse 18 refers to the idea that a confession of faith in Jesus Christ is that upon which Christ will build His church. Still others believe that Jesus is saying He will build His church upon Himself. I find the first interpretation rather tortured and flimsy. I view the other two as rather viable. Let’s take a closer look at verse 18 shall we?
“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church”. In the original Greek we read “You are Petros and upon this petra I will build my church.” “Petros” means “a little piece of rock” and “petra” means “bedrock”. Now clearly Jesus is using a play on words to communicate a truth. Is that truth that He will build His church on one little rock, one rather week minded and week willed fisherman nicknamed “little rock”, or is it that He will build His church on something more substantial like bedrock? Is that bedrock a confession of who Jesus Christ is or is Jesus Christ Himself? I can almost see Jesus pointing to Peter as He says “little rock” and to Himself as He says “bedrock”. Can you?
My current favorite biblical commentator is J. Vernon McGee and he thought it is upon Jesus Himself that His church is being built. I can’t argue with this but the entire context of the conversation revolves around a confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. It seems to me we are splitting hairs. The church is built upon Jesus the Christ and a confession that He is the Christ for no one comes to the Father except through Him – not through Peter.
Where in Scripture does it say that Peter will pass on this alleged spiritual authority to only one person at a time? I’m afraid some weak Pope centuries ago saw in scripture a perversion that would allow him more power. He twisted scripture to suit his own desires for power. I am sorry for him. Meeting his maker must have been rather uncomfortable for him.
All of this, however, brings us to the issue of Peter being given the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the power to bind and set free. What are the keys of heaven? I’m afraid I do disagree with Mr. McGee who says that the keys are the Word of God. I’m sorry but I just don’t see that. Keys unlock an entry way. Can Scripture open the door to heaven? No, I’m afraid many a non-believer has read the Scriptures and walked away as lost and banished as when they started.
What allows us in to Heaven? Jesus Christ allows us in to Heaven. His bloody death and glorious resurrection open the door for us. By confessing Jesus as the Christ, the One who died, was buried, and was raised three days later just as Scripture foretold, one gains forgiveness for one’s sins and entry to Heaven. So Jesus is the key as is confession of who He is. But what about this binding and loosing business?
When we don’t share Christ with a lost person they are bound on Earth and excluded from Heaven. When we share Christ, and the Holy Spirit draws that person to saving faith in Him, that person is set free on Earth and gains entry to Heaven for eternity. The promise of the keys to Heaven was not a promise to Peter alone but to every Christian as we each are given the keys and the responsibility to set people free with them.
Did you realize you have the power to set people free? You do in that you can share Christ. You can’t save anyone, only the work of the Holy Spirit can work that miracle just as He did with Peter, but if you don’t share Christ with the lost they will be forever doomed.
Okay I guess I’m going to have to hit the second controversy quickly.
Matthew 16:28 ESV
“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Jesus has not yet returned and all the people who heard Jesus speak are long dead. How can this statement by Jesus be true? I don’t have space to go into detail but tomorrow we are going to read about the transfiguration of Christ. It was at the moment that Peter, James, and John witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus that His prophecy was fulfilled. These three saw the Son of Man coming in his kingdom at that very moment.
Let me ask you, where do you think Jesus is right now? You say Heaven right? Brothers, that is His Kingdom. Those three fellows saw Jesus as He is today. This is not a dud of a prophecy. It has already happened.
Okay, I’m closing in on 1,200 words so I’ll have to leave it all at that. Let me know what you think and have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Exod 21–23
Chronological Order: Gen 32–34
Overflowing And Satisfied
Is Jesus sufficient? What I mean by that is to ask is He able to meet your needs? Now I’m sure you believe He is able to meet your spiritual and eternal needs but what about your mental, emotional, and physical needs today? You may intellectually believe that He is capable of meeting these needs as well but I wonder if deep down you really believe it with all that you are. Brothers, I’m not suggesting I’m holier than thou. There are times when my behavior shows that I still doubt God’s provision and sufficiency. I believe He is sufficient intellectually but when I worry about my wellbeing or my future I am really showing my doubt.
In today’s reading Jesus once again feeds a multitude – this time it is four thousand people. Jesus took seven loaves and a few small fish and not only fed all of these people but when the scraps were taken up there were seven baskets full of leftovers – more than what He started with. Jesus is not only capable of meeting our needs but far exceeding them. Why were there leftovers? There were leftovers because everyone ate their fill and they were satisfied and Jesus’ provision was more than enough. Can you imagine feeling satisfied in every way? I’ve always loved the following verse:
John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
When I read that verse I get a sense that Jesus isn’t simply talking about eternal life though that is certainly part of it. No, I feel strongly that Jesus is talking about all of existence; He wants us to not only get by in life but to have an abundant life. Now I have had my times of living on the mountaintop. I have had times when I felt truly close to God and I want to tell you my life never felt so complete or full as during those times. I was content. I was joyful. I was satisfied. Once there, why didn’t I remain there? Well that’s due to the other part of that verse concerning the thief. You see Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. He seeks to steal from us what Christ came to give us.
How does Satan accomplish such a theft? He does this by causing us to search for the wrong things to meet our needs. We seek financial security. We seek a nicer job, or house, or spouse. We seek nicer things. We seek money, food, cars, sex, sports, booze, drugs, and on and on. On some level we think each of these things will make us happy and yet after acquiring these things we feel even emptier. We just can’t seem to be satisfied.
When I felt satisfied in my closeness with God I sought after nothing more than His presence and I was satisfied. My needs were met. Perhaps another verse comes to your mind as I say this.
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
We read that verse not all that long ago. In context Jesus was speaking about this very issue of God’s sufficiency. Brothers, if all I ever did was focus on all the things that I didn’t have that the world values, if I only focused on my hurts and fears and wants, I would be living the life Satan wants me to have. Fortunately my eyes have been opened. God has blessed me incredibly and I know it. I’m living a fairy tale. I’m living a happily ever after ending. My cup sure does overflow. With all my blessings there is only one bit of it worth anything and it is that which flows from a close walk with my God, my Savior, my King. He is sufficient and I am satisfied. I hope you are too.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Exod 17–20
Chronological Order: Gen 30:25–31:55
What Flows From Your Heart?
To this day there are still some who claim Christ as their Savior but feel compelled to follow the traditions of the old Mosaic Law. I don’t find anything particularly offensive about such a compulsion but unfortunately some of these people think you aren’t saved unless you agree with them and do the same. This is wrong. This attitude is the same attitude Jesus fought during His earthly ministry. There is much to commend about Mosaic tradition but it has nothing to do with salvation. The issue is and has always been the condition of one’s heart.
Jesus repeatedly made the point that God wants hearts turned toward Him. The Law itself had been provided to show us that whether we had one law or 600 laws we just couldn’t earn our way into Heaven. The Law was inadequate. The reason the Law was inadequate is that it addressed the externals of a man. It focused on things going from the outside in when what was of importance was what went from the inside out. Jesus makes this point in today’s passage.
Matthew 15:10-11 ESV
“And he called the people to him and said to them, ‘Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.’”
This really ticked off the Pharisees who were scrupulous about observing Mosaic Law. There were very stringent rules about washing before eating, about food preparation, and even which foods were “clean” or “kosher”. To violate these laws was considered a great sin – you were defiling yourself, you were made “unclean”. To a Pharisee there wasn’t much worse than that.
While cleanliness and wise food choices are good policy in general, these things really don’t have anything to do with ones relationship with God. That issue always comes down to who’s in control – are you in control or is He in control. We are talking about your heart. You can say you belong to God and are under His authority but do you then go around living your life like you are in control. The Pharisees placed themselves in control. They determined that if they followed the rules, the Mosaic Law, they could earn their way into right relationship with God. This was completely false. Right relationship to God involves a heart that is completely submitted to Him. That heart knows that you have no right to be in a relationship with Him and it is only His grace and mercy that makes such a relationship possible.
Look at what Jesus says in explanation of the verse above.
Matthew 15:17-20 ESV
“Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
We focus so much attention and effort on the externals while neglecting the internals. Disobedience isn’t a result of your environment or because you mother didn’t love you enough, or because you didn’t get that sled you wanted for Christmas when you were six. I often use the term “stumble” when talking about sin but let’s be honest, sin – disobedience- isn’t really an accident. In the final analysis, you don’t obey God because you don’t want to. That disobedience comes from the bottom of your heart. You are self-centered and want to be your own God. That is what defiles you before a holy God. It is from that self-centered god-complex that evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander and any other sin comes.
I will never stop calling you to regular fellowship with believers, daily Bible reading and prayer but neglect in doing these things will not make you a bad Christian. The condition of your heart will dictate your relationship with God and until you deal with that, these spiritual disciplines will mean nothing. Jesus gave us the way to make our hearts right with God.
Luke 9:23 ESV
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”
The cure to the defiled self is self-denial. To get your heart in the right place you must deny yourself – your wants and desires. You must put Christ first. When you accepted Christ you did that – you denied self. Have you since, like Peter, denied Him? Who is in charge? Who is in control? What flows from your heart? Is it self-centeredness or self-denial? Get off the throne that rightly belongs to Christ. Kneel before the throne that you once usurped and worship the One True God. Put Him first in everything you think, say, and do.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Exod 14–16
Chronological Order: Gen 28:1–30:24
Jesus Revealed
We saw yesterday Jesus withdraw from the crowds to mourn the loss of His relative, John the Baptist. Unfortunately for Jesus the crowds followed Him and upon arriving at His get-away He was compelled to minister to their physical and spiritual needs. The point of my post yesterday was that we need to persevere through our difficulties and pain in order to meet the needs of those that need us. I made the point that it was perfectly acceptable to mourn our losses but we must not do so excessively.
Today we see that after meeting the needs of those that depended upon Him, Jesus finally did send the people and His disciples away so He could be alone to pray and restore His soul. We absolutely need these times of restoration in the presence of God. To truly be restored we need to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of life, we need to withdraw from all distractions, and spend quiet, one-on-one time in the presence of the Father.
Now Jesus had sent the Disciples out on a boat ahead of Him but the wind was against them and so while they had been gone a while, they hadn’t gotten all that far. Jesus came to them walking on the water. Imagine your response had you been there and looked out to see Jesus walking toward you on the water. I would think each of us would be filled with conflicting feelings of awe and dread. People don’t walk on water. Jesus was giving His disciples a powerful demonstration of His power, His deity. Jesus showed that He had authority over creation itself.
Now most of us focus on the part of this story where Peter has enough faith to step out of the boat and walk on the water to Jesus until he becomes frightened by the wind and the waves. This is an important part of the story but it isn’t the most important part. The important part is that Jesus is the Son of God, that He has authority not only over human kind but over all of creation. It was Jesus who walked on water and made it possible for Peter to do so as well. It was Jesus whose presence calmed the sea. This is the important part to remember.
We must start with who Jesus is. If Jesus is not who He says He is you should not submit to Him, you should not worship Him. If He is who He says He is then we know that He has the power to do what He has promised to do. We know that we have hope. Having settled the issue of who Jesus is we can now look at the lesson of Peter. Peter desired to come to Jesus and Jesus made that possible, but when Peter took His eyes off of Jesus he began to sink. What was Jesus’ response? Jesus took hold of Peter. Peter let his eyes lose hold of Jesus but Jesus took hold of him.
Jesus tells us later that no one who God the Father places in the hand of Jesus the Son will be lost from His hand. Even when we stumble and lose hold of Him, He will retain His hold on us. Jesus’ words here are important as well “You of little faith, why did you doubt”?
Why do we doubt? Why is our faith so little? It is because we take our eyes off of Jesus. In that moment we forget who He is. Brothers, our time in the Bible, our time in prayer, our time in worship are all intended to help us keep our eyes Jesus. This time is intended to help us grow our faith. It does so with revelation of His power; revelation like we see in this story where He walks on water. Has He revealed who He is in your prayer life? He has in mine. Has He revealed Himself in your time of worship? He has in mine. I am not bragging. I’m attempting to assure you that Jesus does reveal Himself for who He is. He is God incarnate. As the disciples said to Him after he revealed Himself in such a powerful way “Truly you are the Son of God”.
Never forget who Jesus is. Don’t take your eyes off of Him!
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Alternate Plans
Bible Order: Exod 11–13
Chronological Order: Gen 26–27
Persevering In The Face Of Adversity
Today we read the first account of Jesus feeding the masses. I think it is important for us, however, to see how things are connected. Are there lessons for us to learn about a particular story in the Bible based on what came before and after? I think the answer to that is an obvious yes. In today’s instance we read of John the Baptist being beheaded before we read of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Can those two instances be related? If not why position that particular story prior to this one? They are related so let’s discover how.
John the Baptist was actually a relative of Jesus’. Jesus referred to him as the last and greatest prophet (Matthew 11:11, 13). How do you think Jesus felt when He got word that John had been murdered? Do you remember how He responded when He came to Mary and Martha and heard of the death of Lazarus? From that moment we have the shortest verse in Scripture “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). How many times have I heard someone say that they can’t believe in a God who would allow pain and suffering in the world? It makes me crazy. Pain and suffering is in the world because all human beings are self-centered. God allowed free will and this is how we have chosen to use it. He allows us this free will but our suffering at our own hands does not go by unnoticed. Jesus wept and He still weeps.
Matthew 14:13 ESV
“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself…”
When Jesus got word of John’s murder He wanted time to Himself to mourn this loss. Fully man and yet fully divine, didn’t He know this would come? Yes, He knew it would come just as He knew Lazarus would die. This knowledge in no way eliminated the sadness He felt. He needed time to mourn. Unfortunately, those who needed Him anticipated where He was going and followed Him there. Jesus went by boat to a desolate place but His determined followers pursued Him there on foot. This means they had to walk the long way around to get there.
What was Jesus’ response to this intrusion on His private time?
Matthew 14:14 ESV
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
Jesus denied Himself, had compassion on them, and met their needs. When things happen that hurt us we want to curl up in a ball and disappear – that is natural and a little bit of that may be necessary – but life goes on and we have responsibilities to meet. Whether you’ve lost someone close to you or been hurt in some way, take a few moments to yourself to mourn and then get on with your life. You have people that need you to lead them. You have a responsibility to your family, to your spouse, your children, your co-workers, your church members, and a lost and dying world.
Jesus looked upon those that needed Him and He got back to work. He met their physical and spiritual needs. He took the opportunity to teach not only the lost but also His disciples. He showed them that God is sufficient, that He can meet all of their needs no matter what the challenge. Man does not live by bread alone and with God even a paltry five loaves and two fish can feed a multitude. What we see as insignificant to the task can be taken by Him and used to fill us up emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
There are several lessons we can take from all of this.
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It is okay to mourn. Jesus wept and you can too.
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It is not okay to check out from our responsibilities to God, our families, and our fellow man. In fact, returning to the work our Heavenly Father has given us may be just what the doctor ordered.
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No matter how meager our resources, God is sufficient.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Matthew 17
