Rick Henderson

Spirit Power

Re:Verse passage – Luke 4:14-30 (day seven)

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Luke 4:14

What happens before this moment is as paramount to the text as what happens in the passage itself. Just before this, Jesus defeats Satan and temptation after being pushed to his physical limits. He returns from this in the Power of the Spirit. God did not need the Spirit to bring the Son into glory, but Jesus needed the Spirit to defeat temptation without relying on His deity. Jesus was tempted as we are, and He overcame that temptation without sinning, not because He is God, but because He relied on the Holy Spirit. He laid out the battle plan for us.

Do you desire to do big things for Jesus? The battle plan is simple. Fight sin. Fight with Scripture. Fight with prayer. When you win, you will feel a Spirit power unlike any other. A feeling of accomplishment that could lead you to run through a wall for God. Ride the momentum and keep on defeating sin again and again until it runs from you. This is what it feels like to walk in the power of the Spirit. This was the long-expected power that would come to change the tide of the war. If Jesus needed this power of the Spirit, how much more do you?

As Was Supposed

Re:Verse passage – Luke 2:4-7; 3:23, 31-34, 38 (day seven)

[…] as was supposed, the son of Joseph […] Luke 3:2

We know that the “supposed” signifies that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. Though not biological, Joseph still passed the test of historical lineage that would be necessary for the earthly father of the Christ. Joseph and Mary both could trace their lineage through the accounts of the Old Testament, all the way to Adam. Joseph gave Jesus the legal lineage that would connect the Messiah through the entirety of the Old Testament, and namely, an heir to the throne of Israel.

Yet, this “supposed” also shows us something else beautiful and poetic in the life of this family. Joseph adopted Jesus, and everyone around them supposed that Joseph was Jesus’ father. Joseph became the father that Jesus needed to guide Him through the beginning of His earthly life. He took Jesus in, mentored Him, discipled Him in both carpentry and the Law, and showed Him what a Godly human life looks like. Joseph adopted the Son who would make it possible for you to be adopted by the Father.

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:16-17

Two Turtledoves

Re:Verse passage – Luke 2:21-38 (day seven)

and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:24

In the words of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, “I never knew that. I thought they were just part of a song.” Kevin was given his turtledoves to become a token of eternal friendship, but the two turtledoves in the Bible were actually the Offering of the Poor.

Leviticus 12:8 ^“But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.”

The King of Kings stepped down into poverty. We would expect a coming King to be born in a palace or to be followed with grandeur (Wisemen have not yet arrived), but our King needed to sympathize with us. He came to be the God for the poor, not just for the rich. He showed us that He is the God for all of us. The faithfulness of Mary and Joseph to bring Him to the temple shows us their heart. The humbleness of Mary and Joseph to admit that they couldn’t afford a lamb shows us their character. Little did they know, they brought the Lamb that would atone for their sins and the sins of the entire world. Jesus is the Lamb of God and our friend for eternity!

Deaf and Dumb

Re:Verse passage – Luke 1:57-80 (day seven)

But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” […] and they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. Luke 1:60, 62

We know that Zacharias was mute, but was it more? As the community implored Elizabeth to name the child Zacharias, they begin to try to get his attention with signals. Mute people can hear just fine; why didn’t they just speak? It would appear that he was deaf and dumb (or at least to them), which makes the fact that Elizabeth knew the name of the child all the more miraculous. Whether he had written it for her previously, or if the Holy Spirit revealed the name of the child to her through discernment, it is clear that Elizabeth was listening to the Lord!

Elizabeth was not a passive recipient in Zacharias’ calling. She had the authority and boldness to proclaim John’s name as a fact. It wasn’t the priest who was the primary theological voice in this moment; it was the faithful mother. This is only the beginning of how the Messiah is going to flip the world upside down. God has called us all to be a part of His plan for eternity. Will you join Him?

Response

Re:Verse passage – Luke 1:26-38 (day seven)

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34

Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” Luke 1:18

Same angel. Similar message. Very different responses. On paper, it almost looks the same. “How can this be? This is why it shouldn’t work.” What our english translation has trouble properly conveying is tone. Zacahrias was doubting the Lord’s ability and asked for God to prove it. Zacharias’ heart posture was “I don’t think this is possible.” For that, he was struck mute. Mary on the other hand, was filled with wonder and curiosity. She asked how, not if. Mary’s heart posture was “I don’t understand, but I trust God.” Mary’s response led to surrender.

When you hear the Lord call you to do something, how do you respond? Do you enter into skepticism and make excuses, or do you become curious and search His will? Do you ask for proof, or do you offer surrender? Your heart posture matters. Doubt closes doors while faith opens doors to the fullness of God’s plan. How will you respond today?

He Hears

Re:Verse passage – Luke 1:5-17 (day seven)

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard… vs 13a

Do not be afraid. Easier said than done. This isn’t a pale winged man holding a harp, nor a flying baby with a bow and arrow. The angel of the Lord strikes fear into the soul of every person that comes into contact with him (as we will see throughout this series). This is a representative of the King of the Universe, a manifestation of the power of the Living God. We should be afraid. Just as Isaiah repented as he came into the presence of the Lord, we recognize how insignificant we are when we are compared to heavenly grandeur.

Yet, the angel says, “Your prayer has been heard.” The power of the universe on display before our eyes as this manifestation reaches into the deepest chasm of our soul to provide the validation we so desperately need, God hears you! How long have you prayed? How long have you waited? The prayer is not unanswered, nor unheard, but the King of the Universe is working us into His plan through our prayers. Like Zacharias, we pray, we wait, we enter His presence humbly and faithfully, and we will see how powerful our God really is. That is a promise.

Will it float?

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day seven)

be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness. vs 17

Will it float? The question we will not forget from this series. Thank you Pastor Jimmy for bringing an illustration that challenges even us adults to test everything we hear against the word of God. Just like the world that Peter was living in when he wrote this letter, we are in a battle against false teachers and false doctrines. Our world is at a severe risk due to the platform that has been created for these doctrines to perpetuate (i.e. the internet/social media). That is why it is of the utmost importance to test everything we hear against the Word of God. Also, test it against church history. Has it been taught faithfully in the church over time? There is no such thing as new doctrine. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He may reveal new insights to us. His mercies are new every morning, but His nature will never change.

How have you been encouraged by this series?

Outside of Time

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:8-9 (day seven)

[…] that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. vs 8b

We are linear. It is impossible for us to comprehend and understand how a day for God is the same as a thousand years. The comparison in and of itself can become problematic for the modern reader because of how linearly we think. Those reading Peter’s letter in the first century would have heard this much the way we today hear it in the words of C.S. Lewis:

“If you picture Time as a straight line along which we have to travel, then you must picture God as the whole page on which the line is drawn. We come to the parts of the line one by one: we have to leave A behind before we get to B, and cannot reach C until we leave B behind. God, from above or outside or all round, contains the whole line, and sees it all.” – Mere Christianity

God is outside of time. If it ever feels that He is not working or moving too slow, we must remember that He is with us now and He is already with us tomorrow. He comforts us in the present, and He holds the future in His hands. We are patient, even in the midst of the Storm, because we know that the Sovereign Lord is in complete control.

Desires of the Heart

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:1-7 (day seven)

following after their own lusts… vs 3b

The issue with these scoffers was not that they denied the existence of Christ, but that they denied the authority of Christ. As it was then, so it is now. Modern scoffers will not blatantly say they reject the Lordship of Christ, but their priorities prove it.

The word “lusts” in this instance is not exclusively sexual but is used to convey the desires of one’s heart. For the scoffer, the desires of their heart are on things that feel freeing in the here and now. What they do not realize is that their own desires are the very thing holding them hostage from finding true freedom in Christ. In an attempt to appear resilient and self-reliant, they have made themselves lord over their own life – thus, denying the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The truth is, when we submit to Jesus as Lord and chase after His will instead of our will, He will give us the desires of our heart – because it is in that moment that the desires of our heart are intertwined with His heart.

Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Eternal Security

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:17-22 (day seven)

For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. vs 21

Will there be false teachers in heaven? To say yes is to diminish the importance of teaching sound doctrine. To say no is to deny that these pastors or teachers ever knew the Lord at all. There are some false teachers who vehemently and un-repentantly are leading people astray. Others appear to have known the Lord at some point and have found themselves straying off course. It causes us to reframe the question: is it possible for someone to stray in their faith so far as to lose their salvation?

To put it bluntly: can you lose your salvation?

My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. John 10:29

When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, and the Holy Spirit regenerates your soul, there is nothing anyone can do to steal your salvation. Not even the devil himself. If you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, you will never be the same again. It is possible to slip up. It is possible to fall into sin, but a person who has truly tasted the goodness of God will never forget that taste and will always be drawn back for more.