Tag: Jesus

Amazed, Pt. 2

Re:Verse reading– Mark 6:1-13 (day seven)

Jesus marveled because of their unbelief. Mark 6:6

People were amazed by the formerly demon possessed man’s story, the people of Capernaum were amazed by Jesus’ teaching, now it is Jesus’ turn to be amazed, but not by their great faith, but by their unbelief. It begs the question, why was he so amazed by their unbelief? It could be that he was amazed by their hardness of heart.

There is nothing truer, more real, than God. This is why blaspheme is such a big deal, it ascribes evil to that which is clearly of God (the Holy Spirit). It is akin to denying that the source of warmth on your skin belongs to the heat radiating from the Sun, and then denying that the Sun even exists. Jesus’ teaching, healing, and even his very person were literal statements of an obvious divine reality. His hometown would not have it; they denied the Son.

The greatest way we acknowledge the reality of the Son is to enjoy his presence and to do what he asks of us. How can you embrace the truth of Jesus today?

Amazed

Re:Verse reading– Mark 5:1-20 (day six)

People were amazed by the man’s story. Everywhere he went he told his story, and people marveled. This isn’t surprising, after all his story IS remarkable; demon possessed man returns to his right mind after being restored by the Son of the Most High God. Now that’s a story!

What is even more amazing is that Jesus commissioned him to go tell people about his encounter with the Most High God, rather than stay with him. What if his family and friends responses were directly tied to the authority in which he was commissioned to tell his story? What if it wasn’t his story at all, but Jesus at work in those who heard it because he was faithful to tell it.

Here’s the thing, we were not called to linger with Jesus, but to follow Jesus. Our commission is no different than the Gerasene man’s; we too must go and tell our Gospel story. God’s plan for His Kingdom was always predicated on our telling others what He has done; we just might be amazed by peoples responses when we do.

Go tell it on on the mountain…and everywhere.

Kinds

Re:Verse reading–Mark 2:1-12 (day six)

What kind of faith gets Jesus’ attention? What kind of faith merits His forgiveness? Jesus doesn’t always heal in this direction, faith first. He doesn’t always say, “your faith has made you well.” Sometimes he chooses to heal first and faith comes later. But not in this case. So what caught the savior’s eye? What kind of faith pleases God?

Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to HIM must believe that HE exists and rewards those who seek HIM.” What is clear is that all their hope began and ended with this man Jesus. They didn’t know all there was to know about Jesus, but they believed in all they knew, all of what he had taught, and all he had done.

How about you? With all that you know about Jesus, this side of the Cross, is your faith pleasing to God?

Collision

Re:Verse reading–Mark 1:21-39 (day six)

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. John 1:14

There is no greater collision in human history than the incarnation of the Son of God. The Gospel of Mark narrates this collision for us in spectacular detail. Jesus, the light of the world collides with the darkness, and it retreated. Jesus collided against human brokeness and healed countless. And the Word spoke and all who heard him were amazed!

He is unavoidable. He is the larger-than-the-universe elephant in the room; he collides with us. Even after 2000 years this divine collision demands a personal response. John the Baptist knew who he was (because the Spirit testified), and declared “he must increase.” The demons knew, and they shuddered.

How about you? How will you respond, even today, to this beautiful collision?

New

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 21:1-8; 22:1-7,16-17 (day six) 

“Behold, I am making all things new.”-God

Maybe that was his plan the whole time. Perhaps, that is the very essence of the Gospel-making things new. We often only think of salvation in terms of forgiveness, but it is much more than that. To make things right, required much more than forgiveness (which the cross provided), it also required restoration, to bring things back to their intended purpose. That is the true aim of the Gospel, to restore all of creation. Jesus, the incarnate Son, was the very first recreative act of God that would bring a tidal wave of recreation to all the universe, of which we are partakers.

Our recreation is complete in Revelation 21, when the dead are raised to newness of life, a life without sorrow, or pain, or death-just life everlasting in full fellowship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Now that is real life! So here is the question, are you being made new?

Bride

Re: Verse reading–Revelation 17 – 18 (Day six)

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.” Revelation 19:7-8

This weekend I am away hosting a Marriage Strong marriage retreat. It has been such a delight to share this weekend with such good people. It is also fitting in light of Revelation 17-19. What a contrast between the Bride of Christ, the Church, and the “mother of prostitutes” depicted so vividly in John’s vision. The great prostitute is the epicenter of immorality and idolatry; the world is captivated by her lusts, and she and all who follow her fall under the weight of their unrighteousness, receiving what they deserve, the very wrath of God.

But the Bride! Preserved by the Lion and the Lamb, she stands in brilliant righteousness. Not bearing a righteousness of her own but clothed by the blood of our Redeemer, she does not cower in fear, but stands in His love, mercy, and grace. We are loved! We are preserved! We are clothed in fine linen, bright, and pure!

The Woman and The Dragon(Serpent)

Re:Verse passage: Revelation 12:1-6, 13-17; 13:1-4, 11-18 (day six) 

This should sound very familiar. From the beginning there is a foreshadowing of redemption to come through the offspring of Eve, redemption from the condemnations of the serpent. Revelation 12 retells for us an old story and an old promise, but this time with a woman and a dragon. The first is an episode from the earliest days of human history, the second is redemptive history on display like a grand fresco. Why does God retell this story in this way?

The woman and the dragon in chapter 12 remind us of God’s promise to overcome the travesty in the Garden, to undo sin and rebellion, offering restoration through the woman’s offspring. It is a reminder that God, throughout all history, is making things new through Jesus; that the adversary can never overcome His bride, the Church.

That’s good news! Just the kind of reminder we need.

Contrasts

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 7 (day six)

There is an amazing contrast between the voices in chapter 5 and chapter 6. The outcries of the martyrs, and the praises of the saints, both are the center pieces of each chapter. The martyrs inquire of God, “when?” The saints declare His praises. Together they summarize the message of Revelation, both the longing for God to complete His work of Salvation and the certainty of it.

Not only are these voices a summary, but also they model for us how we are to live this side of eternity. We pray and we praise; asking Jesus to come quickly, while also praising Him for the certainty of our salvation.

Forest

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 6 (day six)

It can be hard to see the forest from the trees, but it is a necessary endeavor, especially in Revelation. There are so many curiosities in Revelation, it is easy to get stuck amongst the tree limbs trying to figure out every detail, of which we will never fully understand this side of eternity. For instance, do the riders in chapter six have names, are they real entities? Could be I suppose; maybe, maybe not. We can get so intrigued or caught in the trees that we lose sight of the fuller picture, the forest. In this case Jesus reveals to us that judgement is not only coming, but it is an important part of completing his saving work in all creation, so much so, the martyrs ache for it to come to pass.

Do you see it? The trees are important for sure, and worthwhile to study, but not at the expense of seeing the forest.

Certainty

Re:Verse reading–Revelation 1 (day six) 

Certainty is the last word some would associate with John’s Revelation. For most it is difficult to understand, with very little feeling certain about it, and yet that is exactly the tone that is set for us in chapter one. We can be uncertain all day about the exact play of the events described in Revelation, but its’ intent is the exact opposite. All of our hope, the church’s hope, rests in the certainty of Jesus the risen one, the Alpha and the Omega.

That is how Jesus wants us to feel when we read chapter one, indeed much more than that, that is how he wants us to feel as we live in this broken world waiting for His return. It is certain. Will the church suffer? Yes. Will Judgement come? Yes. And will he finally and completely make all things new? Yes, it is certain!