Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - "Your greatest need is not more knowledge but new life — and new life comes only by looking to the lifted-up Son."

Big Idea - This passage ends with the words "This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him." It raises two very important questions that are highly relevant to us. First, how did turning water into wine reveal God's glory in Jesus? And secondly, what does it mean that it resulted in the disciples believing in Him? Didn't they already believe? We often use the term 'believing in Jesus' to mean that we got saved. We describe our conversion as putting our faith in Christ, and so we were saved. This is not wrong, but this is not the way John uses the phrase. His audience is primarily Greek-speaking Jewish Christians who lived throughout the Roman Empire, not in Judea. But John writes, "but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). John implies that believing is not just a one-time thing, or only something we do to get saved. Believing in Jesus and having life in His name are both things that Christians need to grow in. But how does this passage help us believe and have life in His name? In this story, Jesus rescues a wedding on the verge of disaster. To save the wedding, He must sacrifice religious ritual, but Jesus chooses celebration over ceremony, and the bridegroom's honor over tradition. Jesus also performs a miracle similar to Moses turning the Nile into blood. This miracle is spectacular in both quantity and quality. On one level, it was a very kind act to prevent what would have been a shameful and very unpleasant ending to what should have been a joyful event. But it was more than that. John tells us it wasn't just a miracle or a rescue operation, it was a sign. That means that it was more than just an act of kindness to help out a friend. It is a message, a prophetic object lesson to teach reveal to us something about His glory. This sign reveals that 1) The messianic age has arrived, 2) Jesus is replacing the old with the new, 3) The new is essentially the joy of a wedding, 4) God saves the best for last, and 5) The coming hour

Big Idea - Question: Who is the one that John came to announce, and why does it matter that we know Him? Answer: Jesus is the Son of God — one so much higher than any human messenger, whose ministry is so much greater than anything that came before. John was merely the forerunner, but the King he announced is the Lamb of God who takes away sin, the revelation of God to humanity, and the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, uniting our very souls with God. The real question is not "Who are you?" but "Who is He?" — and once you have truly seen Him, that seeing changes you permanently and compels you to bear witness.

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - Why does the King who hid now choose to be seen? Because He came not to reign but to die — and He must die as a rejected King, not a misunderstood teacher. The cross only means what it means if the One hanging on it is the rightful King. And that forces a decision on every one of us: Will we reduce Jesus to a teacher whose words we can take or leave, or will we surrender to the only King who uses all His power not to take from us, but to give everything for us?

Big Idea - What does it mean that the Word became flesh — and why does it matter for us? In Jesus, God didn't just visit from a distance — He moved in. The eternal, all-powerful Creator took on full humanity and tabernacled among us so that we could finally see God's glory: not a display of terrifying power, but the overwhelming reality of His gracious love and covenant faithfulness. And through the cross, He resolved the great tension of how a holy God can forgive the guilty while still upholding justice — by taking the punishment Himself. Now, through His Spirit dwelling in us, we don't see less of God's glory than the first disciples did — we see more, with unveiled faces, being transformed by what we see.

Getting John the Baptist right v.6-8 The True Light v.9-11 Reject or Receive him? The right to become children of God v.12-13

Big Idea - In order to really understand what someone has written, you need to know their purpose in writing. Normally, people will give you some idea of their purpose at the beginning of the book. But, John gives us his purpose in writing at the end of the book - John 20:30–31 (ESV) — 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. At first glance, it could sound like Jesus is writing to people who don't know anything about Jesus, unbelievers, so that they can be saved. But he is actually writing to Christians, the majority of whom were believing Jews. He is most likely writing after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and many of these Jewish Christians were scattered all over the Roman Empire. They gathered together with other believers in small Churches, but they also felt a deep connection to their Jewish roots, and many still gathered in the local Synagogue. They did not see their faith in Jesus as anti-Jewish or as something that required them to separate themselves from their Jewish roots. They believed Jesus was the Jewish Messiah and the fulfillment of all that was taught in the Old Testament. Therefore, they saw themselves as the true Israelites, walking in the true and complete Judaism. But they were increasingly coming under attack and persecution from Jewish Rabbis and leaders. These leaders rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and they were accusing the Jewish Christians of heresy. The Jewish believers claimed that Jesus was not only the Messiah but also God. But the Jewish Rabbis said that this was in direct violation of the Shema, which was at the very center of the Jewish understanding of God - Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV) — 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." How could the Jewish Christians be faithful to the revelation of God in the Old Testament, and worship two Gods, the God of the Old Testament, and also Jesus as God? So, when John says his purpose is that they would "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," he is writing to Christians who need to stand firm in the right understanding of who Jesus is, that He is the true Messiah and savior of Israel and all who will believe. He is seeking to strengthen their faith by deepening their understanding of who Jesus really is. Even though we are not facing the same attacks or may not be wrestling with the same theological problems, the Gospel of John can be of great benefit to us, because the foundation of all our faith is a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, and to know Him fully as the Messiah, Son of God. John wastes no time telling us exactly who Jesus is. In the prologue of his Gospel, he makes one of the most profound and direct statements in all of the Bible, that Jesus is indeed the Messiah of the Old Testament, and the very Son of God who came to earth and took on human flesh. But what exactly does all that mean? Do we really understand what it means for Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God? What exactly was Jesus claiming to be when He said He was the Son of God? We will examine what it means, and then look at why it matters to us. First, what does it mean - The Christ, the Son of God? 1) He is God and God is One 2) He is God and He is not alone, 3) He made everything, 4) He is life, 5) He is light. Second, why does it matter to me? 1) Our faith is built on a solid and ancient foundation, 2) We were made for relationship with Him, 3) He is our life, and that life is life eternal in Him, 4) There is darkness, which is blind to the truth, and resistant to the Gospel, but the darkness cannot defeat the light, instead the light defeats the darkness.

Big Idea - The stories we tell ourselves determine how we face our present circumstances, and it can actually shape what our future will be. That is because the way we tell our story defines the kind of story we are actually living out day by day. So, we need to make sure we are living in the right story by repeating the right narrative, the right storyline. What storyline are you telling yourself? If it is not the right storyline, how can you change it? 1. What story are we in? First, how do we view our history? There are only two options - a redemption narrative or a broken narrative. Second, our view of the past conditions or trains us for how we see the present. Third, the narrative we are living in now shapes the rest of the story to the extent that it determines the very outcome of our future. 2. How can we change our story? But first we need to see why our broken narratives have such a firm hold on us - we don't trust God, but even worse, we don't really want God. Second, we need to see how God will redeem everything, but this doesn't mean He will protect us from everything. Third, we need to admit that our story is way too small, and the only way it can be big enough is if it is no longer about me, but about God.

Big Idea - Joshua is coming to the end of his life, and on two occasions, he gathers the people to challenge them to keep trusting God and following Him. He wants to encourage them, but also to warn them what will happen if they turn away from following God. Sis desire is to see the people continue in the right direction after he has gone. How do you make sure people keep following God when you aren't around to lead them on the right path? Ultimately, we are all in the business of preparing people to continue on without us - Parents sending kids off to college, turning our ministry over to the next leader or next generation, transitioning out of your position and leaving it in the hands of a new person/leader, even Jesus had to hand everything over to 12 men who had just deserted Him at the cross! We all have to pass the baton at some point. Are we preparing people for our departure? What can we do or say to prepare the next generation to carry the baton to the finish? What does it look like to finish well by preparing others to run to the end and finish well? Joshua leaves the leaders with three important truths to live by. To stress their vital importance for all of life, he tells them three times. But we will take them one by one. First, focus your attention on what God has done for you. Second, stay on the right path by staying close to God. Third, trust in God alone, for He alone is trustworthy. Do this, and things will go well; if you fail to do this, things will go terribly wrong.

Big Idea - How do you make sure a blessing stays a blessing? After over four hundred years, the children of Abraham are finally receiving the land promised to Abraham. It is described as a land flowing with milk and honey, which was a picture of a land that truly was blessed with good things in abundance! Joshua and the people have now experienced two complete victories, and there is much to celebrate. Now, they travel some distance to Mt. Gerizim to announce the blessings and curses of their covenant with God in a dramatic ceremony. The point of all this is that the Promised Land would only be a blessing if they remained faithful to the covenant; if they did not keep the covenant, it would be a land of curse, and there was the risk of losing the land altogether. God's gifts are intended to be a tremendous blessing, but God's gifts can turn into a curse if we are not careful! The land was a wonderful gift, but the real blessing was God Himself, and not just the land they could call home. We live under a new covenant in Christ, but we need to keep in mind the same lesson taught here. The gifts of God are a blessing only if we are faithful to Him. How do we make sure we do not miss the blessing of the blessing? First, we must come to the altar of worship where we celebrate God's gift of atonement and forgiveness, and through that we enjoy true fellowship with Him and live life in His presence. Second, we are to walk in obedience to His commands. This does not mean doing good works to earn His blessing. Nor is it a matter of doing the right things, so that God will give you all the things you want or need. Instead, the idea is that God has blessed them ultimately with a life with Him. He is the greatest blessing of all. The commands are given to show how they can walk with God and enjoy Him in uninterrupted fellowship. In short, how to love Him, and as they love Him, how to then love each other. That is the greatest blessing of all, and without Him all the treasures of the world can only be a curse. Thirdly, we must trust in the Lord alone as the one and only God who is the source of all things and who alone can give us true joy and blessing. The covenant was based on God's promises and the people's faithfulness to follow the covenant conditions. Who would not want all these blessings, and who would choose the curses? And yet, Israel chose the curses by turning away from God over and over until they lost the promised land and suffered all the curses spelled out here! Why would they do that? Only two explanations are possible. One is that they were stupid. Or, they didn't really believe God was enough. They were not lacking intelligence, but they were lacking faith. In practice, they thought that God was one source of blessing, but not the only source. They came to believe that they were missing out on blessings, protection, and good things that other gods could give them, that the God of Abraham could not. So, they worshipped Yahweh, Baal, and any number of other gods. But the God of all creation is the God of every good and perfect gift. He is God alone, and everything ultimately comes from Him, good and bad! We live under a new covenant in Christ. And under the new covenant, every blessing comes to us because Jesus kept the commands perfectly. And all of our failures, rebellion, and sin that brings on us the curse of death, Jesus Himself bore on the cross. So, in Christ, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. There is no condemnation, no curse under the new covenant. But that does not mean that it is impossible for us to miss out on the blessing of the blessings. All of God's good gifts in our lives will cease to be a blessing to us when we love the gifts of God more than we love the gift-giver, when we trust in God's gifts to bring us joy rather than God Himself, when we fail to see that the only true blessing is life with God, and substitute anything else in His place by thinking that we will only be truly happy when we have God and anything else. The secret to a life where we can truly enjoy all the blessings of God is when we love and enjoy God above all else, and trust in Him as the only source of all that we need to live and be happy.

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - This passage makes the point that Mary was blessed. Some in the Church have taken this to mean that Mary was more blessed than any woman who ever lived, but that is not quite what it says. But she was extremely blessed, to be sure. It was an incredible privilege to be chosen as the one who would bring Jesus, the incarnate Son of God into the world. Her unique place as the mother of Jesus has been taken to great extremes by the Catholic Church, but not without reason. Cyril of Alexandria argued for the important doctrine of the unity of Jesus' divine and human natures by claiming rightly that Mary was the Theotokos, the God-bearer or Mother of God. But what does this passage actually say about what it means to be blessed? Luke shines a spotlight on Mary here, but what is he seeking to highlight by shining the light on Mary? It is important to see that Luke is shining a spotlight on Mary in order to hold her up as an example that we all can follow! In other words, being greatly blessed is something that is available to anyone, not just Mary! So what is it about Mary that made her so blessed, and how can we have the same kind of blessed life? First, Mary was blessed most of all, not so much because she was the mother of Jesus, as great as that was, but more importantly, because of her faith. She simply believed that God would accomplish exactly what He said He would do. This is what makes her life most remarkable and an example to follow. And this is not just Luke's take on things, or even Elizabeth's opinion. It is a prophetic word from God given to Elizabeth through the Holy Spirit. Her life, and indeed the whole world, was blessed because of who this child is, but she was chosen by God for this job because she was a woman of faith. There is absolutely nothing more important in the Christian life than to believe that God is who He says He is and is going to do what He says He will do. This is the first and most fundamental requirement for a blessed life! And, as it turns out, it is easier said than done. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary stands in sharp contrast to Zechariah, who does not believe God will do what He says! So, we need this kind of faith! But anyone who has tried to increase the measure of their faith knows that it is not as simple as dialing it up, like turning up the heat in your oven. In fact, trying to increase your faith by just trying harder to believe doesn't work. What can we do then to increase our faith? We learn a great deal about Mary from her song of praise. What we can learn is the kind of life where faith grows and thrives. Faith is like a seed planted in the soil. The seed grows all on its own, but in order to grow, it has to be in the right kind of soil. Mary's life was the right kind of soil where faith could grow and flourish. We cannot control how the seed grows, but we can do something about the soil where it is planted! Here is what we can learn from Mary about preparing the soil of our hearts to be a place where faith thrives. First, faith thrives in a heart full of worship. What is worship? Mary shows us that worship is seeing the greatness and majesty of God. Worship is also finding our greatest joy and delight in God because He is the one who saves or rescues us. One reason that we lack faith is that we worship the wrong things. We look to the things of this world to save us and to make us happy. In fact, most people define a blessed life in terms of material possessions and earthly prosperity! But faith grows in a heart that finds its greatest joy and happiness in God alone! Secondly, faith cannot grow anywhere but in the soil of humility. Mary was humble. She knew who she was, a person of the lowest status and position. The reason this is an essential requirement is that faith is ultimately trusting in God alone to work, based on His gracious love, not based on my goodness or merit. Mary declares that God had done great things for her, even though she was nothing. She rightly calls this God's mercy. As long as we think we have any right to God's help or His saving power, we will be trusting in ourselves, and not in God's grace and kindness that is undeserved and based on His goodness alone. As soon as we fail, mess up, or fall short, we will begin to doubt God's promises, because we think He will keep His promises because we need to earn them. Thirdly, faith grows in the heart of those who fear God. Mary is now looking beyond herself, and she is proclaiming that the blessed life belongs to all those who, like her, "fear Him." But what exactly is the fear of the Lord? This young maiden, who scholars often look down on as uneducated and unwise, because she is young and poor, gives us one of the clearest and most profound pictures of the fear of the Lord in all of Scripture. She says that the fear of the Lord is seeing God's great power at work to do two things at once. First, it is His power to bring down the powerful. The powerful are described as those who are proud in their own thoughts, mighty because of the positions of authority, and rich. In a word, it is those who think they are in control of themselves and often of the whole world because they know what is best, and they have the positions of power and the resources to do what they think is best, at least for themselves. It is the very opposite of what Mary is, a humble servant who trusts in God to save her. Instead, these are the people who trust in themselves to save themselves. But God, with the strength of His arm, will bring them to nothing. He will scatter their proud thinking, He will remove them from their positions of power, and He will send them away empty, with nothing to satisfy their hunger. In the end, they will find out who is really in control, and it is not them. What is more, they will find out that they cannot save themselves. But the fear of God is rooted in the power of God, which is doing something else at the same time. He is also doing great things by showing mercy to the humble. He is lifting up and exalting those who are nothing. He is filling those who are hungry. And most importantly of all, He is helping His servant Israel by keeping the promise He made to Abraham. In a word, God is helping those who are not in control, and who are not trying to save themselves, but are seeking God's mercy. What does it mean, then, to fear the Lord? It ultimately means to know that we are not in control; He is, and we cannot control Him. It is the lack of control that is at the heart of every fear. And of course, when we are in control, we do not need faith, for faith is trusting someone else to be in control. This is probably the single most significant step toward faith when we come to accept that we are not in control. The pride of our own thinking, our confidence in our positions of power, and our trust in our own resources and wealth to save us and fix ourselves may give us the illusion that we are in control, but we are not. And God, who is in control, will bring to nothing everyone who trusts in themselves! But He will lift up and exalt everyone who humbly trusts in Him for mercy. Mary believed that God would accomplish what He said, but that was not only that she would give birth to the Messiah, even though she was a virgin. It also meant that she believed that God would fulfill His promise to Abraham through this child. When God made a covenant with Abraham, He told Abraham to cut in half several animals and walk between them. The idea was that if Abraham failed to keep his end of the bargain, he would be cut in pieces like those animals. But when it came time to walk between the animals, God walked between them. Which meant that if Abraham failed to keep the covenant, God Himself would pay the price! The child being born to Mary was coming to fulfill the covenant which had already been broken so many times that it was beyond counting. He was coming as the only man who ever truly kept the covenant, but more than that, He was coming as the Son of God to be torn in two, and by His death to pay the great price for breaking the covenant, so that those who trust in God may be restored to covenant relationship with Him!

Advent

Big Idea - The people of Israel had met with a great defeat at Ai, but God revealed it was because they had broken faith and had taken some of the things devoted to destruction. That sin had been dealt with, so now they get a second chance. God speaks to Joshua, "Do not fear and do not be dismayed." One of the natural results of failure and defeat is that we lose courage, and we are tempted to give up. Our faith is shaken, and we may feel stuck, unable to move forward, fearing that we will only fail again. As followers of Christ, we are fighting different battles than Joshua and Israel, but we are fighting battles nonetheless, and they are just as serious and the need for victory just as significant and vital to our survival. Like Israel, sin can creep into our lives, and the result is that we meet with significant failure and disappointment. The immediate consequences may not be as great, but the spiritual consequences are every bit as damaging and real. It can result in a spirit of fear and dismay that robs us of faith and leaves us feeling like giving up because we have come to believe that it doesn't work. We settle for a life that is marked with defeat and fails to take possession of all that God has for us. The result is that we never really enter into life in the Kingdom, the life with Christ and all its blessings and all the victories that God has promised us! But this will not do. God comes to us and proclaims, "Do not fear and do not be dismayed!" There always stands before us a second chance to go into battle with the great hope of victory and success. The reason for this confidence is that we do not fight in our own strength but in the power of God. He has guaranteed our success. The Israelites went into battle for the first time in their own strength, without God's help or power, and they failed. They got a second chance, and this time they went in the power of God and gained an incredible and total victory. The big question for us is what they did right the second time to ensure that they fought this battle in the power of God, which was the only way to win? How can we be certain we are fighting our battles and confronting our enemies by the power of God and with the certainty that we will be victorious? First of all, we need to deal decisively with sin through confession and through faith in the perfect work of Christ to remove our sin and guilt. Second, we need to check that we are living for God's purpose and plan and not our own. Our great worry is that God's plans have nothing to do with what we want or need. But this is the great lie of Satan. The truth is, God's plans are ultimately for our greatest good and blessing! The heart of the matter is really about who is in control. Living for myself means I seek my good my own way. But when we submit our lives and plans to the purpose and will of God, we are seeking our own good and best life, but God's way, in God's time, allowing Him to be in charge of everything! Third, if we are truly submitting fully to God's purpose and plan, then we must be diligent to be directed and led by Him. Joshua listened to God, and God spoke to Joshua His plans. God told Joshua what to do, what the results and rewards would be, and He gave him the specific strategy to use to be successful. We do not know how God spoke to Joshua, and that is not really important. The fact is that He did speak to Joshua, and likewise He speaks to us. God speaks to us through His Word, the living Scriptures, through His Holy Spirit living in us, through the counsel of godly people, through circumstances, and in our hearts through our own thinking. God will make His plans and purpose known to us, and He will make it clear. The problem is not so much with God speaking as with our willingness to submit to what He is telling us to do! We will never hear the voice of God until we are fully surrendered to His rule over our lives and committed to following Him no matter what! Fourth, we do our part, walking in obedience and faith, and at the same time keep our eyes firmly fixed on the true source of our power and success. Sometimes God does work supernaturally, apart from anything we do. But more often, God works in us and through us. In other words, sometimes God holds the weapon in His own hand, and we only watch what He does. But other times, we are the weapon in His hand, and He uses our efforts and our labor to accomplish His plan. But there is always a great danger here that we begin to trust in our own strength and abilities rather than understanding that it is the power of God at work, giving us success and victory in what we put our hands to. The Israelites looked to the sword, or javelin of Joshua, as the symbol of God's power at work in their midst. But we look to the cross, fixing our eyes on Jesus, who is the guarantee of God's power at work in us. As this story shows, the cross is a picture of the most humiliating and crushing defeat imaginable. A king, hanging on a tree, is a picture of the most complete and humiliating loss possible. Jesus suffered total defeat on the cross, and Satan, the powers of darkness, and every enemy that hated Him so, gloried in triumph over the King of glory who seemed to flee in defeat before them. Jesus lay buried under a mountain of stone and rock. But then God turned the tide, from His throne in heaven, God stood and stretched out His mighty hand toward the tomb, and Jesus rose victorious over sin and death and the grave! And then Satan, and darkness, and every enemy of man fled in terror before the resurrected King. It is this King who goes before us into battle, and He is the one who guarantees our victory! So, do not fear and do not be dismayed!!

Big Idea - The Israelites had experienced an incredible victory at Jericho. The great takeaway was that even the most impenetrable fortress would fall before them with ease because God would do it. God would make the impossible seem easy! But the next lesson they must learn is that what should have been an easy win would prove impossible if they were not careful. Joshua sent spies to scope out Ai, and they reported that Ai would be an easy win, so they only needed to send a small army. But when they went, they were easily defeated and fled before the enemy, and as a result, 36 men were killed. Joshua and all the people are shocked and dismayed. How could this happen? But the author gives us the reason before the spies are even sent. The people have broken faith with God by taking some of the things dedicated to destruction at Jericho. There is sin in the camp, and until that sin is dealt with, things are not going to go well. As we look at this story, we might find it somewhat troubling. Why should the actions of one man move God to abandon and even punish the entire nation? We might feel that this is just not fair. When Achan is finally caught, he is stoned and burned along with everything that belongs to him. This seems quite extreme, and the punishment is far too severe for his crime, especially given that he willingly confessed to all he had done. What are we to think about these things? How could God hold the entire nation guilty for the sins of one man? Why is this such a big deal? The truth is, we take sin far too lightly and fail to see how truly devastating and far-reaching sin is, and all its consequences. We have become so comfortable with sin, and it is so much of our daily experience that we don't see that it is a very big deal! So the question we want to answer today is, why is sin such a big deal? First, sin is a big deal because it is the root cause of every defeat and every failure in life. There is no such thing as a little sin, because all sin is breaking faith with God. It is a betrayal of God's love and faithfulness. It is idolatry. As a result, the ultimate consequence of sin is that God is no longer with us. We lose His active presence and help. We are defeated because we are on our own. Not only is sin no small thing, but it is also never just a personal problem. That is because we are far more connected to each other than we realize. The consequences of sin not only affect us, but its ripple effects touch the lives of all those around us. We are in this together. Life is a group project, and our families, our workplace, our Church community are all impacted when we choose sin. Like it or not, what we are, we are collectively, not just individually. So then, sin is a big deal, and it is what is wrong with the world. Society is messed up because the individual sins of everyone affect us all. Therefore, we are to be in the world but not of the world. But, for us, the problem comes when there is sin in the camp, that is, in the Church. Just as Joshua had to deal with sin in the camp, so we must deal with sin in the Church. But, how do we know if there is sin in the camp? How do we diagnose the problem when we meet with a devastating failure? Only God can diagnose the problem, and He will reveal it to us when we earnestly and humbly fall before Him in prayer. Joshua's prayer is both honest and concerned about God's honor and glory among the nations. God is quick to respond to this kind of prayer, and He reveals the root problem. Not only that, but God also reveals the cure. Joshua and the people must confront the sin and deal with it. Someone has kept the things dedicated for destruction, and now all Israel has been dedicated to destruction as a result. They must give the dedicated things to God, and the one who took them is now under the same curse as the Canaanites, and he must be devoted to destruction. In dramatic fashion, Achan is caught in his sin. Nothing is hidden from God, and in time every sin will be revealed. There are no secret sins, and when the judge comes, all will be brought into the light! Joshua demands that Achan give glory to God by confessing his sin. Confession is the first step to making things right, because we agree with God, and it brings Him glory and praise. But confession is not enough. Achan is still under the curse of guilt, and as a result, he has now become a thing devoted to destruction. But, just as the sin of one man brought guilt upon all the people, so also, by devoting him to destruction, all the people were made right with God. Indeed, the wages of sin is death. Who among us can stand before God without guilt? Nothing is hidden, and one day God will bring everything out into the light. How can any of us stand before God? If this story teaches us anything, it is that sin is a big deal because God is absolutely holy and sin is breaking faith with Him. It is the greatest betrayal of His love and kindness toward us when we delight in things instead of delighting in Him. When we love anything and everything else, rather than loving Him, that is why it is such a big deal. It is personal, and it is against the very person of God who made us and loved us. When we love what is devoted to destruction, instead of loving God, we come under a curse and are devoted to destruction. We must pay with our very life, to be burned in the fire, the eternal fire of hell. A flame that is never quenched or extinguished. How are we to escape such a terrible judgment? Praise God that Jesus was cursed on our behalf. He was devoted to destruction, even though He was the only one who never sinned and never stopped loving God. But, just as death and destruction entered the world through one man, so the gift of life came through Jesus, so that as many as believe in Him should never perish but have eternal life. So, give glory to God by confessing your sin! Unlike Achan, if we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, by the blood of Jesus! Confession is one of the most neglected ways to praise God. But, Oh, it is indeed praise when we admit our failures, when we acknowledge our failure to love Him with our whole being, and that we have loved the wrong things, and we are filled with great remorse and agony that by these things we have betrayed Him. But then the joy and even greater glory we give to God, when we see what Jesus has done to take the curse of our sin upon Himself, to pay the penalty for our guilt, so that we could be at peace with God!

Big Idea - What is the first thing you do when you achieve your greatest goals? A while back, there was a Super Bowl campaign that asked players, "You are the Champions, what are you going to do next?" And the famous reply, "I am going to Disney World!" In other words, you have finally made it, you achieved your ultimate goal, so now you are living a different kind of life, the life of a champion, so what are you going to do with it?" This is precisely what is happening in chapter five of Joshua. It is as if someone is asking them, "God just brought you into the Promised Land, you have made it! What are you going to do next?" But the answer is not "I am going to Disney World!" But it is very significant to see what they did first when they finally made it! The first thing you do when you finally accomplish your greatest goals and achievements is significant. The people of Israel have entered into a whole new reality; you could say they have entered into a new life. And the question is, what are you going to do with it? This is very relevant for us, because the entire message of the Gospel is that we have been saved from death and have been given new life in Christ. We now live in a completely new reality, a very different kind of life. So what are you going to do with it? The first thing God commands Joshua to do is to circumcise all the males in Israel. That is no Disney Land! The reason this was necessary was that the entire generation born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. Circumcision was given as the sign or mark of the covenant. They were to be physically marked with this sign that they had entered into a covenant relationship with God. But what was it a sign of? It was a sign that they belonged to God; they were His own people and possession. Therefore, they were to love him, trust Him, and serve Him with their whole heart. So, circumcision was an outward sign of an inward reality - a heart that was not stubborn and hard, but one that was tender and obedient. So, why hadn't they done this before? Why wait until they enter the Promised Land? Shouldn't it have been a requirement to enter? The great lesson here is that God brought them into the Land apart from anything they had done or could do; it was all by grace. Entering into the new life was entirely a work of God by His hand alone. But, the result of entering into this new life is that for the first time, it is possible to live the life of obedience God had called them to. This was impossible when they were wandering in the wilderness, but now that they have come home, they can do all that God commanded them to do. That was the great purpose of the Promised Land! Living the life of holiness and obedience that God had called them to was impossible when they were captives and foreigners. But now that they are home, they can live a very different kind of life. We are marked by a sign, not of circumcision but Baptism. It is not something we do to be saved, but it is a mark of what God has done to save us and bring us into a covenant relationship with Him. But the sign only means something if it is an outward mark of an inward reality - a heart that loves, trusts, and serves God because He has given us new life! The second thing they do is to celebrate the Passover. In God's perfect timing and plan, He brought them into the Promised Land at the exact time to observe Passover, which was to be observed on the fourteenth day of the first month. This is not just a coincidence; it is God's design to show the vital link between His saving work of bringing them out of Egypt and His saving work of bringing them into the Promised Land. They were saved from God's judgment resulting in death by shedding the blood of a lamb and painting the blood on their doorpost. The result of being spared from death and judgment was that, first, they were set free from slavery in Egypt, but it was just the beginning. The following significant result of this saving work was that they entered into a new life with God. This was supposed to be a smooth and uninterrupted progression - saved from death, set free from slavery, and entering into their new life of worship and service to God. But the process was derailed by their lack of faith, leading to disobedience and God's discipline. They went on a 38-year detour while God disciplined them for their lack of faith. But discipline is not judgment; it is God's way of training us and growing us up in faith. God did not reject them, and He never stopped caring for them, as we see in the provision of manna for all the years of wandering in the wilderness. But God's care in times of discipline is not the same as the blessing of the new life! Now that they have entered the new life He had promised all along, the blessings flow, and the temporary provision stops. God's saving work is to bring us out of death, out of slavery to sin, and into new life with Christ. It is on the one hand all a work of God by the blood of Jesus, our Passover Lamb. But it also requires faith on our part. The failure of faith will result in a significant detour, the discipline of God. How many times are we wandering in the wilderness, coming short of walking in the new life and all its blessings, because we do not believe God and His faithfulness to keep all His promises! We think the manna is His blessing, and rest content in His care and feel that is enough. We must never be content with that! God has so much more if we will only come to Him full of faith to enter into the new life and all its blessings! But what is this new life? We have talked a lot about the blessings of this new life, but what exactly are they? We want the blessings of the new life to be a better life, as we define it —or as the world defines it. A life of wealth, comfort, ease, and peace. But this is not real blessing. These things are only cheap counterfeits of something much greater! Joshua learns about this life through his encounter with the commander of the Lord's army. He sees a stranger holding a sword, a soldier, and Joshua wants to know whose team he is on. But, he replies that he is not on either team, but he is the commander of the Lord's army. The word commander is one who is the top-ranking commander of the army, but not the king. He serves God, who is The King, and he is not on anyone's side, because God does not take sides. The real question is who is on His side! He is not on our team, but He invites us to be on His team! He si here to carry out the will of God, not the will of men. But, it is God's purpose and will to conquer the land of Canaan and all its kings and give it to Israel. Joshua bows in submission and worship to this superior one, as we should all do. We bow before God and surrender to His plan, not ask God to accomplish our will! The commander responds to Joshua, "I have come." Which means, I am here to go before you and conquer, but even more, I am here to walk with you in every battle! Who is this commander? Is it an angel or is it the Angel of the Lord, that is God in the person of Christ? There is debate, but what is essential for our purposes is that it is One worthy of worship, but less than the King. It is God, but not God on the throne. It is not God in heaven but God with us. I believe it is a picture of the Holy Spirit, who is not the king on the throne (Jesus) but one who comes in all His authority and who brings His very presence into our lives. This is what the blessing of the new life is, ultimately - living life in the very direct presence of God! The land was a blessing, but only because it made life in God's presence possible. How could the land do this? The answer is in the next phrase - "Take off your shoes for you are on holy ground." God is holy, meaning there is nothing common, ordinary, or earthly about Him. His being is on another plane, one of perfection, transcendence, and infinite glory. He is above us in every way and infinitely greater than us. He created us for fellowship with Him, to be His friends who walk with Him as brothers, but sin has ruined all of that. We are now unholy, corrupt, sinful, and in every way unworthy of being in His presence. His holiness is a fire that would consume us completely because of our sin. But here we see that God has come, and His presence makes all the land where His foot treads, holy ground. To this day, it is called the holy land, the land where the very presence of God dwells. Joshua was to remove his sandals. It is a picture of entering into the presence of God and His holiness, by casting off all that is of this world and contaminated by sin. OF course, taking off your shoes could not make you truly holy, but it was a picture of what Jesus alone could do for us. We have been made holy by the blood of Jesus. And we are to make ourselves holy by putting off the old, putting off sin, and putting on the righteousness of Christ. This is what it means to live the new life, a life of all the blessings of God. The blessing is God himself; it is life as the friend of God! Not because we have brought God down to our earthly level but because God has raised us up into His holy temple, where we can walk with Him in the deep fellowship of love, worship, and service!

Big Idea - We are called to be disciples of Jesus. What does that mean? It means to be a follower. Jesus leads us, directs our steps, and ultimately is our Lord, our master who rules over us, not for our harm but for our ultimate good, for salvation! This is what it means to be a Christian. But this often leads us to a great misunderstanding about the Christian life. We think that if we follow Jesus, and He is leading us for our ultimate good and for our salvation, then certainly God is leading us in the way that avoids all problems, trouble, and obstacles. We believe that if we are truly following Jesus, things will be easier, and life will go smoothly. But the book of Joshua shows us that this is a great misunderstanding about how God works and what it means to follow Him. In fact, it shows us that following God and walking in His way means walking in the path of obstacles and trouble. If we are following God, we can be certain that He will not only lead us to hard things, but He will, in fact, lead us to impossible things. But, if God loves us, and cares for us, and is seeking our good, then why does He lead us in the path of impossible obstacles? What is His purpose in bringing such trouble and hardship into our lives? The first thing we learn from Joshua and the Israelites is that the only way to be in a right relationship with God is to be in a relationship of follow the leader. God comes to us and meets us. He enters into a covenant relationship with us for the single purpose of leading us. Specifically, He leads us out of slavery, sin, and death, and He is leading us into all His promises of blessing, new life, abundant life, peace, and rest. In short, He is leading us home. He does not lead from a distance, but He leads us personally by living in our midst and by walking with us! Our part then, in this covenant relationship, is to follow wherever He leads. To know God and to put our faith in Him means nothing less than following Him wherever He takes us. We follow Him by turning away from our own path, from control over our own lives. We submit to Him, walk in humility (dependence upon Him), and faith, expecting Him to do wonders! The second thing we see clearly is that God does not lead us away from trouble and obstacles, but He leads us to them, on purpose! This is the way you shall go, or walk. That is, following God is walking on the path of the impossible. God leads us, not only to things that are uncomfortable or inconvenient, but also to things that are impossible for us to overcome or solve on our own. This is not because there are no easier ways to go. He could lead us on a smooth, easy path, but that is not the way we should walk into His promises. It is the way that is necessary. It is the way we must walk if we are to enter into His promises. But why is this the only way? What is His purpose in leading us into a life of trouble and problems? Many of our hardships are the result of our own sin and lack of faith. It is because our faith is weak that we need to encounter the impossible. But if our faith is weak, how can running into overwhelming and impossible problems be helpful? Because it is through these that we come to know and experience that the living God is among us and that He will not fail! Specifically, God says that they will come to know three things as they are led on the path of the impossible. First, you will know the way you should go, namely, the way of faith. Second, you will have confidence in the One who is leading you (Jesus). And thirdly, you will come to know what the living God is really like so that you can fully trust Him. This is essential because once God delivers you from one impossible situation, there are hundreds more waiting for you! This is the way you must go if you are going to enter into all His promises. Why? Because we can enter into His Kingdom and His blessing only by faith. And we can only grow in faith when we personally experience God doing the impossible! This seems so hard! When you are standing on the brink of your own raging river that seems not only impossible to cross but deadly even to try, how are we not to run away in terror? The only way to cross over the river is to hold tightly to Jesus, who goes into the water before us. He does not stand on the bank of the river and shove us into going through the water on our own. Instead, He steps into the water before us. We follow Him, but that means He goes before us into every trouble, every problem, every difficulty, and He stops the raging river and makes a safe path for us to cross through. He does not lead us away from the impossible, but He always makes a way through it by making the impossible possible. This is nowhere more plain than when Jesus went to the cross before us. Our greatest Jordan, the most impossible thing we will ever face is death. Death is God's ultimate judgment on sin, our rebellion against Him. Our pride, selfishness, and rebellion make us children of wrath. The only way home is across the raging river of God's terrible wrath. But Jesus goes before us. He stepped into the raging river of God's wrath and piled up its terrible destruction upon Himself on the cross, so that we can walk across from death to life, untouched by its terrible destruction. We still must walk the path of suffering and death, but we can walk through it with faith, knowing that He has gone before us and made the way safe to cross to the other side! If He has gone before us through the impossible obstacle of death, then we can walk in faith that He will deliver us through every impossible thing he leads us through!

Big Idea - 1) Did God really mean it? View one: God didn’t command the killing of the Canaanites View two: The commands to “wipe them out” are not to be taken literally 2) Three reasons why God commanded the killing of the Canaanites Possession of the land The protection of Israel It was judgement on a wicked people 3) The “wipe them out” texts and the contemporary mind We’re weak on culture We’re weak on justice and judgment We’re weak on God being different from us: we’ve forgotten that God is not our equal

Big Idea - Why does Joshua send spies into Jericho? Is it to gain strategic military intelligence about weaknesses in the city wall or to know how to overcome their defenses? If that is what he is looking for, the spies fail to provide that information. However, if he is seeking confirmation that God has already given the land to them and that God will grant them success every step of the way, not based on military strategy but on God's promise, then they were very successful. So, this passage is really about faith. Can Joshua and the people of Israel really trust God to keep His promise to them? The answer is a resounding yes, but it comes from the most unlikely of places. Joshua can trust God because a pagan prostitute named Rahab can trust God! How does Rahab teach Joshua and us a lesson on faith? Faith is the certainty that God will do what He said. We see this faith demonstrated remarkably in Rahab. First, we see Rahab’s confession of faith. God has given you the land. It is a done deal! She is certain of the outcome and has no doubt. Second, we see the basis of her conviction. She believes that God is giving the land to Israel based on what He has already done. Only a God who has dominion over all of heaven and earth could do such things; therefore, she is confident He will do what He says. Thirdly, we see the logical conclusion she draws from this certainty, namely that she must switch her allegiance. She changes her loyalty from her country and people to the God of Israel and His cause. The result of all this is that God saves her, and she becomes one of God’s children (not to mention an ancestor of David and therefore Jesus). Her faith is such an extraordinary example; she is mentioned as one of the heroes of the faith in the book of Hebrews and also receives special mention by James. God wants Joshua, all Israel, and us to have this same kind of faith. One who is so confident in the promises of God that it changes our loyalty to God alone. A faith that also changes the way we live! But even more important than the example of Rahab’s faith is the truth about God’s faithfulness. Rahab is held up as an example not because she was a righteous person, but because of her faith in God, who is faithful! The spies promised to deal kindly and faithfully with her, that is, with grace and truth. They could make such an offer, not simply because they were grateful, but because it is the very heart and nature of God! This is the heart and mind of God toward all who trust in Him alone. And this truth is best understood in the context of covenant relationships, where telling the truth is more about keeping a promise than reporting the facts. God is a God of truth, which ultimately means He is faithful to His promises and true to His people.

Big Idea - The book of Joshua begins with the word that "Moses my servant is dead." Moses was the great leader of Israel who had led the people out of slavery in Egypt. So, it was by the hand of Moses that God had saved and redeemed His people. But that was not the end of what God wanted to do for them. He also wanted to give them a very special gift that would be a blessing to them for generations to come. The gift was the land that He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as an inheritance and a home of their very own. Now that Moses was dead, who would lead them into the land of promise? Then we read the words spoken to Joshua, "Now therefore, arise and go over this Jordan into the land I am giving you!" God is now calling Joshua as the one who leads them forward to take possession of the Land of Promise! The book of Joshua is a continuation of the story that began in the Book of Genesis through the Exodus from Egypt and all the wanderings in the desert for 40 years. Now at last, Israel is going to enter into the land they can call home. An important truth that is repeated often throughout the book is that this is a work God will do! God is giving them the land, and He will conquer all the nations that stand in the way of them possessing it. But why do we study the book? We are, for the most part, not of Jewish descent. We have no claim to the land of Promise, and probably no interest in living there! So, what does the book of Joshua have to do with us? Like all of the Old Testament, it has great value to us, not only because it reveals who God is and how He works according to His grace and power. But more significantly, it points to Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of all God's promises. Everything that happened in the Old Testament is only a shadow, or a faint image, of the ultimate promise of God. So, Israel was redeemed from slavery in Egypt by the blood of the firstborn of Egypt, but we are redeemed from slavery to sin and death by the blood of the Son of God! And like Israel, being saved from death in Egypt is not the end! The rest of the story is that God wants us to take full possession of all the gifts and blessings He has promised us! And here is the first great truth or principle that we can learn from this book. Many Christians understand very well what it means to be saved, to be rescued from their own slavery in Egypt. But they know very little about all the other promises and all the gifts that God wasn’t to lead them into take possession of. As a result, they, like Israel, spend much of their Christian life wandering in the desert, saved, yes, but never really living in the Land of Promise, which is their inheritance in Christ! The goal of studying this book is to come to know all that God has promised to give us and to learn how to take possession of all His promises, so that we can daily walk in them. God's instructions to Joshua and Israel in chapter one set us well on our way to understand how to take full possession of all the gifts and blessings God has for us! To put it in New Testament terms, it shows us how to work out our own salvation, because it is God who is at work in us to will and to work according to His good pleasure! First, we need to understand that God has truly given us a gift, an inheritance in Christ. It is a gift that is fully ours, but we still need to take possession of it. It is ours by right, but we will never enjoy its benefits until we take full possession of it. For us, the gift is not Land but a spiritual Kingdom. It is all the benefits and blessings that Jesus opened up to us by His death and resurrection. Second, many obstacles and enemies stand in the way of taking hold of this gift for ourselves, but the power of God to overcome every obstacle and defeat every enemy guarantees our absolute success! Two great truths guarantee this success in taking full possession of all that God has given. The first is that God is with us, all the time, and He will never leave us or forsake us. There is nothing God cannot do, and no enemy He cannot utterly vanquish. We can do all things through Him who strengthens us! This is something God promises, and there is nothing we can do about it. But it is very helpful if we grow in our awareness of what is already true! The result is that it will make us strong and courageous. This is the strength of an unwavering faith and confidence in what God is going to do for us, and the courage to step out and take on the enemies that are preventing us from taking possession of the gift! Fear is the enemy of faith, and the only cure is to know that God is with us, and if He is with us, He will help us! The second guarantee to success is that He has shown us in the Word of God all that we need to know about the gift, the giver, and how to obtain it. Therefore, we need to be constantly in the Word so that we may know Him and His plan for us, and thus walk in it. If we live our lives under the rule and authority of Scripture, our success is guaranteed! Finally, we take possession of the land by making a deep commitment daily to follow our strong and courageous leader where He leads and whatever He commands. But who is our Joshua? Is it our Pastor? Is it some current popular Christian author or blogger? Is it some political leader? Or, are we supposed just to lead ourselves, be our own Joshua? No, none of the above! Interestingly enough, the Hebrew name for Joshua is actually Yeshua, which is also the Hebrew name for Jesus! We need a strong and courageous leader who will overcome every obstacle and defeat every enemy, and that person is our resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He came not only to redeem us from death, but also to deliver us from the enemies that still attack and dominate us: Satan and the powers of darkness, the World with all its evil influence, and our own flesh that is still subject to sin. To overcome, we need the strength of an unshakable faith, the courage to face the devil, all the temptations of this World, and the weakness of our own flesh! Where does this faith come from? How can I muster up enough faith to believe and overcome all my sins and addictions? It is through Christ alone who is our strong and courageous leader! He is the author, the founder, the champion of our faith, and also the perfector of our faith. He led the way by trusting God in every temptation and even in the greatest of suffering and death! And He is the only one who can lead us to take full possession of all the promises and blessings of God. However, we must have a fierce determination and commitment to follow Him in total obedience of faith and trust. May we never be content with only being saved, rescued from Egypt, and wandering in the wilderness all our Christian life! May we follow Christ with our whole heart, trusting fully in His presence with us, to overcome every obstacle and to defeat every enemy so that we may take full possession of every gift of grace and all that God has promised for us!

Big Idea - In these verses, Paul is urging us to a life of obedience, specifically to stop grumbling and arguing and start living together with one heart, one mind, and one love. It is how they can strive together for the Gospel, showing its truth and power by the way they treat each other. What is the place of obedience in the life of a Christian? There are two major ways that our thinking about obedience can go badly wrong. The first to not think about it at all. Many Christians and often many Churches get so focused on God's grace and forgiveness in saving us from sin, very little is said about the topic. No serious attention is focused on changing the way we live. In fact, they may argue that under the new covenant of grace, the old covenant with all its rules and regulations has been done away with. Obedience is no longer a concern for us. Consequently, people with this view make very little effort to live any differently than they did before coming to Christ. As a result, they are not likely to be of one mind, one love, or one heart with other believers - especially those who they don't like or disagree with. They leave behind a train wreck of damaged and broken relationships, all the while praising God that He forgives all their sins! Their favorite worship song is "Just as I am" because they are certain God loves them just the way they are, and they have no intention of ever being anything different! A second way our view of obedience can go wrong is to take the path of serious moralism. This group believes that obedience means strictly following the rules. They would agree that the old covenant has been done away with, but they wrongly think that it has been replaced with a new set of rules. They are very diligent and determined to live according to the new rules, and they look down on and become very judgmental and critical of those who do not keep the rules the way they do. As a result, they are often very angry and argumentative. They think they are right because they do all the right things, and their relationships are often characterized by conflict. They are not usually thought of as kind or loving people. In light of what Paul writes here, they might be moral, but they also are not actually walking the path of obedience as Paul conceives it. If obedience is neither ignoring the rules nor diligently following the rules, what does it mean to obey? First, it means bringing into full effect the saving work of Christ in your life. This is so much greater than simply keeping a set of rules or moral standards. It is also so much more than simply receiving forgiveness and having our guilt covered by His blood! It means fully applying all the results and benefits of the cross and resurrection not only to how we live, but also in regard to who we are. Jesus died on the cross to forgive sins and to restore broken relationships (reconciled to God and at peace with others), unhindered access to God to draw near to Him and live in His presence, new birth, regeneration, renewal, a life of good works, and a life free from sin (Titus 3:4-8; Eph 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:3, Heb 10:19-22, Rom 6:11-12, etc). So then, obedience begins by becoming a very different kind of person as the full work of salvation gets unpacked in your heart and soul. If doing all things without grumbling or arguing becomes a rule to follow, you define grumbling and arguing in a very narrow way, and it will be something you may find some success doing outwardly, but your heart will be grumbling all the time until you explode! But, if the saving work of Christ changes your very nature, so that you become the kind of person who is a peacemaker instead of a troublemaker, you will not even know you're living a life without grumbling or arguing! That sounds great, but how do we do that? How do we work to make sure all the results of Jesus' death and resurrection are being fully implemented and brought to full effect in our lives? Paul explains how to do this, first with a negative, then a positive. First, we obey in the way of weakness and helplessness. It is not by our own strength or power. That is what is meant by doing it with "fear and trembling." For Paul, these are expressions about human weakness and frailty (See 1 Corinthians 2:3–5). This is the chief problem of the person trying to obey on the path of moralism. They believe it is in their power and ability to be a good person, and it is hard not to feel some measure of pride in the accomplishment. But fearing failure is the natural reaction of a person who has no confidence in their own ability or power. In the Christian life, that is a great thing, and in fact, it is an essential quality we must have if we are going to walk in true obedience. But, if I am weak and helpless, unable to be obedient and do God's will, then how does it work? The answer is found in the positive exhortation. “For it is God who is working in you to will and to do!” When I come to the realization that I am powerless to do the right thing, not only following some external rule but really doing from the heart what God calls us to, then we are in the right place to let Him do what He alone can and will do in our lives! We can work out our salvation, because (for) God is already at work in us! The word "working" in Greek is energew - from which we get the word energy. God is energizing us with His wisdom and power so that we can know His will and do it by His powerful working in us. He is working in two primary ways in our lives. First, giving us the very will and desire to do His will. This is so much deeper than following a set of rules. It means having our very heart and will line up with God's. He puts His heart and His desire in us, so that in the deepest reaches of our soul, we want to do what is right and good. We do not need to look to some external moral code or set of guidelines to help us figure this out. God's will becomes ingrained in our deepest longings and desires. In Romans 7, Paul talks about what it is like to know the right thing to do, and to really desire to do it, but then fail to do it and actually do the opposite. But God does not stop here with just giving us a different set of desires in life; He also gives us the power to put all these desires into practice. He empowers and enables us to do what we want to do, which is fully in sync with His own heart and desires. The result is that we put into practice what He puts in our heart. That is true obedience, not following an external set of rules by our own ability and strength, but doing God's will at the deepest level by making it how we live all of life from the inside out. So, does that mean we are to become some kind of robot or zombie, passively waiting for God to zap us by remote control? Not at all. We may be weak, but we are not robots. We do have the power of choice and the power of action. It is still our life, and we have to live it. No one else, not even God, will live it for us. We must work out our own salvation. This is so confusing - what exactly then are we to be doing? What we need is to walk in faith. Walking in the path of obedience is doing God's will, that which pleases God. We read in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God, it is impossible to do His will, and walk in obedience. Faith is seeing with our spiritual eyes spiritual realities. It is seeing this truth that God is indeed working in us the desire and the doing of His will. It is coming to understand that He does all this for the sake of His own good pleasure - that is, we don't need to do anything to convince God to help us. Long before we ever knew we needed help, He was already helping and working because it is His great joy and delight, it is the work He loves to do, and He is doing it. Not because we prayed the right prayer, or wanted it bad enough. He does it because He loves to do it. Faith is coming to this understanding of God's love and all that He has done to give us everything we need to succeed in living a life that is fully pleasing to Him!

Big Idea - Paul tells us that one of the great purposes of our lives is to shine as lights in the world. All that he talks about in this passage centers around this truth and calling for the Christian life. But what exactly does it mean to shine as a light in this crooked and twisted generation? And how are we to do that? Paul gives two commands of what we are to be doing in our everyday lives in order to shine as lights. They are not really two separate things as much as the wide view of what we are to do, followed by a narrower and more specific focus. So first, the wide-angle view, the big picture. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Working out our own salvation does not mean doing some kind of good works or deed in order to save ourselves and earn eternal life. Instead, it has the idea of carrying out the full effects and implications of God's saving work in our lives. Thus, salvation is not simply a gift we receive, but it is something we are to do, to live out in our everyday lives. Our salvation is to have a very practical and specific impact on our daily walk. What does that look like? It means becoming like Jesus in everything we do - but even that may be a bit vague, so Paul focuses in on one specific area of life that should be affected. In the narrow focus, he tells us that in absolutely everything we do, we are to do it without grumbling or arguing! That certainly brings things to the nitty gritty - this is a pretty measurable and specific desired outcome. Christians are to be the kind of people who are characterized by a life 100% free of complaining and strife. Paul then explains why this is so vitally important. It is so that we would be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish in order that we would shine as lights in a dark and depraved world. To shine as a light means two things. First, that we are so distinct from the world that we are set apart from it, but it is important to note that Paul is not speaking here of our personal or private character and integrity. The truth is, there are plenty of people in the world who live very good, moral lives. In fact, this is not all that hard if you are willing to live by yourself! But Paul is speaking here of how we live together as the body of Christ. We are to be radically different from the world as a community that lives together. This is much harder! He is not talking about grumbling about our circumstances, but about grumbling about each other! The second thing that light does is dispel the darkness. Where the light shines, darkness disappears. In the darkness you cannot see, but when the light shines, everything becomes clear. This speaks of our witness to the Gospel. We shine the light of the Good News to a world that is lost in darkness and needs to come into the light. We hold out the Word of life, which is the Gospel. We do this by proclaiming the message, but also by living out the message and its power in our relationships with one another! When we fail to do this, we diminish the glory of the Cross and its power to transform our lives. So how are we doing? Even a quick survey of the Church would reveal that we are not doing this very well. I was reminded of how easily Churches can fall into complaining and conflict as I saw the ongoing fallout of how COVID tore apart many Churches in the US. There was a huge conflict over whether or not they should wear masks, and many Churches have still not recovered from that fight. That is one small example of how easily Christians can fall into complaining and strife. Why are we so bad at this? It is hard, and the Church in Phillipi illustrates how this can be a problem. But Paul is confident things can be different. There are many reasons why we fail, but here are two. First, we are very confused about the truth that really matters. If there is anything worth fighting for, it is certainly the truth. We are called to guard and defend the truth - language that points to a fight! But so, we are ready to fight to prove we are right, and we feel justified in doing battle to prove our side is right and bring down those who do not agree with us. But all truth is not created equal, and often being right has very little to do with the truth that matters. We need to guard the truth of the Gospel, that is what matters. But that is not what most of our strife and complaining is about! Secondly, nowhere does the Bible teach that the way we fight the battle for truth is through grumbling and arguing. We do not win the war for truth by attacking people in the spirit of the world. Instead, we are to teach the truth with love and compassion, and let God do the rest. The other reason why we are failing at this is that we do not understand what it really means to work out our salvation, for it is God who is at work in us to will and to do for His good pleasure. We fail because we are trying to make peace with others in our own strength and by our own will and determination. We do not understand how utterly helpless we are to do this. We can only work out our own salvation because it is God who is at work, giving us the right will and desire, but also who is giving us the very power and life to do it. It is by nothing in ourselves that we can succeed, but through the life of Jesus that fills us. Our part is to walk by faith in what God can and will do in us and through us. So, working out our salvation begins with confessing our incredible and complete weakness and failure because we have been trying to do this in our own strength. Confessing the many ways and times we have grumbled and argued for the sake of our own pride and getting our own way. Secondly, we need to acknowledge our complete dependence upon Him. Thirdly, to trust with all our heart that God is at work and it is not because of anything we have done to get God on our side, but it is out of His delight to work in us in this way. It is all His idea and His doing! It is living life with the understanding that we have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me, and then walking by faith in Him and His power at work in us.

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Making the Prophets a Little Less Difficult!  (1) A Brief History of Israel (2) The OT Prophets: Speaking v Writings; Major v Minor (3) Where do the prophets fit into the Isreal’s history?  (4) What was the role of the prophets? (i) The prophets spoke in the name of the Lord (ii) The prophets were God’s prosecutors, His covenant enforcers (iii) The prophets pointed forward to a new hope (5) Reading the prophets (6) What’s the value of reading the prophets? (i) The prophets reveal insights into the heart of God (ii) The nature of sin doesn’t change much through time, cultures and generations (iii) The prophets remind us that God judges wicked nations (iv) The prophets remind us that God is in control of history

1. The resurrection confirms Jesus as God's Son 2. God raised Him up - the greatest reversal 3. The resurrection is the defeat of death

(1) The One they mock as king is the King (2) The One who seems powerless is all powerful (3) The One who seems unable to save himself, saves others (4) The One who seems not to trust God, trusts God

* A tragic night fishing * Jesus appears * What does the passage teach us about Jesus? * Lesson: guilt and forgiveness

Big Idea - We come to the end of the Gospel of Mark, but it is not the ending we might have hoped for. The end of Mark is such a problem that other endings have been added to try to fix it. What makes the ending of Mark so unsatisfying is that we get no glimpses of the resurrected Jesus. We only have the empty tomb and the promise of seeing Him. But there could be lots of explanations for the empty tomb. How do we know that Jesus is truly risen from the dead? The other problem with the ending is that the women flee the scene in stunned silence. They are told to go tell the disciples that Jesus is going ahead to meet them in Galilee, but there is no rejoicing at this great news. There is only fear, trembling, and silence. Indeed, Mark could not have ended the story here on purpose! Was the rest of the Gospel lost or destroyed? Was Mark martyred before he could finish writing? Or did he really end it that way on purpose? If so, what is he seeking to teach us about Jesus and His resurrection? It is significant that in Mark's telling of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, he ends each section by highlighting this group of faithful women who had followed Jesus all the days of His ministry. They become the primary witnesses to these three epic events that come to form the heart of the Gospel. This, among other reasons, points to the fact that Mark ended the Gospel here, on purpose. So what is he teaching, telling us about the resurrection of Jesus and its implications for our life today through this strange ending? First, he tells us how we can know it is true. Mark does not give any proof for the resurrection, because he knows that this is not how we will know it is true or be convinced He is risen. Instead, he points us to the Word of Revelation that we must accept by faith. First, the word of the angel, but more importantly, the Word of Jesus Himself. If we believe in Jesus at all, then we must believe in everything He said. What He taught is either all true, or He is a liar, or worse, a lunatic. Our conviction that the resurrection really happened is ultimately based on our faith in what Jesus said would happen to Him. Everything else came to pass exactly as He said, so we can be confident that so did the resurrection. Second, he is showing us the grand purpose of the resurrection. Jesus said on the cross, "it is finished," meaning He accomplished everything that was necessary for salvation on the cross. The great proof that His work was fully accomplished is that the veil was torn in two. Now, there is nothing hindering us from full and complete access to God except our own unbelief. Through the cross we are justified, made right with God. Our sin and guilt is fully done away with. Jesus did not need to rise from the dead in order for us to be saved. What then is the purpose of the resurrection? First, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is what He did for us. But the resurrection is what God did for Jesus. He may have abandoned Him on the cross, but He did not leave Him in the grave! The resurrection vindicates Jesus, that is, it demonstrates that God was fully pleased with the sacrifice that Jesus made for sinners and that He was indeed restoring Jesus to the place of power and all authority at His right Hand! But the resurrection also has a purpose in relation to us. It was not necessary to save us from sin and death, but the Christian life is not simply a matter of being saved. We are also called to seek Him and follow Him with our whole hearts. We desperately need a Shepherd to guide us through life and to help us live in a way that is fully pleasing to God. The message the women were to deliver to the disciples was that Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee, just as Jesus had told them. Jesus said this in the context of the sheep being scattered when the shepherd was struck down. And that is exactly what happened. Not only did the disciples abandon Jesus, but Peter denied he even knew Jesus. Because of the cross, they were now saved sheep, their sins covered by His blood, but they were no less scattered, with no sense of where to go or what to do. They still needed a shepherd. The purpose of the resurrection is that Jesus is now alive and well and He lives now to be our great shepherd through all of life. He will meet us in everyday life (Galilee) and He will lead us and help us to live a life pleasing to God. The torn veil means we have full access to God, but also full access to Jesus, who has promised never to leave us or forsake us! Thirdly, he reminds us of our desperate need for the whole Gospel - Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. But why does the Gospel end on such a discouraging note? The fact that this is very likely intentional can be seen by understanding one of the major themes of the book from the beginning to the very last word. And that is the theme of the total weakness and inadequacy of His followers. All through the Gospel, the disciples fail and prove to be weak and all too human. No one emerges as a hero or super saint. The disciples, down to the very end, fail to grasp the full meaning of Jesus' life and kingdom, and in the end, they all desert Jesus. The women seem to do better. At least they do not abandon Jesus and show their devotion to Him even in His death and burial. But they struggle to understand and believe the resurrection. They encounter the power of God in the resurrection, but it only leaves them full of fear and in stunned silence rather than with boldness and courage. If the Gospel is going to be successful and if the Kingdom is going to come, it will not be the result of super saints! We are, all of us, weak and frail. We need help! But praise God, there is power in the resurrection. Power that God has promised to give to those who know they are weak and fully lean on Him!

(1) The deep descent of the Son of God (2) Darkness v. 33 (3) The cry of abandonment v. 34 (4) A terrible misunderstanding v. 35 (5) A glorious cry and a great tearing vv. 37-38 (6) An amazing confession v. 39 (7) Honouring faithful women vv. 40-41

Big Idea - The early Church, up until the time of the reformation, practiced meditating on the cross and contemplating the suffering and death of Jesus at great length. This often involved looking at an image of Jesus on the cross, often for hours at a time. Many wrote their reflections into poems and books, for example On the Passion of Christ by Thomas A Kempas, and O Sacred Head Now Wounded, a poem of over 300 lines by Arnulf of Leuven (died 1250). But, most modern Christians, outside of Catholicism, no longer practice this kind of deep reflection and meditation on the cross of Christ and His suffering. Why don't we? Is the suffering and death of Jesus not that important to us? Is His death so insignificant that it doesn't warrant our most focused attention and serious contemplation? The loss of this spiritual practice goes back to the reformation and reaction against the use of images in worship based on the second commandment in Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Many of the reformers rejected any and every kind of use of an image of God in worship, including images of Jesus, including representations of Jesus on the cross. Now whether or not the reformers were correct in their understanding of the first commandment is conversation for another day, but it is unfortunate that when they took the images of Jesus off the cross, they also stopped the practice of long reflection on the price that Jesus paid when He died for us on the cross. The argument is also made that Jesus is no longer on the cross, He is risen! That is true, but if the result is that we no longer think very much about His death or His resurrection, then we have lost something that is, I believe, essential to the Christian life and faith! Paul made a huge deal of Jesus and His death on the cross. He writes to the Corinthians "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" 1 Corinthians 1:22–23. And again, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." 1 (Corinthians 2:2). Why does this matter? The great danger is that when we fail to give serious thought to the cross and to contemplate the wonders of all that took place through Jesus' suffering and death, the Gospel gets over simplified and shallow. The truth is, many Christians in the modern Church have a trivial view of the Gospel and the result is a very shallow and weak faith. So, as we come today to Mark's depiction of the cross, let us take the time to reflect deeply on all that happened to Jesus, and how all that took place had a deep and profound purpose in making salvation possible and complete for those who believe! How does the suffering and death of Jesus save us? There are no less than 12 declarations that Mark makes in these verses that portray all that Jesus experienced on the cross which were necessary to obtain our salvation. Jesus became sin and each of these statements can be connected with the devastating results of sin that are reversed by His death and suffering. That is, the eternal consequences were erased and done away with, because Jesus suffered those consequences in our place. 1) He took our place, 2) He experienced death so that we might have life, 3) He suffered torment to bring an end to suffering and pain, 3) He was punished so that we might be blameless, 4) He was naked and poor so that we might be clothed and rich, 4) He lost all honor and glory so that we might receive honor and glory, 5) He was the King who suffered total defeat so that we could have complete victory.

Big Idea - As our study through the book of Mark brings us to the cross we come to the main point of the book and the sole purpose of Jesus' life. Three times Jesus warned the disciples that this is why He came. Not only that He would die, but He told them in great detail exactly how it would happen - Mark 10:33–34 (ESV) — 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” If you have seen the movie The Passion, or heard many sermons on crucifixion, you get the impression that the most important thing about the cross is the incredible suffering that Jesus experienced. It could indeed be argued that Crucifixion was the most horrific way to die that man has ever devised, but that is not actually what Mark stresses. The brutality of the cross is only briefly mentioned. Instead, Mark focuses on other things, specifically on the things that show us the true meaning of the cross. In the events of this passage, we have a much greater understanding of why Jesus died and what it all means. So what does it all really mean? Yes, Jesus suffered a most terrible death, but what else is important about the cross? The short answer to that question is that the cross is a mind-blowing demonstration of God's grace. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. How does Mark focus on the grace of God in the way He tells the story? 1) Jesus is the rejected King, 2) who gave Himself up for us - rebels and murderers, 3) securing the release of the guilty by being condemned for their crime. Jesus died as the King of the Jews, because He was the rightful King over Israel and in fact over all the earth. As the creator of all things He has authority over heaven and earth, but His Kingdom was not political and earthly, but a heavenly and spiritual Kingdom. But, He was rejected by His own people. The leaders rejected Him because they He was a threat to their power and control. The people chose a rebel over Jesus because they focused on earthly power, not spiritual power. The "gentiles" mocked and ridiculed the King, because they saw His kingdom as weak and powerless. All rejected Jesus, but His life was not taken from Him by their authority or power. In the end, He gave Himself up for us. He made no defense because He had already determined to the Father's plan. This is why He came - a king who would lay down His life and die on the cross for us. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! If we stopped there we would have an amazing picture of a loving King who would surrender His life to save His people. But, we would not yet understand the depth of His grace. To show us how Jesus' death is an extravagant display of grace, Mark highlights a rebel named Barabbas, a rebel and a murderer. As a rebel he represents all those who reject the reign and rule of God and who are guilty of insurrection and treason against God. As a murderer, he represents all those who hate their fellow human beings. Murder is the ultimate expression of human selfishness and pride. It is an action that says your life doesn't matter, only my life matters. So, Barabbas is the exact opposite of the great commandment to love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. And every sin that you can conceive of, is simply the outworking of these two primary sins - the sin of rejecting God as our King, and the sin of pride which says I am the only one that matters. In other words, Barabbas represents very one of us because we were born with a nature precisely like his. Jesus gave Himself up, not only for the sins we have done, but for us who rejected Him as King. He willingly took our place, when we hated Him and everyone else! That brings grace into much greater focus! Jesus gave Himself up for us, and we could not be more underserving of such kindness. But there is even more to grace than that. The final picture of grace is that Jesus could not be more undeserving of such suffering! He was the great King, but unlike any earthly King, he had never done anything wrong. The Jews convicted Him of being the Messiah, but that would only be a crime if untrue. The accused Jesus of being an insurrection against Rome, but Pilate found nothing wrong with Jesus. He was completely innocent, even though He said nothing to defend Himself. But, the great irony in all of this, is that Jesus, not only in the place of one guilty of insurrection, but He dies accused of the crime of insurrection. He became sin, He died convicted of the very crime that we are most guilty of - rejected King who died for treason, ultimately against Himself! Like a man of incredible wealth, whose entire estate is stolen out from under him, but when the thief is caught, convicted, and receives the death penalty, the wealthy man steps in and dies in his place! And why would He do that? So that Barrabas could be set free. That is grace!

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - Theologians talk about the scandal of the cross. How could Jesus claim to be the Messiah sent from God, the very Son of God who is full of all the authority and power of God, and at the same time be convicted as a criminal and die the most shameful death possible? It is a scandal - completely unexpected, shocking, mind-boggling. What makes it most shocking is that by all appearances, it looks like Jesus lost and His enemies won. Even Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:4 that Jesus was crucified in weakness. Who would want to follow someone who is seen as weak? The world certainly does not follow those who are weak instead they mock and ridicule the weak. And that is exactly what they do to Jesus. What does the scandal of the cross tell us about Jesus, and what does it mean for how we are to live as followers of Christ? First, we see that Jesus chose the path of weakness. His enemies had already made up their minds about who He was. They did not give Him a fair trial. They were not seeking truth and justice but murder. But, their plans almost failed because they were seeking to do a great injustice legally. Jesus could have easily evaded the charges. But He gives no defense. We see that Jesus is in control. He is not weak, but He chooses the path of weakness. Jesus lays down His own life. They do not take it from Him! Secondly, we see that Jesus chooses the cross, which, by all human appearances, is the end and is total defeat. But, it is not the end. The path of weakness is actually the path to power and glory. On this day, Jesus is on trial before the Jewish leaders who sit in judgment, but there is coming another day when they will stand before Jesus, who will be sitting on the judgment seat. They are convinced that no true Messiah could end up all alone in the hands of His enemies, suffering total defeat, so they mock and ridicule Him. They want proof that He is the powerful and mighty Messiah as they picture Him. Jesus promises that one day, they will see how powerful and mighty this Messiah truly is! Jesus may be crucified in weakness, but He lives (and reigns) by the power of God! Thirdly, we see that if they had been seeking truth, to know who Jesus was, instead of making up their minds based on their misguided ideas about the Messiah, there was plenty of evidence in the form of fulfilled prophecy - in fact, the prophecy was being fulfilled right before their very eyes! If we wait until we see Jesus seated at the right hand of God, it will be too late. But we can know the truth about Him now! So, what does this tell us about who Jesus is, and how do we live in light of this? First, it shows us that Jesus was always in control, He was always strong, He was and is eternally God, but He chose the cross, the path of weakness, for a purpose. He laid down His life for His sheep. He gave Himself up for us because He loved us so much that He died in our place. He became weak so that we might become strong! Second, one day, every human being will stand before Jesus, and on that day, there will be no hint of weakness. He will sit in all power and authority to judge everyone. Unlike the Jewish leaders, He will judge with perfect justice, that is, He will seek to know the truth about us, and we will give an answer for everything we have done. But, like Jesus' prosecutors, many of us are asking the wrong question. We think Jesus will judge based on our moral goodness - have we done good things or bad things? Are we guilty of wrongdoing? Many people think they can pass this judgment because they are basically good people. But, that is the wrong question. Jesus is the King of Kings and the real question is not if we have been good, but have we been loyal to the King. Are we devoted followers and citizens of the Kingdom, or are we enemies of the King? The Jewish leaders proved themselves to be enemies who hated Jesus. But, the Bible tells us that we are all born as enemies of the King. Sin has made us loyal only to ourselves, and we worship the creation rather than the one who made us! On our own, no one can stand before the judge on our own merit, no matter how good we think we are. But, that is the very reason Jesus chose the path of weakness, why He chose the cross. God showed His great love for us in that when we were enemies, Jesus died for us. Thirdly, Jesus shows us that we can choose the path of weakness because it is the path to His strength and glory. We don’t have to win. We can give up the right to be right, in order to love and serve others. We don’t have to be strong in ourselves, but we are strong in the power of Christ - His strength is made perfect in weakness!

Big Idea - What did Jesus suffer leading up to the cross? Why was it necessary to suffer all the brokenness and pain of sin? How did He respond to all He had to endure (how did He suffer)? 1) Jesus suffered the most treacherous betrayal of a close friend and the pain of being greatly misunderstood by those He came to save. 2) Jesus had to suffer all the pain and brokenness of the human condition, the result of sin, to fulfill the Scriptures, that is, to accomplish the purpose and plan of God from the beginning of time. He experienced the worst consequences of sin to share fully in all that we suffer to by our great high priest who can sympathize with our struggle and help us walk through the difficulties of this life. 3) In the face of the most treacherous betrayal of friendship, loyalty, and trust, Jesus responded, not with anger, retaliation, or retreat, but by laying down His life for His friends - all of them! If we put our trust in Him, He is not only our savior and Lord, but He is our most faithful friend who is always there to help us in our time of need. His loyal friendship does not change based on our fickle friendship or unfaithfulness. His friendship shows us how to be true friends to each other, not holding people at a safe distance or turning away when they fail us, but how to be a friend like Him - loyal and faithful no matter what.

Big Idea - No one wants to fail. It is painful and can lead us to feel great disappointment in ourselves, and it is doesn't do much for our reputation either! In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples that they are all going to fail, they will all 'fall away.' But Peter is determined that he will not. He affirms his determination to stick with Jesus, even if it means dying with Jesus. But Jesus knows, and we know, that his determination is not enough. In the end, Peter not only abandons Jesus, but denies he ever even knew Him. This story is a powerful reminder that our determination and willpower are not enough to guarantee that we will be successful. Just because we really want to do something does not mean we can or that we will. Paul wrestles with this same problem in Romans 7 when he says, "15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." But Jesus models something very different. In the face of the most severe testing and temptation, He not only resolves to do the right thing, but He does exactly what He is determined to do, even though it is extremely difficult. How did Jesus succeed where the disciples failed? How can we resist temptation and do the right thing that we want to do? First we need to see why willpower and even the most determined resolve to do the right thing is insufficient. Jesus knows what the twelve will do when He is arrested and crucified - they will run away and abandon Him. He knows this because it was prophesied in Zechariah 13:7. He warns them not to shame them but to show that this is all part of God's purpose and plan from the beginning of time, and He knows all that He must experience to redeem us from the curse and grip of sin. But Peter is determined that he will not fall away, even if it means dying with Jesus! It is hard not to admire Peter's determination and commitment here! He could be a poster child for the modern mindset that says, "you've got this!" expressed in the Nike slogan "Just do it!" But his determination is not enough. He doesn't just do it. Instead, he just fails. Why doesn't this work? 1) we underestimate what we are really up against. 2) We overestimate our own abilities. 3) We don't believe what God tells us about ourselves. 4) This mentality is all about fighting, not following. Jesus then does two things at the same time. He puts them to the test to show them their weakness, and He models for them a very different way. He calls Peter, James, and John apart not because they are more privileged but because they are the most confident and, therefore, the most confused. In essence, He says, you three want to follow me to the death, let's start by just following me in prayer for one hour. They cannot do it. Three times, He tells them to watch and pray, three times, they fail, showing they are powerless to follow Jesus in the most simple things where their life is not being threatened. How can they possibly stand firm when their life is on the line? Determination is not enough because no matter how willing the spirit is, the flesh is weak. At the same time, Jesus models the way to succeed. We may think Jesus had an advantage over them because He was the Son of God, and in a sense, He did. But the advantage was not in some special power that made Him automatically resistant to temptations. We see that Jesus was severely tested and tempted in the garden. It was not easy for Him to go to the cross, and everything in His human life resisted the path He was on. But, He overcame where the disciples failed because 1) He did not underestimate what He was up against, 2) He was very much in touch with His own weakness and feelings of despair, 3) He knows that He cannot do it alone, so He goes to the Father in prayer, 4) He doesn't just pray, but He repeatedly prays that God's will would be done, not His own. This kind of prayer requires absolute trust in the power and goodness of God. Jesus prays until the time is up, the hour of suffering has come, and Jesus faces it head-on. If we stopped here, we could get the idea that all we need to be successful is a better example. Jesus showed us how to do it, so now we are good to go. So, get out there and just do it! But this would be a huge mistake. His example is still not enough. We need more. A good example cannot overcome the weakness of the flesh! We need something more. But what Jesus did in the garden wasn't just an example to follow. It is also a power to appropriate. Jesus went to the cross not only to show us how to succeed in following God, but by dying on the cross, He reversed the curse of sin. In the first garden, Adam failed because he chose not to follow God but to be his own boss instead. That is the real problem. Sin is not only doing wrong things, it is the stubborn refusal to follow anyone else, but especially God. Peter was willing to die with Jesus by fighting for Him, but he was not willing to follow Jesus to the cross. It is not our nature to be followers, and the disciples prove over and over that they cannot follow Jesus, even when they really want to - even something as simple as praying. In the second garden Jesus succeeds where Adam failed. He followed God, even in the face of the most horrific suffering. He overcame the weakness of the flesh, and that power is now available to those who turn to Him in prayer. But how do we turn to Him in prayer when the disciples demonstrate even that proves to be impossible? Praise God what is impossible for man is possible for God. Jesus' warning ends with an amazing promise - you will be scattered what I am taken away, but after I rise from the dead, I will go before you into Galilee. This doesn't mean Jesus is going to beat them home. It means He will return to them as their Shepherd, He will gather them, and He will lead them by His grace! They will abandon Him, but He will not abandon them! He will shepherd them and that is what guarantees they will succeed in the end. The secret of overcoming sin and very temptation is not so much a battle to fight as it is having the right shepherd to follow!

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - This passage begins a new section, the final section of the Gospel. It is now two days before the Passover, which means the cross is very near. This passage is a sandwich story in which plans are being made to arrest and kill Jesus, and Judas' going to the High Priest to betray Jesus is contrasted with a woman who anoints Jesus with costly perfume. It seems very random and even inappropriate, but Jesus approves her act of devotion as preparing His body for burial. Not only that but what she does is so remarkable in Jesus' eyes that He promises that what she has done will never be forgotten. Here, this unnamed woman makes a name for herself around the world and throughout history! She achieves something every human being is seeking, and she does it without even trying! She becomes famous. She makes a name for herself. She becomes somebody significant in history. She lives a life that counts and is approved by Jesus himself! She is an example for all who want to know how to live a life that really matters! We live a life of deepest fulfillment and purpose, 1) Not by preserving the status quo at all costs. 2) Not by seeking approval from others. 3) Not even by doing great things, like saving the world. And 4) Certainly, not by living for yourself. Instead, 5) we first live a life of deepest fulfillment and purpose by making Jesus our greatest treasure, and secondly, by a life that lines up with what God is doing.

Big Idea - In both Western and Eastern thought, there is a sense of never-ending time. Either endless cycles of death and rebirth in Buddhism or the idea that the universe is billions of years old and will continue on for billions more before it runs out of gas. However, the Bible paints a very different picture in which there is a definite point when it all began and a very sudden end to the story. Jesus, as well as the authors of the New Testament, emphasized this reality and, along with it, the idea that knowing the end may be coming soon should change how we live now. The two big questions this should spark in our thinking are how long we have before the end comes, and what do I need to do to prepare for that day? Jesus' statement that the Temple would one day be destroyed introduces the teaching about the end times. Four of the disciples then ask when these things will take place and what will be the sign indicating the time is near. In their thinking, the end of the Temple must surely be the end of the world. But Jesus' answer indicates that the destruction of the Temple and the end of the world are two separate events, and there will be a period of time separating them. The events are also different regarding the warning leading up to their culmination. Specifically, there will be a sign given that the fall of the Temple is near. After that, at some point in time, the Son of Man will come. It is an event that will be marked by cataclysmic events in the heavens that point to the universal scope of His return. It is not local. The entire universe will be shaken and changed. The Son will come with the power and glory of God, and no one will miss it. The shaking of the heavens is not a sign warning of His return but events that coincide with His coming in power and glory. At that time Jesus will gather the elect from the farthest corners of the universe. The elect, or chosen, are those who have put their faith in Jesus as the only way of salvation. He gathers them to Himself to live with Him forever in the final consummation of His kingdom. All the rest of humanity will fall under the eternal judgment of God. Jesus then gives two parables as pictures of what He has just told them. These often cause a great deal of confusion. But if we take the most basic and straightforward reading, we see that the parables correspond to the two events He has been talking about. The first parable is about the things they can know. They can know when the destruction of the Temple is about to happen because a sign is given to indicate the time is near. Just as the fig tree budding and putting on green leaves is a sign that summer is approaching, so the desecration of the Temple is a sign that its destruction is soon. In fact, it will happen before this evil generation passes away, meaning within the disciples' lifetime. Jesus then gives another parable, but this parable focuses on the things that we cannot know. What we cannot know is when the Son of Man returns. Only the Father knows. It is compared to a man going on a journey who gives his servants authority to manage his affairs and take charge of his business until he returns. He expects the doorkeeper to stay awake and be ready for his return anytime because he will come unannounced - without warning. The point of this parable and Jesus's teaching about the end is that He can come at any time, so we must always be ready! We need to stay awake so that we are not caught sleeping when He returns. In other words, we must live with the constant expectation that Jesus could return at any moment. Does this mean Christians should be workaholics who never sleep? No, not at all. It means that we must always be obedient, focused on doing His will, and not living for ourselves. How do we do that? First, do not delay in putting your faith in Him to save you! Today is the day of salvation. Second, since we have been bought with a price our life is no longer our own. He has given us authority, power, and a task. So we need to find out what that task is and be diligent to do His will, not our own. How do we know what that is? Our job falls into two main areas of responsibility: First, we have been given power through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses in the world. Second, we are to build up the body of Christ into the full measure of the stature of Christ. That is, to do all we can to help each other be more and more like Jesus. We need to be seeking daily what He is calling us to do that day. In the end, it means living every day and every moment as if Jesus were coming back today. If He returns today, will He find me doing His will with all diligence and faithfulness? Are we a people who love His appearing and live with eager expectation and anticipation of His return? There are serious temptations that loom in a long delay. Like the Israelites at Mt Sinai when Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain. If we are in a season of great suffering, the temptation is to give up and find the easy way out. An equally serious temptation, however, is living in a time of great ease and comfort. Then, the temptation is to grow complacent and love this world and this life too much. Therefore, we must stay awake! Be vigilant and always looking for His powerful and glorious return!

Big Idea - Is the world going to end soon? The fires that have destroyed thousands of homes in LA and the scenes of devastation are being described as apocalyptic, a word used to describe events signaling the end of the world. The war in Ukraine is now the deadliest since WWII. The conflict and war in the Middle East are spreading, and with Israel at the center of it all, many are saying that we must be in the last days, the end is near. What is going to happen next? Are we living in the last days? How much time is left? In Mark 13, Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple. This was a shocking announcement, but not one that was totally unexpected. The OT pointed to the Great Day of the Lord which would mark the end of the ages, the end of the world. The disciples assumed that the destruction of the Temple certainly marked the end of this world. They ask the same questions that we ask - "When?" and "What will be the sign that the end is near?" Jesus answers their question, but not really. He does not give them a clear timeline by which they can mark their calendars "end of the world!" The focus of His answer is not when the end will come but how things will go for them in the meantime and how they are to live while they wait! Are we in the end times? What do we need to do to be prepared for what is to come? Jesus' answer has three parts. First, He talks about the things that are alarming, but do not signal the destruction of the Temple or the end of the world. Second, He does give them the sign to look for that precedes the destruction of the Temple. Thirdly, He indicates that there will be a delay between the destruction of the Temple and His final return and the end of the world. They will not happen together, as we know from history. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Now, we await the second coming of Christ, but Jesus gives no indication or signs relating to His return. Instead, the focus is on how we are to live and how to be prepared so that we can endure to the end. We first need to know that Christians may experience all kinds of hardship, suffering, and trials. There will be wars, famine, earthquakes (and fires), and we will not be exempt from the suffering caused by these disasters. Not only that, but Christians will become the target of hatred and persecution because we are following Jesus. Jesus tells us three don'ts: 1) don't be deceived, 2) Don't be alarmed (don't freak out), and 3) don't be surprised. Then He reminds us of the one thing we must do, the one mission we must stay focused on: proclaim the Good News to the nations! He encourages us that we do not need to worry about what to say because the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak when we need them. He does not say, the Spirit will protect you from harm, only that He will help you be effective witnesses for Him! In other words, God is not all that concerned about our safety and comfort, but He is very concerned about the message that must be proclaimed to the nations. That seems rather harsh and uncaring! How can God claim to be a loving God if He doesn't protect us from harm and keep us safe? The problem with this thinking is that it vastly misunderstands what it really means to be safe. If we define being safe and comfortable in terms of our present-day circumstances, then the goal of life will be to avoid danger, threats, and harm at all costs. Of course, there is nothing wrong with fleeing in the face of danger when you can! Jesus warned them to flee when they saw the signs of impending doom and destruction! But, the great threat that looms before is not a war, a raging fire, an earthquake, or being hated and killed for our faith. The real danger, the most grave and terrifying threat to every human being, is to be cast into the eternal fires of hell, the judgment and consequences of sin. The only true safety is to be saved from eternal destruction and suffering through the saving work of Jesus on the cross. God desires that people be warned of this danger and are given the chance to be saved from this war, this disaster, this suffering. We are in a spiritual battle for people's souls, and it is not our comfort here and now that is important. The eternal salvation that comes through the blood of Jesus is the one thing that really matters! So we are called to endure to the end as faithful witnesses to Jesus and His offer of salvation! If we endure to the end, we are eternally safe, no matter what happens to us here and now!

The Grand Story of Christmas * Introduction; The Bible the story of reality * A true story * Jesus the key that unlocks the Bible * Lessons: 1. Shirts and buttons 2. Which story is shaping us? 3. Gulags and hope

Big Idea - The birth of Jesus is good news of the greatest joy. It is the abundance of God's joy that He wants to share with us. The world offers the promise of joy, and we are easily tempted by what the world offers because we all want a life full of joy. But the Bible teaches that true and lasting joy comes through the good news. If you want to find joy, you need to find Jesus. This story is about the journey of a band of unsuspecting sheep herders who heard the good news, found Jesus, and went home full of joy! Luke recorded their story with the belief that we can all find this joy by traveling down the same path! The shepherds' journey begins when God broke into their world by sending a messenger to proclaim the good news to them. They were in the dark until the glory of the lord came to them, a vivid picture of God's revelation coming to those walking in darkness, pointing the way to find Jesus. The messenger comes bearing good news that is the source of the greatest and truest joy. God intends this joy for all people, but it is also personal. It is for you. The messenger and the host of angels explain the good news, giving the heart of what the good news is, namely, it is the good news that God has sent to you a Savior in a stable. The stark contrast between who Jesus is and the place where He is born points to Jesus' ultimate mission and the way that He will rescue those who are held captive. He will save by suffering and death, not by conquest and military power. He will triumph over sin and death, but it will be by suffering and death, by a crown of thorns and the cross of a criminal, not by a crown of gold and a throne of power. The host of angels proclaims the ultimate consequence of what Jesus will do. He will bring glory to the most high God by making peace between God and those who find God's favor or grace. It is this peace that makes joy possible. Without peace, there can be no true and lasting joy. It is good news for all people, but there will only be peace between God and those who fall under His grace. How do you find God's favor? The Shepherds came into God's favor by responding to the good news in faith. They acted on what they heard by seeking Jesus until they found Him. Once they found Him, they became witnesses, proclaiming the good news to those who were there. The message was credible not because of who they were but because of the fulfillment of what was told them. Now, a whole new group of people are confronted with the good news and are invited to meet Jesus. Even Mary must come to meet Jesus, that is, to know and understand who He truly is - the Son of God and the savior of the world. It is a message and a story that needs pondering and requires a great deal of reflection if we are to come to understand it fully, completely, and in the depth of all its riches. Mary is a good example of how it may take a lifetime to fully grasp who Jesus is and all that He has done for us. The Shepherds return home praising and glorifying God. Their joy was evident in their rejoicing. Joy is having something to celebrate. What were they celebrating? They were celebrating Jesus and the goodness of God that made it possible for them to find Him and know Him. They were celebrating the good news which they came to know was true!

Big Idea - God spoke through the prophets, and He has spoken through His Son in the last days. There is no other way to know God since He exists outside the universe. We can only know Him if He reveals Himself to us, and thankfully, He has always been revealing Himself. When Jesus was born to the virgin Mary, God was revealing Himself to us through Jesus. His coming into the world was the greatest and most explicit revelation to us of who God is. So, the important question for us is how was Jesus the complete revelation of God to us, and how can we know God through this revelation? The author begins by comparing God's revelation through the prophets with the revelation of Jesus. The prophets spoke long ago, at many times, in various ways, giving us, as it were, bits and pieces of knowledge about God. Over time, these bits and pieces added up and could be pieced together to give us a picture of who God is and what He is like. By comparison, Jesus came as one complete message. In Jesus, God spoke through "a Son," pointing to the kind of message, not the kind of messenger. If the prophets' message were like pieces of the puzzle, Jesus was the entire picture all at once. That is because Jesus is God poured into human flesh and blood. Therefore, Jesus is the grand climax of revelation. He is not different from the picture of the prophets but is the complete revelation to which they all pointed. The revelation in His Son is not different from theirs but is so much greater because it is complete and the place where all their revelation comes together in one place, or we should say, person. That raises the question, why didn't God send Jesus in the first place? Why bother with the bits and pieces when He could have sent the completed picture? That would have been more direct but less effective. The truth is Jesus would have been incomprehensible to us without the background of the former revelation. We can only know what we already know. The only way we can learn something new is by relating it in some way to what we already know. That is how we make sense of the world. Had Jesus come on the scene and appeared to Abraham as the complete and full picture of God, Abraham would not have made sense of it, for there was nothing in his world that he could relate Jesus to. The revelation of God in the Old Testament was in bits and pieces, much of it in pictures and metaphors that the people could relate to so that when Jesus was born to Mary, we had a framework of knowledge to interpret and understand His life, His death, and His resurrection. Without that background, the revelation in Jesus would have been over our heads and beyond our reach. One more contrast between the prophets and the Son is that the revelation of the prophets was limited to the Word. God spoke to them in various ways, but in the end, it was all spoken Word. God was mainly telling them who He was. But, there are three main ways that God can reveal Himself - by what He says, by who He is, and by what He does. Jesus is the complete revelation of God because He reveals God in all three ways. First, He is the very Word of God, who spoke the universe into existence and who upholds it by His powerful word. Revelation by the word is extremely important. We can get to know a lot about a person, even before we meet them, by reading things written about them or by things they tell us about themselves. Even after we meet them in person, much of what we know about them is what they tell us. So, talking to a person is vitally important in getting to know them. God talked to us and told us about Himself in the prophets, and Jesus continued the tradition. God spoke through His Son. We can know a great deal about God through the Word if we listen and pay attention to what He has spoken. Revelation, by what God says, is the most specific and clear, but it has the limitation of being in pieces and not the whole picture. We cannot experience a person through a biography the way we experience them in a personal encounter. The only way to really know someone personally is to meet them. We must encounter the person, not just words about them. Likewise, revelation is also who God is. That is, we can know God in His very being. This is where the revelation of God in a Son is at a whole new level from revelation in the Word. When Jesus was born, the very person and being of God appeared for us to see and to meet. Who Jesus is in His being before HE was born to Mary is nothing less than the heir of all things and creator of the universe - eternal, almighty God, Son of the eternal Father. Who He is now is the resurrected, ascended Lord of all time and space who has inherited a name that is greater than any other name. He who was lying in the manger was the very glory and likeness of God. In Jesus, we meet God in person, up close and face to face. We encounter God not by description but in person. What a person is in their being goes beyond words. In fact, putting being into words diminishes being and the real encounter with the person. Words help us understand a person, and it is through words that we can relate to that person. But experiencing the whole person is much greater than just words. It is a matter of "being" with them and knowing them as a being - the whole person that defies description. But how can we know Jesus in this way since He has left this world and is now seated at the right hand of God? The good news is that when the Holy Spirit is poured out into our lives, He brings to us the person of Christ in His being. We can know Him as a person and not simply as a description. Finally, we can learn a great deal about a person and know them in deeper ways by seeing what they do. Are they kind to us, or do they ignore us - how they treat us tells us a lot about them. God's revelation of Himself to us in the Son is finally a revelation of what God does for us. He loves us, and His love is an action, not just words. Jesus came to make purification for sins. His death on the cross was a powerful and bold revelation of the heart and love of God for us. We know about God by taking a long look at what He has done and accepting it as a gift of love and as an expression of His heart and demonstration, proof, if you will, of what He is really like. Not only that, but it is what Jesus has done in removing sin that makes it possible for the other two forms of revelation to work. Sin has made us deaf to God's speaking and hiding from His presence. Jesus' sacrifice for us gives us ears to hear and the desire to draw near to Him.

Big Idea - How does Jesus see us? In this passage, we see Jesus evaluating the actions and motives of two different groups of people - the Scribes and those giving their offerings in the Temple. What the crowd and even the disciples see is very different from how Jesus sees what is happening. It is a powerful reminder that Jesus will judge the living and the dead one day! How will He see us? How will He evaluate our lives? Most importantly, how should we live knowing that we will one day give an account of our life before Him? First, we see that Jesus is not impressed with outward appearances because He sees through our actions to the true motives of the heart. As it turns out, most of us are just putting on a show. We live for the praise and honor of men. Seeking glory is not necessarily bad since God created us for glory. The problem is that when we seek people's approval, we become actors who put on a great show, but it is not who we really are. When we perform for others, our motives are selfish, and our actions are fake. Jesus will judge us not on how we appear on the outside but based on who we are on the inside. He sees what we work so hard to keep hidden from others. He sees the real me! When our inward character does not match our outward actions, we only fool ourselves. The Scribes would be judged severely for their hypocrisy, and so will all who are only pretending to be good. Secondly, we see that Jesus is impressed by things easily overlooked by everyone else because He understands the quality of our actions very differently than how we understand them. We are impressed by the impact, the size of the splash, and the quantity. We measure generosity by the size of the gift and what it can accomplish. But Jesus is not impressed with such things. For one, He knows that the real impact of anything we do is not dependent on how big our gift is but by how it is filled with His power. He doesn't need our help to make an impact! So, Jesus is not impressed by the size of the gift. Rather, He is impressed by the size of the sacrifice. You could say He is not looking at how much we give but at how much we keep for ourselves. That is the real measure of love. Not how much we give but how much we sacrifice. This principle is powerfully illustrated in the "Gift of the Magi." Does this mean we have to sacrifice all we have to worship God and show our love for Him? Not necessarily. But maybe that is not the point of the story. Instead, it is about what God has done to show His love for us. God has blessed us generously out of His infinite wealth by creating a world of such abundance! But that does not show the full extent of His love, only of His endless wealth. Instead, He showed the extent of His love for us by how much He was willing to sacrifice for us by sending His only Son to die for us. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, giving up all He had, in fact, His very life for us. That is real love! How will we respond to that kind of gift and extravagant display of love? It should cause us to think hard about who we seek to please and where we seek honor and glory. If we put on a good show, we may gain the approval and praise of people, but they will never really love us. Ultimately, their praise is empty and fades like the early morning fog. But, the love and praise of God is eternal and unfading. We will all stand before Jesus, the judge of the living and the dead. How will we stand before Him? We will pass the fires of judgment only if we are clothed in His righteousness. But, we will receive the crown of glory only if we have lived to please Him because His great love has so moved us for us! The only people who can worship God by making great sacrifices for God are those who have been unraveled by the understanding of the great sacrifice God has already made for them!

(1) King David’s Lord (2) Not I but Christ (3) Fake Religion

Big Idea - In this story, blind Bartimaeus cries in great desperation for Jesus to show him mercy. His cry is both urgent and persistent. It pays off, for Jesus does show him mercy by restoring his sight. Can we expect to encounter the same mercy when we ask God for help? Hebrews 4:16 makes an incredible promise that echoes the experience of Bartimaeus, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Does this describe our prayer life? Is our prayer life an urgent or even desperate cry to God for mercy? Or is it more of a mundane exercise, a duty we know we are supposed to perform? The key to understanding this passage, and to transforming our prayer life is to understand the concept of mercy. What is mercy, and how can we find mercy to help in our time of need? First, we need to understand what mercy is and, more importantly, why we need it so desperately. Mercy has to do with having pity for a person in difficult circumstances to the extent that we are moved to help them. The person is in a situation or circumstances beyond their power to resolve. Without the help of someone more powerful, they are hopelessly stuck. But, the one showing mercy is under no obligation to help them. It is an act of kindness that is underserved and without obligation. Romans 9:16 makes it clear that when God shows us mercy, it is not contingent on “human will or exertion.” So, the cry for mercy is the cry of one who cannot fix himself and urgently needs the help of someone else. The blind man, unlike the rich man, did not ask, "What must I do to recover my sight!" Our problem is that we seldom feel that we desperately need help! The reason is that we think our greatest problems are related to our circumstances. We are pretty confident we can change our circumstances if we just work at it hard enough. But Jesus shows the rich man that his real problem is his own heart. He does not need to change his circumstances. He needs to change himself! He walks away sad and depressed because that is impossible. The first step in having a powerful prayer life is when we recognize that our greatest need is not to change our situation but to change ourselves, which we are powerless to do on our own. Our only hope, like blind Bartimaeus, is if someone shows us mercy. But who will show us mercy and give us the help we need? The second vital truth we must understand to find mercy is to know where to look for it. Jesus is the only one who can give us the mercy we need. The throne of grace, where Jesus sits, is the only place to find mercy to help in our time of need. That is because Jesus is the Messiah, sent from God, with the very heart and nature of God. Blind Bartimaeus saw better than most who Jesus really was! He also understood better than most what that meant based on all that the Old Testament promised the Messiah would do. It is the very heart and nature of God to be merciful. Jesus came to bring that mercy in a powerful way. He is more than able to give us the help we need, even to the extent of changing us into very different people! He has the unlimited power of God. But Jesus also has the unlimited mercy of God, and He stops and helps those who genuinely cry out for help! The crowd reminds us, that this is not normal. The way the world works, and all other religions, is that help comes by merit. Some people deserve it, but most do not. Why would Jesus want to help you? But, Jesus is radically different, helping those who are the least deserving because His help is based on mercy, the loving character of God, not on our effort. Since mercy is a gift of grace, does that mean God will automatically help us when we need it? It doesn't work that way. Jesus is waiting and longing to help us, but He is not a machine. He is a living and personal God who is all about relationships. He wants us to know Him and to trust Him. So, we must go to the throne of grace and meet Him there with our requests. We need to ask. And we must have faith that He cares and will give us the help we need. Our cry for help is an acknowledgment of our great need, that we cannot fix it on our own, and it is an act of faith that we trust Him to give us what we so urgently need. Bartimaeus demonstrates great faith by leaving behind his old life and his own works and trusting in Jesus alone. We need God's mercy not only for salvation, like the rich man, but also for ongoing transformation, like the disciples. We need to see that our greatest need is not to change our circumstances but for the inward change of our hearts, life, and character. The more we see this as our great need and the more we see that Jesus has the power to change us, the more we will cry out with great urgency for His mercy to change us. Prayer doesn't always work the way we think it will. The rich man did not get the guarantee of eternal life he was asking for. James and John did not get what they were asking for. But Jesus did not ignore their requests. In fact, He gave them something much greater than what they were asking for. He gave them the opportunity to live a very different kind of life, one free from the bondage from which they were presently living. True faith is trusting God with the answer rather than demanding that He do what we want. We are encouraged repeatedly in Scripture to give thanks in every situation. This is the mark of genuine faith because it is the realization that God, in His great wisdom, knows what is best, and in His wisdom, He will give us abundant mercy and help according to His wisdom and plan, not ours!

Chiangmai Christian Fellowship

Big Idea - In the beginning of the Gospel Mark declares that Jesus came "proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14–15). From chapter 1 to the end of chapter 8, the focus is on proving that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah. The kingdom is at hand because the King has come! This is truly good news! But Jesus unravels everything when He announces that He is going to suffer, be rejected by men, and be killed, but will rise from the dead after three days. Jesus is a very different kind of Messiah from what the Disciples expected. If the King came to die, what does that say about His kingdom? It certainly is not the kind of Kingdom the Disciples are expecting. Jesus is calling all who will come to enter the Kingdom. It is at hand; it is here, and all who are willing may enter. But what are we getting ourselves into? Jesus turns everything upside down and inside out by the announcement of His suffering and death. What does that mean for those who follow Jesus and make Him their Kind and Lord? What is in store for us? Just as Jesus needs to correct false ideas about the mission of the Messiah, He also needs to make things clear about life in the Kingdom. Those who want to follow Him need to understand what they are getting themselves into! Jesus calls the crowd and His disciples, setting clear expectations for those already following Him and those who are undecided. Jesus lays out three expectations for those who follow Him. These are not requirements that we need to do first to prove that we are worthy or deserving. Instead, it is what is required because of the nature of the journey. They will follow Jesus on the road He is traveling. But, the way is full of dangers, perils, and difficulties. The only way they will be able to persevere and follow to the end is by doing these three things from the very start. The first is to deny one's self. That means saying "no" to self to say "yes" to God. It does not mean we must give up everything and live as a hermit. But, it does mean we give up the right to everything "I" desire and even the things “I” need. Secondly, there is no limit to how far we take this. The things we want and need can be found on the emotional level and on the physical level. What the self wants and "needs" emotionally, more than anything else, is to be somebody, that is, to be recognized, honored, loved, and respected. Taking up our cross is the extreme opposite of that. It is taking on the humiliation and shame of Jesus' death, of His cross. Jesus's life ends in the deepest shame, and that shame now becomes the mantle of all who follow Him. There is no glory in the cross. The world despised Jesus, and it despises all who follow Him. Those who want to follow Jesus must take up a life of shame and a willingness to be despised by others. The cross also points to death. What we "need" physically is to stay alive! We are wired to prioritize this, which is a good thing to a point. However, this is right only until living does not conflict with following Jesus. If the choice becomes our survival or following Jesus, we must be prepared to die for our faith in Christ. There is no limit to denying ourselves. We are to deny ourselves even as far as death! Finally, we are to go with Christ on the road he travels. We do not suffer for the sake of suffering, but we follow Jesus and prepare to meet hardships and suffering along the way because that is the road we are on with Jesus. We are to live as He lived. By denying ourselves, we can live much more generously and sacrificially to others, which is exactly what Jesus did! To follow Jesus is to live like Jesus. What Jesus is asking is extreme. He is asking us to be willing to give up our right to get what we want and even what we need, even as far as giving up life itself! Why would anyone do that? Jesus gives four arguments why it is worth it. In short, the journey on this road is worth it because the final destination is more than worth it. Where does this road end? First, it ends in salvation. You can save yourself now, only to find you have lost your life for all eternity, or you can deny yourself now and "lose" your life for Christ and the Gospel so that you will be saved forever! There is no such thing as trusting God to save you but holding on to the self. You cannot have this world and heaven. You must let go of this world to gain life with God for eternity. Second, your eternal soul is of vastly greater value than the whole world. Even if you could gain the wealth of the entire world, it would not be worth it in the end. Your soul and your eternal happiness and life are a treasure incomparably greater than anything you could possibly gain in this life. Ask Steve Jobs. Thirdly, once you have lost your soul, there is no way to buy it back. Now is the time to decide. The truth is our soul has been lost in sin and rebellion. We have already rejected God and held on to self. When Jesus arrives at the cross, Peter does not deny himself and follow Jesus. He denies Jesus and saves himself. The others all run away from the cross. Like Peter, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way. What can we give in exchange for our soul? All the wealth of the world cannot buy back our souls, and even if it could, it would be of no help to us because when we die, we leave it all behind. But Isaiah 53:6 does not end there. It continues on - "and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6). What can we give in exchange for our soul, to buy it back? Nothing. But Jesus exchanged His life for ours! The blood of Jesus can buy back our lost souls! Finally, it is worth it to go on this journey with Jesus and endure all its hardship and shame because he will reject those who refuse to share in the shame of Jesus now on the day of judgment. But those who bear His shame now will receive honor on the day of judgment. The real issue is not getting what we want or not getting what we want. We want glory and honor. We want wealth and security. We want to be happy and have an abundant life of joy. The problem is not in wanting these things. The problem is that we are unwilling to let go of cheap and flimsy substitutes of these things here and now for the real things in eternity. We are like a person who was unwilling to leave their broken down and filthy home in the slums and take the long journey to a new home, a mansion far away because the way is hard and the journey is difficult.

Big Idea - Is it possible that you can go to Jesus and ask for help, and He would turn you away without considering your request and granting what you ask? If we ask that question based on our own experience, we will probably say "yes." We may have turned to God many times in prayer, asking for His help, and feel that He never answered our prayers. But, if we base our answer on the life of Jesus in the Gospels, we would have to answer very differently. For in the Gospels, we find Jesus healing and helping all those who come to Him, seeking His help. That is what makes this story so shocking. In Mark 7, a woman comes to Jesus asking for Him to cast a demon out of her daughter, and it does not appear that He is going to help her. Jesus' reply to the woman seems so out of character and so unlike what we would expect Him to do. Why is Jesus so reluctant to help her? Is it because she is a Gentile? In the end, Jesus does help her, but why did He change His mind? We can find great encouragement in this story about what we can expect Jesus to do for us when we come to Him with our needs and how we can respond when it seems that we are not getting what we ask for! The first question we need to answer is why Jesus is slow to help her in the first place. Many people believe the problem is that the woman is a Gentile, and Jesus' ministry was only to the Jews. It is true that Jesus' ministry was almost exclusively to the Jews, but the fact that Mark connects this story with the previous account shows that the divide between Jews and Gentiles is being abolished by His coming. The main divide that separated Jews from Gentiles was the regulations regarding being clean and unclean. Jesus just declared that these things did not actually make you unclean. Rather, it was our sinful hearts that defiled us. Jesus effectively broke down that divide because all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, have the same sinful heart and nature. It is true that God's covenant plan was with Israel, but His covenant was never intended to exclude Gentiles. His promise to Abraham was that all the nations would be blessed through Him. Jesus came to fulfill that promise. Through His life, death, and resurrection, all the nations can now enter into a covenant relationship with God based on His shed blood. If Jesus is not helping her because she is a Gentile, then why is He slow to help? The reason is found in His purpose for coming to the region of Tyre. Jesus left Galilee to place away from the Jews to escape being noticed. He did not want anyone to know where He was or who He was. Ever since they heard the news of John the Baptist's death, Jesus and the disciples have been trying to get away to rest. But the crowds have made it impossible. Jesus needs time to rest, and He also wants to spend focused time teaching and encouraging the twelve. These true and committed followers are His first priority. It is strategic and critical that He equip and prepare them to take His mission forward, for Jesus knows His time with them is short. This is important not only for Israel but also for the world. So, when the woman comes, she is a major interruption to the time Jesus has planned with the twelve. Jesus is not wrong to make the "children" a priority and to delay giving help to the dogs. This is not as insulting as we might think. It is intended not to put her down but to illustrate the point that in a family, it would be wrong to feed your pet dog first, and if there is anything left over, then feed the kids! The kids come first. They are, rightfully, the first priority. This woman is not a disciple, but Jesus still puts her in the house, not outside. He is not saying He should never help her, only that His priority right now is His spiritual children who need His attention and care. In short, Jesus is essentially saying, "Right now is not a good time." Not because I don't want to help you but because I need to focus on more important things at the moment. How do we respond when it seems Jesus is not interested in helping us? When we pray, does the help not come as quickly as we wanted? Maybe we just give up. We decide that prayer doesn't work, and God isn't actually all that interested in helping us. We do not see that great disconnect between what we expect Jesus to do in the Gospels and what we expect God to do in our own lives! It is unthinkable that Jesus would not help someone who comes to Him with their request. But, we all too easily give up on God answering our prayers. But this woman is not so easily put off. She does not give up. What can we learn from her when we ask and do not receive? She has a quick comeback to Jesus' reply, using the word picture Jesus painted. I may not be one of your kids, and I agree that I am not the first priority, but even the pet dog gets to eat the crumbs that drop from the table while the kids are eating. Her answer reveals two important truths that she believed about herself and about Jesus. The first is that she accepted that she had no right to Jesus' help. Unlike the Scribes who had convinced themselves they had earned acceptance by God, she comes with incredible humility, seeking Jesus' help based on mercy or grace, not as a right. She is not at the status of a child, but she seeks Jesus' help based on the belief that He is kind and caring. That He will extend grace to her because of her need. Second, her answer reveals her confidence in the great power of Jesus to do what she asked. She doesn't need much help, only a crumb. She protests that the help she is asking for is not hard for Jesus. It does not demand much of His time or effort. Jesus can help her without leaving the disciples. His help comes out of the overflow of His table! She is confident that Jesus will help her, first because of His great power to do what she needs and second because He is good and kind. He is not the kind of person who will turn away one who has come seeking His help. That is not who He is! Some scholars believe that Jesus does not help her right away as a means of drawing out her faith. It is not clear if that is Jesus' intention, but it certainly does have that result. We see in this Gentile woman a remarkable faith that persists until she gets what she is asking for. This should be a great encouragement to us as we seek help from Jesus in prayer. We need to go to God in prayer with the belief that it is unthinkable that God would turn away anyone who is seeking His help. We should be as shocked by such a thought as we are at Jesus' response in this story. Jesus always helps those who seek Him. Indeed, He does! Second, when the answer is slow to come, we need to be convinced of two important truths. The first is that we have no right to His help. His help is all a matter of grace. Jesus does not help us because we are good enough or have done all the right things to merit an answer. He helps us because of who He is: a kind and merciful God who graciously responds to those who humbly seek Him. At the same time, we should be greatly encouraged that we are not merely a pet dog in His house, but through Christ, we are indeed children and are, therefore, His greatest priority! Finally, we need to believe with all our hearts that the help we need is not hard for God. It is a mere crumb, and He will work for us all that we ask in faith, with no worry that He will run out. He helps us out of the overflow of His power and goodness.