All This Authority

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” Luke 4:5-8 (ESV)

The beauty of the Biblical accounts of Yeshua is that He left heaven and became a man. Yeshua had all glory and power, yet He gave it all up to become like us.

“though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil 2:6-8 (ESV)

There are many reasons why Yeshua did all this; however, I only want to write about one of them. When He became like us, taking the form of a servant, Yeshua set an example to all of us who follow Him. If Yeshua, who had all glory and power, was willing to become a man, then we, who are born mere men, must be willing to become servants as well. This is a concept that few are willing to accept.

At the beginning of His ministry, Yeshua went through 40 days of testing and temptation in the wilderness of Israel. He experienced the same trials that we experience. At the end of the 40 days, Yeshua was tired, hungry, and sunburned to a crisp, while at the same time physically and mentally vulnerable to satanic temptations.

One of the fascinating parts of the accounts of Yeshua’s temptations in the desert is Satan’s offer of extreme earthly power. Satan not only tried to get Yeshua to disobey His father by eating during a fast, but also offered Yeshua a fast way to accumulate power and authority.

Yeshua’s response was to reject any path that did not come from His Father and not in accordance with scripture. His rejection of the satanic offer is an example and warning to His followers. If the devil tempted Yeshua, the Son of God, during a time of stress and weakness to shortcut the biblical process, then we will receive the same temptation. All of us, at some point, will be at a similar crossroads in our walk with the Lord. There will seem to be more than one path to fulfill your calling. One path will be the easy way; the other path will be long and arduous. Only one of the paths will be correct. One leads to the Lord. The other path leads to Hell.

Yeshua rejected the satanic path of quick fame and fortune. He gave up temporary paths to follow the eternal road.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father Phil 2:9-11 (ESV)

You’re too Large a Group!

The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Judges 7:2 (ESV)

Background

Before I start, let’s get some background on Gideon. At first we see the Angel of the Lord coming to proclaim Gideon as the person that will deliver Israel from the Midianites. Gideon answers the proclamation with doubt and fear; however, after many proofs from the Lord, he responds to the call and raises an army to fight the oppressors of Israel.

It is at this point that we need to put ourselves in Gideon’s shoes. The Lord has just told Gideon that he is to fight the Midianites, the cruel oppressors of Israel. The first thing he does is raise a large army of people. In retrospect, it seems obvious to us that Gideon did the wrong thing. However, at that time it may not have appeared that way to him. After all, he was going to fight a tough, almost intractable enemy. Raising a large army may have seemed the only logical thing to do. After all, that is what every one else does in similar circumstances.

When Gideon raises the army that he believes is large enough to do the job, he then marches off to do battle. When they reach the place where they will camp before doing battle, the Lord appears to Gideon and drops a bomb on his plans. Your group is too big. The army of Israel needs to be smaller. After making that statement, the Lord puts forth a series of directives to whittle down the size of the army. Eventually, the Lord considers Gideon’s army ready when the size is at 300 people. The complete opposite of what most armies would consider the correct way to do battle

Learning from this situation

Did anyone notice that the Lord did not give directives to Gideon on how to do battle at the same time as he received his calling? Did you also notice that Gideon did not make the effort to ask the Lord how to do battle?  He simply assumed that bigger is better.

We need to ask ourselves some questions:

• How many of us, after receiving direction from the Lord, would do the exact same thing as Gideon? Be honest!
• How many of us would go out and do what we thought is the right way to do things?
• Would you assume that bigger is better?
• How many of us would do things simply because everyone expects you to do the job this way?
• How many of us failed to inquire of the Lord for His battle plans?

Eye-Opening Book

How Christianity Changed the World

If you ever wondered what the world looked like before the spread of the gospel (Good News) then I have a good book for you. The book title: “How Christianity Changed the World.” In fact, I predict that it will be an “eye-opening” experience. This book starts out by showing you what life was like in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire and then contrasts that with a view of the attitudes and lifestyle of those that took Yeshua, His words and the Bible in general seriously. The book continues past the Roman Empire into the middle ages to the Reformation and beyond.

As you read this book, one of the concepts that you may find yourself pondering is the view of where the United States seems to be heading as we move into the future. The irony is that many special interest groups tout ideas, concepts and lifestyles that appear modern, futuristic and necessary. In fact, when you read this book you will realize that the lifestyles they advocate are rooted in ancient pagan, Anti-Biblical practices. Many of their agendas are a move backwards ethically and morally, not forwards.

No Man is an Island

“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.” Joshua 7:1 (ESV)

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. ¹²Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies.
Joshua 7:10-12 (ESV)

And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: ²¹when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Joshua 7:20-21 (ESV)

The context for these scriptures was the command by the Lord to Israel that they were to destroy Jericho along with everything and everybody in the city. It was all devoted to the Lord for destruction. The people of Israel obeyed the command, everyone but ONE person. Yet scripture records the actions of that one person as “the people of Israel broke faith. . .”

I suppose Achan’s thought process was something like this:

“I really like that coat and a little silver and gold couldn’t hurt. Who knows what will happen in the future. I’ll just take a few items. No one will notice the difference and I doubt my taking these few items will hurt anyone.”

It’s a great example of how the thoughts and beliefs of men and women are different from the Lord. We see ourselves as a collection of individuals and that is true, but only to a point. Yes, we are a community of individual people, each with a separate relationship to the Lord, each with personal accountability to His Maker. Yet, according to the Bible, we are part of community, the Body of Messiah. We are all a different part of Yeshua’s body, yet we are all of one body. Therefore, the actions of one individual not only affect the one person but also the body, usually at a local level but eventually spreading beyond the local congregation. The other side of the situation is that the consequences of the actions of an individual, whether good or bad, also affect not just the one person but extend to others as well.

What would have happened if the Lord did nothing? What if the Lord had not judged the sin of Achan?

I believe several things would have happened.

• The Lord would have not acted in character with His nature. He would have ceased to be God. The Lord will always act true to His nature. He will always judge sin.
• Achan would have started to believe that there are no consequences for disobedience. He would have continued to disobey the Lord and the leadership of Israel.
• Achan would start to display greed (idolatry) by amassing more and more things.
• Achan would become a symbol to others that there are no consequences for disobedience. The rest of the people of Israel would start imitating Achan, becoming a nation of individuals thinking only of themselves.

Failure to deal with the leaven of sin in Achan’s life would allow that sin to spread to the whole loaf, the nation of Israel.

We should be asking the same question. What would be the consequences if the Lord does not deal with our sins? The answers would be similar to the list.

• The Lord would have not acted in character with His nature. He would have ceased to be God. The Lord will always act true to His nature. He will always judge sin.

• We would start to believe, consciously or unconsciously, that there are no consequences to our actions. Disobedience would continue towards the Lord and to those in authority.
• Idolatry (lust, greed etc) would increase.
• You become a symbol to others that there are no consequences for sin. Others would imitate you.

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. 1Corinthians 5:6-7 (ESV)

Which Door Did You (or It) Come Through?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. John 10:1-8 (ESV)

Last week, when I read this scripture, an interesting image came to mind. I saw a man preaching or teaching. At the same time, a question was going through my mind. Is the preaching of this individual coming through the proper door or through another way? It is an interesting question.

In context, Yeshua is stating outright that the only proper way to enter the sheepfold (the true body of Messiah) is through the door, which is Yeshua. Any individual who chooses to enter the sheepfold through any other door but the correct one, Yeshua, will find that the sheep will not accept him – at least those sheep that know scripture. That person will be coming from a direction he/she has chosen. Yeshua labels that person a thief and a robber.

Based on the context of the scripture, the mental image I had while reading this scripture gives me pause to think. Now I am asking myself a question. What do I think about sermons or teachings that attempt to bypass the proper door to the sheepfold? A possible answer: Sermons need to be not only Scripture based but also Messiah-centered. It is all too easy to give a sermon based on scripture and still be miles away from being Messiah-focused. Even worse, is the sermon or teaching that seems to be Messiah-focused yet does not come from the heart of God (Rhema). What do I mean by that statement? The sermon or teaching is actually coming from the head and not by the prompting of the Spirit (Ruach) of God. The source of that teaching is the flesh (your head).

In an age where attempts to influence you are coming from multiple directions, we need to be in daily fellowship with the Lord and in his Word. Only then will His people be able to fulfill the scripture:

A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:5 (ESV)

Build God a House?

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?  I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.  In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”‘
2 Sam 7:5-7 (ESV)

“And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Matt 8:19-20 (ESV)

Followers of Yeshua, as well as religious people in general, sometimes can find themselves stuck on the path of doing and building. It’s easy to become stuck on that path, it happens to me constantly. We find ourselves thinking that the biggest this or that will glorify G-d, including a Big Beautiful Building for G-d.

Lately, I find that I am meditating on some scriptures, such as what you see at the beginning of this article. Starting with the exodus from Egypt until Solomon built the first temple, the Lord was more than content “dwelling” in a tent. Think about that for a moment. That is a couple hundred years. However, there is a flip side to this discussion, it was also a couple hundred years that no one in Israel even thought about building a permanent structure dedicated to the L-rd.

Another fascinating part of this topic is what the Lord said to David, through Nathan the prophet after 2 Samuel 7:5-7. The Lord states two important facts: 1) Solomon will build the temple and 2) Not only is David not to build the house of God but that God will raise up David’s house, forever. When you think about it, King David’s house has lasted far longer than the houses that we have built for the Lord.

During the three years of Yeshua’s ministry – pre crucifixion – He had no ownership of any permanent structure, neither did He build one or ask anyone to build it. If Yeshua wasn’t living outside sleeping on the ground, then He was sleeping in the houses of those who invited Him or He invited Himself into (if they accepted His request). In many ways, Yeshua’s ministry life is a great picture of a statement He made in the book of Revelation:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Rev 3:20 (ESV)”

Yeshua never went into a house (or a life for that matter) that did not want Him around. If you invited Him in, He accepted. If He asked to come in and they accepted, He came in the house. If they refused, I find it hard to believe He forced His way in.

Though we build large structures and call them “churches”, the actual scriptural fact is we are the buildings of G-d. In fact, He is telling us that He is fine living in the tent called HIS people, the actual building of God.

A Missing Question?

“But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matt 9:12-13 (ESV)

I will be the first to tell people that I don’t want to read more into scripture than what is obvious. Many a religion, denomination or move of God became side-tracked by reading something into a bible scripture that was not part of the intended obvious meaning, nor part of the historical meaning either.

Yet, lately, when I read scriptures like Matthew 9: 12-13, I seem to be asking myself if Yeshua is asking another question beyond what I see written. Follow my train of thought and maybe you will understand what I am saying.

One of the basics of Biblical faith about the nature of man is the doctrine of “The Depravity of Man”. This doctrine states that man, by his very nature, is completely and totally sinful, unable to save himself. Whether we commit an actual sin or not, whether the sin is simple or heinous, is not the issue.  The question is about our basic nature as defined by God in scripture. We are sinners by nature and in need of God’s salvation.

Regarding the Matthew passage at the beginning, here is a possible chain of thoughts (logic) we must examine:

By Yeshua’s own words:

• Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick
• He came to call sinners to repentance but not the righteous.

Furthermore:

• If man is sinful by nature
• If man is incapable of saving himself
• If man by the work of God can only be saved through Yeshua’s death and resurrection on the tree (cross)

A conclusion we can reach, based on these thoughts, is that everyone is in the group that Yeshua is seeking.

The question I keep asking myself is this. Is there another question in Matthew that Yeshua is not asking His detractors? Could this be the question: If I am seeking out the sick and the sinners, if scripture states that everyone is a sinner before God, then why are you not also amongst the group of people seeking me?