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Genesis 22:13-14, 18

 

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

18 “…and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

 

            I want to make two simple observations from my quiet-time reading in Genesis 22. The story is familiar. Abraham was called by God, as a test, to go and offer up his son as a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed God, went to the mountain, prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and then halted as God stopped him. Then God provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice in Isaac’s stead and reaffirmed his covenant with Abraham.

 

            The first thing I notice today is the concept of substitution clearly illustrated in this passage. Abraham was allowed by God to sacrifice a ram in place of his son. This points us toward the work of Jesus, God sacrificing his son in place of his chosen people. If God would not allow for sacrificial substitution, we would be lost, forever damned because of our sin against a holy God. This picture, though odd to us, is beautiful, and it should stir awe and gratitude in our hearts.

 

            Then, the covenant words of verse 18 grab my attention. God again affirms with Abraham the words that we read before in Genesis 12. God would bless all nations through the family of Abraham. This is the metanarrative of the Bible in simple form. Man needed to be rescued. God sent the Rescuer, and the Rescuer, the Lord Jesus, came through Abraham’s family. Now, people from all nations, all over the world, are offered salvation and genuinely bade part of God’s family through the finished work of Jesus, the Promised One, alluded to by God in this verse of the Bible.

 

            These are big themes that leap out in this passage. We need to know them. They make understanding the Bible possible. Without a grasp of sacrificial substitutes and of God’s plan to rescue his children through a provided substitute, we could not make sense of the story. With a proper grasp of these truths, we can see the flow of events leading to Jesus with great clarity, and we can be led to praise and thank God for this great grace.

Luke 12:20-21, 29-31

 

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” … 

29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

 

            Am I acting like a fool? I should probably ask myself this question more often than I do. And in the passages above, the foolish man, the faithless man, is the one who focuses and worries so much about the here and now that he forgets eternity.

 

            In both the above passages, there is a lack of eternal thinking that makes people miss the glory of God. The rich farmer in the parable thinks his gathering of possessions makes him secure even though his death is imminent.

 

            Then, in a softer section, Jesus reminds his followers that worrying about food and clothing should not mark the lives of the people of God. Even though the nations of the world all run after such things, the people of God are to trust him and know that he will take care of them.

 

            So, where do I worry too much about worldly things? Where do I fret too much about my own financial security instead of simply loving and following God? It’s easier to do than you might think. Both churches and individuals do it. And, do not think for a moment that I am talking negatively here about making wise financial decisions or being good stewards.

 

            A church looks like the world when it begins to tailor its ministries and services chiefly for the purpose of security. If the leaders or parishioners begin to make decisions about ministry based on worry about the church’s future stability, there could be a problem. What I mean is, if the church begins to be desperate to draw new people in, but that desperation is less about the glory of God in the salvation of the lost and more about making sure the bills are paid by new giving units, the church is acting worldly. Or, if the church shifts her focus to being inward and comfortable in order to keep the current giving units happy, the church is acting worldly.

 

            Similarly, we as individuals might, if we are not careful, think and live in a worldly way. What about stepping out in faith? What about moving onto the mission field or planting a church? Do you have to have all of the right financial numbers line up so that you know, without a doubt, that nothing miraculous has to take place before you will make a move? When giving, do you have to be sure that your giving will not in any way hinder your lifestyle before you will give in a certain way? Are you staying in a job or ministry that does not fit you because of fear that you would not be able to make ends meet otherwise?

 

            You know, I don’t actually know how this should all shake out. There is a call for wise and responsible living to be sure. But there is also a call on the Christian to live by faith, to not worry about food and clothing, and to trust God with his or her future. We must not be careless. But we also must not be paralyzed by fear. We should be good stewards. But we should also trust that God is able to provide for us in ways that we could never have imagined.

Luke 13:1-5 (ESV)

1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

 

            This is a strange encounter between Jesus and the people. It seems that some folks had a morbid curiosity about a group of people who died horribly at the hands of King Herod. They wanted to know why this happened. Were those who died especially bad people? Was God getting them for what they had done?

 

            Jesus’ response to his questioners about the suffering of those Galileans probably did not satisfy. At the same time, Jesus’ response is very instructive for us. Our Lord pointed out that the Galileans did not suffer the shameful deaths they suffered because they were worse sinners than the people standing before Jesus. Then Jesus went further and told the crowd that, if they did not repent, they would perish too.

 

            To add emphasis, Jesus pointed to another story that the people apparently knew well. There was a group of people who died in a more natural-looking disaster; a tower fell on them. If ever something looked like the punishment of God on evil people, a structure falling on their heads without human intervention would qualify. But Jesus did not allow the crowd to entertain this notion. Again, he simply pointed out that if the people standing before him did not repent, they would perish too.

 

            What are we to learn from all this? What does it teach us about human suffering? One truth is that we have a morbid curiosity about those who suffer. We want to know whether people who face hardships are facing them because they have somehow done something to deserve it. But Jesus lets us know that this is none of our business. He does not even entertain our questions here. Instead, he uses the illustration of the deaths of people to remind us that if we do not turn from our sins and turn to God, a death worse than natural death awaits us.

 

            So, when you see suffering and hardship in the world around you, do not think you can explain exactly why it happened. You cannot. You are not God. Nor can you assume that you are free from pain because you are better than those who suffer. You are not. Let the hardships of others remind you that you deserve the judgment of God. Let it call you to repent of sin and seek the mercy of Jesus. Let it lead you to thank God for the good that you have.

 

            What if you are suffering a hardship? You cannot assume that your pain is a punishment from God for your sin. You cannot assume that you are somehow a worse person and that is why you suffer. However, you should understand that you, just like the person not suffering, need to seek God’s mercy, turn from sin, and honor Christ in all that you are. Is it possible that God is using your pain to correct you? Of course this is possible. Is it possible that God is allowing you to go through a valley for a reason that is totally beyond your ability to understand on this side of eternity? You bet. 

 

            God’s ways are not ours. He is greater than us and totally good. Let us trust him and run to him whenever we see the hardships of this life, whether ours or another’s.

Luke 11:46

 

And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”

 

            What is your communication of God’s message to others like? Whether you preach, teach, or simply share your faith, what does it sound like? Would Jesus’ condemnation of the lawyers in the verse above apply to you too?

 

            This is a topic that has been bouncing around my heart for a while now, so it is significant to me that it comes out so clearly in Scripture today . Jesus is harsh, very harsh, toward supposed teachers of God’s word who used it as a club to beat people into submission. Jesus did not have anything nice to say to this group who burdened people with laws without doing a thing to help lighten that burden.

 

            Let me insert a disclaimer. I am not promoting lawlessness. I have no desire to suggest that Christianity does not require that we repent of sin, obey God’s commands, and actually do good things. The Bible has commands, and those command should be preached and taught.

 

            The problem for me is that preaching rules is perhaps the cheapest and easiest thing to do. Preaching grace, that is harder. It is easy, way too easy, to open a Bible text and use it to make up principles that I want you to live by. It is easy for me to make every narrative passage about all of the heroic qualities that you are supposed to emulate if you are going to be a godly person.  Preaching grace, that is harder.

 

            It is also really easy for me to find the issue that I am most passionate about, and to make that the central message of my preaching and teaching. It is easy for me to say that good Christians adopt children, give to feed the poor, fight trafficking, engage politically, battle abortion, attend prayer meeting, join choir, plant churches, read theology, read the Bible every year, home-school their kids, listen to sermon podcasts, dress according to my definition of modesty, and avoid whatever I consider to be bad for them. And really, none of those things are wrong. The problem is, in our passion to make preaching and teaching applicational, we end up building a list of things to do and things to avoid that may in fact be completely absent from the passage that we teach. We build the burden for people and lay it on their shoulders. We weigh them down with laws that we have never kept—that’s right, never. None of us has ever lived up to even our own picture of what a good Christian should be. Yet, when we preach and teach, if we are not careful, we will crush people with the weight of expectations that we do not meet ourselves. Preaching grace, that is harder.

 

            Somehow, right Christian teaching includes both a call to repentance, a call to perfection, as well as the unfathomable grace of God. Somehow, we are to call people to live like Jesus while reminding them that they can have the righteousness of Jesus as a gift. Somehow, we are to demand that people change, help them to do so, and remind them that their change is not something that gets them into heaven.

 

            To preach grace requires that we do the hard work of looking at each passage of scripture that we would teach and find in that passage the clear intent of the author. Preaching grace requires that we keep in mind the overall storyline of the Bible as we open a passage to our hearers. If all we do is load people up with laws without also freeing them in Christ, we miss the point. And as we see from Jesus’ words above, missing the point, missing grace, offering law with no help, that is something that is woeful.

 

            So, what then? Am I suggesting that we avoid all rules in preaching, teaching, and communicating? Of course not. We need to demand that people be faithful to their marriages, that they grow in righteousness, and that they participate in the things of God. But we also need to help them to do so with the grace of Christ. We need to realize that communication that has only law is not the gospel, nor is it the message of Scripture.

 

            I once heard someone say that if our gospel does not have people accusing us of being too lawless, our gospel is not the one preached by Paul. I’ll add that if our messages only take Scripture, find rules, and apply them to our hearers, our messages are not the message of Jesus.

 

            Yes, preaching grace is harder. Preaching grace requires us to trust that God will lead people into righteousness through the Scripture without our adding weight to the Scripture. Preaching grace requires that we use the law to show people their need for the Savior, show people the Savior, and then help people love the Savior enough to follow his ways. Preaching grace does not forbid us from telling people that some things are right and wrong, not at all. But preaching grace requires that we offer people a relief from the burden of the law that is greater than simply a call to straighten up and fly right. If this seems impossible, it is—at least, without Jesus it is. Preaching grace is harder, but it is what Jesus does. Preaching grace is the noble call for all who would open God’s word to Gods’ people or who would tell the truth to a lost and dying world. 

Luke 10:8-11

 

8 “Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’”

 

            When Jesus sent his disciples out here in Luke 10, he gave them an interesting mission. They were to go to new towns and find a place to stay. They were to stay in those homes contentedly, not bouncing from place to place to find more comfortable accoutrements. They were to supernaturally heal the sick, a clear sign of their being empowered by God. And they were to tell the people that God’s kingdom was near. And, if the people did not respond in faith, they were to leave the town reminding the people that God’s Kingdom was still on its way.

 

            Does this look like a modern mission trip or church evangelism plan? On the one hand, healing, doing acts of kindness, sounds like what we often see. But really, this may have as much to do with validating the authority of the disciples to deliver the message as it does to do with persuasive acts of kindness. There is nothing in what Jesus says that would make us say that the healing was an attempt to soften people up for the sale. 

 

            But when you look at the message, this is where this passage does not look like the message we often preach. Often on mission, and in personal evangelism at home, we will shape the message around an attempt to persuade a lost person of God’s love and of their need for Jesus. That may be included in Jesus instructions to his disciples that are not mentioned here. Or it may be that this was not the heart of the gospel message that Jesus told the people to deliver. Could it be that the message of the disciples, “The kingdom of God has come near to you,” is simply what it sounds like? God’s kingdom has come. You are invited to become a part of it. Make ready. Come humbly.

 

            I’m not, of course, belittling God’s love. Nor am I trying to argue against modern missions or evangelism. I’m actually a big fan of missions and evangelism. Neither am I trying to suggest that we be unloving in evangelism. All I’m wondering is, from the context of this passage, is the message simpler and more direct than we sometimes make it? God’s kingdom is coming. You need to be in it. You can be in it. Come to God’s Kingdom through Jesus. He will welcome you if you are willing to get under his kingship. If you will not get under his kingship, he will judge you. Either way, the Kingdom is still coming.

 

            So, what’s the difference? This message is not sappy. It is not filled with emotional appeal. It is simple and direct. It is a call of command from the King of kings. It is still loving, but not in a “Jesus is just begging you to give him a try” sort of way. It’s not harsh, to be sure, but it is pointed. There is one way to God. God invites you to come to him and be part of his Kingdom. Will you come?

 

            If it is true that the message that the disciples presented is as clear and straight-forward as it seems, how might this impact our modern evangelism? What would it look like for us to be so simple, so non-sappy, so boldly direct? What would it sound like to make a simple declaration of the gospel? This does not mean a lack of passion or concern on our part, nor does it mean a lack of communication of the deep and amazing love of Jesus that he proved with his death on the cross; but it surely might mean a lack of complication in the message. How would this change our presentation? Should it change our presentation this way?

Luke 9:46-48

 

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

 

            The least is the greatest. You know, I think almost any Christian could quote some version of that statement. We all know it. We have all been taught it. Here is the big question: How many of us believe it?

 

            Let’s face it, we don’t like being least. We are far more like the disciples were in this passage. We want to argue about which of us is most important. Of course we know better than to use those words. But how often are we offended by not getting our due recognition? How often are we torn up in side at being overlooked, not given credit, not being seen for what we bring to the table?

 

            As I write this, I need to pray it through for more than I’d like to admit. I don’t like being least. I don’t like being overlooked. I don’t like being marginalized. And, not liking those things tells me that my heart does not believe Jesus nearly enough.

            Jesus tells me that I am honoring God most and being greatest when I am not worried about my position. The Savior lets me know that the way for me to receive the greatest joy is to let others have the credit. Jesus points out to me, as he does in so many areas of life, that the way to real success is not to do what comes naturally and battle for my own rights. Jesus tells me that I will be much better off if I will trust that God knows more than me, sees more than me, and is totally faithful to reward his children.

 

            This reading was no fun. But it was true and totally convicting for me. This is what happens when we open God’s word. We learn things that we should already know. May we become people who are willing to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven by being least in the here and now.

Genesis 15:5-6

 

5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

 

            Genesis 15:6 is one of the most well-known Old Testament Bible verses. Paul uses it in Romans 4 to show that our salvation is not based on obedience to any law, but it is and has always been based on faith. This is a significant passage.

 

            One problem with significant passages is that we often read them and immediately shorten our view. We look at the passage and we hear the Bible verse ringing out as it is quoted and used in the New Testament. OF course, we should think like this, but not without also seeing the verse in its present context.

 

            Look at verse 6 with the preceding verse above. God spoke to Abram and told him that he was going to give him lots of children. Abram believed God. God, for his part, credited Abram with a legal record of righteousness, not for anything Abram did, but simply because Abram believed God.

 

            Do you see how absurd this is? We have watched Abram’s life. Yes, he did some good things—rescuing his nephew and tithing to a priest of God. But Abram also was the faithless coward who told his wife to say she was his sister, regardless of what that might subject her to, in order to protect his own skin. Abram was not righteous, not by any account.

 

            You have to see how ridiculous it is to call Abram righteous to see the significance of verse 6. Abram believed God’s promise of children—that’s it. He will believe more later, but for now, he is just trusting that God can and will do what God promised. Abram believes that he is going to have a gigantic family of descendants. And that belief is what God Takes from Abram and counts it to him as righteousness.

 

            The truth is, salvation by God’s grace through faith does not make sense. We are used to a quid pro quo. We are used to doing something to earn something else. To hear that God will count us as righteous in his sight, not for our obedience, not for our sacrifices, not for our own goodness, but simply because of our belief in him seems crazy by any human measure. But, God’s measure is not human measure, is it?

 

            The truth is, I am not a righteous person. Neither are you. All have sinned before God. All of us have been cowards like Abram in one form or another. All of us have hurt others, intentionally or unintentionally, for our own comfort. All of us have failed to live up to God’s perfection. And yet God offers us all a record of perfect righteousness. He says that if we will truly believe in Jesus, trusting Jesus in the sort of way that changes our lives, he will call us righteous. He will not call us righteous because of the changes we make, but simply because we trust in Jesus.

 

            How strange. When we look at Genesis 15:6 in context, it seems absurd. When we look at salvation by grace through faith, it seems absurd. And yet, when we get to know the God of the Bible, we recognize that his ways are not ours. He does things in a Godlike way. We don’t think like him. We can’t figure out all the reasons why he does things the way he does. But he is clear. If we want to be forgiven and made right with him, it comes through believing him.

Genesis 14:18-20

 

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

20 and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

 

            After a battle in which God gave Abram a great victory, we see Abram in a conversation with a priest of God. Something I notice is that Abram, without hesitation, offers a tenth of all that he gained from the battle to God’s representative. Abram tithed, but not out of obligation. No law had yet been given at Mt. Sinai to force a tithe from the people of God. Abram simply, out of gratitude, joy and worship, gave a tenth to God.

 

            The way that Abram handled the tithe has a very nice way about it. Can we not learn from him in the Christian world today? Why would we not give to God without law, without rules, and without begrudging? Why would we, who have been given so much more than Abram had received, not give at least a tenth of our income to God without a second thought?

 

            Now, I understand that some folks have found themselves in some very difficult financial positions. I’m not writing this to burden anyone with guilt. But, I would argue that giving as an act of worship is a part of Christian living. And I would encourage any believer in Christ to find a way to give to God freely, joyfully, proportionally, sacrificially, wisely, and regularly as an act of worship. I would also say that the tenth is a very wise, very biblical, starting point. I would encourage you to aim at giving a tenth to God, not out of law, but out of simple desire to give all that you are.

Luke 8:11-15

 

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

 

            What does the above text say to us about who is and who is not saved? Does the above text say anything about the potential loss of salvation? I do not think so.

 

            When preaching through John’s gospel, I worked through John 2 23-25. In that passage, Jesus indicates that there is a kind of belief in him that is not saving faith. I would argue that this is the kind of false faith in view at the mention of the rocky and thorny ground. However, I would also argue that this is not the emphasis of the parable.

 

            No, the emphasis of this parable is one of enduring faith. The one who has genuine, saving faith, the kind of faith we want to have, is the one who grows. The one who has genuine faith is not destroyed by greed or worldliness. The one who has genuine faith, the kind of faith that saves, will stand even through hardship. True faith endures. True faith perseveres.

 

            One of the difficult things here is that we cannot judge whether a person’s faith is genuine by the initial signs they give. Just because somebody makes a profession of faith and is teary-eyed at a church meeting should not convince you that they are true believers. Now, I’m not telling you to be skeptical, to wait to welcome someone into the family of God, or to sit in judgment over somebody. What I am saying is that the only way to really know if someone’s claim to conversion is real is to see if it stands the test of time.

 

            What should we take from this passage? Far from arguing over the thorny or rocky ground, we should realize that a true believer in Christ will stand. He or she may falter from time to time—this is a near certainty, but the true believer stands. The true believer does not sell out his or her faith for worldly gain or because the world does not accept the Christian worldview. The true believer does not point back to an event years ago as the only evidence of his or her salvation. No, a true believer will stand and grow. Sure, it will be hard. Sure, the believer will fail and have to repent of sin. Sure, there may be seasons in which the believer does not look much like a believer. But, overall, when all is said and done, the believer will return to turning from sin and following and standing for Christ.

Luke 7:47

 

“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

 

            It is important that we realize how great is our sin. Oh, I know, many of us don’t want to think about ourselves as bad people. We do not want to dwell on our sinfulness. We love our new identity in Christ, and we should.

 

            But, if we see what Jesus said in Luke 7:47, we will recognize that there is an issue of contrast here that makes our joy fuller. In context, this verse is part of a conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee about a sinful woman being forgiven. Jesus lets the man know that the one forgiven more loves more.

 

            When a jeweler displays a jewel, he will be wise enough to place it against a background that will make it stand out. White pearls are going to sit on dark velvet. In order for us to understand how great is our forgiveness, we need to place it against the dark backdrop of our sin. We earned the wrath of God. We earned hell for sinning against God. We had no hope. We were not good people who just needed a boost to make it to heaven.

 

            Perhaps it would be good for you to take a moment today and remember not only who you are in Christ but also who you were before Christ. If you came to Christ early, before you did anything you now consider to be truly that bad, consider how far short you still fall when compared to God’s infinite perfection. Remember that you should have been judged were it not for the grace of God, grace you did nothing to earn. Let that dark background make the brilliant glory of your forgiveness stand out. Let the infinite debt that Jesus paid on your behalf make you love him more.