love and hell

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

042414

Matthew 13:44-50

44 “The kingdom from the sky is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom from the sky is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,

46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom from the sky is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every variety.

48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good ones into containers but threw away the bad ones.

49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous

50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

_________________________________________

love and hell

These stories – like the story of the poisonous weeds – are also all about hell – the destruction of all evil at the conclusion of this age when Jesus returns. Be we sometimes fail to see the love Jesus has for us in theses stories.

1. He loves us so much that he will not allow us to keep living surrounded by evil. He will rescue us both from the ways of the old world that trouble us internally, and from the presence of evil itself. Sin and death will be destroyed in Gehenna.

2. He loves us so much that he is ready to give up all he has for us. This is remarkable given the fact that he is the creator of the universe. He will destroy it all, and the only thing he will not let go is his hidden treasure: us.

3. He values us more than any other being in creation.

4. He has determined to protect us from his coming judgment. He will send his angels, and they know which fish are keepers and which are throwaways. His love will keep us safe, even as his wrath is unleashed.

LORD, thank you for loving us so much that you have chosen to rescue us from your coming wrath.

Posted in destruction in hell, eternal life, Jesus Christ, love | Tagged | Leave a comment

the courage to dream

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

042314

Genesis 37:1-11

Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was tending the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a tunic with long sleeves.

4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak calmly to him.

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.

6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream that I have dreamed:

7 See, we were binding up sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf got up and stood upright. And see, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed themselves down to my sheaf.”

8 His brothers asked him, “Are you indeed to rule over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “See, I have dreamed another dream. See, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and asked him, “Why have you dreamed a dream like this? Will I and your mother and your brothers really come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”

11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father monitored the situation.

_______________________

the courage to dream

Joseph enters the story already a victim of the sibling rivalry that had plagued his father. Jacob exacerbated the problem by having a special tunic made for Joseph. The wording is similar to the description of priests’ garments under Moses. The trouble with being set apart for something special is that it makes one a target for the envious, and a focal point for grievances. Even Jacob had problems with the dreams his son was having, indicating his future prominence. If you know the rest of the story, you know how important dreams were in Joseph’s story. It took a lot of faith for him to still allow God to use him as an interpreter of dreams. God often allows challenges to come into our lives in just those areas where he wants to use us.

LORD, give us the courage to trust what you are doing in our lives, even if it causes trouble for us personally.

Posted in conflict, courage, Joseph | Tagged | 1 Comment

grace and hell

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

042214

Matthew 13:36-43

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the story of the poisonous weeds of the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who plants the good seed is the Son of Man.

38 The field is the world, but the good seed — these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,

39 and the enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the conclusion of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned up with fire, so will it be at the conclusion of the age.

41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,

42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then the righteous ones will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him listen.

_________________________________________

grace and hell

The story of the poisonous weeds is all about hell – the destruction of all evil at the conclusion of this age when Jesus returns. Yet it also reveals the wonderful grace of our Lord.

1. His grace to you, believer, because there is still so much of the old you in your life. It is sometimes difficult for even you to tell which is which. Trust in the grace of the one who planted you. He will see to it that you are in the right harvest – that you will outlast your doubts and difficulties.

2. His grace to you, sinner. You have rejected the maker of all life, yet he has decided to give you time. He has every right to rid this world of its imperfections, and you have no right to question him. Yet, every morning you wake to the same sunshine and joy. Do not take that grace for granted. This age of grace has a conclusion. Seek him while it may be found.

3. His grace even to those who will reject him. God’s goodness will not allow a blight in his future harvest. His eternity will not be populated by the same mix of evil and good that it presently contains. In his grace he will allow all the poisonous weeds to be burned up. On judgment day, many will weep in sorrow over the fact that they rejected the gospel. Many will gnash their teeth in anger at the God who is condemning them to permanent death. But even these will understand that there is no room for them in an eternity where righteousness alone lives.

LORD, thank you for the grace behind your promise to rescue us from hell, and thank you for the grace of hell itself – the solution for the problem of rebellious sin in this world.

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another life

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

042114

Genesis 36:15-43

15 These are the leaders of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the leaders Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,

16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the leaders of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. 17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: the leaders Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the leaders of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

18 These are the sons of Ohol-ibamah, Esau’s wife: the leaders Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the leaders born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.

19 These are the sons of Esau ( that is, Edom), and these are their leaders. 20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the leaders of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.

22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.

23 These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24 These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father.

25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26 These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

27 These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

29 These are the leaders of the Horites: the leaders Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the leaders of the Horites, leader by leader in the land of Seir.

31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.

32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah. 33 Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.

34 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

35 Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith.

36 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.

37 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.

38 Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

39 Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pau; his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.

40 These are the names of the leaders of Esau, according to their clans and their dwelling places, by their names: the leaders Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

43 Magdiel, and Iram; these are the leaders of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.

_______________________

another life

The Edomites produced many great leaders, and these had a significant impact on their world before the glory days of Israel. For some people, all they hope for is to be like that – to make their mark upon their world, and then to fade away into memory. God wants more from us. He wants us to have true significance. That is one reason that his plan for us includes a resurrection unto eternal life. No matter how important a life is, it is still only a shadow, destined to pass away quickly.[1]

Perhaps you are at a point in your life where you are beginning to see that you are not going to make the kind of mark on this world that you thought. That can be disappointing. But it helps to realize that the LORD has called you to another life – a truly significant one. Compared to what you will be, your whole life now is simply a dress rehearsal.

LORD, help us to make every day count, but if we face the disappointment of days of insignificance, remind us of your promise of another life – a resurrection life.

[1] Job 8:9; 14:1-2; 1 Chronicles 29:15; Psalm 144:4; Ecclesiastes 6:12.

Posted in Esau, eternal life, hope, resurrection | Tagged | 1 Comment

we become the message

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

042014

Matthew 13:31-35

31 He entrusted another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom from the sky is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field.

32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all permeated.”

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds using stories; indeed, he said nothing to them without a story.

35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth with stories; Using them I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” _________________________________________

we become the message

As Jesus tells these stories, it soon becomes evident that the referent of the seed morphs into something else. At first, the seed is the word of God, which is how Luke records Jesus explaining it.[1] That message is received well by some soils (lives), and not so well by others. But those lives who receive the seed are transformed into it. We become the message. We expand with it, and become permeated with it. That is why Jesus can also say – without contradiction – that the good seed is “the children of the kingdom.”[2] Once he gets the divine message into us, we become the divine message for others.

Elsewhere, Jesus uses the mustard seed as a symbol of faith,[3] but here he uses it as a symbol of evangelism. His point is that once empowered by God’s message, even the smallest of lives will become larger than life. No one should underestimate her capacity to impact the world for Christ and his kingdom.

The yeast now becomes the message, and once it is worked into the lump of dough, it permeates it entirely. That is how discipleship works. Christ’s kingdom is first a part of your existence, but it grows within you, and soon becomes inseparable from the rest of you. You never cease being you, but you do change.

LORD, as we become your message to the lost, help us to submit to the change, so that the lost may hear your message of grace in us clearly.

[1] Luke 8:11.

[2] Matthew 13:38.

[3] Matthew 17:20; Luke 17:6.

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true blessing

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

041914

Genesis 36:1-14

These are the generations of Esau (also known as Edom).

2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite,

3 and Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth.

4 And Adah gave birth to Eliphaz for Esau; Basemath gave birth to Reuel;

5 and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were given birth to for him in the land of Canaan.

6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his animals, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land some distance from his brother Jacob.

7 This was because their property was too much for them to live together. The land of their travelings could not support them because of their livestock.

8 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. ( Esau is Edom.)

9 These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.

10 These are the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.

11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

12 (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.

13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Sham-mah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.

14 These are the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: she gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah for Esau.

_______________________

true blessing

This chapter contains mostly genealogical information about Esau and his descendants. It explains how his family became prominent in the land of Seir, and eventually possessed all the land. The Israelites in Moses’ day would call them the Edomites. Esau’s descendants were chiefs and kings long before Jacob’s descendants were. They were blessed, but they were not the blessed. Likewise, you will probably meet many who are richer and more prominent than you may become in this life. Do not worry. The future will show who the truly blessed are.

The truly blessed are the eternally blessed. Our evaluation of our identity and status needs to take into account the forever promises of God. When that happens, we can look at all the wealth and happiness of the world around us, and thank the LORD that he has blessed others, while at the same time being uniquely grateful for the eternal blessings we will experience through Christ.

LORD, we trust you to keep all your promises to us. The prosperity and fame of those outside your covenant will not deter us from keeping it.

Posted in discernment, Esau, future | Tagged | 1 Comment

when bad seed crops up

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

041814

Matthew 13:24-30

24 Another story he set before them went like this: “The kingdom from the sky may be compared to a man who planted good seed in his field,

25 but while his men were sleeping, his opponent came and sowed poisonous weeds[1] among the wheat and went away.

26 So when the plants came up and produced grain, then the poisonous weeds appeared also.

27 And the workers of the master of the house came and asked him, ‘Master, did you not plant proper seed in your field? Then why does it have poisonous weeds?’

28 He said to them, ‘An opponent has done this.’ So the workers said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them now?’

29 But he said, ‘No, when you gather the poisonous weeds you might root up the wheat along with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the harvesters, Gather the poisonous weeds first and tie them in bundles to destroy by burning,[2] but gather the wheat into my barn.'”

_________________________________________

when bad seed crops up

This story focuses on the fact that the world contains many who appear to be citizens of the coming kingdom but are not. It has an eschatological element (because of the future harvest it depicts). But Jesus told the story to his disciples because they would lead a church which would sometimes find it difficult to distinguish itself from the world around it. The field is not the church, but the world. It would contain a great number of “good” “decent” sinners, who would reject the gospel. They would look a lot like the wheat that the Master planted, but would be inwardly poisonous. His instruction to his disciples was for them not to try and rid the world of those “good” “decent” sinners. The future harvest will show them for what they really are.

LORD, help us to focus on spreading the message of the gospel, and not to worry about trying to get rid of those who reject it. You have that covered.

[1] zizánion: “a particularly undesirable weed resembling wheat and possessing a seed which is poisonous” (Louw-Nida Lexicon).

[2] katakaío: “to destroy something by burning” (Louw-Nida Lexicon); “destroy by fire, consume by fire” (Friberg Lexicon).

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death not a gateway

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

041714

Genesis 35:16-29

16 Then they traveled from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor.

17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, because you have another son.”

18 And her soul was giving out (for she was dying), so she called his name Ben-oni;[1] but his father called him Benjamin.[2]

19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (also known as Bethlehem),

20 and Jacob set up a monument over her tomb. It is the monument of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.

21 Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 While Israel was still living in that land, Reuben went and had sexual relations with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.

23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Bilhah ( Rachel’s servant): Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Zilpah ( Leah’s servant): Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had traveled.

28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years.

29 And Isaac stopped breathing and died and, was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And those who buried him were Esau and Jacob, his sons.

_______________________

death not a gateway

The deaths of Rachel and Isaac are described in this passage. Rachel’s soul gives out from the strain of her last childbirth. Isaac just stops breathing from old age. There is not the slightest hint in these passages that their real person survived the ordeal. They really died. Their deaths was not the gateway to other lives. Their deaths were the end of their lives. Any promise of a future life would depend not on some immortal soul within them. In fact, it describes Rachel’s soul as giving out. It could no longer live. No, any promise of new life that these saints had would depend on the resurrection power of God. He does not rescue us through death, he will rescue us from it.

LORD, thank you for the resurrection and the life, who is Jesus Christ. On him we place our hope. He is our destiny.

[1] Ben-oni = son of my sorrow, or son of my (last) strength.

[2] Benjamin = son of my right hand (full strength).

Posted in Isaac, Jacob, mortality, resurrection | Tagged | 1 Comment

when good seed goes wrong

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

041614

Matthew 13:18-23

18 “So listen to the parable of the planter:

19 When anyone hears the message about the coming kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been planted in his heart. This is what was planted along the path.

20 As for what was planted on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the message and immediately receives it with joy,

21 yet he has no internal root, so stays true for a while, but when troubles or opposition arise on account of the message, he falls away right then.

22 As for what was planted among thorns, this is the one who hears the message, but the worries of the age and the untrustworthiness of riches choke the message, and it becomes unfruitful.

23 As for what was planted on good soil, this is the one who hears the message and understands it. He really bears fruit and produces, in one case a hundred times as much, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

_________________________________________

when good seed goes wrong

The evidence seems to suggest that the first major evangelistic campaign of the Jesus and his disciples was less than successful. Although the witness to Jewish Galilee was accompanied by powerful miracles, the region ultimately rejected the good news of the coming kingdom. This is why Jesus condemned the major cities who had been the recipients of that evangelistic campaign.[1]

Part of what Jesus is doing here, with his explanation of the parable of the planter, is defending the evangelistic work against possible charges that it – or the message itself – is to blame for the failure. All the seed (at least in this parable) is good, proper seed. Neither the planter nor his methods are at fault.

No, the fault of failed evangelism in this case is with the recipients. They had three major defects which rendered their soil incapable of producing a harvest.

  1. They lacked the understanding necessary for the truth to remain.
  2. They lacked the internal fortitude to withstand the pressure of opposition.
  3. They lacked the wisdom to focus on their future, and were distracted by present worries and passions.

LORD, as your servants, we pray for a good harvest in all our evangelistic efforts, but if that does not happen, help us to trust you and keep proclaiming the message.

[1] Matthew 11:21-24.

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another new start

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

041514

Genesis 35:1-15

And God said to Jacob, “Get up, go up to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you had escaped from your brother Esau.”

2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “throw away the foreign gods that you are keeping and purify yourselves and change your clothes.

3 Then let us get up and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my stress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”

4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak tree that was near Shechem.

5 And as they set out, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not attack the sons of Jacob.

6 And Jacob arrived at Luz (also known as Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him,

7 so he built an altar there and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he had escaped from his brother.

8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.[1]

9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; but your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel will be your name.” So he called his name Israel.

11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come out of your own loins.

12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”

13 Then God ascended from him in the place where he had spoken with him.

14 And Jacob set up a memorial in the place where he had spoken with him, a memorial of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.

15 So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

_______________________

another new start

The incidents at Shechem had unnerved Jacob, and he was ready to start anew with his relationship with the God of his fathers. He could not escape his past, but he could make a new effort to grasp his future. That happens to us as believers many times. God does not forsake us when we fail him. He loves us so much that he sacrificed the life of his only Son on a cross for us. He is ready for us when we are ready for him.

Child of God, have you gotten yourself in another tight spot? Have you embarrassed yourself by how selfish you have acted, and by how reckless you have lived. Perhaps you are ready for yet another new start. Rest assured, God is where you left him. He is at your Bethel, and he wants to bless you. Bury all those foreign gods that you have let distract you from your relationship with him, change your clothes, and set course for Bethel again. It is not too late.

LORD, forgive us for being distracted again. We want you, and only you. Help us to make a clean break, and start anew.

[1][1] Allon-bacuth = the oak of weeping.

Posted in commitment, discipleship, Jacob, relationship with God | Tagged | 1 Comment