Missing The Promise

As we enter into the Christmas Season we talk about so many different aspects of the coming of the promised Savior of the world, the Messiah (Christ), God in the flesh.

We talk about God’s love being demonstrated. We talk about the humility of God, the Grace of God, the purpose of His coming, and many other things.

One thing that we often touch on, but never really address is… How could the Jewish people miss the very promise they were waiting for so eagerly? When they have the same prophetic scriptures (the Old Testament) that we have, when they made it their custom for each male to memorize the Scriptures by a certain age, and when they had religious leaders who studied the scriptures daily and taught them regularly, how could they not recognize their God in the flesh? How could they not recognize the manifestation of the promise that they clung to so tightly?

The Jewish nation was regularly, due to their unfaithfulness to God, overcome by foreign kingdoms. At the time of Christ’s coming they were occupied by the Roman Empire. They were praying for, believing for, and eagerly watching for the coming of their King, Messiah/Christ, and Savior. Yet, when He came not only did they not recognize Him (the Promise of God manifest), but they rejected Him and killed Him. Why?

I believe that the reason is very similar to why we often times fail to recognize God’s blessings (in the various forms they come in) in our life.

I don’t think the issue is ignorance. Most people of God know enough to know there is a promise, to ask and believe for the promise, and to watch for it.

I don’t think the issue is lack of adherence to religion. Most people of God who take it serious are faithful in their attending worship services at least and maybe studying scripture, praying, etc.

I think the issue is a few things…

1) I think the biggest thing is they put God in a box. They limited how God would fulfill His promise to how they thought He should fulfill it. They limited God’s promise to their narrow understanding of what it was. They had a picture in their minds of what and how and when it didn’t line up with that, rather than saying, “We missed it, we’re wrong! This is it!” they rejected the real thing and said, “This isn’t it. We’ll wait until God gets it right, until it’s the way and how we think it should be.”

How often do we limit God’s blessings/promises in our lives? How often do we end up rejecting that manifest blessing/promise, thus resisting God and His work in our life, in order to hold out for something in the method and form we think it should be.

2) I think they were proud and thus stiff-necked, about what they thought they knew. They were inflexible, unteachable, and unwilling to admit they were wrong or didn’t understand and then change.

This unwillingness to be shaped and molded, this unwillingness to be teachable and recognize that we don’t know it all, and even what we think we know may only be a small fragment of a much larger picture that will require us to change some things as we gain a more fuller understanding, this unwillingness to change when we’re wrong or when God wants to work outside the box of what we understand, what is convenient, and what is comfortable is sin and robs us and others of God’s best, His blessings/promises as He sees best to give them.

3) I think they were too busy with their own agenda. The were so busied with practicing a dead religion/covenant that God said was over, that they had no time to work with God in this new thing He was doing.

How often do we cling to dead things that are not producing? Maybe they worked in the past, but they aren’t today. How often do we cling to things because it’s what we know or prefer and are comfortable with? How often are we busied by the things of this world, even by religious activities, that we aren’t available to work with God on what He is doing? Thus we go about doing something for God rather than with God, spending our time, money, and energy in things that He’s not even a part of.

4) We know they were living a less than wholly devoted life to the Lord. Jesus regularly referred to them as hypocrites. We know they taught and practice one thing publicly, but privately they lived out something different. It’s not that they didn’t believe in God, but they didn’t walk in the Fear/Honor of God.

This lack of integrity in their faith/spirituality placed them at odds with God rather than coworkers and friends with God. This half-hearted approach to walking with God left them in a place where they had false security, thinking they were right with God, thinking they knew, when in fact they were neither right with God or right in what they thought they knew.

A lack of integrity in our walk with God puts us in the same position. We can lie to others and deceive them, we can even lie to and deceive ourselves, but we can never lie to and deceive God. He knows what we do and say in all places, not just church and around certain believers. He knows what we really think and feel in spite of what front we may put up to cover it.

5) They didn’t have that authentic, intimate, and passionate relationship with God and because they didn’t walk with God faithfully everyday, they were not in the position to really hear from Him and recognize His activity, what He was up to, and in fact they didn’t even recognize Him. They went through all the right motions, but what they had was a substitute for the real thing. They had religion and ritual, but they missed the whole point of this creation… relationship with God.

Relationship isn’t easy and to have a happy, healthy, passionate, and thriving relationship it takes work, investment, and sacrifice. It is for these reasons that many settle for less in their earthly marriage relationships and it’s why many Christians settle for less in their spiritual relationship with God. We think it requires to much from us, we think it costs to much, we want something and don’t want to give it up (we’re selfish). But the fact is, lack of quality relationship with God is probably the key reason we are robbed of God’s best in our life. It’s probably the key reason we don’t hear from God and experience God like He says He wants us to and that we should.

I realize that all 5 of these issues are connected and overlap; yet each one is a specific issue that we must take to heart and take to God.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to become confident in where I am and miss where God wants to take me. I don’t want to become cemented in what little I know and miss the more God wants to teach me. I don’t want to be praying for the blessings/promises of God and then miss them when He gives them to me. I don’t want to think I’m all right with God, but in reality be in a disjointed or even broken relationship with Him.

I want to become all God made me to be. I want to experience all God has for me to experience. I want to walk with God, know God, know His ways, and work with Him in what He is doing and how He is doing it, breaking free from my natural standard of living and break into a supernatural way of life.

The Jesus Standard Part 2

Part 2: Argument: We should teach people to abstain from Alcohol and impose other rules to raise the bar/standard in these people’s lives so they can be world changers. Real Christians will not drink alcohol, listen to secular music, watch R-rated movies, use tobacco products, nor will they hang out with those who do.

Answer: Some feel that because alcohol is so commonly abused we should just say, “do not touch!” Funny cause… Jesus never said it. They feel that while tobacco is never mentioned in the Bible, it has absolutely no health benefit and is known to cause cancer and is therefore a sin to use (hmm… another product of this description comes to mind…Soda Pop!).

If we use this same line of logic toward other areas of known abuse, for example gluttony, do we demand people to abstain from food? In that case everyone would be dead! Or how about the abuse of sex, would we demand everyone stop having sex? Hello extinction! What about prescription drugs? They’re abused! Should everyone get off their medication and never touch it again?

Where do you draw the line? Say no to the person who drinks alcohol in moderation, but say yes to the known glutton when it comes to serving in leadership? What kind of hypocritical standard is that???

Most of the time we go above the standards that Jesus set for us because of fear. We know people are weak and have a tendency to cave in to selfish desires and so it’s easier to demand them to abstain than it is to place personal responsibility on their shoulders to live a balanced life that Jesus actually called us to. That fear may or may not be rooted in personal weakness.

If we look at it from the “don’t do it cause you might sin” perspective then we will be cutting out a lot of things from our lives. How does this measure up to the “life to the full” statement that Jesus made in John 10:10? How does a life that is missing a bunch of pieces, because we’ve cut it out, measure up to “life to the full”?

Let me also say that this legalistic religious approach where we’re telling people they shouldn’t drink alcohol or listen to secular music is being proclaimed by the same people that watch movies that have cuss words, sexual innuendos, or worse depicted in them and they regularly abuse the Chinese buffet! Often times they have even bigger issues in their lives like sexual immorality, addictions, gossip, pride, and so on. Jesus has a word for this type of double standard and overly critical judgmental spirit…hmm… hypocrite.

Luke 11:46 Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

It’s silly that these people want to impose rules on others when even Jesus didn’t. This so called “higher standard” for everyone to live up to doesn’t seem to keep these same people from having their own issues or help them or anyone else in dealing with them.

The Bible warns of this kind of standard and attitude… Colossians 2:20-23 20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

This kind of non-scriptural legalism is described here as being based on human commands and teachings, having an appearance of wisdom, self-imposed, and lacking any value and due to all of this it is destined to perish.

Do we really think God came to give us a big list of do’s and do not’s? He already did that and we couldn’t live up to it! There is right and wrong, but it’s supposed to be done out of love for God and conscience not some man-made list of rules. Jesus said the whole law was summed up in two commands “Love God” and “Love your neighbor” (Mark 12). Hmm, what about music, movies, food, technology, and all these other issues we’re going to have to face?

There are rights and wrongs and they are more issues of how not what. Sex is an issue of how it’s done, not if it’s done. Food and Drink is an issue of how it’s done, not if it’s done. Dress is an issue of how it’s done, not if it’s done. What’s our motivation, is it a demonstration of love or selfishness?

Paul addressed the issue like this: Romans 14:1-4 1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Note first of all that there are “disputable matters” (Vs 1). Secondly, note that we’re not to pass judgment. Thirdly, note: in this scripture who is of weaker faith, the one whose faith allows him to eat all foods or the one whose faith leads him to abstain?

The issue here is being led by the Spirit within and making sure that we use the biblical standard of 1Corinthians 10:31 (So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God), to compare our life with and make sure our motives are right.

You may want tell people they shouldn’t entertain non-Christian literature, music, movies, and so on, but even Paul was familiar enough with the non-Christian literature that he could quote it (Acts 17:28 As some of your own (Athenian) poets have said, 'We are his offspring.') and some of it was even from other religions (Titus 1:12-13 Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." 13This testimony is true.).

You can say that YOU don’t like people to drink alcohol, but you can’t say it’s wrong. Jesus drank alcohol and ate with the wrong crowd to such a degree that he was called a “drunkard, glutton, and friend of sinners.” (Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions.") Notice that last phrase, “wisdom is PROVED RIGHT by her actions”? What is Jesus talking about? He’s talking about something that makes us very uncomfortable.

It’s so much easier to just teach abstinence from all things potentially misused or abused, but the problem is where do you draw the line and who is it that makes the rules, since Jesus didn’t. In fact, not only did Jesus regularly eat and drink (alcoholic wine mind you) with the wrong people, but also his first miracle was to turn water in to wine, and not just a little! Scholars tell us it was between 120 to 180 gallons of wine. Here Jesus is hanging out at a wedding. The party has been going on for some time to the point that the host runs out of wine. You can’t tell me these people weren’t feeling a buzz. Then Jesus makes more, a whole lot more, of the best wine they had ever tasted! Was he endorsing drunkenness? Was he condemning them to hell? Was he sinning? The obvious answer is NO (Don’t even waste your time saying, “Well it was alcohol free wine.” Please, these people know the difference between the BEST wine and grape juice. This was an important statement God was making in making this the first miracle of Jesus’ ministry)!

Oh, there are lots and lots of guidelines and commands in the Bible to direct us in the proper use of every aspect of life, and we ARE to abide by them, but we are not to make up more rules. This was the sin of the Pharisee’s. They elevated their man-made rules to the same level (or higher) as God’s commands. (Matthew 15). Jesus wasn’t pleased. He was angry and condemned them and their teaching! Go read it!

Many will quote Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. But, the thing to remember is this stumbling block goes both ways. Those who know there freedoms must be careful, but so should those who want to live a stricter more rule oriented lifestyle. Those who don’t feel such freedom are not to judge those who do, nor are they to impose their religious rules upon others.

The inconsistent application of the legalistic standard these people want to impose just makes them look more like a hypocritical Pharisee instead of more like Jesus. You can’t drink alcohol, but you can drink pop, which is worse for you from a health perspective. You can’t drink alcohol, but you can abuse the all you can eat buffet. You don’t want people to be in leadership if they drink alcohol or smoke or chew, but you’ll over eat, look at porn, have sex outside of marriage. How can you judge and impose inconsistent standards. You’ll say don’t use a non-Christian song or video to share the gospel with others, but you’ll rent or buy movies that are far worse in content than either of the above mentioned.

This type of behavior doesn’t make us look good. It makes us look like hypocrites. And being legalistic, making up a bunch of man made rules or making our personal convictions into rules, is not making us more like Jesus it’s making us more like the hypocritical religious Pharisees.

There is nothing wrong with personal convictions; in fact that is what makes Christianity a personal walk with Jesus. There are fundamental truths that we adhere to, but there are a lot of areas where Jesus knows what is best for us as individuals, what we can and can’t handle, and it may not be the same for your neighbor, and we’re not to try to make them abide by this personal conviction because it’s not them with the problem.

I’m not making this stand to justify personal compromise. In spite of the fact that the scripture teaches that a person can drink alcoholic beverages and it’s not wrong, I have a personal conviction that I shouldn’t drink alcohol, but I don’t push this conviction on other people. I teach what the Bible teaches about alcohol, that the abuse is wrong, just as I teach what the Bible says about food, that the abuse is wrong, and sex, that the abuse is wrong. I do not teach abstinence from these things, I teach abstinence from the abuse of these things and the abuse is engaging in these things outside of what God says is the standard of what is right (the appropriate behavior) in a specific area.

For some reason my approach rubs a lot of people the wrong way. They want me to teach people to abstain from alcohol altogether, but they don’t expect me to teach people to abstain from food, sex, money, words, tv, music, medication, cars, guns, or any of the other many things that are abused/misused. They want me to make a right or wrong out of something that isn’t a right or wrong issue.

Why isn’t the Bible good enough? Why isn’t Jesus’ standard of proper use and moderation good enough for us? Why do we feel the need to impose (out of fear or some other wrong reason) rules that God didn’t give, just like Adam did to Eve, and look where that got us. More rules doesn’t make anything better, just look at the lives of those who are clamoring for this “higher standard”.

We’re not justifying sin or saying there are NO RULES! By all means, hold fast to, teach, enforce, and live out the rules or standards the Bible gives us and in NO WAY compromise them, but don’t start judging others because in the area of “Disputable Matters” (Romans 14:1) people don’t see things your way or want to live up to your personal convictions. That’s not going to make them or you more like Jesus anyway! It’s going to make them more like YOU or turn away from the faith! Live out your personal convictions with great discipline and zeal in the grey areas, but don’t push them on to other people. Accept that there is flexibility in some areas.

Let’s truly ask the question, how close can we get to Jesus, and stick with the Jesus standard.

What will it look like? In a lot of areas it’ll look the same from one person to the next, but in a lot of other areas it’ll look very different. What are we to do? Love one another, pray, share, hold one another to the indisputable standards, and trust Jesus for the rest!

This isn’t easy or comfortable. It leaves a lot in the hands of the individual believer. It forces us to trust Jesus that he knows what he’s doing.

The Best Part

As a person who claims to be a follower of Jesus I have to regularly evaluate my life with Jesus, as it is written to “Test yourselves to see if you are STILL in the faith.”

I have to ask the tough question of, “Am I living up to the commitment I made to Jesus?” I have to honestly evaluate whether I’m the real deal, or just a hypocrite.

Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

Do I seek Jesus and his way above all other things, or do I put OTHER things FIRST?

Jesus said, “If you love me you’ll obey my commands.”

I say I love Jesus, but do I really? What am I saying and proving by my actions daily? Am I showing love toward God?

Jesus said, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Is there anyone or anything that I love (prioritize/pursue/live for) more than Jesus? Do I take the time to “take up my cross”, in other words consider my life and the things in it that need to change, and then make those changes no matter how painful? Do I make the time, do I put forth the energy and effort, do I make the sacrifice to grow in my faith and be more like Jesus?

Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Am I passionate and zealous in living for Jesus or am I half-hearted about it? Do I diligently pursue God and his plan for my life? When I obey Jesus and follow him, am I doing it because I really want to or because I have to (it’s my religious obligation)? Am I really living FOR Jesus, or do I still live for myself?

God said, “Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.”

Is God getting my best or my leftovers? Is he number one in my life, the one I truly live for, or is he just a hobby? Am I taking the BEST of ALL God has given me, and giving it to Him (The best of my time, money, talents, energy, etc.)?

These are questions that no one can answer for me, except me, and they must be answered.

For too long people have been able to just attend church and live life any way they want, but at some point we have to say, “Enough is enough!”

When will we really care enough to be the real deal and to make following Jesus (which we claim to be) THE priority in our life, so much so that we will make the commitment and sacrifice to personally grow, becoming more like Jesus every day, and reaching out to those who don’t know him with the love and truth of Jesus?

LEFTOVERS

I don’t know about you, but if I walked into a restaurant and ordered a meal and it came out cold and soggy I’d be a bit miffed. Let me add, I’d feel a little weird if someone invited me over to his or her house for dinner, without forewarning, and it was cold soggy leftovers. I may or may not have passed.

Does this turn your stomach? Let me give another picture…

Imagine a pro athlete on Game Day going out to the beach, swimming, maybe going to a mall shopping, going out to dinner, and heck, let’s mow the lawn too, then he goes into the arena, suits up, and runs onto the field to play the game.

How good of a game do you think he’ll have? What benefit will he be to the team? What is he really offering to his boss and teammates? (The answer is leftovers or not much of anything)

We do this often with God… but he deserves our best. Our best time, best talents, best energy, best character, best thought, best you name it.

So often we claim Jesus is number one in our life, but in all honesty we are hypocrites.

A hypocrite is literally a person who wears a mask, a person who pretends or acts, a fake, someone whose claims and lifestyle do not match or line up.

While we claim Jesus is Lord (the master, boss, supreme authority) of our life we don’t live like it… we still run our life (acting and reacting) the way we want to or feel like in any given circumstance.

While we claim Jesus is number one (first place) in our life we don’t live like it… If we can’t fit Bible reading, prayer, church, serving in ministry, or just plain acting like a Christian by serving someone in need into our busy schedule then we just cut one or all of these things out because we can’t cut out those extra hours of work, or hobbies, or movies, or TV, or household chores, and so on.

In a very real way, when it comes to our lives, for most of us God is just getting our leftovers, the cold soggy parts of our lives; Certainly a lot less than our best.

I challenge you to examine whether God’s getting your best or your leftovers. Ask the tough question: Am I a hypocrite? And then respond accordingly.

We don’t ask these questions just to gain information. The point of learning is always transformation through application. In other words, if we’re not acting like a Jesus is really number one in our life, then let’s admit it, and change! Start living with Him as number one, doing things his way getting His results!