Tag: Son

Salvation of Becoming
Psalm 2; Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 56:1-8; Luke 2:41-52

Many people have taught and believed that once a person prays the Sinner’s Prayer that they are safe from Hell. The most famous one was used by Billy Graham to lead people to Christ. It is:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name.

Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) has a slightly different version, which is:

Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

And there are plenty more. While Billy Graham led people to Christ through this prayer, something is missing. The Cru version both simplifies and expands on the famous Billy Graham version. Do you see the biggest difference? Look to the end. The Billy Graham version goes, “…I want to…” The Cru version says, “…Take control…Make me…” Billy Graham firmly believed that relationship with Jesus was not, “say the prayer, and you are done.” Yet, many Christians, using Billy Graham’s prayer, believed exactly that. Many responded (related) to Jesus and lived (or live) a life of daily transformation. Others, sadly, said the prayer, did not change (nor submit to being changed), went on the way they already lived, but assumed they were saved.

The Cru version is better in that there is an identification that God will be doing the work, and the person will be doing the submission/inviting/surrendering. The Cru version gets closer to the heart of the matter. Salvation isn’t just a series of words, it is a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In Psalm 2 we read, “You are my son; today I have become your Father.” This a relational transformation. This is the next step of salvation. Both passages of Isaiah consist of relational transformation, you were this, you are now this. Relational transformation is not new to Christ. Through the prophets, God was saying it constantly. It is not the rules, it is the living.

This past Sunday, we heard about Jesus having difficulties of being a 12-year old boy, and doing things as a 12-year old boy would do. Part of the teaching was how after the event of being lost (okay, left behind) and found (at the Temple), Jesus was obedient, and increased in wisdom and stature. This too is relational transformation. There is a tidbit that wasn’t discussed, as it would have distracted from the message: the question of Jesus’ response.

There are 2 common translations of Jesus’ words, “…being about my Father’s business…,” and “…be in my Father’s house…” There is a continuity in Jesus’ words, and that is the relationship to God the Father. While we might take it for granted (especially, since it’s Jesus), in the context of the day, Jesus was connecting his identity (and his inheritance) to God the Father, not Joseph his father. Culturally, this is similar to saying, “you’re dead to me,” to Joseph. While this, of course, wasn’t Jesus’ intent, we can take a lesson from it.

When we pray the sinner’s prayer, make the commitment to allow ourselves to be transformed, and choose to be in relationship with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we are telling the death, the powers of darkness, the world, and our sin, “you are dead to me.” We then take on the mantle of a child of God.
1. If Jesus is the Savior, the Lord, why is the temptation so strong to just “get it done” with a prayer? How should the knowledge of that temptation inform your life with Jesus?
2. Regarding your spiritual life (church, life groups, devotional reading, bible reading, prayer), are you tempted to just, “get it done,” so that you can check it off the list?
3. Why does “get it done” work against a relationship?
4. [FD] Why do you want a relationship with Jesus? What is a relationship?
2019 01 11
Transformational Inheritance
In the Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (11th Ed), (1) a legacy is a gift of personal money or personal property, (2) something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor.

What a dry way to kill a legacy.

Abraham had plenty of personal property and wealth. He was successful from a material point of view. As we say today, though, you can’t take it with you. Stuff can only be given to or taken by others. Abraham was old and was looking at who would get his stuff. As he had no children, It was going to be a servant. While we often overlook this brief mention of Eliezer, this is a good example of someone preparing for the future without him in it. The small business owner that is a wise steward, will make preparations for the company after they are gone, especially for their employees and family members who are dependent upon the business. Abraham was looking out for his people and their families.

God then makes a promise to Abraham that Abraham will have a son to inherit Abraham’s wealth. Well, that’s the way Abraham took it. Then God took it up a notch and said that Abraham’s descendants would number like the stars in the sky. Then God said that there was this huge swath of land that Abraham’s descendants would get, too. While the wealth, property, and land were all good, it was Abraham’s faith (counted as righteousness) that was the true legacy. Faith was the true inheritance.

Through the wealth, property, and land, Abraham and his descendants prospered, fell into ruin, returned, prospered, fell, returned…and so on. Throughout it all, Abraham’s faith is what made it through all of it. Abraham’s faith was the legacy that he passed on, that he didn’t even ask for.

Generations later, an infant boy was born in the City of David. This infant boy had 2 parents who were out of their element (so to speak) before he was born. These 2 parents were inheritors of Abraham’s legacy, and they experienced its fulfillment in a way unimaginable at that point.

In his letter, Paul tells the Galatians (non-Jewish people, like most of us) that they (thus, us) are also inheritors to this legacy of Abraham. To play off of Paul’s words, the original inheritance that Abraham was concerned for was in regards to stuff, land, and the family “name“. This is more along the lines of the child (or slave) who is in bondage to their immediate gratification (the stuff). The true inheritance is one of faith and relationship with God, the Father, that we receive through the gift of the Son, Jesus Christ. It is through the power and working of the Holy Spirit that we are transformed from child (bound by the world) to inheritor (free in faith).
1. Elsewhere, Paul writes about childish things. What are some “childish” things that preoccupy your mind, heart, and soul?
2. The “world” is often concerned about the stuff, and we, too, may fall into that trap. It is good stewardship (according to Scripture) to have an inheritance for your grandchildren. What kind of inheritance do you want to leave?
3. What is the difference, if any, between inheritance and legacy?
KD) What is one thing that you want people to remember about you?
2019 01 10
Great Expectations
Psalm 55:1–7; Luke 2:21–38; 2 Corinthians 11:18–30

Families are often quick to share their expectations of a newborn (or coming) baby. The pressure can be on pretty quickly. The parents, too, have expectations of their children. They are often called “dreams” or “maybe someday.” As much as this can put pressure on the child, it can also put as much (or even more) pressure on the parents. Children are, through no fault of their own, the extension and legacy of their parents. Social media puts pressure on both, for the child to be a star performer, and the parent to be the parent of the star.

Pressure can take on many forms, but there are only 2 types: inside and outside. In the Psalm, we can almost feel the stress and strain that David is under. Many scholars think that this was written while Absalom was in the midst of the overthrow of David (2 Samuel 15–19). That being the case, it makes sense that David is feeling betrayed, and feels very much under pressure. He’s supposed to be the leader of the country and leader of his family, and now he is neither.

In the days of Jesus, the firstborn son would receive the majority of the family property, take over the occupation of their father, lead the family, and strengthen the family legacy. There was no expectation that the son would change occupation (more like pressure to retain the occupation of their father). Joseph and Mary would have this cultural expectation of their son. Yet, on top of it, there is this awareness that this son is not normal, and something unusual is foretold to happen with them. In honor of the Law and tradition, they go to the Temple to have Jesus circumcised. If they had any expectation of this being just a normal thing, the words of Simeon and Anna remind them that all is not normal with Jesus.

We can only imagine the interesting dynamic this created in the immediate family, but also the extended family. The extended family would have the expectation that Jesus would be the leader of his immediate family and follow in his father’s trade, and repeatedly reinforce that expectation. Joseph and Mary would have to be both soft and firm toward the extended family. They probably also lived with an underlying tension that the earthly expectation of Jesus was not the heavenly expectation they had been repeatedly told.

Based on the gap in Scripture regarding Jesus’ life, we are pretty certain that Jesus did follow his father’s, Joseph, trade prior to commencing his ministry. For the family, this would have put off the inevitable, yet it was still coming. The longer Jesus did everyday things, it would be understandable for Mary and Jesus’ siblings to anxiously await for Jesus to up and leave. If we re-read the scriptures, it is quite understandable for the family to be concerned that their entire legacy would be lost, as the powerful don’t like to be taken down. With the example of the Roman power around them, they could have been very afraid that Jesus’ call would negatively affect them, if not cause them to die.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions all the troubles he has gone through as he has traveled. There are natural, criminal, and cultural troubles. Then are troubles of hunger and clothing. While it seems to be almost a tag-on of troubles, we read about Paul’s “pressure” regarding the church. Other than following Jesus, Paul’s biggest concern, his biggest pressure, is regarding the churches. He loves them. He is concerned about and for them. While this phrase seems to be just tossed in there, Paul’s heart shows up in the 13 books of the New Testament that he wrote, THIRTEEN! His heart is for the churches and the people he loves that are in them. He feels responsible for them as leader, shepherd, teacher…and parent.

Jesus came to earth as one of us. He took responsibility for us. As an infant, there wouldn’t be any pressure purposely put on him, but it would still be there.
1. What puts the most “pressure” on you? Job performance? Child performance? Financial success? Material success?
2. When you are under a high amount of pressure, what is your normal response? Do you “just deal” with the pressure? Do you work through to resolve the pressure? Do you surrender it?
3. Jesus bore the “weight” of the world, yet said that his burden was light. How do you think that works?
4. [KD] Did someone ever tell you that you had to do something that you felt you should not do? What did that feel like? What did you do?
2019 01 09
God Uncontained

Psalm 72; Isaiah 6:1–5; Acts 7:44–53

The opening verse of Psalm 72 is a passionate plea to God regarding the transition from David (the king) to Solomon (the king’s son). The plea consists of a having a wise, compassionate, righteous, and feared earthly king of Israel, whose backing is the King of Creation. Up through verse 17, it is about humankind. Verses 18 and 19 show all that precedes is based upon God’s wondrous deeds and glory.

The glory of God takes center stage in Isaiah’s vision. Confronted with God’s glory, Isaiah gives in to despair, knowing that he is unworthy of being there, and on top of it, he lives among people who have forgotten by whose name they are called. These people proclaim God’s name, praise him and offer sacrifices to him. Yet, as Isaiah knows the words that come from their mouths are far from their hearts. Isaiah feels guilt of association, and likely the feeling of having failed to change their hearts.

The people had exchanged the God of the Living for the god that was the temple and rules. The people had exchanged relationship with God for empty phrases and actions. In the midst of his response to the Sanhedrin, Stephen (Acts 7:44-53) recalls that God made it all and that the Tabernacle (the tent of worship) and the Temple (built by Solomon to replace the Tabernacle) were just human places. Whether Tabernacle, Temple, or church building, nothing can contain the glory of God.

1) Scripture is filled with specific places where God met with people. If God is everywhere, why are places still important?

2) Why is limiting God to specific places a problem? Why can it be a problem when there are not places set aside to meet with God?

3/KD) Can you think of a specific place where you have met or experienced God? Have you ever gone back to that place? How did it feel?

2019 01 04
Old With New

Psalm 147:12-20, Proverbs 1:1-7; James 3:13-18

He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and judgments to Israel.
He has not done this for every nation;
they do not know his judgments.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 147:19-20

The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7

Christianity is rooted in Judaism. That must never be ignored or denied. Judaism provides context for the New Testament. The New Testament loses much of its weight and impact when separated from Judaism. That is not to say that Judaism as practiced today is insightful, just that Jesus, the 12 original Apostles, Matthias (the man who replaced Judas Iscariot), and Paul were all Jews. It would be better to say that Christianity is the fullest expression of what Judaism was intended to be.

The essentiality of this understanding means that we, just as Jews have done, must wrestle with the Old Testament. The Psalmist declares that Israel (the Jews) are blessed as they know (and have experienced) God’s statues and judgments. The Psalmist basically is saying that everyone else has lost out, as they don’t know God. The Christian understanding is that people who don’t know Jesus as the Saving Son of God have lost out. While there is a difference, there is a strong similarity: not being of the family of God is losing out.

In Proverbs, the introduction ends on a powerful and significant note, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” In this instance, fear is reverence and respect one feels towards one’s God. In other words, God is God, and I am not. Fools are those who do not have God in the right perspective. This takes the “losing out” aspect and adds on foolish. This is the foolishness of the despairing and dying. This foolishness takes on a number of forms, pride, shame, ignorance, fear and even hatred. The words of James guide us in how to answer this. Wisdom.

In particular, it is God’s wisdom that will guide the willing person away from the foolishness of the world, and toward the wisdom of God. As the bearers of God’s Word, we are to be humble and gentle. It is to come from a heart that knows God is God, and I am not. This same heart seeks to be like God and love those whose hearts are far away and draw them closer.

1) The world often looks at Jesus’ followers and shakes its head. It sees our human weakness, and attacks it. In light of the passages we’ve read, how can we respond?

2) What do you think worldly wisdom is? Can wordly and Godly wisdom ever be aligned?

KD) Why do you think it is important to remember that God is God, and you are not?

2019 01 02
New Year’s Prayers
Psalm 8, Galatians 4:4-7, Numbers 6:22-27

“What is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him?” [Psalm 8:4]

“So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.” [Galatians 4:7]

There are some important concepts shared in our first two passages today. God created everything, including us. Despite us being created, God still set humankind in God’s own image. Created from dust we are still bearers of God’s very image.

Paul takes it even further and calls us heirs. We are inheritors of God’s Creation and will. We are no longer mere creations with God’s stamp. We are his children! The awesomeness of this is that we get all of God! We, despite our nature, are given something beyond our comprehension.

There is a flip side to this. One of the roles of an inheritor (in Paul’s and Jewish custom and culture) is to preserve and expand what was inheritor. In other words, the inheritance is not to stay the same, but to grow! We get it all. We are also responsible for it all.

Let that sink in. We are responsible for all of Creation because has given it to us as our inheritance. There will and are arguments for how that is supposed to work out. That isn’t the point. The point is why. Why are we doing what we are doing? Are we doing it for ourselves? Are we doing it for others? Are we doing it because it’s the right thing to do? Are we doing it to bring glory to God?

Creation, including people, is our responsibility. We are responsible for others, and we are responsible to others. This past year has been filled with people banging their drums, sometimes for righteous reasons, other times for self-righteous reasons. As we enter the new year, pray for those who offend you. Pray for those who hurt you. You are responsible to them. Bring them to the throne in prayer, not so that they will be like you, but so that they will be like Jesus.
```
May the LORD bless you and protect you; 
may the LORD make his face shine on you 
    and be gracious to you; 
may the LORD look with favor on you 
    and give you peace.

[Numbers 6:24-26]
```
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2019 01 01
Foundations and Firmaments

Psalm 148, Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:41-52

What are your thoughts when reading Psalm 149? Do you ever think of all of Creation praising God, the Creator? If you haven’t seen Louie Giglio’s Stars and Whales (link below), I strongly recommend it. To think that it is not just us (human beings) that are called and made to praise God. It is important to understand that praise is a core piece of our very existence. If we are not praising, the foundation of our Christian life is in question. It might even be in jeopardy.

A firm foundation is important, especially in light of our passage in Colossians. Verses 12-14 are not easy. When we live out our lives with others, our compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience are often put to the test. As we bear with others’ weaknesses (and as they bear with ours), letting go of offenses can seem impossible, and even unfair or unrighteous. This is why the Peace of Christ (v 15) is essential to lay down upon the foundation of praise. With praise and peace, comes thankfulness. This is where we need to pause and remind ourselves that there are acts of thankfulness (which is a spiritual practice), and then there is a spirit of thankfulness, which is an outpouring of trusting God.

It is from all of this, that then Paul (the author of Colossians) gets to correction. He notes that it is through God’s word, psalms, hymns and spiritual songs that we correct the excesses of others, and others correct our excesses. It is important to look to Scripture as to what might be (emphasis on might) going on in the spiritual lives of others, rather than depending on our own understanding, which is likely missing crucial pieces of information. As we get to the story Luke provides us, it is important to see the different spiritual stories going on.

For Mary and Joseph, who knew the prophecies about their son, their return from the temple was part of their spiritual practice and were comfortable in their return home. Young Jesus, on the other hand, wasn’t done yet. Here was a young boy among elders, who themselves were astonished by Jesus’ insights. It is quite easy for us to be disappointed with Mary and Joseph not understanding. Just like Jesus, we can find ourselves saying, “of course, that’s where he is!” A new Christian or even an unbeliever(!) can provide spiritual insights that cause others to be shocked with a new insight and grow closer to God! Who are we to set aside spiritual insights provided by God through others?

When our foundation is firm, we trust God, and are humble toward one another, we are open to receiving spiritual insights from whomever God puts in our path.

1) What spiritual insight did you receive from the person you were least expecting?

2) Why do you think praise might be essential to spiritual insights?

KD) Why do you think it was huge that Jesus asked his mom and dad that question?

2018 12 30
Through the Hurt

Psalm 97, Hebrews 1:1-2:9, Galatians 4:4-7

During this Holy Day, in the midst of gift-giving, family, loneliness, heartache, healing, hurting…look to God.

Two holidays often are the most bittersweet, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The joy of gratitude (Thanksgiving) and celebration of the Savior (Christmas) can get confused with family struggles, financial struggles and family losses. These two gatherings will often stir up our deepest emotions, both good and bad. It can make the holidays some of the most stressful of the year.

It’s okay. Joseph and Mary were expecting their first child. The mysterious and amazing circumstances only heightened that expectation. They had to travel in the midst of that. The stress of bearing the probable condemnation of their families, plus the confrontation with the Roman authorities (they were traveling to be counted and taxed) would have strained their joyful expectation.

If you are questioning how could a person be stressed during this time…GIVE PRAISE!

If you are questioning your value or faith or walk, because you are stressed during this time, give yourself a break. The mother and earthly father of God were stressed, too. You are not alone.

Stressed or not, Christmas is time to be present. Spend time with one another. If you know someone is alone, invite them. If you are alone, it’s okay to ask to come and visit. This day is for Framily.

Heavenly Father, continually make us glad and joyful in this remembrance of the birth of your only Son, Jesus Christ. As we receive His Advent, help us receive him as our Redeemer. Help us, through the Holy Spirit, be assured of our salvation and life with you. May your love through Holy Spirit help us look forward to the earthly return of our Messiah. Give us confidence to bear your light into the world. This we pray in the grace and love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

May you have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

2018 12 25