COSTLY FAITH

2 Samuel 24:24

“No, I insist on paying you for it.  I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

King David had sinned against the Lord by disobeying God’s command forbidding the king from counting the men in his army.  As a result, God brought a plague on Israel and people were dying.  Seventy thousand people died in this plague.  The prophet of the Lord told David to go to the threshing floor of Araunah and make sacrifices in order to stop plague.  When David told Araunah he wanted to buy his threshing floor in order to worship the Lord, Araunah insisted that David accept his property as a gift.  He even offered to give David the oxen and the wood for the sacrifice.  That is when insisted on purchasing the ground and said these memorable words, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

These thoughts have to do with the cost of following Jesus Christ.  Generally speaking, we American Christians know very little about costly discipleship.  We face no risk to our personal freedoms or our health or our business when we leave our homes to go to worship on Sunday mornings.  We know very little about suffering persecution in our neighborhoods or at our workplaces.  When it comes to giving our tithes and offerings we usually give from our excess funds, what we can afford to give.  In reality, when we look closely at what it costs us to follow Christ we have to admit that the cost is low.

I think of our brothers and sisters who live in countries where the risk of public worship and proclaiming the good news is great.  I think of pastors who are languishing in prisons because they refused to stop preaching the gospel or evangelizing their communities.  I think of Christians who have lost their jobs or their homes because they would not be silent about their faith in Christ.  I think of pastors and evangelists in India whom I know personally who regularly risk their own wellbeing by taking the gospel into villages where it is unwelcome.  I hear all of them saying, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God that which costs me nothing.”

Jesus told us all to count the cost of being his disciple.  As I sit here on the last day of 2011 looking forward to a brand new year I ask myself, “What will it cost me to be a faithful follower of Jesus in 2012?  How can I give more of myself, my time, my energy, my money, and my gifts to be a good disciple?” 

David bought that threshing floor and sacrificed to the Lord and the plague stopped.  When we are reading the story in 2 Samuel we are not aware of the plans God had for that property.  Years later Solomon would build the temple on that very land and it would become the place where the people of God would worship for centuries.  It would be the place where the Son of God would come and worship and teach.  It would be the site of the gatherings of the first Christians.

We never know what God will do with the sacrifices we make for him.  I know God will take whatever I have to give and turn it into something which is far beyond my imagination.  As New Hope Church moves into our own building in January we will have the opportunity to give generously and to sacrifice much.  The giving and sacrificing can continue not only in 2012 but for years to come.  Who knows what God will do with what we bring to him?

SHEPHERDS AND MAGI (PART 1)

When we look at the shepherds and the Magi, we are struck by the phenomenal differences between these two groups of people.  They are almost exact opposites.  Let’s look at the contrasts between them.

The first contrast we observe is that of social status.  The shepherds stood on the bottom rung of Israel’s social ladder, if they were even allowed onto the ladder!  They were despised by just about everyone.  Shepherds had developed a reputation for stealing anything that was not nailed down.  They were such liars that they were not permitted to testify in a court of law.  Everyone looked down on them and mistrusted them. 

Then there were the Magi who stood at the very opposite end of the social scale.  These were scholars and politicians.  These were men of international influence and power.  When they arrived in Jerusalem they began to speak about the birth of a new “king of the Jews.”  When they spoke, people listened!  Even Herod took note of what they were saying.  He invited them to the palace to have a meeting.  The Magi were given an audience with the king and were taken into the king’s confidence.  On the other hand, shepherds would never have been allowed anywhere near the palace!

The second contrast we observe is that of financial standing.  Shepherds were among the poorest of the poor.  The only people in Jewish society who were poorer than shepherds were beggars and even then some beggars probably did better than the shepherds.  Manual labor and field labor paid better than shepherds’ pay. 

The Magi were obviously just the opposite from the shepherds.  They were very wealthy men.  Their status in Parthia allowed them to live at the very top of society.  They were highly valued members of the king’s court and they were remunerated accordingly.  They had the time and the money to take a long and expensive trip to Palestine to inquire into the signaled birth.  They brought gifts!  Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were incredibly valuable, expensive gifts.

Third, notice the contrast in their educational accomplishments.  The shepherds had no education whatsoever.  If they had any education they would have been doing something else for a living.  They were classified as “people of the land.”  That meant they had not received even the basic education that would allow them to read the Torah. 

The Magi were known around the world for their brilliance and academic achievements.  They were the lawyers, the doctors, and the scientists of their society.  They were expert in the law of the Medes and the Persians.  They were also the scholars and theologians of their religion, Zoroastrianism.  Their study of astronomy led to a great deal of power because of the common belief in astrology.

Finally, the shepherds and the Magi came from very distant geographical locations.  The shepherds were locals.  They lived in the area of Bethlehem and were in the fields outside Bethlehem on the night the angels announced the birth of Jesus to them.  Jesus was born right in their own neighborhood.  The Magi came from what is now Iraq or Iran.  It took them two years to prepare for and take the journey to Jerusalem.  They came from a completely alien culture and society to worship Jesus. 

What we conclude from examining the dramatic differences between the shepherds and the Magi is that Jesus Christ will accept anybody who comes to him.  The gospel message is for all kinds of people.  It is for the rich and the poor, the famous and the unknown, the professional and the laborer, the moral and the immoral, the religious and the irreligious.  No one who comes to Christ will ever be excluded.  No one can say he is too low or too poor or too uneducated to follow Jesus.    The shepherds and the Magi show the width and breadth of the scope of Christ’s ministry.  In his ministry Jesus would address the rich and poor, the wise and ignorant, the respected and the despised.  He reached out to the religious and the sinners.  The shepherds bowed before him in a stable and the Magi worshiped him in a house but all men are on the same level when they come and kneel before the King of kings.  Christ’s kingdom makes brothers of those who would never have associated.  It makes brothers of kings and slaves, multimillionaires and paupers, doctors and dropouts, Sunday School teachers and prisoners.  No matter who you are or from where you come, you may come to Jesus!

"JUST FOLLOW ME!"

John 21

I love Peter.  I love to put myself in his place throughout the gospels and the Acts.  I love to just stop and think about how he must have felt in certain situations.  I love to puzzle over why he said or did certain things.  He was just such a guy!  I don’t even think for a second that I could measure up to Peter’s courage and determination.  At the same time, when I ponder his goof-ups I see myself and I can understand why he did what he did.  Maybe that’s why the Lord spoke so powerfully to me recently when I was reliving John 21.

On the night Jesus was betrayed Peter was in the courtyard of the high priest’s house and he found himself denying he even knew Jesus.  He went so far as to call on God to bring curses upon him if he was lying.  Then came that fateful call of the rooster and Peter must have just wanted to die!  After all, he was the one who swore he would die for Jesus!  He was the one who pulled his sword and struck out at the servant of the high priest!  He was the one who courageously followed along with John into the very property of the high priest!

After the crucifixion he couldn’t face the others.  Even when they were together Peter must have avoided making eye contact with the other guys.  He wasn’t even sure they knew what he had done but he sure felt like they knew!  Now Jesus was dead and he would never have a chance to prove himself, to make it up to Jesus.  He felt so worthless!

Still we see Peter seizing every opportunity to do something worthwhile.  Remember the day of resurrection?  When Magdalene reported that not in the tomb he jumped up and ran to the tomb!  Yes, John outran him but when he got there he actually went inside while John hesitated.  Then in John 21 Peter was the one who decided to go fishing.  He had to do something.  Couldn’t just sit there anymore.  And when John whispered that it was Jesus who had helped them catch the fish it was Peter who leaped into the water and swam ashore. 

Then we have the beautiful account of Jesus restoring Peter to ministry.  “Peter, do you love me more than all of this?”  Peter couldn’t answer quickly enough!  “Yes Lord, you know that I love you!”  Then came the words Peter had been longing to hear.  “Feed my lambs.”  Now I don’t want to go into all the arguments and questions surrounding this story.  The point is, Jesus lifted Peter up and made sure Peter felt forgiven and assured him he still had a place in the ministry.  Just beautiful!

But there is a difficult part to this too.  Jesus tells Peter that the day will come when he will be arrested and bound and crucified (John 21:18, 19).  This couldn’t have been easy to hear.  But Jesus again invites Peter to share in his life, ministry and death.  Jesus says those sweet words to Peter, “Follow me.”

Are you still with me?  Are you understanding Peter?  Can you sense the relief and release Peter must have felt in those moments?  When I read the next words in verse 20 I was stopped in my tracks.  “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them…When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’”

Did you see it?  Jesus had just told Peter to follow him and what did Peter do?  He turned around and saw John there!  Jesus had restored Peter to ministry, renewed his hope, and reassured him of forgiveness.  All he asked Peter to do was to follow him…and Peter turned around!  You can’t follow Jesus if you are looking backwards.  You have to keep your eyes ahead, fixed on him!

I heard the voice of the Lord in this passage.  “Follow me!  Don’t look around.  Don’t stop to see what other pastors are doing.  Don’t worry about what I’m doing in their churches.  Don’t even take a moment to measure what’s going in at New Hope.  Just follow me and leave all that to me.  If you follow me you can be assured that I’ll do what I plan to do in your life and ministry.”

What do you hear the Lord saying to you?  He asks you to simply follow him…

WHERE DID HE GET THE FISH?

John 21:8-10

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.  When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

They are at the Sea of Galilee and Jesus has just filled their net after they spent the entire night without catching a fish.  Peter jumped into the water and was swimming ashore.  The rest of the disciples were laboring to get the huge catch of fish to land.  When they finally got there they found that Jesus already had a fire going with fish on it.

This raises some questions in my mind.  (Remember, I’m a pastor.  I see “catching fish” as a picture of reaching people with the gospel!)  Jesus has already showed them how to catch the fish but as it turns out, he didn’t need them in order to get fish.  Nevertheless he allowed them to make a great haul and they were pretty excited about it!

Even though Jesus had fish already, he invited them to participate in the breakfast by bringing “some of the fish” they had just caught.

If Jesus didn’t need the disciples to catch fish, why did he bother with the miracle?  Why didn’t he just let them come to shore “fishless” and then produce miraculous fish?  That would teach them a lesson, right?  They would learn that Jesus is the only one who can really catch the fish.  But Jesus didn’t do that.  He blessed the disciples with the wonderful catch and what they learned was that when Jesus told them to do something they should do it!  He did the miracle not because he needed fish but because he wanted to bless them and include them in the miracle.

So why did Jesus tell them to bring some of the fish they had just caught to put on the grill?  It was as if he was saying, “Come on guys, we’re in this together!  You caught the fish because I showed you where they were.  You hauled them in.  Bring them along for the breakfast!”

Call me crazy, but here’s what I see here.  It’s a picture of us, the church.  We’re the “fishers of men.”  We are always casting out our nets seeking to bring people to shore for Jesus.  But we can’t do it alone.  If we just depend on ourselves we will be “fishless.”  We walk closely with Jesus and we do what he tells us to do.  He’s the one who fills our nets.  Does he need us?  No.  Does he choose to have us participate in the kingdom work?  Yes!  It’s all for his glory and the glory of the Father.  It demonstrates his magnificent power to work through sinful people like us.  He wants us to know that we are in this together.

What do we do?  Keep listening for the voice of Jesus who has already “gone ashore.”  Keep casting our nets where he tells us to.  Never give up the fishing even when we’ve gone a whole night with nothing in the nets.  He’ll fill them when it’s time!

WHERE ARE ALL THE FISH?

John 21:3-6

“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.”  So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.”
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”  When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

After the resurrection of Jesus, Peter and six other disciples were in Galilee on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  They were expecting to meet Jesus at some point because he had said they would find him there.  Peter decided to go fishing and the others went along.  Some of these guys were professional fishermen.  They had been catching fish on the Sea of Galilee since they were children.  They fully expected to catch fish but they worked all night and caught nothing.

As dawn began to break a man stood on the shore and shouted out to the boat asking about their catch.  When they reported their failure to catch even one fish the man told them to cast the net on the other side of the boat and they would catch some fish.  What amazes me is that Peter and the other fishermen agreed to do this before they recognized the man was Jesus.  Why should they do what some guy on the shore told them to do?  They knew what they were doing!  We know the rest of the story.  They caught so many fish that they couldn’t bring the net into the boat and John recognized that the man was Jesus.

This got me thinking.  In Matthew 4:18-20 Jesus called Peter and Andrew to follow him saying, “I will make you fishers of men.”  They followed Jesus for about three years but had not gained much of a following.  Jesus had been crucified and then he rose from the dead and appeared to them.  They went up to Galilee to wait for him but they probably didn’t have a good idea of what they were supposed to do.  They had been filled with terror when Jesus was put to death and then filled with joy when he rose again.  Now they were just waiting and were probably wondering what would happen next.  At least fishing was something they knew how to do!  But they caught no fish.

They had probably had bad nights on the lake before.  This wasn’t the first time they had worked all night and returned with empty nets.  The astonishing thing was that Jesus filled their nets for them!  All of their knowledgeable efforts were fruitless.  All they had to do was obey Jesus.

I’m a pastor.  I’ve been a pastor for a lot of years.  I know pasturing pretty well by now.  I’ve been in Shafter for almost 3 ½ years.  Our purpose here is to reach people with the gospel and lead them to faith in Jesus.  In other words, we’re fishers of men.  Our nets aren’t empty, but they sure aren’t as full as I would like them to be!  What to do?  Read more books on church growth?  Do more advertising?  Attend seminars on reaching postmodern America?  Work harder?  This is what I think God wants me to hear from this passage:  “I know where all the fish are.  You just keep doing what I called you to do.  Be faithful and obey and keep throwing the nets where I tell you to throw them!”

WAITING FOR THE KING

2 Samuel 19:24-30

²⁴ Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. ²⁵ When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”

²⁶ He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba my servant betrayed me. ²⁷ And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you. ²⁸ All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”

²⁹ The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the fields.” ³⁰ Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has arrived home safely.”

            Several chapters earlier King David was fleeing Jerusalem because his son, Absalom, was coming to the city to overthrow his father.  In 2 Samuel 15 and 16 David and his people had crossed the valley and reached the summit of the Mount of Olives.  There he was met by King Saul’s old servant, Ziba.  Ziba also served as steward for Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan.  Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet and in honor of his friendship with Jonathan, David had treated him well even though he may have had some claim to the throne.  When David met Ziba he asked about the whereabouts of Mephibosheth.  Ziba reported that he chose to stay in Jerusalem in the hope that the men of Israel would give him back his grandfather’s throne.  Upon hearing this, David gave all of Mephibosheth’s lands to Ziba.

            When we come to chapter 19 David is at the Jordan River, preparing to cross back over to Jerusalem after Absalom had been defeated.  It is there, on the east side of the Jordan, that Mephibosheth came to David.  What a sight he must have been!  The text says he had not done anything to care for his crippled feet since David fled Jerusalem.  He had not shaved.  He hadn’t even washed his clothes!  Can you picture this scene?  He looked and smelled like a mess!  Yet he went out to meet his king.

            David must have wondered at Mephibosheth’s approach.  After all he had done for him, according to Ziba, Mephibosheth had betrayed him and made a bid for his throne!  When David inquired as to why Mephibosheth had not gone with him he discovered that it was Ziba who had lied to David.  Ziba had betrayed Mephibosheth and had enriched himself with his lies.

            But what really strikes me is the attitude of Mephibosheth.  Look at what he says in verses 27 and 28, “My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you. ²⁸ All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”  After David returns his lands to him Mephibosheth shows his true character, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has arrived home safely.”

            Mephibosheth had been devastated when his king left Jerusalem.  He grieved and mourned throughout the king’s absence.  He only longed for David to return to Jerusalem.  He was not interested in his own condition or his own comfort.  He only cared for his king and looked for his return.  He recognized David's grace and mercy.  He took the position of a servant and demanded no rights and made no appeals.  He simply rejoiced that his king had returned.

            I heard the whisper of the Spirit when I read these verses, “Do you long for the return of your King like Mephibosheth did?  Or have you become comfortable with the way things are?  Are you praying for his return or are you too busy taking care of yourself?  Are you satisfied with the world as it is or are you passionate about praying ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?’  Shouldn’t Mephibosheth be your example in looking for your King’s return?”

            Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

PRACTICAL ATHEISM

            I’m following up on my last post.  In James 4:13-17 he warns Christian businessmen that they are conducting their lives and their businesses as if God had no part in them.  They made their business plans as if nothing could ever happen to disrupt them.

            These professing Christian businessmen had a purpose.  It was to “carry on business and make money.”  There was no question in their minds that they would have the money and the product and the clientele to make a killing in business.  The Greek word for “make money” carries the idea of a passionate love of profit.  These men were greedy for gain.  Yet James’ point is still not the condemnation of planning to make a profit.  It was planning without a concern or interest in the will of God.  They presumed their plan was just fine with God!  They presumed God would not interfere with their moneymaking plans!  Their sin was that they carried on their business and loved their lives in such a way that God was simply left out!  This is nothing less than practical atheism!

            We discover the bottom line in verse sixteen.  James writes, “As it is, you boast and brag.  All such boasting is evil.”  These men left God out of their lives and yet they boasted about their plans as if they were self-made men!  They did not give God any credit for their success in business!  How easy it is for us to forget God when everything is going according to our plans!  Moses warned the Israelites about the danger of such sin just before they entered the land of Canaan.  “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.  Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.  You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:10, 11, 17, 18).

            We need to be careful not to sin by condemning these men without giving thought to the way we live our own lives!  Like them, we live in a society that carries on all of its daily business and activities without any awareness of God.  In our culture we live as practical atheists too!  We Christians live in constant risk of being influenced by such godlessness.  Professing Christians can get caught up in this spirit of independence from God and self-dependence and begin living without God on a day-to-day and hourly basis!  People choose churches and leave churches without thinking about what God would want.  They choose colleges or decide not to go to college all on their own.  They choose a spouse and have children without giving a moment’s consideration to what God wants them to do.  They choose jobs and buy houses and sell houses and move away according to their own desires.  They buy boats and cottages and condos and cars and motor homes and all kinds of toys without ever asking God if they should.  They do business and buy and sell stocks and change jobs for more pay without thinking whether God wants them to do these things.  People live their lives every day and never even ask God what he wants!  This is practical atheism!  It’s amazing to listen to the things people say.  “God wants me to be happy.”  “God wants me to make more money.”  “God wants me to have a healthy self-esteem.”  Where do we get this stuff?  It all comes from our culture and our presumption!