stay away!

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 8:28-34

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so violent that no one could pass that way.

29 And see, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”

30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at a distance from them.

31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”

32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and see, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

33 The herdsmen ran away, and when they came into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

34 And see, all the city came out to meet Jesus, but after they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

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stay away!

The peoples’ fear of the demoniacs was quite rational. It was wise to stay away from their violent attacks.

The demons’ fear of Jesus was also rational. They knew that at God’s appointed time –Judgment Day – Jesus will judge all creatures, and that those whose names are not written in the book of life will experience torment for their sins and be finally destroyed in the lake of fire.

But Matthew tells his version of this story to highlight the irrational fear of the city dwellers, who learned of Jesus’ power, and begged him to stay away from them. You cannot escape Jesus. He will either be your deliverer or your judge.

LORD, give us the wisdom to seek you, not to shun you.

Posted in deliverance, fear, Jesus Christ, judgment | Tagged | Leave a comment

A bride for the Master’s Son

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 24:1-20

Abraham was old by now, well advanced in days. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who was steward of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh,

3 so that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of the sky and God of the land, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,

4 but will go to my country and to my kin, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant said to him, “What if the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?”

6 Abraham replied to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there.

7 The LORD, the God of the sky, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kin, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

8 But if the woman does not want to follow you, then you will be free from this oath from me; only you must not take my son back there.”

9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him on this subject.

10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he set out for Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor.

11 And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the water well at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.

12 And he prayed, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show faithful love to my master Abraham.

13 See, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.

14 Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’- let her be the one whom you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown faithful love to my master.”

15 Before he had finished speaking, see, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.

16 The young woman looked very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came back.

17 Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.”

18 She replied, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.

19 When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have finished drinking.”

20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to get more water, and she supplied all his camels.

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A bride for the Master’s Son

Abraham gave his servant specific instructions that he should travel the long distance back to Paddan-Aram and find a wife for Isaac there. She should not come from the Canaanites. The servant found Rebekah, who demonstrated the qualities one looks for in a bride. An angel had gone before the servant and had put all the variables in place so that the servant found the perfect match.

This story is important historically, because it explains how Rebekah became Isaac’s wife.

It is important spiritually because Rebekah’s attitude of eager hospitality, submission to the marriage and love for Isaac (whom she had not seen) teaches the church how we should respond to Jesus, our Bridegroom, and the Master’s Son.

LORD, may our love for Jesus motivate us to serve his servants, and submit to his will eagerly, as Rebekah did.

Posted in Abraham, church, commitment, ethnic Israel, Isaac | Tagged | 1 Comment

trusting Jesus in the storm

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 8:23-27

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

24 And see, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but he was asleep.

25 So they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are dying.”

26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

27 And the men were shocked, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

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trusting Jesus in the storm

The disciples trusted Jesus enough to obey him when he told them to cross the lake, but when the storm came, they were not sure his presence was enough.

We should be careful about criticizing the disciples for this, because it is going to happen to us as well. Storms will come, and Jesus will seem to be sleeping. We will probably panic and pray for help. Like the disciples, we are not doubting that Jesus is with us. We just pay too much attention to the storm, and not enough to the fact of his presence.

LORD, help us to pay more attention to who you are than in what we are experiencing.

Posted in discernment, discipleship, fear, Jesus Christ, trust | Tagged | Leave a comment

Property in Canaan

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 23:1-20

Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.

2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah, to cry over her loss.

3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,

4 “I am a traveler and foreigner among you; give me some property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

5 The Hittites answered Abraham,

6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince from God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will hold back from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.”

7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of that land.

8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar,

9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among those Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the other Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city,

11 “No, my lord, hear me: I will give you the field, and I will give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”

12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.

13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I will give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham,

15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the other Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was sold

18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city as witnesses.

19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (also known as, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

20 The field and the cave that is in it were sold to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

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Property in Canaan

Princess Sarah falls asleep in the LORD, and Abraham, whom the Hittites call a “prince of God” negotiates with them a burying place. He wanted the field of Ephron, son of Zohar. He purchased the field and the cave of Machpelah on it. It would be the only property in Canaan that Abraham would own. It would serve as a guarantee of the greater inheritance. The rest of the land promised would be received by his descendants.

This land Abraham bought would serve later as a burial ground and resting place for Abraham himself, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah and Leah as well. Like Sarah here, their story does not end with their being transported somewhere else at death. The patriarchs did not see death as their salvation. At death, they sleep in the dust of the earth and – like us – await their Savior who will come down and rescue them from death by raising them to eternal life.

LORD, come quickly and rescue us from the enemy, death. Many of your saints await you and what you promised – eternal life.

Posted in Abraham, second coming, sleep of death | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom is going nowhere

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 8:18-22

18 After Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he ordered his disciples to go over to the other side of the lake.

19 And one scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 but Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes to go to, and birds of the air have nests to go to, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go home until it is time to bury my father.”

22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead go to bury their own dead.” _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom is going nowhere

The scribe was too eager to follow Jesus, because he thought Jesus and his disciples were going someplace special. No, they were just going to the other side of the lake, to minister to the needs of more regular people. Ministry never goes beyond that. Even if the Lord sends you to speak to kings, it is still going nowhere in particular. It is just following Jesus to another nowhere.

One of the larger group of the disciples (not the twelve) told Jesus that he would catch up to him after he took care of his family responsibilities. Apparently, his father was ill, and would soon die. But Jesus saw into the request. He saw that the man was prioritizing something else besides the kingdom. So, Jesus told him to follow him now instead of later. The dead he left behind would take care of their dead.

The kingdom business may not give you any clout, but it is important. Jesus calls us to commit to his kingdom, and go nowhere with him. Now is the time.

LORD, give us the wisdom to prioritize following you, in spite of where it takes us.

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Unthinkable and Impossible

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 22:14-24

14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will see to it”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be seen to.”

15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from the sky

16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not held back your only son,

17 Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the sky and like the sand upon the beach. And your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies,

18 and because of your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they set out together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “See, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,

22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”

23 ( Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

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Unthinkable and Impossible

Abraham is a perfect example of saving faith because his faith was more than mere intellectual assent. He trusted God and he obeyed his command. His faith strapped his son to an altar and picked up a knife. By doing so, he was acting out a scene in a drama, a scene that was written long before his time, a scene that would be fulfilled in history when God himself would send his only Son to be sacrificed on a cross. But Abraham did not know that. All Abraham knew was that God commanded him to do the unthinkable, and he was prepared to do it, because he trusted God. God would see to it.

This is the kind of faith God has chosen to bless. If you ever struggle with why you keep getting into impossible situations, that could be the reason. The LORD could be challenging you to stay committed to him when the reasonable thing to do would be to pack up your stuff and go back home.

LORD, give us the faith that trusts and obeys in unthinkable and impossible situations.

Posted in Abraham, faith, obedience, trust | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom is ministry to the hurting

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 8:14-17

14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.

15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him.

16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he expelled the spirits with a command and healed all who were sick.

17 This was to fulfill what was predicted by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

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The Sky Kingdom is ministry to the hurting

Isaiah had predicted that Jesus would take our illnesses and pains upon himself. He did that ultimately on the cross, but he first began doing that by his healing and deliverance ministry. Hurting people were not a distraction for him. He came to heal and deliver us all. Our hurts matter to him.

He would empower his disciples to heal and deliver as they preached his gospel as well.[1] They were not always able to heal, but they tried.[2] Those blessed with citizenship in the kingdom from the sky are invested in helping the hurting. It is what we do.

LORD, help us to help the hurting in your name. Where there is illness, give us your healing touch. Where there is demonic invasion, give us your delivering word.

[1] Matthew 10:1, 8.

[2] Matthew 17:16.

Posted in church, deliverance, discipleship, healing, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God | Tagged | Leave a comment

Substitute

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Jefferson Vann
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Genesis 22:1-13

And it was some time after these things. Then God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

2 So he said, “Now take your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, tying his pack to his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and started out for the place of which God had told him.

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and return to you.”

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.

7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not held back your only son, from me.”

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and see, behind him was a ram, caught in a bush by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

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Substitute

Abraham had already endured the grief of sending Ishmael and Hagar away. The loss was not merely emotional; it represented a deep theological shift. Ishmael embodied the first attempt at securing God’s promise through human effort—an echo of Adam, the first creation, but not the child through whom God would reveal his covenant. With Ishmael gone, Abraham was left with Isaac, described in Scripture as his “only son,” the child of promise, the one through whom God had sworn to bless all nations.

Into that fragile moment, God issued a command that defied human logic. Abraham was told to take Isaac to the land of Moriah, offer him as a burnt offering, and reduce the child of promise to ashes. The narrative does not linger on Abraham’s emotions, but the obedience itself reveals a staggering trust. The New Testament later interprets Abraham’s resolve as rooted in resurrection hope—he believed God could raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. The promise was too large, too divine, too anchored in God’s character to be undone by death.

Abraham’s words to his servants show the quiet confidence beneath the anguish: “God will provide for himself the lamb.” He ascended the mountain expecting provision, even as he carried the knife and fire. When Isaac lay bound on the altar and Abraham raised his hand, God intervened. A ram appeared, caught by its horns in a thicket—an unplanned, unexpected substitute. Isaac was spared because another took his place.

This moment became a pattern that echoed through generations. God’s people learned that life is preserved through substitution, that mercy comes through another’s sacrifice. The ram on Moriah pointed forward to a greater provision. In the fullness of time, God offered his own Son as the substitute—not for one boy on a mountain, but for Abraham and all his descendants in the faith. The Father did not spare his “only Son,” but gave him up so that sinners might live.

The story of Moriah teaches that God provides what human obedience cannot achieve. He meets the deepest need with the greatest gift: a substitute who bears sin, satisfies justice, and restores life.

LORD, thank you for providing for the greatest need: a substitute who died for sin—your only Son, Jesus.

Posted in Abraham, Jesus Christ | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom and those who deserve it

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Jefferson Vann
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Matthew 8:5-13

5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him, asking earnestly for his help,

6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible pain.”

7 So Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, just give the command, and my servant will be healed.

9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was shocked and said to those who followed him, “Honestly, I tell you, I have not found such faith as this in any Israelite.

11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom from the sky,

12 while the sons who should be in that kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; it will be done for you as you have believed.” And that very instant his servant was healed. _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom and those who deserve it

Jesus showed the same ready compassion toward the centurion’s servant that he had shown to the man with leprosy. In both scenes, his willingness is immediate, unhesitating, and rooted in his authority as the Messiah. Yet the centurion approached Jesus with a strikingly different understanding. He did not ask Jesus to travel to his home or lay hands on the servant. He recognized that Jesus’ authority operated at a level beyond physical proximity. As a military officer, he knew how authority works: a superior issues a command, and the command accomplishes its purpose. He understood that Jesus possessed that kind of authority over sickness itself. Paralysis was not an immovable condition; it was something Jesus could order to depart. That recognition—trusting Jesus’ word as effective even at a distance—is what Scripture calls faith.

What astonished Jesus was not simply the centurion’s confidence, but the fact that such faith appeared in someone outside Israel, someone who served Rome, the occupying power. In the eyes of many Jews, this man was an outsider and even an enemy. Yet his heart grasped what many within Israel failed to see: Jesus’ authority was divine, and his word was enough. Jesus used this moment to teach a sobering truth. Many from distant places—“from east and west”—would one day share in the joy of God’s kingdom because they respond to Jesus with genuine faith. They are not defined by ancestry, geography, or religious pedigree. They are defined by trust in the King.

At the same time, Jesus warned that some who assumed they belonged in the kingdom simply because of their heritage would find themselves outside. Their exclusion would not be arbitrary; it would be the tragic result of rejecting the very King who came to save them. The sorrow and anger described—“weeping and gnashing of teeth”—reflect the deep regret of those who discover too late that privilege without faith offers no place in God’s future.

This story reminds believers that God’s kingdom is not inherited by right but received by grace. Faith is not entitlement; it is surrender to the authority of Christ. The centurion understood that Jesus had the right to command what happens in his life and in the life of his servant. That same posture defines true discipleship: trusting Jesus’ word, submitting to his authority, and resting in his mercy.

LORD, we believe you have the right to decide what happens to us. We trust in your grace, not in our rights. Just give the command.

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Token

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Jefferson Vann
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Genesis 21:22-34

22 At that time Abimelech through Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.

23 Now therefore swear to me by God that you will not deal deceptively with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have travelled.”

24 And Abraham said, “I do swear.”

25 When Abraham later complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized,

26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not learned about it until today.”

27 So Abraham took some sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.

28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of his flock apart.

29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the purpose of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?”

30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will obtain from my hand, that this gift may be a witness for me that I dug this well.”

31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath.

32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines.

33 It was there in Beersheba that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree and called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

34 And Abraham traveled many days in the land of the Philistines. _________________________________________

Token

Abraham’s well seems like a small detail in the larger story of God’s promises, yet it carried enormous weight. It was not simply a source of water; it was a marker of identity, faith, and future inheritance. Abraham’s household had dug it, tended it, and depended on it. In a land where he owned nothing else in a permanent sense, this well stood as a tangible sign that God’s promise was already taking shape. When Abimelech questioned its ownership, Abraham was ready to defend it—not with violence, but with deliberate action. He offered a witness price, establishing publicly and legally that the well belonged to him. This mattered because the well sat on land God had sworn to give him and his descendants. Abraham knew the full promise would not be fulfilled in his lifetime. He was not called to conquer the land; that task would fall to Joshua centuries later. But Abraham was called to secure this small token, a foothold in the land that testified to what God would one day accomplish.

By the time Joshua led Israel into Canaan, the well at Beersheba had become more than a water source. It functioned like a bookmark in the landscape—a reminder that their story in this land did not begin with conquest. Their ancestor had already placed a marker here. The well signified continuity, identity, and belonging. Because of it, Beersheba was not foreign soil. It was part of the unfolding promise, a place where God had already begun His work long before Joshua’s generation arrived.

In the same way, God has placed a marker within His people today. The Holy Spirit is the present token of a future inheritance, the down payment of all that God has promised. His presence is not merely comforting; it is a sign that the full restoration, the full kingdom, and the full inheritance are already underway. Life may still feel like wandering, and the fullness of God’s promises may seem far off, but the Spirit’s presence declares that the future is certain. Because He dwells within, the promises of God are not distant or abstract. They are familiar ground, already breaking into the present.

LORD, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit and for the future He guarantees.

Posted in Abraham, future, Holy Spirit | Tagged | 1 Comment