Jesus and Misinformation

 

We live in an information age. Our culture could even be described as information obsessed. So, how did Jesus deal with misinformation and deceit?

 

In the last week of Jesus’ life, He is confronted with three questions that were asked not out of a sincere desire to seek Jesus or to seek the truth, but to try to trap Jesus and discredit Him with deceit.

 

In Matthew 22 the Pharisees plot to entangle Jesus in His own words. They send some of their disciples or followers along with the Herodians to ask Jesus a question. They try to ingratiate themselves with Jesus by saying that they know He is truthful and teaching the way of God and is not swayed by anyone else’s opinion.

 

In verse 17 they ask Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

 

In verses 18-20 Jesus says, “Why put Me to the test, you hypocrites?” Show Me the coin for the tax. Whose likeness and inscription is this?”

 

In verse 20 they say it’s Caesar’s. Jesus says, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

 

Jesus is revealing to us that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God and our first loyalty is to God and His kingdom. We as citizens of God’s Kingdom have the responsibility to be godly citizens of the earthly kingdom where God has placed us.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is placing the Kingdom of God first in our lives and obeying God in how we relate to earthly kingdoms.

 

Then the Sadducees come and ask Jesus a question about the resurrection.

 

There were seven brothers. The first brother married a woman and died without having any children. The other six brothers in order of age married the woman and none had any children. Then the woman died.

 

In verse 28 the Sadducees asked Jesus in the resurrection whose wife will she be. The Sadducees did not believe in any resurrection. They were trying to ask Jesus a question that they thought He could not answer.

In verses 29 through 32 Jesus says, “You are wrong, because you neither know the Scriptures nor the power pf God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor give in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not a God of the dead, but of the living.”

 

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They were viewing the resurrection from a human viewpoint and not a scriptural viewpoint. They did not understand the truth of God’s word or God’s power. Jesus tells them that God is not a God of the dead but of the living and thus those who have faith in God will have eternal life.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is believing the word of God regardless of feelings or circumstances and living based of the truth of God’s word.

 

Then the Pharisees came with another question.

 

In verse 36 they asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment?”

 

In verses 37-40 Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

 

There was a debate among the Jewish scribes over which commandment was the greatest. Jesus very simply says that we are to love God with all that we are and to love others as we love ourselves. Jesus also says that all the Bible is dependent on these two commandments. We as humans complicate things, but Jesus simplifies things.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving God with our whole lives and loving others in the way we love ourselves.

 

Jesus deals with misinformation and deception by speaking the truth. It is all based in the truth of God’s word. That is the way God has given us to handle misinformation and deceit: by speaking the truth in love.

 

Speaking the Truth in Love and Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                       Joe

Jesus and Broken People

 

We all relate well to people who we like and who like us. But many times, we struggle with people who are not like us or we don’t agree with their lifestyle. We don’t always relate well to broken people. Jesus did.

 

In Matthew 9 Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector, to come and follow Him. Matthew then arranges a dinner party at his house with Jesus as the special guest with Mathew’ s friends, other tax collectors. When the Pharisees see Jesus eating with tax collectors and other “sinners” they question why Jesus would eat with such bad people.

 

In Matthew 9:12-13 Jesus answers, “But when He heard it, He said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.’ Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

Jesus relates to broken people with mercy.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is relating to all people with mercy.

 

In Luke 19 Jesus encounters another tax collector, Zacchaeus. Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for lunch. Zacchaeus repents of his sin and wrongdoing. Jesus says that salvation had come to that house that day.

 

In Luke 19:10 Jesus says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.”

 

Jesus relates to broken people with acceptance.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is relating to all people with acceptance of them as a person, as a creation of God who is loved by God.

 

In Luke 7 Jesus is at the home of a Pharisee having dinner. A woman comes into the house and washes his feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair and kisses His feet and anoints His feet with an ointment. She was a woman with a sinful reputation. When the Pharisee saw this, he made the comment that if Jesus was really a prophet He would know what kind of woman she was.

 

In Luke 7:48 Jesus says to this sinful woman, “Your sins are forgiven” Then in verse 50 Jesus tells the woman that her faith had saved her.

 

Jesus relates to broken people with forgiveness.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is forgiving others as Jesus has forgiven us.

 

In John 4 Jesus encounters a Samarian woman. She had been married many times and was living with a man that she was not married to. Jesus has an extensive conversation with her. Jesus never condemns her. He offers her living water, and she becomes so excited about Jesus that she goes back to the Samarian village and tells them that she has encountered the Messiah.

 

Jesus relates to broken people with grace.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is showing God’s grace to all people no matter who they are or how they live or what they believe.

 

In John 8 a woman is brought to Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees who they say was caught in the act of adultery. They point out to Jesus that the Law says to stone her, and they then ask what Jesus thinks should be done. Jesus tells them that the one without sin should cast the first stone and they all leave.

 

In John 8:10 Jesus asks the woman, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

 

Then in John 8:11 that woman says, “No one, Lord.” Jesus then says to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more.”

 

Jesus relates to broken people with love.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving all people just as Jesus loves us and them.

 

We as followers of Jesus are to relate to broken people with mercy and acceptance and forgiveness and grace and love. We are to relate to broken people that way because that is how Jesus relates to us. We were all broken at one time and Jesus has redeemed and forgiven and is remaking us into His image.  

 

Like Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                     Joe

 

 

 

  

 

Jesus Relates to His Followers

 

I have joked over the years that ministry would be perfect if it were not for people. I was asked recently, “What is the hardest part of pastoring?”. My answer was easy: working with people. I was then asked: “What is the most rewarding part of pastoring?”. My answer was also easy” seeing God work in and change people’s lives.

 

We see how to deal with people and how God can use us to positively impact people for God in how Jesus dealt with and impacted people’s lives.

 

This week we will look at how to deal with other followers of Jesus.

 

Matthew 4:18-22

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

 

Jesus calls us to be His followers. Jesus challenges us.

 

What does a follower of Jesus look like?

 

John 12:26

If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

 

Followers of Jesus follow Him and go where He is.

Followers of Jesus serve others in the name of Jesus and honor the Father.

 

Jesus challenges us as His followers to be where He is and do what He does.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is accepting Jesus’ challenge to follow Him and be where He is and be doing what He does.

 

Matthew 16:8-12

But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread. Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

Jesus challenges His followers to follow true teaching. Jesus listened to the Father and not what others, even religious people, were saying.

 

Jesus challenges us to believe His Word.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is believing God’s Word and not what the world says.

 

Mark 4:37-41

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

 

Jesus challenges His followers to believe Him.

 

Jesus challenges us to believe in His power and authority.

 

In Matthew 28:18 Jesus says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Jesus’ followers are to believe that Jesus has all authority and power and that we are to trust Him and know that He will protect us and provide for us.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is trusting the person and power of Jesus and obeying Him as Lord.

 

Jesus will challenge us be where He is and to being doing what He does.

Jesus will challenge us to discern false teaching from true teaching and tp believe God’s Word.

 

Jesus will challenge our faith to trust His power and authority and obey Him.

 

Following, Trusting, and Obeying Jesus

by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe

Promise Land

 

TobyMac and Sheryl Crow have a song called Promised Land. It is about struggles in this life and what we need to look to as we live life.

 

The chorus says, “And I’m wonderin’ where’s my promise land?” At the end of the song it says, “You’re my promise land.”

 

I have many people who say to me, “Pastor, I am struggling with (you fill in the blank)”. My response: Struggling is not a bad thing. Struggling with something means you have not given in, and you are seeking to do God’s will in the situation. Struggling is common to all people and especially to those who are following Jesus.

 

Jesus says in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 

We live in a world that is fallen, and in a fallen world there are all sorts of tribulations with which we must deal. Jesus says that in Him we will have peace because all the struggles of a fallen world we face He has overcome and shares the victory with us.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing Jesus’ overcoming the tribulations of a fallen world and living in His victory.

 

In 2 Corinthians 7:5 Paul says, “For when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way – struggles from the outside, fears from within.”

 

Paul faced struggles and fears that gave him no rest. Paul did not go through these struggles and fears because he was in opposition to God, but because he was obeying God.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing struggles because we are obeying God.

 

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 Paul says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.”

 

Paul faced:

Afflictions

Being Perplexed

Persecution

Being Stuck Down

Facing Death

 

The fact that Paul was following Jesus and doing His will meant that he was not:

Crushed

In Despair

Forsaken

Destroyed

 

Paul faced these struggles and overcame them through Jesus and that allowed the life of Jesus to be manifested in him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is going through difficult struggle but by the power of the Holy Spirit not being defeated and giving up.

 

The song Promised Land is asking where is my promised land? It is not found in this life because in this life circumstances and people will never be perfect and they will never be enough.

 

Our promised land is Jesus.

 

In it, in Jesus we have:

Peace

Hope

Joy

Forgiveness

Purpose

Eternal life

 

We are to look for a person, not an experience.

 

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

We are to let go and focus our lives on Jesus and let His victory through the cross and the resurrection be ours to overcome our struggles.

 

Struggling with Life But Still Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                              Joe

Repent and Believe

 

In Mark 1:14-15 Mark records the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It says, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”

 

When Jesus began His ministry, His message was simple; the time is now; the kingdom of God is present, so people need to do two things: repent and believe.

 

There are two parts of accepting Jesus’ message and following Him.

 

The first is to repent.

 

We have made repentance hard, full of drama, and rare. Repentance should be natural, humble, and frequent. Repentance is to do an about face. It means I am headed in one direction and see that is the wrong way, so I do a 180 degree turn and head in the opposite direction.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is turning away from sin and not letting sin control your life.

 

The second part is to believe.

 

This is the part that many don’t do. They see the wrongness of the direction of their lives and turn away from sin but then have no idea who or what to turn to.

 

Believing is turning to Jesus. It is not enough to just turn from the wrong, the sin; we must turn to the right, to Jesus.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is turning our lives over to Jesus and letting Him be in control of our lives.

 

Accepting the message of Jesus and following Jesus with all our lives involves both repenting, turning away from sin, and believing, turning to Jesus.

 

In the third chapter in the book of Zechariah we are given a powerful picture of how this works.

 

Zechariah 3:3-4

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So, they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

 

The filthy clothing that Joshua was wearing was his iniquity. Repentance is pictured as the filthy clothes are taken off him. Belief is shown as pure clean clothes are put on Joshua.

 

If we only turn from sin and don’t turn to Jesus, then we create a spiritual vacuum in our lives. Nature does not like a vacuum and will fill it up with something.

 

If we turn from sin but don’t turn to Jesus, we will have a vacuum and Satan will fill it with something that could be even worse than what was in our lives before.

 

Following Jesus is more than just not doing “bad things”, it is also doing the good works that God has prepared for us to do.

 

Following Jesus is letting our light shine so that others can see our good works and give God the glory for it.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is repenting and believing; about turning from sin and turning to follow Jesus.

 

Repenting and Believing So We Can

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls,

Joe

Yes!

 

I am a child of the 60’s and so I loved the Beatles and I still enjoy their music. I know they were not believers, but I still find truth that God, not the Beatles, put in their music.

 

The Beatles have a song called Hello, Goodbye. The first line of the song says, “You say, Yes, I say No.”

 

That really summarizes life because life is a series of yeses and nos. Each yes and each no carries consequences. Each yes and each no leads in a certain direction.

 

In Matthew 5:37 Jesus says, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

 

When we make big elaborate declarations about our faith instead of a simple, “Yes, Lord’ we tend to be doing it to impress others and not in obedience to God’s will.

 

James 5:12 says, “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” no so that you may not fall under condemnation.”

 

It is about simply obeying God and not about big, overdone proclamation.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is saying yes to God’s will and then doing it.

 

Revelation 16:7 says, “And I heard the altar saying, ‘Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!’”

 

We have to say yes to God’s Word.

The Bible is not a book of suggestions.

The Bible is not a book of religion.

The Bible is not a book of theology.

 

The Bible is the very word of God spoken to us. It reveals who God is, His purpose, and His ways. The Bible also reveals to us the truth of who we are and why we need Jesus as Savior and Lord.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is accepting the Bible as God’s Word and obeying it.

 

In 2 Corinthians 1:17 Paul asks a question, “Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make plans according to the flesh, ready to say, “Yes, yes” and “No” at the same time?”

 

When we know God and seek His will, He promises to revel it to us. When we seek to live life without seeking God’s will in God’s Word, we have no direction and go back and forth between yes and no. We have no direction if we are not guided by God and His will and His Word.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being guided by God and knowing which direction to go by saying yes to God.

 

2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.”

 

Jesus is the Yes of God. Everything that God promised is fulfilled in Jesus. God will always fulfill His promises because He is faithful. He has and is and will fulfil them all in Jesus.

 

Jesus is the Amen of God. Jesus is the so be it of God. Jesus did everything the Father told Him to do. Jesus perfectly accomplished the will of the Father.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is trusting that God will fulfill all of His promises in Jesus and then living daily based on that truth.

 

We as God’s people, as the Body of Christ need to be like Jesus and say yes to God’s will and God’s way and to God Word. We need each day to surrender to the Will of God.

 

Do we just sing praise songs to Jesus and declare big elaborate statements about our faith in a safe environment around other Christians or do we live out our commitment to Jesus as Savior and Lord every day no matter the circumstances or our feelings?

 

In Obedience to God’s Will and God’s Word

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe

How to Deal with Opposition

 

How do we as followers of Jesus deal with people who are opposed or hostile to our faith? Because to be honest, the way we as the church are dealing with opposition, hostility, and ungodliness is not working. It is not working because it is not following the biblical pattern.

 

So how do we deal with opposition, hostility, and ungodliness?

 

Proverbs 15:1

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

 

James 1:19-20

Know this my beloved brothers; let every person be quick to hear, slow speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

 

James 3:17-18

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 

These passages show us some biblical ways of dealing with anger and opposition because of our faith in Jesus.

 

Our word, our answers need to be soft. Our answers need to be made in compassion for others. We must see those who dislike us and oppose our faith and those who live an ungodly lifestyle as victims, not enemies.

 

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that we do not battle against people but against evil spiritual forces. These evil spiritual forces, Satan, and his demons, want to hold humans in slavery. Those who are held in slavery are victims and they are not our enemies.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is using compassionate answers to others for our faith in Jesus.

 

We need to be quick to hear. Hear, not just listen, is the key. I listen to a lot of information daily and I only hear a small portion of the information. We need to hear what those who are opposed to our faith are saying. We need to be open to reason. We need to learn how to dialog with those who disagree with us and those who don’t like us.

Paul when he went to Athens in Acts 17 held discussions with the Greek philosophers about his faith. He even used some of their own ideas to share Jesus with them.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being open and willing to talk in a loving and peaceful manner with those who disagree with us.

 

We approach those who do not like us or agree with us in a loving, sincere, and peaceful attitude.

 

We love those who don’t love us.

We are real and transparent with those who don’t trust us.

We manifest godly peace to those who are angry at us.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is approaching those who oppose our faith with love, authenticity, and peace.

 

We relate to those who are hostile to our faith with mercy and grace. We relate to them in mercy because that is how God related to us when we were in opposition to Him.

 

We relate to those who are hostile to us with grace because it only by God’s grace are people really changed. Paul tells us in Romans 2:4 that it is by kindness that we are brought to repentance.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is relating to others in mercy and grace.

 

Why are we to deal with opposition in this way?

 

When we do it produces:

Good Fruits

Righteousness

Peace

 

It is also the way in which Jesus dealt with

The Women at the Well

The Women Taken in Adultery

Zacchaeus

Demon Possessed Man

 

Jesus does not relate to those held as victims of sin with anger, condemnation, or judgment but with love. He relates to them with love, as victims not enemies, and changes their lives.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is treating those in the grip of a sinful lifestyle with love as victims, not with anger as enemies.

 

Jesus used the early church to change the world because they followed a biblical pattern to deal with those who opposed them, who hated them, and to those who lived ungodly lives.

 

With a Biblical Pattern for Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                              Joe