# 8 The Artist

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

He, the Light, the Word, was in the world. He came to His own creation. This creation that “declares the glory of God.” This firmament that shows His handiwork. Day unto day creation utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. “ (Ps 19:1-3)

Just  a glance, a touch, a tuned ear to God’s creation will testify of the character of the Triune God! Thunder, earthquakes, storms declare His judgment. Peaceful sunsets, tranquil ponds, meadows blanketed with flowers declare His grace. The relentless rising and setting of the sun, and the changing seasons declare His great faithfulness. The wide expanse of a starlit night declares His unsearchable eternal awesomeness. All of it, reflecting a bit of His glory, and all of it made by Him!

Those people who appreciate art, can look at a painting and identify the artist. A born-again believer can look at creation and identify the Creator! A Christian looks at the created world and immediately identifies the artist as Jesus Christ, and he responds in awe and worship of Him.

This artist has always been there hovering over the easel, at a distance, perhaps taking in the crown of His creation…..man! Ps 8:5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Then God did something marvelous! He sent His only Son INTO the painting. The Artist became part of the canvas. Now, His creation can know Him personally! He didn’t come as a tree, or an animal, He came as a fellow human being with real flesh and real bones! He came to those whom He had created in His image, but for the most part they rejected Him as the artist.

What a pity! For as many as received Him, as many who said, “You are the Artist, the Son of the Living God,” He gave the right to be called children of God!

# 7 Out of Darkness and Into Light

Joh 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

The true Light of course is Jesus. He affirmed that for us in  Joh 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

This Light is an ever present reality and man needs to be “enlightened” with the Light of Jesus in order to enter into eternal life. As a Christian, by the grace of God, the Light” has been borne to you, now you and I must bear it to others! Ac 13:47 "For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

Several years ago, I read a book entitled, “Spirit of the Rain Forest.” It’s the story of a shaman or witch doctor who lived in the rain forest of Venezuela. This shaman was possessed of many evil spirits, and he talked of the times he traveled in the spirit world to what he called “enemy territory.”

In reality, the enemy territory was the One true living God’s territory. It was “Jesus Country!” To the shaman it was “enemy territory because God is the enemy of the devil, demons, and evil spirits.  The shaman said that this “territory” was a place of “great light,” and I think that’s very relevant to our text today.

The Light is here, there, and everywhere! Even a shaman in the deepest and darkest part of the jungle knows of the existence of this Light…..and he trembles. Just as it says in  Jas 2:19, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!

This shaman would still be living in fear and darkness were it not for the light bearing missionaries who came to Venezuela, and like John the Baptist, “bore witness to the Light.”

Jesus told His disciples “You ARE the light of the world!” There is no option for the follower of Christ. This is not  a command, it is a statement of fact. “You ARE! So, Mt 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

This shaman was eventually won over to the Light as he observed the changes in those of his tribe who had “asked their old spirits to leave and invited the all-powerful Spirit of God to take their place.” These tribesmen had become little light bearers to lead this shaman out of darkness into the true Light.

Let us take heart here and climb out from under the bushel basket and point people to the One true Light!

#6 Law and Gospel

Joh 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.

 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

We call him “John the Baptist,” but he could be called “John the Witness!” He was sent by God Himself to testify about Jesus. That testimony could be summed up in one incident found in  Joh 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

The Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle John here wants to make sure we understand that John the “Baptist” was a mere witness to the Light, not the Light itself. His only purpose was to prepare the way of the Light and he did that by preaching the necessity of repentance. John preached the Law of God, because without the Law, there would be no sin, and with no sin, there is nothing to repent of.

John had some followers that missed the boat. They stopped at repentance. They tried to adhere to his teachings on their own. You may recall the Apostle Paul running into some of the Baptist’s followers in Ephesus.  (Acts 19:1-4) Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they replied, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And Paul said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” Or we might say, “So what are you guys into?” And they replied, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

In other words, “John was into preaching repentance, calling people to change their ways and live according to God’s Laws, but his real message was to turn people away from themselves and toward Christ.” These people at Ephesus had stopped short of grace. Oh the misery!

They were living in a world of trying to reform their ways in the flesh without the aid of the indwelling Holy Spirit! Their misery must’ve been obvious, their ties to legalism evident as it prompted Paul to ask them if they had received the Holy Spirit.

“Holy Spirit? Never heard of Him!”  

Listen, the Law must be preached! It prepares the way for grace. It shows our need for a Savior! But you and I must never stop at the Law, and the preacher must never stop there as well! The preacher needs also to introduce his audience to the Savior…..the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! And not only the Lamb of God, but the One who brings the power and help of the Holy Spirit to all believers.

Mt 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

#5 When They Come Knocking

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In the opening verses of this gospel, John is already dealing with an age-old heresy that pops up in the church, and that is, the deity of Christ. It seems people have always had a difficult time believing that Jesus can be fully man and fully God. Yet John boldly states in this first verse, “the Word WAS God.”

This verse is very troublesome for the doctrines of the Mormons and the Jehovah Witnesses. So they changed it. The Mormon Bible writes Jn1:1 this way: ”In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the Word. And the Word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God,"

Did you catch that? Not WAS God but was WITH God! Not WAS God but WAS OF God! Huge difference!

The Jehovah Witnesses Bible has Jn 1:1 stated this way:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. A god? You gotta be kidding me.  

They will talk about many things trying to proselytize you, but chances are they won’t talk about their doctrine concerning the deity of Christ, nor should you let them. You should never let the conversation go that far! Let me explain.

2Jo 1:7 says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.  9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

Stern words, but vital! The Father and the Son are One! Jesus was/is fully God and fully man

Now, here’s what I mean when I say, “don’t let the conversation get that far.” Heed John’s advice in 1 Jn 10,11 when these charlatans come to your door!

  10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;  11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

“Oh, but I would feel bad about that! It’s impolite! It seems unchristian.” It may seem that way, but it is biblical obedience. This is God’s way of dealing with those who deny that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God!

When they knock on your door, answer it and have these verses from 1 John ready. Open your Bible and ask them to read it aloud, then tell them, (in a spirit of love) “I am aware of what you believe about Jesus, and the Word of God compels me to ask you to leave my doorstep now!”  Then quietly close the door and pray for the salvation of their souls.

The silently closed door will be a stronger witness than any arguments you may come up with to defend the deity of Christ, because the closed door is God’s ordained witness to these anti-Christs. Who knows if they would run into a few more closed doors, maybe they would rethink their position on who Jesus really is!

#4 The Light of Men

The Light of Men

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

In the “Divine Expression, (The Word) Jesus was, is, and forever shall be life. (zoe” in the Greek.) This life, is the light of men and it is all of the highest and best which Christ is, and which He gives to His church through the Holy Spirit. (Remember the tongues of flame (light) on Pentecost?) This life or light, is different from all other light in that it was never kindled, and therefore never quenched….it is eternal.

This light “shines  in the darkness.” What a strange thing to say! Of course light shines in the darkness, otherwise it wouldn’t be light!

In the Lexical aids to the New Testament  Zodiates says the idea of this shining is that it “shines whether anybody beholds it or not.” Sounds a bit like the old question, “ If a tree falls in a deserted forest, does it make any sound?” I don’t know about that, but I do know from John’s use of the word here, that the light of Jesus shines whether men behold it or not. In other words, there is reality behind His light. It is not a figment of our imagination.

Trees falling in a forest occupied by deaf people still send out sound waves, but the deaf cannot hear! Similarly, the unquenchable eternal light (Jesus) shines from heaven through His church, but the spiritually blind do not comprehend or see Him. The Light, (Jesus) is not admitted or received….it is not processed, and men remain in darkness.

This spiritual blindness is removed by God-granted faith. You either take God at His word, or you don’t. You either walk in the light or continue to stumble in the dark!

Joh 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

#3 The Alpha and the Omega

The Alpha and the Omega

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

“He was…..” He, meaning  the “Word”, Jesus Christ, was with God from the incomprehensible beginning. Jesus told John in Rev 21:6, “I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.”

I love the use of the first letter of the Greek alphabet, (alpha) and the last. (omega) It’s like Jesus  is saying, “I am the first letter of the alphabet to the last letter of the alphabet and every expressive combination of all the letters in-between! I am the Word!

Every word ever formed in every language uses the letters of their respective alphabets. But Jesus is not restricting Himself to the Greek alphabet! His point is that He is the first letter of God the Father’s alphabet, the last letter of God’s alphabet, and every expressive combination in-between! He IS the Word of God! (and His name is called The Word of God. Rev 19:13)

He is the Divine expression, with the Father from eternity. He is every word formed in God’s language, using God’s alphabet to express God’s thoughts! Jesus is behind all of God’s thoughts toward us. That’s why John can say with full certainty that ALL things were made through Him (Jesus) and without Him (the Word) “nothing was made that was made.”

Let’s go back to the beginning of the Bible: Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God (the eternal third person of the Trinity) was hovering over the face of the waters (awaiting the command or communication from the Father to create…..in other words, awaiting the WORD)  3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light”  At this point, the Word was unleashed, the thought of God was expressed, and the Spirit then proceeded to instantaneously bring forth light.

When you think about it, the whole process mirrors the salvation experience. God’s thoughts toward men are thoughts of salvation and eternal life! Those thoughts are expressed in Jesus, received by faith, and brought forth in an instant by the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit, flips the switch,  and man’s sin darkened soul is enlightened with saving faith in Jesus, (the Word and the Light of the world!)

#2 The Word

The Word

Joh 1:1a “In the beginning was the Word,”

The Word. Have you ever wondered why John uses such a term  to describe Jesus? I mean, why didn’t he start out by saying, “In the beginning was Jesus? “We all know who he is talking about, why the mysterious word, “Word?”  

All the other gospel writers pick up the story of Jesus, just before He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. They all start with the humanity of Christ. But John starts at the beginning….before there was man…..he starts with God, and the name “Jesus” falls short in expressing that fact.

When the angel told Joseph what to name Mary’s child, he said, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mt 1:21) “Jesus” literally means “Savior,” and that’s vital to know, but there is more to Him than that!  

John fills in the missing details concerning Jesus with this one powerful word. The word is “logos” in the Greek  or “Word” in English and it means, “something spoken, including the thought behind it.” Think about it. We use words to express our thoughts, and God expresses His thoughts toward us in Jesus! Jesus is the “Divine expression.” He is the Word! He is God’s thoughts with skin on!

The writer of Hebrews reminds us of this fact in Heb 1:1,2 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;”

Later on in this gospel of John, Phillip will approach Jesus  and say, “Lord, show us the Father, and Jesus replies, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:8,9)

Let there be no doubt, Jesus is God the Father expressing Himself to His children. He is “The Word!” John starts us off with that thought and continues the theme through the entire book. And when we consider that “God is love,” (1 Jn 4:8) we begin to see that Jesus is the expression of that love. This theme will be repeated often in this book, and as God’s children it should be repeated in our lives as well. For “he who does not love, does not know God.” (1 Jn 4:8)

An Overview of the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John (Overview)

The gospel of John was of course was penned by John who was one of the sons of Zebedee. Likely penned while John was in Ephesus about the year 90 A.D. This makes it the last of the gospels written.

Its central theme is stated near the end of the Book in Joh 20:31, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

The deity of Christ is asserted in this gospel, in a series of “I Am” claims sprinkled throughout the Book. These “I Am” declarations, identify Jesus with the “I Am” (Yahweh) of the Old Testament.

This gospel contains no parables, but many personal interviews, (Nicodemus the classic example in Jn 3:1-21)

This gospel contains seven miracles or signs which point us to Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God! Five of these miracles are not recorded elsewhere in Scripture. The miracles include:

Turning water into wine.

The healing of the nobleman’s son.

The healing of the paralytic.

The feeding of the multitude.

The walking on water.

The giving of sight to a blind man.

The raising of Lazarus from the dead.

John also emphasizes the human nature of Jesus. In this gospel we will learn that Jesus hungered, He was thirsty, He was weary, He experienced pain and death. These facts were included to thwart the false teaching of the Gnostics who denied  the human nature of Jesus.

It’s important to note that this gospel does not always move along in a direct timeline, it is more thematic. Some have likened it to a spiral theme that rises higher and higher, growing wider and wider, but always hovering over the same area, and that area is marked out for us in the first couple of verses in the Book. It never leaves the central theme of the Book, always coming back to and touching the cross, where the love of God for mankind is clearly evidenced!

Probably the most quoted passage in Scripture is found in this Book in chapter three, verse sixteen.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

In the days ahead as we go through this Book, my prayer is that the truth of Jn 3:16 will settle deep within your heart, and you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing you will have eternal life.

This Needs To Be Said

I was looking at the latest death toll figures from the Covid 19 pandemic in the United States this morning, and according to the article I was reading, the peak day occurred on April 15^th when 2806 people died from the virus in the United States. If that rate would continue for a year, over a million lives will be lost! That is a shocking statistic. Imagine if a cure is just not out there. Imagine this plague continuing for the next 47 years! That would result in the deaths of over 48 million people! Mind blowing!

As tragic as that figure may be, let us consider that in the past 47 years since the legalization of abortion in the United States, over 61 million unborn children have lost their lives to legalized abortion! Where is the daily tally of this tragic death toll on the national news?

The Word of God has much to say about the sanctity of life. Child sacrifice has always been considered an abomination to the Lord and a profaning of His Name. Listen to what God said to Moses concerning sacrificing children to Molech in  Lev 20:1-5, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

 2 "Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: 'Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones.

 3 'I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name.

 4 'And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him,

 5 'then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.

Sounds to me like God takes this matter of child sacrifice very, very, seriously! He even calls the people out for “looking the other way” while the practice continued in the land!

Thankfully God also takes the death of His Son Jesus Christ very seriously!  That death was the payment for every sin ever committed, or that will be committed in this world. There is no sin, that Jesus did not pay for on the cross, yes even the sin of abortion and our apathy toward it.

Let’s wake up church, lest God turn His face away from us and our children. (v5)

There is a remedy!

2Ch 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Here’s an old hymn for those struggling with the guilt of their sins:

1 I lay my sins on Jesus,
the spotless Lamb of God;
he bears them all, and frees us
from the accursed load:
I bring my guilt to Jesus,
to wash my crimson stains
white in his blood most precious,
'til not a spot remains.

Believe it beloved and be set free!

Elvis and Fasting

This will be my last post on fasting.  (For now anyway) I hope these posts have been informative and encouraging. I hope they will provide an incentive to get you started in the discipline of fasting. Jesus made it clear that fasting, giving, and praying are three marks of His disciples. In the sermon on the mount He said, "WHEN you give! WHEN you pray! WHEN you fast! He didn't say IF!

Today I want to address the matter of fasting and intimacy with God and to do that let's turn to Luke 2:36-38: "Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;  37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.  38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

In this text today we meet a widow named Anna. She was old. After 7 years of marriage her husband dies and for whatever reason she doesn't remarry. She has lived a long time without the physical intimacy of a husband. How did she handle this lack of intimacy? She prayed, she fasted, and she served God. Was she lonely? I’m sure she experienced times of loneliness. Was she alone? Never.

And look what happened. Her praying and fasting and service to the Lord, literally brought Jesus to her door. (She pretty much lived in the temple!) And because she had fasted and prayed, she had become intimate with Jesus and His Word. And she used that intimacy to bless others, as a gifted prophetess (one who spoke of the things of God with others)

I don’t think we can speak of intimacy with God too much. The human need for intimacy is great, but living in such a sin-sick world, human intimacy more often than not fails. If and when it does, know with Anna, that there is an intimacy that will never fail. And know and believe that this intimacy can fulfill and can satisfy.

Ps 107:9 says,  “For He satisfies the longing soul.” This is an incredible verse. If we paraphrase it in the Hebrew, it would sound like this. “God fills to overflowing the soul that is greedy for Him!"

God alone satisfies the longing soul. Is there dissatisfaction in your life? Does God

seem distant? Are you experiencing lukewarmness? Have you tried fasting? It’s one way that Jesus promises to show up at your door for the purpose of being more intimate with you.

Dr. Tony Evans tells of the Elvis rage of the 70’s. The King of Rock and Roll would go on tour and people would camp out for days at the ticket office hoping not only for a seat, but a front row seat. You’re not going to touch his silk scarf in row ZZZ. He’s not going to come off the stage and put his arms around you and sing to you if you’re in the balcony.

So these people would be willing to be inconvenienced by sleeping on a sidewalk, no matter what the weather for days just for the possibility of a front row seat near the king . Well, the King of Kings doesn’t shake his hips but he does shake the world. And He knows tender love, and He knows when you’re lonesome at night, and He knows a bit about Heartbreak Hotel,  but He will never allow you to be alone.  Elvis would pack up and leave after the concert, but Jesus says, I will never leave nor forsake you.

Are you willing to be inconvenienced like those Elvis seekers. Are you willing to skip a meal or two in the discipline of fasting for the purpose of getting a front row seat with Jesus?  Jas 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. And fasting is one way that we can use to draw near to Him. 

Father, there is such a lack of intimacy in our world today. Fill the lonely souls with Your love.  

Fasting Part 13

Would you like to be more intimate with God?  Have you tried fasting?  Years ago, we sang  a song in worship that went like this:  “knowing You Jesus, knowing You….there is no greater thing.”  A great worship song…..but do we really mean it?  Do we really want intimacy with Him?

When Jesus walked this earth, His disciples were blessed to have intimate face to face contact with Him, but what were they to do when He ascended into heaven? The answer is found in Mt 9:15,

“And Jesus said to them, can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Jesus was physically going to a place very distant from where the disciples were. How were His followers going to make it without Jesus right by their side? Well, we know that this was one of the purposes of sending the Holy Spirit, but according to this verse,  this intimacy would be enhanced by fasting.

Does God seem distant to you? Do you sense that you are out of touch with Jesus? Have you tried fasting? Fasting is a bridge to the bridegroom, a tool that God has given us to maintain an ongoing connection with His Son in order to help us experience the only fulfilling intimacy that really matters. An intimacy with the truest lover of our souls.

 How do we know when it’s time to fast in order to heighten our intimacy with the Lord?  Well how about taking your spiritual temperature? Are you hot, cold, or lukewarm?  If we were honest, we would have to say that most of us experience periods of lukewarmness. But we can break out of these periods with fasting!

Jesus speaks about this in Revelation chapter three. He wishes we were hot or cold, anything but lukewarm, and then he went on to describe the signs of lukewarmness. The chief sign being, self-sufficiency. “For you say I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” Rev 3:17

You may be self-sufficient, you may be experiencing the good life, but if you don’t have intimacy with Jesus, verily, verily, you have your reward. So Jesus in His desire to re-establish intimacy with you, stands at the door and knocks.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me.” (Rev 3:20)

Try and get this picture: The food is on the table, (untouched) but you have come to the point in your life that you are hungering for the only intimacy that satisfies, suddenly you hear a gentle knocking on the door. So you get up, you leave the food untouched, you fast. Look who shows up at the door. Jesus, and He says, invite me in, let’s break the fast and let’s eat. Let’s have fellowship, let’s be intimate.

Father, give us a hunger for intimacy with You and hear our pleas through prayer and fasting.

Fasting Part 12

As we continue our look at biblical fasting, I want to spend some more time on the biblical account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.  The widows fast could be called a fast of deprivation. She was willing to deprive herself of some of her food for the sake of another (Elijah)

Elijah asked her to make a SMALL biscuit for him, and then use the rest for herself. If she was willing to do this, he promised her that God would not only feed her, but her household (her kinfolk) as well until the end of the famine.

The widow had a dire need. Do you have a dire need? Have you tried fasting. Have you tried withholding some sensual gratification in order for God to step in and supply? The widow gave up just a little out of her poverty and God blessed her.

Dr. Tony Evans relates the story of a couple from his church who were living in a crowded apartment. They wanted to be able to move into their own home, but couldn’t afford it. So they decided to put this principle of giving to their need to work and trust God, by giving a “little” of what they had (their apartment) to Him.

How did they do that? They purposed in their heart to have people over for dinner 2 times a month. That’s not a lot…..that’s a little. They didn’t have to do that, they were in a sense fasting their time and space to benefit others. While they did this they prayed that God would supply them with a home.

To make a long story short, they wound up in a home three times the size of their apartment, paying less than they had paid for rent. You see they didn’t make the mistake that so many of us make. They didn’t wait for all their ducks to be in a row before they acted. They didn’t say, “When we finally get a house we will open it up for hospitality.” No they sowed to their need with the seed that they had in hand, and we would be wise to learn to do the same.

Of course with “social isolation” in place right now, in the land,  it would be impossible to invite people over for dinner and fellowship, but that doesn’t change the spiritual principal of fasting (giving something up) to a need!

Prov 11:25 says, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Jesus said in Lk 6:38, “give, and it (The “it” is whatever you give) will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, 

Gal 6:9,10 says, “And let us not weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then as you have opportunity, (even though it’s a little biscuit, or a widow’s mite, or a tiny apartment, or maybe even blessing someone at the drive thru) let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Eph 6:8, says, ““knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord.” (Eph 6:8) Do you get the picture? These are spiritual principles, spiritual truths, things to trust God for by acting on them. Every act of giving to others inevitably involves a withholding of something that could have been spent on you, it is a deprivation, a fast if you will and God promises to respond in kind.  

Father, grant us the faith of the widow of Zarephath. Show us today where we might sow to a need in our own lives.

Fasting Part 11

Well, you did it! You fasted for three days, by giving up three meals. I hope it was a blessing for you as any and all reminders of food reminded you of your need for the Bread of Life!  Now that you know you can do it; I hope you will continue to set aside a regular time of fasting and prayer as part of your spiritual discipline. To further help you in that regard, I want to post a few more blogs concerning fasting as a way to encourage you.

Fasting is a way to pray with your body asking God for direction and meeting specific needs. Need some of that right now in your life? Let’s look at the biblical account of Elijah being taken in and fed by the widow at Zarephath. You can read about it in 1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."

 2 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

 3 "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.

 4 "And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.

 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

 7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

 9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink."

 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."

 12 So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

 13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.

 14 "For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.'"

 15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.

 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.

At first glance, we can look at this account of the widow and Elijah and ask, “what has this got to do with fasting? The word “fast” is nowhere to be found in the story.  This is true, but the concept of fasting is cleverly hidden in the fact that the widow was willing to give up her last meal and trust God to come through and provide for her.

This is the essence of fasting! In fasting we are telling God, “I am giving up on my own resources to meet my needs and looking to Your resources to meet them!

In this account, Elijah had just told the wicked King Ahab, that God was going to judge him through drought. Drought means no rain, no rain means no crops, no crops means famine, famine means no food. Famines are mandatory fasts imposed by God. The God who has the first and last say in nature uses them to get our attention, just as He encourages us to fast to get His attention.

Remember Mt 6:18? “That your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (You fast for God’s attention, not man’s)

Now, Ahab wasn’t happy with Elijah. He didn’t want to hear the preacher telling him to change his ways, and the best way to silence somebody is do em’ in. So Elijah’s life was in danger, but God was way ahead of Ahab. He already had a place of safety set aside for  him.

So he tells Elijah to beat feet to the brook Cherith where he can hide out and he would  have water to drink and food catered in daily by the Crow Catering Service.

Do we have a great God or what? I mean have you ever tried to command a crow? Did you ever try to tell a crow what to do. But God COMMANDED the crows to feed Elijah. Now, He could’ve commanded the chickadees to feed Elijah, but that would’ve meant birdseed, instead Elijah gets the steak and bread diet of the crow!

But lo and behold, eventually the brook dries up. Now what God? Well sometimes, God has to dry things up in our lives in order to get us to move on.

Maybe things are drying up in your life even as I speak. Well, don’t panic, wait to hear from the Lord. Keep looking to Him and His Word. Pull still another fasting card if you have to, it was what Ezra did when he was wondering what to do. He said in Ezra 8:21,  “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

You see, fasting can also be used to ask God for direction in your life.

Fasting for needs or fasting for direction. Whatever the case may be, we are admitting that our resources are used up and we need to rely on His! 

Father, thank You for the spiritual tool of fasting.

Fasting Part 10

He is risen! The Easter fast is over at the completion of your Easter worship service! For those of you who have participated, you can  be sure the Lord has heard your prayers as you cried out to Him with your heart, soul, and body! Now, let us see what the Lord will do. It is in His merciful hands. He will give us exactly what we need as individuals, a church, and a nation! Glory be to You O God!

People are afraid of this invisible virus that has brought us to our knees, and in today’s devotional thought I want to address the matter of fear again.

Let's read from  2 Chronicles 20 beginning at v1: “After this the Moabites and Ammonites and with them some of the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat , “a great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is, Engedi) Then Jehoshaphat was afraid.”

He was what? Afraid! Great fear gripped Jehoshaphat! No wonder they called him, “jumpin' Jehosophat!” The enemies of Israel were  far superior to his forces and they were coming after him and they were already at a nearby city, the deadline was looming. There was no running, no escaping. (This virus is everywhere!)

What did this fear cause him to do? V3 – “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”

It was this fasting that set his face to seek the Lord. It was fasting and prayer that caused God to intervene. It was the fasting that caused God to jump into his field of vision, it was fasting that allowed him to see God instead of the problem!

What happened to Jehoshaphat  and the Israelites after their fast? Incredibly, the armies of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Meunites destroyed each other, and by the time the Israelites arrived for the battle , “they looked to the horde and behold there were dead bodies on the ground.” (2 Chron 20:24.)

 This is what God is able to do to your source of fear. He is able to scatter your fear like the dead bodies of the Ammorites And after this stunning victory Jehoshaphat addressed the people and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; (Faith) believe His prophets, (Faith driven obedience) and you shall prosper."

Believe God! He is able! Just ask those who went through the Red Sea and saw the source of their fears drowned when the sea closed in over Pharaoh’s army.

Just ask Daniel, when the source of his fears had their mouths silenced and their jaws wired shut when he spent the night with his fears in the lion’s den.

Just ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego  when the source of their fears tried to turn up the heat in the fiery furnace.

Just ask Peter, when his head was on the chopping block and the way out was opened up to him. Wait a minute! When was Peter’s head on the chopping block? I don’t remember reading that in the Bible! Well, let me refresh your memory!

Ac 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church.

 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. (Um what do you suppose his plans were for Peter?)

Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

 4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

 5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered (but what was offered?) to God for him by the church. (By who?)

 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.

“And the chains fell off his hands.” Oh Lord hear the prayers of Your church! Free us from fear! In Your mercy, free us from this plague

Think about it friends. What is God able to do in your life when fear grips you. I really don’t know, I only know when it grips you to the point of immobilizing you, it’s time to fast. It’s time to call out to God, and say “I can’t, but You can!” In fasting you call God into the picture, and He stands between you and the source of your fears.   

And His shadow alone is enough to scatter the enemy, and to give you the victory!

Fasting Part 9

The full day of fasting is here. What to do? I would suggest that you follow the A.C.T.S. method of prayer today. Instead of eating breakfast, spend time praising and ADORING the Lord. At lunch, spend some time CONFESSING your sins and then THANKING God for all things. Then at supper bring Him your specific requests, (SUPPLICATIONS)

In today’s devotional on fasting I want to talk about this spiritual discipline as a God-given weapon against fear!

Fear can give birth to very unhealthy obsessions, which can lead to addictions which we often use as a place to run to in order to escape our fears.

When does fear grip you? Is it in the area of your finances? A relationship? A lack of a relationship? Some fear regarding loved ones?  Is it the nagging health problem that you don’t want to go see the doctor about? Is it that new job you’re starting? It could be something as simple as standing in front of a class to give a speech, or going  to the dentist. Fear is fear. It is whatever it is that distracts you and paralyzes you. Whatever it is that  consumes you and adds stress to your life. Right now, in our land, many are gripped by fear of the coronavirus.

When you find yourself paralyzed, when you find yourself obsessed because of fear, it’s time to reach into the armory of weapons that God has put at your disposal and pull out the spiritual hand grenade of fasting, and let God scatter that enemy that has brought such fear into your life. 

Fear often comes with deadlines and ultimatums doesn’t it? A payment is due, a court date, is looming, that dentist appointment is tomorrow! What do you do? You do all you can do and then you fast.

In the Book of Esther, the Jews were gripped with fear because an order had been given and a date set for their extermination.  (13^th Day of the 12^th month) The clock was ticking. Esther was gripped with fear because she was being called upon to stand up to the king.

What did they do? They fasted!. Esther even called on others to fast on her behalf!  Esther called for a fast because she knew she didn’t have the courage to do this alone. The heart cry of fasting is always, “God I can’t do this on my own, I need your help! This circumstance is too big for me to overcome. Fasting then turns our fear to faith.

Dr. Tony Evans tells the story of the time that his church was meeting in a school. A couple of members of the school board got a bee in their bonnet about separation of church and state and decided to kick the church out of the school.  The church, like Esther, asked for a special meeting with the school board to see if they would change their mind. But guess what the church did before the meeting?  They fasted and prayed.

On the day of the meeting two of the members of the school board were late. The board  waited for them for over 45 minutes and finally went ahead with the meeting  at which time the board overturned it's decision and allowed the church to continue meeting.

Guess what?  It seems the two missing members were the two with the bees in their bonnets. It seems that they were hung up in a huge traffic snarl and couldn’t make any noise but the honking of their horns.

Do you need God to allay any of your fears? Let the devil honk his horns, but let us  fast and pray! Let God step in and take care of His business as you admit your need for Him in your situation through prayer and fasting.

Father, help us with our fears today.

Fasting Part 8

In preparation for the Easter fast ( which I encourage you to begin after your Good Friday worship service today and continue until after your Easter morning service)  I have been sharing some devotional thoughts with you concerning the Christian discipline of fasting.  I hope they are helpful as you embark on your fasting journey.

Today, I would like to continue discussing the prayer and fasting of Nehemiah as found in the first two chapters of the Book of Nehemiah

Nehemiah was greatly bothered by the broken down walls and gates of Jerusalem (let’s call Jerusalem a type of the Church capital C) Please note that he didn’t have to be bothered by that news, I mean his walk with the Lord was exemplary. His relationship with the Lord was very good! He had a good job in the kings court many miles away from Jerusalem. Why not just live his life as is? It’s not his concern, right?

But it is! He rightly saw the church as his concern, and guess what? The Body of Christ is your concern and my concern as well!  We ARE our brother’s keeper! There is a breach in the wall, the gates are down. The world has broken into the church in the form of compromised morality.

Jas 4:4 calls us to task on this matter, it says, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Many of God’s commands have become God’s “suggestions,” Sin is generalized! Instead of our specific sins being put under the blood of Jesus, we sweep them under the rug with a shrug. But oh, that we would have the heart of David, who, when confronted with his specific sins with Bathsheba said,  "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (2 Sam 12:13)

  

During this fast, let us take some time and allow the Holy Spirit to dig under our personal lumpy rug and the lumpy rug of the Church. Let us use the prayer of Nehemiah as a guide.

His first step in fixing the problem was to go before the God of heaven. The God of the dispensary of grace and all things needful, and he prayed and fasted before Him.

Listen to his prayer as found in Neh 1:5-11: “And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God”  (everything in that opening line acknowledges that God is bigger than the problem!)  “who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments,”  (next, Nehemiah let’s God know that he is very much aware of God's faithfulness to His Word.  He is also aware of the responsibilities of God’s people. They are to love God and keep (treasure) His commandments.

“Let (allow) Your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night.”

The mention of the ears and eyes of God link prayer and fasting. God hears the prayer of the heart and lips,  but He also sees the prayer of fasting. This wordless prayer of the fast, is with Nehemiah day and night as he forsakes physical nourishment!

Remember the sermon on the mount as it regards proper prayer and fasting? What did Jesus say? “And Your Father who SEES (your fasting) in secret will reward you.”  Nehemiah was simply stating the promise expounded on by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  

 He then goes on to confess the sins of the church, “confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which WE have sinned against You. Even I (he makes it personal!) and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept (treasured) the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded Your servant Moses.

Nehemiah acknowledges the sins of the people, lumping himself in with them, and linking them to God’s commandments! He makes it clear that he and his father’s generation are also guilty.

Walls don’t fall down overnight people! They deteriorate over time.  The reason the walls are broken down and the world has flooded the church, and the gates have been opened is because he, his father’s house, and all the people (you and I) have gotten sloppy over time with the Word of God.

This Good Friday, as we contemplate the love of Christ on the blood stained cross of Calvary, and as we begin our Easter fast, let’s purpose in our own hearts to be honest about our own sins and the sins of the Church. Let’s confess them and hear the sweet words of the Gospel as spoken by Nathan to David: "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

Father, move us to mourn and fast for Your church wherever She may be in shambles and look to You for our help in rebuilding the walls and the gates of Your city!