Keep Going

Mark 6:7-34

When you’ve been to your ‘Nazareth,’ possibly even expecting to be received with wonder and awe about the possibility and potential for your newly-expressed life in ministry – and been rejected as a poser – what is your response?

Well, I think we can safely say this is why Jesus went to ‘His Nazareth’ in the first place. It was to demonstrate to us what is likely to happen in our hometowns and in our hometown families; which is, in a word, unbelief.

Do not expect those who know you well to immediately believe your life has been transformed by God. If they disbelieved this happened in Jesus’ life, it is even more likely they will disbelieve it has happened in yours.

How are we to respond to this unbelief and doubt in our Godly transformation and calling – especially when it is expressed by those who know us better than anyone?

The example here is to spread the ministry. Deepen it. Broaden it. Call more people into it.

The thoughts of unbelief toward us in our hometowns should be employed as springboards to expand our ministry effort, and never to turn back or stop.

Following His rejection at Nazareth, Jesus greatly expanded His ministry by locating His 12 apostles and sending them out with the same authority of ministry He had been granted by the Father. His response was to expand His ministry 12-fold. He did not turn back, He kept going in an even broader way.

Upon hearing of John the Baptist’s murder at the hand of Herod, Jesus did not turn back. He gathered together with His guys to lick their wounds in private, and then He taught a massive crowd, publicly demonstrating He would keep going. Nothing could or would stop Jesus from delivering the gospel to those in need.

-Pastor Bill

What Did You Expect?

Mark 6:1-6

What did you expect God to look like?

We all have our pictures of God in our minds, and the imagery we visualize has a lot to do with how we expect God to operate.

This is the reason God has said NOT to make images of God. NONE. From the beginning, God has made it plain and clear for His followers to reject imagery in ALL its forms – because what we see with our eyes determines how we respond in our hearts.

God would have us respond by faith, and faith cannot take place in the realm of sight.

Imagine what an upset it was for God to appear as a man. How could that possibly be?

At least, if He is to appear as a man He should be a majestic one with a commanding presence that all would swoon in His presence…

Yet, the Bible tells us He made Himself of lowly appearance. Men would not be drawn to Him by His comely appearance - but by His Word.

When Jesus first appeared at Nazareth, His hometown, as God in flesh – what did you expect? Did you expect all the people to bow down to Him because of His majestic appearance, and because they have known of Him all His life?

Exactly the opposite occurs because of exactly those reasons. He is NOT of majestic appearance, and they do NOT expect Him as Savior BECAUSE they have known Him all their lives. He is very familiar to them all. They know all about Him.

He is not the God they expected God to be.

It is very interesting how our expectations of God limit God according to our expectations. Jesus could do no mighty work among those who knew Him well. Familiarity bred a certain contempt. Does this apply to us also?

-Pastor Bill

The Government

Isaiah 9:6-7

There has been much talk about the government lately, but that’s nothing new.

As our present government plunges ahead without listening to or acknowledging the wishes of the people it governs, we sometimes feel desperate in frustration.

But think how they felt in the dark ages, living under a wicked king. Or under Pol Pot in Cambodia. Or Stalin in the U.S.S.R. Or what life would have been like in Hitler’s Germany – or Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.

The history of the world is filled with tragic and terrible selfishly self-serving government. In fact, some of the concern we share now for our present governance is because of the godless path we seem to be on that retraces some of those earlier footsteps of history.

When has there ever been a truly GOOD government – led by a man or men who were entirely benevolent and chiefly concerned with the needs of the people governed?

That would be never. There never has been one, because governments are always filled by men.

Until the birth of Jesus Christ. Until the coming to earth of The One Who is chiefly concerned for the needs of ALL others above Himself – even to the extent of willingly dying for ALL others.

If God had never demonstrated anything else of His love for mankind, He would demonstrate it in this: He would send His only begotten Son into the world to demonstrate His desire for supremely benevolent government of mankind – and He would place that government upon His Son’s shoulders; the only One capable of bearing that weight.

Word: Jesus’ government is entirely voluntary. He has volunteered to govern - and He seeks those who voluntarily desire His loving and benevolent governance. And His government is entirely apart from the government of man. Has nothing to do with it.

-Pastor Bill

Desperate

Mark 5:21-43

Desperate circumstances produce varying reactions in man.

Panic, fainting, fear, flight; all these are natural responses to those circumstances in life we have no natural recourse for. There is no defense, and no offense, and confusion and dismay often envelop those who are desperate.

There is one thing desperation always produces, and that is a laser-like focus on anything and everything that may have even the slightest, remotest, or least possibility of bringing ANY relief to the desperate situation you find yourself in.

This passage in Mark 5 is a study in desperation, and what it produces in man.

There are two people who appear prominently, and both are intensely desperate for anyone who can help. (The problem is there is no one who can…)

We see Jairus, who is the ruler of the synagogue, (most likely at Capernaum,) who is desperate for healing for his 12 year old daughter, and we see a woman who has tried every doctor and spent every dollar she can find seeking a cure for a flow of blood that has kept her physically anemic and ceremonially unclean for 12 years.

Both of them come to Jesus out of desperation. Jesus is not only their last hope – He is their only hope. We do not know the back story about how it is each of them have heard about Jesus, but we do know that what they have heard has produced a degree of hopefulness in the midst of a very dark situation in their lives. Jesus is that ray of Light they have been seeking.

We are left to wonder what may have happened in each of these lives if there was no sense of desperation. If Jairus’ daughter had not been sick to the point of death, would he have sought Jesus? If the un-named woman with the flow of blood had instead been healthy, would she have sought Jesus?

In the same way we may ask: Have you sought Jesus with a sense of desperation? (It changes everything about the seeking process.) Are you PERSONALLY aware of the desperate nature of your sinful condition – and where you will spend eternity unless you come to Jesus?

-Pastor Bill

On the Other Side

Mark 5:1-20

Now they head into Gentile territory for the first time, to “the other side.”

We remember at the close of the previous chapter Jesus and His disciples had all entered small boats to cross over the sea of Galilee to the other side, which would be the region of the Gadarenes, which was a region of Gentiles and Jews who had not remained pure in their religion.

In the first case, we may marvel that Jesus would even go this “God-forsaken place,” but it serves to remind us no place on earth is ‘God-forsaken.’

God has an interest in all peoples in all places. There are no places which God has forsaken - only places that have forsaken God.

The region of the Gadarenes is one of those places. What they found there was quite startling. What they had to go through to get there was also quite startling, as we remember the storm that raged in an attempt to keep Jesus and His men from coming here in the first place. Jesus calmed the storm.

They found a man, (Matthew’s Gospel reveals there were two men,) inside whom a storm raged as well. They found a man who was clearly demon-possessed, and it seems he was well-known locally for his possession. They had done, or could do nothing for this man. Their only solution was to attempt to keep him chained and shackled away from the rest of the people who lived there. But the chains and shackles could not hold him, and so he was a constant danger to anyone who lived in that region.

Was this man, (or these men,) the reason Jesus came? Was Jesus so concerned about this man’s quality of life, (which we would have to say was less than zero,) that He was willing to go through hell and high water to reach him?

This story tells us much about the ministry of Christ, and our ministry as well. He never gives up on anyone, even one possessed by a legion of demons. He has power over all demons, and can and will save ANY lost person who is willing to be saved. Will we go the ‘the other side’ with Jesus?

-Pastor Bill

Light Shines

Mark 4:21-41

When you are in the dark, you can stumble around and possibly hurt yourself, or you can attempt to find a source of light so you can see to find your way.

It is amazing how much of our lives are dependent upon light. We really can’t function without it. We know that without light we are blind, (to be completely without light is to be totally blind.)

Our eyes may have perfect function, but we cannot know that unless we have light for our eyes to function by. They do not work in darkness.

In fact, if you had been born into a completely dark world, with absolutely no light at all, you would not even know you had eyes. They are completely useless without light.

Fortunately that is not the case. God has provided us a light in the heavens that shines forth every day in a very dependable fashion. Since we enjoy God’s light so much, we have designed our own sources of light as well, that we may have the ability to see no matter where we are. Interesting…

Light, illumination, is so precious to us we have even compared it to knowledge, and wisdom. We speak of knowledge necessary for life as being “illuminating.” When we hear some new thought or idea, “the light goes on,” in our brain. (In the cartoon world we represent this with a light bulb above the head.)

Jesus speaks of the knowledge of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven in exactly this fashion. Just as light is meant to be shared - and it is inconceivable that it would not be – the knowledge of eternal life is to be shared as well.

Who would put “light” under a bushel basket, or under a bed? That would not only be inconceivable, but cruel, allowing those who may have light I am aware of to continue to stumble around in the darkness and blindness. Jesus teaches us the wisdom of God is to be shared, immediately and often and always. Not sharing the light Jesus has shared with you is to not only keep others in darkness unnecessarily, it is to keep your own life in darkness as well. We are to shine the light we have been given.

-Pastor Bill

Heart Condition

Mark 4:1-20

Since the heart is an internal organ, its health cannot be determined from outside the body.

Or can it?

There are many tell-tale signs which reveal the condition of the heart, even though the heart cannot be seen by the eye.

The color of the skin, the dilation of the eye, the pulse rate, the energy level, the blood pressure, they all reveal the present physical condition of the unseen heart.

In the same way, Jesus lets us know the condition of our Spiritual heart is also observable, even though the Spiritual heart itself remains unseen. This is more important for self-examination purposes than knowing the condition of our physical heart.

The first step is to allow the process, which is why Jesus speaks in parables. If you aren’t interested in knowing the condition of your Spiritual heart, just take the parables at face value. Think only of their physical meaning, and move along. They do have a physical meaning, and there is a degree of satisfaction in hearing about seeds and soils, especially in an agricultural society. “Yes, this is true teaching about seed and soil. But why is Jesus teaching about dirt?”

He isn’t. But only for those who are interested in the condition of their Spiritual heart for the purpose of knowing their eternal condition. We do know that God knows the condition of our heart. Even unbelievers sense that truth – if as much as they may hate to admit it. The question is: Are you interested? Or are you content to be willfully ignorant about your Spiritual heart – and therefore your eternal condition?

The “seed” Jesus speaks of is known to be good. Perfect, in fact. What could possibly keep it from growing? When we know the seed is good, if it doesn’t grow it’s because the soil is either hard, shallow, or corrupted by the presence of weeds. Will you allow that to speak to you about the present condition of your Spiritual heart?

-Pastor Bill

The House Divided

Mark 3:20-35

If you were or were a religious leader intent on protecting your religious system, who would you protect it from?

The thinking may be the enemy would be the one seeking to bring down your power-base, but that would be untrue.

The enemy is just fine with religion. Again, the thinking may be that Satan’s territory would be unbelief – and it is – but he is quite content with the nominalism toward God religious systems produce. And even the fervent forms of religion we see in the world today are not fervent for God, they are fervent for the religious system of the practitioner.

The appearance of moral piety merely serves to build up the flesh, and to enhance the standing of men among men. God thinks nothing of the appearance of moral piety, because he knows it isn’t true. He knows the heart, and He knows why we seek to appear pious. Every religious system has in common this building up of the flesh. (The exultation of the self even if it means by suffering, or self-flagellation, or self-immolation, or even by suicide-bomb.) Who is behind this kind of self-destructive behavior?

Less obviously, who is therefore behind every behavior which builds up the flesh to the point it believes itself worthy of God’s favor – perhaps through the burning of incense, or endless repetitions of prayers, or marvelous architecture, or performance of outward moral superiority?

And so, we wind up with religious leaders in opposition to Jesus Christ Himself. Whose position is furthered by opposition to Jesus Christ? What can be learned by the constant friction, discomfort, and contention the religious leaders had with Jesus? (That they would accuse HIM of being in league with Satan?)

When is Satan’s kingdom divided EXCEPT in the person of Jesus Christ? How sad it is the strongest-appearing form of unbelief - the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - comes by flesh-enhancing religion which makes even Jesus Himself to be a liar about how men must be saved.

-Pastor Bill

The Miracle Worker

Mark 3:1-19

What kind of “man” could take nothing and make it into something?

What kind of “man” has the power of creation available to Himself, and how is that power made available to Him, and when?

As we continue to walk with Jesus, bearing witness as a member of His crowd of followers to the things He does, one of the things we may notice is He never seems to do anything ordinary.

All His works are clearly extraordinary, and they all have to do with what is most needed.

As Jesus entered the synagogue at Capernaum, as His follower I would not have been thinking He was entering a trap. The synagogue was a place of worship and devotion to God, and men would gather on the Sabbath to demonstrate their culture, their heritage, and their loyalty to Judaism, if not to God. This was a very special gathering which would take place each Sabbath day.

Normally, a man with a defect would be restricted in their presence because of their defect, perhaps even restricted from being in the synagogue at all. (See Lev 21:17-24.)

One thing those in opposition to the works of Christ could already trust was that He would always go to the person in the room with the greatest need. Could He be trapped into performing a ‘work’ on the Sabbath – which would therefore publicly reveal Him to be in opposition to God?

The man with the withered hand is immediately noticed by Jesus, and Jesus is angered because He rightly perceived the Pharisees were using this man in a way that was an embarrassment to the man - and also in a way that was intended to trap Jesus. Would Jesus break the Law, and perform a work on the Sabbath?

Jesus’ question pierces like a knife: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil, to save life, or to kill?” (How I answer that question reveals the heart of God in me, and also for me.)

-Pastor Bill

In the Spotlight

Mark 2:1-28

Now we see how Jesus ministers under the spotlight, in the din of the crowd.

Many a good man has folded under the intense pressure of expectations. Would Jesus be yet another example of the flash in the pan?

The thing we must remember is at this time in His ministry life Jesus was still an unproven entity. While this may be difficult for us to imagine, (since we are so familiar with the gospel accounts,) it is important for us as readers to place ourselves in the story and try to imagine what it must have been like to have been there.

Jesus has much to overcome.

He must overcome spiritual opposition in a manner and power I think we know not of, He must overcome material shortcomings that only One with creation power can, and He must overcome doubt - which is perhaps the greatest obstacle of all.

Who is this?

Who would say to a paralytic their sins are forgiven? (The scribes are CORRECT in their thinking ONLY GOD can forgive sin.) Who would say, “your sins are forgiven,” and then tell you to, “get up and walk?” Who would do that? Who COULD do that?

Who would call a tax collector to be one of His followers, and then double down on that inscrutable act by dining with not only tax collectors but known sinners? Would Messiah do that?

Who would be content to skip the present practices of fasting, in a culture when voluntary fasting two days per week is how devotion to God is demonstrated? Who could get away with such a contra-version of standard religious practice?

When the glare of the spotlight is turned on, what would this ‘Man’ do? Now we know. Everything He does is confounding on every front. Nothing will ever be the same. There is now no such thing as status-quo.

-Pastor Bill

God is For Us

Mark 1:16-45

Romans 8:31 declares, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Indeed.

Immediately, at the beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus sets out to demonstrate this fundamental truth: God is for us.

It’s why He came in the first place. He is for us. He loves us. He sees our needs. He knows our desires.

But it is more than knowing what our needs are, or understanding our desires; it is having and demonstrating the authority and power to do something about it.

We face a powerful enemy in this world. All of mankind always has. Jesus has come to defeat our enemy. His power is greater than Satan. His authority is over Satan.

Even after 40 days and nights in the desert, without food and water, Satan has no power over Jesus. None at all. This is the pronouncement of Satan’s defeat.

Since Satan is the greatest power the world can throw at us, (usually employing our own flesh in order to defeat us,) isn’t it comforting to know Jesus has the power to defeat Satan? Isn’t it wonderful to know that He wills to do just that - and that accompanying the power to defeat Satan is also the power to save mankind? (Me.)

All of our needs are met in Jesus Christ. He is our all in all. We are MORE than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us and has come to die for us and to help us and to demonstrate He is for us in every way we require.

Usually when someone meets your needs there is a payment required. Even in this, God meets our needs. Jesus is our payment for God’s love. And, He is willing to heal, He is willing to help, and He is willing to save. How could it be further proven that God is FOR us?

-Pastor Bill

Head First

Mark 1:1-15

Who shall believe our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1.)

The ‘report’ of the Word of God is amazing, fantastic, complete in every way, and extraneous of any unnecessary content.

The Gospel of Mark is a prime example of the spare-ness and specificity with which the Holy Spirit delivers His report.

THIS is the beginning of THE GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.

It jumps off the page. Jesus is thirty years of age, and we are diving in head first. There is no mention of Jesus’ birth or childhood. There is no character development or foreshadowing or any other such thing normally practiced, especially in modern literature.

Modern literature doesn’t have anything of real meaning to say; Mark does. And he gets right to it. In this Gospel is salvation. There is salvation no other.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is great news, because it means death has been conquered. Given that death is an enemy to all people – and that death has been tracking and pursuing each and every one of us since the moment of our births – this is nothing short of fantastic!

Have you ever wondered why you have a sense of the eternal – and always have since the moment of your birth - even though no one taught you about it? (It is because God has designed YOU to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to be one of those who literally believe the report of the Word of God.)

Upon believing the report of the Word of God we receive everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven – which begins, wonderfully enough – in His Church, (which is also known as the kingdom of heaven.) The Gospel of Jesus Christ places each of us who believe into His Church for safe-keeping until we graduate into His Kingdom undefeated by death. That’s the Gospel Truth.

-Pastor Bill

Expansion

Matthew 28:1-20

Jesus has come to announce His kingdom on earth.

It was in the most radical, attention-gaining way possible, that the most people possible would come into it. (God loves you so much, He would do anything to make certain you have the very best opportunity possible to know of His love for you, and that you may be with Him forever.)

The image of the cross is burned into the consciousness and across the history of mankind. There is no getting around the cross. While it may be possible to dismiss the cross, it is not possible to deny it.

With the cross now in the past, (the greatest event in human history,) something even more radical has happened. Jesus is alive! He is raised from the dead!

First, the work of salvation was necessary. Jesus had to die to make it possible for all to enter His kingdom. Now the work of expansion is here, to make it possible for the whole world to hear about the opportunity God has created by offering His Son – that ALL may now come into His kingdom.

With every means available to God to convey His message, how would God choose to communicate the most important news in the history of the world? He began by telling a small group of the women who followed Him. This would be an absurdity and an embarrassment to Christ if not true. (In those days, a woman was not permitted to be a witness in a court trial, and they were generally thought of as property.) It would be these women Jesus would trust to first share the news of His resurrection. There would be no supernatural parting of the skies, or volcanic demonstration, or anything of the sort – but the small voices of these women who had first witnessed the risen Savior.

That message of faith has been conducted across the centuries without corruption, but not without difficulty. God’s message is opposed by satanic forces everywhere it is delivered. How has God continued to choose to deliver this most important message in the history of mankind? It is by the small, faithful voice of those willing to share it.

-Pastor Bill

Separation

Matthew 27:32-66

We have studied ‘why’ Jesus died, now we see ‘how’ He died.

Of course we understand He is dying the death each of us deserve to die. He is dying in my place, to pay the price for my sin. Never has it been more clearly demonstrated that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

Jesus’ death on the cross is not a free ticket to continue in sin knowing we are forgiven, but is a tragic reminder of the horrific, abominable nature of sin, and what comes of it.

Until you see yourself on the cross, you do not understand the price that was paid to set you free. How can you then live any longer in sin? How can sin appeal in light of the cross, and the cost?

We live such sheltered lives in our modern culture. We are so far removed from death it shocks us to the core when we are confronted by the necessity of it. How little we think of the slaughter-house that provides us meat? We have nothing culturally to relate to when it pertains to warfare or any of the sort of brutality that is caused by sin. Jesus reminds us who we really are.

And Who He really is.

You see, there was something that took place at the cross which goes far beyond even the physical brutality which we are making ourselves aware of. It may be the physical brutality which has the greatest affect upon us emotionally, and certainly it should affect us greatly, but it is the separation from the Father which we need to pay the closest attention to. In taking my sin, and the sin of the whole world upon Himself, Jesus made Himself a curse, and He became separated from the Father in that moment. It was plainly terrible for Christ, and His terror serves as a warning.

For those who choose to remain in their sin instead of enjoying and employing Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice for it, there will be an eternal separation from God. Of that, we must all be terrified. Oh how wonderful is the salvation of Christ which removes the middle wall of separation!

-Pastor Bill

Beauty

Matthew 27:1-31

The contrast between light and dark is so strong sometimes it hurts the eyes to look at.

This is one of those cases.

The degree of ugliness on display here is so difficult to fathom, especially in light of the great beauty the ugliness is set over against. This is hard to look at, and harder still to study and understand.

One thing remains clear, and is still on display in the world today: Human nature, left to its own devices, is incredibly ugly.

All we see in nature, of the brutality and killing and suffering looks terribly small and comfortable in comparison to man left unchecked.

But what could possibly make man more than merely an animal of great ferocious proportions as the evolutionist presents man to be? Well, only love and devotion.

It is love and devotion, pure and unadulterated, also on display here in great contrast to the crassness, baseness, brutality and ugliness of man. Christ is so beautiful in the midst of this ugliness that it shocks our consciousness, and brings into even sharper focus how truly ugly we are.

I’m forgiven because Christ was forsaken. (By me, and all who are as I am.)

Who would forsake such love? Who could forsake such beauty, and glory, and wisdom – such love and devotion to the task of loving me? Well, that would be me, many times over.

Every time I fail to commit myself to the beauty and wonder and truth only found in Christ, I bring Christ right back here to this place of brutality, and I repeat the process all over again. Knowing this, how could I be so ugly? Why would I ever turn from such beauty?

-Pastor Bill

God on Trial

Matthew 26:57-75

Putting God on trial is the silliest, stupidest, most fallacious, felonious, ridiculous, terrible and blasphemous action ever attempted by man.

We could also say putting God on trial only strengthens His cause.

It has been a peculiar notation of human history that whenever God is on trial, His cause is strengthened, and His ministry grows.

Persecution does not deter Christ, it engages His power.

The trial of Jesus performed here is a sham – as are ALL trials of Christ. This was a court of religious leaders who had a pre-determined judgment, and only used the legal framework of religious leadership in order to seek to satisfy the minds of the people they ruled over.

Had Christ been hauled over to Pontius Pilate without a trial, the people may have thought this a travesty of justice. However, with this trial taking place behind closed doors, the people would be left to trust the judgment of the Sanhedrin, while knowing there HAD been a trial. Knowing there HAD been a trial – and Christ HAD been found guilty – then He must BE guilty. (The religious leaders had to trust this would be the view of the people, and apparently – it was.)

It is morally impossible to try and convict someone you KNOW is not guilty. Jesus was a special case. Not only was He NOT GUILTY of what He was accused of, He was NOT GUILTY of ANYTHING.

And so, false testimony had to be arranged. (As it always is whenever Christ is on trial.) Jesus cannot be accused of any guilt, and yet people hold him guilty all the time. In this case, He is found guilty of speaking a Spiritual truth. On this basis, Jesus is found guilty of blasphemy, which is the highest form of irony. It is the religious leaders, and Caiaphas, (the High Priest,) in particular, who are guilty of the blasphemy of which they accuse Christ. Nothing ever changes when it comes to placing God on trial.

-Pastor Bill

Passion

Matthew 26:36-56

Paul writes, “without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.” (1 Tim 3:16)

In other words, when it comes to the nature of God and His operation among men, there are some things we will never understand. God is higher than we are, and His thoughts (and plans) are higher than ours.

In Philippians 2, when Paul writes of Jesus putting off the Godhead, (and the supernatural powers thereof,) in His coming to earth – we can never really fully understand what that means. It is a mystery how Jesus could be God, and yet not, in His appearing as The Son of Man. He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, and He made Himself of no reputation. He took on flesh.

Therefore we know: Jesus suffered as a man.

In this passage Jesus enters His suffering, which has been referred to theologically as ‘His passion.’ Passion is a word we normally associate with conviction, but in this case it goes further to denote a conviction which goes unto suffering.

The dispassionate world says some pretty hard things about this from a total lack of understanding about what is taking place and from a lack of any attempt whatsoever to understand the Godhead. Now when we say the Godhead is a mystery, it does not mean we should not seek wisdom and understanding, it simply means we will never come to the fullness of it. God desires to be known. It is why Jesus came.

But when people make God out to be some kind of monster because He allows His own Son to suffer and die – they miss the point entirely. They place God on a human level, judging themselves to be more graceful and merciful than God. This is foolishness.

What we know - but cannot fully understand - is that Jesus suffered as a man suffers. He felt the pain and anguish and humiliation exactly as we would. His desire was for The Father to design another way for mankind to be saved from God’s justice, but there was no other way. But always remember, this is God in flesh, suffering and dying for His creation. He would sacrifice Himself for the sin of mankind. That is passion.

-Pastor Bill

Success and Failure

Matthew 26:14-35

The example of Judas and Peter - as followers of Christ – is both alarming and informing about the human condition.

One did not see what he wanted to see in Jesus, (Judas,) and one saw his own strength as being sufficient, (Peter.) One became an apparent success in his desire to redirect the course of Jesus’ ministry life, (Judas,) and one became an apparent failure in his desire to stand for Jesus.

Judas succeeded in his effort to betray Jesus. Peter, in his attempt to stand for Jesus, was an abject failure.

And so we have the answer to the question: Would you rather be successful in the eyes of the world and worldly religion - or a failure in your attempt to follow Christ?

Of course, all of us would rather be Peter than Judas, and this lets us know success or failure is not truly what matters – but devotion to Christ. I would rather be a failure a thousand times over in my devotion to Christ than to be successful in the eyes of the world, or to play any part in betraying Jesus’ ministry.

Yet we read Judas’ betrayal was both anticipated by Jesus, prophesied by Zechariah, and necessary to the cause of Christ. It was necessary for Jesus to die, and Judas’ betrayal was useful to Jesus in becoming the salvation for the sins of the whole world. Satan, in his effort to destroy The Christ through Judas, instead became a necessary implement for God’s purpose. This plan, in place since before the foundation of the world, would be to permit sin, (great sin, in this case,) to kill the Lamb slain since the foundation of the world - that all sin may be forgiven.

Peter failed miserably in his attempt to stand with Christ, but this had been prophesied by Zechariah and anticipated by Jesus as well. Jesus knew Peter was not strong enough to stand in his own strength, and His admonition to Peter was to not even try. In your own strength you will deny Me, not just once, not just twice, but three times over. How important a lesson it is for us to see how correct Jesus was in His assessment of the strength of Peter’s flesh. Yet we also know Peter was greatly restored from his failure, and this is an important example as well.

-Pastor Bill

The Anointed One

Matthew 26:1-13

Now Jesus turns His thoughts to the Passover.

(He has been teaching His disciples about His two-fold return, (while on the Mount of Olives,) and now He makes the move toward His exit, on Mount Calvary.)

The Passover will be taking place in two days, and we know now Jesus is the Passover Lamb.

He will offer Himself as a willing sacrifice for the sin of the world. Through His sacrifice alone the world may be saved from eternal damnation.

In the Passover, the prescription is for the lamb to be brought into the home for four days prior to the sacrifice, for inspection, and for affection. Then the lamb is to be killed, roasted over an open fire and completely eaten.

Presently just two days prior to His crucifixion, Jesus moves to assure those who are watching closely He is the Lamb. He shall ever be The Lamb. So He strongly makes the connection for His disciples, telling them the Son of Man will be delivered up and crucified – but not just on any day – it will be the Passover. He is the fulfillment of what the Passover is all about. Because of His sacrifice, we may all escape the bonds of the slavery of Egypt and death and move into the Promised Land of eternal life. Because of His sacrifice, the death angel will pass over all of our households.

As mysterious as all this may be to His disciples in that moment, there is one who gets it. She comes to visit Jesus in the house of Simon the leper. (Let that sink in for a moment. The home of  leper – or former leper since Jesus is present.)

Her only thought, it seems, is to anoint Jesus. This is not just any anointing either, as she breaks open her own supply of very costly oil to pour on Jesus’ head as He sat at the table. She is rebuked by Jesus’ disciples for her actions, but not by Jesus. In fact, Jesus informs them her actions shall stand forever as a memorial for all the world to see and take note of. Quite properly, she has anointed the Anointed One.

-Pastor Bill

Sheep and Goats

Matthew 25:31-46

Everything Jesus has taught His disciples in the Olivette Discourse has been about two kinds of people: those who rule themselves, and those who choose to allow themselves to be ruled by God.

It has always been that way, and all the end-times events will be designed to bring that separation into sharp relief.

Those who allow themselves to be ruled by God will survive, even if they must endure great difficulty.

Those who refuse to allow themselves to be ruled by God will perish, even if they appear to have everything going for them in this life.

The first divide Jesus spoke of was between five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. The wise ones were those who allowed God to fill them with His Holy Spirit. These would be taken up in the pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church. The unwise virgins would be left behind to go through the tribulation events.

The next divide Jesus described was the condition of those waiting for the Rapture to take place, even though its delay was apparent to all. Some invested in the cause of Jesus Christ and some refused.

Finally, Jesus describes the divide among those who actually endure all the events of the tribulation – all the way to the end of the seven years of God’s wrath poured out upon the earth.

When Jesus returns to the earth to rule and reign for a thousand years, He will be seated upon His throne of glory at Jerusalem, and a great judgment will take place of those who have survived all the events. On His right hand will be placed the sheep; those who refused the mark of the beast and aided the Jewish people. On His left hand will be the goats; those who took the mark of the beast and only thought of themselves as they entered survival mode during the reign of the anti-christ. The final judgment will divide the self-less from the selfish.

-Pastor Bill

Waiting in Faith

Matthew 25:14-30

As He continues to explain end-times events to His disciples, Jesus has explained what it means to “be ready” for His return. (We learned that last week – You MUST be filled with the Holy Spirit.)

But what about the waiting part?

In our language, “waiting” conveys standing in line. Boredom. Wasting time. Nothing to do. Stuck in traffic.

Jesus teaches something entirely different. The LAST thing Jesus desires for His Church to be found doing as we wait for His return is nothing. We are to be an active Church – actively waiting for His return!

To ensure this, (even though He tells us He is going away for a “long time” – V19,) Jesus promises gifts. “Talents,” if you will.

These “talents” will be given on an individual basis, and we are not to be jealous of the gift someone else receives – but instead put to great use the gift we have received. And there are to be great uses for the gifts we receive…the greatest being to multiply them!

(Jesus also lets us know there will be an evaluation of how we have used the gifts we have received when He comes.)

But the revelation of this parable is that waiting is to be an act of faith. Our mind is not to wander, and our faith in Christ is to remain strong even as He tarries – waiting for that last Christian to be brought into the fold. Just as Jesus actively waits, we are to actively pursue that LAST Christian.

As our “talents” are multiplied, we may notice more and more people are coming to Christ. In fact, these new believers coming to Christ ARE the ‘multiplication’ Jesus speaks of.

Jesus desires to reach you, and all those you are capable of reaching in Him. Now, go get ready and do some waiting!

-Pastor Bill

Ready in Waiting

Matthew 25:1-13

In Matthew 24:36-44, Jesus employed the Hebrew wedding ceremony as an example of how it is Christ will return for His Church.

Given His pictorial representation of the pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church in the Olivette Discourse, those who heard His words at the time He spoke them may have been confused about any allusion to The Church - but they would not have been confused when they heard His words pertaining to Hebrew wedding customs.

Everyone would have understood everything He said pertaining to any references He made concerning the groom returning for his bride. (They would know nothing of The Church because it did not exist yet.)

On the other hand, from our vantage point, (which is a very privileged position in time,) we can see The Church clearly, but know little or nothing about Hebrew wedding customs. We must learn of the Hebrew wedding customs in Jesus’ time in order to more fully understand what Jesus teaches about the pre-tribulation Rapture of The Church.

Here, in Matthew 25, Jesus extends His teaching on the subject. (The Olivette Discourse continues in this chapter.)

Lest any in The Church doubt Jesus is speaking of a Hebrew wedding in His teaching about The Rapture, Jesus drives the point home as He continues speaking.

Without directly talking of a wedding as He talked all about a wedding previously, here He speaks directly of a Hebrew wedding to reinforce the illustration for those who need to understand exactly what He is talking about.

Previously He spoke about the required readiness in waiting for His return, (which will come at an hour “My Father only” knows,) He now teaches us exactly what is required to be considered “ready.” This we need to know more than anything in life.

There is no mistaking what Jesus says here. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit when Christ returns (as a groom) for His Church. And the ONLY way I may be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be born again. There are no exceptions. Being in church is not enough.

-Pastor Bill

Always Be Ready for the Wedding

Matthew 24:36-51

Arranged marriage is no longer practiced in this time in this country.

But throughout history, (and even in this country in earlier times,) arranged marriage was not only practiced – it was common. There are countries in the world today, (India in particular,) where arranged marriage is still widely practiced.

In Israel, in Christ’s time, arranged marriage was common. When Jesus begins to speak of the Rapture of the Church, (admittedly in a veiled way,) He uses the motif of a Hebrew wedding ceremony to explain what is about to happen when His Church is caught up to heaven.

He speaks of this in a couple ways: 1) That no one knows the day or the hour of the “ceremony” but the Father, and 2) That those who are a part of the wedding party need to always have “oil” in their lamps.

How fascinating Jesus speaks of the Rapture of the Church as a wedding ceremony!

Indeed, when we look over in Rev 19 we see that we, (The Church,) are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We also read in the New Testament that His Church is referred to as the “Bride of Christ.” Is it any wonder we teach a personal relationship with Christ? Can religion fit into this scenario at all? (As Paul might say, “Absolutely not!”)

And so we go on with our lives knowing at any moment Christ will return for His Church. Since the restoration of Israel in 1948, there is not a single prophetic declaration remaining in God’s Word which must be fulfilled prior to the Rapture of the Church. Indeed, the Rapture of the Church is the next event on God’s prophetic calendar - and it is imminent.

Therefore we must always be ready for Christ to return for His bride - at the very moment His Father instructs Him to. We must be as careful as one watching for “a thief in the night.” We have little time to tell our friends and loved ones about Christ. We need to be wary of His soon return. And when He comes, what will I be found doing?

-Pastor Bill

Still God’s Chosen People

Matthew 24:15-35

Some have said God is finished with the Jewish people, due to their rejection of Him and because, (so they say,) “they crucified His Son.”

They are wrong.

People who were Jewish may have been physically involved in the crucifixion of Christ, but it was our sin that killed Him. We are ALL guilty of His death. The Bible teaches us Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth was to bear the sins of mankind, and to make Himself an offering for sin.

The same ones who say God is finished with the Jewish people also say The Church has replaced Israel in Bible prophecy – and that all of God’s Word which speaks of Israel yet future actually speaks of Israel only as a type of The Church, which The Church now fulfills by its existence. These people were literally upset when Israel came back into the land in 1948, claiming Israel no longer had any right to exist.

They are wrong about that too.

Of the most prominent observable facts of Matthew 24 are Jesus’ declarations pertaining to Israel, (the Jews,) yet future. God is not finished with the Jewish people – and God is certainly not finished with Israel, and The Church has certainly NOT replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. He still has His eye of love upon them. (Paul amplifies God’s love for the Jews yet future in Romans 9 – 11.)

Many are confused by Jesus employing the term “elect” as He speaks of the Jewish people in this passage – incorrectly thinking the use of ‘elect’ always refers to The Church, since The Church is referred to by that term so often in the New Testament. But God’s Word also refers to the Jews as ‘the elect of God,’ as well as those tribulation saints yet future.

Jesus warns us early on in Matthew 24 not to be deceived about end-times events. One of the most prominent deceptions historically has been about God being finished with the Jewish people. Jesus dispels that notion completely in Matthew 24:15-35.

-Pastor Bill

Signs of the End

Matthew 24:1-14

Imagine being sort of a tour-guide, so-to-speak, and having the opportunity to “show” Jesus the temple, and to explain to Him the wonder of its majesty and creation.

I used to have these kinds of opportunities growing up in Washington, D.C. A summer never went by when we didn’t receive visits from family and friends from far off places who came to visit with us and “see the sights.”

Our job would be to take them downtown, and give them a tour of the impressive buildings which represent our great nation, as well as the museums and other assorted facilities that people always wanted to see.

I imagine it was much like that for the disciples, as they came to Jesus to show Him the buildings of the temple.

It is one thing to be very impressed with the buildings, (as I always was and still am with those in Washington, D.C.,) it is quite another to have the opportunity to share how impressive those buildings are with someone else.

Jesus responded to their ‘tour’ in an unexpected way: “Do you see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Well then…

Rather than being impressed with the architecture - Jesus prophecies its total destruction.

I’m sure Jesus’ words would have been very upsetting to those with Him, as this building is so impressive, and it represents so MUCH to the Jewish people – but mostly because the things Jesus says always seem to come true.

Now the chief concern becomes, when will this be?

-Pastor Bill

A Healthy Dose of Reality

Matthew 23:16-39

Jesus has taken off the wraps and waded into the heat of the battle, and the battlefield is the heart and soul of man. For too long, Satan has had free reign, leading men to hell - all the while thinking they were on the right path for heaven.

Jesus completely dispels any notion that a religious foundation has any merit whatsoever. Religion is, in fact, a detriment to your Spiritual condition. Religion, as demonstrated by these religious leaders present before Jesus on this day, exalts the flesh – and this makes it even more dangerous to the cause of Christ.

Just look at the difficulty these religious leaders had hearing the words of Christ – which are literally the words of God. Will your religion prevent you from hearing the words of God? The answer is, sadly: Yes.

Religion is an invention of man to approximate the presence of God. It has the look of piety, the feel of reverence, the smell of dominion, and the quiet of patience and meditation bursting forth into soaring songs of praise which stimulate the hearing of the mind. The buildings are dramatic and soaring, and they reach out to touch the very face of God in the imagination of the mind. Remember the Tower of Babel?

But religion has no answer for sin. Religion becomes the cause of suffering rather than the relief of it. Religion has no place for grace, and no understanding of it. The central premise of all religion and what every religion stands for is this: What man can do. (And man can do some very outwardly beautiful things.) The problem is inside he is filled with dead men’s bones and all kinds of filth.

Jesus states the obvious, unavoidable truth. You must turn away from religion, religious tradition, and religious practice to acknowledge the love of the living God. It has never been about what you can do for God – it has ALWAYS been about what He has done for you – and there’s not a single thing you can add to it. Religion = Death. God’s loving grace = Life.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!” Religion will do whatever it takes to maintain its history. How does religion affect you?

-Pastor Bill

Day of Reckoning

Matthew 23:1-15

In The Book of the Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, Jesus provides a very intense and thorough evaluation of His church.

In that evaluation, we see the importance of the church to Jesus Christ, and how concerned He is for even the slightest variance from what is needed in the church to produce disciples. It’s a pretty tough evaluation. 5 of the 7 churches are severely chastised and commanded to repent. (The church?)

In Malachi, God says through the prophet He desires, “Godly offspring.”

This is also Jesus’ greatest concern for the “church” of His day – the Jewish faith system. They are not reproducing themselves out of the world; they are reproducing themselves of the world.

How can such a worldly entity produce Godly offspring?

How can a religious operation headed by hypocrisy and deceit be expected to bring lost people into saving relationship with God? What is the point of growth in numbers – should it come – if the growth is not unto God’s righteousness but unto man’s edifice?

This is what Jesus addresses in Matthew, chapter 23. This should be an uncomfortable chapter for all of us. One of things we most powerfully see is Jesus knows everything about what takes place in His church, and that He is evaluating His church for its integrity and efficacy. Is His church making disciples? If not, why not?

And now it comes down to our individual lives doesn’t it? The Bible assures us one day each believer will stand before Christ for evaluation of heavenly reward. Each unbeliever will stand before the great white throne for evaluation of punishment. Matthew 23 assures us nothing escapes Jesus’ notice, especially motive, for good or for bad.

Jesus’ evaluation of the scribes and Pharisees should be a wake-up call for all of us.

-Pastor Bill

General Inspection

Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. 16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" 21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. 23 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 24 saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." 33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. 34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David." 43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 44 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool" '? 45 "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?" 46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.    

“Behold! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John the Baptist had seen enough. The Holy Spirit had informed him, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”

Inspection passed, Jesus is, without doubt – at least for John the Baptist – the long-promised Messiah. The Son of David. The Son of Man. The Lamb of God.

Why do others struggle so? Remember the Law of the Passover, that the lamb was to be invited into the home on the 10th day of the month and kept close until the 14th day of the month, when the lamb would be slaughtered?

Those 4 days were very important for the Jews, as those would be the days when they would become assured of the perfection of the Passover lamb by way of inspection.

Jesus - The Lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world – has entered Jerusalem on the 10th day of the month. History teaches us He will be crucified on the 14th day. In that period of time He is inspected for perfection by those charged with killing Him.

One intent on murder is different than one intent on wisdom. In this series of inspections for perfection, Jesus responds in such amazing ways, one cannot help but gain the wisdom of God from what He says – unless your heart is hard, and your mind is completely closed.

How could they NOT see Jesus as their long-promised Messiah, based upon these answers alone? The responses Jesus provides to their questions are both startling and disarming. They are living proof the questioners are in the presence of The Living God. No one else could conceive of such perfect answers to such difficult questions. Jesus must be the Messiah. There is no other answer. He is without blemish, and without spot. And The Holy Spirit testifies to the wisdom of these answers to anyone who will listen.

-Pastor Bill