* What Came Before?

^26d the son of Josek, the son of Joda…,  ^27b the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa…, ^28b the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam…,  ^30d the son of Jonam…, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna…,

(portions of Scripture from the New International Version – I’ll tell you where a little later)

My least favorite parts to read in the Bible are the begats… those Scriptures in the King James version, Adam begat Seth who begat Enos who begat Cainan who begat Mahalaleel, and more sons and daughters and so on and so on… A litany of names I cannot pronounce, although I know they all have a meaning and I know the lineage is important, too, but sometimes I wonder why I have to know all that…

Ancestry and heritage are all the rage right now, people want to know their lineage - maybe there's someone famous in their family line... or maybe not. However, they're all important! How important you ask? Well, I thought I would start in Luke 2, And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus… We all know that story and we think that’s where it all started, but it’s not. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) reads, Even before he made the world, [emphasis mine] God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eye.

Before Genesis 1:1 In the beginning… God chose us before He made the world…  

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I don’t even know why I’m here.” When asked if here meant the current location, almost unanimously, it was No, here at all. Born… Sad, too sad… I could go into lots of reasons why we are here and provide lots of Scripture as to the sanctity of life itself that God has given each of us, etc, but let me just say this…

If your great-great-great-great grandfather had died before he married your great-great-great-great grandmother, you wouldn’t be here. If any of the limbs of your family tree that came before you had been chopped down before re-seeding so to speak, there would be no you. Why is that important to know? Well, let me ask you this… Do you know any of the names in our Scripture reference for today? Do you recognize them? Joda - Addi -  Cosam? Do you know what they did? What set them apart for distinction?  They lived. That’s it. God’s plan – they were born and they lived, and I dare say they lived their lives to the fullest. I didn’t recognize any of the names in our list. They are from the third chapter of Luke. If you read the whole list, you’ll find names you do know… Jesse, David, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob… However, without the names in our text today - there wouldn't have been Jesse, David, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All in the lineage of Jesus the Messiah.… 

You see, God had a plan even before He made the world… and you were in it. Are there any more questions as to why you're here?  

Prayer:

Father,

          You know the end from the beginning. You wrote our days in Your book. Forgive us for those times we question Your plan. Help us to fulfill the plan You have for our lives. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

* Do What? When?!?

     One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

     “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

     Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!

John 5:5b-9a NLT

     When my kids were little, they liked to watch Sesame Street, and one of their favorite things - besides Mr. Snuffleupagus - was the segment with the song where they would pull 4 things together and the kids chose which 3 things belonged together and which one didn't. Do you remember that? (Please, God, don't let that song stay in my head the rest of the day...) Well, let's think along those lines this morning. Let's look for the common thread in our text for today and the following three passages. See what you come up with... 

1. Matthew 4:18-22 NLT

     One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

     A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

2. Luke 5:18-25 NLT

     Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
     Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
     And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 

3. Luke 5:27-28 NLT

     Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

There may be other things you see, but for me, it was first Jesus said and then... Instantly - at once - immediately...

In Matthew 4, when Jesus called James and John - the sons of thunder - they left the only job they'd ever done, their only source of income, their choice of vocation, their comfort zone (because it's what they knew) and they immediately followed Him, leaving the boat and their father behind. Matthew (Levi) himself did the same thing - left everything...

People will say, You can't do that. That's what they told the man who'd been lying by the pool of Bethesda for 38 years!  Continuing in our text for today,  John 5 - verse 9b through verse 11 - But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”  But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”  

Those were the leaders who objected to what he was doing. Those who were the ones who had been in charge of making the rules in his life... You can't do that! What would you do?

If Jesus says it... What do you do? You obey. You don't think about it. You don't question it. You don't over-analyze it. You don't come up with all the reasons why it won't work, why you can't do it, why it won't happen for you. You make like Nike and just do it. 

Jesus came to save souls - our souls are our mind, our will and our emotions. If the head (the mind) says yes, make the body get up and follow (the will). The heart will have to go along, too (the emotions). 

That's called faith. Do what? Whatever He says. When? Instantly - at once - immediately...

Prayer:

Father,

       Let all that I am praise You, Lord; You forgive all my sins and heal all my diseases. May I never forget the good things You do for me. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

* Are You With Me?

...as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee...
Joshua 1:5b KJV

When I was little, my mother kept a little container full of Bible verses on the kitchen table, and every day, we'd all pick one. The Promise for Today is one of the first Scripture pieces I committed to memory. I've mentioned it before - I'd fallen through the glass door of my mother's china closet, yet God had protected me. When it was all said and done, I picked a verse from the box and Joshua 1:5b was the text. It went immediately into my memory and has stayed there all these years.

It's one of those verses I hear when I need to be reminded that God is with me. He promised. Until recent years, I'd never really done a study on Moses' life, so I don't think I fully understood the commitment God was making to Joshua at the time. Nor did I grasp the depth and wealth of that promise.

Today, as I face yet another challenge in my life, my pastor taught from Joshua 1 this evening. A sweet and loving reminder of a lifelong promise God made - not only to Joshua - but to me, as well. And He finishes that verse with,  I will never fail thee, nor forsake thee.

And just like Moses refused to go one step if God wasn't going with him, I don't want to, either. So, based on His Word - His promise - it's not a matter of me asking God, Are You with me? He's already promised that He will never leave me, nor forsake me. It's more a question of God asking us, "Are you with Me?"

What's your answer?

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for the seeds of Truth You plant all through our lives, whether we are actively following You, or You are actively pursuing us to follow You.  Thank You that those truths are alive and bring forth good fruit in us. Help us to be moved only by You, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen