Disruptive Reality

As a husband who knows I am to lay down my life for my wife, I can approach how I treat her from one of two angles. I could do what I do to keep her off my back OR I could do what I do in order to please her. I've tried both and I prefer the second option. Seeking to please my wife is so much better than merely keeping her off my back. Serving God is very similar. We can toe the line and obey for obedience's sake. We can even obey out of fear. But while obedience is still preferred over disobedience, the best option is to love and serve the LORD because it pleases him. Rev. 4:11 tells us that pleasing God is our primary purpose for existing. So why not throw ourselves into it? God is worth pleasing. And because he is gracious, he responds by making the practice of pleasing him worth our while. Now, let's take a look at how Moses presents this truth to 2nd Generation Israel.

The old testament can be difficult to read given that there sees to be so many stories we would consider negative. The story in today's text is no exception. Despite the negatives – which are tied mostly to Israel's behavior – there is an underlying positive as well: God's grace. Israel is a stiffnecked (stubborn and rebellious) people. Yet thanks to his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God puts up with it. He blesses Israel anyway. Why? Because God is good. Reading through Exodus and Deuteronomy reminds me of when my own kids were young. Like most parents, Ellen and I felt like all we did was discipline when our kids were 2-3 years old. It felt like the discipline was never ending. But we did it because we loved our kids. We knew proper discipline when they were toddlers would result in children with good character, children who would grow into adults with good character. Throughout most of the OT, Israel behaves like a 2-year old toddler. She is stiffnecked and stubborn. She needs discipline. But she needs God's mercy, too.

When someone mentions humility, what immediately comes to mind? Humility isn't a favorable characteristic in modern culture. In fact, the culture openly rewards pride and arrogance while casting the humble to the curb. God is different. Humility is valuable to God. He wants to see humility in the hearts of his people. So much so that he rewards them openly for it. God also wants to bless his people abundantly. The danger of that blessing, at least on our part, is that we take the credit for ourselves. Instead of being humble and contrite, we become prideful and arrogant. Pride is destructive. Arrogance is poison. Therefore God humbles his people to keep them from both. That's what we'll see in today's text.

Have you ever participated in a tug-of-war contest? I'm sure you have; you know the drill. The physical tug-of-war provides a great illustration of one of the most fundamental spiritual truths: the enemies of God are constantly pulling at the hearts of men and women to keep them from him. One of their favorite 'ropes' is idolatry. The wicked are one end of the rope trying to pull the righteous to their side. They use all sorts of things including money, leisure, power, and even fear. What's more, they NEVER STOP pulling. They never voluntarily give up ground. Israel needs to know this as they enter the Promised Land. Almost as soon as they get there, the tug-of-war starts. They have everything they need to win, but will they? That depends on how they play the game.

We left off last week talking about the failure of the old covenant: God's people didn't have the heart to keep his laws, statutes, & judgments consistently. We also learned that the new covenant changed everything. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, those of us who are born-again have hearts capable of keeping God's laws & statutes. We now have hearts and minds he can fashion; hearts and minds on which he can write his laws & statutes. Everyone Moses was talking to in Deut. 6 had the opportunity to believe God and submit to him in faith. Hebrews 11 proves as much. All those that did had their hearts and minds renewed – just like NT Christians – and God was able to give them true hearts of faith. How? Today's text will explain it all. Here's a hint: they were captivated by God's words.

How significant would you say the 10 Commandments are from a cultural standpoint? I'm guessing most people have either heard of them or heard what some of them are – at least in countries where Christianity exists. It's also obvious that most countries' criminal codes share some similarities (murder, theft, etc. illegal). But the 'Big Ten' were meant to be more than just laws. God spoke to Israel face-to-face at Sinai. He spoke the 10 Commandments. The rest of the law and statutes were given to Moses to pass on to the people. So what was so special about these 10? They are the foundation on which the entire OT law was built. In the NT, Jesus said the 2 greatest commandments are to love God (commandments 1-3) and love your neighbor (commandments 4-10). Jesus said that all the law and prophets hang on these two. That's how important the commandments are.

It is both amusing and saddening to hear atheists defend their beliefs by pointing to the world around them as evidence that there is no God. A common complaint is that God can't be real because there is so much suffering in the world. But here's the thing: denying God's existence and/or character based on the circumstances of the world is to assume that God, if he did exist, would think like us. His value system would be just like ours. And because we wouldn't allow so much suffering, the fact that it exists proves God does not. That's the thinking, but it's wrong. God is not like us. He's not even close. His thoughts do not line up with ours; they never will. The LORD is God. He is the only true and living God, and all humanity will find him to be true one way or another. For those of us who believe in, and know the God of Abraham, understanding him isn't the point. It's not possible anyway. The point is to believe him, then love and serve him even when we don't understand.

The book of Deuteronomy is dictated and recorded as Israel prepares to cross Jordan and begin taking the Promised Land. On multiple occasions prior to this point, God had made it clear that Israel will become a great nation. She will be honored, feared, and revered. It's a promise. But who or what will make her great? God alone. Fast forward to the here and now and patriotism is running high. People around the world talk about how great their countries are. But what makes a country great? Is it her people? How about her government system, her economy, or her academic and scientific achievements? Is it freedom that makes a country great? No on all counts. As today's text will make clear, only God can make a country great. And he only does so in response to how we follow and serve him.

God was very clear with Moses when he laid out his plan for conquering the Promised Land. As Israel crosses into the land of the Amorites to launch what would become a series of military campaigns, God expects them to stick with the plan – even though the plan might seem a bit barbaric and brutal at times. Obeying God can be uncomfortable at times. But so what? Obeying my parents was uncomfortable when I was a kid. But it was for my own good and, in the end, I was better off for it. There are those who look at certain passages in Scripture and proclaim that they don't want to serve a God whose actions are so 'mean' or 'unfair'. That's fine. God created us with a free will; he never forces himself on us. But choosing to not serve him doesn't change the plan. God will do what he intends to do. We can stick with the plan and come out the other side far better off, or we can reject the plan and come out the other side worse off. Much worse off.

Last week we began the journey through Deuteronomy with a look at how Israel ended up wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years. They did not believe God and chose to rebel against him. As such, he promised that they would wander until everyone 20 years old and older had died. Only then would the survivors and their children cross the Jordan and possess the land. Wandering was never God's intention. Remember it was but 11 days journey from Sinai to Kadeshbarnea. Israel could have been in the Promised Land within a month of leaving Mt. Sinai. They brought the wandering on themselves, like so many people who, still today, wander aimlessly through life because they just will not believe God and his Word. Here in chapter two, we'll see God telling the nation that they have wandered long enough. It's time to go take the land.

Deuteronomy is the 5th book of the Bible and the final book of the Pentateuch. It was written just prior to Moses' death. The word 'Deuteronomy' comes from the Greek 'deuteronomion' which means 'second law'. Essentially, Deuteronomy is a second record of Exodus and Leviticus, combined in abbreviated form. But why? As Moses speaks the words of this book, he is preparing for his own death. He will not enter the Promised Land due to an event that happened years earlier. So before he dies, he feels the need to remind the congregation of Israel all that God had said to their parents 40 years earlier. Those who were alive back then were just kids. But most of the current congregation had been born AFTER the law was first given on Sinai. So Moses gives them a quick lesson before he goes.

Do you remember the song 'Do You Love Me?' from 1962? It's kind of a fun song from a musical standpoint. Lyrically, it's kind if dumb: "Do you love me now that I can dance?" But think about it. We human beings have this bad habit of trying to impress one another in the hopes that we will be loved. It's silly when you think about it. Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" He asked him three times. But Jesus (the Father & Holy Spirit by extension) doesn't have to earn our love. God didn't earn our love and never intends to try. Rather, loving him is a Scriptural command found in Matt. 22, Mark 12, and Luke 10. So what was the point of Jesus asking Peter the question in John 21? That's what we are going to find out today.

In the 2004 film 'The Polar Express', the main character is on a train headed for the North Pole. He and all his traveling companions are kids who are beginning to doubt the existence of Santa Clause. The train ride represents an opportunity to see for themselves. One of the key lines in the story is, "seeing is believing." So many people have trouble believing God because they can't see him. Their lack of belief prevents them from ever experiencing saving faith. But even among us Christians, there is plenty of doubt. Man of us believe the gospel for salvation, but then we struggle to believe it for discipleship. We struggle because we can't see – or at least we think we can't. The disciples were given multiple opportunities to believe after the resurrection, which we'll see today. We have those same opportunities by way of a written record (the Bible).

As Christians, how do we know that what we believe is the truth? We know because of what the Bible says. Of course, critics claim that the Bible was written by men and is no more reliable than any other religious book. We know better. The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophetic Scriptures referring to Jesus and his ministry. A conservative estimate starts at 300. I've seen estimates as high as 574. The point is that the OT proves the NT to be true by way of its prophesies. I'm not sure how may of the prophesies John knew, but he mentions quite a few of them in his gospel. In the 2nd half of chpt. 19 alone he mentions four of them. This isn't accidental. Remember John's underlying theme: believe. He wrote his gospel as a persuasive essay to convince people that Jesus is Messiah. He references prophecy to back up both what he writes and what Jesus did. That's good enough for me.

There was a time when I admired politicians. I was a young adult when Ronald Reagan was first elected. In fact, he was the first president I voted for. Back then, I considered 'good' politicians honorable people who were honestly trying to do the right thing. My views have changed drastically in 40 years. These days, I don't trust politicians any further than I could throw them. Politicians have a tendency to be self-serving. They have a tendency to follow the wind in whatever direction it blows. Today's politicians are no different than those in Jesus' day. And as we will see from today's text, Pilate is a politician who wants to do the right thing but does not have the integrity to do so. His own self-interests are more important then the truth or doing the right thing.

I normally like to introduce a Bible study with a practical illustration or an example that points us in the direction of the study's main lesson. We'll do things differently for this study. Instead of coming up with my own introduction, I will let Scripture speak for itself. I will let Isaiah 53 provide the setup for today's lesson. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth." (Is. 53:6+7)

Have you ever had one of those moments when something you had previously only heard about suddenly became reality? The experience could be good or bad. I remember when the first Gulf War started. I remember explicitly where I was when I heard the news. I remember discussing the draft with a coworker (I was 8 months shy of 26, so still draft-eligible.) Suddenly war was real to me. I was born in 1965. I had heard of Vietnam, but it was winding down by the time I was cognizant of it. The reality of war and my potential involvement had never really ht me until that Jan. night in 1991. But when I heard the announcement on the 5:00 news, war was a sudden reality. Now, picture the disciples in a similar scenario. Everything Jesus had been saying about his death was just a story -- until it began unfolding in the garden of Gethsemane.

Last week we started looking at the prayer Jesus prayed just before he and the disciples crossed Kidron and entered the garden of Gethsemane. Prior to the prayer, he had spent time teaching them some final lessons in preparation for his impending departure. In light of that, I believe this prayer was meant to be more than just a conversation with God. It was also meant to encourage the disciples. Today we will finish studying the prayer, paying special attention to the words Jesus chooses. As we learned last week, his words were not chosen randomly. He said what he said, the way he said it, for a reason. Let's get to it and find out.

Prayer is an interesting thing. There are different ways to pray, too. You have those emergency prayers: you're in a bind and you don't have time to think. You just need help. You have those casual prayers: praying for a meal or saying a quick word in the car before beginning a road trip. Then there are those heart-felt prayers where you just pour out your soul. It's all good. Jesus prayed one of those heart-felt prayers to conclude his final teaching session with the apostles & disciples. This lesson, which began way back in chpt. 13 at the washing of the feet, concludes in chpt. 17 with a prayer for Jesus' followers. Even in the prayer there are lessons to be learned. So let's take a look.

It has been said that 'time heals all wounds'. This old adage describes the reality that the emotional pain of loss fades over time. But is there something better? What if, instead of time healing wounds, the sorrow we experience were replaced by real joy? Is it possible? Yes, according to Scripture. Jesus speaks of turning sorrow into joy in the second half of John 16. He also tells us how it's done. I appreciate this so much. There is a certain sobriety built in to Christianity. By definition, faith requires submission -- which is something the human heart resists. Still, God wants his people to be joyful. We can be, despite our circumstances, if we take heed to what Jesus tells his disciples in today's text.

I read a post last week, written by someone who appears to be a fellow Christian. He wrote about his opinion that the US is beyond redemption; we have gone too far across the line and there is no turning back at this point. He also wrote about his preparations for when things completely collapse. What intrigued me was his assertion that he was not afraid; he was not worried. Rather his preparations were the equivalent of bracing for impact. I'm going to take this guy at his word. I am also going to borrow from him, because his main point is actually a good explanation of what Jesus is saying t his disciples in today's text. Things are going to go south for them. Life is about to change bug time. He doesn't want them to panic or be afraid. But he does want them to brace for impact. And as they do, Jesus also wants them to look for the Holy Spirit and follow his leading.

It's not uncommon to hear people ask, "why is there so much hate in the world?" Unfortunately, human nature is to overthink things. We make things more complicated than they need to be. The answer to the question is quite simple. Hatred is the result of a lack of love. Hatred is also the natural state of the human heart. Without seeking God the Father through Jesus the Son, no person is capable of genuine, agape love. Remember that humanity views hatred as an emotion. Scripture defines it as an action. That action is the default setting for humanity. Now, some hate more than others, just like some love more than others. But where hate exists, love does not. There's the answer. There is so much hate in the world because the world rejects God's love made available through the person and actions of Jesus.

Back in the '90s I played in a band known as the Joyful Life Gospel Band. We played churches, Christian coffee houses, jails, state prisons, festivals, etc. Anywhere anyone would listen, we played. And we played a lot. Then the band leader was offered a pastorate in MD. He took it. It was several months before he left; we continued to play. But then he was gone. It seemed sudden even though we had been preparing for it. The rest of us wondered, "What now? Should we keep playing? What should we do?" Jesus' disciples would eventually face a similar situation. He would be leaving them to go to the Father. Then what? He wants them to keep pushing on. He doesn't want them to retire. We'll see in chpt. 21 that they almost do retire. Thankfully, Jesus gets hold of them again and points them in the right direction before ascending to heaven. Today's text is all about discipleship. Jesus wants his disciples to continue being disciples even after he's gone. He wants the same thing for us. He wants us to be disciples, not just believers. The good news? He tells us just how to do it.

We've all seen movies or TV shows with scenes depicting two people who love each other having to part ways. Maybe its a WWII soldier at a train station, saying goodbye to his sweetheart. He gives her something, perhaps a picture of himself in a locket. She can hold on to it until he returns. It brings her comfort when she's feeling dad; it gives her hope when she feels like he's never coming home. If you can picture that, apply something similar to Jesus & Co. Jesus' disciples are slowly coming to the realization that he's about to leave them. It won't be long before he actually does. He is preparing them with this final teaching at the Last Supper. In the portion that we'll look at today, Jesus says he will leave them with two things: the Comforter and his commandments. These will sustain them (and us) until his return. Or at least they should.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus' resurrection was made part of the salvation plan? We understand the why behind the crucifixion and the shedding of blood. Both were necessary as payment sin. But why did God chose to resurrect Jesus' physical body? Surely Jesus could have returned to heaven in same the form he occupied before indwelling flesh. So why resurrect the body? We can't provide a definitive answer. But we can make a case for the resurrection. There are four points to this case; each of them demonstrates something that we can hold on to when doubts and fears creep in. As we study, remember that the Christian faith is unique in many ways. It's especially unique in the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus.