Listening to the Word

Revelation 1-4   “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…” Revelation 2:4, 5 If the kingdom of God were a mountain, and our love for God was symbolized by a hike and climb to the summit of that mountain, have we climbed higher or dropped lower on the mountain this year? Jesus’ words to the Church in Ephesus, the leading church in the region of Asia, were that they had fallen in their first love for God. Their outward perseverance and discernment of sin was not matched by their inward love and passion for God. The systems and structures of church had replaced the fire of inward devotion and first love for God.   They hadn’t just slipped a little, they had forsaken their first love and fallen.   Remember the heights of first love? This altitude is attainable again if we humble ourselves and repent and if we practice again the behaviors of pure devotion to Chris...

Psalms 117,119:81-176; 2 John; 3 John   “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 117 God’s faithfulness and love extend, not just to his covenant people, but also to all nations. We have life and breathe because God willed it. We experience the provision of harvest and the faithfulness of the seasons because our Creator upholds creation with his Word. If we know God personally, we, too, will speak to nations calling them to worship God. We, too, will testify to God’s love and faithfulness in our lives as a better way to live. We, too, will call nations and our nation to turn away from the idols of nationalism, pride, materialism, and false gods, toward the living God. The greatest witness of our lives is our testimony of daily worship and praise to God for who he is and what he has done. When our words and life are congruent in this daily worship, the wor...

1 John 1-5   “…But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure…No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:2, 3, 9 The apostle John points to our hope in Christ’s return and our eternity with him as a purifying influence in our lives. Like a bride for her bridegroom, we are preparing for our wedding day. We are also being transformed from the inside out because the Spirit of God indwells us. To be “born of God,” or “born again,” is to experience our human spirit united with the Holy Spirit so that Christ’s life flows through us. The Holy Spirit changes our desires, our goals in life, our values, and how we view temptation and sin. We will not continue in repetitive sin-habits because the indwelling Holy Spirit will convict us and equip us to resist sin.   Are we gr...

John 19-21 “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they struck him in the face.” John 19:1-3 The Christ-child “wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12), would be tortured, mocked, and killed thirty-three years later. At his death, the announcement that a Savior had been born who was “Christ the Lord” was echoed in mockery by the Romans. “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)   What and who we celebrate at Christmas and remember at Easter has brought salvation to millions and transformed nations. The head of Christ was pierced and wounded for our sin. We now worship this resurrected Savior as the Head of the Church and Lord of our lives. As we picture this price of our salvation, our response must be worship and gratitude. Knowi...

John 15-18   “’…Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.’…’I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.’” John 17:11, 22, 23 The prayer of Jesus is for the unity of his followers, around the world and in every age. Toward that end Jesus has given us his name and his glory. Satan opposes the unity of the church, so Jesus gave us his name to both resist Satan and to give us identity. We are “Christ-ones,” or “Christians.” When we live under the banner of Jesus Christ, rather than the banner of another leader (Menno, Luther, Calvin, etc.), we live into Christ’s prayer for our unity. Jesus also gave us his glory, or his very presence, to unite us as one. We grow in unity with Christ and other Christ-followers as we pursue our cen...

John 12-14 “’Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.’ …’Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.’” John 14:10, 19, 20 The incarnation, which we celebrate as God himself coming as a child to show us the way to salvation, is now repeated every time someone invites Christ, through the Spirit, to live in them. Just as the Father indwelt Jesus and spoke and worked through him, so also the Lord Jesus now desires to indwell each of us and speak and work in us and through us. We refer to this reality as life in the Spirit. We who have given our lives to Christ experience Christ living through us by his Spirit. Will we stop this morning and offer our bodies again to the Lord as his temple? Will we quiet our souls and listen to his voice? It’s in receiving his love that we h...

John, 9-11     “’As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” John 9:4-7 What is the meaning of “day,” “night,” “darkness,” and “light” in this parable and miracle of Jesus? The “day” is the age of grace we are still living in where there is work to be done in the Father’s mission to reconcile all things to himself through Christ. This gospel of salvation through Christ points to Jesus as the light of the world. All of us were born spiritually blind, like the man Jesus healed. All of us require cleansing at the ‘Pool of Siloam’ for our sin. All of us are then sent to share with our community the good news that we can now see, and sight is possible ...

John 7-8 “He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him…The Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon possessed?’ “I am not possessed by a demon,’ said Jesus, ‘but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.’” John 7:18; 8:49, 50 The very personal attacks against Jesus were directed at his motives for ministry. By accusing Jesus of healing for his own honor, the Jews were trying to change the message from the gospel of the kingdom to focus on the messenger. We, too, will have our motives tested in ministry. Why are we preaching, serving, giving? Is it for our honor, or the Father’s? When we seek the Father’s honor and glory first, we will speak what he gives us and always point others to him as our source. How we respond to accusations exposes our ...

John 5-6   “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” John 6:35, 56, 57 What does it mean to eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood? Some people point to the communion elements as more than symbols to understand this text. But Jesus pointed to his relationship with the living Father as the parallel to our relationship with him as the key. Jesus daily spent time alone in prayer with his Father and then spoke the Father’s words and performed the Father’s deeds. Jesus’ life came from his Father. So also, we are to remain in Christ by daily listening to the Word of life and obeying the leading of his Spirit. We eat Christ’s flesh by hearing, receiving, and obeying his Word (“the Word became flesh” John 1:14)...

John 2-4   “In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area…But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” John 2:14, 15, 24 Jesus, filled with zeal for his Father’s house, confronted the religious market that supported the sacrificial system. He was more concerned with his Father’s glory than the approval of the religious leaders of his day. Similarly, Jesus would not entrust himself to those who believed he was Messiah. He knew the fickle nature of men’s hearts. Rather, Jesus was living for the will of his Father in heaven. Knowing and doing the Father’s will and completing the Father’s assignments for him were like food to Jesus. When we try to please people, play politics in church, or win popularity contests, we are eating food that will harm us. It take...

2 Peter 1-3; John 1   “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:” 2 Peter 1:1 Peter identified himself as a servant of Christ before an apostle. He understood his salvation was a gift of righteousness that he had received from Christ, along with every other Christ follower. This humility marked Peter’s faith and leadership-journey until the end of his life. How do we identify ourselves? Is our relationship with Jesus more important than our titles, educational attainment, or accomplishments? Is our faith in Christ the most precious gift we possess? How would others know? As we consider the giving and receiving of gifts in this season, how can we testify that salvation and faith in Christ is the most precious gift we have received? Will we, too, define ourselves as servants of Christ before all other titles? “Lord Jesus, I am your servant and grateful for th...

1 Peter 1-5   “To God’s elect, strangers in the world…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” 1 Peter 1:1, 2 This powerful theological statement in Peter’s greeting to those who would read his letter weaves together the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our salvation, sanctification, and eternal reward. We have been chosen for salvation by our heavenly Father and we now belong to him as his elect. Our sin has been forgiven by the blood Jesus Christ, the Son, so we are free to obey Jesus and follow him in his mission. Our empowerment and ongoing transformation is enabled by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit who fills us with grace and peace in abundance. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live in unity and give us an example of how we, too, can serve in unity in the mission of God. In what a...

James 1-5   “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 We live in an age where most trials can be avoided or minimized. Pain is medicated and suffering is numbed by distractions and addictions.   In the face of this culture of escape, how can “perseverance…finish its work”? Will we approach suffering or trials of any kind, differently? Will we ask God to show us how to find the joy of death-to-self and the surrender of our will in that trial or test? This trial could be a challenging relationship, physical limitation, or financial challenge. Will we invite God’s grace and empowering Spirit to strengthen us even as we yield our will to God with joy? Will we let perseverance finish the work of maturing our faith? Let’s not think churches full of attenders are the same a...

Hebrews 12-13; Jude   “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20, 21 The God of peace has offered us peace with himself through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This peace with God allows us to experience the indwelling peace of God. This peace is powerful and stronger than the violence of sin and every conflict. God’s peace is eternal and it will overcome all rebellion, pride, and fear in this world. Are we living in this peace? As we live on mission with Jesus our great Shepherd, we are being equipped with everything good for doing his will, which is now possible through the Holy Spirit. God’s will is that no one would die without having an opportunity to make peace with himself through Christ. ...

Hebrews 9-11   “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35, 36 In the face of testing and suffering for our faith in Christ we can lose heart and throw away our confidence in Christ. We can slide back into old habits and self-centered living. Or, we can choose to persevere in the will of God. We can cry out to God for the grace and empowerment to persevere in the race of discipleship in mission we have been called to run. The example of faith as it was lived with perseverance in the Word of God encourages us to press on. We, too, must live for eternal reward and recognize both the cost of faith and the eternal inheritance. Living daily by faith in Christ is worth it! When we stand before God’s throne and give an account for our life, we will not regret our choice to live for the will of God by faith. “Lord Jesus, your life of faith encourage...

Hebrews 5-8   “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him...” Hebrews 5:7-9 Jesus, our Savior, learned obedience from what he suffered. He suffered rejection from his own family and community who could not understand his call. He suffered thirty years of waiting on his heavenly Father’s timing for public ministry, despite already knowing his call at age twelve. Jesus suffered the abuse and persecution of the priests and teachers of the law. He eventually suffered torture and death in obedience to his Father’s will. Jesus learned obedience as a fully human man. He offers salvation to those who will also learn to obey him. Salvation involves more than believing; it means we, too, l...

Philemon; Hebrews 1-4   “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’” Hebrews 3:6-8; 4:12 The writer of Hebrews is establishing the pre-eminence of Christ as both God’s High Priest and ultimate sacrifice for sin. It is through believing in Christ, receiving Christ, following Christ, and listening to Christ that we will be saved. Jesus Christ is the Word of God become flesh dwelling among us as God’s incarnation. He is now indwelling those who believe through his Spirit, and he is still speaking to us! When we disconnect Hebrews 4:12 from the indwelling presence of Christ, we are left with just the written word. It i...

2 Timothy 1-4   “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8 To finish the race of faith well, you must have your eyes on the goal, the prize. For sports teams or individual sports, the focus is on a trophy or medal and on what their achievement represents. For sales persons, the focus is on the reward for outselling their peers. For Paul, the focus was on the “crown of righteousness”, awarded by the Lord Jesus, “the righteous Judge” in heaven. This earth was not the only arena or reality. Paul lived for the life to come. He fought the good fight, ran the good race, and kept the faith. His faith was in Christ and the ultimate reality of the uns...

1 Timothy 5-6; Titus 1-3   “When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 Salvation is by grace through the new birth of the Holy Spirit who renews us and enables our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As part of God’s family we become heirs of salvation living with the hope of eternal life. This succinct description of the gospel was circulated among the early churches where few people could read. Early Christians memorized the catechisms to pass on to their neighbors and anchor their theology. What better way to meditate on what we have received in the gospel than to memorize a few verses of Scripture like this. Will we take up...

1 Timothy 1-4   “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience…Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” 1 Timothy 1:18, 19; 4:14 Paul’s discipleship of Timothy included repeated references to the prophetic words and gifts imparted to him to guide and empower his ministry-journey. Without the Holy Spirit, our discipleship is limited to theological content and skill transmission and is entirely un-empowered. What has God said to us about our best contributions to his kingdom-mission? What spiritual gifts has God given us to accomplish his will for our lives? Are we reminding each other of these prophetic words and works of God in each other’s lives for the encouragement and strengthening of our faith and discipleship in mission? “Lord Jesus, thank you for ...

  Colossians 1-4 “Tell Archippus: ‘See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.’” Colossians 4:17 The Lord gives us specific assignments, callings, and vocations in his kingdom. Knowing what these assignments are gives purpose and meaning to our lives and enables us to “be fruitful and multiply”. It’s not enough to know these assignments, or even to begin them. Paul’s challenge to Archippus, and the Lord’s challenge to us, is that we complete the work we have received. We are working for the Lord as our ultimate boss when we enter his kingdom. The Lord’s eyes are upon us to enable us to finish the good work he has begun in us and through us. Can we identify our kingdom-assignments? Have we drifted from them into other work? Are we completing the work we have received in the Lord? “Lord Jesus, I want to be found faithful to complete the work I’ve received in you and from you, for your glory.”

  Philippians 1-4   “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God…Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Philippians 1:9-11; 3:16 Paul’s prayer for the church in Philippi was that their love for God and others would grow and be expressed in discerning good from evil. Love for God is more than an emotion. Love for God is expressed in choosing what God loves, and learning his ways. When we make choices that reflect God’s ways in our thoughts, actions, habits, and relationships, we are loving God. The motivation and empowerment to live this way comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit who fills us with the power to love. Living a life of love is a life that is filled with the fruit of righteousness and right sta...