keys and gates

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 16:13-20

13 When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who are people saying that the Son of Man is?”

14 And they said, “Some are saying John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 And Jesus replied to him, ” You are blessed, Simon Bar-Jonah! Because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in the sky.

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom from the sky, and whatever you lock on the land will be locked in the sky, and whatever you set free on the land will be set free in the sky.”

20 Then he prohibited the disciples from telling anyone else that he was the Christ. _________________________________________

keys and gates

Jesus was the awaited Messiah of Israel, the Son of the living God. Peter declared this truth after God had revealed it to him. Jesus rewarded his courage to confess that reality by giving him the honor of witnessing the birth of the Christian church. He would be there when the gospel bore fruit in Jerusalem at Pentecost, in Samaria, and among the Gentiles (with Cornelius). He would serve as a foundation rock for the New Testament church.

Peter would also (along with the other disciples[1]) have the keys to the coming kingdom from the sky. They would be able to respond to other people’s faith in Christ by assuring them that it had won their freedom to be a part of that coming kingdom. Anyone who now refused to become part of the Christ’s church, built upon the rock, would remain locked — prohibited from that coming kingdom. It is a fatal thing to reject the gospel.

The “gates of Hades” is a metaphor for death. Jesus assures these disciples that as they dedicate their lives to proclaiming his kingdom coming from the sky, death will not prevail against them. They will each face death, but death will not overcome the whole church. Also, although each will die, all will be raised to life again at Christ’s second coming.

LORD, thank you for the tremendous privilege we have as your church. Help us to proclaim your gospel to those around us, winning as many as we can to your coming kingdom. Thank you also for the promise that the spread of your gospel truth cannot be stopped, even by our deaths.

[1] Matthew 18:18.

Posted in discipleship, evangelism, future, gospel, Peter | Tagged | Leave a comment

blame or believe

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 42:26-38

26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and left.

27 But when one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack.

28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” Their hearts failed them when they discovered this, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,

30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and thought that we were spies of the land.

31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies.

32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will determine that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way.

34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will give your brother back to you, and you will trade in the land.'”

35 When they emptied their sacks, see, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. Everything is going against me.”

37 Then Reuben said to his father, “If I do not bring him back to you, you can kill my two sons. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”

38 But he said, “My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If injury should happen to him on the trip that you are to take, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

_______________________

blame or believe

There are two instances in this passage of people responding to adversity by blaming others. Interestingly, both are correct. The brothers of Joseph were correct in blaming God for the predicament that they found themselves in. They asked, “What is this that God has done to us?” A reckoning had come, and God had them just as surely trapped as their brother had been when they threw him into the pit, or sold him into slavery.

Also, Jacob was correct when he blamed his sons for his dilemma. He was not right in assuming that Joseph was dead, but he had every reason to believe that. He also knew that his other sons were somehow responsible for the mess he was in.

But the problem with blaming others is that it gets us nowhere. The only thing that helps when we face severe challenges in our life is a strong faith in God. Blaming him or others corrupts that faith. The LORD is looking for a people who dare to envision a future in which God has rescued us from our troubles, and restored us to what he wants.

LORD, forgive us for blaming others – for focusing on the past. Give us the wisdom to look for your rescue, and the glorious future which is in your will.

Posted in confidence, conflict, faith, Jacob | Tagged | 1 Comment

corruption among the experts

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

052014

Matthew 16:1-12

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they demanded him to show them a sign from the sky.

2 He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red.’

3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to explain the appearance of the sky, but you cannot explain the signs of the times.

4 An evil and adulterous generation requires a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.

6 Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and be careful of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

7 And they began arguing about this among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”

8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you arguing among yourselves because you have no bread?

9 Do you not yet understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?

10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?

11 How is it that you fail to understand that I was not speaking about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to watch out for the yeast of bread, but for the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

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corruption among the experts

The disciples misunderstood Jesus’ statement about yeast, thinking that someone had failed to bring bread. Jesus reminded them that he had already shown on two separate occasions that manufacturing bread was not a problem for him.

One Aramaic word for “teaching” is ‘amíra, which sound very much like the word for yeast: hamúra. This may be why Jesus used yeast as a metaphor here. He was warning them to stay away from the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They seemed like experts in the things of God, but they were not privy to a real understanding of what God was doing in the world. They could not explain the signs of the times. They sought miraculous signs from Jesus to prove what he said, but the real revelation was Jesus himself.

LORD, keep us from the corrupting influence of doubt – especially the faithlessness shown by those who purport to be experts. Give us wisdom to stay away from that corruption.

Posted in faith, Jesus Christ, truth | Tagged | Leave a comment

there comes a reckoning

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

051914

Genesis 42:1-25

When Jacob saw that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you stare at one another?”

2 And he said, “See, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and purchase grain for us there, so that we may live and not die.”

3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to purchase grain in Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, because he said “what if something bad might happen to him”.

5 So the sons of Israel came to purchase among the others who came, because the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to purchase food.”

8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the vulnerability of the land.”

10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to purchase food.

11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”

12 He said to them, “No, it is the vulnerability of the land that you have come to see.”

13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and see, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.”

14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies.

15 This is how you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.”

17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:

19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households,

20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your statements will be verified, and you will not die.” And they did so.

21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”

23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.

24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

25 And Joseph gave orders, and they filled their bags with grain. He also commanded them to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.

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there comes a reckoning

Joseph’s ten brothers go to Egypt to buy food during the famine and encounter governor Zaphenath-paneah. He appears to mistrust them, and takes Simeon as prisoner. He insists that they return to Canaan and fetch their youngest brother, Benjamin – to prove that they are not spies. The other brothers know that this is happening because of what they had done to Joseph. They recognize not only their guilt, but God’s hand in this consequence that has come upon them. Joseph seeks to fulfill his dream (9). He is being used to bring his entire family to Egypt, according to God’s plan.

LORD, help us to lead others to recognize their guilt – and then to see your grace, and promise of rescue.

Posted in deliverance, Joseph, witness | Tagged | 1 Comment

reruns

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

051814

Matthew 15:29-39

29 Jesus left there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up a mountain and sat down there.

30 And large crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they laid them at his feet, and he healed them,

31 so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am reluctant to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a deserted place to feed so large a crowd?”

34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground,

36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

37 And they all ate and were full. And they took up seven baskets full of the scraps left over.

38 Those who ate were four thousand men, not including the women and children.

39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

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reruns

This was not a retelling of the story of the feeding that is recorded in the previous chapter, but it is very similar. Matthew’s inclusion of the second miraculous feeding shows that he was careful to provide all the history necessary for his readers to know. He would not leave this story out, even if it might seem redundant.

This is a reminder from our Savior that he is willing to display his power in our lives again, in the same way that he has done before. He does not mind reruns. He wants to show us that he is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

LORD, forgive us for doubting your faithfulness to us. Give us the courage to ask, so that you may be glorified by our receiving from your hand – again.

Posted in dependence upon God, Jesus Christ, prayer | Tagged | Leave a comment

pit or prosperity?

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 41:42 – 57

42 Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in outfits of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

43 And he authorized him to ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” This is how he set him over all the land of Egypt.

44 Also, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he began standing before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph regularly went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.

47 During the seven full years the earth produced abundantly,

48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which was produced in the land of Egypt, and stored the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it.

49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, because it could not be measured.

50 Before the first year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, gave birth to them for him.

51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “Because,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s family.”

52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land where I was afflicted.”

53 The seven years of fullness that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end,

54 and the seven years of famine began to occur, as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do what he says to you.”

56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold the grain to the Egyptians, because the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

57 Also, all the land came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the land.

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pit or prosperity?

After so many years of slavery and poverty – Joseph finally gets to be free. The true test of his character begins. He talked about God a lot while he was down in the pit. What does he say about God now that he is vice-Pharaoh? We get a clue from what he names his two sons. Manasseh means “making to forget” and witnesses to the Egyptians that the LORD is able to bring us out of bondage, and make us forget its pain and humiliation. Ephraim means “making fruitful” and witnesses to the Egyptians that the LORD rewards faithfulness with fruitfulness.

Are you in the pit or in prosperity? Regardless, you can testify of the goodness of the LORD.

LORD, help us to testify of your greatness and goodness wherever we are.

Posted in faithfulness, Joseph, witness | Tagged | 1 Comment

great faith

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

051614

Matthew 15:21-28

21 And after Jesus went away from that place, he withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And see, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is badly demonized.”

23 But he did not respond to her with a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

27 She said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

28 Then Jesus responded to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it become for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly. _________________________________________

great faith

The disciples’ little faith is now contrasted with this Canaanite woman’s great faith. Note that they had all the teaching and experience with Jesus. All she had was a need. They did miracles by his direct authority. She had no authority and did no miracles. All she could do was seek deliverance for her daughter. Yet, in the end, it was her faith which Jesus proclaimed as great.

1. Her faith did not focus on itself. She sought the solution to her problem in Jesus, not her faith. She could have had all the faith in the world, and it would have counted for nothing if she had not sought out Jesus.

2. Her faith was persistent. She cried out to Jesus, and when he did not answer, she kept pestering the disciples until they brought the matter again to Jesus. How easy it is for little faith to give up. But great faith keeps PUSHing – praying until something happens.

3. Her faith was humble faith. Some teach as if faith is a power that one has to develop, then can unleash it to gain health and prosperity. She humbly admitted that she had no clout with the Lord. She was simply a dependent puppy, waiting for table scraps, because she would not even consider herself a child of God.

LORD, increase our faith, not to give us clout or power, but so that you can show yourself as the glorious object of great faith.

Posted in dependence upon God, faith, humility, miracles | Tagged | Leave a comment

the mechanics of wisdom

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 41:29-41

29 See, seven years are coming of great fullness throughout the land of Egypt.

30 But afterward there are seven years of famine so great that all the fullness will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will finish the land.

31 And the knowledge of the good years will be erased by the famine, because it will have such force.

32 By Pharaoh having two dreams, it establishes that the events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them occur.

33 “Because of this, Pharaoh should find a wise and discerning man and set him over the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh make and appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of fullness.

35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep watch over it.

36 That food shall be held in reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not be destroyed by the famine.”

37 This seemed to be a good idea to Pharaoh and all his servants.

38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Would we find another man like this, who has the Spirit of God in him?”

39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.

40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

_______________________

the mechanics of wisdom

Joseph’s wisdom consisted of more than the gift of insight into future events. God had also given him an awareness of the practical steps that Pharaoh could take to preserve his people. He had more than insider knowledge of coming disaster. He had a plan that would help the Egyptians manage the disaster. He knew that this famine was going to happen – that there was no way to prevent it. So, his suggestion was that Pharaoh develop a leadership structure that could manage it. In his wisdom, Joseph realized that the problem was not going to be solved by words alone.

LORD, we pray for a practical wisdom that both sees the problems we will face, and discerns your ways of dealing with those problems.

Posted in discernment, Joseph, leadership, wisdom | Tagged | 1 Comment

true contamination and true purity

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 15:10-20

10 Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand:

11 it is not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this contaminates a man.”

12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard you say this?”

13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.

14 Leave them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the saying to us.”

16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding?

17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?

18 But what comes out of the mouth has first come from the heart, and this defiles a person.

19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, like those of murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, blasphemy.

20 These are the contaminators of a man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not contaminate a man.”

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true contamination and true purity

Jesus and the Pharisees had two radically opposite views of spiritual contamination. For the Pharisees, a person can make himself holy by avoiding common things. By performing a simple ritual washing before a meal, for example, the Pharisees thought they were protecting themselves from the invasion of any foreign spiritual pollutants. It had nothing to do with hygiene – the avoidance of germs and such. It was supposed to be a protection against the moral pollutants in the world caused by Gentiles and sinners.

Jesus knew that true spiritual contamination is already there in every human soul (except his own). Since these temptations to disobey God come from our hearts, no amount of ritual cleansing can protect against them. This is why Jesus – as a discipler — insisted that his disciples not go through the Pharisees’ cleansing ritual. He did not want them accepting the false concept of spiritual contamination that was inherent in the ritual. He wanted them to know that even if they stayed away from “common” things, they were still going to struggle with spiritual impurity.

LORD, help us to resist the simple solutions the world gives us for our complex spiritual problems. May we seek a true purity that can only come from a relationship with you.

Posted in depravity, discernment, purity | Tagged | Leave a comment

no stealing the show

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

051314

Genesis 41:15-28

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can explain it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can explain it.”

16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “This is not from me; God will give an answer that brings peace to Pharaoh.”

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.

18 Seven cows, fat and healthy, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.

19 Seven other cows came up after them, deprived and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.

20 And the thin, ugly cows devoured the first seven fat cows,

21 but when they had them in their bellies, no one would have known that they had them in their bellies, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.

22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good.

23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them,

24 and the thin ears devoured the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but no one was able explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are each about the same thing; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are about the same thing.

27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine.

28 It is just what I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. _______________________

no stealing the show

Joseph’s attitude is remarkable, seeing that he has just been taken out of a dungeon and thrust into a prominent position as advisor to Pharaoh. He puts God at center stage. He serves simply as a spokesperson. God is the one revealing the future, and explaining the dream. God is the one who will bring peace out of this anxious moment. When believers are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to others, without grabbing the glory for themselves – that is the attitude which shows that God is at work. When people steal the show for God’s work, it isn’t long before God steps back. He will not share his glory with another.

LORD, give us a heart to serve, and the wisdom to give you the credit for the service.

Posted in glory, humility, Joseph, servanthood | Tagged | 1 Comment