More Than Bread

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So many, not all, but so many leaders reject(ed) Jesus. Why is that? I think one of the reasons people reject Jesus is because they think he (and God) is a taker and not a giver. Isn't that one of the reasons why people reject Jesus?  We have this idea that I can do life better; I can live more, get more, succeed more without Jesus in the picture. Jesus is a taker.  He wants to take my fun, take my money, take my friends, take my plans, and in return for that he'll let bad things happen to me. 

Do you understand the ultimate statement behind this view of God, this view of Jesus? I can't trust him. Dr. R.T. Kendall, calls it "The Betrayal Barrier." It's that moment when God seems to let us down and we have to decide, "can I trust Jesus? Is Jesus a giver or a taker?

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When Jesus and his first followers walked this earth, what was their brand? How did people identify them, describe them? When people thought of Jesus especially people who were poor, or marginalized, what did they think? I think if you asked the leper, or the prostitute, or the Samaritan woman or the blind man, or the rich tax-collector to come up with a single word that would brand Jesus, the word might've been compassion; all-out compassion.  

What if that was our brand; how we are known? What if every time your neighbor or co-worker or classmate thought of you, the first words to come into their minds were, they got a huge, huge heart? Your heart is the wellspring of life. How's your heart?

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If I were to ask you, "What's the point of being a Christian?" What would you say? What does it really mean to be a Christian? What's the point? In this episode we will see an encounter that Jesus had with a religious leader, that I call, "An adventure in missing the point." This leader thought that the point was the hand-washing ceremony. But Jesus' message from day one to day now has always been, "it's all about the heart."  

He said that we would be known as his followers by the quality of our love, by the size of our heart, by the depth of our passion for God and our capacity to love our neighbors. That's the point. So...how's your heart? 

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Come see Jesus. If you are looking for something more, something great, a great life, come see Jesus. That's what Nicodemus did in John 3. He came to see Jesus and in the midst of seeking a great life, Jesus told him, "You must be born again!" That was certainly not clear to Nicodemus, born-again, what in the world is that?

But then Jesus gave the clearest statement of the good news that leads to a great life. John 3:16. If you are looking for a great life...start here!

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This is our final episode in the wilderness! In the last episode we focused on the question, "Will I live like I am fatherless? Knowing my father is a key survival skill in times of spiritual battle. Our enemy wants us to believe that we are fatherless, when our father is God. So if the battle Jesus faced was a temptation to believe that he had been left fatherless; or that his father wasn’t worth trusting. Our survival skills need to keep us connected to the Father. 

We will look at three. "Cross out the I" and "Pray like it matters" and "Find life in the WORD."

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Here is what I believe about our wilderness, about the battle in our wilderness. If the words of Father God give us the courage and strength for the battle, the Devil's strategy is to get us to believe the lie that we live fatherless lives. Fatherlessness is the new cultural norm. It's a story being written into the lives of the next  generation; a story heard in songs, seen in movies & read in the blogs. Even if father's aren't missing, we're being told that they aren't necessary. But that doesn't stop the search or fill the hole. In the wilderness we are faced with the question,  Will I live like I am fatherless?

In fact, this may even be the essence of battle. Our enemy wants us to believe that we are fatherless, when God is our Father. You are not fatherless!

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I think there’s a better than good chance that anytime we come to see Jesus, before long we will start to hear the still small voice of the Spirit of God calling us to lean out, lean away from what we think is our last bit of comfort, control and security. Listen, in the wilderness, few things are more important than taking your eyes off of you, and inclining your ears to the voice of God. And when you hear the words of God, lean into Him, trusting whatever He calls you to do. 

Because in the end, your wilderness is not just about you. People around you might not even know it, but they are desperately counting on you to come through the wilderness and share with them the favor of God.

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Luke 4:1-19 is the story of Jesus' 40-Day battle against Satan in the wilderness. Jesus was baptized, applauded by His Father, and then he was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit of God to battle the evil one. Why did Father God drove Jesus into the wilderness to do battle with Satan? Was it because he was  disappointed by Jesus? Was it because he was angry with Jesus and wanted to punish him? Was it because he didn't love Jesus?  NO NO & again NO.  

God drove Jesus into the wilderness, because he loved him and had a difficult plan for his life. God had a world-changing life-giving mission for Jesus and those missions are not given to those who never suffer. What if you are in the wildnerness BECAUSE He loves you?

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In Mark 1, early in Jesus' ministry, the people are drawn to him from all over, great crowds. Why? Because they believe that they have found their defender. In this episode we will see Jesus go to battle for his holy calling and go to battle for the restoration of community. Where are you contending for community? In what way are you battling for your own holy calling?

I'll close the episode with two prayers, both legitimate and both necessary. The first prayer is "Jesus defend me." The second prayer is "Jesus make me dangerous." Which prayer do you need most at the moment?

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John begins his gospel with a wedding story reminding us that the Kingdom of God is a party, a celebration. Matthew's gospel has more Christmas story but jumps quickly into Jesus' teaching of the radical way of life for those who follow Jesus. Luke's gospel highlights that the Kingdom of God is for all people, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, people in the margins and leaders in life. But Mark opens with battle. In fact, his gospel is filled with Battles. You can’t read Mark without being reminded that when the King of God comes, there is a holy war. Not a battle 
against flesh & blood. This is a spiritual battle. 

And there is no one who will go to battle for you like Jesus!