Listening to the Word

1 Chronicles 16; Psalms. 106; Matthew 19   “Give praise to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name;…ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name…Cry out, ‘Save us, O God our Savior, gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we many give thanks to your holy name…” 1 Chronicles 16:8-10, 29, 35 The greatest honor God gives those who belong to him is that they carry his name. Those who belong to the living God, the Lord of all the earth, represent God’s name and his character wherever they go. This is both an honor and a great responsibility. God’s desire is that his name and saving power be known among all nations. When Satan offered Jesus the glory of the kingdoms of the earth, Jesus illustrated why we, too, must be delivered from the desire for kingdoms. Jesus rejected the glory of earthly kingdoms in this world for the surpassing glory of bearing the Father...

  1 Chronicles 14-15; Psalms. 132; Matthew 18   “…so David inquired of God: ‘Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them over to me?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Go, I will hand them over to you.’…He said, ‘As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.’ So that place was called Baal Perazim.” 1 Chronicles 14:10, 11 We serve a God of the ‘breakthrough’. David humbled himself before God and sought God’s direction and counsel in confronting the enemy. In proportion to David’s faith, God broke through in defeating the invading Philistines. “As waters break out…” - the symbolism of water is often used of the Spirit of God, which is God’s presence. Just as God’s holy presence broke out against Uzzah, God’s presence confronted the Philistines. God used David’s faith, obedience, and hand, but it was God’s presence that broke through. In what areas of our life, family, church, or community do we need a ‘breakthrough’? “If my people, who are called ...

2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13; Psalms 68; Matthew 17   “Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, ‘How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?’” 2 Samuel 6:8, 9 David, as a descendant of Perez, knew the many stories of God’s ‘breakthrough’ presence and anointing. At the death of Uzzah, David grew in healthy fear of the Lord. He understood God’s presence would never be a good luck charm or amulet to ward off evil. David’s anger was initially directed at God; however, after several months he realized it was his own disobedience in not following God’s ways which brought judgment. Those who fear the Lord, value and learn his ways so they can walk in the anointing of God’s presence. It’s God’s presence that brings the ‘breakthrough’. Those seeking a ‘breakthrough’, or breakout, of the presence of the Lord in their lives, their families, their local church, o...

2 Samuel 4-5; Psalms 139; Matthew 16 “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but the things of men.’ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”   Matthew 16:22—24 The cost of laying down your life for the will of the Father was offensive to Peter, and it’s offensive to us. Why would Christ require that we, too, die? Isn’t his death enough? If we make more money, we have more to give away. If we have more education, we have more capacity to serve God. If we have a husband or wife, we can serve God more effectively, and the list of our potential rationalizations goes on. Once we have surrendered all resources and our capacity to earn them, all our relationships, and every area of our life to God, he is able ...

2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15   “Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?...Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” Matthew 15:3, 6-9 Our religious traditions can have a powerful influence on our life. The way we worship, where we worship, how we observe communion, the ways in which we organize local churches, our practices of governance can all become more important than knowing and following Jesus. We know it’s time to examine our hearts when clinging to our traditions causes us to break fellowship with other followers of Jesus. The Pharisees had many man-made rules for every command God gave. Some have called Evangelicals, the modern Pharisees. Our security cannot be in our traditions, teachin...

2 Samuel 2; 1 Chronicles 11; Psalms 142; Matthew 14 “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:13, 14 Where do we go when we need time and space to process events in our lives? Jesus looked for solitude after he heard of the execution of his cousin John the Baptist. If there was ever a time he could justify ignoring the demands and needs of the crowds that followed him, this was that time.   How did Jesus respond? He had compassion for them and healed their sick. Christ’s compassion was stronger than his need for alone time. Who we are when our margins are tight and our reserves are thin is a good measure of our maturity and character. Jesus bled compassion.   When pushed to our limits, what do we bleed? Processing is healthy and alone time is essential if we are to be...

2 Samuel 1; Psalms 140; Matthew 13   “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found if, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46 The Gospel is often described primarily as what God as done for us in Christ. An essential aspect of the Gospel is the cost for those who accept it. The treasure and fine pearl is Christ. We don’t just accept Christ’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace as additional jewels in our collection. Jesus tells us that those who find the kingdom of heaven sell all they have and surrender all they are and have for this treasure. The cost to Jesus was everything; the cost to those who would receive him is everything. Have we experienced this full exchange, or do we believe like some, that this costly Gospel applies only t...