Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

This word should be THUMPING in your head:  "RANSOM"

It is the English translation of the Greek word for the price paid for the release of slaves.
Even the definition is offensive.
Wait til we apply it:  that is that YOU (me too) are the slave in need of release.  That is offensive too.  In fact that is really offensive to me. 
So we have a problem as we get up this morning.  We still might be SLAVES to sin.  We might still be on the hook for the penalty of our sin.  the Bible talks lots and lots about other people's sin.  I wonder if I too might have some non-perfection in need of rescue and RANSOM.  Perhaps I am in need of RANSOM. 

Ok, so what then is the CURRENCY of this payment?  Is it $100 bills? Gold coins? Diamonds?  Nope.  It is with L-I-F-E.  Represented by the blood of the life-giver.  So this is Jesus paying with His life for the release of His people. The currency given is so valuable, so effective, that it is for many.  In other words, you are not alone in your need for rescue, and perhaps in your celebration for having been rescued.

Marcus Luttrell tells a rip-roaring story of his capture by the Taliban and then RESCUE by basically the entire force of the US military.  Trust me, he REMEMBERS this moment.  He wrote the book Lone Survivor all about it. 

So can you tell me your story of RANSOM?  It had better be good, because the price was the highest possible.  You will never forget it.  But what if not?  If you cannot tell me the story of your RANSOM, the most important single moment in your life, then I'll assume that you haven't been rescued yet.  Perhaps you think you have, but have not.  Either way, I'd like "RANSOM" to be THUMPING in your head all day long.  Listen and get it started.

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Do you want to be great?  Do you want to go from mediocrity to wonderfulness?  Good!  That is definitely encouraged in the Scriptures.

So exactly how is that done?  Here is where is gets tricky.  Whoever would be great must be servant.  Whoever would be first must be servant.  Bondservant.

Real authority looks like service.  Voluntary, long-term, sacrificial service.  

Then let's consider who we are in authority over.  And let's ask:  How can I serve them today?  

Or, who do I CHOOSE TO SERVE?  It is the mark of the Christian.  Listen and let's get busy.

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What if my future will be difficult?
What if the Cup that the Lord has before me doesn't taste very good?
What if I'll be "drinking the TOUGH CUP?"
Do I trust You Lord?
Will You be enough?
Will I make it all the way?
Will I make it to the end?
Will I be able to stay faithful?
What if there is pain for me?
What there is pain for those around me?

You must agree:  these are real questions that everyone, believer and unbeliever, asks.  Welcome to reality.  Listen and see if the Lord is ENOUGH for the CUP ahead.

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There is much to admire in today's podcast.  Actually, not the podcast itself, some real life stuff was going on there.  The admiration is of Bartimaeus. He's  Poor, blind but he is our hero today.

We know exactly where this happens.  It is in Jericho.  Jesus' spiritual iWatch can tell Him how many steps He has left before Jerusalem.

We find out that in the end Bartimaeus has saving faith.  But before that grand conclusion, I admire his persistent appeal to the MERCY of Jesus.  He doubles down in his call for it, even after he is rebuked to (non) silence.  He is appealing to what is at Jesus' core, what's in His "guts".  He is going with a winning characteristic of Jesus.

As I considered today's passage I was also admiring our blind man correctly identifying Jesus as "Son of David."  He seems to understand:

• Heritage, lineage, history of Jesus
• That Jesus now occupies the OFFICE and throne of David as prophesied
• That David had a good heart.  It was a heart after the heart of God as Acts 13:22 tells us. Jesus' heart is also good:  it is full of compassion and pity

"I'll take SPLANCHNEZOMI, Jesus' guts of mercy for $2000, Alex!"  Listen and admire not the podcast, but the person of Bartimaeus.  Then subscribe on www.bewithme.us

Everybody has to wrestle a bit with "the cross".  By that I mean the whole process of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is broken down today into its emotional parts: the mocking, the spitting, and being shamefully treated.  Then it is broken down to the physical parts: The flogging, the killing and the Rising on the third day.

Though this was all prophesied, planned and predicted, it came as a bit of a surprise to everyone except Jesus.  This is the third time in Luke that He tells the disciples specifically this is going to happen.

Here is the weird part.  They didn't GRASP what was said because it was HIDDEN from them.  Perhaps it was too horrible.  Perhaps He didn't want any interference with the most important thing in human history.  Perhaps this just wasn't the time.

But I wonder now as we read this passage if now IS the time for Un-hiding and Un-not-grasping.  Let's consider this carefully.  Let's wonder anew.  Lord, may You REVEAL.  Lord, may You help us GRASP.

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Ha. Ha. Ha.  The Humor of this image. It really is funny, unless you realize that your life DEPENDS of the success of this task.

Can you get a CAMEL through the eye of a NEEDLE?  

Can't think of a way?  How about if we assign a task force?  Have some hearings on the matter?  Call the Marines for help?  Get a Presidential Committee going on it? Ha. Ha. Ha.  Can't do it! Ridiculous! Out of the realm of possibility!  It is IMPOSSIBLE.

Well, same idea here about your earning your admission to heaven.  Same idea about being "good enough", or rich enough, or powerful enough, or nice enough, or serving enough.  There is no "enough".  Can't do it!  Ridiculous!  Impossible!  We all end up "falling short".  We all have "one thing we lack." 

So then the excellent question:  WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?  Before you answer, remember the CAMEL. Q:  Who then can be saved?  A:  nobody.  Ridiculous. Can't be done.  It is IMPOSSIBLE.

So take heart today.  What is impossible with men IS POSSIBLE with God!!!!  What?!  Who is this God?  How is this done?  Listen and find out.  

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Is it good to be RICH or not?
How can you be SAD and rich at the same time?  Worse, how can you be SAD BECAUSE OF your riches?
How easy might it be to mis-treasure money, or sex, or power, or control and miss the real treasure?

A man today asks about behavior, but the story points toward what we truly value.
Is God the ultimate good?  Do we value Him above all?  Or, does STUFF get in the way?
Is there any room in my heart for TRUE treasure, when I am consumed with the earthly treasures and concerns?

We are going to ask

• What do you treasure and then
• WHO do you treasure and then
• What do you do with the treasures He gives.

Like the Christmas Carol Joy to the World, we just may have to UN-Treasure a few things to "prepare Him room"; so we can prepare a space for the Great Treasure. 

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Our teachers today are children.  Why?  because the kingdom is full of people who either ARE them, or are LIKE them.  So, we need to come humbly to this passage today.

The song goes, "Jesus loves the little children...".  True.  But first, Jesus has to SEE the children.  Children, "they just want to be SEEN."  Jesus is a great example of that.  Let's notice, recognize, address, interact, and greet a child today.  There is certainly a general call to BE NICE TO A CHILD TODAY.

But there is more.  Children are here a good example of being a good example.  There is also a call to BE LIKE A CHILD TODAY.  Remember, the Kingdom of God is full of them, and full of people who are like them.  They are our "spiritual seniors." Let's be faithful, loving, trusting, learning, agreeable, small, curious and humble.  It is much better than being spiritually grouchy, kicking, screaming, prideful and full of "I know best."  Thank you for listening.

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Two Mr. POTATO HEADS speak to God.  We get to see how they "dress" as they approach God.  One self-justifies and ends up not justified.  One puts on his humble "I'm sorry eyes"; he puts on his "I'm sorry feet"; he puts on his "I'm sorry arms"; he puts on his "I'm sorry lips". 

For the humble Mr. Potato Head, something impossible happens.  In a sense, God CHANGES HISTORY.  Or, at least, God changes the way He VIEWS history.  That is, God views this Potato Head as JUSTIFIED.  That means 'just as if it didn't happen'; as if there was no violation that had taken place.  At the end of the story, with his plea for MERCY, God actually gives Mr. Potato Head something he didn't have at the beginning of his dressing:  JUSTIFICATION.  This is the impossible part of the story.  How can a righteous God view unrighteous Potato Heads as righteous?  Stick around for the answer.

To conclude today, we will BE Mr. Potato Head.  We will put on some sort of eyes, arms, feet and lips.  Then we will approach the throne with something that hopefully resembles humility and repentance.  If so, the IMPOSSIBLE may happen.  We may walk away as JUSTIFIED.  'Just as if it didn't happen'.  History may be changed.  God may welcome us and view us differently.  Wowser.  Please listen Mr. Potato Head.  Then subscribe at www.bewithme.us

Are you discouraged today?  Have you lost heart?  If so, then this podcast today is for you.  

When the Bible encourages us to not lose heart, we know that it is a real thing.  People lose heart.  Life is hard.  People are hard.  Situations are hard.  Relationships are hard.  Health is hard.  Money is hard.  Work is hard.

So today we will learn and follow the directions to a non-discouraged heart.  That is, we will identify something that we have a temptation to lose heart over:

• perhaps you have lost heart over a person
• perhaps you have lost heart over a situation
• perhaps you have lost heart over a suffering
• perhaps you have lost heart over an injustice

We will not be "dropping our hearts" today.  We will be picking them up, and faithfully be placing them in the lap of the Lord.  He can take it.  

We'll be doing some heart surgery and excising discouragement and replacing it with persistence, faith, and watchful anticipation.  Listen and begin praying with me.

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