Fire Insurance is Not Enough. John 10.

Children are so sweet and so innocent. They trust Jesus, they love Him, they want to please Him. They go to church and trust Sunday school teachers and preachers and they ask Jesus into their hearts. And they mean it. Soon they get baptized and they do whatever adults tell them. They really want to please the Lord and it is so sweet. All four of us did the same: we followed Christ as small children. And that is the way it should be.

But as we get older, distractions come along, don’t they? And when you feel bad about those distractions, what do you do? Most kids tell themselves that it’s okay, that the distractions are normal, and that Jesus understands, and that there’s no reason to get carried away, right? You don’t want to be a Jesus freak, do you? The important thing is, you asked Him into your heart and so you’re going to Heaven when you die.

No need to worry about hell anymore because you’ve got your fire insurance.

But is that all Jesus is to you? Fire insurance?

If Jesus is nothing more than a ticket to Heaven, your concept of the Christian life is so messed up, I have to ask whether you know Him at all.

Jesus did not say, “I have come to save you from hell.” He said, “I have come so you might have an abundant life.” John 10:10.

That means He wants to enrich your life on earth—and in heaven, because it is all one life. Jesus prayed in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life—what so many seem to regard as mere “fire insurance”—begins with knowing Jesus during your life on earth. He did not come to drag messed up people from hell to heaven, like some kind of lifeboat anchored near a sinking ship.

He came to breathe life into people who were dead in sin. That life—being born again—makes you completely new. “Behold, I make all things new” Revelation 21:5.

So why do teens struggle? Why do young people who know Christ continue to live like their lost friends? Because they refuse to submit.

Ask yourself this: is Jesus your Lord—the boss of every decision—or is He only your Savior? Many who find Christ as children resist Him for years, and have to “find Him again” as adults when the Holy Spirit reveals to them that they have not been obeying Him. Ask God if that is true for you. Are you seeking Him daily? Asking to do His will in big and small things? Praying for His guidance?

Here’s the thing: it’s hard for many of us to obey anyone other than ourselves. We don’t want to be told what to do. So Jesus is fire insurance to us and nothing more. Too many of us bristle, rebelling when we hear the word “submit.”

But why? Why would you not submit to the God who made you and who knows what will make you happy? He knows you better than you know yourself. And hasn’t He proven that you can trust Him? Don’t you understand how deeply He loves you?

Consider the 23rd Psalm:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Jesus is your Lord, your boss, your King. You must obey Him. But He is also “the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His sheep.” John 10:11. He speaks to you, guiding you. “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” John 10:27. He is trying to lead you to green pastures and still waters, to restore your soul, to meet all your needs, to protect you from harm and fear and death itself. He loves you, anoints you, heals you, medicates you, feeds you—He is trying to do for you all the compassionate things any animal lover would do for their animals. He offers you His tender, gentle guidance. Why do you insist on fighting Him and going your own way?

Remember when Saul was persecuting Christians in the name of God? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, confronted Him on the road to Damascus and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” Acts 26:14. A goad is a sharpened stick that a shepherd uses to guide his flock. He walks behind them, tapping them to turn one way or another. But if the sheep resist, he has to poke them. And when he pokes them, some will kick the goad and hurt their leg.

Are you kicking against the goads?

Are you fighting God? Are you unwilling to submit to the Lord and King of your life because you have failed to recognize that He is also your loving, compassionate shepherd?

Pray. Dear Jesus, help me submit to you. Help me obey you in EVERY decision. Help me see you as a loving shepherd, not just as the Boss and King of the universe. Help me remember that you know what is best for me and you know where I will find true happiness. Thank you that I was saved as a child. I will always treasure that memory. But I want more than fire insurance. Help me as I grow up to mature in Christ and to submit ALL my decisions and all of who I am to you. I want to obey, to hear your voice, and to be led by you. Show me when I am kicking against the goads. Show me when I am fighting you. Help me to hear your voice and obey. I do want you to be the Lord of all my decisions. Give me a heart of trust and submission. I love you, Jesus. Help me love you more.

Read John 10.

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When Did Jesus Realize He Would Have to Die? John 10:11-18.

It is fascinating to ponder the childhood of the God-Man Jesus.

Anne Rice in her novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, suggests little Jesus must have been the best student in Cairo, his brilliant teachers begging Joseph not to take the young family back to Israel.

Fiction aside, we know that as Jesus grew, He recognized He was not like other kids. He possessed a holiness they lacked. He must have known His connection with the Heavenly Father far exceeded that of His mother and father and the local rabbis.[1]

But at what point did this brilliant student of the scriptures realize that His mission would require Him to die on a cross? First, Jesus had to overcome the misunderstanding of all the prophets and rabbis who had gone before: God had revealed to them only a single coming of the Messiah. No one, not Daniel, Isaiah, or anyone else had been able to tease out the distinction—the Messiah would come once as a humble Man on a donkey, then a second time as a Conquering King leading the armies of heaven on His White Stallion.

But once the young Jesus realized that half the Messianic scriptures applied to a first coming, and half to a second, all the previously enigmatic prophecies of suffering would have suddenly fallen into place. 

Suddenly it becomes clear: the Messiah will come, die as a sacrificial lamb to provide atonement for sins, come back from the grave as Jonah came out of the belly of the fish, ascend to heaven, then return as Conquering King.

But to a young man with human roots, living in a human body, an imminent death must have been overwhelming. His brothers and friends would learn a trade, get married, raise a family and live to a ripe old age. But Jesus would preach, heal the sick, and die on a cross while still a very young man.

Not only that, the cross would be so much harder for Him than for other crucifixion victims. Jesus knew He faced an infinite suffering so severe only one with the infinite mind of God could comprehend it.  This was not mere physical torture, child’s play by comparison, but the insufferable burden of spiritual darkness, of inhabiting the sins of humanity in order to pay for those sins. Only a God-Made-Flesh could endure it.

I believe Jesus grasped the nature of His terrible death early-on, then had years to prepare and adapt to what He knew was His destiny. That is, He had years to begin to recognize and appreciate “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2) so that when the day came—after an agonizing prayer in the Garden—Jesus could march boldly toward the cross, courageous and prepared to endure infinite suffering, knowing it would buy Him the redemption of millions of human souls.

He loved us, even those of us not yet born, and He knew the great joy that would follow His sacrificial death. He knew the joy it would bring to Him—the joy of being reunited with His children, the joy of rescuing sheep that had been lost.

Thus, by the time His ministry began, Jesus had the end in mind. He spoke of His death often. The synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke, three books with similar content in similar order—report three times Jesus predicted His death (a total of nine scriptures).[2] The Book of John includes many more, some of them subtle, such as Jesus saying “you will lift up the Son of Man,” but not elaborating further, John 8:28.

Consider John 10. Jesus describes Himself as a shepherd. OUR shepherd. It is a picture of love, protection, and sacrifice:

“I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep … I lay down My life for the sheep … I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father” John 10:11-18. 

So. WHY DOES THIS MATTER? It matters because I want you to be convinced: Jesus knew what He was doing. He KNEW the cross lay at the end of His ministry. He knew before His baptism that His journey would end in death. He may even have known as a twelve-year-old in the temple. I don’t know. But I believe that Jesus probably understood ten, maybe 15 years before His ministry began, that those three years as a traveling preacher would end with Him flogged nearly to death, nailed to a cross, then burdened one sin-at-a-time with the guilt and shame of all the sins of human history.

How could He endure all that in only a few hours on the cross? He was God. His infinite heart and infinite mind were big enough to experience thousands of years of evil in a single afternoon. And because He was holy, each sin weighed even more heavily on Him than it would on us who are accustomed to so much evil already.

(Holiness means never becoming DESENSITIZED.)

The crucifixion was an afternoon, but it was suffering so great it may as well be infinite. We will never comprehend it. And Jesus knew death was coming. He chose it. Because He loves you.

“I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own” John 10:17-18.

Jesus knew how badly He was going to suffer. But He chose to do it because He knew the joy that would follow when He rescued YOU!

YOU WERE THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM!

Read John 10.

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[1] In his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey argues Jesus may have stumbled across His miracle-working powers by bringing a dead bird back to life and other things told only in the apocryphal gospels. Yancey’s view is that Jesus never worked any miracles for Himself or for selfish reasons, but it is possible He discovered His power perhaps inadvertently in moments not recorded in canonical scripture. Clearly, Jesus was comfortable working miracles from the first; He seems to have experience and that might explain why Mary was confident at the wedding at Cana when she said, “Do whatever He tells you” John 2:5. Yancey says that because she was His mother, Mary may have seen His powers; maybe she and her Son had even discussed them. Though we must remember it is not scriptural, I do like Yancey’s argument.

[2] FIRST: Matthew 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-33; Luke 9:21-22. SECOND: Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43-45. THIRD: Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34.

I’M SWAMPED. Luke 10:38-42.

I’ve said it many times: “I’m swamped.” The last few months have been extremely busy—creating a new class (the most difficult course yet) and helping my parents with the repair of their home have combined to keep me quite busy. Life is like that. Sometimes we are busy and challenged. There are classes, jobs, personal errands, volunteer and church commitments, social events you scheduled with friends and family that later turn out to come at a bad time, but can’t be helped…. Life is like that.

Busy-ness comes with challenges: can you remain patient? Can you be kind? Can you find peace and avoid anxiety? And one consideration is MORE IMPORTANT than all the others:

“Jesus entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and said, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to get up and help me.’

The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her’” Luke 10:38-42.

So what is most important? What is the only thing that is necessary?

SITTING AT THE FOOT OF THE MASTER.

We have to spend time with Jesus. Even on our busy days. Nothing matters more. One famous preacher said the busier he was, the more time he spent in prayer. When life bears down on you, you need MORE time with Jesus, not less. Start with prayers of thanks—count your blessings. Nothing will do more for your mood, your attitude, your peace, your hopefulness.

Dear God, remind us to be with You every day. Show us how to make time and give You our undivided attention. Every. Single. Day. Fill us with passion for you!

Read Luke 10.

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Facing a ‘Good Emergency’? Consider Your Priorities. Luke 10:41-42.

What does it take to get you to change your plans? An emergency? I will never forget looking up from a hospital bed and seeing that my friends Chris and Amy had left their jobs to come see me after a nearly fatal car accident. We understand emergencies—we know we will be interrupted sometimes by disasters. We know we will have to drop everything to be there in someone’s time of greatest need.

But have you ever dropped everything for something positive? One definition of an emergency is “a set of unforeseen circumstances calling for immediate action.” By that definition, an emergency need not always be negative.

Would you drop what you were doing to meet your favorite singer or actor? Would you miss a few days of work to travel with a friend or family member to see them receive an unexpected honor?

Unexpected disasters and tragedies—bad emergencies—can create moments of urgency that require us to be flexible with our plans. But victories and triumphs—‘good emergencies’—can also create moments of urgency that require us to be flexible. We must recognize opportunities and seize them. To use an old blacksmith’s proverb, you must “strike while the iron is hot.”

“While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, ‘Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.’ The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her” Luke 10:38-42.

Preparing food and serving everyone was important. But listening to Jesus was more important.

Martha should have changed her plans. This was Jesus! In her house!

I understand the urge to be a good host—and hospitality was a critical virtue in that culture. But Jesus gave the last word on which priority mattered most: sitting down with Immanuel, God With Us—was more important than preparing food. Maybe there was a faster way to provide something to eat without it taking too much time. I can’t speak to all of Martha’s options.

But Jesus encouraged Martha—and us—to be more like Mary: drop what you are doing when you have a chance to participate in something incredible. If Jesus comes to your house, sit down and listen to Him. 

Sometimes good things will come along that we must recognize as emergencies—GOOD EMERGENCIES—and we must drop everything in order to give them our full attention.

And there is no ‘good emergency’ more important than spending time with Jesus.

Read Luke 10. 

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THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE. John 8:31-36.

I once attended two classes at UT with my brother, Dennis. One building had a motto chiseled near the top: “The Truth Shall Set You Free.” Dennis and I both sort of laughed at that, knowing that the people at UT probably liked the phrase, but were ignorant of its context—and would probably prefer to remain ignorant.

It sounds like a great little proverb, the sort of thing you might find in a fortune cookie. But it is part of a much larger conversation. Jesus was preaching to a crowd, half of whom wanted to kill Him, and half of whom believed in Him. He looked at the believers and said:

“If you continue in my word, you truly are my disciples. And you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

And the doubters argued that they were not slaves, but were free already. Jesus answered:

“I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin…. But if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” John 8:31-36.

So the TRUTH about the SON will set you free from sin. But how can you acquire that truth and that freedom? There is a prerequisite at the beginning of the passage:

“If you continue in my word….”

It is only AFTER we continue in His word that we learn the truth and are freed from sin. That is, a quick prayer for salvation may get you fire insurance—so you escape hell. But to know the truth and be set free from sin, you must CONTINUE IN HIS WORD. In other words, you have to READ IT and OBEY IT.

Dear God, remind us to read the WORD and obey it, so that we will know the truth deeply. May we believe it and live it, and be set free from sin because of it. Give us a passion for your truth. Thank you for giving us a path to freedom.

Read John chapter 8.

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FREEDOM AND SLAVERY. Galatians 4:9, 5:1.

Ever watch MY STRANGE ADDICTION? How can eating glass be addicting? Or drinking deodorant? Owning cats? Smelling gasoline? Eating plastic bags? Snorting baby powder? Eating rocks? Being stung? Eating your husband’s ashes? (Google it.)

Heroin is addicting, right? And alcohol and tobacco? But these people on TV are fakes, right? Wrong. You can be addicted—enslaved—to ANYTHING.

Jesus said, “He who sins is a slave of sin” John 8:34. The key is not the chemistry in the product; the key is the CHEMISTRY IN YOUR BRAIN.

The Bible calls lost people slaves and saved people free. But those of us who are free have a bad habit of returning to slavery. Why? Why would anyone who was once a slave return and put the chains back on? Maybe because you can get used to slavery—and freedom represents the unknown.

Paul offers repeated warnings: “Do you want to be enslaved all over again?… Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 4:9, 5:1. But how does a free believer become a slave all over again? By giving authority in his life—LORDSHIP—to things other than the LORD.

“All things are lawful for me [meaning, all sins are now forgiven]. But I will not be MASTERED by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12. Peter adds, “People are slaves to whatever defeats them” 2 Peter 2:19.

As believers, we have died with Christ:

“For our old self was crucified with Christ in order that sin’s dominion over us may be abolished… because he who has DIED is free from sin…. And sin shall NOT be MASTER over you, for you no longer live under the law, but under GRACE” Romans 6:6-7, 14.

What are your strange addictions? I’m serious. The answer to them is 1 Corinthians 10:13 (God will allow no temptation you cannot defeat) and Romans 6. A pastor and mentor once encouraged me to memorize Romans 6—and it made a difference. Pray about your habits and fill your mind with God’s truth so you can walk in freedom this year.

Read Galatians 4 and 5.

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EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION. John 8:31-34.

Which of the following are addictive? Drugs. Porn. Violence. Pain. Eating glass. Eating dirt. Tobacco. Marijuana. Chocolate. Alcohol. Gambling. Gaming. Sports. Screens. Cell phones. Exercise. The Bachelor. Plastic Surgery. Dieting. Tattoos. Shopping. Tanning. Hoarding. Diet soda. Chewing ice. Sadness. Worry. Rejection.

I hope you chose all of the above. Not all addictions are the same—but you can become addicted to nearly anything. I got this entire list (with one exception) from addiction websites. But what do the world’s experts know of spiritual matters?

Jesus talked about being set free and the world’s experts argued:

“‘We are descendants of Abraham,” they answered Him, ‘and we have never been enslaved to anyone….’ Jesus responded, ‘I assure you: Everyone who sins is a slave of sin’” John 8:33-34.

HE WHO SINS IS A SLAVE OF SIN.

Do you believe that? I do. Sinning with heroine—or anything that creates a physical reaction in your body—is probably more dangerous than activities that involve a more minor physical reaction. Chocolate, for example, will never create an addiction for me, because it barely creates any reaction in me. But you know yourself—things that create a strong reaction can become immediately addicting. Even hot sauce. (When I lived on the U.S.-Mexican border I would get cravings if I had not had any hot sauce all day, and I would drive around at night looking for a Taco Bell.)

What is the solution? Jesus. More of Jesus. MEMORIZE HIS WORD. (How long has it been since you pushed yourself to memorize something?)

“If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:31-32.

Are you enslaved to sin? That is your EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.

MEMORIZE THIS:

“God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear, but with the temptation, will provide a way of ESCAPE” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

THAT is the way to be set free from temptation. Memorize God’s word and quote it to the temptation!

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Do you imagine Jesus as a judge or as a forgiver? John 8:10-11.

Is Jesus Judge or Forgiver? He’s both. He is God. He will judge sin. But to His people He offers infinite grace. He said to the woman caught in adultery:

“Where are your accusers? Does no one condemn you? Neither do I condemn you. [But don’t miss the next sentence]: Now go your way and sin no more” John 8:10-11.

His mission is not to condemn. His mission, His plan, His goal is to redeem and restore, to bring life to those who are trapped and dead in sin, to bring light to the dark places, to give grace to the broken and the hurting. His mission is not to judge or condemn sin. But the moment you are restored, forgiven, born again, the next step is GO YOUR WAY AND SIN NO MORE.

Ask Him to help you, to reveal to you sins and bad habits you need to leave behind. Ask Him to help you change. Ask Him to make you passionate about the PURSUIT OF HOLINESS.

What do you think is the best-known verse in the New Testament? Probably John 3:16. (Say it to yourself with me….) But do you know what follows in verse seventeen?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” John 3:16-17.

God sent His son to save the world, not to condemn it.

Ask Him to fill you with a deep desire for purity and holiness. Ask Him to make you a giver of grace, while also speaking the truth in love. Ask Him to help you love Him more today.

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ADDICTIONS. John 8:34.

We hear talk about addictions every day. What are people addicted to? Drugs. Alcohol. Gambling. Pornography. Sex. Cigarettes. Extreme sports. What else? There must be a hundred more.

Obviously some addictions are more dangerous than others. But why are there so many addictions? And even the bizarre show, “My Strange Addiction.” Doesn’t it seem like people can become addicted to ANYTHING? I believe they can.

Jesus said it best:

“He who sins is a slave of sin,” John 8:34.

Whatever sin you repeat can become an addiction. Even mental habits like holding a grudge or arrogantly dismissing someone who criticizes you—these too can become patterns as powerful as any addiction, though you may never think to label them as such.

Ask God to reveal to you areas of your life in which you have become a slave. Ask Him to reveal your most serious, most threatening addictions, and to show you how to be freed from them. You will have to change your habits and your patterns. Watch for things that make you weak. What “triggers” you and leaves you vulnerable? Submit all of it to God. Ask Him to change your heart and give you a desire to change.

Pray, “Lord, I may not be willing, but I am willing to be MADE willing.”

Ask Him—beg Him—to set you free. And pray and hang on to John 8:36:

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Jesus can break the chains of addiction. Jesus can set you free!

Jesus Gives Grace.

Read John chapter 8.

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Some People LOVE Rules. John 9:16.

Some of us find our security in rules. Social rules—both written and unwritten, etiquette rules, grammar rules, rules on the job—there are rules for everything, and believe it or not, there are those among us who crave rules. Rules provide security.

If I know the rules and follow the rules, the result I want is guaranteed, right? If I follow the rules perfectly, I cannot fail. Or that is the thinking, anyway.

One of the first things God did for Israel was give the nation rules: the Ten Commandments were only the highlights. There are 613 laws in the Old Testament! These rules provide guidance on nearly every subject: marriage and family, cooking, eating, worship, hygiene, clothing, haircuts, health and medicine, education, mold remediation, crime and punishment, government, business, animal husbandry, etc.

The law was a blessing, A huge, MAGNIFICENT blessing. The law was a gift from a loving God, a gift that set Israel apart from other nations. And Israel knew it.

And WE should know it, by the way. Most of us today have no idea what an incredible blessing the law was for Israel. In fact, the law of ancient Israel continues to bless the world centuries later, creating a starting point for today’s societies of democracy, free markets, education, liberty, and independence.

Those of us who love GRACE should remember the incredible role God’s law plays in bringing us to an awareness of our sin. The law is essential to repentance and salvation—not to mention the role it has played in history as its principles helped students of the Bible (including pilgrims, Colonial leaders, and America’s founding fathers) to create better governmental systems.

Dear God, grant us reverence for Your beautiful law.

But by the time Jesus came to Israel, God’s people had made an idol of the law. Over and over, the Messiah had to point out to them that they had become hypocrites, more concerned with following the law than following the God who gave them the law, more concerned with keeping the Sabbath than with showing compassion to someone with a critical need.

Jesus repeatedly healed on the Sabbath and otherwise violated the law to make this point. When asked, He explained, “Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man” Mark 2:27.

After He healed a man born blind, the leaders argued about Jesus:

“‘This man is not from God, for He doesn’t keep the Sabbath!’ But others were saying, ‘How can a sinful man perform such signs?’” John 9:16.

Those who made an idol of the law failed to recognize the Messiah, considering Him evil because He healed on the Sabbath. Those who judged Jesus by the fruit He bore knew He was a good man. Let us judge that way, with grace and an eye toward Godly fruit: 

“You will know them by their fruit” Matthew 7:16.

Read John chapter 9.

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