Down in the Valley

Matt 17:6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." 10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. 14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." 17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." 22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. 24 When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" 25 He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" 26 Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

Once you have seen Jesus for Who He really is, what effect does that have on your life and your ministry?

As glorious as being on the mountain with Jesus in His glory may be, unless you are raptured, this life is going to continue down in the valley below the mountaintop.

This is a return to being surrounded by evil, which is such a startling contrast to being surrounded by God in a cloud – and hearing His voice!

But, in a sense, this IS real ministry life. Most of it takes place down in the valley, and not on the glorious mountain peaks.

I wonder, oh how I wonder, (don’t you?) about what Peter and James and John were going through emotionally and Spiritually and even physically as they followed Jesus back down from the mount of transfiguration.

To leave the literal, perceived presence of the Living God for anything less than that is troubling. But how can we meet the needs of the lost and lame on the mountain-top?

-Pastor Bill

Transforming Presence

Matt 17:1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." 10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

For those who consider Jesus to be a merely a “good teacher,” there are a number of issues present in the Gospel accounts which become troublesome to those who hold such narrow viewpoint of who Christ is.

Certainly, Jesus WAS a good teacher, but He IS much more than that. He is God in the flesh.

(The very reason Jesus WAS / IS a good teacher, (great, in fact,) is because He IS God.)

For those who continue in striving to hold a narrow, humanistic view, Jesus pulls back the curtain just a bit. His disallows anyone from the position that He is merely a “good teacher.”

As Jesus was about to take His ministry from a place of revival and wonder to a place of turmoil and persecution and suffering, He brought His closest followers in on a bit of everything that was going on behind the scenes. The unseen became the (briefly) seen.

That He did this in private speaks of His particular regard for these three men, James and Peter, and John. Jesus’ more full revelation of Who He is at this point in His ministry life is fantastic. Spectacular. Awesome. And also very humbling.

How are we to respond to this sort of revelation? With pride?

Peter gives a clue of how good a job the flesh does processing the supernatural, with his sort-of bumbling attempt to join in on what is taking place, rather than simply being still.

Can you imagine trying to help God out with something like this? (I can.) God says, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" And the disciples fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

This is our most full place in the ministry of Christ. In fear, on our faces. It’s the very best of what we are capable of.

-Pastor Bill

Foundational

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. 21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

There is a church in north Naples that has been greatly challenged in the last couple years because their building has developed severe cracks in the concrete slab which have broken the slab apart and shifted it to such an extent the walls have also cracked, and the ceilings are a threat to fall. It had to be abandoned.

The problem wasn’t caused by the building. The building was built to code. Everything in the building was just fine for several years prior to the cracks showing up.

The problem was the ground the church was built upon.

Had anyone involved in the building of the church known the condition of the ground the church was built upon, they never would have built it in that location. They never would have invested in a church not built upon solid ground.

Jesus teaches His disciples exactly the same lesson here. There is no point building the church upon any other ground than solid rock, firm enough to withstand any and all attempts to shake it down.

The ground Jesus tells His disciples to build His Church upon is faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

There is no point building any church on any other ground, as it will eventually falter and fail. Just as owners of physical buildings may occasionally check the condition of the ground they are built upon, the same is true for His Church. What the church stands for has everything to do with what the church stands upon.

-Pastor Bill

Who Are You?

Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; 3 and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed. 5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." 8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? 11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?--but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. 21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Who Jesus is has a lot to do with who you are. Who are you?

To the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus was a threat to their position and power and status. It did not matter how Jesus answered them. Jesus would always be a threat to their position and power and status. (Something the Pharisees and Sadducees could agree on.)

To Peter and the rest of His disciples, not only was Jesus a friend He was also a Savior. It really doesn’t matter who men say Jesus is when you have been divinely instructed Jesus is a friend and a Savior. Ever shall He be.

But then, from Jesus’ perspective, who are you? There is really only one way to prove this out, and that is by dying for Him spiritually in the same way He has died for you literally. Are you willing to make your life a living sacrifice for Jesus? Who you are is proven by taking up the cross, and by your death to who you are.

-Pastor Bill

Bridge Builders

Matthew 15:29 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." 33 Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" 34 Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." 35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.  

Why would anyone in their right mind come to Jesus? What does Jesus have to offer?

Have you ever heard those questions asked?

Evangelism is essentially a bridge we attempt to build between one who is lost and The One Who can save – Jesus, The Christ.

Many people, (perhaps even most people,) resist crossing the bridge we attempt to build to Jesus because they cannot see Him with their eyes, and because they do not perceive His ability to meet their needs.

“If only they could SEE Christ,” we might say, “evangelism would be easy.” (Easier, anyway.) Since they cannot see Him we are left with attempting to convey His ability to meet their needs.

There is another problem with evangelism. We fail to even attempt to build the bridge to Christ of which we speak.

There is a constant drumbeat to Jesus’ ministry, for this very purpose. Over and over again we see Jesus meeting people’s needs.

He is so busy meeting people’s needs for two reasons. The first is because He has compassion on the people He is serving, and His loving desire is to love the people, and to show He loves the people by His willingness to heal and to feed. These are both deeply felt human needs which supersede all else when the need is present. Hunger will drive a person, as will illness. Nothing will or can keep them away from one who can feed, and nothing will or can keep them from one who can heal.

The second reason is to over and over and over again demonstrate to His followers His ability and His willingness to meet the people’s needs. Jesus may no longer be visible to the eye, but He is still meeting every need of those who are ushered into His presence by the bridge of evangelism. When was the last time you attempted to build one?

-Pastor Bill

The Faith Required

Matthew 15:20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." 21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." 24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." 27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. 29 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." 33 Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" 34 Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." 35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

It is a fact Jesus came to minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

That being the stated case; why this venture into the region of Tyre and Sidon? (There would be no lost sheep of the nation of Israel to be found in Phoenecia, (the modern-day nation of Lebanon,) – only lost sheep.)

On a couple of occasions, Jesus pointedly set a different course than His primary stated ministry would have Him go. He ventured into Samaria, and He also ventured into the region of Tyre and Sidon.

In each case, we have it recorded for us that Jesus met with a woman, (in this case a Canaanite woman – a gentile.) Since it was not fitting for a rabbi to have any dealings with a gentile, and especially with a gentile woman, Jesus is obviously going out of His way to make a point about how His ministry is to spread after He is gone.

Certainly, the first efforts would be to the Jews, but there would also be a greater audience, soon and very soon. This new audience for the Word of God would be THE WHOLE WORLD. (Gentiles included.)

How interesting it is to see how Jesus demonstrated the capacity for faith in this gentile woman, in the presence of His disciples – who would one day be ministering in these same fields.

-Pastor Bill

The Traditions of the Elders

Matthew 15:1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." 3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"-- 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' " 10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." 12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" 13 But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." 15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us." 16 So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Tradition masters. Think about it. The Pharisees were the masters of tradition in the nation of Israel. That’s a pretty heady position. (To make sure everyone keeps all the traditions of the elders.)

But wait, it isn’t really possible to keep track of everyone, and so the job is narrowed down to tracking those who have drawn some sort of attention…

First task: Make sure these, (whoever-they-are,) are keeping the “traditions of the elders,” because if they are not than those observing them may determine the traditions of the elders are worthless and have no foundation in truth or purpose.

Since so much of culture is based upon ‘tradition,’ it is easy to understand why the Pharisees saw this as such an important role. Most cultures are identified and distinguished by their ages-old traditions more than they are by skin color or language.

The Pharisees are the protectors of all that has gone before in the land, and they see Jesus as a real threat to their protection racket. The reason is because He has reason on His side. One of the biggest problems with the keeping of traditions is often they make no sense, and everyone discovers that upon anyone choosing to break with them. This was the role of Jesus’ disciples in this case.

The inference of the Pharisees was that this ceremonial washing of hands must be implemented to keep oneself clean. Jesus, knowing this was in fact untrue, chose to allow His men to break with this tradition, because you could wash your hands all day long and still be unclean. The heart of the cleanliness issue is the cleanliness of the heart.

-Pastor Bill