Jesus is the God of paradoxes and surprises.
Paradoxes:
- you have to die to live
- you have to give to get
- you have to humble yourself to be honored
- you have to be last to be first
Surprises:
- Jesus’ grace to the woman caught in adultery in John 8.
- Jesus’ power in raising the Widow of Nain’s son in Luke 7.
- Jesus’ glory in His transfiguration in Matthew 17.
- Jesus’ love as He died for us on the cross.
The biggest surprises come in how Jesus deals with death.
Mark 5:35-42
While He was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with Him except Peter, James and John (the brother of James). When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” The crowd laughed at Him. But He made them all leave, and He took the girl’s father and mother and His three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. Holding her hand, He said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.
Luke 7:11-16
Soon afterward Jesus went with His disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed Him. A funeral procession was coming out as He approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” He said. Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Great fear swept the crowd and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited His people today.”
John 11:39-44
“Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank You for hearing Me. You always hear Me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
There are several surprises in these three miracles.
First, Jesus is not intimidated by death.
Death brings fear to most people. Even people who know that they will go to heaven to be with God are a little frightened by death.
Jesus is not frightened by death. He is not intimidated by death.
Why?
Jesus knows that He Is More Powerful than death.
And Jesus proves His power over death by bringing the young girl, the young man and Lazarus back to life.
Second, Jesus is control in each of these situations.
Jesus doesn’t let the crowd’s emotions dictate what He does or how He does it.
The crowds were:
- grief stricken
- hopeless
- unbelieving
Jesus confronts these emotions with:
- confidence
- compassion
- anger
- tears
Jesus knows what He is going to do and how He will do it, so He has confidence.
Jesus understands the pain and hurt of those who love the people who died, so He shows great compassion.
Jesus hates death because He sees it as the mark of sin. He sees it as the result of sin.
Paul tells us that death is the result of sin in Romans 5:12. He says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”
Jesus shows anger and tears as He confronts death.
Third, Jesus follows the Father’s schedule for doing these miracles.
He follows the Father to Nain at the exact time when the funeral procession was leaving.
He follows the timing of the Father to first help the woman with the blood disease before He raises Jairus’ daughter.
He waits two days before He goes to the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
Jesus could have let the urgency of the families and crowds determine when He dealt with each situation.
He didn’t! Jesus always let the Father’s will determine the what when, and how of His life.
The fourth surprise in these three miracles is that He raises these three people in different ways.
With Jairus’ daughter He goes into her room and physically touches her (holds her hand). She is a young girl and needed Jesus’ loving touch to give her comfort.
With the Widow of Nain’s son, He has the men lower the coffin and, looking the young man in the face, gently tells him to get up. The first thing the young man needed to see was Jesus’ face to give him peace as he came back to life.
With Lazarus, Jesus stands outside the tomb and shouts out for him to come out. The crowd needed to see Jesus’ authority and power.
The last surprise is that Jesus views death as only temporary. Jesus tells the Widow of Nain not to cry. He refers to Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus as sleeping.
Jesus saw death as a temporary thing. He knew that He would restore life to each of these people.
Jesus is the God of surprises.
He surprises us to show us that we can’t put Him in a box.
He surprises us to show us that we can’t figure Him out.
He surprises us to show us that He is not nice and tame.
Jesus is the wild, untamed, undomesticated God. His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways not our ways.
Jesus surprises us so that we have to stay connected with Him and focused on Him.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about:
- Letting Jesus conforms us to Him, not Him to us
- Not following religious rules but following Jesus
- Staying connected with and focused on Jesus
- Letting Jesus interrupt our lives with His awesome surprises
May Jesus the God of surprises fill your life with His surprises of
- Grace
- Power
- Glory
- Love
Surprisingly Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Bowing Down
God has called you to be His children.
God has called you to be His servants.
God has called you to be His disciples.
God has called you to be His followers.
What characteristics do all these callings have in common?
Humility and Submission!
A child has to humbly submit to the authority of the parent.
A servant has to humbly submit to the authority of the master.
A disciple has to humbly submit to the authority of the teacher.
A follower has to humbly submit to the authority of the leader.
God has given us a beautiful discipline to help us as Christians to show our humble submission to Him.
Worship
The word translated worship in Hebrew means to bow down.
The word translated worship in Greek means to kiss the hand out of reverence.
Worship is to bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence.
The bowing down and kissing the hand out of reverence shows a humble submission. If my worship is truly bowing down and kissing the hand out of reverence, then I have really worshiped.
So how do I really worship God?
We really worship God by bringing the first and best to God.
Deuteronomy 26:10
And now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me. Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before Him.
God doesn’t want leftovers. He wants the best and He wants it off the top, not the bottom.
We really worship God by leading our family to honor God.
Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
I cannot make my family worship and honor God. I can set an example of worship and create an atmosphere for worship in my family.
We really worship God by praising His name.
Psalm 138:2
I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise Your name for Your unfailing love and Your faithfulness, for You have so exalted Your solemn decree that it surpasses Your fame.
I praise God’s name. That means I praise God for who He is, not just for what He has done for me.
We really worship God by acting justly, by loving mercy, and by walking humbly.
Micah 6:6-8
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
I act with justice and honesty in my dealings with others. That is true worship.
I show mercy to others, because God shows me mercy. That is true worship.
I walk humbly before others and with God. That is true worship.
We really worship God by acknowledging God as who He is - God.
Romans 14:11
It is written: “As surely as I live“, says the Lord, “every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.”
Referring to God as:
- The Man Upstairs
- The Big Guy
- The Good Lord Up Above
- The One Who Snatches My Butt Out of Trouble
- The Religious Santa Claus
- The Provider of All My Desires and Wishes
- The One I Blame When I Don’t Get What I Want
That Is Not Acknowledging God!
Because that is NOT who He is.
When we acknowledge God, we recognize Him for who He is:
- Lord
- Savior
- Father
- Creator
- The Only Ruler of All Creation
Why do I really worship God?
I really worship God because of His awesome power.
2 Kings 17:36
But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To Him you shall bow down and to Him offer sacrifices.
I really worship God because of His great unconditional love.
Psalm 5:7
But I, by Your great love, can come into Your house; in reverence I bow down toward Your holy temple.
I really worship God because He is my Creator.
Psalm 95:6
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
I really worship God because He cares about me.
Exodus 4:31
And they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
I really worship God because He saved me.
Exodus 12:27
Then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.
God emphasizes that we are to worship, bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence. He tells us to do that only to Him.
Exodus 23:24
Do not bow down before their gods or worship them
or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.
Matthew 4:10
Jesus said to him, “Away from me Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
We are not to bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence to anyone but God.
An awesome picture of not bowing down and kissing the hand out of reverence is found in the lives of three Jewish young men. These three young men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are told along with thousands of other officials of the Babylonian Empire to bow down and worship a ninety foot tall gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Their answer to the king is found in Daniel 3:16-18, “Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then He will. But even He doesn’t, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.”
They said, “NOT GOING TO BOW!”
If we are children of God, servants of God, disciples of God and followers of God, then we are to humbly submit ourselves to God. We are to worship, bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence. We are to do that to God and no one else.
If we really want God to Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls, then we will humbly submit ourselves under God’s authority. We will do that by worshiping and serving God, and God only.
Humbly Submitting to God Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
God has called you to be His servants.
God has called you to be His disciples.
God has called you to be His followers.
What characteristics do all these callings have in common?
Humility and Submission!
A child has to humbly submit to the authority of the parent.
A servant has to humbly submit to the authority of the master.
A disciple has to humbly submit to the authority of the teacher.
A follower has to humbly submit to the authority of the leader.
God has given us a beautiful discipline to help us as Christians to show our humble submission to Him.
Worship
The word translated worship in Hebrew means to bow down.
The word translated worship in Greek means to kiss the hand out of reverence.
Worship is to bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence.
The bowing down and kissing the hand out of reverence shows a humble submission. If my worship is truly bowing down and kissing the hand out of reverence, then I have really worshiped.
So how do I really worship God?
We really worship God by bringing the first and best to God.
Deuteronomy 26:10
And now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me. Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before Him.
God doesn’t want leftovers. He wants the best and He wants it off the top, not the bottom.
We really worship God by leading our family to honor God.
Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
I cannot make my family worship and honor God. I can set an example of worship and create an atmosphere for worship in my family.
We really worship God by praising His name.
Psalm 138:2
I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise Your name for Your unfailing love and Your faithfulness, for You have so exalted Your solemn decree that it surpasses Your fame.
I praise God’s name. That means I praise God for who He is, not just for what He has done for me.
We really worship God by acting justly, by loving mercy, and by walking humbly.
Micah 6:6-8
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
I act with justice and honesty in my dealings with others. That is true worship.
I show mercy to others, because God shows me mercy. That is true worship.
I walk humbly before others and with God. That is true worship.
We really worship God by acknowledging God as who He is - God.
Romans 14:11
It is written: “As surely as I live“, says the Lord, “every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.”
Referring to God as:
- The Man Upstairs
- The Big Guy
- The Good Lord Up Above
- The One Who Snatches My Butt Out of Trouble
- The Religious Santa Claus
- The Provider of All My Desires and Wishes
- The One I Blame When I Don’t Get What I Want
That Is Not Acknowledging God!
Because that is NOT who He is.
When we acknowledge God, we recognize Him for who He is:
- Lord
- Savior
- Father
- Creator
- The Only Ruler of All Creation
Why do I really worship God?
I really worship God because of His awesome power.
2 Kings 17:36
But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To Him you shall bow down and to Him offer sacrifices.
I really worship God because of His great unconditional love.
Psalm 5:7
But I, by Your great love, can come into Your house; in reverence I bow down toward Your holy temple.
I really worship God because He is my Creator.
Psalm 95:6
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
I really worship God because He cares about me.
Exodus 4:31
And they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
I really worship God because He saved me.
Exodus 12:27
Then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.
God emphasizes that we are to worship, bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence. He tells us to do that only to Him.
Exodus 23:24
Do not bow down before their gods or worship them
or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.
Matthew 4:10
Jesus said to him, “Away from me Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
We are not to bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence to anyone but God.
An awesome picture of not bowing down and kissing the hand out of reverence is found in the lives of three Jewish young men. These three young men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are told along with thousands of other officials of the Babylonian Empire to bow down and worship a ninety foot tall gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Their answer to the king is found in Daniel 3:16-18, “Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then He will. But even He doesn’t, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.”
They said, “NOT GOING TO BOW!”
If we are children of God, servants of God, disciples of God and followers of God, then we are to humbly submit ourselves to God. We are to worship, bow down and kiss the hand out of reverence. We are to do that to God and no one else.
If we really want God to Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls, then we will humbly submit ourselves under God’s authority. We will do that by worshiping and serving God, and God only.
Humbly Submitting to God Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, November 10, 2013
I'm Not a Good Person
I am not a good person.
I share this with a lot of people.
These are some of the responses I get:
Oh, now don’t say that you aren’t a good person.
Why, look at all the things you’re doing for God.
I know you don’t think you’re good but we do.
Oh, you are really deep down a good guy.
So let me repeat: I am not a good person!
When Jesus is called good, listen to how He responded in Matthew 19:17, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good.”
The One Jesus is referring to is God. Jesus is saying that only God is good.
What does God say about our human goodness? What does He say about the human’s natural state of goodness and righteousness?
Isaiah 64:6
We are unfit to worship you; each of our deeds is merely a filthy rag.
Our natural human goodness is like a dirty rag.
Matthew 5:20
But I warn you - unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
We have to have a goodness or righteousness at the very center of who were are, not just doing “good things” when people are watching.
Romans 3:10-12
As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous - not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not one single one.”
I believe that God in His Word makes it very clear that the natural condition of people is NOT good.
So at the core of who were are, we are dirty rotten sinners.
How can a Holy God accept dirty rotten sinners?
How can a Perfectly Good God accept people who are not good?
He does it through grace.
Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:5
God extends grace.
God saves us by grace.
God relates to us by grace.
So a holy God can accepts dirty rotten sinners like us because:
#1: Because It is Not Based on Our Works
But now God’s way of putting people right with Himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it. Romans 3:21
Our human effort in keeping the law was never intended to be what made us righteousness. The law was given to show us what God wants and that in our own ability we can’t do it. The law was given to show us our sin and draw us to God.
#2: Because God Makes Righteousness Available to All
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:22-23
Since every one is a sinner we are all in the same situation. We all need righteousness, and to receive this righteousness we have to put our faith in Jesus. Jesus is not just for the bad guys: He is for all guys (cause we are all bad without Jesus).
#3: Because Jesus is the Source of Forgiveness and Healing
And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood - to be received by faith. Romans 3:24-25a
God justified us (releases us from the penalty of sin) freely.
God redeemed us (bought us back).
God provided a sacrifice for us.
God did all that through the blood of Jesus.
Jesus’ blood justifies us.
Jesus’ blood redeems us.
Jesus’ blood is the sacrifice for our sins.
#4: Because the Cross is the Place of Our Salvation
He did this to demonstrate His righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that He is righteousness in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous,.
Romans 3:25b-26
God demonstrates His love.
God demonstrates His justice.
The cross shows both God’s love and justice, His love for us and His judgment of sin.
Through God’s grace we can have God’s righteousness.
We do this not by:
Inviting Jesus into our lives
Accepting Jesus as Lord
Making a commitment to God
But by:
Surrendering our lives completely to Jesus and submitting to His authority to direct and control our lives.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is not about:
Being Good (we can’t without Jesus)
Being Nice (nice is overrated)
Being Religious (lot of religions)
Being Spiritual (many different spirits)
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about surrendering all that you are, all that you will ever be, all that you have and all that you will ever have to Jesus.
Revival will come to America when we stop making following Jesus about:
Rules
Rituals
Regulations.
And
Make following Jesus about relationships.
Relationship with Jesus as our Savior, Lord and Friend.
Relationship with each other as God’s Family.
I am not good.
Jesus is perfectly good.
I am made good by Jesus through grace by placing my faith in Him. Then Jesus can Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls of my life.
Through Grace and By Faith Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
I share this with a lot of people.
These are some of the responses I get:
Oh, now don’t say that you aren’t a good person.
Why, look at all the things you’re doing for God.
I know you don’t think you’re good but we do.
Oh, you are really deep down a good guy.
So let me repeat: I am not a good person!
When Jesus is called good, listen to how He responded in Matthew 19:17, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good.”
The One Jesus is referring to is God. Jesus is saying that only God is good.
What does God say about our human goodness? What does He say about the human’s natural state of goodness and righteousness?
Isaiah 64:6
We are unfit to worship you; each of our deeds is merely a filthy rag.
Our natural human goodness is like a dirty rag.
Matthew 5:20
But I warn you - unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
We have to have a goodness or righteousness at the very center of who were are, not just doing “good things” when people are watching.
Romans 3:10-12
As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous - not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not one single one.”
I believe that God in His Word makes it very clear that the natural condition of people is NOT good.
So at the core of who were are, we are dirty rotten sinners.
How can a Holy God accept dirty rotten sinners?
How can a Perfectly Good God accept people who are not good?
He does it through grace.
Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:5
God extends grace.
God saves us by grace.
God relates to us by grace.
So a holy God can accepts dirty rotten sinners like us because:
#1: Because It is Not Based on Our Works
But now God’s way of putting people right with Himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it. Romans 3:21
Our human effort in keeping the law was never intended to be what made us righteousness. The law was given to show us what God wants and that in our own ability we can’t do it. The law was given to show us our sin and draw us to God.
#2: Because God Makes Righteousness Available to All
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:22-23
Since every one is a sinner we are all in the same situation. We all need righteousness, and to receive this righteousness we have to put our faith in Jesus. Jesus is not just for the bad guys: He is for all guys (cause we are all bad without Jesus).
#3: Because Jesus is the Source of Forgiveness and Healing
And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood - to be received by faith. Romans 3:24-25a
God justified us (releases us from the penalty of sin) freely.
God redeemed us (bought us back).
God provided a sacrifice for us.
God did all that through the blood of Jesus.
Jesus’ blood justifies us.
Jesus’ blood redeems us.
Jesus’ blood is the sacrifice for our sins.
#4: Because the Cross is the Place of Our Salvation
He did this to demonstrate His righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that He is righteousness in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous,.
Romans 3:25b-26
God demonstrates His love.
God demonstrates His justice.
The cross shows both God’s love and justice, His love for us and His judgment of sin.
Through God’s grace we can have God’s righteousness.
We do this not by:
Inviting Jesus into our lives
Accepting Jesus as Lord
Making a commitment to God
But by:
Surrendering our lives completely to Jesus and submitting to His authority to direct and control our lives.
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is not about:
Being Good (we can’t without Jesus)
Being Nice (nice is overrated)
Being Religious (lot of religions)
Being Spiritual (many different spirits)
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about surrendering all that you are, all that you will ever be, all that you have and all that you will ever have to Jesus.
Revival will come to America when we stop making following Jesus about:
Rules
Rituals
Regulations.
And
Make following Jesus about relationships.
Relationship with Jesus as our Savior, Lord and Friend.
Relationship with each other as God’s Family.
I am not good.
Jesus is perfectly good.
I am made good by Jesus through grace by placing my faith in Him. Then Jesus can Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls of my life.
Through Grace and By Faith Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
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