failing faithfully

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 17:14-21

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, falling on his knees before him,

15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and he suffers severely. Because he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.

16 And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and corrupt generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to put up with you? Bring him here to me.”

18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why could we not expel it?”

20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Because honestly, I am telling you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

(21) [1]

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failing faithfully

I am so glad that this story is in the Bible. It is comforting to me that the best trained men, who were the closest to the Lord, had problems with their ministry.

1. I am grateful that these men’s walk with the Lord was not so consistent. They struggled to be who they knew they were. They questioned why it was not always working as they expected. I get that. That’s where I am a lot.

2. I am grateful that these were the same men who eventually turned the world upside-down with the gospel. They stuck it out, and stayed with Jesus through the struggles of their own incompetence, and the Holy Spirit used them. That is comforting because I only see small glimpses of what I could be.

3. I am grateful when people come to me and share their own struggles. I can share with them the wonderful truth that none of us ever get it 100%. Because of this, we can stay with Jesus, even during the “low-bat” times.

LORD, we surrender to you, and ask you to use us in ministry. Build our faith, but allow us the fail faithfully when our efforts are not enough. Yours always are.

[1] Verse 21 is not found in the best manuscripts, and is omitted from most of the modern versions.

Posted in commitment, discipleship, faith, faithfulness, Jesus Christ | Tagged | Leave a comment

a pledge of safety

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 44:19-34

19 My master asked his servants, saying, ‘Do you have a father, or another brother?’

20 And we said to my master, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a younger brother, the child of his old age. His other brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

22 But we said to my master, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he ever leaves his father, his father would die.’

23 Then you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’

24 “When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my master.

25 Then when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’

26 we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we can go down. For we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

28 One left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since.

29 If you take this one also from me, and injury happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’

30 “So now, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life,

31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.

32 For your servant has become a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’

33 So Now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid to look on the evil that would find my father.”

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a pledge of safety

Judah’s words stand as a monument to the passion of an intercessor. In the previous text we saw him pleading on the basis of his love for Benjamin and his concern for his father. In this text, Judah says that he had become a pledge of safety for Benjamin. His life was now invested in the protection of his brother. True intercessory prayer breaks through the boundaries of personal existence and responsibility. It is a kind of self-imposed bondage. It says to the LORD, “bring peace to my brother, or take away my own.” We feel the consequences of our brother’s slavery so much that it becomes our own. It takes more than just a casual mention in prayer for that to happen, but it does happen. This kind of passionate prayer is still no guarantee that we can free our brother. But it does reassure us that our prayers are reaching God. We know this because that passion can only come from the LORD himself.

LORD, make us pledges of safety for our brothers in bondage. May we learn the skill of praying with your passion for the lost.

Posted in compassion, Judah, prayer | Tagged | 1 Comment

eschatological distraction

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 17:9-13

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one this vision, until the Son of Man has been raised from among the dead ones.”

10 And the disciples asked him, “Then what about what the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

11 He replied, “Yes, Elijah is coming first, and he will restore all things.

12 Yet I am telling you that Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him, and did to him whatever they wanted to. So also the Son of Man will suffer at their hands in the same way.”

13 Then the disciples understood that he had been telling them about John the Baptist.

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eschatological distraction

The disciples had been taught that a certain eschatological event must first take place before the kingdom from the sky comes down. They were expecting Elijah to return from the grave and lead a mass revival among the Israelites. This would pave the way for the triumphant arrival of the Messiah. Perhaps all the time this anticipated event was in the back of the minds of these disciples. Even though they were beginning to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, they still could not shake the feeling that something had to happen first.

When they saw Elijah in the vision, they must have thought that this event was about to happen. Surely everyone needed to know. But Jesus stopped them from thinking along these lines. He commanded them to remain quiet about the vision.

1. The disciples were mistaken about the event: Elijah’s predicted coming had taken place when John the Baptizer led Israel into revival. That eschatological event had already taken place.

2. Jesus did not want the disciples getting carried away and distracted with this end-times teaching, because the really important events loomed before them: his death and resurrection. These would define kingdom living for (at least) the next twenty centuries.

LORD, we want to concentrate on the things that are essential, and not to get distracted with things that are incidental. When we teach about the end times, help us to keep our emphasis on what you have done for us, and not get carried away imagining what you will do some day.

Posted in Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, second coming, theology | Tagged | Leave a comment

only those who love the Father

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 44:6-18

6 When he caught up with them, he said these words to them.

7 They answered him, “Why does my master speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!

8 See, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

9 Whoever of your servants is found with it will die, and we also will be my master’s servants.”

10 He said, “It will be as you say: he who is found with it will be my servant, and the rest of you will be innocent.”

11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

12 And he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground.

15 Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?”

16 And Judah said, “What will we say to my lord? What will we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has discovered the guilt of your servants; see, we are my master’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.”

17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found will be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

18 Then Judah went up to him and said, “O my master, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.

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only those who love the Father

These words reveal the heart of an intercessor. Judah knew the heartache of his own unworthiness, and that of his brothers. He recognized the hand of God in their troubles, but he also knew that Benjamin did not deserve to suffer because of them. Such is the case for many people that we will encounter. They will be the victims of other people’s sin and neglect – sometimes even our own. Indeed, everyone caught in trouble is – in a sense – a victim of his ancestors’ rebellion. That does not excuse willful sin, but it does explain the bondage people get into because of sin.

But there is another lesson about intercession here. Judah and his brother could not go back to their father without rescuing their brother. They knew that to do so would break their father’s heart. This is the key to a ministry of intercessory prayer. We come between our hurting brother and the source of his trouble because of the compassionate heart of our mutual Father. Only those who love the Father can intercede like this.

LORD, draw us so close to you and your heart that we cannot help but intercede for the others that you love.

Posted in compassion, depravity, Judah, prayer | Tagged | 1 Comment

This one

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 17:1-8

1 Then after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and brought them into a high mountain by themselves.

2 He was transformed as they watched, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes glowed white as light.

3 And see, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, discussing something with him.

4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still saying this, see, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This one is my beloved Son, with him I am well pleased; listen to him.”

6 After the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”

8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus himself, alone.

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This one

The point of the vision was to get the disciples refocused on Jesus himself. All of the old traditions and relationships – even the great ones like Moses and Elijah – are now to be subsumed and redefined by one’s relationship with Christ. That is why the Father’s voice reached down from the sky and told those disciples “This one is my beloved Son, with him I am well pleased; listen to him.”

It also was a kind of sneak preview of the coming of Christ in glory. Moses and Elijah symbolize the Law and the Prophets, which predicted the coming of the Messiah. Peter’s offer to set up tents for each person was wrong-headed. The coming kingdom will have only one king. He is Jesus. This one is the one we should be listening to. He has explained to us what the Law and the Prophets were all about.

LORD, help us to keep our focus securely on Christ. Give us the wisdom to remain Christocentric. May we value the Old Testament because it is a testament of him. May we value the church because it is his church. But may we never lose sight of his words because they are the foundation for his coming kingdom.

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facing challenging moments

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 43:27 – 44:5

27 And he asked about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

28 They said, “Your servant our father is alright; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.

29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be kind to you, my son!”

30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his emotion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to cry. And he entered his chamber and cried there.

31 Then he washed his face and came out. And after controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.”

32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an repugnance to the Egyptians.

33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in shock.

34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were cheerful with him.

44:1 Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack,

2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph commanded him.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.

4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Then Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow after the men, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil by doing this.'”

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facing challenging moments

The brothers returned to Egypt with Benjamin, not knowing whether they would live or die – since the money they had given the governor before had been secretly put back into their bags. Zaphenath-paneah had ordered that they go to a feast at his home. Simeon is returned to them. Joseph comes and questions them, and has to leave their presence because it is hard for him to control his emotions. He must maintain the secret long enough to test his brothers once more. His servant knows that it is his God and the God of his father who is behind these events.

LORD, when we face life’s challenging moments, may we do so with the confidence that you are in sovereign control of both today’s events and tomorrow’s destiny.

Posted in dependence upon God, Joseph, sovereignty of God | Tagged , | 1 Comment

tasting death … now or later

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 16:24-28

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

25 Because whoever wants to save his soul will destroy it, but whoever destroys his soul on account of me will find it.

26 Because what does a man profit if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? Or what will a man give in return for his soul?

27 Because the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and at that time he will repay each person according to what he has done.

28 Honestly, I am telling you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

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tasting death … now or later

Jesus’ final words in this chapter speak of self denial, of taking up one’s cross and using it to destroy one’s soul out of obedience to Christ. But then he gives this strange utterance that appears to be a reassurance that not all of his audience will die before he comes in judgment. There are numerous interpretations of this hard saying, the one having the best scholarly support is that he was referring to the vision in the next chapter, where three of the disciples get a sneak peek at his coming glory on the mountain. I have always held that view.

But now I wonder. What bothers me is that Jesus had been talking about dying as a means of self-denial. He was actually telling them to taste death if that is what it would take for them to follow him. He even said it more emphatically than that – telling them to climb onto their crosses and sacrifice their souls. What if Jesus’ enigmatic statement in verse 28 was not a promise that some would not die? What if Jesus was saying that he regrets that some of his listeners would not obey him, thus they would not taste the self-death, so would be unprepared for his coming? It is – at least – an interpretative option here. The application would be this: it is better to taste death now for a saving Christ, rather than taste it later at the hands of a judging Christ.

LORD, we confess the valuing our own souls and refusing to surrender all to you. We know that your redemption and resurrection is our only chance for eternal life. We believe in your coming. Help us to go all in with you now – even if it means tasting death for you now.

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nothing good

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 43:15-26

15 So the men took this gift, and they took twice the money with them, and Benjamin. They got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men are to dine with me at noon.”

17 The man did what Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house.

18 But the men were afraid because they had been brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which had been replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are being brought in, so that he may attack us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.”

19 So they approached the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house,

20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to purchase food.

21 But when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full measure. So we have brought it again with us,

22 and we have brought other money down with us to purchase food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

23 He replied, “Peace be to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24 And after the man had brought the men into Joseph’s house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and after he had given their donkeys fodder,

25 they prepared the gift for Joseph’s coming at noon, because they heard that they would eat their meal there.

26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the gift that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground.

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nothing good

The brothers could not escape the terrible feeling that they were being set up. They didn’t want to bring their youngest brother with them, but it had to be. Now, they were “cordially expected” to join the master of the land in his own house. No, they decided that nothing good could come from this. There is enough guilt and justified pessimism in all of us that we often find ourselves looking over our shoulders, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, here’s the thing: you may have a tragedy in your future, but you may not. Your destiny is truly out of your hands. History tells of many great people who faced failure after failure before becoming the successes that we remember. Like Joseph’s brothers, they came with the gift they had, but were painfully aware that it was not enough. Their destiny was really the result of God’s grace.

LORD, what we have to give to this world is woefully inadequate. We have decided to trust in you. Apart from your grace, nothing good can come from our lives.

Posted in dependence upon God, grace, trust | Tagged | 1 Comment

Lord of the negative and discouraging

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 16:21-23

21 From that time Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

22 But Peter took him aside and began to express strong disapproval to him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”

23 Then he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” _________________________________________

Lord of the negative and discouraging

Our local Christian radio station promotes itself as the station with a “positive and encouraging” message. I have heard some of my fellow believers say that they are all about being positive and encouraging, and I have heard others suggest that God could never have plans for me that were anything less. Maybe Peter was thinking like that. After all, Peter had just made the mind-binding Spirit inspired declaration that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. It stands to reason that God wants good things for his Son. So, when Jesus started predicting that he was going to be persecuted and put to death in Jerusalem, that did not sound right.

Of course, we know now that God had good reasons for allowing his Son to die. His suffering brought us peace. But maybe there are some “things of God” that he has planned for our lives that sound just as wrong, just as preposterous. Living by faith means accepting reality even when it does not appear to be going right. It means trusting God to work out his plan even when it appears to be going in the wrong direction. The truth may not always be positive, and it may not always encourage. It is still the truth.

LORD, give us the wisdom to walk with you, even when the road is rough. Forgive us for our failure to trust you in difficult times. We know that there is not a single thing that happens to us that does not pass through your throne. You are Lord of all reality, even if it does not seem positive or encouraging.

Posted in dependence upon God, faithfulness, Peter, trust | Tagged | Leave a comment

awful choices

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 43:1-14

Now the famine was brutal in the land.

2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, purchase us a little food.”

3 But Judah said to him, “The man gravely warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and purchase you food.

5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'”

6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so poorly as to tell the man that you had another brother?”

7 They replied, “The man questioned us suspiciously about ourselves and our kin, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we said to him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

8 And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will get up and go, so that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

9 I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

10 If we had not postponed going, we would have come back twice now.”

11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be this way, then do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your bags, and carry a gift down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Maybe it was an oversight.

13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man.

14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as far as I am concerned, if I am to become childless, I will be childless.”

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awful choices

Life can be harsh and cruel, and often makes no sense. No one is promised a smooth road in this life. Sometimes we are left making a choice between two terrible fates. Such was the case with Israel and his sons. The famine had been so great that there was no food left. They were forced to acquiesce to the demands of the ruler in Egypt and return with their youngest brother. To do so would break their father’s heart. To not do so was to die of starvation. What kind of world are we living in, if people are forced to make such choices? We live in a world that is sick, and needs a Savior.

The good news is that God is still alive. He has not deserted his chosen family. He has a good future in store for Israel, if they would only trust him to make it happen. He is at work behind the scenes, so one of the awful choices they have to make will lead them to God’s best. They must make that choice in faith, trusting that he will turn a bad choice into a good future. That is what life is like sometimes.

It parallels the awful choice that our LORD himself was presented with, after our rebellion in Eden. He had to either destroy us all (unthinkable justice) or redeem us with the life of his only Son (unthinkable grace). He made the awful choice to sacrifice the life of his Son so that we might live.

LORD, when we face life’s awful choices, give us the insight into your plan that allows us to make the right choice, trusting you to turn it into something glorious.

Posted in deliverance, dependence upon God, discernment, Jacob, trust | Tagged | 1 Comment