Celebrating

“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of My Father's hand. "I and [My] Father are one."

John 10:22-30 NKJV

There is an old Jewish saying that I have read many times over the years which says simply that “coincidence isn’t kosher”.  I don’t recall when I first read that, but it is something that I have always remembered when I study the Word because of my personal belief that God intended every word, and even the very punctuation to be placed exactly where we find it.  I believe this is exactly what Jesus was referring to when He made the following statement to the disciples in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount.

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”  Matthew 5:18  NKJV

It is because of this that I have become very sensitive to the structure of God’s Word as well as the content, and one of the things I habitually do is look to see where and when certain words are repeated in scripture and how they are used in order to better understand the meaning of what I am reading.  I recall as a parent using certain words, and often repeating them at times, when I wanted to make a point to my children in the hope that they would remember whatever it was that I was trying to convey.  I believe God has done the same thing in His Word to us, which is why I always take a closer look when I find certain words which are repeated.

Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication, is considered to be one of the minor holidays in Israel, and is not one of the seven major feasts instituted by God in the Old Testament.  Yet we do find it mentioned in the New Testament in this passage from John, and when we read these verses we find that it plays a rather important part in the life of our Lord.  I have always found it curious that throughout His early ministry, Jesus seemed to go out of His way to avoid stating specifically that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.  It almost seemed as if He was waiting for a particular, appointed time to do it, and on this particular day, the Feast of Dedication, we find that Jesus was asked this very question as He walked in the temple.

Since Jesus answered this question the way He did, this was obviously the day He was waiting for. Yet it is not the fact that Jesus answered the question plainly and unequivocally that caught my attention, but rather His use of a particular word in His answer which I find not only interesting, but rather intriguing considering we know He chose His words carefully and deliberately.  You see, twice in this passage Jesus uses the word “snatch” when referring to His “sheep”.  Now as I have said, repeating a word always gets my attention so I first of all wanted to look closer at the original Greek, and also look to see if it is used elsewhere in the Word and the context in which it is used.

When I did this, no surprise, I again was reminded why studying the Word is so much fun to me.  The word for “snatch” that Jesus uses here is harpazo, meaning to seize, carry off by force, to claim for oneself eagerly, to snatch out or away.  I’m also sure most of you recognize this as the very same word used by Paul in Thessalonians to refer to the rapture of the Church.  The word rapture simply comes from the Latin translation of harpazo, and this is the event that we as believers are all looking forward to with great anticipation. 

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. “                                 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17  NKJV 

Obviously my first thought was that this is not a coincidence, but rather an intentional use of the same word.  Unfortunately though, the next step is to try and come up with an explanation as to why?  This is where most of us could probably come up with our own, and probably very different explanations.  Many have speculated in the past, however, that Hanukkah would be a perfect time for the rapture of the Church for many different reasons.  Of course, although I might agree, I also firmly believe that the rapture could occur on any given day and is not restricted to any of the Jewish holidays. Yet it gives me pause for thought to consider if our rapture could possibly occur on the day when Jews would give thanks for when they recaptured the temple from their enemies and resume worship in it.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, and as we give thanks for all that we have, may we all remember to give thanks to God for His gift of salvation to us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.  If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  NKJV

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Do You Really Believe?

“After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either”  Mark 16:12-13  NKJV

Sooner or later the time comes where we do or say something that tends to date ourselves, and today will be my day.  Back when I was very little I can remember watching television with my parents as they enjoyed their favorite shows.  One of these was a program called “Perry Mason”.  It was centered around a criminal lawyer and the cases he took on to defend, and all the twists and turns you would expect from a criminal trial.  I never recall seeing him lose a case, yet what I remember the most is how hard he worked to build his case by seeking out and presenting the evidence which always led to the inescapable conclusion of his clients’ innocence. 

I would find it hard to believe that there are many believers today who have read the account of what transpired after Jesus death and resurrection and not wondered about the disciples’ response and their lack of understanding as well as their stubborn refusal to believe.  I use the term stubborn simply because the disciples chose to ignore an established principle in play since Old Testament times concerning the weight of evidence to be given to two or three witnesses.

“Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.”  Deuteronomy 17:6  NKJV

“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.”  Deuteronomy 19:15  NKJV

Jesus also taught this very principle during His ministry when He discussed the subject of discipline within the Church.

“But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established”  Matthew 18:16  NKJV

In the above passage from Mark we find that the disciples were presented with the testimony of at least three witnesses to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead in Mary, and then two of their own.  Yet for some reason they still chose not to believe what was being told to them.  Now maybe, just maybe I could understand how difficult the fact of the resurrection might be to believe if it were not for the fact that Jesus Himself had told them that this was exactly what was going to occur before it ever happened!

"He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”                     Luke 9:20-22  NKJV

“Persistent unbelief in light of contrary evidence is willful ignorance!”

So what would your reaction be to someone who refused to believe even though the evidence presented to support a position met all the criteria necessary by established legal principles?  I daresay your thoughts would be less than kind, and truthfully mine would refer back to all of the passages in Proverbs which describe fools.  Does that seem harsh?  Maybe it would help to look at Jesus’ reaction to the disciples and their stubborn refusal to believe the evidence.

“Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.”  Mark 16:14  NKJV

So let us start with the word translated rebuke.  In the Greek it is the word oneidizō which means to reproach, upbraid, revile.  Now I don’t think you have to be an English scholar to understand exactly what is being described here.  I believe what we see here are the disciples being taken to the proverbial woodshed for some serious correctional instruction.  Jesus is less than pleased at their actions and He lets them know it.  The phrase “hardness of heart” is the one I tend to focus on because to me, that describes perfectly someone who chooses not to believe even though the evidence proves them wrong.

Have you ever wondered about those alive today who choose to willfully ignore the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection?  Have you ever tried to share your faith with someone only to find they totally reject the entire idea of Jesus dying for their sins and rising from the dead?  This is “hardness of heart” and it has never been more prevalent than it is in the world today.  Although we who believe find it difficult to understand why someone would choose to ignore the evidence the Bible presents for us, it is a fact of life that many will simply choose not to believe.

“Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”           John 20:29-31  NKJV

The disciples had to see Jesus’ face in order to accept the reality of the resurrection, and they received the rebuke they deserved from Jesus Himself.  Yet look at the words of Jesus to Thomas which are a promise to those of us who choose to believe.  We are blessed, and will continue to be blessed, because we choose to believe the evidence of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things [are] possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"         Mark 9:23-24  NKJV

Something I have always appreciated about this passage and the story it tells is the honesty of this man looking Jesus in the eye and admitting he had a problem with unbelief.  Now obviously, he had faith enough to seek Jesus out believing He had the power to heal his son, yet he almost seems to be admitting that he also had doubts.  How often do we too, as believers, understand and believe that God has the power to do something, yet also have doubts as to if He will.

Speaking about this story, Ray Stedman had this to say about this man’s admission;

“He said these words which have been the encouragement of many since: "I do believe; help my unbelief!" Out of the honesty of his weakness, he cast himself on the Lord. "Yes, Lord, I do believe; but I feel my unbelief and I don't know how to handle it. You make me believe." That kind of faith is small, but it is like a grain of mustard seed -- it is able to move mountains. The moment he said those words, the moment he cast himself in his weakness back on the Lord, that was all God wanted.”

Now many might say that having doubts at times is perfectly normal, but I want to suggest that rather than normal, it is a result of forgetting the past, and focusing only on the present.  It seems to me that many of us suffer from what we could call the “Doubting Thomas Disease”, a condition where we feel our belief must be based solely on what we can see.

"The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."      John 20:25  NKJV

What I find really unfortunate here is that Thomas seems to have forgotten all that he had already seen Jesus do in the past few years.  Never mind that he had seen miracle after miracle performed by Jesus which should have proven without a doubt that He had the power to resurrect Himself.  After all, Thomas had seen Jesus bring Lazarus back to life only a few weeks before, yet he still had doubts, and wanted to see for himself.  Yet after Jesus appears to him and settles the matter of doubt, He says something to Thomas we should all make a point to remember.

“Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed [are] those who have not seen and [yet] have believed."  John 20:29  NKJV

Those who choose to believe without having seen are not only blessed, they are also said to have “faith”.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11:1  NKJV

What do we as believers “hope for”?  I think most of us would answer that question with the word “salvation”!  Because we have heard the testimony of scripture, admitted our need for salvation, and have chosen to believe that Jesus is the Son of God sent to pay the price for our sins we then look forward to the day we will join Him in heaven.  Paul put it this way in his letter to the Corinthians.

“For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,”                       2 Corinthians 5:2  NKJV

Why do we groan?  Personally, I groan because I understand that this life has nothing for me in comparison with what my eternal future life with Christ in heaven has to offer.  I don’t know about you, but I am increasingly impatient waiting for the day He will return for His church.  It is the knowledge of His promises to us, and the testimony of His Word, that helps us to walk in faith until He comes again.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”                                    2 Corinthians 5:7  NKJV

I would have loved to see Jesus face to face as the disciples did, and to watch Him perform miracles and minister to those who followed Him.  But I do, however, have the testimony of His Word which tells me of all that He did and that is more than enough for me.  Yet that is not to say that He is not at work among us today, for there are many examples of His presence among us in answers to prayer and provision for His people all around us.  Has He answered any of your prayers lately?  To me, that is just the icing on the cake.  To not only believe in what He has done, but to also see Him at work in our lives today.

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, [being] much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see [Him], yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of [your] souls.”        1 Peter 1: 6-9  NKJV

Faith is acting on what you believe.  Do you really believe?  Find a way to act on it this week.  The father with the sick child had doubts, but he still had enough faith to come to Jesus and confess his doubts.  Jesus came through for him, and He will come through for us. True believers understand fully what is happening right now in this world, and exactly where and when it is all going to end.  If you have never accepted the free gift of eternal life provided for us all by the death and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus Christ, I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

"So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”              Acts 16:31. NKJV

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Dead Fish

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”              Revelation 3:10-11  NKJV

“Any dead fish can go with the flow’”. Have you ever heard that saying?  As funny as it may sound, I believe it might be the best description of where the Church today finds itself in respect to the world around us.  Truth be told, how many churches today have chosen to go with the flow and abandoned biblical principles in order to please an increasingly intolerant society? I don’t believe there is any passage in the Bible more applicable to the Church right now than this verse from Revelation where Jesus commends and instructs the Church at Philadelphia.  It describes perfectly the situation the Church today finds itself in with regards to how the world views it, especially as they attempt to change God’s laws and punish those who choose not to conform to their agenda.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! “                                       Isaiah 5:20  NKJV

“Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed”                Isaiah 10:1  NKJV

While many are hoping for much needed changes as a result of the election of a new administration in this country, we should not be under the impression that evil will dial back its attacks on the righteous. I must confess that I am not at all surprised that at this time, especially in this country, believers are coming under attack for their faith and be vilified and persecuted for choosing to acknowledge God’s laws as the standard for our beliefs and actions.  Never in my memory can I recall such a time as we as believers face right now, where the world considers us to be an intolerant, prejudiced people. The level of vitriol and hate speech focused on Christians today is alarming to say the least, and the speed in which this world is becoming more and more like the days of Noah is breathtaking. Fortunately for us, this is a subject God had much to say about. 

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you."  John 15:18. NKJV 

“It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.”  Psalm 118:8. NKJV

“Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”  2 Corinthians 6:17. NKJV

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.”                                                   1 Corinthians 16:13-14  NKJV

For those who follow sports, an ongoing argument that many participate in surrounds the debate “do great teams win with offense or defense"? I'm sure most would say both, but it is a question that many fans enjoy arguing about, simply because there are those who love watching a great offense and others who would rather watch a great defense. In the fight against Satan which all Christians participate in, God tells us exactly how we can win and that is with a good defense.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”                  Ephesians 6:10-13  NKJV

One of the most important points Paul makes here is in verse 11 where he tells us that what is expected of us as believers is simply to "stand". He repeats this in verse 13 where he tells us that after doing everything, we stand firm. In his way, God is telling us through Paul that all He expects from us is to play defense. We next see in verse 14 that we are told we can stand firm if we remember those parts of God's armor we have already put on when we made the decision to follow Christ. Those parts were reminding us of the truth of Christ in which we believe, remembering our position before God thanks to the righteousness of Christ, and resting in the peace that is ours from the knowledge of the first two which was promised to us in the gospel of Christ.

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”                                Ephesians 6:14-17  NKJV

In verse 16 Paul introduces us to the most practical piece of our armor, the one that we will need to use the most, and that is the shield of faith. Now personally I like this picture because to me, it realistically illustrates what Satan is trying to do to us as believers, and the way he tries to attack. An arrow is not all that large, and if one is coming straight at you I expect it is pretty hard to see. Also, arrows fly at an extremely fast speed and are pretty quiet. You can look at an arrow as the first of the stealth weapons, because the first time you hear them is when they hit you, and obviously by then it's too late to do anything about it. Most important, though, is the kind of arrow Satan uses. It's not your everyday arrow, but a flaming arrow which not only wounds you, but starts a fire that will continue to burn until put out.

As a result, God tells us that we need to take up the shield of faith. Have you had the opportunity to watch a movie that illustrates the use of a shield to defend against an attack by arrows?  I know I have seen a few that have done a great job showing what it must have been like to be in a battle like that. You have an army marching forward, carrying their shields which are almost as big as they are tall, and the opposing army launching their arrows. As soon as they fire, the opponent kneels down and hides behind their shields as thousands of arrows fall from the sky. As the attacking army continues to fire their arrows, the defending army simply waits behind their shields until the advancing army is out of arrows, and then they begin their attack. God tells us something in verse 16 that I think is very critical for us to remember. He says that if we take up the shield of faith we “will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”.  Not some, ALL. This is what most of us would consider to be a winning defense!

Since we know we can win with God's help, it is also important to understand what these arrows will look like so we can recognize the "stealth" attack by Satan. I think the clue is in how God describes them when He says they are "flaming". Obviously a flaming arrow will start a fire, which then burns until put out. How does Satan "burn" us inside? I think these arrows will have two characteristics no matter what form they may come in. Remember they are coming from Satan, and we already know his method of attack. Satan wants us to doubt the truth from God in which we have believed, so first of all these flaming arrows will come out of our own thoughts. It's a sneak attack that seems to come from nowhere when we begin to doubt what we believe in.

Also, they will attack our position in Christ, the faith in Him that we have, which has already been described in the first pieces of armor we put on. You see, the key to overcoming a good defense is to first create doubt in the mind of your opponent that he is capable of defending himself. That works in any sport you can think of, as well as our fight against Satan. The trouble with doubt is that if you allow it to have its way with your mind, the effect will be to make you turn away from the conflict.  Sadly though, many do not understand that running away from a conflict only makes you a better target!

What is important to us to understand is the difference between what we believe, and the shield of "faith" which we are instructed to take up. What is faith? The best answer I can give you is that faith is "acting" on your belief. You see, belief is one thing, but taking action by making the decision to stand fast, demonstrates your faith. Faith is always action. The fact that you may have doubts proves that you have faith. So apply your belief to everything, every situation you find yourself in, and you will be demonstrating faith and defeating Satan and his arrows. We need to be "active" believers, Christians DOING not just believing, and we can best do this by standing firm in our belief in God and His commands.

Much of what I have read in the past few months agrees with the idea that this fight is only going to get worse.  Individual Christians, and the Church as a whole, must choose to either stand for the faith, or go with the flow. I truly believe God is orchestrating the events we see as the world fast approaches the time of His return for the Church.  Fortunately, we have Jesus’ promise that He is “coming quickly” to take us away before the judgment of the world. The question for us all is will we stand and fight?  God’s command to us as believers is to “hold fast” rather than going with the flow.  While I and many others are encouraged by the selections of individuals to help lead our country going forward we can not and should not expect a lessening of the attacks by Satan on the Church.

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered all of us by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

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