Tag: Jesus (Page 2 of 9)

What Someone Will Pay For It

January 30, 2012 / Nick / 0 Comments

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
-1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)

One of my favorite television shows is Pawn Stars, which depicts the day-to-day dealings of a Las Vegas pawn shop. Oftentimes someone will bring in some super-rare historical item, something the pawn shop owners have never seen before, so they’ll have an expert give them an appraisal. Sometimes they will comment that a similar item sold at auction recently for a certain price. But sometimes the expert is dumbfounded. They don’t have a clue where to begin in pricing the item, so you’ll hear them say something to the effect of:

“It’s worth what someone will pay for it.”

What they mean is because of the item’s uniqueness there’s no precedent for what it would sell for. It’s virtually impossible to place a specific value on it. You basically have to just throw it out on the market and see what happens. Because you never know… At auction, two guys could bid against each other back and forth all day, sending the price through the roof.

In Peter’s first letter, the author reminders his readers that they too were purchased at a great price by God. He uses the slavery/hostage term “ransom” to explain this, which is simply a payment that buys someone’s freedom. Just like a slave is controlled by his master, we are slaves to our sin. But, as Peter points out, our freedom was paid for with the blood of Jesus.

So if something’s worth is established by what someone is willing to pay for it, then what does that say about our value to God? Wow! It’s inconceivable!

God sacrificed everything, and that changes everything. It shifts the way we think about ourselves, the way we think about others, and most importantly, the way we think about God. Our Father in Heaven wanted nothing more than to set us free from the entrapment of our sin that he was willing to pay whatever it took to do just that. And we weren’t bought with gold, silver, or buckets of cash. It was the sacrifice of his son, Jesus.

When our lives were thrown out on the the market, the devil put up a fight, but God didn’t hesitate. When he put down the decisive bid of Jesus, it sent a resounding message to all… “They are mine and I don’t care what I have to pay to get them!” And because of that, we are free.

Thank God, he was willing to pay for it.

Filthy, Stinking Rich

September 21, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
-Matthew 19:23-26 (NIV)

Here we find Jesus explaining to his disciples the impossibility of salvation for those who put their trust in money above God. And he illustrates it in a peculiar way, contrasting a 1,000-pound camel with the size of the eye of a sewing needle.

I think a lot of modern-day Americans skim over verses like this because they don’t believe it is applicable. They hear about this “rich man” and think, “Wow, I’m glad I’m not that guy!”

And here’s why we are in a dangerous situation: we don’t feel rich. We look around our communities and neighborhoods and we say, “Look at what they have! I wish I had as much money as them. Now that’s a rich person!” But is that a fair comparison?

Consider this: More than half of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day. Narrowing it down even further, over 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day.

Folks, I spend more than that on a pack of chewing gum.

When over 50% of the world gets by on 2 bucks a day, maybe it’s time to stop comparing yourself to your neighbors down the street and instead looking at yourself in a new light. When Jesus is talking about the rich, he’s talking about us. In the grand scheme of things, mostly likely you are filthy, stinking rich.

I think there are a scary number of people who think that they will simply waltz into heaven one day but don’t realize that at this very moment, their personal god isn’t Jesus. Their allegiance is pledged to money.

According to Jesus, becoming a part of God’s eternal kingdom is going to be hard. And it’s going to be especially difficult for those who are rich. Matter of fact, you’d have better luck squeezing a camel through the eye of a needle.

The disciples, for all their faults, actually got this one… “Who then can be saved?” What a great question! And they’re right — the fact that we are rich is a tremedous spiritual disadvantage. We have something consistently competing for our hearts.

But the point is not of despair but of hope. Yes, it is impossible — apart from God’s grace. But by realigning our trust in him instead of money we are redirecting our value and security back to the One who provides for us in the first place. This allows us to use God’s gifts for God’s purposes for God’s glory, freeing us from the intoxicating grip of greed and self-sufficiency.

And when we do that, we are left with the only thing that matters, the only thing that truly lasts…

The kingdom of heaven awaits.

The Lion And The Lamb

August 25, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.
-Revelation 5:5-6a (NIV)

In Revelation 5, the exiled apostle John is given a glimpse into the throne room of heaven. One of the things he sees is a scroll, which contains a written account of God’s future plans for the world. There is a problem, however — no one is worthy to open it. That thought bothers John so much that be begins to weep uncontrollably. An elder quickly calms his fears by saying that the Lion of the tribe of Judah (another name for Jesus) has authority to open, read and execute the contents of the scroll.

John is expecting a lion, but instead sees a lamb. I’m sure he was very confused… A quiet, peaceful lamb couldn’t be further from a mighty, ferocious lion. They are complete polar opposites!

But it’s clear that Jesus is described as a lion and he’s described as a lamb. And that mere fact from Revelation is vital if we are to have a true understanding of Jesus’ character. Any other view where one side is overemphasized at the expense of the other is completely unbalanced and extremely dangerous.

For example, people who want Jesus to simply be a lion will say things like, “Jesus is coming! He’s going to judge the immoral, he’s going to pounce on my enemies, and destroy those who are just plain different than me! He’ll protect me, but not everyone else. So watch out… If you’re not just like I am, then the lion is gonna get you!”

Others who are only attracted to Jesus’ lamb qualities will make comments like, “Jesus died for everyone! He’s safe and forgiving. So of course he’d never harm anyone. Correction? Punishment? Discipline? Hell? Those words aren’t in his vocabulary! So sin all you’d like… The gentle lamb won’t hurt you!”

Is there some truth there in both of those statements? Sure. Jesus is the lion. Lions symbolize power, strength and royalty. Jesus is the lamb. Lambs symbolize obedience, purity and sacrifice.

But he’s not one over the other. Jesus is both.

As a lamb is how Jesus entered into the world, glorifying the Father for his mercy and forgiveness. But, as a lion is how Jesus will return into the world, glorifying the Father for his justice and authority.

To fully understand and worship Christ for who he is now, we must see him in his entirety.

Jesus is the lion and the lamb.

Do You Want To Be Healed?

July 27, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
-John 5:2-9 (ESV)

Here in John’s gospel, Jesus meets up with a sick man at the pool of Bethesda and asks him an obvious question: “Do you want to be healed?”

You have a disabled man who has not been able to do anything for himself for 38 years, and Jesus has the audacity to ask him if he wants to get well. Well, duh! Of course! That’s like asking someone who has been lost in the desert for days if they would like a drink of water.

On the surface, Jesus’ question even sounds slightly inappropriate and insensitive. It’s almost as if he is teasing the man. However, Jesus, of course, knew his heart.

So you would think the sick man would give the obvious response… “Yes, thank you! Those are the exact words I’ve been praying to hear for 38 years! Finally, I can be healed!” But no, instead the man gives rehashed reasons as to why it will never happen.

It’s sad, really. The one person who can truly heal the man is standing right in front of him and he’s completely oblivious to the fact because he is wrapped up in his excuses. And that’s where the problem lies. The sick man is only focused on his own failed efforts and inadequacies, and not on Jesus.

I think it’s terribly tragic how many people today are suffering from the exact same condition as this man. And I’m not talking about his illness… I’m talking about his excuses!

The explanations are endless… “It’s just the way that I was made… It doesn’t come naturally to me… My parents were this way, so I will always be this way.” There’s always an excuse! And some people would actually prefer it that way. Their brokenness gives them an out. They really don’t want to be restored.

How many many times have you heard others say that they can’t change the way they are? And how many times have you said it yourself?

Are there things outside your control that affect who you are? Sure. But those things do not make you who you are. Who you are is defined in Christ and in Christ alone. And by his power you can be healed.

So it’s time to can the excuses. Jesus can help you. Jesus can change you. Jesus can free you. But the ball is in your court. Just like the sick man, the question remains the same…

Do you want to be healed?

Sacred Cooking Pots

March 10, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them.
-Zechariah 14:20-21 (NIV)

At the end of Zechariah’s prophetic book, he closes with a peculiar comment about some seemingly random objects. Zechariah begins by saying that there will be a day where the Lord alone reigns over the entire world. And on that day, horse bells will be engraved with the phrase “Holy to the Lord,” and cooking pots will become sacred instruments.

While that make not make any sense to us, to the culture of Zechariah’s time this was a radical, revolutionary idea.

First of all, “Holy to the Lord” was a prestigious phrase. These words were inscribed on a plate which was put on the turban worn by the high priest. This showed that both he and his service to God were entirely holy.

For sacrifices, there were bowls at the altar that would catch the blood of the slaughtered animal. Because of their esteemed function, these utensils were thought to be more sacred than the others. Sure, there were other pots used to boil the meat or collect the ashes. But those altar bowls were special.

So God tells us in Zechariah that the specific verbiage normally reserved for priests will now be allowed on animals… That pots that typically contain ashes can now collect sacrificial blood. So do you see the weight of what is happening here? God is taking simple, common bells and pots and lifting them up into sacred items. It doesn’t matter what it is, everything can be redeemed… Everything can be made new… Everything can be sanctified!

But isn’t that what happens when Jesus enters the scene? Regular water is turned into wine. The unclean and untouchable are healed. Uneducated fishermen become hardcore, flip-the-world-upside-down evangelists. Suddenly, holiness is everywhere!

Way too many people today feel as if they are nothing more than a everyday, run-of-the-mill horse bell or cooking pot. They have the attitude of average. “I’m nothing special, God would never use someone like me,” they love to proclaim. To put it bluntly, that point of view couldn’t be more wrong!

It doesn’t matter how ordinary or generic you think you are. Our God specializes in turning the natural into the supernatural. When God intervenes, everything changes. Nothing is normal anymore. Everything is holy to the Lord, yourself included.

Just like those sacred cooking pots.

Tag: Jesus (Page 2 of 9)

What Someone Will Pay For It

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The Lion And The Lamb

Do You Want To Be Healed?

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What Someone Will Pay For It

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