Lord of the Wine pt.1

John 2:1–11 (ESV) — 1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

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There are a lot of people that reject or turn away from Christianity without really understanding it. The misconception is that if you want to have fun, you have to do that apart from Christianity.

There are reasons to reject Christianity but that’s not one of them. If you have rejected Christianity because you believe that you can’t have fun and be a Christian then you have rejected it without understanding what it is.

Do you like partying? Dancing? Celebrating? Can you imagine going to a party that lasts and entire week?!

That's what a Jewish wedding was like and that's the setting for this text. At Jewish weddings there would have been tons of food, wine, dancing and games. The party would have been huge to; it’s likely that the whole community would have been involved.

The first miracle that Jesus performs is at a party like this. I'd like to point out that Jesus isn't standing outside the party being "holy" while everyone is inside having a good time. Jesus was right there, inside the party. Jesus was actually known to hang out with the “unrighteous” and was constantly invited to different parties. Some of His critics actually accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard.

Now, this isn't just a miracle that Jesus does here...it's his first miracle and the Bible tells us it's more than just a miracle, it's a sign. That means that there's more meaning to this, it actually is a parable of what Jesus entire ministry is going to be like.

This miracle also has the earmark of authenticity. Let me tell you what I mean. If you were going to make up a religion and you were writing fictional stories about the miracles that your deity is going to perform....you would want the deity's first miracle to really set the stage. You would want it to be awesome and really make a statement. Think about how important first impressions are, your deity's movement is going to be judged by this first "act." It's just like a website, your first look at a website should impress you and invite you in further, if it looks shady or lame you don't want anything to do with it.

What was Jesus' first miracle? He saves some irresponsible teenagers from being embarrassed by throwing a poor party and only the servants and his disciples knew about it. That's not exactly a grand entrance. He could have raised the dead or made a blind man see or walked on water....but instead He makes a bad party into a great party and the only people who even knew about it were those that were low on the social ladder, without any influence in society. That's the calling card that He leaves.

That's a mark of authenticity...you wouldn't make that up! It's too unimpressive; it would only be recorded that way if it actually happened that way.

Because the Bible tells us that this is a sign, we know that Jesus is making a statement here. This miracle shows us what he's really come to do. He has come to take our lives (that are quickly coming to an end just like the supply of wine at the wedding) and make them new and abundantly more than we had before.

Jesus didn't come to the earth to condemn it; He came bringing joy...which is what He does at this party.

In verse 9 you see a man referred to as "the master of the feast." This is the guy that would have been tasked with making the party fun. You know the type of person, this guy in our day would announce the new husband and wife as they walk into the reception dinner, or that gets everyone over to the dance floor. It was his responsibility to keep the party going and to make sure everyone was having a good time.

Jesus, however shows Himself to be the true Master of the Feast. Jesus is the one that saves the party from being an embarrassment and provides more wine...and just not box wine....the good stuff!

There’s a misconception that Christianity is something like this, "Well, I have to follow these rules...I don't like it but it's either this or hell."

Or

"Well, I've had my fun...now it's time to buckle down and start being a good person."

Christianity is actually a continual chasing after pleasure. You see that Jesus didn’t rebuke the people for partying; He actually elevated the party to a whole new level. That’s what Christianity is like. As humans we have a deep-seated desire to chase after pleasure, once you become a Christian you still chase after what gives you the most pleasure…but you’ve found something that gives vastly more pleasure than the tiny pleasures that our culture has to offer. Jesus is saying that following Him is actually the highest pleasure.

A Christian treasures their relationship with Jesus and finds more fulfillment and joy in that than they do in the pleasures of the world. It’s the difference between seeing a picture of a gooey chocolate cookie and eating the gooey chocolate chip cookie. It’s the difference between seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon and white water rafting through the Grand Canyon. It’s the difference between watching a roller coaster on TV and actually sitting on the front row of the roller coaster as it descends into a 100-foot plummet.

So how do you get a relationship with Jesus that’s like this?

I’ll first tell you how not to do it.

You do not get a relationship with Jesus like this by modifying your behavior. You do not get it by doing good things and not doing bad things. You do not get it by getting more knowledge about the Bible. You do not get it by treating others as you would have them treat you. You do not get it by going to church. You do not get it by giving to the poor. You do not get it by sitting through a sermon without falling asleep. Do you see a pattern here?

Usually we assume that if I do A, B & C then I have put God in my debt, He owes me. If I just did A, B & C then my life would be better.

You know where this ends right? This will either end in pride or despair. Either you will buckle down and do A, B & C or you will try your hardest to do it a fail.

If you are the one that is able to succeed in pulling it off this is what life will likely feel like to you…there will be days where you feel great because you’ve had a good track record, then there will be days where you feel like you can’t approach God because of how you’ve let him down by not doing your end of the bargain. You will likely look down on others who are unable to perform as well as you. You may say that you are saved because Jesus died for you, but at the end of the day what you really believe is that you are saved because of how you’ve performed recently and your whole relationship with Jesus stands or falls on how you’ve done that day. This ultimately ends in pride.

Here’s the other path. You try your hardest to do A, B & C and you fail. You have realized that it’s not even possible to live that way. But you notice that other people seem like they are able to do it so you fake it. Even though you know you can’t live up to the standards you make it seem as if you are so that others will think that you are a “good” Christian. This just ends in despair; your whole walk with God is reduced to a sort of play that you act out and changes depending on who’s around at the time.

This it is not genuine Christianity. A life lived like either of these does not really believe that Jesus paid the debt in full at the cross. A life lived like this believes that Jesus paid some of the debt on the cross, but really when it comes down to it there is still some debt that you have to pay on your own. When the cards are on the table what it really comes down to is that you have to perform in order to please God.

That’s not what the gospel is.

So how do you get a relationship with Jesus that is founded on the gospel? It starts with admitting that you’re empty.

The party would have crashed and burned if no one admitted that they were running out of wine. That’s where it all begins. And notice that the problem was brought to Jesus. That’s where you need to start off. If you want a relationship like this, start by telling Jesus that you’re out, that you’re empty. It’s only then that Jesus will take your bad wine that’s quickly running out and replace it with far better wine in great abundance.

Jesus is the true Master of the Feast, He has come bringing joy…if you want to experience the joy that Jesus brings it all starts with saying, “I’m empty Jesus, please help me.”

The Deliverer

Mark 15:6–15 (NLT) — 6 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. 7 One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. 8 The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual. 9 “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. 10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 11 But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. 12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!” 15 So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
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What do you live for? What gives your life meaning? What comforts you?

However you responded to those questions, whatever answer you gave...are you happy with it? Do you think what makes you happy now will continue to make you happy in a year, two years, ten years?

What if I told you I could offer you something better?

You might be saying, "Oh great, some flimsy spiritual answer." But give me a chance, hear me out.

Oppression

The Jewish people were once enslaved by the Egyptian government. They were given poor living conditions and forced to work for almost no pay or food. They are the ones that the Egyptian higher ups would take advantage of to build their buildings and any other manual labor they didn't feel like doing. This went on for some 400 years.

The Jewish people cried out to their God, Yahweh, to deliver them from slavery and Yahweh subdued the Egyptian government through various plagues and miracles and caused the Egyptians to rid themselves of the Jews rather than face the wrath of Yahweh. Part of this deliverance involved killing a lamb and smearing its blood around your doorpost. God spoke to their political leader Moses saying that the angel of death would pass over those homes which had the blood on their doorposts and not kill the first born of that family.

Now this isn't a fable or myth, if you watched a History channel documentary on the Jewish people this is literally their history and the way the story is still told today.

To remember this deliverance from oppression the Jewish people celebrate once a year a feast called Passover. It is to remember that Yahweh delivered them from slavery to the Egyptian government and brought them through the desert into land that was promised to them.

This text picks up at the time of Passover. The Jewish people of Jesus' time were ruled by the Roman Empire. Rome had control over the Jewish nation and allowed the Jews freedom to regulate themselves as long as it didn’t oppose Caesar or get out of hand. However, the Romans were seen as superior to the Jewish people. For instance, at any time a roman soldier could ask any Jew to carry his pack and belongings for one mile….the Jew by law was required to comply or face penalties.

The Jewish people were tired of being second class citizens and longed for some way out. They longed for someone to deliver them from their problems.


A Choice Between Saviors

There was a tradition each Passover that the Roman government would release one prisoner.

The options this Passover were:

*Barabbas - a Jewish man who was involved in a revolt against the Roman government and in the process had committed murder.

*Jesus of Nazareth - A Jew from Galilee who had developed a following by preaching about the coming Kingdom of God and who had performed many miracles and healings.

Now to give you a little background...

The Jewish people believed in a Messiah, a man chosen by God, who would come and rise up as a military and political power to overthrow the Roman government. There had been many people that claimed to be the Messiah and had gathered together a following to attack the government, but ultimately they were killed and their followers disbanded.

This happened time and time again.

Now here are two men, Jesus who is claiming to be the Messiah and claims that the Kingdom of God is not only coming, but is now here...and there's Barabbas a man who not only talks the talk but walks the walk as he has already been involved in an attempt to overthrow the Roman government and will likely try again and learn from his mistakes.

The Jews want to once again be released from oppression and here are two men with very different methods trying to do just that.

The crowd is given a choice, "which prisoner will you choose?"

The crowd shouted, "Barabbas!"


A Practical Savior

We all feel under oppression in some way. We all look at something in our life and can see that it’s just not right.

“I shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
“I don’t deserve this.”

Once we identify the oppression, then we look for a savior.

What are you feeling oppressed by?

Maybe it’s a dead-end job. Maybe it’s being single. Maybe it’s your family, or your marriage, or your home, or being poor, or not having enough friends.....whatever it is we all look to something in our life this way.

Then we set our sights on a savior.

If I could just work for a different company, if I just found someone to love me, if I could just move away from my family, if I could just get out of this marriage, if I could just get a bigger home, if I could just make more money, if I could just be more popular……then I’d be happy, then I’d be free from this oppression.

But what happens? Think about the past, now that you see this pattern…look through your experiences in the past. When you get your savior, does it really make you happy?

False saviors may satisfy for certain situations, but they never address our underlying needs.  So history just repeats itself time and time again.

You get a glimpse of this in our text. Barabbas was trying to overthrow the Roman government but it didn’t work because Rome’s military power is vastly superior to a rag-tag group of political rebels…..but what if he had one more shot, then maybe he would succeed!

When our false saviors don’t cut it, we often think, “If I could just have more, then maybe that would fix the problem.”

Do you see how fruitless this is? It didn’t work before, but maybe more of it will.

We do this with money, sex, social status, possessions…you name it.

What I have isn’t good enough, but more would make me happy.

These are all functional, false saviors, they promise eternal happiness but they can only provide temporary pleasure.


How to choose the Better Savior

The name Barabbas means Son of the Father.  Isn’t it ironic that Jesus is the true Son of the Father? The Jewish people saw both men offering solutions to their oppression, but they chose the false savior over the real Savior.

When push comes to shove, we don’t choose Jesus either. When life wounds us we cling to vacations, our bank account, our education, our relationships, etc to save us and comfort us but I want to show you how to choose a better Savior, the True Savior.

The reason we cling to these practical saviors is because at bottom we don’t believe in Jesus as Savior. Whatever you’re struggling with, the reason you are unhappy and unsatisfied is at bottom a belief problem. Imagine that you are in a Nazi concentration camp as a Jew….the situation is horrendous…but what if you knew that today was that last day before you were liberated? You may still be abused, atrocities will still happen, the evil is still just as real….but because of your knowledge of imminent liberation you aren’t affected like someone who doesn’t know of the liberation, someone without hope. The internal belief changes you.

Whatever your heart runs to when it's been wounded, it's settling for a bootlegged, grainy movie in a foreign language when it could have a surround sound movie theater experience. The problem isn’t in our desire to be rescued; the problem is that we fill that desire with lesser saviors. C.S. Lewis puts it this way:

"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Jesus is the only Savior that can still provide, even when your bank account can’t. He will still be there when your other relationships let you down. That job won't always be there to give you identity, but Jesus’ work on the cross will be there to give you identity.

In the text we see Barabbas and Jesus. Barabbas really is guilty for murder and rebellion against the Roman government, but Jesus is innocent. Pilate found no guilt in Him and neither did King Herod. Jesus is the one that receives the punishment so that Barabbas (the guilty) can walk free. This is a foretaste of what was to be accomplished on a cosmic scale on the cross. The guilty can be set free because the truly innocent has taken the punishment.

How do you know that Jesus will satisfy? How do you know He’ll come through? How do you know He’ll hold up His end of the deal? Because he’s already accomplished the most difficult part, all the problems you’re dealing with are a piece of cake compared to what He’s already been through to save you.

He lost the only relationship that really matters, His relationship with God the Father so that you could gain it. He left His heavenly family so that you join it by being adopted into it. He left all the riches He had in heaven so that you could gain the only riches that matter in this world. He left the fame, popularity and acceptance of heaven so that you could gain the only acceptance that is of any value.

Don't you see? Because Jesus came down and suffered oppression for you, you can be freed from the only oppression that really matters. Because of Jesus coming down, living a perfect life, suffering the cross and rising from the dead, you can be free from enslavement to sin and death.

Instead of being disappointed by practical saviors, turn to the real Savior that loves you and has already paid the highest price possible to save you.

Romans 8:32 (NLT) - 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

For Barabbas the price was paid, he was set free. Our trying to earn salvation or acceptance from God is like a child trying to buy a yacht with his weekly allowance. Barabbas wasn't set free because of his good behavior. The price was paid while he was in all probability an enemy of Jesus. He was set free because of Jesus and what Jesus chose to do.

It's only when you see that Jesus paid the price for you that you can step out of the endless cycle of false saviors. Why settle for dumpster diving when you can walk inside and eat at the buffet for free?!

It's only when you see that Jesus has already given you the most valuable possession in a relationship with the Father and eternal life that you can be freed from running to false, practical saviors that will in the end leave you worse off than you were before.

This text takes place during the Passover, a time when the Jewish people remembered how God had delivered them from slavery years ago. It was during this Passover that the true lamb of God came down and by His blood set His people free not only from slavery to Egypt, but from slavery to sin and death.

Jesus fulfilled the true meaning of the Passover by becoming our Passover lamb. Because of Him, we too have been set free.

Jesus the Politician

Mark 12:13–17 (NASB95) — 13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14 They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15 “Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” 16 They brought one. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.

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Was Jesus a Republican or Democrat? Was he for big business? What about social justice? 

As hostile as the political arena seems today, it was even more toxic in Jesus' time. If you fell on the wrong side of a political issue when you were in the wrong crowd, it could mean death.

Jesus was born a Jew while the Jewish people were subjugated by the Roman government. The Jewish people were allowed to police themselves to an extent, but if things got out hand the Roman government stepped in and handled the matter severely...a shoot first, ask questions later approach.

Rome was ruled by a Caesar who had absolute authority and whose commands were executed without any questions asked. You did not want to do anything that pitted you against the Caesar.

In this text we have recorded an incredible account of Jesus interacting with the politics of His day. I wanna show you Jesus' political position, He was not politically complacent nor did He put politics before all else. His position is radical.

To give you the context, before this encounter with the Pharisees and Herodians Jesus had barged into the temple, interrupted the commerce there, and chased people out with a home-made weapon. Then he set up camp there and began teaching and drawing crowds with his talk of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Needless to say this upset the people he drove out, namely the Pharisees and Herodians, who by the way were not friends but had united to try and take down Jesus.

They had devised a plot to get Him killed. They were going to ask Him a loaded question. If he responded one way He would lose His following and been seen as a phony, if responded another He would get himself killed. Either way they would win. The question is one that still has interest for us today...taxes.

But this tax was no ordinary tax....it was a head tax. It was one denarius which isn't a lot. If you had to put it into a modern equivalent that would be something like a quarter. So why is it such a big deal?

Let me explain, Jesus is a Jew from Galilee. When this tax was implemented, some 25 or so years before this event there was another Jew from Galilee named Judas. Judas had busted into the temple and drove out the gentiles and cleared the place of riff-raff. Then Judas of Galilee had instructed his followers not to pay the head tax. While the tax wasn't a significant amount, it was purpose of the tax that was offensive to a Jew. The head tax was a tax simply for having the pleasure of being under the rule of Caesar.

Judas of Galilee started a military and political rebellion that caused the Roman government to step in and silence them.

Then here comes Jesus, a Jew from Galilee who has developed a following of his own by preaching about the Kingdom of God.

Now because we are apart of western mindset we imagine that the Kingdom of God is some sort of spiritual, inner experience, not an actual Kingdom. The Jewish people would not have heard it that way, they were expecting Jesus to rise up in political and military power to crush the Roman government and restore Israel back to power.

Jesus is even walking in the footsteps of Judas by storming into the temple and clearing it of riff-raff. The echoes of Judas actions still ring in the ears of the Pharisees and Herodians as they ask the question, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?"

If he says no, then his followers (who would have been there to hear his response) would see that he was just blowing smoke. If he says yes, then he's essentially saying that he's here to start a rebellion against Caesar....which they could then report to the Roman authorities and have Jesus killed.

Jesus, what party are you for? Which side are you on? Where do you stand on this issue, are you for it or against it? Tell us! Yes or no?

Jesus's response is remarkable.

He says, "bring me a denarius to look at." Notice that Jesus doesn't even have one, he has to ask them to provide one. Then he says, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 
On the coin would have been an imprint of Caesar's image, but here's the thing...do you know what the inscription read?

"Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine." The other side would have read, "High Priest."

17 And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.

What's so amazing about that?

The word we translate as "render" means give back what they deserve. Jesus is saying give Caesar what he deserves.......and how much does a tyrannical, power-hungry murder deserve after all? The coin has his image on it so it must be his, at least give that to him.

Then he says, give to God what he deserves. The coin had Caesar's image on it, but humans are made in God's image.

Jesus answer is amazing because of how much it said and how little it said. He said essentially said yes and no at the same time. Respect Caesar but Caesar isn't the ultimate be-all end-all, God is....and He's who you ultimately need to pay homage to.

His answer expressed all this meaning without falling into the traps they had set...

But that's not what's impressive about this encounter. Why is it recorded in three of the gospel accounts? What's so important about it?

Here the stage is set for the contrast between a great king and the King of kings. 

You have Caesar, the king with all the wealth and Jesus the King without a quarter. 

Jesus is a completely different kind of King. The things that Caesar spends his life chasing after are seen as valueless by Jesus. Jesus earlier had contrasted the values of this world with the values of His kingdom. He says...

Luke 6:20–26 (NASB95) — 20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

Jesus is saying, you here in this world...you orient your life around power, status, wealth, comfort. All the decisions you make in this life are to bring you more power, more wealth, more comfort to yourself...but my kingdom is completely different. Those won't satisfy, those won't fulfill, only my Kingdom can give you the fulfillment you are looking for. Once you are in my kingdom, you are freed from slavery to those things and free to use them for the good of others.

Don't you see? Where do politicians go wrong? They go wrong when they get caught up in chasing the values of this world. Politicians are dirty when they seek their own wealth instead of the wealth of the people they're supposed to be representing. When they seek the comfort of themselves instead of the comfort of the people.

Only through faith in Jesus can you been freed from those things in order to truly help others. Only in Jesus can you be freed to truly be a political activist that can make a difference.

Jesus' political view was to complex to be simplified with a label, He was not a pacifist nor did He ascribe highest value to politics. Jesus started a political revolution that changed the world. He didn't just overthrow the king, he overthrew all of the values of the worldly kingdom. He didn't just change the players, he changed the game.

Caesar claimed to be the son of god and the high priest but Jesus is the real Son of God and true High Priest. Caesar kills those that oppose him but Jesus prayed forgiveness for those that were killing Him as they crucified Him. Caesar lives in a lavish palace and uses his strength to oppress the weak. Jesus gave up his heavenly palace so that we could have a place in it. Jesus gave up his strength in order to save those who are weak.

Don't you want a King like that?

Two Brothers

Luke 15:11–32 (NLT) — 11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’ 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ 28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ 31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ ”

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There are two ways to live apart from Jesus, to openly deny Him or to live a life so "good" that you don't need Him.

This is a parable that Jesus told, right before this parable he tells two more...

Luke 15:4–7 (NLT) — 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

and...

Luke 15:8–10 (NLT) — 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Jesus is showing that when a sinner repents, God responds with love and joy. But what about the Prodigal Son parable.....it's different but how?

The father in the Prodigal Son parable still responds with love and joy as God would, but there's a third character involved...the older brother.

Why is that important?

In this parable Jesus is showing us what it looks like to come to him. In order to come to Jesus, to be in relationship with Him, you first have to realize your need for Him, and you have to realize that you have nothing to offer Him...you are relying upon His mercy.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” 

Then the parable shows us how God responds...

 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

God meets our cries for help with love and compassion. Notice that the father ran out to meet the son when he was a long way off.

Now keep in mind what the Father has been through, the son asked for his share of the inheritance....this is essentially saying, "I wish you were dead so I can have the money that's coming to me."

Also this was an agrarian society, in order to give the son his inheritance the father would have had to interrupt the regular farm life, try and sell his property and possessions potentially endangering the sustainability of the farm all to give a foolish, unappreciative boy his money.

This was not normal practice, this would have been an absurdly selfish request.

In spite of the wrongs that the son had committed against the father, the father is happy to see the son and runs out to him meeting him where he's at.

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 

These are all signs of of sonship, distinguishing the son from the hired hands. The finest robe was a sign of position in the family. The ring was a sign of his restored family position and authority. The sandals were a sign that he was the son of the owner, not a hired hand. The fatted calf, Jews only ate red meat on special occasions, it was the most valuable meat. Also it's implied that the whole community would have been invited because of the amount of meat that's being prepared (fatted calf). This means that the father would have solved the problem of the sons acceptance back into the community with this feast.

But in all of this, how does the older brother react? When the young son asks for his inheritance..the older brother is silent. Is that normal? We would think of an older brother as knowing better and trying to talk sense into the younger brother...but we see in the parable that the older brother does not.

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

The older brother is not happy that his younger brother has returned. Wouldn't we expect an older brother to take care of his younger brother? The older brother should have gone out searching for the younger brother and tried to reconcile the younger brother with the father. But we see that not only has the older brother not looked for his younger brother, he's angry when he comes back home!

There is no love in the older brother. The older brothers life is characterized by strict discipline, doing exactly (and seemingly only) what's expected of him. He didn't care when his brother left, he didn't try to talk him out of it or reason with him or hunt him down. He says, "this son of yours," this shows the extent of the anger and bitterness he feels towards his brother.

Also his reaction to his father's actions upon the younger brothers return shows a lack of communication with his father. It seems that they had never discussed what would happen if his brother was found, the older brother seems shocked at the fathers continued love for the younger brother. A simple conversation would have revealed this, but the older brother did not know this about his father showing that the relationship that the older brother has with the father is one of duty, not genuine relationship.

Why is it important that the third parable involves an additional character (the other parables were the lost sheep and the lost coin)? It shows that there are two types of responses to God.

There are those that reject God and want to be god of their own lives doing whatever they see as desirable. There's also a second category of people, these are people that have the appearance of a relationship with God, they have the appearance of righteousness, but inside there is no love and they do not know God.

The second approach is that of legalism, morality, earning God's favor by your own behavior.

Both of the brothers in this parable are distant from the father, but the younger repents and is given grace. The older brother has tried to be so good that he doesn't need grace, which is equally if not more rebellious than the younger brother was in the beginning.

Which brother are you more like?

While God is represented by the father in this story, the older brother certainly leaves us wanting and points forward to a greater older brother. In Jesus we have a better older brother, who not only lives a life that perfectly pleases the father but is in a perfect relationship with the father. An older brother who doesn't just let us leave the farm and waste our life but who travels great distances to chase after us and find us when we're eating with the pigs and bring us home.

Jesus came down from heaven where he lived in perfect harmony with the father, traveled a great distance by coming to our planet in the form of a baby. Jesus lived a life that we couldn't live, sinless, perfectly pleasing the Father, Jesus died on the cross causing himself to be separated from his Father so that we could gain a relationship with our true Father. He gave up his robe, ring, and sandal so that we could wear them. He left the heavenly feast so that we could partake in it.

We don't have the humility and boldness to return to the Father on our own like the younger brother nor do we have the ability to swallow pride to see that we can't earn the Father's affection like the older brother should have. It's only when we see what Jesus has already done for us are we able to humbly come before the Father. 

When you see that you are completely unworthy because of your sin, but you realize that you are accepted in the Father's sight because of what Jesus has done, only then will you have the humility and boldness to come before the Father. Without Jesus you may realize that you are a sinner, but you won't have the boldness to approach the Father or you may be bold but not realize the depth of your sin and need for mercy. Only in Jesus can you be both humble and bold before the Father.

Only in Jesus do we truly see how demanding the law is, it doesn't require just good behavior, it requires a love for the Father and a love for others that we can't fake. The older brother lacked love as we do when we try and earn our salvation, only in Jesus do we see perfect obedience and perfect love. Only when we see how high the standard is in Jesus can we come to grips with our inability to keep the law and our need for grace.

Only through faith in Jesus can we be reconciled to the Father.

Empty? Empty!

Luke 24:6–7 (RSV) — 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,7 that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise.”

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So you expect me to believe that a man rose from the dead? That's just ridiculous! I only believe in things that can be proven. Give me facts!

Well, let's talk about it.

The empty tomb of Jesus is actually much closer to fact than most people would lead to you believe. There are people whose entire job revolves around studying the New Testament documents that we have. Not all of these people are believers. Some are Jews, some are agnostics, some are atheists, some are Christians but all are very well educated.

Just because NT scholars believe something to be true, doesn't mean that it is. However, if scholars from both ends of the spectrum (believers and unbelievers in Jesus) agree on something, that usually means that there is compelling evidence for such an agreement.

Recently a scholar by the name of Gary Habermas did a survey of over 2,200 publications on the resurrection in English, French, and German since 1975. He found that approximately 75% of scholars accepted the historicity of the discovery of Jesus' empty tomb.

Also, according to Jacob Kremer, another NT scholar who has specialized in the study of the resurrection, "By far most scholars hold firmly to the reliability of the biblical statements about the empty tomb."

The evidence is so compelling that even a number of Jewish scholars, such as Pinchas Lapide and Geza Vermes, have declared themselves convinced on the basis of the evidence that Jesus' tomb was found empty.

Why is it important that his tomb was found empty? Because if we agree that the tomb was empty, then we are left with the task of explaining and it...

Let's look quickly at the different attempts to explain the empty tomb and you can decide which is best.

The Conspiracy Hypothesis
The disciples stole the body and lied about His resurrection appearances, thus faking the resurrection.

While this was a popular theory in the eighteenth century by European deists, today however, it has been completely given up by modern scholarship.

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright sums it up like this, "if you're a first-century Jew, and your favorite Messiah got himself crucified, then you've basically got two choices: Either you go home or else you get yourself a new Messiah. But the idea of stealing Jesus' corpse and saying that God had raised him from the dead is hardly one that would have entered the minds of the disciples."

The only place you really read about this theory anymore is in the popular, sensationalist press or Internet fantasies.

The Apparent Death Hypothesis

Jesus was not completely dead when He was taken dow from the cross. He revived in the tomb and escaped to convince His disciples He had risen from the dead.

Today this hypothesis has also been almost completely given up.

How would the appearance of a half-dead man desperately in need of medical attention have elicited in the disciples the conclusion that He was the risen Lord and conqueror of death? How would you explain the origin of the disciples belief in Jesus' resurrection, since seeing Him again would lead them to conclude merely that He hadn't died? They would not have concluded (upon seeing Him in this state) that He had gloriously risen from the dead.

The Resurrection Hypothesis

God raised Jesus from the grave.

While this at face value may seem to be the least probable explanation, if God exists, this hypothesis seems quite probable especially given the life that Jesus lived and the claims that He made.

This theory requires only one new supposition: that God exists. Surely its rival hypotheses require many new suppositions. For example, the conspiracy hypothesis requires us to suppose that the moral character of the disciples was defective, which is certainly not implied by already existing knowledge; the apparent death hypothesis requires the supposition that the centurion's lance thrust into Jesus' side was just a superficial poke or is an unhistorical detail in the narrative, which again goes beyond existing knowledge; moreover, for the person who already believes in god, the resurrection hypothesis doesn't even introduce a new supposition.

The Conclusion

If you are able to give up a prejudice against miracles, it's hard to deny that the resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation of the facts. What do you think?

John 20:24–29 (NLT) — 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Revelation 1:17–18 (NLT) — 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

 _________________

William Craig, (2010). On Guard. Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.
Jacob Kremer, Die Osterevangelien-Geschichten um Geschichte (Stuttgart: Katholisches Bibelwerk, 1977), 49-50.
Gary Habermas, "Experience of the Risen Jesus: The Foundational Historical Issue in the Early Proclamation of the Resurrection," Dialog 45 (2006): 292.
N.T. Wright, Sewanee Theological Review, 41.2, 1998.

Risen: Fact or Fiction?

Acts 13:28–31 (ESV) — 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.

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The resurrection is a fairy tale. The early church probably just copied the idea from other cultures at the time whose "deities" were also raised from the dead.

Let's consider it...

Where did the idea of Jesus' resurrection come from? What did the Jews themselves believe in regards to resurrection and what did the ancient world believe in regards to resurrection? The answers aren't what you'd expect.

First let's look at the cultural influences at the time. New Testament scholar N.T. Wright has done an impressive amount of research regarding these questions. He notes that the most influential thinker of the time was Homer and as far as Homer was concerned resurrection was just something that didn't happen. Wright provides a helpful summary, "Christianity was born into a world where its central claim was known to be false. Many believed that the dead were non-existent; outside Judaism, nobody believed in resurrection."

The writings of the Greek philosophers like Plato and Cicero portrayed the world in a dualistic view where the body was tainted and the spirit was pure. Those who followed Plato or Cicero did not want a body again; those who followed Homer knew they would not get one.

Wright concludes, "Nobody in the pagan world of Jesus' day and thereafter actually claimed that somebody had been truly dead and had then come to be truly, and bodily, alive once more."

What about the Jews themselves? What did they believe in regards to resurrection?

The teachings of Judaism were that at the end of the world, when time had come to an end, there would be a general resurrection to life for the righteous. However, the Jews had no conception of a resurrection that would take place in the middle of history for only one person. We often look back on history with our own knowledge reading into the situations of the past with our own biases. Jewish belief always concerned a general resurrection of the people at the end of time, not the resurrection of an isolated individual or in the middle of history.

Also professor Edwin Yamauchi has done research on the resurrection and concluded that there is no possibility that the idea of a resurrection was borrowed because there is no definitive evidence for the teaching of a deity resurrection in any of the mystery religions prior to the second century...which would have been way after the Christians were believing in it. It would seem that the other religions were actually influenced by Christianity!

The Jewish idea of Messiah was that a man would rise up in popularity and military/political power and overthrow the foreign powers that were oppressing the Jewish people. If you were following a man that you believed to be Messiah, and instead of rising up and conquering the foreign powers he is arrested by them, beaten, mocked, spit on, stripped naked and crucified, you would conclude that he was not the Messiah.

It would literally require a miracle for the disciples to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. The idea of an isolated resurrection in the middle of history was completely foreign to them, the man that they had been following as Messiah was just crucified (which in Judaism would literally mean that you were cursed by God - thus not Messiah), and they were hiding for their lives locked up in a room together so that they themselves weren't crucified for following Jesus.

Only the resurrection of Jesus would have so changed them and convinced them that Jesus was in fact Messiah. Only an appearance from Jesus who had conquered death could take these cowards and change them to so boldly and fearlessly proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and had risen from the grave. Only an appearance of the risen Messiah would have prompted these men to be willing to die for the belief that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Men are willing to die for what they believe in, but no one dies for what they know to be a lie. These men were willing to die proclaiming Jesus has risen!

Matthew 28:6 (NLT) — 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

These cowards were so fundamentally different that they went on to accuse, to their faces, the very people who were responsible for the death of Jesus........these same guys were, before the resurrection appearances of Jesus, hiding in a locked room like little girls terrified of them.

Acts 3:15 (NLT) — 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

Acts 5:30 (NLT) — 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.

Once cowards, these men had become ferocious and dedicated their lives to the spreading of the gospel message....the message of life, forgiveness, and redemption through Jesus of Nazareth.

Acts 10:39–43 (NLT) — 39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

 _________________

*N.T. Wright, "The Resurrection of the Son of God" (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003)
*William Lane Craig, "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?" in Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus, ed, Michael J. Wilkins and J.P. Moreland (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996)
*Edwin Yamauchi, "Easter: Myth, Hallucination, or History?" Christianity Today, March 15, 1974 and March 29, 1974

Who's on First

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NLT) — 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

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I can't believe in the Bible because it contradicts itself. Even the gospel narratives don't line up! How can you believe in this Jesus guy if even your own "holy book" is full of errors?!

Let's talk about it...

It is true that not all gospel accounts record the exact same story. But what do they differ on? 

The details....

When Jesus is sending out his disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons Luke records

Luke 9:3 (NLT) — 3 “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes.

Mark says...

Mark 6:8 (NLT) — 8 He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money.

Here's another one...

Mark 16:5 (NLT) — 5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked,

then in Luke

Luke 24:3–4 (NLT) — 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

So what are we to believe?! Is it all false?

Think about your own experiences. When people witness an event, do they all recount the event exactly the same? If 2 people witnessed a car accident, would they be able to line up all of the details exactly the same? Probably not, but they would get the main and plain things right. 

In our accounts above, in the first story Jesus is sending out the disciples and the point is that they are not to rely on what they can pack, but rather they are to rely on God to provide. 

In the second story the point is that angels were there and one of the angels ended up speaking to the women who discovered the empty tomb.

If all of the gospel accounts have exactly the same information, that would actually damage their credibility. It would appear that they had all met up and corroborated their stories before writing them down, like you would have to do if you were making up lies. 

Because the gospel accounts don't line up on every detail but still say the same things about the main and plain it actually lends to their credibility!

So what do the gospel accounts all have in common then? What is the main and plain of the gospels?

All four gospels agree that:

Jesus of Nazareth was crucified in Jerusalem by Roman authority during the Passover Feast, having been arrested and convicted on charges of blasphemy by the Jewish Sanhedrin and then slandered before the governor Pilate on charges of treason. He died within several hours and was buried Friday afternoon by Joseph of Arimathea in a tomb, which was shut with a stone. Certain female followers of Jesus, including Mary Magdelene, having observed his interment, visited his tomb early on Sunday morning, only to find it empty. Thereafter, Jesus appeared alive from the dead to the disciples, including Peter, who then became proclaimers of the message of His resurrection.

Minor discrepancies don't affect our case. Historians expect to find inconsistencies even in the most reliable resources. No historian simply throws out a source because it has inconsistencies. Otherwise we'd have to be skeptical about all secular historical narratives that also contain such inconsistencies, which is wholly unreasonable.

There are a lot of people that do not want the Bible to be true, but the fact remains, we have good reason to believe that Jesus of Nazareth walked this earth and really did rise from the grave.

The historian, Kenneth Scott Latourette, says, “As the centuries pass, the evidence is accumulating that measured by his affect on history Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on the planet.” 

The non Christian, Historian, H.G. Wells, says, “I’m a historian. I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all of history.”

Even Fidel Castro, the great Communist Dictator and Revolutionary in Cuba, who does not love and worship Jesus Christ as we do, says this, “I have always considered Christ to be one of the greatest revolutionaries in the history of the world.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great Reformed Baptist Preacher, says this, “Christ is the central fact of the world’s history. To him everything looks forward or backward. All the lines of history converge upon him. All the great purposes of God culminate in him. The greatest and most momentous fact which the history of the world records in the fact of his birth...”

Matthew 1:21 (ESV) — 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

John 3:17 (ESV) — 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Acts 2:21 (NLT) — 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Acts 4:12 (NLT) — 12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT) — 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

 _________________

Craig, W. L., (2010). On Guard. Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.

No God, No Evil

John 17:3 (NASB95) — 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

____

How can God exist if there is so much evil in the world? If He's all-powerful why doesn't he stop it? If He's all-loving why does he allow it? The presence of SO much evil in the world proves that there isn't a God!

These are very serious concerns and I would like to offer some thoughts to consider.

First off, evil actually proves the existence of God! 

If God doesn't exist then there is no objective way to determine what is good or evil. Let me define objective. Objective moral values are values that are absolute, apart from human opinion.

Without the existence of God good and evil are subjective, they depend on our definition of the terms. Maybe you think something is evil but someone else may not think it's evil and there would be no way of determining whose way is correct! Even if there was a consensus, that doesn't make it objectively binding. It would still be subjective because people decided on it.

If there is no God, morality is just something that has evolved to help with our survival, a herd instinct much like how guerillas take care of each other for the betterment of the whole. That means that my murdering babies for fun is socially discouraged but there is nothing objectively evil about it. It's just like wearing white socks with a tuxedo or belching out loud in public...it's frowned upon and rude.

If atheism is true, we have no grounds for saying that the Holocaust was objectively evil. It was just something that the German people had reached a consensus on and decided was good for the flourishing of their society at the time.

But, if you are like me and think that murdering babies for fun is truly evil, or that the Holocaust was truly evil....then that itself attests to the existence of God.

1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist.

2. Evil exists.

3. Therefore, objective moral values exist (some things are evil).

4. Therefore, God exists.

Also if the Christian God exists, then suffering has meaning. 

Let me explain...

Christianity says, "the chief purpose of life is not happiness, but the knowledge of God."

John 17:3 (NASB95) — 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

We naturally assume that if God does exist, His main purpose is to make our lives easier. But what if that's not His #1 priority? 

Christianity says that God's main priority is that more and more people come to a knowledge of Him. Because only by knowing God can anyone have everlasting fulfillment. If that is his main goal it gives meaning to evil/suffering because it is through suffering that we have the greatest opportunities to depend and trust in God. This goes for the one suffering or those around him/her.

Patrick Johnstone's Operation World shows that it is in countries that have severe hardship that Christianity is growing at the greatest rates!

China:

It is estimated that 20 million Chinese lost their lives during Mao's Cultural Revolution. Christians stood firm in what was probably the most widespread and harsh persecution the Church has ever experienced. the persecution purified and indigenized the Church. Since 1977 the growth of the Church in china has no parallels in history. Researchers estimate that there were 30-75 million Christians by 1990. Mao Zedong unwittingly became the greatest evangelist in history.

El Salvador:

The 12-year civil war, earthquakes, and the collapse of the price of coffee, the nation's main export, impoverished the nation. Over 80% live in dire poverty. An astonishing spiritual harvest has been gathered from all strata of society in the midst of the hate and bitterness of war. In 1960 evangelicals were 2.3% of the population, but today are around 20%.

Ethiopia:

Ethiopia is in a state of shock. Her population struggles with the trauma of millions of deaths through repression, famine, and war. Two great waves of violent persecution refined and purified the Church, but there were many martyrs. There have been millions coming to Christ. Protestants were fewer than 0.8% of the population in 1960, but by 1990 this may have become 13% of the population.

Also God's purposes are not limited to this life alone, but reach beyond the grave.

Christianity says that this life is terrible, but it is short and not even worth comparing to how great things will be with God in eternity.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (NLT) — 16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Romans 8:18 (NASB95) — 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

The presence of suffering is a sobering reality, but God permits suffering and evil because it will accomplish an even greater good. We can see this most clearly on the cross where Jesus' suffering and torment allows for a greater good in the redeeming of our souls for those that will believe in Him.

1 Peter 2:22–25 (NLT) — 22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. 25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

_________________

Craig, W. L., (2010). On Guard. Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.

The BBQ is U

Genesis 22:14 (NLT) — 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

____

Have you ever wondered what the Bible is about? Is it a "road map" to life? And "instruction manual" on how to be a good person. If you've ever tried to read through the Old Testament I'm sure you've seen that it get's a little weird and crazy.

The Bible is actually a compilation. It's a ton of different books compiled together in one. The different books can be different genre's, biography, logs/records, architectural plans, narratives, poems, proverbs, etc. So what's it all about?

The Old Testament is Jesus Christ concealed, the New Testament is Jesus Christ revealed.

After Jesus was resurrected from the dead he appeared to two of his followers that were walking to Emmaus. They didn't recognize him at first. They thought they were talking to a stranger...

Luke 24:13–27 (NLT) — 13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” 19 “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago. 22 “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.” 25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

It's from this text (verse 27) that we know we can look back to the Old Testament and see Jesus through those stories.

Let's look at the story of Abraham and Isaac...

By the time that Abraham has Isaac, he is already an old man. In his youth he was a warrior that lead a band of 318 men to defeat an army and rescue his nephew, his nephews family, and all their belongings which had been plundered by the army.

Abraham had also been in relationship with God, showing/proving his faith by leading a life that depended on God.

Abraham and his wife Sarah were unable to have kids. Then once they were old and ancient (way past child-bearing years) the LORD tells them that they will have a son. But God tells them this YEARS before it ever happens. They eventually have a son and the son that they end up having through the LORD's promise was Isaac.

So...he finally gets a son and the LORD says...

Genesis 22:2 (NLT) — 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

I know it seems like God is ridiculous, asking for a child sacrifice...but bear with it for a little bit.

Genesis 22:3–14 (NLT) — 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” 6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” 12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

At the time of Abraham, it was common for religions to offer up child sacrifices for their gods. But not Yahweh.

But why go through all that drama? And where is Jesus in this?

*Jesus like Isaac was a son born of a promise from the LORD, given many years before his birth.

*Jesus like Isaac was born to a woman who could not have conceived apart from a miracle.

*Jesus like Isaac was a firstborn son.

*Jesus like Isaac was greatly loved by His Father.

*Just as Isaac carried the wood that he would be sacrificed on (verse 6), Jesus carried the cross that He would be sacrificed on.

*Just as Isaac submitted to his father, so Jesus submitted to His Father's will, even to death.

*Jesus' Father, like Isaac's father, felt the agony of an innocent son's death

*Just as Isaac was brought figuratively back from the dead, Jesus was literally raised from the dead.

*The mountain that Abraham almost sacrificed his son on. The mountain that the LORD provided a ram as a sacrifice instead of the Abraham's son, that same mountain would become the exact place where Jerusalem was built, and God would provide the ultimate sacrifice in His Son Jesus so that we do not have to taste death.

Hebrews 9:26b (NLT) — 26 ...But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:13–15 (NLT) — 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.

Hebrews 10:4 (NLT) — 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Hebrews 10:10 (NLT) — 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

1 John 4:10 (NLT) — 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.