Demons are No Match for Jesus Christ

This week I have had the subject of demons on my mind. On Monday, I read about this man’s young adult son who was doing well at college, academically and in music, then he was diagnosed with a mental disorder and took a turn for the worse. The father thought the son may do some self-harm so he took the son to a mental health facility but there was no room for the son. They went back home where the son proceeded to write in his journal about killing his father and he tried to do just that and then killed himself. Right away I thought that there was probably demonic influence in the son’s life, whether he realized it or not. Yesterday, I was ministering to an online student who is concerned about a demonic statue being proposed for a government location in Oklahoma. This morning, on the way to work, I pulled up behind a black car with the word ‘legion’ on the vanity license plate and there were two skulls on the back dashboard (creepy). I don’t know if that driver, car, and license plate is directly associated with any demonic influence but that’s what I thought about.

The truth is, according to God’s Holy Scriptures, there are real spiritual creatures known as demons (fallen angels). They were created Holy angels and chose to become evil. The devil, Satan, is the lead demon. They are powerful spiritual enemies who seek to do what is contrary to the character and will of God. They seek to corrupt and harm people and prevent people from being true worshipers of God, from obeying God, and glorifying God. Jesus said, “the devil is a murderer and the father of lies.” John 8:44. Peter wrote this to Christ-followers, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV). On the origins and fall of the devil/demons, consider also Isa. 14:12-17, Ezek. 28:11-19, Matt. 25:41, Rev. 12:1-14.

Mark, in his Gospel of Christ account, emphasized Jesus’ encounters with demon influenced people pointing out that Christ cares about such people, Christ is greater than demons, and Christ healed many people from demonic bondage.

Let’s consider some verses from Mark 5:1-20 ESV (I encourage you to read and study the entire passage, but for the sake of space and scope here I’m highlighting key verses) about Jesus’ encounter with a demon-possessed man.

Jesus was traveling with His disciples when a man with an unclean spirit (i.e. evil spirit, demon) came up to Jesus (Mk. 5:2).

5:3-4 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind £him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 

Efforts had been made to confine this man, but all hope by the local people to bring this man under control had been abandoned. No one could subdue or contain this man because he had supernatural strength given to him by the demonic power controlling him. Luke added that this man was naked. Matthew wrote that no one could pass by that location because of his violence.

5:5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

This was one scary dude. He was violently crazy all the time. He was amazingly powerful. He was running around naked. He was screaming night and day. He was cutting himself with rocks. One translation uses the word ‘gashing’ so he was probably bloody. This man terrorized people from up close and afar. His condition must have seemed hopeless to him and to anyone who knew about him.

5:7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”

The demon was saying to Jesus something like, “What do you and I have in common?” It is kind of like, when we would say, “Oh no, what are your doing here?” The demon speaking was aware of both the human name Jesus and His deity, although this as it appears was his first encounter with Jesus. Such knowledge indicates that the man was not merely crazy, he was indwelt by demonic powers who know the true identity of Christ. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! James 2:19 ESV

Then the demon begged Jesus to not torment the demon (see also Mt. 8:29, Lk. 8:31, 2 Pet. 2:4, Jude 1:6). According to Scripture, demons not only know who Jesus is but they also know the handwriting on the wall, so to speak (see Rev. 20), about God’s final judgment upon them. Demons live in constant dread of the day when Jesus will eternally punish them.

5:9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 

The name ‘legion’ was given to a division in the Roman army at that time. It typically consisted of 3-6000 soldiers. So, the implication was that there were several thousand demons present in that man’s body. Wow! I can’t imagine the torment and experience in that man’s life.

5:12-13 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And £at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

This is surely a vivid, visible, and powerful lesson on the immensity of the evil from which the possessed man had been delivered.

5:19b-20 “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

What happened to this demon possessed man is truly an amazing grace healing of God and then he went from maniac to missionary for Jesus. This man went beyond the call of duty, being so enthusiastic about Christ and what he had done, that he shared his amazing story with people beyond his friends and family and local town into the nearby ten Greek cities. People marveled at the work and message of Jesus.

It’s interesting to note that people are not delivered by Christ from their bondage to evil and sin merely for their own comfort and well-being, but so that they may give testimony to others concerning their divine Deliverer, to glorify God!  What great things has God done for you and who are you telling about it?

This Bible event shows us the reality of demonic influence in someone’s life, that Jesus cares about demon inflicted people, that Jesus is greater than demons, and in this case, Jesus healed the man being controlled and possessed by demons who went on to proclaim the good news of Christ to many people.

Jesus Christ is awesome and amazing and as I ponder the reality of spiritual warfare and demonic influence in this world it comforts me to know biblically and by faith that all the demons together are no match for Jesus Christ! Jesus is the eternal risen glorified Son of God, the One who has all authority and power, God Himself (i.e. Heb. 1:1-4, Col. 1:15-19).

I don’t know what you believe about demons and their influence in this world but God’s Word has much to say about these things. The key for you and me is Jesus Christ, who He is and what He did on the cross, dying for our sins, and resurrecting in victory over sin and death. By God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, you can have an eternal relationship with your Creator and trust Him for victory over the spiritual enemies of God. I trust Christ, how about you?

What are your thoughts?

Mike

The Currency of True Greatness is Humility

Dr. Jerry Sheveland, a pastor and President of Converge Worldwide, wrote, “In the economy of God’s kingdom, humility is the currency of true greatness.”

Christians know this, right? God’s Word is clear. In both the Old and New Testaments we are told: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6

But even the closest followers of Christ can allow pride into their lives and ministry. In Mark 9 and 10, Jesus addressed this issue. Early in Mk. 9, we read about an incredible transfiguration moment where only three of the disciples were invited. What were the other disciples doing during that time? We read that a man brought his demon possessed son to them and here is what the man said to Jesus about it afterwards; 18b … “I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” What followed soon after was Jesus confronting a pride problem among His closest disciples.

In vs35 Jesus asked the disciples what they were discussing. Here’s what came next:

Mark 9:34-35 ESV But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Then, we jump over to Mark 10:35-41 where James and John asked Jesus if they could sit at the right hand of Jesus in His glory and the other ten disciples were very displeased about their request. Here’s what happened next:

Mark 10:42-45 ESV  And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus confronted their pride which was at the heart of their dispute, anger, and desires. This is a sin of arrogance. A prideful person has a swollen puffed up ego, basically trying to position their self into an ‘I’m better than you’ spot in life. They think they are better than others, smarter than others and more deserving than others. Pride is self-exaltation and we know from Scripture; Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11

What triggered the prideful dispute among the disciples in Mark 9? Probably because only Peter, James, and John got to go with Jesus on the mountain for His amazing transfiguration moment and the other nine disciples were experiencing spiritual failure in the valley. At any given time some of us Christians are enjoying a measure of spiritual success, while others are dealing with disappointment and discouragement. Comparing ourselves with each other in a jealous worldly sense is an invitation to pride.

Imagine their conversations, “You got to do this and we didn’t. Jesus likes you more than me. I’m better than you. I’m just as important as you are. I’ve got this privilege and ability and you don’t. I’m the greatest among us.” We are all tempted by pride, thinking thoughts like, “There are always people lower than me on the totem pole of life and I deserve to be where I am because I’m better than those other people. I want to be great! I am great.” and so on.

Here is a simple example of pride in ministry life today. Imagine a ministry team gathers for a meal time and one of them has these thoughts, “As I look around this place, I’m the VIP here. I deserve to go first and sit at the head table. I deserve to be seen and heard here today. I expect several people to come talk to me, ask what I think, and get my opinion on things around here. I better not be ignored because I’ve done a lot for this ministry and they’d really miss me and my contributions if I left.” Those are prideful thoughts.

Jesus doesn’t just confront and convict His followers about our pride. Jesus wants to cultivate His greatness of humility in us.

In our culture most people think of being first and top ranked as most important and most valued. The winners come out on top. They are the best. They’re #1. They’re first. But Jesus says ‘if you would be first, you must be last.’ What? In major sports competition the last place is thought of as the worst of the bunch, the bottom of the totem pole. We live in a culture that loves to rate and rank and compare and elevate value to the top people and top things.

Prideful ambition says that if anyone desires to be first, then get yourself in a position to be served by all. Jesus however, speaks counter to our culture by basically saying, “In my kingdom, if you want to be first, you must be last of all and servant of all.”

Being humble, serving others in God honoring ways is essential to being great in God’s kingdom.

Here are some simple examples of this in church life and Christian living. We gather for a fellowship meal and instead of rushing to get your food quickly, you look around and find out who could use some help. Maybe there is an elderly person, a special needs person, a woman with a young child to help, etc.. And you are willing to let everyone else go before you. My wife is classic at doing this at mealtime. Many times, Kym has prepared dinner for our family of six and then at the table she wants to serve up everyone else’s plate before her own plate. She is often the last to begin eating and she has often been the last in the kitchen cleaning up at night. This is changing however as the boys and I try to serve her plate first and clean up afterwards.

Our best example of humble greatness was modeled by the incarnated Christ.  The eternal Son of God greatly humbled Himself by becoming flesh, becoming a servant to needy people (including you and me), teaching, feeding, and healing people, washing His disciples’ feet, ultimately dying for our sins.

The closest disciples of Christ still had much to learn about applying the teaching and example of Christ-like humility in their lives and we probably do as well. We are all imperfect people who know what it’s like to struggle with pride and selfishness and all sorts of sins, which is why we all need the grace, truth, love, mercy, and help of Jesus Christ.

These Bible passages should cause us to pray, “Lord, search me and reveal to me if there is any pride in my life and if there is, show the specifics to me, forgive me and transform me that I would be more humble in your eyes.”

I remind you of what Jerry Sheveland wrote, “In the economy of God’s kingdom, humility is the currency of true greatness.”

What are your thoughts on this?

Mike

Read God’s Word Often

Only 16% of church-goers read the Bible every day.

Only 32% read the Bible at least once a week.

Only 37% say that reading and studying the Bible

has made a significant difference in the way they live their lives*.

 

Why read the Bible? How about…

to learn about God’s special revelation of truth He wants us to know

to learn about God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Spirit

to learn about creation and humanity

to learn about our purpose, why we exist

to learn about our sin separation from our Holy Creator God

to learn about God’s plan of redemption to solve our sin problem

to help you communicate the great news of Jesus Christ to others

to draw closer to God

to help you worship God

to help you live according to God’s will

to help you memorize portions of the Bible which will minister to you and others later

to remember & reinforce what you have already learned

for encouragement

for exhortation, to challenge yourself

to learn about God’s Heaven

to learn about God’s future plans for this earth

to learn about the spiritual enemies of God and how to have victory over them

to help renew your mind with what is God-honoring and praise-worthy

to help your thoughts be captive to obeying Christ

because Jesus said, “if you continue in my Word you are truly My disciples” (John 8:31)

to know the truth and the truth will set you free

to help you become who God created you to be

to help prepare you for God’s plans for your life

to help equip you for Christian ministry

to help you be a God-honoring steward with your life and the resources God has allowed you to manage

to help you develop a deeper hunger for God

to nourish your soul

to feed on the very words of God

to give you hope

to show you what is right and what is wrong

to receive spiritual conviction

to help you develop God-honoring wisdom and discernment

because the Word of God is life-transforming

because the Word of God is living and active

to help us identify false teaching

to reap blessings of joy

 

and on and on are the many good reasons to read the Word of God. And don’t just read it often and regularly; study it and apply it to your life regularly as well.

 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 ESV

This time of year is as good as any time of the year to make a commitment to spend time in God’s Word on a regular basis, like 5-7 days a week or even more. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking you don’t have time to read God’s Word or you can’t understand it or it is not relevant. If you don’t read well, then listen to the Bible on audio. If you have questions, then ask God in prayer and ask someone familiar with God’s Word and do some research. It can be done and it should be done. Read God’s Word!

 

The Word of God; Learn It, Live It, Pray It, Proclaim It!

If you are looking for different Bible reading plans and schedules to follow then I recommend www.youversion.com (which I personally use and have their APP downloaded to my phone) which offers free online Bible access with several translations and they have a lot of reading plans.

 

What other God-honoring reasons are there to read God’s Word; other than what I have listed above?

 

Mike

 

*These statistics came from readthebibleforlife.com; Dec. 2011

 

Ten Key Events Related to the Birth of Christ

 

1) The Angel Gabriel tells Zacharias that his barren wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to the Forerunner to Christ; Luke 1:5-22

Zacharias was a Jewish priest and he and wife were both righteous before God. She was barren and quite old so this will be a miracle conception and birth. The baby’s name will be John. Zacharias doubted the Angel’s words and was made mute because of his doubt until the baby’s birth. This child will later point people to the coming of Christ and the need for Christ.

 

2) The coming Virgin Birth of Christ is announced, to Mary first and later to Joseph, by the Angel Gabriel; Luke 1:26-38, Matt. 1:18-25

Mary and Joseph were in Nazareth legally pledged to marry each other. The Angel told Mary, “O favored one. The Lord is with you.” The Holy Spirit will cause this pregnancy. Jesus will be the baby’s name. When Joseph, a just man, learned of her pregnancy he wanted out of their ‘betrothed’ relationship but Gabriel appeared and spoke to him confirming what’s happening to and through Mary. Jesus will save people from their sins! Joseph took Mary as his wife but did not know her intimately until the birth of Jesus.

 

3) Pregnant Mary visits pregnant Elizabeth who is filled with the Holy Spirit; Luke 1:39-56

Elizabeth’s baby leaped for joy in her womb when Mary greeted her. Mary’s “Magnificat”, vss.1:46-55 (“it magnifies” is her prayer song of praise to God referring to several covenant promises of God to His people from the Old Testament)

 

4) Elizabeth gives birth to baby John; Luke 1:57-80

Zacharias could now speak again. John later becomes known as John the Baptist. Zacharias’ “Benedictus” (this is a benediction type of prayer/blessing referring to truths from the Old Testament). And John grew and became strong in spirit and was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

 

5) Baby Jesus is born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger; Luke 2:1-7

A Roman Census directed Joseph to their tribal home, Bethlehem (City of David). Mary laid baby Jesus in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. The manger was possibly in a stable or cave setting for farm animals. Old Testament verses connected with the Messiah’s birth: Gen. 3:15, Isa. 7:14, 9:6; Mic. 5:2.

 

6) An Angel directs some shepherds to the baby Savior (the Lamb of God); Luke 2:8-20

Some nearby shepherds see & hear an angel tell them about good news of great joy:

Vs11 ESV For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. A sign was given them for how to find baby Jesus then they see and hear a multitude of angels praising God. After the shepherds visited the baby they too glorify and praise God.

 

7) Baby Jesus is dedicated to the Lord in Jerusalem; Luke 2:21-39

A. Simeon, a righteous man with the Holy Spirit upon him, held baby Jesus and blessed God and blessed Joseph and Mary about Jesus.

B. Anna, a teacher/prophetess who worshipped at the temple and fasted and prayed daily, gives thanks to God about Jesus

8) Wise men (Magi) search for King Jesus to worship Him; Matt. 2:1-12
 

Some wise men from the east follow an unusual star they believe points to the Messiah King. The word ‘Magi’ comes from the Greek word here translated wise men. They are magician or astrologer types who were also familiar with Hebrew Scripture. When they find the king, baby Jesus, they worship Him and give Him three gifts. The quantity of wise men is not stated but because of three stated gifts, some believe there were three wise men.

9) An Angel warns Joseph to take his family to Egypt, away from King Herod’s danger; Matt. 2:13-18

Herod had his soldiers look for and kill all the male children in the region under two years of age because he was seeking to get rid of this baby king of Israel he felt threatened by. But Joseph was warned by an angel to relocate his family.

 

10) An Angel tells Joseph to leave Egypt and they eventually settle in Nazareth; Matt. 2:19-23

After Herod’s death, an Angel tells Joseph it’s okay to return to Israel and he was later directed more specifically to north of Jerusalem in the region of Galilee where Jesus grew up in a town called Nazareth.

 

And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. Luke 2:40

 

Key Characters involved:

- God, the Father (i.e. praised and blessed by people and angels; favored Mary)

- God, the Holy Spirit (very active in these events related to Christ’s birth)

- God, the Son, Jesus (God became flesh in the form of a baby, born of a human mother; He is the Son of God, Messiah/Christ/Savior, Holy One, Immanuel: “God is with us”)

- Angels: Gabriel; the angel of the Lord; and a multitude of the heavenly host (very involved in these events)

- Mary (mother to Jesus)

- Joseph (engaged to Mary when she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit; married her soon after)

- Zacharias (Jewish Priest; husband to Elizabeth; father to John the Baptist)

- Elizabeth (wife to Zacharias, mother to John the Baptist; relative/cousin to Mary)

- John the Baptist (son to Zacharias/Elizabeth; anointed forerunner to Christ)

- Wise Men/Magi (searched for baby Jesus to worship Him and give Him gifts)

- Shepherds (whom angels told about baby Jesus so they went to see Him)

- Simeon (righteous man at temple)

- Anna (temple prophetess)

- King Herod (unrighteous Jewish king who sought to kill baby Jesus)

- Caesar Augustus (Roman Emperor who ordered a census of everyone in the region)

- Archelaus (Herod’s son; Joseph was afraid to return to Judea with this man in charge)

 

Note: Most of the Bible details of the events related to the birth of Christ are found in the first two chapters of the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke. The Gospels of Mark and John do not record details of the events surrounding the birth of Christ.

Read the above Bible passages and you will have read the true Christmas story; that God came in the flesh to save His people from their sins. His name is Jesus Christ!

What are your thoughts about these ten key events related to the birth of Christ? What do they mean to you? Who is Jesus Christ to you?

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Mike

Jesus is Greater than our Storms

There is a brief familiar Bible event that has really stood out to me a lot this past year, personally and in ministry. It has to do with storms.

When I was a young adult in Florida we had a hurricane stirring things up in the Gulf of Mexico. The waters rose and there was flooding. The winds were high and things were breaking. Schools and businesses closed. I remember driving to the department store, where I worked in those days, to tape the front windows.  On the way there my car was lifted up some by high winds. It was scary. There were times growing up in Florida that I saw tornados and water spouts in the region as well as lightning striking very close by. I also remember one day when my dad and a few of us boy scouts were out in our 15 foot boat a few miles off shore and the engine failed and the waves began to come overboard. I was scared.

Mark 4 records a moment in Bible history when the closest disciples of Christ were scared for their lives in a storm that created large waves that came into their boats. Here’s the passage:

Mark 4:35-41 (ESV) ³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

There are five principles from this passage I think we should apply to our stormy lives.

First, Jesus is compassionate about the needs of people.

The Sea of Galilee is a few miles wide and 700ft below sea level and surrounded by mountains that rise 3000+ft above sea level on multiple sides. Warmer conditions prevail around the lake’s surface while the higher elevations can produce cold night air. The rising of warmer air during the day allows the cooler air from the mountains to rush down the ravines onto the lake with major whirlwind action that churns up the waters.

This particular storm in Mark 4 was a great windstorm that caused much water to come into the boats to the point that even Christ-following experienced fishermen aboard were scared. The frightened disciples awoke Jesus asking, “Don’t you care that we are perishing?” How many times have we thought and said the same thing? “Don’t You care, Lord, that this is happening to me? Don’t You love me enough, Lord, to do something about this hardship I am experiencing?”

In this particular storm Jesus showed His closest followers that He cares by calming the storm. Jesus is compassionate about the needs of people (i.e. Mt. 9:35-38, 14:14; John 11).

Second, Jesus is greater than our storms!

The storm in your life doesn’t have to be weather related. For example, I was admitted once to the hospital with severe unknown internal pain. I’ve had spots and bumps tested for cancer. Our family spun around in the van at high speed on black ice. Some of you have been close to death, had close loved ones die, and have been or are going through all sorts of suffering. Everyone experiences storms and trials in life.

In Mark 4, Jesus rebuked this storm and the wind went away and the sea calmed immediately. Wow, what a moment! Storms normally subside gradually, but when Jesus gave the order this storm ceased right away. Why? Because Jesus is God who is in control of all things including the natural systems of this world in which He created, He sustains, and He is sovereign over. 

Jesus has more power than we can imagine. He is greater, more powerful, stronger than the storms that rock us and our boats. He is almighty and His works are awesome (i.e. Heb. 1:1-4, Col. 1:15-19). Jesus doesn’t always immediately calm our storms. Sometimes God’s response to our prayer for help is ‘My grace is sufficient (i.e. 2 Cor. 12:1-10).’ And in this grace is God’s help to endure storms which is not an issue of diminished or limited divine power but instead this is a matter of the will of God and our proper response to God. Jesus is compassionate toward His people and awesome in power and has all authority. Trust Him. He is greater than our storms.

Third, Jesus is with His disciples/followers.

Of course, in this historical event Jesus was literally there with His closest disciples. They focused more on the storm and its effects instead of the presence of Jesus Christ. They were not feeling secure and safe and assured even though Jesus was there in one of the boats, albeit, sleeping.

My father is a big tall man who was an excellent athlete and tough. I remember when I was a kid and teenager how secure I felt at night with my dad was home. I thought if anyone breaks in and messes with us, they picked the wrong house because my dad is here and he will protect us. And those nights when dad was somewhere else like work or traveling, I was much more nervous overnight in the house. I always felt more secure and protected in my dad’s presence. Shouldn’t we believe this even more so toward God when we acknowledge His presence in our lives?

Today, we look back at this Mark 4 event and at the New Testament of God’s Word knowing that God is with His people. In fact, all three divine persons of the Triune God are present with born again Christ-followers (i.e. Heb. 13:5b, Mt. 28:20b, 2 Cor. 1:21-22). This is great news and assuring news. We are not alone in crisis, in storms, in troubles, in suffering, in difficulties. God is with His people! Amen!

Fourth, Jesus expects His followers to have trusting faith in Him regardless of our circumstances.

How do we get through the storms of life? When they come our way, do we respond, “God, I trust You through this experience”? or do we tend to say, “I’m doomed, and there’s nothing anybody can do”?

Going back to Mark 4, after Jesus calmed the storm He gently rebuked the storm-tossed disciples. The Lord addressed their heart issue of the moment, “Why are you so afraid?” His second question must have pierced them to the core, “Have you still no faith?” Ouch! There is a direct correlation here between fear (the afraid kind) and faith (the God-pleasing kind). More fear contrasts with less faith. More faith contrasts with less fear.

Adversity and hardship can reveal our level of faith in God. Storm experiences become our teachable moments. They test and measure our faith.

Did Jesus know the storm was coming? Of course He did. He had been teaching kingdom principles earlier and now He gave them a practical test to see how much they really learned. Faith must be tested. Enduring a faith test is one reason God permits storms and trails to come our way. The storm was part of the day’s curriculum for these disciples. God brought this storm upon their lives not because of a consequence for their sins but because God desired for them to grow in their faith. God tests Christians today in similar ways.

3 reasons these disciples shouldn’t have been afraid:

1) Jesus told them they were going to the other side; vs35; This is like a promise when it comes from Jesus Christ.

2) The Son of God Himself was with them. They had already seen several miracles from Jesus even if they had not yet understood that Jesus was Master over all situations and circumstances.

3) They could see that Jesus was perfectly calm even in the midst of the storm. Of course, Jesus was not afraid. He who is the living eternal Word, by which all things were made, has no reason to fear a storm or anything for that matter.

Jesus pointed out their lack of faith. They had shown faith in Jesus before, but they still have much to learn about Jesus and their own faith journey in Christ just as we all do. Warren Wiersbe wrote about the faith problem of the disciples: “The greatest danger was not the winds or the waves but the unbelief in the hearts of the followers of Christ. Our greatest problems are within us not around us. This is why Jesus gently rebuked their weak faith. It was their unbelief that caused them to fear and that led to asking; don’t you care? They already knew He had miraculous power to heal people, drive out demons, and authority to forgive sins. Now they discovered that He even had authority over the wind and the sea. This meant they had no reason to ever again be afraid, for their Lord was in constant control of every situation. (The Bible Exposition Commentary; Volume 1; pg125)”

Learning to trust Christ, instead of trembling at our circumstances, grows as our vision and acceptance of Jesus’ compassion, power, and presence grows.

Lastly, we are to be in awe of the awesome One, Jesus Christ.

In vs41, notice their response to Jesus calming the storm the way He did. They were filled with great fear. This is a different Greek word for fear than used to describe their fear of the storm conditions. This word in this context means reverent, respectful, or awe.

What they saw Jesus do in that moment shook them up like nothing else they had witnessed before. They glimpsed His sovereignty over a powerful natural disastrous event. When everything seemed out of control to the disciples, Jesus was absolutely and supremely in control. The disciples in the boat asked the right question, “Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey him?” They must have pondered; who can stop a mighty storm like this, except God Himself.  They were in awe of Jesus Christ as they should have been. When was the last time that you and I marveled at the awesomeness of Christ?

Jesus can be trusted in the storms of life because He is compassionate about our needs, more powerful than any of our storms, and He promises to be with His people. He is awesome! And when we learn to trust Jesus in the storms of life our faith increases and fear fades away. Amen. Fear is quieted by faith when we gain a bigger truthful vision of Jesus, trust Him fully, and acknowledge that He is truly awesome!

Are you in the boat with Jesus? And do you see Jesus standing in the middle of your fears?

Jesus is calling you to come to Him and follow Him, to truly and fully commit your life to Him. Trust Him, place your faith in Him as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.

If you know Christ in this way then ask God to increase your faith in Him, to strengthen you now and for when you face and need to endure storms. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior and Lord then check out my blog entry about God’s plan for true life/eternal life:

http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html

What do you think about this Mark 4 passage and these principles I’ve presented here?

Mike

The Best Forgiveness of All

Recently, I came across a Christian author’s description of forgiveness in Christ as being ‘one and done,’ historical, completed to the extent that a Christ follower today doesn’t need to ask for forgiveness any more but instead just accept that Jesus has already forgiven your sin on the cross. There is some biblical truth found in his position but there is more to it than this.

Here’s my take on what God’s Word teaches about divine forgiveness in Christ.

I believe there are two aspects of divine forgiveness in Christ. The first aspect is a one-time divine positional type of forgiveness that happens at your spiritual conversion moment when you receive Christ as your Savior by His grace through faith. When this happens you are redeemed by Christ. All your sins have been atoned for by Christ. You are declared righteous in the eyes of God so that you now have an eternal relationship with God and a position with God in His Heaven (see the doctrine of justification). In this divine positional/judicial sense, in Christ, all of our sins, past, present, and future have been forgiven by Christ. Here are a couple verses related to this aspect of divine forgiveness:

Colossians 2:13-14 (ESV) And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

1 John 2:12 (ESV) I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.

Paul and John, led by the Holy Spirit, were writing to Christians here and they used the past tense about our sins being forgiven because judicially in the eyes of God it is settled and Christ followers can be assured of this. What Christ did on the cross for us atones for all of our sin including our future sins. So, in a divine positional/judicial sense all of our sins are forgiven in Christ. This is great gracious truth. Praise God!

The other aspect of divine forgiveness is an ongoing divine parental type of forgiveness. When we sin our Heavenly Father is grieved. When we sin it has a negative effect on our fellowship with God and our witness for Christ. Sinning as a Believer, a Christian, doesn’t remove our eternal life but it does need to be addressed spiritually by our proper response to God and His Word for His people today. For example, 1 John 1:9 refers to this ongoing divine parental type of forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 (ESV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The verb tense for ‘confess’ in this verse is continual. We are to confess our sins continually as we sin. The forgiveness referred to here is not the initial divine positional/judicial forgiveness when we first become born again in Christ. This is divine parental forgiveness for specific sins in our Christian lives. When I sin today and tomorrow and the next day I need to apply and cling to the promise of 1 John 1:9.

This cleansing referred to in 1 John 1:9 is not the initial regeneration cleansing of the Holy Spirit when we first become born again (Titus 3:4-7). This is a spiritual cleansing to restore us to a righteous fellowship with God. A Bible illustration of these two types of cleansings is found in the John 13 passage about foot washing. Jesus told Peter that Peter’s whole body was clean but that only his feet needed to be washed. The phrase ‘whole body clean’ here refers to Peter being justified in Christ by faith. The foot washing referred to his ongoing need to confess his sin and be forgiven for specific sins. Yes, even Peter, a leading disciple of Christ. Even you. Even me.

It’s biblical for a Believer to ask God for forgiveness. Jesus taught us, through a regular occurring prayer model to follow, to ask God the Father for forgiveness regularly. Matthew 6:12 (ESV) and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Note, that in addition to confessing our sin, we are to repent from that sinful behavior. Repent means to change and Believers’ repentance means to turn away from sin and turn to the way of righteousness in Christ. 2 Corinthians 12:20-21 is an example of the importance of Believers’ repentance.

My own parental love and forgiveness toward my kids (our three boys have received Christ as their personal Savior and Lord) is based on this biblical model of divine forgiveness; positional and parental. When my children were conceived and born, I chose and continue to choose to love them unconditionally because they are a blessing from God who created them through my wife and me. They are our biological children and we love them and care about them. They are imperfect and so are we. They obviously sin against us like disobeying and lying to us. These sins don’t remove our love for them or their status of being our children just like the sins of Christ-followers don’t remove God’s love for us or our status of being born again in Christ. The sins of our boys do however grieve God and us. Kym and I believe that these sins need to be confessed to God and repented from for spiritual cleansing and righting their fellowship with God and confessed to us (the sins that are against us) and repented from to restore a right fellowship with us.

Now, let’s say you are a Christ-follower and one night you engage in sinful activity and then die in an automobile crash without having confessed the sin you were engaged in that evening. Because of divine positional/judicial forgiveness you are forgiven by God for that night’s sin. You are eternally secure based on God’s faithfulness and promises in Scripture to His people. If you don’t die that night, God’s Word teaches us that we are to continually confess our sins to Him.

Be careful about pride and spiritual blindness when it comes to your sin. Ask God to reveal to you any unconfessed sin in your life and then agree with God about those sins, repent from that sinful behavior and accept His forgiveness.

God’s forgiveness of our sins is amazing grace. Thank you God! There is human to human forgiveness, which is important in healthy people relationships, but divine forgiveness is the best forgiveness of all. If you have never received this divine forgiveness/eternal life in Christ, check out my blog entry on God’s Plan for True Life (http://mikesmorals.blogspot.com/2013/09/great-news-gods-plan-for-true-life.html).

What do you think about divine forgiveness as revealed in God’s Word?

 

Mike

Thank God!

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Thanksgiving holiday? Turkey, football, day off from job or school, family get-together, hunting, over-eating, parades, day before the biggest shopping day of year, orange/brown/yellow fall colors, pilgrims, cranberry, pies (Mmmm!)? Wait a minute!  What about being thankful?  Where does that fit in?  Many of those elements I just mentioned are part of my Thanksgiving history, but the Thanksgiving holiday is supposed to include thanksgiving, isn’t it?  Do you ever stop and think, “What do I do to emphasize thanksgiving on Thanksgiving?” How important is the thanksgiving element to your Thanksgiving, to you life?

God’s Word teaches us that we are to be thankful, and not just one day a year.  The Thanksgiving holiday time of the year, above all things, should remind us of the importance of giving thanks and to whom we are most grateful to; God!

In studying the character and life of the Apostle Paul as recorded in the Bible, I am amazed at how God-centered his thanksgiving was.  I looked at every verse Paul wrote and any verse about Paul in relation to the subject of giving thanks.  He wrote a few exhorting statements to different audiences that they are to be thankful, but most of the verses I found related to Paul and the subject of thanksgiving, were about Paul himself giving thanks.  And who was he giving thanks to almost every time?  God!

Paul thanked God for acts of God.  For example, 2 Cor. 9:15 NKJV Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Paul also thanked God for people of God.  First, for individuals (for example, Paul thanked God for Timothy in 2 Tim. 1:3).  Secondly, Paul thanked God for groups of people (Rom. 1:8a ESV First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you..). Sometimes Paul did not just show “his” gratitude but also the gratitude of his ministry partners as well, such as Timothy and Silvanus (Col. 1:3 ESV We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you).  In this verse, Paul was speaking on behalf of himself & Timothy who both thanked God for the believers of Colosse for their faith, love, and spiritual fruit.

Paul is someone who got thanksgiving right because he knew how to thank God first and foremost even when he let people know he was thankful for them.  If Paul was thankful for someone or something, Paul thanked God and gave the glory to God. Paul knew of the goodness of God and His sovereignty and that God should be our true object of thanksgiving.  

Our highest goal in every thought, feeling, and act of thanksgiving is to thank God and oh, is there much to be thankful for.  Try writing down things that come to mind that you are thankful for.  For example, be thankful for God Himself (this is a form of praise, focusing on who God is) and about what God has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future (as revealed in Scripture).  Think about the people you are thankful for.  Turn your list into a prayer and pray thanks to God.  Tell God what and who you are thankful for and thank Him for this.  God loves to hear thanksgiving from His children.

Perhaps one of my prayers of thanksgiving would begin like this; God, I praise You for who You are and what You do.  Help me to know You better and learn more about You and Your works so I can praise You more thoroughly.  Thank You for life and eternal life. Thank You for Kym, the wife You have graciously given me.  Thank You for our three boys, Luke, Josh, and Zach and our new baby girl, Elle.  Thank You for provision and protection.  Thank You for Your mercy and help in my life. Thank You for the challenges You place in my life to grow me in my dependence on You.  Thank You for teachable moments.  Thank You for affirmation, assurance, and encouragement.  Thank You for people who love and pray for me and my family.  Thank You for what you are doing in and through the people and ministries of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University.  Thank You for Your calling and equipping in my life.  And on and on I go as I become more specific and intimate with God, giving Him thanks.

God is so worthy and deserving of our praise and thanksgiving toward Him.  Let this time of the year be a reminder to us that we are to thank and praise God, not just one day a year, but on a continual basis.  

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations (Psalm 100 NIV).

Thank you God!  I love you God!  Teach us and help us to be thankful to You always, in everything, for we have much to be thankful for, more than we know.

Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

(Eph. 5:20 NKJV).

What are your thoughts about God-centered thanksgiving?

 

Mike