already, but not yet

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post #2019

Luke 17:20-25

Luk 17:20 Having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,
Luk 17:21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ Because really, the kingdom of God is already in your midst.”
Luk 17:22 Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will want to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
Luk 17:23 At that time, people will say to you, ‘Look, there he is!’ or ‘Look, here he is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
Luk 17:24 Because just like the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, the Son of Man will be like that in his day.
Luk 17:25 But first he will have to suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

already, but not yet

Jesus had proclaimed a kingdom, but the Pharisees did not see Jesus reigning over that kingdom, so they asked when that was going to happen. Jesus’ answer to them was that the kingdom was already in their midst, in the presence of Jesus himself.

He also used this opportunity to explain to his disciples that there would be a long period of time when he would not be physically present, and they should not expect him to be hiding somewhere. When he is ready to return, his return will be obvious, just like lightning flashing and lighting up the sky — not a secret.

But first, he has a job to do. His appointment in Jerusalem was not to wear a crown, but to bear a cross — for us.

LORD, we trust in your kingdom, because we have already submitted to the authority of its king.

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gratitude is faith

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2018

Luke 17:11-19

Luk 17:11 At that time, on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was passing by between Samaria and Galilee.
Luk 17:12 As he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance,
Luk 17:13 raised their voices and cried, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
Luk 17:14 When he saw them he said, “Go and present yourselves to the priests.” And as they went along, they were being purified.
Luk 17:15 Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.
Luk 17:16 He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (He happened to be a Samaritan.)
Luk 17:17 Then Jesus said, “Were not ten purified? Where are the other nine?
Luk 17:18 Was no one discovered to have turned back and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
Luk 17:19 Then he said to the man, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

gratitude is faith

In a world where things get hectic and busy, faith manifests itself by time spent expressing gratitude. Coming back to Jesus, the author of your life’s blessings, and giving him thanks. That is a way of showing your faith in him.

LORD, thank you for all those blessings that have come our way. We know their source.

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special attention saints

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post #2017

Luke 17:7-10

Luk 17:7 “Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’?
Luk 17:8 Won’t the master instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you will be allowed to eat and drink’?
Luk 17:9 He won’t be thanking the slave because he did what he was told, will he?
Luk 17:10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special attention; we have only done what was our duty.'”

special attention saints

It is popular in some religious circles to encourage believers to exercise their faith to improve their standing, their health, or their bank accounts. From today’s text, I do not think Jesus would have encouraged that kind of thinking. The primary beneficiary of the kingdom is the king. It is his glory that matters most. Living like a kingdom citizen does not mean drawing attention to ourselves, but to him. Even if we do what we are told to do, we should not expect fanfare. It is enough that our master is pleased.

LORD, give us the wisdom to seek your will.

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you have what you need

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2016

Luke 17:3-6

Luk 17:3 Attend to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Luk 17:5 The missionaries said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
Luk 17:6 That was when the Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

you have what you need

After warning his followers not to lead anyone to sin, he now addresses the issue of their own stability as believers. He does not tell them to study hard, pray hard, fast often, and give regularly and they just might make it. Instead, he tells them that they already have what they need. They can attend to themselves at this point. If they are betrayed by a brother, they have the power to forgive that brother, even if the offense is repetitive. They do not need more faith. The power to live their lives for Christ comes from him, not from the intensity of their faith in him. The most meager amount of faith, focused on and coming from Christ himself — is all that anyone needs.

Stop living life based on your inadequacies. Your salvation and your sanctification comes from Jesus Christ. He is not inadequate, and anyone he choses to save is saved utterly. You have what you need.

LORD, thank you for being all that we need for life today, and eternal life hereafter.

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millstones and movements

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2015

Luke 17:1-2

Luk 17:1 Also, he said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are not out of the question, but tragedy will happen to the one through whom they come!
Luk 17:2 It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

millstones and movements

A few months ago, Penny and I were in Auckland, and visited the Maritime Museum. One of the items on display was a huge millstone. It was about my height, and I thought about this passage when I saw it. Jesus is warning people of the future consequences of coming up with some “new” theology. When someone’s “great idea” catches on, it can lead an entire generation, or an entire multi-generational movement into sin. God holds the innovative responsible for their innovations. If it is new, it is not true. Don’t spread it.

LORD, give us the wisdom to lead people along straight paths.

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not a theology of the afterlife

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post #2014

Luke 16:24-31

Luk 16:24 So he yelled out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is being comforted here and you are in agony.
Luk 16:26 Besides all this, a great gap has been placed between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’
Luk 16:27 So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father — send Lazarus to my father’s house
Luk 16:28 (because I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’
Luk 16:29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must listen to them.’
Luk 16:30 Then the rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone risen from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Luk 16:31 He replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”

not a theology of the afterlife

Before we rush to assume that Jesus is teaching us what happens at death in this passage, we should keep in mind the fact that the audience was the Pharisees, the story likely was woven around their theology, not Christ’s.

When Jesus taught his disciples about death, he called it sleep. When Jesus taught his disciples about judgment, he said it would happen at his return, not at death. When Jesus taught his disciples about what hell would be like, he said it would destroy the person cast into it, not torment him.

The purpose of this parable is to convince those who think that they are saved because they are rich that it ain’t necessarily so. Other than that, we should be careful not to make this parable walk on “all fours.” It is not a theology of the afterlife.

LORD, give us wisdom to treat your word with respect, and avoid making it something it is not.

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what God is looking for

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post #2013

Luke 16;19-23

Luk 16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted opulently every day.
Luk 16:20 But at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus whose body was covered with sores,
Luk 16:21 who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Also, the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luk 16:22 “Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s presence. The rich man also died and was buried.
Luk 16:23 And in Hades, he lifted up his eyes, while he was in torment, seeing Abraham from far off and Lazarus in his presence.

what God is looking for

The rich man and Lazarus is the last in a string of stories Jesus told in response to
the Pharisees criticism of the riffraff that Jesus was associating with.1 We can read
those stories in Luke 15-16.

  • a shepherd leaves his 99 sheep in the wilderness and searches for the one that he lost,
  • a woman ransacks her house looking for a coin that she had lost,
  • a prodigal son returns, and is welcomed by his father, but not by his older brother,
  • an employee is about to be fired, so he makes sure that he has plenty of friends to take care of him when that happens.

Jesus got to the point of these stories when he told those Pharisees “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts.” The parable of the rich man and Lazarus highlights the fact that some people think their eternal destiny is safe because
they are currently doing OK. But God is looking for people who know they need him. He is looking for people who repent of their sins and trust in his gospel of grace.

LORD, we trust in your grace, not in our self-confidence.

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conflicting commitment

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post #2012

Luke 16:16-18

Luk 16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the excellent message of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it.
Luk 16:17 But it is easier for the sky and the land to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter in the law to become void.
Luk 16:18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

conflicting commitment

This little section of chapter 16 fits in with Luke’s overall purpose of the chapter: showing that the Pharisees were missing the gospel. They had made a show of marrying by their outward acceptance of the law, then they divorced from that marriage and married another — money, instead. The law advocates total commitment to God, and the Pharisees would be judged by it.

LORD, purge us of our conflicting commitments — keep us faithful to you.

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high society low lifes

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post # 2011

Luke 16:13-15

Luk 16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Luk 16:14 The Pharisees (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed him.
Luk 16:15 But Jesus said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, but God knows your hearts. Because what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight.

high society low lifes

Jesus had been teaching about embracing God as a priority instead of money. He had taught that this life was a test, and that passing the test meant using your worldly wealth to gain something more permanent. To the Pharisees, this was ridiculous. They were the success stories of their generation — high society low lifes. They were highly prized among men, but utterly detestable in God’s sight. Many people today live for their society’s approval, and give no thought to God’s approval. Some of us are trying to serve God first. You are invited to join us.

LORD, give us the courage to be ridiculous in the world’s sight, and the wisdom to seek your will in our lives.

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the now test

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

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devotional post #2010

Luke 16:10-12

Luk 16:10 “The one who proves faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Luk 16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches?
Luk 16:12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own?

the now test

We are being challenged to stop seeing money and possessions as merely a means to pursue happiness. Wealth and things are not true riches, those can come later. But if we are blessed with wealth and possessions, they might just be given us now for a test. We are being tested by wealth to see if we will be faithful with it. We cannot keep it; it is someone else’s. But if we manage it properly, investing it in those the Father wants to love, then the true riches will come later.

LORD, show us how to wisely invest all that you give us today, so that we are proved faithful stewards of it.

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