Kenneth Winter's Blog, page 7

What Should We Do?

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We will all encounter a myriad of questions throughout our lifetimes. Some of those questions will be foundational and life-changing, while others will be more trivial and incidental. i would, however, contend that there is one question that stands out above all the rest. It is a question that arises from the depths of the very soul with which we were created. Sadly, it is a question that too many have ignored or rejected. But even one’s failure to respond is in fact a response. It truly is the most important question any of us will ever face.

It was a moment unlike any other they had ever experienced. Only those gathered in the upper room that day were anticipating the arrival of the Spirit of God, and even they had no idea when He would arrive. Everyone else in the city was going about their planned activities. Many were in the city to celebrate the religious Festival of Harvest (Shavuot). With great pomp and ceremony, the Jewish pilgrims had traveled to Jerusalem with their baskets containing their first fruits.(1)

Others in the city were preoccupied with the day-to-day details of their lives – work responsibilities, pressing personal and/or family needs, relational disputes – perhaps some were even dealing with contentious conflict with the ruling Roman authorities.

Suddenly the events of the day were disturbed in the quarter of the city closest to the Temple by the sounds emanating from an upper room. A crowd made up of Jews from many nations assembled to investigate the cause of the disturbance. As they stood there looking up, they heard their own languages being spoken by a group they quickly recognized to be uneducated Galileans.(2)

Soon one of those Galileans stepped forward and began to speak with an unusual boldness. The words he proclaimed began to pierce many hearts. None of the listeners had foreseen the question that would be put before them that day. No one could have foretold it. But the more they listened to this man speak, the more they became consumed by the question – “what should we do?”(3)

Though they would not have yet described it as such, the listeners were being convicted of their sin by the Spirit of God. He was using the Word of God to bring conviction to their hearts through the spoken words of an uneducated fisherman. Only the Spirit of God can do that. Conviction is not brought about by eloquence of speech or the charisma of the messenger, rather through a working of the Holy Spirit. The words being spoken were not Peter’s words! Even Peter knew that!

Luke, the writer of this account in the Book of Acts, also knew that! Peter was simply the mouthpiece. He was the conduit. The Spirit of God was speaking through him. Don’t presume this fisherman had special training to deliver this message. Though he was the first to speak that day, it appears that the crowd asked the question of all the apostles which opens up the possibility that all of them may have spoken at some time throughout the day.

But even as it relates to all twelve, the only gifting they had was the presence of the Spirit of God. Yes, they had all spent quite a bit of time with Jesus. But their questions of Him on the night before He was crucified bear witness to just how much they had yet to understand.(4) The Spirit was given to equip all of those who repent and believe, not just those twelve, or your pastor, or your small group leader. He was given to equip and empower you.

And again, the words that the Spirit of God spoke through Peter – and the others – was the Word of God. “For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”(5) It’s the Word of God – that two-edged sword – that “pierced their hearts.”(6) The message was not about what Peter thought; it was about what the Word of God says. The Word brought conviction that caused them to repent and turn from their religion and turn to Christ. Repentance means i am no longer walking in the way that i was. i have turned and am now walking toward God and with God by His grace. It’s a change of heart – from a heart filled with sin to a heart that has been made new by Christ.

Peter next told them that once they had repented, they must be baptized. Baptism is not part of repentance; it follows repentance as a testimony of the forgiveness we have received. Put another way: we are not baptized in order to be saved; we are baptized because we have been saved. A clear example that baptism is not a part of salvation, but, rather, an obedient act that follows salvation, is the new believers that came to faith in the home of Cornelius. Luke records that they had received the Holy Spirit before they were baptized.(7)

Again, baptism is an act of obedience. Jesus said we are to be baptized.(8) But it must follow repentance, otherwise all we did was get wet! It is an act of proof. It is an outward expression of the sincerity of our repentance and faith. It is an act of identification. Through baptism we are publicly identifying with our Savior and Messiah – bringing glory to Him, just as He did when He was baptized by John the Baptist.(9) It is an act of witness. Baptism by immersion reflects exactly what has occurred in our life. As we are lowered into the water we demonstrate that our sin nature has been put to death with Christ on the cross, and as we are raised back up out of the water, we demonstrate the new life in which we walk with the resurrected Christ.(10)

Three thousand new believers were baptized that day.(11) Did you ever wonder how they were able to baptize that many people in one day? In that day, as Jews prepared to bring their sacrifices into the Temple, they first needed to go through a purification ritual in a bath called a “mikveh”. Thus far, archaeologists have uncovered two hundred of those mikveh pools in and around Jerusalem, of which fifty are located on the southern side of the Temple Mount. Peter and the other apostles were preaching to the crowd on the southern side of the Temple. In His sovereignty, the Father had already arranged for pools to be in place for those baptisms long before anyone else knew they would be needed!

Lastly, Peter told the crowd that following their repentance they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(12)The apostles had waited in an upper room for eight days to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, but that would no longer be the case. From that day forward the gift of the Holy Spirit would immediately be given at the point of repentance. And how much of the Holy Spirit would they receive? Remember, the Holy Spirit is a Person. He’s not an “it”. You don’t receive a portion of a Person; you receive all or nothing. And Peter said, “you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” – that’s the whole Person. The same Holy Spirit who empowered Peter to speak on that day indwells every believer – whether they have been saved for one second or one hundred years.

Hopefully, you, too, have experienced that moment when the Spirit of God convicted you of your sin and drew you to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus. i would expect that He came to you in the midst of a day in which you, too, were preoccupied by other things. But His conviction was undeniable. It led you to the same question – “what should I do?”

The answer to that question hasn’t changed in two thousand years. Repent, turn to God, and be baptized.  Then you too will receive the Holy Spirit. “This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away….”(13)

We have been given that promise – not only for ourselves – but also to share! And having been given that promise, we all now know . . . what we should do!

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You can read about that day in Jerusalem in the Book of Acts, chapter 2.

The post is taken from chapter 8 of my book, Until He Returns. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Acts 2:1

(2)  Acts 2:5-12

(3)  Acts 2:37

(4)  John 16:17-18

(5)  Hebrews 4:12

(6)  Acts 2:37 (NLT)

(7)  Acts 10:44-48

(8)  Matthew 28:19

(9)  Matthew 3:15

(10) Romans 6:4

(11) Acts 2:41

(12) Acts 2:38

(13) Acts 2:39

 

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Jacob Abshire on Lightstock

Walking Through a Vineyard With Jesus

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Jesus and His disciples were headed from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemane. His betrayal and arrest were now only a few short hours away. More than likely, they were walking through a vineyard in the Kidron Valley. It would have been a full moon, so they would have been able to clearly see all that was around them. Never being one to waste an opportunity, Jesus used the vineyard to teach them – and us – a foundational truth.(1)

As i write this, i am reminded of a trek that i and a few friends made through a city in China several years ago. Some of the members of our group were from the US, and some lived in that city. Our Chinese friends were giving us a guided tour of some of their favorite sites. Along the way, we stopped at an art shop that had beautiful, colorful drawings hanging on the walls. And most of the sketches included a wise saying that was also penned in Mandarin on the canvas.

We came upon one that was a beautiful drawing of a grapevine with clusters of grapes. i asked one of our friends to translate the words that were inscribed beside the drawing. She read, “I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit, but without Me you can do nothing.” She was speaking the exact same words that Jesus had spoken to His disciples in the vineyard that night. She was reading this important truth – the essence of what Jesus wanted His disciples to remember in the hours, days and years to follow. He wanted them to remember who He was, who they were and what their purpose was.

A number of us in the group had heard that verse before. But some of our friends were reading it for the very first time. They wanted to know where the saying came from and who said it. Having never read it before, or seen a Bible, or studied about Jesus, they proceeded to tell the rest of us that this saying was about a relationship between two people – one was the vine and the other was the branch. They perceived that the branch’s purpose was in the vine and that apart from the vine, the branch was incapable of doing anything! Our friends clearly understood the truth of what Jesus was saying – the very first time they ever heard it!

The owner of the shop had been quietly listening in the background. Having heard our friends’ comments, she pulled out her Bible, and together we had the opportunity to show our friends where the saying was written and who had said it. Later, having given each of our friends a Bible, we encouraged them to read more about Jesus – who He is and what He has said. But, as i already said, they got it – the first time! They understood this simple truth that Jesus is the Vine, and as His followers, we are the branches. All our friends needed to know now was, who this Jesus is.

That night in the vineyard, the disciples knew who Jesus was. You and i know who Jesus is. The question is, do we truly understand the truth He was sharing? Like our Chinese friends said, it is all about a relationship between two people – you and i, personally and individually, in a relationship with the Person of Jesus Christ. 

He is the VINE. It is in Him and through Him that all we need for life and nourishment flows. It is in Him and through Him that we have life – life that is abundant and fruitful. We are the BRANCHES. Jesus has made the way for us to be grafted into His Vine – by repenting of our sins and believing in Him, and trusting Him to be our Savior and LORD. The branch apart from the vine is dead, and so are we, if we are apart from Him. Our branch is drying up and decaying. But through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, He made the way for us to have life – to be grafted into the Vine and through Him, to have everlasting, abundant life.

And Jesus, right at the beginning, told His disciples that this was the Father’s plan. The Father is the VINEDRESSER. He sent the Vine. He prepared the way for the branches to be grafted and He even selected the branches – so that through the branches, the Vine could produce fruit. Fruit that remains – inner fruit and outward fruit. Fruit that is full and sweet.

And the Vinedresser tenderly cares for His branches so that they produce the fullest crop possible. When the branches fall into the dirt, the Vinedresser doesn’t throw them away or abandon them. He lifts them up and cleans them off and helps them to flourish again so that they can bear fruit. So it is with you and i. God didn’t graft us onto the Vine so that we might grow and become beautiful branches. He grafted us onto the Vine so that through us He can bear fruit. And the Vinedresser lovingly does in our lives, all He needs to do to maximize His crop.

As we understand our relationship (as the branch) to Jesus (the Vine) and to the Father (the Vinedresser), there are three principles that our LORD would teach us regarding the work He is doing through all of our lives, in order to bear fruit that is full and sweet.

First, if your life consistently bears no fruit, God will intervene to discipline you. Branches that are covered in dirt won’t bear fruit. Air and light can’t get in. The branch sags. No fruit develops. Our sin is just like that dirt. It prevents the Light of God’s Word from shining in and through our lives. It keeps us from getting the nourishment we need. It causes our lives to “sag”. But, because God loves us and desires His best for us, and desires to cleanse us and free us from sin so that we can live a more abundant life for His glory, He disciplines us. Not to punish us, but to move us from barrenness toward fruitfulness. Allow God’s discipline to train you and cleanse you; not only to escape sin but also to grow you in maturity. Don’t resist His discipline; respond to it – and in so doing allow Him to take you to a new level of fruitfulness.

Second, if your life bears some fruit, God will intervene to prune you so that you bear more fruit. The Father’s strategy for coaxing a greater harvest out of His branches is not the one we would prefer. His plan is to prune, which means to thin, to reduce or to cut-off. The Vinedresser’s secret for more … is less. In the process of pruning, He will cut away immature commitments and lesser priorities to make room for more growth. The vinedresser removes the growth that is preventing the sun from reaching into the area where fruit should form. So it is with the Father, He will prune away the areas of our lives that are preventing the S-O-N from reaching in and producing fruit.

We so easily get caught up in appearances – how we look and what we have. We’re more concerned with how we as branches look. But the branch’s purpose isn’t to look good, or even feel good. The branch’s purpose is to bear fruit. Our Father, the Vinedresser, will prune away anything that is keeping us from bearing more fruit. Pruning is about our values and our personal identity. When Jesus told His friends what it would cost to follow Him, many turned back. Yet the impact of those who didn’t turn back is still shaking the world. His artful pruning is not just “taking away”; He is faithfully “making room” to add strength, productivity and spiritual power in our lives, so that through our lives, He can shake the world.

Lastly, God does not want us to do more for Him, He wants us to be more with Him. He is inviting us to abide more deeply in Him. Abiding isn’t a suggestion, it’s a command! Abiding doesn’t come naturally. It’s a choice and an action we must take. It means placing our complete trust and faith in Him. It means seeking, longing for, thirsting for, waiting for, seeing, knowing, loving, hearing and responding to … His Person.

Abiding is the connection to the Vine. It is the place through which all of the life nutrients flow through which the fruit is produced. The amount of fruit isn’t dependent on the size of the branch, it is dependent on the size of the connection – and what flows from the vine through the branch as a result of the connection. And the harvest that results, brings great joy – and great glory – to the Vinedresser.

Yes, our friends in China were right on target. It all comes down to a relationship with a person – the Person of the Vine – Jesus! If we desire to walk with the Master, we must do so as we abide in Him – for apart from Him we can do nothing.

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You can read about Jesus’ teaching that night in the vineyard in the Gospel of John, chapter 15.

The post is taken from chapter 38 of my book, Taking Up The Cross. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  John 15:1-8 (NLT)

“I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.”

 

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Midjourney

The Lost Son

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Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.(1) The Pharisees and their scribes continually criticized Jesus because He was associating with “such sinful people” — even eating with them! The religious leaders were functioning under the false belief that there is a hierarchy of sin – dividing “acceptable” sins from those that proper Jewish society would have deemed to be “unacceptable”. They would have identified “notorious sinners” as people who led conspicuously immoral lives and/or engaged in highly questionable occupations.

But it also would have included people with certain diseases or disabilities that were perceived to be a sign of some great sin. This group would have been physically and morally unapproachable by these religious leaders. Tax collectors were generally hated and despised by their fellow countrymen. Therefore they would have also been considered to be a part of this larger group. No “respectable” Jew would have had anything to do with this collection of “notorious sinners”.  The Pharisees viewed this group as being “beyond saving” and viewed themselves as not being in need of saving. Sadly, the Pharisees never saw themselves as being among the lost.

This idea of “acceptable” sins is not unique to the scribes and Pharisees. i believe that we in the church today often function under a similar system of ranking sin. For example, if we were asked about the sins of murder, sexual immorality, stealing or drunkenness, we would tend to agree that these egregious sins are “unacceptable”. But what about the sins of gossip, creating strife, covetousness or gluttony? We might tend to view these as less egregious sins and therefore as “more acceptable”. i would agree those sins are more prevalent – even within the church – but that doesn’t make them more acceptable!

Scripture teaches that the “wages” of ALL sin is death,(2) and ALL of us have sinned and fallen short.(3) My point is that all of us are sinners in need of a Savior! The Pharisees were taking a position that the tax collectors and “notorious sinners” did not deserve the attention of Jesus – and how could anyone who was righteous associate with them! i, for one, am grateful that Jesus came to seek and save sinners! For i am counted among them!

It’s also important to note that throughout the Gospels that repentant sinners were continuously drawn to Jesus. Not because He catered to them, or compromised on truth, but because He genuinely cared for them, and welcomed them. Whereas the religious leaders treated them as outcasts. It is important that we in the church consider how are we viewed by our world today? Do our words and actions reflect those of Jesus . . . or those of the Pharisees?

Jesus spoke three parables in response to the accusations being made by the Pharisees and their scribes: the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.(4) He was clearly communicating the message of salvation: God welcomes and forgives repentant sinners. God is seeking and searching just as the shepherd seeks out the lost sheep and the woman searches for the lost coin. But there is also our part in salvation. The lost son willingly repented and returned to his father.

The fact that the shepherd goes out to seek one lost sheep and the woman searches for her one lost coin is a reflection of the truth that our Lord “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”(5) He seeks and searches for every last one! And the heavens rejoice “when even one sinner repents.”(6)

In the parable of the lost son, we see two beautiful pictures: one of repentance, and the other of acceptance. The rebellious son comes to the end of himself – and realizes how far he has fallen. He knows that his selfish way has led to failure and destruction. He has exhausted everything that the world has to offer and has been left empty and broken – lying in a pig sty. He literally has hit bottom and knows that there is only one choice. He can continue to languish in his filth or he can seek his father’s forgiveness.

Having gone as far as he can on the path away from his father, he makes a 180-degree turn back toward his father. That’s the picture of repentance:

coming face-to-face with the reality of our sin,

lamenting over our sin and its effects on ourselves, on others and on God,

confessing it to ourselves, to those we have wronged, and to God,

acknowledging that we are powerless over our sin and cannot change ourselves, and

making a 180-degree turn toward God.

As we turn toward God, He is there to meet us and accept us with arms out-stretched wide to receive us, to forgive us and to restore us into right relationship with Him as His child. Picture the son’s rags being exchanged for a fine robe, his once filthy feet now being cradled in his father’s sandals, and the signet ring on his finger showing that he has been restored. Then he enters into a banquet announcing to the world and celebrating his return.

What a gift! Jesus is extending that very same gift of forgiveness and restoration to “notorious sinners” like me… and you. With none too sinful to receive it, as long as we are not too hard-hearted or proud to accept it!

That is not only a life-changing message to receive, it’s also a life-changing message we must share – a message of grace, of forgiveness, of restoration, and of acceptance. The lost are waiting to be found!

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This week, i am releasing the Kindle edition of the first novel in my newest series, The Parables. Each of the stories is a 20th Century telling of one of Jesus’s parables. This first book in the series, entitled An Elusive Pursuit, follows the journey of a young man who leaves his family and home behind in order to pursue an elusive dream—only to discover it was within his reach all the time. i invite you to join him on the twists and turns of his journey. (Information about how you can obtain a copy of the book in hardcover, paperback, large print, and for your Kindle or Kindle app is available by clicking here.)

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You can read about all three parables in this post in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.

 

The post is taken from chapter 53 of my book, Walking With The Master. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Luke 15:1-2

(2)  Romans 6:23

(3)  Romans 3:23

(4)  Luke 15:3-31

(5)  2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

(6)  Luke 15:10 (NLT)

 

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Kevin Carden on Lightstock

Commissioned by God

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Be ever mindful that our God is always at work preparing us for what He is preparing for us. And His preparation is perfect, because He knows what we will need and He knows what we will encounter. He knows the plans He has for us – “plans for good and not for disaster, to give {us} a future and a hope.”(1) He has been at work all around us every day of our lives leading up to this very moment. He has been at work long before we ever knew it – and even before we knew Him! Every circumstance, every situation and every experience we have ever encountered has been authored or permitted by the Sovereign God to prepare us for this moment and for those ahead. Every unexpected twist and turn have been designed to prepare us for those unexpected twists and turns that we will encounter in the journey ahead.

Joshua had been Moses’ understudy for forty years. He had seen his mentor lead the people through the challenges of the wilderness – many of their own making, and some the result of the challenges of the wilderness itself. And on the eve of their entry into the Promised Land, as we see recorded in Joshua chapter 1,(2) God confirmed that now was the time for the mantle of leadership to be placed upon Joshua. And in so doing, God was giving him something even greater than all those years of preparation – God was giving him His charge – His calling – His commission.

That commission included a promise which in essence was “wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will not fail you nor abandon you.” Let that promise soak in – Joshua was invincible! He was to have dominion over every place he would go and over every person he would encounter, and the God of all creation would never fail him nor abandon him. How could he be anything but strong and courageous?

He was guaranteed success – and that success had only one condition. The condition was that he obey every word of instruction that God had given him through Moses – and to not deviate by turning either to the right or the left. Obey – and “you will prosper and succeed.”(3) And “the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”(4)

It was God’s plan – His promise, His assurance, and His commission. The commission guaranteed that all power in heaven and on the earth would be brought to bear to see it fulfilled.

Imagine what it would have been like to be Joshua. Called and commissioned by God as His child to undertake the task that God was placing before him. Assured of success – and more importantly – assured of the presence of the Almighty God wherever he went!

But we don’t have to imagine what it would have been like, do we? If we are followers of Jesus, we have been chosen, we have been called, and we have been commissioned.(5) He has given us His Word that we might clearly know His instruction(6) – and walk confidently in it.(7) He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.(8) He has ordered our steps and He delights in our way.(9)

As you embark on this next step in your journey – perhaps into your promised land – you can walk in that same assurance and confidence. It’s possible that the next step you are about to take is not only the answer to your prayers or a promise that God has given to you alone. Rather, it may very well be the culmination of the prayers of many faithful saints that have also prayed for this moment and this promise. Be mindful as you take the step that is before you that God knows everything you will encounter. He knows the fortresses that lie ahead. He knows where the giants are. He knows the barriers and the obstacles.

But His Holy Spirit indwells within you – He goes with you. His Word directs you – He has given you every word of instruction that you will need. And He orders your steps so that you need not turn to the right nor to the left. No one will be able to stand against you. There is no fortress that will stand. There is no giant that cannot be overcome. Obey all that He has told you to do and do not shrink back from “possessing” all that He has placed before you. Be strong and courageous! Walk in His power. Walk on His Word. Walk in the center of His presence. You have been commissioned by God and He is with you wherever you go!

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You can read the account of God’s charge to Joshua in the Book of Joshua, chapter 1, verses 1 through 9.

 

This post is taken from chapter 1 of my book, Possessing The Promise. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

(2)  Joshua 1:1-9 (NLT)

… the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them…. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you…. I will not fail you or abandon you. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

(3)  Joshua 1:7

(4)  Joshua 1:9

(5)  John 15:16

(6)  John 8:31-32

(7)  John 15:7

(8)  Hebrews 13:5

(9)  Psalm 37:23

 

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by PhotoGranary on Lightstock

Every Assignment Has A Purpose

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The psalmist David records in the 37th Psalm: The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.(1) That was true of His chosen people, the Israelites, and it is true of us today. His plans and the way He orders our steps are not haphazard. He has a purpose and a plan, even when we have no idea what it is. And the details surrounding our every assignment are very exact though we may not recognize them. We see that truth revealed throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

One of those places is in the Book of Numbers, as we see the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. Did you ever stop and think about all of the logistics involved in moving a group of people, numbering between one and two million, from Egypt to the Promised Land? i am mindful of all of the planning that went into a trip for my wife, two children and me, when our children were younger. i am also mindful of the occasional disagreement that arose over who sat where, who slept where, who got to go first, etc. Now imagine doing that with upwards to two million people! God was leading His people on a journey through the wilderness and He would leave no detail unresolved.

In their journey through the wilderness, as well as in ours, it is God who makes the assignments.(2) He assigns our places. Can you imagine the quarreling that would have taken place between the various Israelite tribes if it had been left to them to determine who camped where in relation to the Tabernacle? Or imagine the infighting that would have taken place over which clan and tribe got to lead out in the journey. It’s interesting to note in the Bible that God did not delegate the assignment to Moses. God knew the grief the people would give him if he chose the order, so God Himself made the assignments.

He appointed their positions. God named the captains of each tribe. Just like then, He alone equips, empowers and enables each of us for the position to which He appoints us. Our God is a God of order; and there is much to be learned by looking at the order of His assignments of the Israelite tribes.

As we look at their assignments, i want you to see that their pedigree determined their placement - their position in relation to their father Jacob was a factor in their placement. Our assignment will most often be determined by our position and relationship to our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. Our effectiveness in the wilderness, as well as in the Promised Land, will be directly proportional to our proximity to the Father – the closer we are to Him, the more effective we will be. Secondly, God’s purpose dictated their position. They were assigned not only based upon their parentage but also their giftedness.

The Lord took the tribes, with the exception of the Levites, and divided them into four groups of three tribes. The first group was led by the tribe of Judah. This group camped on the east side of the tabernacle, toward the rising sun. It was appropriate that this group be first, and that they be led by the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah was the largest tribe with the largest contingent of fighting men.

Their namesake, Judah, though not the firstborn of Jacob, was the first to be given a blessing by his father. Jacob gave him a place of preeminence over his brothers.(3) The very name “Judah” means “praise the Lord”. Their position in leadership evidenced the preeminence of praise as they, and we, journey across the wilderness. The Lord God Jehovah is worthy of and due praise above all else and before all else.

The tribe of Judah was the tribe from which Christ would come, He who is First and Last, Beginning and End. The very captain named by God to lead the tribe of Judah is Nahson, an ancestor of our Lord and listed in His ancestry in Matthew 1:4.(4) Issachar and Zebulun were Judah’s two younger brothers, all being sons of Leah. As these tribes led the people, their very names indicated that God indwells the praises of His people and He is a Rewarder of those who praise Him.  

The second group camped on the south side of the Tabernacle and was led by the tribe of Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob. Reuben and Simeon, the second-born of Jacob, together with Gad, came before the tribe of Levi, the third-born son of Jacob. Their names and position indicated that as they walked before the Lord, He would look upon them, He would hear them and He would bless them. Though the blessing of the firstborn had been given to Judah, their birthright as sons of Jacob had earned them this position before the Tabernacle. As we walk in obedience before our Lord, we too will experience His blessing. But like this second group, our position to the Lord is unmerited favor through Jesus Christ – it is our birthright through Jesus – a birthright of grace and not of our works, “lest any of us have anything to boast about”.(5)

As we see earlier in the Book of Numbers, the Levites encamped around the Tabernacle and carried it between the second and third groups when the Israelites traveled. This position reflected Jehovah’s indwelling presence in the midst of His people.(6)

The third group camped on the west side of the Tabernacle. These were the sons of Rachel – Joseph and Benjamin – the favored sons of Jacob. These were led by the tribe of Ephraim. Though he was the second-born of Joseph, Ephraim was blessed before and above his brother, Manasseh, by their grandfather Jacob.(7) As a result of that blessing, this tribe led this group. Their very names spoke of the Father’s love and blessing, even in the midst of trouble. As they journeyed in pursuit of the dwelling place of the Lord, walking in His shadow, they were constantly reminded, as well as they were a constant reminder, of the Father’s goodness and compassion.

The fourth group camped on the north side of the Tabernacle and was led by the tribe of Dan; the eldest son of Jacob by Rachel’s maidservant, Bilhah. The military prowess and feats of the tribe of Dan were celebrated throughout their recorded history. Their ability, together with the size of their fighting force, made them an appropriate choice to lead this last group. They, together with the tribes of Naphtali and Asher, the remaining sons of the maidservants, became the rearguard. Their names indicated that they had been judged by their Lord and had been vindicated; they had prevailed and been blessed. They were a fitting conclusion to the testimony of the grace and the mercy of their Lord as the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness.

We should see one more aspect of this assemblage. Each of the four groups carried a banner. The banner was for identification; and it served as a rallying point for the people. According to rabbinical tradition, each banner carried an emblem that represented that tribe. The first group led by the tribe of Judah, bore the likeness of a lion; the second led by the tribe of Reuben, bore the likeness of a man; the third led by the tribe of Ephraim, bore the likeness of an ox; and the fourth led by the tribe of Dan, bore the likeness of an eagle. In the midst of these four emblems was the Wilderness Tabernacle, the earthly dwelling place of the Spirit of God.

In Revelation 4:6-8, we read,  “In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings had the form of a lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth had the form of an eagle with wings spread out as though in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty – the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come.’”

As the Israelites camped and journeyed in the wilderness, they were a picture for us, even now, of this expression of worship in heaven of the Lord God Jehovah, as recorded by John. Every aspect of their journey, including the emblem on their banners, was a picture and an expression of worship.

God desires for every facet of our journey to be an expression of worship of Him. He has placed us according to our pedigree in Him, and He has positioned us in accordance with His purpose. Be faithful in the assignment He has given you; just like the assignments of the tribes, it is not about us – rather, it is all about Him!

* * * * *

You can read the account of the Israelites formation around the tabernacle in the Book of Numbers, chapter 2.

This post is taken from chapter 3 of my book, The Wandering Years. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

(2)  Numbers 2:1-3, 9-10, 16-18, 24-25, 31, 34 (NLT)

Then the LORD gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: "Each tribe will be assigned its own area in the camp, and the various groups will camp beneath their family banners. The Tabernacle will be located at the center of these tribal compounds…. The divisions of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun are to camp toward the sunrise on the east side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.…These three tribes are to lead the way whenever the Israelites travel to a new campsite. The divisions of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad are to camp on the south side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.…These three tribes will be second in line whenever the Israelites travel. Then the Levites will set out from the middle of the camp with the Tabernacle. All the tribes are to travel in the same order that they camp, each in position under the appropriate family banner. The divisions of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin are to camp on the west side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.… and they will follow the Levites in the line of march. The divisions of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali are to camp on the north side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.… They are to bring up the rear whenever the Israelites move to a new campsite." So the people of Israel did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Each clan and family set up camp and marched under their banners exactly as the LORD had instructed them.

 

(3)  Genesis 49:8

(4)  Matthew 1:4

(5)  Ephesians 2:9

(6)  Numbers 1:47-53

(7)  Genesis 48:17-19

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by The Visual Folk on Lightstock

We Can Be Sure

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* * * * *

The wilderness is that place – or more accurately those places – in our lives, where we are outside of our comfort zone. The wilderness is a place that is unfamiliar and, most often, uncomfortable. It is rarely, if ever, our final destination; rather, it is that place through which we must pass in order to get to the other side.

Sometimes we venture out into the wilderness willingly, because we know that the pathway to our desired destination leads through it. It could be the circumstances surrounding a move from one place to another, or the unknowns of moving from one position to another. Though we entered into the wilderness expectantly, and more than likely excitedly, we still encounter the unexpected twists and turns of the wilderness along the way. But more often, we enter into a wilderness involuntarily – either through the onslaught of a severe health issue, the loss of someone near and dear, the unexpected loss of a job, or the like. We didn’t volunteer for this journey, and we don’t like it one bit!

There are a number of pathways that can lead us into a wilderness, but there is only one that will enable us to walk through it with assurance and confidence. It is the pathway that unfolds as we walk hand-in-hand with God. Sometimes He is the One who has clearly led us into the wilderness. Such was the case for me and my family during the time period in which He led me to write the book from which this post is taken.

But more often, He is not the initiator. The journey has been brought on by our own choice, or by circumstances beyond our control. It is in those situations that we must pay heed to the truth that our God is sovereign over all things. And though we can seldom imagine why He would have permitted this wilderness experience in our lives, we must hold onto Him tightly in the knowledge that He is the only One who can enable us to walk through it with peace, assurance and confidence.

In the third chapter of Exodus, we see God inviting Moses to join with Him in what He is about to do.(1) He invited Moses to be the one through whom He led His people out of the slavery of Egypt and through the wilderness to the Promised Land. The exchange that took place between Jehovah God and Moses at the burning bush is one to which we need to pay heed regardless of the circumstances that brought us to our wilderness journey.

One of the first questions we often ask God when we are embarking on a journey into the wilderness – or find ourselves in its midst – is, “LORD, are You sure You know what You are doing?” In the case of Moses, God had heard the cries of His people and He was preparing to not only deliver them from their bondage; He was also preparing to do a new work in and through them. He was not only going to rescue them; He was also going to lead them out. And in that process, He was also going to do a deeper work in the life of Moses.

Most often, we want God to rescue us and get us out of the wilderness as quickly as He can. Rarely do we give a thought to the deeper work He intends to do in our lives … according to His timetable … and trust Him to do so.

Moses had already demonstrated an alertness to the activity of God. The very fact that he approached that burning bush and was standing where he was, listening to the voice of God demonstrates a willingness to hear and heed God’s voice. But even he struggled with what God was saying to him.

Moses had lived the first forty years of his life in Pharaoh’s palace. He had enjoyed the good life of Egypt. He had seen the oppression of the people; and his own attempts to rescue them from their oppression had led him to murder an Egyptian and live as a fugitive from Egyptian justice for the next forty years of his life. But the voice he was now listening to was Jehovah God. Couldn’t He deliver the Israelites from slavery but still allow them to stay in Egypt and enjoy the milk and honey there? i mean, this was God … He can do anything!

Let’s just skip the wilderness! Why not supernaturally enable the Israelites and the Egyptians to change places? God could have easily placed the Israelites in the position of ruling over the Egyptians. No one would have needed to enter into the wilderness … as a matter of fact, no one would have needed to travel anywhere! Moses could avoid the trip back to Pharaoh and the people could avoid the journey. They wouldn’t have to deal with the hazards of the wilderness or the giants in the Promised Land. It sounds like a great plan to me! Besides, what did the Promised Land have to offer that God couldn’t make available in Egypt? And just think of all the personal aggravation that Moses would have been able to avoid!

We all resist taking the journey. Whether our current surroundings are idyllic or intolerable, we are comfortable right where we are. It’s the wilderness we don’t want to have anything to do with. He knows our propensity to want to stay where we are. We would much prefer that God eliminate the wilderness. But He has a plan – even in the midst of the wilderness – and He loves us too much to leave us where we are!

Often as we struggle with the thought of what God is asking us to do – or what He is permitting us to experience – we lose sight of the same thing Moses lost sight of – God is going with us. As a matter of fact, He will go before us and lead us through. He is extending an invitation to us to join Him, to follow Him and to journey with Him. He has promised to take us all the way through. Yes, the journey’s path is through the wilderness; but isn’t He Lord over the wilderness as well?

If God has extended His invitation to you to join Him in a wilderness journey, trust Him to lead you through and lead you all the way. Because yes, He is sure. And because He is, we too can be sure!

* * * * *

You can read the account of Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush in the Book of Exodus, chapter 3.

This post is taken from chapter 3 of my book, The Journey Begins. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Exodus 3:7-11 (NLT)

Then the LORD told him, "You can be sure I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own good and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live. The cries of the people of Israel have reached me, and I have seen how the Egyptians have oppressed them with heavy tasks. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." "But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?" Moses asked God. "How can you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?"

 

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Prixel Creative on Lightstock

Who Should We Obey?

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What do we do when those around us are telling us to do one thing, but our conscience says quite another? Or what do we do when the culture surrounding us advocates one thing, when what we know to be true is quite different?

Most of us are familiar with the Hans Christian Andersen folktale entitled The Emperor’s New Clothes (first published in April 1837).(1) As you will recall the emperor becomes convinced that a new suit of clothing of unparalleled beauty and quality has been crafted for him to wear that can only be seen and appreciated by those who are truly wise and discerning. It is an innocent child who ultimately has the courage to say, “But he hasn’t got anything on!”

Sadly, we, too, are often told to accept truths that are not true, and believe facts that are as baseless as the emperor’s nonexistent clothing. What are we to do? Who should we obey?

Soon after Pentecost, the apostles encountered just such a dilemma. Peter and John had just been brought before the high council having been accused of violating the authority of the religious leaders of the day.(2) Luke tells us that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Bear in mind, the Holy Spirit had already entered into Peter’s life on the Day of Pentecost. He didn’t need to reenter. But Peter did need to be filled. Being indwelt by the Spirit of God is a one-time act. For Peter, it was at Pentecost. For you and me, it was when we believed, repented and received Christ as our Savior. But being filled with the Spirit of God is a continuing decision on our part. It is an ongoing decision about who will be in control of our lives.

Peter had consciously decided that the Spirit of God would be in control – and not Peter. As followers of Christ, we, too, must continually make that choice. Who sits in the “driver’s seat” of our lives? Am i the one who is steering and accelerating or braking – or have i turned those controls over to the Spirit of God? In some respects, walking with Christ would be so much easier if we didn’t have the choice—if somehow our flesh nature had been removed altogether at salvation. But though our flesh nature has been redeemed at salvation, it is still with us.

The Holy Spirit is doing an ongoing work of sanctifying our flesh nature—but that nature will be with us until the day we stand face-to-face before Jesus. Until then we must continually crucify our flesh nature. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”(3) The decision to deny self and take up the cross is continual.

Peter is a great picture in Scripture of what we look like when the flesh nature is in control versus the Spirit of God. When Peter’s flesh nature was in control, He looked at Jesus and proudly boasted that he would follow Jesus to the death. Then he proceeded to deny His Lord three times out of fear over the simple questions of a few powerless servants. The result of his flesh nature being in control was denial of his Lord and deep personal shame. But in this instant in the Book of Acts, we see just the opposite! The flesh nature has been denied – or crucified – and the Spirit of God is fully in control. We would do well to learn from Peter’s example.

Being filled with the Spirit, Peter could speak with confidence and courage in the presence of people who otherwise may have intimidated him with their position and authority. The Spirit of God empowered him by giving him the strength and the power. The Spirit of God enabled him by giving him the words to speak. The Spirit of God emboldened him with the confidence and boldness to be unwavering in the speaking of truth. The very fact that Peter was not intimidated amazed the religious leaders. He spoke with an authority unlike anything he had heretofore demonstrated.

It was the same authority they had only witnessed from two others before this—Jesus and John the Baptist. The religious leaders knew that Peter and John were disciples of Jesus – and their boldness and actions confirmed it. Jesus had told His disciples that “a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”(4) Their words and their actions affirmed that they were disciples of Jesus. Boldness and clarity come when we spend time with Him, speak His truth, and are led by His Spirit. We would do well to ask ourselves if our words and actions affirm that we are disciples of Jesus.

It would be nice to believe that if we are filled with the Spirit of God then those around us will rightly respond to the truth we are speaking. But that’s not the case. The religious leaders rejected truth when Jesus spoke it to them, and they rejected the truth that the Spirit of God spoke through Peter. As a matter of fact, their hearts were so hardened to the truth that they attempted to discredit the undeniable truth of the healing of the lame man.

The religious leaders were not seeking truth; they were seeking a way to avoid the truth. Their lack of acceptance was never a problem of the mind; but a problem of the heart and will. Those who benefit—or perceive themselves to benefit—from wrong-doing and wrong-thinking will usually turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to contrary evidence of what is right and what is true. The mind selectively sees and perceives reality in order to justify what the heart desires. And as the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.”(5)

Peter and John knew that their calling wasn’t to win an argument; their calling was to stand up and bear witness. We would do well to heed that lesson. Both groups had to choose between what was popular and safe or what was right. Peter and John knew that standing up for the truth of the gospel was right, though it was not the safe or popular choice with the religious leaders. The Spirit of God will always lead us to stand for what is right over what is popular, or what is safe. Our flesh nature, however, will always choose what is safe or self-satisfying over what is true. The high council had no difficulty rejecting the truth, but they feared the backlash from the crowd if they attempted to deny the miracle. Thus they sought a way to reject the truth but remain politically correct.

Often one of the great obstacles to our speaking out about God’s truth is that we think we have to win—or we think we have to operate with the assumptions of secular leaders. But Peter shows us that this is not what we have to do. Our calling is not to win or to borrow the assumptions of the world. Our calling is to stand up and tell it like it is in the eyes of God. Peter defined it clearly—“Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him?”(6)

Then Peter said, "We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard."(7) He was a witness.As one who was filled with the Spirit, he stood up and told it like he saw it. If we are to follow his example, we must be willing to let the chips fall where they will. Our concern cannot be if the culture agrees with us. Our job is not to win. Our job is to walk in the Spirit of God, proclaiming His truth and acting according to His works, no matter how the world around us may respond. We must obey God rather than men – and the only way we will do that is if we are filled with His Spirit.

* * * * *

You can read the account of Peter and John standing before the high council in the Bible in the Book of Acts, chapter 4, verses 1 through 22.

This post is taken from chapter 12 of my book, Until He Returns. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  The Emperor’s New Clothes written by Hans Christian Andersen, published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen Denmark on April 7, 1837

(2)  Acts 4:8-22 (NLT)

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the Man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead….The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this miraculous sign – the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

 

(3)  Luke 9:23 (ESV)

(4)  Luke 6:40 (ESV)

(5)  Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)

(6)  Acts 4:19 (NLT)

(7)  Acts 4:20 (NLT)

 

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock

The Withered Fig Tree

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Two days had passed since the people had cried out, “Hosanna,” as Jesus arrived in the city. For the third day in a row, Jesus and His disciples were headed back into Jerusalem after overnighting in Bethany. On this morning, they passed a dead fig tree.(1) And there was something unusual about the way this tree had died. The disciples noticed that the tree had withered from the roots up. It has shriveled due to a complete lack of water and nutrients. The apostle Peter spoke up to remind everyone that the Master had cursed this seemingly healthy tree only one day prior. In that one day, a tree which had been full of leaves and had given the outward appearance of health and growth was now completely withered and dead. A process that should have taken weeks, or maybe even months, had occurred overnight. Not only was it seemingly cut-off from its source of water at its roots, but also all of the moisture that had existed within the tree had evaporated.

In an earlier post entitled The Lesson of the Fig Tree, we looked at the fact that the tree which had been created to be fruitful had been found by Jesus to be fruitless. On this morning, immediately following Peter’s pronouncement, Jesus began to teach the disciples about faith. Though it may seem like it is an abrupt change of subject . . . it was not!

Remember, Jesus was using this tree as a practical illustration of the spiritual health of the people of Israel. But He was also using it to teach His disciples – those then and those of us now – what it means to truly follow Him and abide in Him. If we follow and abide in Him, we will be His disciples indeed,(2) and He will bear fruit through our lives. His Living Water will flow through us,(3) and we will reflect His Light.(4) Our fruitfulness is not based upon our effort, it is based upon our abiding. Without His Living Water flowing and His Light reflecting through us, we are a dead branch – withered – just like that fig tree. Fruitfulness is not intended for our glory; it is for His. In a few days hence, Jesus would tell them, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.”(5)

Jesus then turned the conversation from fruit to faith, because fruit will not occur apart from faith. We must live in an attitude of total dependence upon Him – acting and asking in alignment with His Word. When Jesus speaks His Word, and His Word “remains” in us, it requires a response on our part – and that response is either faith or faithlessness. We can’t remain in a neutral place. That would be like the servant in the parable of the talents who buried his talent. Sadly he took no action – which was faithlessness.(6)

Jesus went on to tell the disciples that if a mountain – otherwise known as some significant, immovable impediment – is standing between us and what God has told us to do, we must step out in faith, trusting and asking God to move the mountain. The prophet Zechariah wrote of Zerubbabel when he was chosen to lead the Jews back to Jerusalem, “Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him!”(7)  Why couldn’t a mighty mountain stand in his way? Because he was walking in obedience to God on His mission. Nothing could stand in His way! No mountain can stand in our way, if we are walking in obedience to God’s Word and His will. So, we must be certain that we are praying in response to a word from God and in alignment with the will of God.(8) If that is so, we will see God take those mountains and “throw them into the sea!” Let’s be clear -- Jesus is not saying that if we pray hard enough and long enough, and really believe, God is obligated to answer our prayer – no matter what we ask. That is not faith in God; that’s faith in our feelings. True faith must be rooted in God’s Word – it is our response to His truth.

Then Jesus went on to talk about forgiveness. We are to walk – not only in the word of God, according to the will of God, but also – abiding in the love of God.(9) If the branch is to abide in the Vine, there can’t be anything standing between ourselves and God, or ourselves and another person. If we hold a grudge, or fail to forgive, we are sinning and inhibiting our abiding relationship with the Vine. So, Jesus says, before you pray, make sure you are not holding unforgiveness in your heart. Forgive that individual, and where possible make amends. But let me hasten to add that our forgiveness does not obligate God to act, it simply unblocks the pathway.

Earlier, i mentioned the parable of the talents. If you recall, the master in the parable takes the talent he had left with that faithless servant and gives it to one of the faithful servants.(10) Once judgement is declared by the master, the faithless servant is left with nothing. It wasn’t gradual; it was immediate.

Through a simple fig tree, Jesus taught His disciples about fruitfulness, faithfulness and forgiveness. If we would take up the cross and follow Jesus, we too must heed His lesson of the withered fig tree.

How long does it take for a fruitless fig tree to wither after the Master has judged it and found it to be barren? It’s immediate. Because apart from Him, we can do nothing. But a fruitful fig tree who remains in the Master will produce over time more than the fig tree could ever imagine. Fruit that remains, and fruit that multiples.

* * * * *

You can read the account of the withered fig tree in the Bible in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, verses 20-26.

This post is taken from my book, Taking Up The Cross. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Mark 11:20-26 (NLT)

The next morning as they passed by the fig tree He had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!” Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea’, and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

 

(2)  John 15:5

(3)  John 7:38-39

(4)  John 8:12

(5)  John 15:7-8 (NLT)

(6)  Matthew 25:24-30

(7)  Zechariah 4:7a (NLT)

(8)  1 John 5:14-15

(9)  John 15:7-14

(10) Matthew 25:28

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Juvian Duff on Unsplash

Sermon of Sermons

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Over the years, God has used many preachers to teach me His Word. Some were at a distance, like John Piper, Warren Wiersbe, Chuck Swindoll, John MacArthur, and Tim Keller. Some have been close and personal, like Henry Blackaby, Keith Thomas, Mark Becton and David Platt. Some have spoken through the ages, like Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, D. L. Moody and A. W. Tozer. Others date back to the New Testament, like Paul, John, Peter and James, as well as the Old Testament prophets like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah. But as greatly as the Father has used each and every one of these men – and so many more – to be heralds and teachers of His Word, all of them pale in comparison with Jesus.

One day He gathered the multitude that had come out into the countryside to hear Him, and He began to teach… the greatest sermon that ever was – the sermon of all sermons. Jesus taught:

God blesses those

… who are poor and realize their need for Him,

… who mourn and are in need of comfort,

… who are humble,

… who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

… who are merciful,

… whose hearts are pure,

… who work for peace,

… who are persecuted for doing right,

… who are mocked or maligned for following Him,

… who are the salt of the gospel,

… whose good deeds shine for the glory of the Father,

… who are righteous according to the Father’s purpose,

… who are not angry and do not vilify others,

… who seek forgiveness and reconciliation,

… who settle their differences with others quickly,

… who do not lust,

… who honor their spouse, as Christ honors His bride,

… whose “yes” means yes, and their “no” means no, and do not make vows,

… who do not seek revenge,

… who love their enemy,

… who give to those in need,

… who seek the Father in prayer,

… who seek the Father through fasting,

… who store their treasures in heaven,

… who do not covet,

… who do not worry,

… who are not judgmental,

… who are neither critical nor hypocritical,

… who allow the Holy Spirit to guide them,

… who pray without ceasing and seek the Father in all things,

… who extend grace in the measure they desire it be extended to themselves,

… who seek the way of the Father,

… who do the will of the Father, and

… who hear and heed the teaching of Jesus.(1)

 

Gratefully, Jesus was not delivering a message of new commandments that we are to keep. The reality is that there is only One Man who could ever measure up to these standards. Jesus is the only One who has ever had a heart that is pure.

He was not laying out a path through which we can enter into salvation. If it was, the cause would be lost for each and every one of us. Rather, His message is about the character that will be reflected in the lives of those who truly follow Christ. Later, John recorded that Jesus said, “… Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”(2) If you will permit me to paraphrase, Jesus is saying, “If you remain in Me, I will produce the character that I taught about that day in the Sermon on the Mount. And know, that apart from Me, you can never even hope to reflect that character.”

Jesus was describing His character and the character that should be reflected through each of His true followers. The character He described was very different from that reflected by the religious leaders of the day – and different from that reflected through the lives of many who proclaim to be followers of Christ today.

But He was also describing the character and the characteristics of His Kingdom. Remember that many within the sound of His voice, including the apostles, had already come to see Him as the Messiah. But what view did they have of the Messiah? Most of them saw the Messiah as one who would come and establish a material kingdom that would throw off the yoke of bondage to Rome and restore the nation to the prominence it had under King David. They believed that the Messiah’s kingdom would be a political and military kingdom like that of their early kings. So imagine their confusion when He speaks of humility, mercy, peace, and “loving your enemy”.

Perhaps the most disconcerting idea – both then and now – was that of “storing up treasures in heaven”. The vast majority of those listening to His voice then – and listening today – were highly motivated to build their own earthly treasures. For many, it was (and is) their primary life purpose. So though it was the greatest sermon ever preached, very few would actually take the sermon to heart.

But it was never Jesus’ purpose of the sermon to rally the multitudes and to sway them into believing in Him. His purpose was to clearly define His Kingdom – and to clearly show the difference between His Kingdom and the religious practice of the day – the day then – and in many instances, the day now.

As you and i continue our walk with the Master:

He will teach us more about His Kingdom. 

He will continue to mold and shape our lives, and remove every part that doesn’t reflect His Kingdom and His character. 

He will expose self-righteousness and make a clear distinction between it and His true righteousness. 

He will expose our selfish pride and reveal it as filthy rags in clear contrast to a selfless, sacrificial humility that does not call attention to itself. 

He will expose our soulish kingdom ambition and lead us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first. 

And as He does, He will transform our lives into a sermon of sermons that bring glory to Him.

* * * * *

You can read Jesus’ sermon of sermons in the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7.

This post is taken from my book, Walking With The Master. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Summarized and paraphrased from Matthew 5:1 – 7:29

(2)  John 15:5 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Mission Media on Lightstock

Can i Trust Him?

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

If you were to ask me to name some of my favorite books – other than the Bible – My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers would be at the top of my list. God has used that book more times than i can count to reinforce His truth in my life over the years.

Such was the case this morning. Chambers asks the question, “Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him?”(1) What am i to do when everything around me points to doing one thing, but i know God has told me to do another? OR, what am i to do if i find myself in the midst of a hopeless situation, but Jesus has told me to trust Him?

Chambers concluded this morning’s writing with this statement: “Faith is absolute trust in God — trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us.”(2)

It begs the question, do i trust Him that absolutely? The text for Chamber’s writing comes from His response to His friend Martha, whose dead brother had been lying in a tomb for four days. “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’”(3)

If there was ever a situation where common sense was screaming one thing, while Jesus was saying something else entirely, it was that one. i don’t know about you, but i find myself needing to be reminded of that truth. It is a truth on which i need to stand fast.

Allow me, if you will, to recount what happened, as told by a fictional servant boy, who represents the many servants and friends who witnessed the events of that day.

* * * * *

My name is Asher and I am fourteen years old. I live with my parents in Bethany, a city about two miles from the Mount of Olives in Judea.

My dad, whose name is Amari, takes care of a large vineyard located just outside of the city. The vineyard is owned by a man named Simon, but you probably know him as Lazarus. My dad and Mr. Simon grew up together and are good friends. 

This vineyard is the largest in our region, so Mr. Simon and his sisters, Miss Martha and Miss Miriam, are very rich and live in a big house. Though we live in a smaller house near the vineyard, it is still much nicer than many of the other homes in our city.

My mom often helps Miss Martha in the big house with chores and cooking. Mr. Simon and his sisters aren’t married, so there aren’t any kids at their house for me to play with. A few of the families that work in the vineyard have children, but most of them are much younger than I am, so I don’t have many friends. Most of the time, I help my parents with their work. My dad often tells me to pay close attention, because one day when I’m older I could take over his job, just like he did from his dad.

One night five years ago, I was helping my mom in the big house. Mr. Simon and his sisters had invited the chief priest of our city, whose name is Phinehas, for dinner. He and Mr. Simon are good friends, so he often eats at their house. After dinner, Mr. Simon called his two sisters and all of the servants into the big room. He even asked my dad to come. Mr. Simon then told us that he was sick with a disease called leprosy.

I had heard of leprosy, but until that moment I had never known anyone who had it. I knew that people who had leprosy were called lepers. It is a bad disease that starts with sores on their skin that will not go away. Then their hands and feet can lose feeling. Eventually their arms and legs can become twisted.

No one is allowed to be around lepers. They have to leave their homes and live out in the desert by themselves or with other lepers. No one knows how to make lepers well again. Sadly, most of them die.

Miss Martha and Miss Miriam were crying very loudly as Mr. Simon told us his news. Everyone else, including my mom and dad, were also very upset. Mr. Simon left that night and we didn’t know if we would ever see him again.

One afternoon about two years later, my dad received a message that Mr. Simon was waiting to see him just outside the vineyard. My dad was surprised that Mr. Simon had come back. He knew that lepers weren’t allowed to return to their homes. I wanted to go with my dad to see what was going on, but he told me it wasn’t safe for me to come and I needed to wait at home.

When my dad returned home, he was so excited. “Simon has been healed!” he said. “He no longer has leprosy! He has been healed by Jesus of Nazareth! And Jesus has given him a new name. He now will be called ‘Lazarus’ because God has helped him and healed him!”

The next week, Mr. Lazarus’s sisters held a big party to celebrate the return of their brother. Most everyone in town came to the party, including the servants.

Soon after that, Jesus came for a visit. Though Mr. Lazarus and his sisters always treated me like I was a part of their family, I was used to other important people not paying any attention to me. Usually those people would talk to me only if they wanted me to do something for them.

But Jesus was different! I already knew He was the most important person in the world – He had healed Mr. Lazarus! And when I first saw Him, He looked right at me and smiled. He told me to come sit with Him. I was surprised He knew my name. But I found out later that He knows everyone’s name, and He knows everything about us. Then He asked everyone else to sit with Him, too.

Jesus began to teach us. He told us He knew that we made our living from the grapes in the vineyard. He said He knew we worked very hard to grow and harvest the grapes. But then He said, “I am the true Vine; My Father is the Gardener, and you are the branches. If a person remains in Me and I remain in him, then he produces much fruit. But without Me he can do nothing. Remain in Me and follow My teachings.”

Later, I talked to my dad about what Jesus had said. He told me that just like we were servants of Mr. Lazarus, we all – including Mr. Lazarus – were servants of Jesus. He was the special One that God had promised to send. God created us to produce fruit. That fruit is good works that honor God. But we can’t do those good things on our own.

Grapes will only become good fruit if they are attached to the vine. If they are not on the vine they will wither and die. The same is true of us … and Jesus is our Vine. We remain in Him by trusting Him, and following Him … and following His teachings.

“I want to remain in Jesus,” I said to my dad.

“So do I,” he replied.

After that day, Jesus often came to see us, and we were always happy when He came. It didn’t matter what else was going on – we would stop what we were doing so we could visit with Him. Even though He had more followers with Him each time He came, Miss Martha would cook a big meal for everyone to honor Him. Miss Miriam usually sat at His feet. Mr. Lazarus always treated Jesus as his most honored guest. We always hated when it was time for our Friend to leave.

A few months ago, Mr. Lazarus became very sick and fell to the ground in the vineyard. I helped my dad and two other servants carry him to his home. The nurse came to treat him, but nothing she did made him any better. Miss Martha decided they needed to send word to ask Jesus to come. He was staying in a nearby village, but it would take a whole day before someone could get there to tell Him. My dad told me he was afraid Mr. Lazarus would die before Jesus could come.

My dad was right. Later that same day, Mr. Lazarus died. Miss Martha and Miss Miriam cried and cried. It was like the day they learned that their brother had leprosy. But this time, no one could make them feel any better. My mom and dad reminded them that Jesus would be here the next day. His visits had always brought joy. Perhaps this time He would at least bring them comfort.

We all waited for Jesus the next day – but He never came. The person who had taken the message to Jesus returned just before sunset and said Jesus had decided not to return with him. We all believed that Jesus would come the next day – but He did not. Miss Martha kept herself busy cooking meals and making sure all of the guests were cared for. Miss Miriam, however, continued to cry without stopping.

By the fourth day, I wasn’t sure how much of Miss Miriam’s crying was because of the death of Mr. Lazarus and how much was because Jesus hadn’t come. But that afternoon, Jesus arrived. Miss Martha went out to greet Him, but Miss Miriam refused to go. After a little while, Miss Martha came back into the house and told Miss Miriam, “The Teacher is here, and He is asking for you.”

Miss Martha asked me to walk out with Miss Miriam because she was not yet very steady on her feet. When we got to where Jesus was waiting, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” As the last word came out of her mouth, she started to cry again.

A crowd was now gathering around us. Those who had been in the house had followed Miss Miriam thinking she was going to visit the tomb where Mr. Lazarus’s body was buried. They were also crying loudly. Jesus interrupted them all by asking, “Where did you bury him?” 

Someone in the crowd said, “Come and see, Lord.” At that moment, Jesus began to cry, and He reached down and helped Miss Miriam to her feet so they could walk together to the tomb. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I just followed behind them. As we walked, I realized that I had never seen Jesus cry before. At the time, I thought it was because He was sad about Mr. Lazarus’s death. But I later learned that He was crying for a different reason.

When we arrived at the tomb, He told someone in the crowd, “Move the stone that is covering the entrance away.” By then, Miss Martha had also joined us at the tomb, so she spoke up, “But, Lord, it has been four days since he died. There will be a bad smell.”

Jesus turned to Miss Martha and said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” I realized then that Jesus had cried because the people hadn’t believed in Him and what He can do – even those who knew Him best, like Miss Miriam and Miss Martha.

As they moved the stone away, Jesus looked up and said in a loud voice, “Father, I thank You that You heard Me. I know that You always hear Me. But I said it out loud because of the people here around Me. I want them to believe that You sent Me.”

Then He shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”

The entire crowd became silent. We all were shocked that Jesus would say those words. Everyone was looking at the opening to the tomb. It seemed like time stood still, but suddenly something or someone came hopping out. His hands and feet were wrapped in cloth, so he was unable to walk. All he could do was hop. Jesus said, “Take the cloth off of him and let him go!”

My dad stepped forward and began to unwrap the cloth. Then I stepped forward to help him. In a few minutes, we had removed all the cloth. There standing in front of us was Mr. Lazarus!

Everyone was shocked! Jesus had just brought Mr. Lazarus back to life. Everyone began to turn toward Jesus and kneel before Him … including Miss Miriam, Miss Martha, and Mr. Lazarus.

At that moment I remembered what Jesus had once said to all of us: “If a person remains in Me and I remain in him, then he produces much fruit. But without Me he can do nothing.” Jesus, the Vine, had produced fruit that day through His branch – Mr. Lazarus. Nothing can separate us from the Vine – not even death!

* * * * *

Imagine what it would have been like to be standing in the midst of that scene that day. Now hold that thought and in your mind’s eye turn your gaze toward the One who is the same today as He was on that day. Remember what He has told you, and trust the One who is able to do infinitely more than you could hope or ask.(4) He is able to overcome whatever you are facing today. Trust Him! He will never forsake us!

* * * * *

By the way, as i mentioned at the beginning of the story, Asher is not in the Bible and his parents aren’t, either. But we do read about a leper whom Jesus healed. We also read about how Jesus had dinner with a leper by the name of Simon who is called Lazarus elsewhere in the Gospels, together with his sisters, and how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Some teachers believe Simon and Lazarus are the same person. Also, some of you may know his sister Miriam by her Aramaic name “Mary.” “Miriam” is her Hebrew name.

 

You can read about all three parts of this account in the Bible in Luke 5:12-16, Matthew 26:6-13 and John 11:1-44.

 

The story is taken from my book, The Little Ones Who Came. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  My Utmost For His Highest, by Oswald Chambers, published by Dodd, Mead & Co., writing for August 29

(2)  My Utmost For His Highest, by Oswald Chambers, published by Dodd, Mead & Co., writing for August 29

(3)  John 11:40 (NLT)

(4)  Ephesians 3:20-21

 

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock