Mission Faithwalk

          On hearing this, Jesus said,  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.   But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13)           Before we can discuss what Jesus meant, we need to discuss what Jesus didn’t mean. He didn’t mean that sinners are cool and that self-proclaimed righteous people are evil. Healthy people don’t need a doctor. The sick do. His hanging with the sinners wasn’t in approval or acceptance of their behavior. It was to cure their sin-sickness. Some suggest that if Jesus were to walk the earth today, He’d hang out in bars with the LGBT community and prostitutes, and, I daresay He might do just that. But here’s the problem with that.                       In saying that in the context of this verse, we’re saying that Jesus would see the LGBT community and prostitutes as sinners, as the sick who are in need of a doctor. Given that the LGBT com

         “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.   For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished . (Matthew 5:17-18)          When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “ It   is   finished .” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:20)           “The days are coming,” declares the  Lord , “when I will make a  new   covenant  with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. (Jeremiah 31:31)           In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:20)                      Today, let’s begin looking at a series of statements Jesus made telling us why He came. Apparently, some people were already complaining that he was puttin

          From the west, people will fear the name of the  Lord , and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the  Lord  drives along. “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the  Lord . (Isaiah 59:19-20)           To redeem something, one buys it back or compensates for its bad behavior. According to today’s passage, the Lord will come as an unstoppable force to redeem those in Jacob who repent. Add that to His coming to be injured, to crush the serpent’s head, to act as an intermediary between God and man, to judge the world, to do battle, and to deliver both vengeance and retribution, and you get a general picture of the reasons Jesus came, according to the Old Testament. No doubt, there are other pieces to this puzzle in the Old Testament, but these are the passages that specify what He was/is coming to do. Whether they excite you, frighten you, or anger yo

            say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; for your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” (Isaiah 35:4)           To render judgment,           To do battle,           For vengeance and,           For divine retribution.           That’s the “big, bad God” way to read the last three days' worth of reasons He would (and will) come. But the end of today’s passage gives us that second reason again. Will He come to render judgment on you, or for you? Will He do battle against you, or for you? Will He come for vengeance on you, or for you? Will He take divine retribution against you, or for you?           I know it’s easy in our fast-paced world to pick up on the pattern of the sentences in the last paragraph and skip them because you know what they say, but please go back and read them. Read them slowly. Read them aloud. Savor them, especially those pesky little prepositions: on, against

         This is what the  Lord  says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor— so the  Lord  Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.  (Isaiah 31:4)           Today’s passage is similar to yesterday’s. It can be seen in two ways. Some folks may read it and decide that God is a bully, coming to wage war against mankind. Others read it and decide that God is coming to wage war against the enemies of mankind, even if that includes mankind.           A trope (overused idea) in westerns was the poor, honest settlers being attacked by the bloodthirsty Indians, and when all seemed lost, they would hear the blast of the cavalry’s bugler, and they would know help was on the way. A Star Trek trope was the Enterprise, beaming people up or down or otherwise providing the mechanical solution to the episode’s problem.

          Let all creation rejoice before the  Lord , for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Psalm 96:10)           let them sing before the  Lord , for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9)           Since at least the first half of today’s passages are effectively the same, we’ll address them together. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide people into two kinds, and those who don’t. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who rejoice at the thought of God coming to judge the world, and those who don’t. There are three kinds of people in the world: those who fear God’s judgment, those who resent it, and those who welcome it.           Scripture acknowledges the two perspectives of God’s judgment. There are places where the “day of the Lord” is described as wonderful. Isaiah 4:2 describes i

          The  Lord  your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.   For this is what you asked of the  Lord  your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the  Lord  our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” (Deuteronomy 18:15-16)           “God is too intimidating. If He talks to us, we’ll die” That’s what the Israelites told Moses and Moses had accepted the argument. Forty years later, he reminded the new generation of Israelites what their fathers had said as he spoke about what would happen after he was gone.           Just as Adam and Eve likely look at each son born for signs that he was the one who would crush the serpent’s head, I suspect the Israelites looked at Joshua and the judges who followed them, hoping that he would be the prophet like Moses. After a while, I suspect they gave up. God renewed the concept by telling David that his so

So the  Lord  God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock   and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,   and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)           Today, let’s begin looking at a series of statements why Jesus came, first through Old Testament prophecy, and later though Jesus’ own words. Today’s passage doesn’t fit the pattern of “He will come” or “I will come,” but it expresses two reasons why He did come: to be injured and to crush the head of the serpent.           This is a remarkable statement because it’s the first time these ideas are expressed. First, he would come to be injured. Does this statement give you goosebumps? Does it awaken your soul? It should.           I have a pastor friend who once talked about being a good husband. He’

          He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,  miracle s that cannot be counted. (Job 5:9)           I call on you, my God, for you will  answer  me; turn your ear to me and hear my  prayer . (Psalm 17:6)           Miracle: extraordinary and astonishing happening that is attributed to the presence and action of an ultimate or divine power.           According to a survey reported by NPR, nearly eighty percent of Americans believe in miracles. [1] Psychology Today reports approximately the same figures. In other words, belief in miracles very likely follows a standard distribution, or bell, curve. The standard distribution is also called a normal distribution, meaning that – whether or not people are correct to believe in miracles, it is normal for people in America to do so.           I have some difficulty with the idea of miracles. As I consider the idea this morning, the best way I can describe it is that I believe there are major miracles: when God s

           Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David.   I f these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the  Lord  in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”           After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”   One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.   And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other . (I Kings 12:25-30)           Jeroboam thought he had a problem. God had told him that he would be king, but if the people kept going to Jerusalem to worship, they’d likely feel some loyalty

           Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)           I’m getting close to the end of Malta Exchange by Steve Berry. It seems to me to be his attempt at Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code . He does a better job than Mr. Brown, but he still presents an “all religion is a con job by those in charge of it” perspective, and he presents it as fact based on a document that actually exists, or which is like one that actually exists. As far as my (admittedly brief) research has uncovered, the text of his is quite different from the text of the historical one, and in any case, the historical one has been deemed a fraud. Unfortunately, those who don’t really know much about the Bible, and who fall for what he and the scholars on whom he undoubtedly relied, say will find themselves separated from God

            Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)             “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. ” (John 18:38)            Who gets to decide in which direction a society goes? Who gets to decide what truth is? There are people who think that the majority decides. Others think that experts should guide us. There are times when both of those are very likely adequate to the task. For instance, I think it’s perfectly acceptable for the majority to decide what products are going to be sold, whether or not money should be spent to fund a project, and whether or not a statue is going to be built or be retained in a city park. I’d much rather than experts plan and construct a building, fly a plane, and perform surgery. There are certainly places for expert and public opinions.            With the vote of nine men, abortion was declared legal. It would

          And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:18-20)           Typically, people consider the sword the only weapon in the armor of God, at least partly because Paul drops the figurative speech when it comes to the topic of prayer. To me, the fact that there is no clear transition away from one topic and into the next suggests that prayer is either another weapon. If, as I’ve suggested, the purpose of the armor of God is to keep one from being separated from God, prayer is an invaluable weapon. The lack of transition may even suggest that prayer is part of the sword since praying can (and should) include the Word of God.  

           …and the sword of the Spirit,  which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17b)            For the word of God  is alive  and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword,  it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)           In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his  mouth  was a sharp, double-edged  sword . His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (Revelation 1:16)           Coming out of his  mouth  is a sharp  sword  with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:15)           I happen to like swords. I collect letter-openers because I couldn’t afford to buy swords. It’s a romantic thing for me, not really a means of combat. For the people of the time when Ephesians, Hebrews, and Revelation were written, it was a weapo

          Take the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17a)           He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17)           But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet (I Thessalonians 5:8)           At last, something to protect the noggin, but… salvation? Truth has already been used to protect the emotions. But why not knowledge? Or Wisdom? Those are “sexy.” Salvation? According to Scripture, salvation is a gift given without consideration of merit. Salvation is an either you have it or you don’t thing. How is salvation going to protect our heads?           Sigh, salvation as a helmet seems rather boring. Come to think of it, doing good deeds, submission, and truth/reality aren’t exactly exciting as pieces of armor. I suspect part of the problem is th