It all started with my birthday. My actual birth day. The day I was born. Ever think about that day? For some of us, it is so long ago. For others of us, it was just around the corner, almost like yesterday. I might not be like some of you out there who just say that "Oh, it's just another day." I like to celebrate my life. The day I was born. Now, I know some of you reading this might say, "This guy is off his rocker." And even though you might be right to some degree, just hang in there with me and let me finish. The day that each and every one of us was born is a special day. At the very least it should be special to you, if no one else. I mean, think about it. If you didn't have a birthday, you wouldn't be here. I know that sounds simplistic, but too often we don't stop and think about that. What if we had never been born? George Bailey found out in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life." We just don't have a clear idea how many people we touch with our lives on a daily basis. I have had some dark times in my life, where I really wasn't sure my life mattered, to me or to others. But then I think of the influence that each of us has on at least one person, but usually more, in our lives, it makes things at worst case tolerable and best case an adventure.
Yes I am aware that the format for this blog changed a bit today, but I had MY birthday yesterday. So, even though those around me weren't that thrilled about acknowledging the fact that I was born, I had my own little party within my heart all day. I just smiled all day, and was very grateful to God that I had been born, and that I have lived my life for...a number of years. Made mistakes? You bet. Want to go back and change somethings? Absolutely. Can I possibly do that? Not a chance. I try to stress to my children as they get older the importance and the impact of the decisions they are making now, and how they are far reaching, to say the least. What about all those words we have said out of anger? Out of hurt? What about those moronic decisions we made to use that person in our past? I was reading a fantasy novel, and the scene was these large black bats taking bites out of the body of the main character. I thought to myself, "Regardless of how fantastic fiction can be, it 'ain't nothin' compared to the real thing, baby." I have had people backbite and back stab for as long as I have been a pastor, and actually, I think I would rather have the physical one because it will heal more quickly. I got a birthday card from someone who doesn't know me that well but thinks they do, and it said some cursory things about not wanting me to get caught up in materialism so all they got me was the card. Wow. Here I am celebrating my life and they are telling me how cheap they are and how little they think about me. Real life really IS stranger than fiction...at least AS strange.
So here I am, the day after my birthday. Yes, it all passed just like any other day. But at least for one day, one moment, it made me stop and reflect on some things, and on the graciousness of God. And the fact that there is at least one person in the universe who loves and cares for me. And that is a good thing.
Rod Ewing is the Pastor of Calvary Chapel Ocala.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Nick At Night Part II
"Nicodemus answered and said to Him, 'How can these things be?' 10 Jesus answered and said to him, 'Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen; and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.'"
John 3:9-17
After telling Nicodemus that he must be born again, Nicodemus asks Jesus how a man can be born a second time, and asks Him how a man can enter his mother's womb a second time and be born. Jesus tells Nicodemus that this "second birth" is not of flesh but of the Spirit. It is our spirit that is reborn. The term "born again" is precisely this: a person is born once, physically when they are born out of their mother's womb. We are "born again" when our spirit is reborn through the Holy Spirit, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Nicodemus was still thinking in terms of the physical, and did not seem to comprehend it (but eventually he does...gives ME hope...), as you can tell by the questions he asks. But I still commend him for asking the questions. Jesus replies to Nicodemus, and I will put this in my vernacular, "Man, you are a teacher of religion at the University of Israel, and you don't understand these things?" And then in today's passage, when Nick asks Jesus "How can these things be?" in other words, "How is this possible?" Jesus says, "Man I am standing right in front of you and telling you the truth...but if I tell you things about the physical world and you don't believe, how are you going to believe if I tell you things of heaven, spiritual things?" And Jesus tells Nicodemus of His crucifixion, His death, and His resurrection. That is what that reference to Moses lifting up the serpent is.
In the book of Numbers, in chapter 21, we find the story of the people of Israel on their way to the Promised Land. They are being led by Moses. And they are going around the land of Edom, since the king would not let them pass through. But on that long journey, they begin to murmur and complain against God, and against Moses. This could be interpreted, that they began to complain about Moses, and in so doing, were complaining against God. "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To let us die? There is no food nor bread, and we can't stand this worthless bread." They were speaking of the manna that the Lord miraculously supplied to them from heaven every day. So God caused serpents to come among them and bite them and they would die. But God told Moses to make a serpent and put it on a pole, and whoever looks upon it will live. It is a picture of the crucifixion of Christ. Nicodemus understood the picture. He was a religious teacher of the land.
Beloved, as we go through this day, let us look upon the One who was raised up so that we may look upon Him and live! Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for your sins and for my sins; for the sins of the world. Don't let the minor things that bite and snap at our heals discourage us and get us down. Jesus says that whoever...doesn't matter who you are or what you have done, or where you have been, if you look upon Him, and believes in Him, you will not perish eternally, but will have eternal life. Because God didn't send Jesus here to condemn the world. But that the world through Him would be saved. Jesus came to save us. We cannot save ourselves. Oprah cannot save us. Only Jesus can save us. Jesus is the way to heaven. Nicodemus came to Jesus to find out for himself how he could inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus told him to believe in Him, to believe in the work that He would be doing on the cross: healing those bitten by sin and this world. Shalom.
John 3:9-17
After telling Nicodemus that he must be born again, Nicodemus asks Jesus how a man can be born a second time, and asks Him how a man can enter his mother's womb a second time and be born. Jesus tells Nicodemus that this "second birth" is not of flesh but of the Spirit. It is our spirit that is reborn. The term "born again" is precisely this: a person is born once, physically when they are born out of their mother's womb. We are "born again" when our spirit is reborn through the Holy Spirit, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Nicodemus was still thinking in terms of the physical, and did not seem to comprehend it (but eventually he does...gives ME hope...), as you can tell by the questions he asks. But I still commend him for asking the questions. Jesus replies to Nicodemus, and I will put this in my vernacular, "Man, you are a teacher of religion at the University of Israel, and you don't understand these things?" And then in today's passage, when Nick asks Jesus "How can these things be?" in other words, "How is this possible?" Jesus says, "Man I am standing right in front of you and telling you the truth...but if I tell you things about the physical world and you don't believe, how are you going to believe if I tell you things of heaven, spiritual things?" And Jesus tells Nicodemus of His crucifixion, His death, and His resurrection. That is what that reference to Moses lifting up the serpent is.
In the book of Numbers, in chapter 21, we find the story of the people of Israel on their way to the Promised Land. They are being led by Moses. And they are going around the land of Edom, since the king would not let them pass through. But on that long journey, they begin to murmur and complain against God, and against Moses. This could be interpreted, that they began to complain about Moses, and in so doing, were complaining against God. "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To let us die? There is no food nor bread, and we can't stand this worthless bread." They were speaking of the manna that the Lord miraculously supplied to them from heaven every day. So God caused serpents to come among them and bite them and they would die. But God told Moses to make a serpent and put it on a pole, and whoever looks upon it will live. It is a picture of the crucifixion of Christ. Nicodemus understood the picture. He was a religious teacher of the land.
Beloved, as we go through this day, let us look upon the One who was raised up so that we may look upon Him and live! Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for your sins and for my sins; for the sins of the world. Don't let the minor things that bite and snap at our heals discourage us and get us down. Jesus says that whoever...doesn't matter who you are or what you have done, or where you have been, if you look upon Him, and believes in Him, you will not perish eternally, but will have eternal life. Because God didn't send Jesus here to condemn the world. But that the world through Him would be saved. Jesus came to save us. We cannot save ourselves. Oprah cannot save us. Only Jesus can save us. Jesus is the way to heaven. Nicodemus came to Jesus to find out for himself how he could inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus told him to believe in Him, to believe in the work that He would be doing on the cross: healing those bitten by sin and this world. Shalom.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Nick At Night
"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.' 3 Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' 4 Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?' 5 Jesus answer, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I say to you, "You must be born again." 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.'"
John 3:1-8
A leader, a ruler, a religious leader of the Jews, a Pharisee, comes to see Jesus at night, to inquire of Jesus, about what His purpose is, and to find out for himself what he must do personally to inherit the kingdom of God. I believe that Nicodemus should be commended for his willing to come to Jesus himself to find out the truth. What seems to bother most, is that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, because he didn't want to be found out. Although it is not the major issue here, in my humble opinion, but nevertheless it remains an issue. It seems to me, that people for all time, as far back as Nicodemus until where we are today, have wanted a gospel, a way to heaven, that doesn't cost them anything; a gospel that doesn't require people to leave the comfort of the world they know, to follow Jesus Christ. Please don't get me wrong. I am not advocating that we all grab a bullhorn and head for the nearest busy intersection and start condemning all the drivers and passengers in the cars that pass. I heard a quote from Alistair Begg, which says, "Where did we get a Christianity where Jesus does all the dying? Where did we get a Christianity where Jesus is the only one who bears a cross? Where did we get a Christianity where Jesus is the only one who wears a crown? Certainly not from the New Testament." And that is so true. We here in North American Christianity try to live a sacrificial life for Jesus, but we have forgotten one thing: the sacrifice. The apostle Paul tells us that we are the sacrifice (Romans 12:1). As I read books about the latest "wind" that is blowing through the church, the Emergent Church, or the emerging church (which for this discussion we will consider synonymous, although we acknowledge that there are some differences), I am further convinced that we live in the age of 2 Timothy 4:3-4, where people cannot endure sound doctrine, but gather to teachers who preach what their itching ears want to hear. I have encountered this many times in the short time I have been a pastor. People not wanting to be open to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, but rather wanting not to do the difficult thing. I believe there is a term for it. It is called "avoidance." Choose to do the easy thing, even if it isn't right, rather than do the right thing, which might be difficult and require something from me. As I hear reports about and from believers around the globe, in other nations and lands, I am not sure if it is a characteristic of human beings, or just North American Christians. There is only one way to heaven. And it is by and through the blood of Jesus Christ.
What I believe to be commendable in this episode we are studying, is that Nicodemus came to investigate the claims for himself. He didn't rely on someone else to tell him about it. He investigated it himself. And he went right to the source (is it sacrilege to say "horse's mouth?" Forgive me, Lord, for even thinking that). And that is what we must do. We must pick up that Bible from the bookshelf or wherever the last place we can remember seeing it, dust it off - and here comes the hard part - open it and begin reading it. We need to get to know who Jesus really is and learn more about Him, and His Word. I believe that there is a severe shortage in the church today, of knowledge of the Word. I don't know if this is still the way that bank tellers are trained to spot counterfeit dollar bills anymore, but they used to study and study and study the real thing. They were so familiar with the real thing, that when something other than the real thing came by, it stood out to them. That is the way we need to be with the Word. We need to be so familiar with the Word, that when the false teaching comes along, or someone tries to make a theology by taking a verse out of context, we will know it. Beloved, Nicodemus searched out the truth for himself. Let us do the same thing. Amen? Amen.
John 3:1-8
A leader, a ruler, a religious leader of the Jews, a Pharisee, comes to see Jesus at night, to inquire of Jesus, about what His purpose is, and to find out for himself what he must do personally to inherit the kingdom of God. I believe that Nicodemus should be commended for his willing to come to Jesus himself to find out the truth. What seems to bother most, is that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, because he didn't want to be found out. Although it is not the major issue here, in my humble opinion, but nevertheless it remains an issue. It seems to me, that people for all time, as far back as Nicodemus until where we are today, have wanted a gospel, a way to heaven, that doesn't cost them anything; a gospel that doesn't require people to leave the comfort of the world they know, to follow Jesus Christ. Please don't get me wrong. I am not advocating that we all grab a bullhorn and head for the nearest busy intersection and start condemning all the drivers and passengers in the cars that pass. I heard a quote from Alistair Begg, which says, "Where did we get a Christianity where Jesus does all the dying? Where did we get a Christianity where Jesus is the only one who bears a cross? Where did we get a Christianity where Jesus is the only one who wears a crown? Certainly not from the New Testament." And that is so true. We here in North American Christianity try to live a sacrificial life for Jesus, but we have forgotten one thing: the sacrifice. The apostle Paul tells us that we are the sacrifice (Romans 12:1). As I read books about the latest "wind" that is blowing through the church, the Emergent Church, or the emerging church (which for this discussion we will consider synonymous, although we acknowledge that there are some differences), I am further convinced that we live in the age of 2 Timothy 4:3-4, where people cannot endure sound doctrine, but gather to teachers who preach what their itching ears want to hear. I have encountered this many times in the short time I have been a pastor. People not wanting to be open to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, but rather wanting not to do the difficult thing. I believe there is a term for it. It is called "avoidance." Choose to do the easy thing, even if it isn't right, rather than do the right thing, which might be difficult and require something from me. As I hear reports about and from believers around the globe, in other nations and lands, I am not sure if it is a characteristic of human beings, or just North American Christians. There is only one way to heaven. And it is by and through the blood of Jesus Christ.
What I believe to be commendable in this episode we are studying, is that Nicodemus came to investigate the claims for himself. He didn't rely on someone else to tell him about it. He investigated it himself. And he went right to the source (is it sacrilege to say "horse's mouth?" Forgive me, Lord, for even thinking that). And that is what we must do. We must pick up that Bible from the bookshelf or wherever the last place we can remember seeing it, dust it off - and here comes the hard part - open it and begin reading it. We need to get to know who Jesus really is and learn more about Him, and His Word. I believe that there is a severe shortage in the church today, of knowledge of the Word. I don't know if this is still the way that bank tellers are trained to spot counterfeit dollar bills anymore, but they used to study and study and study the real thing. They were so familiar with the real thing, that when something other than the real thing came by, it stood out to them. That is the way we need to be with the Word. We need to be so familiar with the Word, that when the false teaching comes along, or someone tries to make a theology by taking a verse out of context, we will know it. Beloved, Nicodemus searched out the truth for himself. Let us do the same thing. Amen? Amen.
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