Are You the One?

Matthew 11:1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" 4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 16 But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.' 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."

John the Baptist has one of the greatest questions in the history of the world to ask of Jesus. So he sends two if his disciples to inquire of Jesus personally, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

John wants to know if Jesus is the Messiah. This is what all of us need to ask, and what all of us need to know as well. Is Jesus the Messiah? If He is, everything about our lives must change.

John finds himself in a pretty hopeless condition – unless Jesus IS the Messiah. He has been imprisoned for speaking out against king Herod, for marrying his (Herod’s) sister-in-law.

But, if Jesus IS the Messiah – why is John still in prison? (From John’s perspective,) why hasn’t Jesus taken control of the land as a conqueror? What is He waiting for? When is the Messiah’s kingdom on earth to begin?

You see, John’s interpretation of what Messiah is come to do would be the same as all those living at that time. The anticipation was for Messiah to come to rule not just Jerusalem and Israel, but all the world. In a sense John is saying, “Jesus, it’s time for you to get busy.” (Unless that is, you are NOT the Messiah.) But wasn’t it John himself who first recognized Jesus AS Messiah, when He baptized Him at the Jordan?

I love Jesus’ answer to John, (a man Jesus obviously loves and admires.) Jesus points John back to the Word of God, the place where all of us must recognize Messiah. Does it surprise you Jesus didn’t simply say, “Yes, John, I Am the Messiah?”

-Pastor Bill

Sword of Truth

Matthew 10:27 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. 40 "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

One of the things you have probably noticed by now is you are offensive to some simply because you are a follower of Christ. (Assuming people know about that.)

But that’s just the point isn’t it? Jesus commands His disciples to make it clear to everyone they know they are ‘Christians.’

The word, ‘Christian,’ is an interesting one. It literally means: ‘little Christ.’ The power of that literal meaning has long since passed from the scene. Today, the word, ‘Christian,’ most often means you are part of an organized religion. (Whatever that means?)

The fact is Jesus caused offense to the religious establishment. How is it then, that modern “Christians” most often ARE the religious establishment?

One of the things Jesus accomplished was to cut through all the nonsense going on in the world. He calls us to do likewise – IF, we are ‘little Christs’ – or – ‘Christ-like.’

The emphasis is placed upon being divided from the world and not part of it. The idea is not to be “more like the world” to win converts – it is to be like Christ and let the chips fall where they may.

This is not a popular position to take – but the truth is this is a big part of the calling placed upon your life by Christ: to be willing to be unpopular with the world for the sake of being pleasing to Christ.

Jesus is here teaching you cannot be both, and therein lies the sword of which He speaks. It is a sword of truth, and never of compromise. It will (potentially) necessarily divide you from your family, and your friends, and your co-workers, and, the establishment church.

God’s truth is the ONLY eternally-valuable position to take. There is no choice, really. All else is a lie.

-Pastor Bill

Known of to Be Known By

Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

I think of the privilege of working for one of the greatest corporations in the world. (One of the companies with instant name recognition and a logo that is recognizable to everyone.) As an employee of such a powerful corporation, there is a sense of pride in the recognition afforded by your association with such a company. People tend to respect you for the fact you are part of something so great. Your company has a great product, people love it and want it, and they see YOU as a part of all that.

It is a very meaningful association.

Now imagine being called to work for God. To serve the Living Lord. The Creator of all things. His logo is the cross, and it is instantly recognizable the world over. He is known for His goodness, and His ability to bring peace and hope and joy. He is a healer, and He forgives all sin. He provides eternal life in the kingdom of heaven for all who seek Him.

Can you imagine anything Greater or more wonderful to work for? On behalf of? To be recognized with?

“Yes! A thousand times, YES! Give me one of those stickers…one of those shirts…one of those coffee mugs that tell everyone I am in the employ of God – employed in the fields of God! I am so blessed to have been called by God Himself to be a part of His work on this earth!”

Yet, sadly, that is not normally the case. What we see rather is a sort of sheepishness about serving God, as if there was a sense of shame or embarrassment about what His incorporation has been established to accomplish. And not only that, we see the world is generally against anything God desires to accomplish – and that rather than being accepting of God’s will and God’s work, people are hesitant.

Hesitant to the extent God’s employees are persecuted the world over. God Himself is being rejected by those He has Himself created. It is very strange if you think about it. But there is one thing for sure, and that is that you cannot work for God undercover, or as a secret agent. As His employee, you will be known by Who you work for.

-Pastor Bill

Those Who Are Called

Matthew 10:1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. 11 Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! 16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

The nature of the call of Jesus is supernatural. Otherwise, it is not a true calling.

How could Jesus better demonstrate this fact than in the lives of the men He chose to call? Had he chosen among the Hebrew seminary students at Jericho, I suppose we may have thought their actions were the result of their piety.

Had Jesus chosen among the great orators of His day, or perhaps among those noble or of those who were powerful, perhaps we may have thought their actions were the result of their keen intellect.

But Jesus called His closest followers from among the flotsam and jetsam of life. (These men, by the way, were the only ones He directly called to follow Him. The rest of His followers came to Him by word of mouth of men.) But the men Jesus specifically called were special in no way except for their calling.

Only Judas Iscariot carried the credentials which would have made him appear to be worthy of his calling. The rest were young fisherman and laborers, with a tax collector and a political revolutionary thrown in for good measure.

How then, would these men cast out demons and heal the sick? Would it be a special incantation, or an elixir which would do the trick? Who would empower them to preach the gospel – and to prepare entire towns to receive Jesus Christ? And Who would provide for the cost of their travels?

Here we clearly see Jesus’ intent is to demonstrate to the whole world the power of God in Christ is to be worked out in feeble, (and perhaps the feeblest,) men. And perhaps, just perhaps, these men were even too feeble to refuse the calling. How about you? It’s a fearful thing isn’t it? (Fearfully wonderful – that is.)

-Pastor Bill

Desperation

Matt 9:18 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." 19 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. 20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. 23 When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land. 27 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" 28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it." 31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country. 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!" 34 But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons." 35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

It is said it doesn’t matter how you come to Jesus – only come. All must.

Have you come to Jesus? How did you come?

If you were to ask those who came to Jesus in Matthew 9, all would say they were incredibly desperate for Christ. (Not the man Jesus – but the Messiah, The Christ.)

In our day, we often find ourselves attracted by the smoothness of the speech, or the attractiveness of the building, or the multiplicity of the programs, or the youth ministry, or the music, or the friendship and fellowship of like-minded people.

But perhaps this explains why fashionable, high-minded churches have attendees, but not disciples of Christ. There is a relevance to Jesus in their lives, but there is no desperation for Christ.

Ask the woman with the flow of blood. What was her need? Ask the ruler whose daughter had just died. Who did he have need of? The blind men? The mute, who was demon-possessed? All these were absolutely desperate for Christ. All came to Christ in a condition of absolute desperation. Now, again, have you come? How did you come?

It seems the world has always lacked for shepherds willing to tell the sheep the true desperation of their condition. And so they get fat and languish in the field. “The harvest,” Jesus says, “is plentiful.” Now we know the reason why.

-Pastor Bill