Category Archives: Bible Study
Merry Christmas Everybody!
December 2017–Danny Sadler
For those of you who know me, you have probably noticed a habit of mine: I say “Merry Christmas” as a greeting or leaving thought, no matter what time of year it is.
The reason I do that may not be what most of you think. Yes, it does create a little chuckle most of the time, and we certainly don’t get enough chuckles these days, so part of my mission is to bring a little cheerfulness into our lives whenever I can.
But there is a deeper reason. We don’t really know the date of Christ’s birth. Many scholars have diligently tried to pinpoint the time, but the best anyone agrees on, was that Jesus was born sometime in a six-month-period between September and February. And it could have been as early as August or as late April. That’s a nine-month-period.
So, we don’t really know for sure when Jesus was born. And I suppose that it is possible that somehow the “experts” could have missed some detail–or the detail simply wasn’t given to them–and Jesus may have been born sometime in the three months that everyone has ruled out as a possibility.
When I study stuff like this, it makes my brain hurt! What we do know is that Jesus was born at night. Night time was the best time, because God wanted to announce the birth of His Son to all mankind! Or at least a handful of shepherds who were watching their flocks.
Imagine the scene as God set it up: The royal family in their dusty rags, relegated to the barn. A feed trough would have to make do as the first bed of the King of Glory! Outside the barn was the town of Bethlehem–a small agricultural community 8-10 miles south of Jerusalem. That was a two-to-three hour walk. In the early evening, the town may have been bustling a bit as travelers were passing through, taking rooms where they could find them.
Joseph and his young betrothed were a bit behind the crowd–arriving after everything was already full. So, their accommodations were not . . . first class. But the birth of the King was eminent and God wanted an audience to witness His love and the fulfillment of The Promise. And so Gabriel and the All Angel Choir took their places on the stage.
The world’s very first “Flash-Mob” was ready! Unsuspecting shepherds–society’s lowliest members–were about to be invited to become the first to hold audience with the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Some of the shepherds were milling around, softly talking to their sheep, or to each other. Other shepherds had undoubtedly taken their turn to catch a nap, entrusting their sheep to a fellow shepherd for a few hours.
Then without warning, suddenly the sky exploded in light! The shepherds were astounded, dumfounded, horrified, frozen in time and terrified! Some probably stood up with their mouths gaping. Others dropped their staffs, while still others grabbed a staff and ran for cover.
As the light swirled and jostled the shepherds awake, it finally settled on someone who was up on a large rock where everyone could see. The someone, it turns out, was no someone at all! He was an angel! And he spoke these immortal words:
10 . . .“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, [Christ] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
–Luke 2:10-12, NIV
After the birth announcement, the angel choir sang, “Glory to God in the Highest” (Gloria, in excelsis Deo!). What a night–and it wasn’t over! For act two, the shepherds had to relocate to the town of Bethlehem. Whether they left all the sheep with one or two shepherds, or they just left the sheep to fend for themselves, we are not told. But what we do know is that the vast majority of the shepherds did two things that night.
1) They went and searched and found Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. And they worshiped Him! We don’t know how long they stayed, or exactly what their worship service looked like, but they worshiped the King of Glory! They were the lowliest. They were the first to receive invitations. They were the first to worship King Jesus. And they were the first to be changed!
2) And changed they were! When the shepherds left the stable that night, late as it was, they did not immediately return to work, or go home as we often do when we leave a worship service. Nope, they were changed. The Bible tells us that they left Joseph and Mary and rushed out to tell everyone they encountered what had happened that night!
It had been over a thousand years since God had promised to send the Messiah. It had been four hundred years since they had last heard from God. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by Light of Man. The Son of God had set foot into our world and that would become the news of the day for the rest of eternity!
As you know, God wasn’t finished with the birth announcement. At the same time the shepherds were receiving the Good News for the first time, somewhere in the distance, traveling at night, following a star, was a caravan of individuals bringing gifts. They were outsiders, aliens, foreign dignitaries coming to worship and pay homage to the new King!
Gold–the universal gift given to one recognized as a King!
Frankincense–a burning fragrance used by the Priest!
Myrrh–an embalming herb used to preserve the body after death–not exactly the normal gifts one might bring to a baby shower. But highly perfect for the King of Kings, The Great High Priest and the Savior who sacrificed Himself for each of us. Happy birthday, Jesus!
Merry Christmas everybody!
Water Heaters and Instruction Books
The other day, I found myself getting a bit frustrated. I was standing at the sink, trying to get some hot water to wash my face. It was early in the morning and I was having trouble discerning which knob should be turned to get the water to run hot. It didn’t seem to matter which knob I turned, both were cold. This caused me to question for a moment as to whether or not I had paid the water bill, because I happen to know that if you don’t pay your water bill, they shut off your water. And if they shut your water off, you can’t get hot water.
“But wait,” I thought! “If they turn off the water, you can’t get cold water either.” And I had more than enough cold water. What I was in short supply of was hot water! Just as I was trying to contort my mind around these complicated concepts, my wife walked in and inquired of my quandary. After explaining my situation, my wife suggested that the problem might be with the hot water heater because she had observed water in the water heater closet earlier. I asked her if that water was hot. I was met with a rather cold stare (I’m guessing she didn’t know).
If you have never tried to change out a hot water heater . . . . don’t. As adventurous as it sounds, it isn’t. I knew enough to know my first item of business. I needed to get to the hardware store and purchase a couple of manly looking wrenches and a new water heater.
The first thing out of the salesman’s mouth was “How many gallons does your old water heater hold?” I told him I’d be right back. When I returned to the store, I was prepared. I had written down all the pertinent information, including the color. Having purchased appliances before, I knew the importance of choosing the right color water heater (ours was a kind of dusty white with a bit of graying near the bottom and several rust colored globules on the pipes leading into and out of the heater).
I was rather surprised to find out that the store, which had a wide selection of water heaters, did not carry any color other than white. I was beginning to question whether or not I had chosen the right store. Then the salesman asked me how many BTU’s I preferred. I asked him, “What’s a BTU?”
“British Thermal Units,” he replied.
I told him I was American and proud of it!
I finally got home with my new water heater and carefully maneuvered it into the house, proudly standing it in the middle of the living room. Next, I took my brand new, manly looking wrenches and began disconnecting the pipes from the water heater (taking extreme care as to not scratch my new wrenches). After a few minutes of loosening connections, it occurred to me that it would be prudent to go out to the front yard and turn off the water. I came back inside and changed into some dry clothes and returned to water heater closet. It was at this point, that I wondered to myself, “Why don’t these things come with instructions?” Then, I looked over at a clear plastic packet with some sort of pamphlets inside (Optional equipment brochures, no doubt).
I guess it’s worse with us guys. We hate reading instructions and/or asking for directions. However, if we did read the instructions, we’d probably scare ourselves into calling a professional . . . and that just wouldn’t do! So, after he arrived, I asked my plumber why more guys don’t read the instructions. He just shrugged, picked up a manly looking wrench and began taking my broken pipe apart.
I asked my plumber if he was a Christian and he replied, “Yeah,” but then added that he never reads the Bible, though. He said he didn’t need instructions either.
I wish my plumber would learn the he needs instructions as much as anybody else. I went out to change the brakes on my car and ponder his situation. “There’s a sermon in this somewhere!”
How Do We Stack Up?
Everyone needs to stop and evaluate their life every now and then. Have you set goals? Do you have dreams? Did you make any resolutions back on New Year’s Eve? One of the ways we work toward our goals/dreams/resolutions is to keep track of where we are in relation to where we want to be. Even Jesus did that with His earthly ministry. Look at this:
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
–Matthew 13:13-18, NIV, ‘84
- Jesus was evaluating His ministry.
- Jesus was concerned about whether or not His message was getting out.
What about us? How effectively is our message getting out. How many people do you see on a daily or weekly basis that know about your church? Have you told them? Have you shared Christ with them? How do you expect them to know if you don’t tell them?
What about your youth group, Bible study class or church? How well is it doing?
We tend to coast too much. We just take life as it hits us. One of the things I used to hate in athletics was when they did benchmark tests. We had to see how high we could jump, how fast we could run, how much we could lift, etc. It was torture for me to do all of that. But it was important so that later, we could see if I was improving in the areas the coach wanted me to improve in. Evaluating one self is rarely fun–whether it be in athletics or spiritual in nature. And as important as it is evaluate ourselves to see how we line up with what we think we should be doing, it is even more important to get God’s opinion! Look at what King David wrote:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
–Psalm 139:23-24, NIV, ‘84
- David was not content to evaluate himself.
- David asked God to evaluate him.
The Bible tells us that God knows everything there is to know about us. He knows what we are thinking. He knows what we are doing in our most secretive, private moments. Knowing this, David was bold enough to ask God to evaluate him. If you were to ask God to evaluate yourself, what do you think He would say? Do you pray enough? Do you witness enough? Are you submissive to God? Are you committed enough? Are there things in your life that you need to cut out or drastically adjust?
If you had to change one thing about your spiritual life to get closer to where God wants you to be, what would it be?
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If your church was dependent on people who were only as dedicated and committed as you are, what kind of ministry would it be?
If your church was as committed to worshipping Christ in their daily lives as you are, how closely would they be following God?
We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
–2 Corinthians 10:12, NIV, ‘84
Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Become the leader God wants you to be today!
This Gospel Must Be Preached to All Creatures
Exhausted is what I was. Mentally, physically, spiritually. I was tired. It had been a long week and it was only Wednesday. I went to the church early, hoping to have some quiet time before we were inundated with unruly youth. Just after getting to the church, a couple of Junior High girls showed up and asked me if I could take them to go get Heather.
Heather was a young girl that we had been inviting to church for a number of weeks, but every time we went by to pick her up, she had a different excuse for not being able to come that day. Because of my time constraints with work, I picked up kids on Sundays, but did not do so on Wednesdays, and did not want to start–especially not on this day. Did I mention I was tired?
Finally, I became convinced that these girls would not stop bugging me until I finally relented my unrestful state of rest and got up to make a useless trip to Heather’s house, convinced that I was going to hear one more of a long litany of excuses. A few minutes later, when we arrived at Heather’s, she was waiting on the front porch wearing a new dress. She was actually overdressed for our youth group, but she came running to the car, jumped in and back to the church we went.
By the time we arrived, kids were starting to trickle in in increasing numbers and I was not going to get any peace or rest. We started a harried worship service, I taught the lesson, and in front of a large number of kids, Heather came up to the stage at the end of the program to announce that her heart had been touched and she was accepting Jesus as her Savior.
I never got my rest or peace, and yet I went home very refreshed and very peaceful that night! How does that happen? Let’s look at some Scripture:
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
–James 1:22-25, NIV
To summarize:
- Don’t just learn about the Bible, but figure out how to apply what it says daily!
- It does no good to listen or learn about the Bible and not do what it says.
- It also does no good to listen and then forget.
- We must learn, remember and do!
If we were to take a poll from the youth group to the oldest Sunday School class and everyone in between, and ask them what is the main reason behind why we are supposed to come to church, do you know what the main answer would be? Overwhelmingly, most people say they come to church to learn about God. The second most common answer is to worship. But when asked about “doing the Word,” these same Bible students tend to get a bit fuzzy. They talk about the importance of “being good” and “living in a way that would make Christ proud,” but what does that mean? What does it truly mean to be a “doer of the Word?”
Let’s look at a couple of keys:
37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
–Jesus, (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
–Jesus, (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV)
- We are commanded to love everybody!
- We are commissioned to reach as many people as possible with the gospel of Jesus and lead them to become disciples of Jesus.
So, we all know that we are supposed to do these things as individuals. And somehow, my experience has been that when we are obedient to Scripture, there is a sense of accomplishment–a pat on the back if you will. Real rest and peace results, but if we really want to see our church/class/Bible study groups grow, we must find ways to demonstrate these actions corporately. How do you suggest we as a class, proceed?
Our choices: do nothing and die. . . . or we could . . .
Love . . . in 3-D!
Admittedly, there are not very many good 3-D movies out there. But they are making more of them and when you find a good one, it’s usually worth the price of admission. Why? Because we suddenly see things on the movie screen that we don’t normally see. When that happens, the picture comes alive. Sometimes we need to see things in the Bible in the same way in order to get the deeper meaning. Hopefully, we will see this very old message in a new way this morning–as if we were seeing it in 3-D for the first time.
We will start with the definition of the word “Love.” Biblically speaking, love is one of the most misunderstood and most talked about words used in our Christian expressions. The first problem begins with the modern definition of the word love in English. Many dictionaries begin the many and varied lists of meanings with this: “Love is an emotion.” By far, the most widely used form of the word love is while we are thinking of it as a noun. An emotion. Generally a feel good moment, thing, or person. When using love this way, we are looking at it from the perspective of how does (blank) make me feel. If I feel good enough, then I say I love (blank).
But this is not how the Bible itself defines love. Take a look:
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails.
–1 Corinthias 13, 4-8a, NIV, ‘84
Love’s 3-D’s:
- Love is a DECISION. We do not often have a lot of say-so in whom we are attracted to. But we can definitely choose whom we love!
- Love requires DISCIPLINE. Practicing things like patience, kindness and not being self-seeking (or selfish) requires a lot of work! These things do not come easily to most of us. When I was younger, my grandmother told me I needed to pray for patience. I told her I didn’t want any!
- Love is DIFFICULT. The practice and the wishing will not make it so. When we try to love someone, at some point we will fail. We have difficulty understanding that. We usually think of the other person as the one who fails.
- Love is an action VERB! And here is the root of our problem! We often think of love as “the way we ‘feel’ toward another person.” But when we think that way, we are being “self-seeking” or “self-serving.” We say we love someone when we feel good about being around them. This emotion is more closely related to lust than love. Lust is what we get–love is what we give. As soon as many people stop “getting” in a relationship, then they want out.
So, what are we to do with this information? How do we live out Biblical love? It’s one thing to begin understanding love as a verb rather than a feel-good emotion, but it’s entirely another to figure out how Jesus would have us put that new-found knowledge into practice. If we are truly followers of Jesus, then we must figure out how to follow Him in the most important area:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
–Jesus, (John 13:34, NIV, ‘84)
So, how exactly, using love as an action we take, rather than an emotion we feel, do we go about loving others the Jesus wants us to? Let’s look:
27“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
–Jesus, (Luke 6:27-36, NIV, ‘84)
- Jesus tells us to love those who do not love us!
- Another way to say this is that we are supposed to do things we may not like doing for people we’d rather not be around!
- It’s not about us! It’s about Him and them!
Live Life On Purpose!
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico was the scene. I was sixteen and Billy Graham was coming to the University’s “Pit!” The place where the UNM Lobos play basketball. My parents allowed me to drive to Albuquerque with a friend to attend two nights of the crusade. Dr. Graham has been one of my heroes ever since I became aware of him. He preached in a way I could relate to. He made sense. I’d seen him numerous times on TV and now, I wanted to see him in person.
I remember sitting in the arena, just far enough from the stage that we couldn’t clearly make out the faces of the people who were coming and going. Every once in a while, a small group of men would emerge from the tunnel and make their way to the stage. Each time, I would strain, trying to see if Dr. Graham was among them. A couple of times, we thought we saw him. But each time, it turned out to be one more of a litany of dignitaries that had been allowed to sit on the stage.
Finally, after what seemed to me to be way too long, something dramatic happened. It started out innocuous enough. Another group of men emerged and separated themselves by forming a type of walking circle from two very tall looking men in the center of the circle. One had jet black hair and the other was white headed. Even before the lights went dim and a spotlight illuminated them, I recognized these two men as Cliff Barrows and George Beverly Shea. I tried to contain my excitement because I knew what would happen next. Sure enough as someone at the pulpit said, “please welcome . . . “ I could see another group just like the one in the spot light. But this one was make it’s way in the pseudo darkness, but with the swirling lights fit for a rock band, occasionally one would cross the second group and the two men in the middle. Both men were tall. One was wearing a black suit with a black shirt and had a full, teased back head of hair. The other, no less distinguished was Billy Graham. I was already on my feet waiting for them to introduce Billy and the man in black–Johnny Cash.
You’ve probably been in a similar situation. Excited anticipation of someone or something coming your way. And at least in my case with Billy Graham, the anticipation was rewarded by the way he entered. With a security entourage in tow, Billy Graham and the other three mentioned, all entered with a certain swagger. No hesitation. No doubt of where they were headed. They entered with purpose.
Jesus did that when He went to Samaria. He did it in most of the things that He did. And He did it again when led the parade into Jerusalem for the most memorable coronation ceremony in history:
35They brought [the donkey colt] to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
–Luke 19:35-40, NIV ‘84
- Jesus came to establish a “love relationship” with us.
When we actively express our love toward someone, and we are really sold out about expressing that love, it is said that we are “worshiping that person.” The crowd was “worshiping” Jesus by expressing their love and adoration to Him.
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
–Jesus, (John 17:3, NIV ‘84)
- We were told the greatest commandment is to love God.
37“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment.
–Jesus, (Matthew 22:37-38, NIV ‘84)
- We most often express our love for God/Jesus through our worship.
- In the Luke passage above, we find Jesus riding into Jerusalem and the masses are worshiping Him!
In many ways, Jesus was being tempted in this moment. “How”, you say? Look at this passage of the temptation of Christ:
8Again, the devil took [Jesus] to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
–Satan, (Matthew 4:8-9, NIV ‘84)
- We are told that Jesus was tempted in the desert after His baptism.
- But Satan continued tempting Jesus at every opportunity.
- In the two previous accounts above, Jesus remained focused on His mission.
- Jesus could not remain in the moment. He had come in part to establish a love relationship with us. But now that the people were worshiping Him, He couldn’t allow Himself to get caught up in that. He had another task to do.
- He had to continue His journey, His mission, His task. Every step Jesus took from this point on was following a shadow . . . . . . of a cross.
Jesus was focused on His mission rather than His desires. He was living every step of His life on purpose! What about us? Do we plot out our mission each morning? Do we plan a moment or two of ministry into our lives each day? Or do we just coast and take life as it comes to us? I wonder, what would Jesus do?
The Things Prayer Changes!
Winter had been long and cold that year. Looking back, it had been pretty bleak as well. At least for the Kelly’s and their closest friends. The diagnosis had been simple enough for Wendell—Esophageal Ulcer. All Wendell had known was that it hurt when he ate. And Wendell loved to eat.
The doctors had promised Wendell and his wife of thirty-five years a routine surgery followed by a few long overdue dietary changes and then, life could return to normal. Cecile could hardly remember “normal.” Wendell had driven the two-hours it took to get to the hospital and then he and Cecile took a walk from the parking garage to the registration desk. It’s funny how you never know when or where your last walk will be.
“Sometimes this happens,” was all the doctor could say to comfort Cecile after the surgery. There didn’t seem to be a lot of urgency, but on the other hand, you are supposed to “wake up.” Wendell’s vital signs were good, but he wouldn’t respond to any stimuli. He just laid there with his eyes taped shut. Cecile began making long distance phone calls from the hospital’s courtesy phone. She hadn’t planned to stay in Lubbock more than one night and wasn’t sure what to do.
The doctors had informed Cecile that if Wendell didn’t wake up in the first 24 hours, it was likely that he would suffer brain damage. 36 hours later, they were informing Cecile and friends that if Wendell didn’t wake up in 48 hours, the likely hood was that he wouldn’t at all.
Wendell and Cecile were core members of their church. Wendell was a deacon. Cecile was the unofficial church decorator. She also worked with either the children’s ministry or in the nursery. They were avid youth group sponsors that could always be counted on to take trips with the youth.
As you might expect, the church had placed Wendell on the prayer list way back before he had even been diagnosed. Just a little pain in the upper chest that increased upon swallowing. Now, the many friends were beginning to unofficially pray around the clock. A week into the ordeal, there was no longer any medical hope, and yet the church continued to pray, asking for a miracle from the Creator.
Why does God allow the things that happen, to happen? We won’t be able to fully answer that this side of Heaven, but once in while, we hear of a true miracle that gives us hope and keeps us praying. On a Sunday morning, exactly one month after the surgery, Wendell and CeCele’s pastor veered off the scheduled order of events after the opening hymn. He asked for the congregation to come to the front of the church and kneel before God and pray. He gave them a portion of Scripture to dwell on as they did this: Numbers 14:11-20.
The people came to the front, knelt and one by one, or several at a time, offered up prayers on behalf of Wendell. Finally, at 12:15, the pastor stood and without a sermon, gave the final dismal prayer. He, and others, went home exhausted. The time in Lubbock was 1:15 in the afternoon.
At 1:00, the pastor’s wife received a phone call from Cecile Kelly. Cecile called to report that at 45 minutes earlier, (1:15 in Lubbock) Wendell opened his eyes and began to make gagging noises as he tried to communicate. The nurses rushed in and began removing feeding tubes, allowing a very weakened Wendell to speak. His first words: “Can I have a steak now?”
They laughed . . . . and cried . . . . . and hugged and brought him soup. Wendell had no idea that he had been in a coma for a month. To him, he had simply woke from surgery. Wendell had lost a lot of weight, and his road back to full health would still be a long journey. But several years later, Wendell and his Wife Cecile officially retired and moved to Lubbock.
And the people that were present in that very special church service remain changed to this day, having been in the very real presence of a holy God. Prayer changes things. But when we truly pray, believing all that there is to believe in, then we often find that the things prayer changes most . . . . is us.
Prayer From a Different Point of View
In John 1:1-14, we are told that Jesus Christ was God in the beginning–and remains God today. He was God in Heaven long before events unfolded in the lives of two weary travelers who arrived at a sold-out inn in Bethlehem to celebrate the first Christmas. And He emptied Himself of His glory to become a man (see Philippians 2:7-8). This does not mean that Jesus stopped being God, but that for a period of time, became nothing special in the eyes of men. He was born as an un-welcomed out-of-town guest and his first bed had been a feed trough for hungry sheep just moments before.
While growing up and living as one of us, Jesus looked nothing at all like a god. But Jesus was not only God’s Son, but somehow He was also God at the same time (at this point, it would be good to delve into a study of the Trinity, but alas, that point is not our point).
This article is about prayer from Jesus’ perspective. Think about this: Jesus was perfect as a man, He was the Son of God and He was God, Himself. So what did Jesus spend a great deal of time doing? Praying. Jesus prayed . . . a lot! Often all night long. How long do you spend in prayer? And if you study the Gospels, you’ll find that Jesus spent a lot of time communicating with us, but when He prayed, He talked with His Father.
We might be tempted to ask the question at this point, why did Jesus need to pray–being perfect and being God? At the root of at least part of the answer, we will find a new understanding of part of what prayer is. The apostle, John, gives us a great glimpse at the personal interaction between Jesus and the Father in John 17.
As Jesus prayed in the garden that night, He continued to waste no opportunity to continue to teach. As Jesus was praying, the disciples were listening (at least until they fell asleep). And so Jesus prayed to the Father while teaching the disciples at the same time–and through the gospel of John . . . . us. So what did He teach us? Some pretty important stuff! In verses 2 and 3, Jesus tells us that He has been given the authority to grant eternal life, and then He tells us what it is. He said, eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus. A lot of people that attend church, and some who don’t, know about Jesus. But Jesus teaches us that Eternal life is much, much more than know about Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a love relationship between Jesus and us! That love relationship is expressed in obedience, in worship and in prayer.
Jesus’ prayers were certainly petitions on His behalf as well as on our behalf. He prayed for Himself. He prayed for us. But His prayer sounds a little bit like a soldiers letter home to tell his parents that he’s almost through with his tour and will be home soon. He expresses His concerns. He states His desires for His disciples. And He expresses His love to the Father.
And therein lies at least one of the biggest reasons for prayer. Not the petitions, but the expression of our love. When we have a relationship that is worth while in our lives, whether it be with a spouse, a child, a parent or a friend, we know that we need to spend time with them in order to maintain the relationship. Jesus did not pray because He needed to. He prayed because He wanted to. His sole desire was to do the Father’s will and maintain a love relationship with Him.
We need to learn to pray out of a desire to spend time with Jesus, not just because we have a “shopping list.” It’s certainly okay to ask for things. Jesus tells us to do that, but too often, that’s all we do.
Prayer is our intimate expression of love to and from the Father. Let’s pray!
Death is in the Air!
January 11, 2012–Danny Sadler
Have you ever been to a funeral? What kinds of things did you think about while you were there? Do you remember how final it felt? Death is a big deal! Unless your name is Lazarus, or Jesus, death is a kind-of one time thing. Death scares some people. You might say they’re scared to death of death. You may be one of them. But it needn’t be that way. Look at what Jesus says:
9 “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
–Jesus, (John 10:9-10, NIV, ‘84)
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Jesus gives us life.
Jesus gives us life. But even if all we get is this temporary life we are currently living, at least we have something. But is that all there is? If you’re on death row, it’s one thing to be granted a temporary reprieve, but it’s entirely another to be completely exonerated and freed from prison. It is a great thing that Jesus provides for us: life. Even temporarily, most of us would take the deal. People from all over the world with terminal illnesses fight hard to add just a few months to their life. Many people–even those in our churches–seem to have a death grip on life. Perhaps they do it because of their love of life. Maybe it’s because of their fear of death. Either way, life is life. But Jesus wants more for us.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
–Jesus, (John 3:16-17, NIV, ‘84)
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Jesus gives us eternal life.
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We are not condemned if we believe in Jesus.
So, what does it mean to believe in Jesus? Is just believing in the existence and truth of the story enough? Often, I run into people that say they believe in Jesus. They say that Jesus is God’s Son, or some other description that varies truth to mythical. The problem is that too many of these people can’t tell me anything at all about Jesus, what He did or stood for (other than teaching us to be “good”–whatever that means). Before everyone starts throwing opinions around, let’s look at what else Jesus said:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
–Jesus, (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV, ‘84)
Did you see what Jesus said? That’s scary.
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Understanding and acknowledging Jesus as Lord is not enough.
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Believing in Jesus is not enough.
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Knowing who Jesus is is not enough.
Jesus clearly tells us that we must believe. But here we get an indication that the belief Jesus talks about can not be superficial. The belief that Jesus is talking about goes far deeper than just knowing about Jesus. It involves believing the things He taught. It involves doing the things He told us to do. Let’s look at what the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write concerning some of the things we must do:
3 Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. . . . .
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. . . . .
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
–Romans 6:3-11, NIV, ‘84
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To be a true follower of Christ, we must die.
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To be a true follower of Christ, we must live.
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Our new life is not our own.
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We must die to self will and our sinful nature and live for God.
Following Christ is not as easy as it is sometimes portrayed. It involves a life-long, moment-by-moment commitment to denying self and living for Christ. Have you made this commitment?
You can become a true follower of Jesus Christ by simply praying to Jesus and surrendering your sinful ways to Him. We can’t really do that in our own weak-willed power, so you may want to ask Jesus to help you even as you try to become obedient to Him. Acknowledge Jesus as both your Lord and Savior. If you have made a decision to follow Christ, it’s important that you share your new commitment to Christ with someone–or even better, a bunch of someones. Start with your minister. If you don’t have one, find a local church near you and go seek out a minister. You will want to make arrangements with the minister to be baptized. If you have already been baptized, but are making this commitment to Christ for the first time, you will want to be baptized again.
Finally, if you have found this post helpful, it would be blessing to both you and me if you shared that with us by posting a comment below. God bless y’all real good!
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