Protecting those within

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 19:1-13

That evening, the two angels came to Sodom, and Lot was living at the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth

2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you can get up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.”

3 But he urged them persistently; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people from every part of the city, surrounded the house.

5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may get to know them.”

6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shutting the door after him,

7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.

8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came as a traveler, and he has become our judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down.

10 But the men inside reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.

11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place.

13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” _________________________________________

Protecting those within

If Lot had learned anything from his time attached to the household of Abraham, it was to be hospitable and take care of strangers visiting you. This was a moral ideal in the ancient near east. The men of Sodom had so degenerated that their idea of getting to know someone and taking care of them was to brutally violate them sexually. No doubt this was only one of their vices, but it is the one emphasized in the text, and it is the sin now associated with the city – through the term “sodomy.”

Lot had been in Sodom long enough that he knew about the vice, and so when these two men showed up – and he recognized them as angels, he knew he had to protect them. When discovering that they intended to sleep in the town square, he urged them persistently to stay with him. He would not take no for an answer.

But why did Lot not have the same concern to protect his own daughters? Did he think that the angels were more important? Had his respect for those within his own household degraded from having lived in Sodom? I do not know. What I do know, is that when the angels told Lot that they were going to destroy the city, they asked him if he had anyone else in the city. They commanded him to protect those within his own sphere of influence. The angels did not assent to his “sacrificing” his daughters to protect them. He had a responsibility to protect them.

LORD, forgive us for ignoring our responsibility of protecting those within our households. As we to escape that which you have condemned, may we be compassionate enough to take along anyone we can.

Posted in depravity, family, responsibility | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom and persistence in prayer

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 7:7-11

7 “Keep asking, and what you ask for will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find what you are looking for; keep knocking, and the closed door will be opened for you.

8 For everyone who keeps asking receives, and the one who keeps seeking finds, and to the one who keeps knocking it will be opened.

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a rock?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give proper gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in the sky give good things to those who keep asking him! _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom and persistence in prayer

Jesus had already taught that prayer needed to flow from a genuine relationship with the Father (6:5-9), and that lack of forgiveness in our other relationships could also hinder our prayers (6:10-15). Now he points out one more thing that can keep us from getting what we ask for: lack of persistence.

Jesus is not saying that God is testing us to see how strong we are, and that only the fittest will keep praying and survive the ordeal, gaining the prize. Notice, he – once again – ties prayer and its outcome to our Father in the sky and our relationship to him. The barrier we need to overcome is not our Father’s reluctance to give, but our own resistance to depending on him.

Even we who are evil want to give good things to our kids, and God’s love far exceeds ours. He asks us to keep asking because we will be tempted to give up and try to handle things ourselves. How often have we thrown out a quick prayer, then, thrown up our hands as if to say “that didn’t work” and sought our solution elsewhere. Lack of persistence in prayer is lack of faith in the one to whom we are praying. Our prayer life is not about getting stuff, it is about learning to depend on him.

The temptation is to give up too easily, and end up settling for the rocks and snakes. We don’t appreciate them as much as bread and fish, but at least we did it our way. Staying on our knees long enough to get the fish sandwich is a lesson in humility and faith in a loving, giving Father.

LORD, we want the fish sandwich! Strengthen our knees and bend our stubborn wills so that we learn to pray and keep praying. Help us resist the temptation to seek answers for our problems in ourselves or someone else besides you.

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Challenged to Intercede

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 18:16-33

16 Then the men stood up, intending to leave there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham walked beside them to send them off.

17 The LORD said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,

18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

19 Because I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by practicing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

20 Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,

21 I will go down to verify whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.

23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it because of the fifty righteous who are in it?

25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Will not the Judge of all the land do what is just?”

26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27 Abraham answered and said, “See now, I have dared to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.

28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “Oh now, let not the Lord be hot with anger, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”

31 He said, “See now, I have dared to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”

32 Then he said, “Oh now let not the Lord be hot with anger, and I will speak again just this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

33 And the LORD went on, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

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Challenged to Intercede

It was a bold thing for Abraham to do. He learned what the LORD intended to do to the city of Sodom, and that he was investigating the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah to verify their wickedness. On the basis of this information, Abraham dared to intercede. The LORD had set him up. This was a challenge for Abraham to pray, and that was actually what he was doing. We do not always think of prayer in this light, but we do get opportunities like this all the time. Every time something terrible is likely to happen, we can understand it as a kind of invitation for us to walk beside the LORD for a while, and ask for his mercy. We may not prevent the disaster, but we should feel the obligation to intercede anyway.

Jesus said that this age we are living in will be filled with repeated wars and natural disasters. It is easy to pass these off as inevitable, and to pay them no mind. We often selfishly do this, unless, like Abraham, we have a friend or relative in danger. But what kind of difference could we make if believers took these events as calls to action. What if we deliberately sought the LORD’s mercy before and during these events? Maybe we would not save whole cities, but do we have enough compassion to intercede on the off chance that we might be able to rescue a family or two?

LORD, we accept your challenge. We will not stay comfortably in our tents while the world around us suffers. We will do what we can. When the only thing we can do is pray, we will intercede. You can make a difference.

Posted in Abraham, deliverance, prayer | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom or criticism

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 7:1-6

“Do not criticize people, so that you will not be criticized by them.

2 For with the criticism you offer you will be criticized, and to the extent that you do it, it will be done to you.

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is hanging out of your own eye?

4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log hanging out of your own eye?

5 You actor, remove the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or else they will stomp on them and turn to attack you. _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom or criticism

The moment we begin to believe in the sky kingdom and the promise of being born again into it, we start being tempted to turn on those around us. Part of this is simply the fact that we know renewal is possible now, because we are experiencing it. But if we are not careful, we can turn that good thing happening to us into misery for everyone else.

So, Jesus gives some really practical advice here. Do not try to be someone else’s Holy Spirit. The word that he uses connotes the coming to a conclusion as a result of thinking through a situation. It can be a dangerous thing to tell someone else what you think of him. Jesus says that sky kingdom citizens should stay away from that activity, for several reasons:

1. Criticism breeds criticism. As soon as you serve it up, your friend becomes your opponent, and feels obligated to return your serve.

2. Self-criticism, however, is essential for the sky kingdom. We are set free from the penalty of sin by grace, but we still carry around baggage from the old life, and people notice that. If you do not think you have any baggage, try criticizing someone, and that person will be glad to point out your log. It will be better, however, and less embarrassing, if you discover your log yourself.

3. Without self-criticism and self-correction, criticizing others is dishonest. It is acting.

4. Criticizing others (especially nonbelievers) is also wrong because it is ineffective. Those beautiful pearls of wisdom you seek to throw at your neighbors are not going to help them look good. They are pigs, and they are not interested in pearls. They are liable to attack someone who criticizes them, so save yourself the grief.

LORD, get us out of everybody else’s business. May our hatred for sin in us lead us to deeply criticize our own thoughts and actions, leading to repentance and change. But may our love for our neighbors lead us to pray for them and so live before them that they seek answers from you.

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Honor and trust

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 18:1-15

And the LORD appeared to him near the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.

2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and see, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the ground

3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not disregard your servant.

4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,

5 while I bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on- since you have visited your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”

6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Now! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.”

7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and exceptional, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.

8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood beside them under the tree while they ate.

9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”

10 The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, by many years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.

12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have this pleasure?”

13 The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I really bear a child, now that I am old?’

14 Is anything too tough for the LORD? At the appointed time I will revisit you – about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, you really did laugh.”

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Honor and trust

It was not difficult for Abraham and his household to honor his visitors. They recognized the LORD. It was more difficult to believe the LORD’s message. He promised that Sarah would have a child in a year. Sarah was long reconciled to the fact that the way of women had passed her by. She was willing to bounce Ishmael on her old knees. She had given up on giving birth to a child of her own.

Before we condemn Sarah, we need to take a good long look at our lives, because we are guilty of the same kind of thinking. The LORD promises us a new birth too. No matter how old we are, our tendency is to inwardly laugh. We might be respectful of God when he visits us with the promise of new birth, but the real proof of faith is when we trust him to create something new inside us.

Sarah said she was worn out, an expression used for old, tattered clothing.[1] We struggle inside because we feel that way about our souls. The new birth is not distasteful to us, but it does feel impossible. Nevertheless, the LORD is going to do what he promises to do. Like Sarah and Abraham, we will have to get over ourselves and trust him as well as honor him.

LORD, we believe in the new birth you have promised. Help our unbelief. Help us to trust you for the ridiculously miraculous future you have planned.

[1] Deuteronomy 8:4; 29:4; Joshua 9:4-5,13.

Posted in Abraham, dependence upon God, miracles, new birth, trust | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom or distractions

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 6:25-34

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be distracted by your soul, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor by your body, what you will put on. Is not the soul more than what it eats, and the body more than what it wears?

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither plant nor harvest nor store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more to him than them?

27 And which of you by being distracted can add a single moment to his soul’s age?

28 And why are you distracted about what you wear? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither work nor manufacture clothing,

29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not decked out like one of these.

30 But if God so clothes the meadow flower, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not be distracted, saying, ‘What will we have to eat?’ or ‘What will we have to drink?’ or ‘What will we have to wear?’

32 For the other nations seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father is aware that you need them all.

33 But you seek first the kingdom from God and desire his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.

34 “So do not be distracted about tomorrow, because tomorrow will be distracted for itself. Each day will have its own trouble to be concerned with. _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom or distractions

While we are busy not piling up junk in our treasuries, we also should be busy not piling up worries about what might happen tomorrow. A soul has to eat, and a body has to wear stuff, but being distracted about our needs for tomorrow is a waste of time. We have a Father in the sky who is taking care of us, just as he does the birds and the flowers. He can be trusted. We are very valuable to him.

Instead of what might happen tomorrow, we should be concerned about what should happen today. We are citizens of the kingdom coming down from the sky; we should seek that kingdom first. That means allowing God’s righteousness to permeate our today. While we focus on that, the trivial matters of food and clothing will be added to us as we have need.

LORD, we renounce the tendency to worry about our future. Give us the wisdom to focus on building your kingdom into our lives today, and to reject the temptation to be distracted from that pursuit.

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Laughter

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 17:17-27

17 And Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

18 So Abraham responded to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

19 But God said, “Seriously, Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you will call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

20 Regarding Ishmael, I have heard you; see, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

22 When he had finished talking with him, God left Abraham.

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him.

24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.

27 And all the men of his household, those born in the household and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

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Laughter

Sarah was not the only one who laughed at the idea of having a child at ninety years old. But God was not joking. Isaac would be born in a year’s time. Abraham enjoyed a good laugh in the presence of the creator of the universe. Our God is in the habit of blessing us so ridiculously that sometimes we cannot help but crack up.

Do not get me wrong. Serving and submitting to God is a serious matter, as Abraham and all the men of his household learned. There is pain in obedience. But the LORD does not ask us to burn our firstborn sons in the fire. He wants what is best for us – and them. When the heavy lifting time comes, we can rest assured that Jesus has taken that burden upon himself. He has passed on the blessing to believers, just as he passed it on to Isaac – whose name reminded Abraham of that time he and the LORD shared a laugh.

LORD, we ask you to help us keep secure enough in your presence to laugh in wonder at your love and grace.

Posted in Abraham, Isaac, prayer, relationship with God | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom or stuff?

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 6:19-24

19 “Do not waste your time setting aside valuables for yourselves here on the land, where moth and rust destroy them, and where thieves break in and steal them,

20 but invest your valuables in the coming kingdom from the sky, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your investment is, that is where your heart will also be.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will see all the light,

23 but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will see only darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how deep is the darkness!

24 “No one 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 stuff.[1] _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom or stuff?

Everyone is going to have a certain amount of stuff. Some will have lots of stuff, others will have very little stuff. Living by the rules of the coming sky kingdom means using your stuff to further your relationship with your Father, not allowing your stuff to waste your time. After all, treasuring up treasures in the here and now is futile. Stuff is designed to be used up, eaten up or to be stolen. Investing those temporary things in God’s permanent kingdom is the only wise choice.

It is in this context that Jesus returns to the metaphor of lighting the land with our light. Getting caught up in greed and wasting our time on stuff is one way of turning our light into darkness. When the world sees covetous Christians, they cannot see the light. It is like when a person loses his eyesight.

I considered using the word “bosses” for “masters” in verse 24, but decided against it. You can actually have several bosses if you have several jobs. I do. But nobody can have two masters. Christians need to look at their bank statements and see just who they are actually serving.

LORD, we renounce the god of Stuff. We choose to invest our time and money in you and your coming kingdom.

[1] Jesus uses the name of the Syrian god Mammon to represent stuff people waste their lives on. The word sounded like the Aramaic for “what (ma) you trust in (amon).”

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New

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 17:5-16

5 No longer will your name be called simply Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a noisy crowd of nations.

6 I will make you exceedingly productive, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall issue from you.

7 And I will institute my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be your personal God and to your offspring after you.

8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your travels, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their personal God.”

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you will keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

10 This is my covenant, which you will abide by, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

11 You all will be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you all.

12 He who is eight days old among you will be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any outsider who is not of your offspring,

13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, will surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul will be cut off from his people by death; he has broken my covenant.”

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah.

16 I will bless her, and what is more, I will actually give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” _________________________________________

New

From his infinite place in time and space, God intervenes again in the lives of this couple. He has plans for them – tremendous plans. To show them the way they will reshape the world, the LORD gives them new names. The names reflect their standing in the new world that they will help create. A huge, noisy crowd of nations will trace their ancestry to this couple. But there is more, The LORD will be the personal God of Abraham and Sarah. They have a relationship as well as a responsibility. The perfect word to describe this relationship is covenant, and the perfect symbol for this covenant is circumcision. This seemingly gross and barbaric custom perfectly symbolized the passing on of the relationship with God from generation to generation, with both the rights and responsibilities implied in the relationship.

The corresponding sign of the new covenant is believer’s baptism, symbolizing death to the flesh and the promise of new resurrection life in Christ (Colossians 2:11-17).

LORD, we accept our new names, and the new sign, recognizing both the relationship rights and responsibilities implied by it.

Posted in Abraham, baptism, church, commitment, faithfulness, relationship with God | Tagged | 1 Comment

Sky Kingdom fasting

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 6:16-18

16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal like the actors, because they mutilate their faces so that they can be recognized as fasting by others. I honestly tell you, they have received their wages.

17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18 so that you may not be recognized as fasting by any others but only by your Father who watches secretly. And your Father who watches secretly will pay you back. _________________________________________

Sky Kingdom fasting

Some people cannot fast, but most of us can skip a meal or two without doing serious damage. In Jesus’ day, many people fasted, but a lot of them did it out of the wrong motivation. They wanted to impress people with their spirituality and – if you can believe it – humility. So, fasting became a show, complete with mutilated faces as part of the costume. Jesus did not recommend this kind of fast. The only wages it produced is impressing people – and gullible people at that.

But Jesus did not reject fasting. He taught that there is something legitimate about temporarily going without food as a means of focusing on that which is truly important. Remember, this same Jesus also fasted for 40 days before beginning his discipling ministry.

· He used that time to meditate on the word. Remember that while he was fasting he told Satan that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”[1]

· He used that time to discipline himself for the challenges he would face. If Jesus needed to do that, how much more do we?

· He used that time to focus on his relationship with his Father by prayer. We can too often be distracted by the ordinary routine of life.

Meditation, discipline, and focus: three reasons to give fasting a try.

LORD, if possible, give us a regular, meaningful and authentic fasting experience.

[1] Matthew 4:4.

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