CELEBRATE!

Isaiah 61:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2061&version=NIV;ESV

  

What is your most memorable celebration? For me, it was when my wife had a surprise birthday party for my fiftieth birthday. My brother’s job was to get me out of the house while my wife and sister-in-law decorated and all the guests arrived.

 

When my brother and I were about to return early before everything was ready, he faked heart attack symptoms. He must have been a good actor because I believed him. When we finally returned, all the guests were on the deck waiting to yell “Surprise!” And it was. In fact, it was a wonderful celebration.

 

As a young Jewish nation was preparing to occupy the Promised Land, God gave them the Law and rules to live by. Rules that would lead to celebration. The Year of Jubilee (described in Isaiah 61, but originated in Leviticus 25) was a yearlong celebration to be repeated every fifty years.

 

During Jubilee, all the prisoners were to be set free; all the slaves were to be released; all debts were to be forgiven; and all property was to be returned to its original owner. In addition, people were to not work land, which means that Jubilee provided a year of rest for not only the people, but also the land.

 

For many, Jubilee was to be an opportunity for them to start over with a clean slate; with nothing to feel guilty for or ashamed of. What would it mean for you to start over with a clean slate?

 

When Jesus started his ministry, he quoted from Isaiah 61.

 

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”       Luke 4 ESV

 

According to Leviticus 25, the Year of Jubilee started on the Day of Atonement. This was when the sins of Israel were laid on the head of a scapegoat, and were taken into the wilderness to pay for their sins.

 

Jesus did the same thing for you and me. He took our sins upon himself into the wilderness. We didn’t deserve to be set free from sin, but he did it anyhow. Just like those who were set free as a part of the Year of Jubilee.

 

Let’s celebrate!

 

 

 

 

But Really, It’s the Beginning

Matthew 24:22-31

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024%3A22-31&version=NIV;NLT;GNT

  

One day this past week, just as I was leaving the office, the sirens went off. It was a tornado warning. We’d already had heavy rains accompanied by high winds. Now the sky was dark. The trees were still. It was all very ominous. But I wasn’t going to wait until 6:30 when the warning was supposed to be over.

 

During my drive home, I listened to the talk radio station. A local meteorologist was on the air. As the sirens were screaming to “run and hide”, he was warning everyone to “find your safe place”.

 

He went through the list. “If you have a basement, go there. If you don’t, go to a room without a window. And if you’re in your car”… you’re screwed. He didn’t really say that, but it’s what I thought.

 

He was on the air for over thirty minutes dispensing a message of fear; of impending disaster. Afterwards, the announcer on the following program shared how when he was a little boy he was so afraid of thunder that when he heard a loud clap, five seconds later he would throw up. It was like clockwork.

 

You’d think it was the end of the world. Maybe it was.

²⁹ “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.          NLT

 

I’ve never been that interested in the “end times”. The guys who carry a sandwich board declaring the end of the world, are an oddity to me. It’s not that I don’t believe; it just seems irrelevant to right now. Following Jesus is difficult enough without worrying about something that’s been predicted since Jesus was on earth.

 

I think that the question to ask is, “Who is in control”? The answer is Jesus. Knowing that he is in control, makes life bearable; makes life meaningful; makes life hopeful. And when he does return, it will be apparent to all.

 

²⁷ For the Son of Man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west... ³¹ The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.   GNT

 THE END…

 

But really, it’s the beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

Laying Down the Law

Romans 14:13-19

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2014%3A13-19&version=NIV;NLT

  

Parents set boundaries for their children all the time in all different areas of life. In response to the question of “What are some TV boundaries that you set for your children?” my daughter had three rules:

 

       No TV after dinner.

 

       Only 1-2 hours of TV at any one time.

 

       No TV while eating dinner.

 

Then, just in case, she installed an app on her daughter’s phone that locks her out from 8 pm to 7 am.


Parents set boundaries for their children. Sometimes they make rules. But when they get really firm, they lay down the Law.

 

Paul is writing to the Roman believers about a hot button issue of the time. Jewish Christians believed the Law prohibited them from eating meat that had been offered to idols. Whereas, Gentiles had no problem eating the same meat. This became such an issue that the Jerusalem council had to deal with it.

 

Paul wrote to the Roman church, “stop condemning or judging each other”.

 

¹⁷ For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. ¹⁹ So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. ²⁰ Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat.          NLT

 

In our culture today, we don’t really relate to conflict about eating meat offered to idols. But we can relate to judging one another. We judge others based on how they look; where they live; how they affect our life; how they act in church; what they smell like; if their beliefs match ours. The list is endless.

 

We all have our own set of rules based on our values and priorities. Then we apply those rules to others. What rules do you apply to your family; to your co-workers; to people at church; to the stranger in the car who cuts you off? Do you build others up or tear them down?

 

Once you’ve answered those questions, remind yourself of what is truly important; that only God’s word and people are eternal. Then live a life that will “aim for harmony in the church and build each other up”.

 

 

 

 

For the Good of All

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012%3A4-11&version=NIV;GNT

 

  

The National Football League recently completed their draft. Out of the first 10 draft picks, 4 were quarterbacks. That gives you an idea of how important the quarterback position is.

 

However, Josh Rosen, the quarterback out of UCLA, apparently thought he was more important than the nine players picked before him. After being drafted number ten, an angry Rosen was quoted as saying, "There were nine mistakes ahead of me."

 

Think about it though. What would happen if when he drops back to pass his linemen don’t block? Or if the center doesn’t snap the ball correctly? Or if the receivers just stand there instead of running their routes? Everyone has a role to play. Everyone has a set of skills or gifts to contribute to the good of the team.

 

⁴ There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. ⁵ There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. ⁶ There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service... ¹¹But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.           GNT

 

 

Just like in football, we have a role to play in the Body of Christ. The Spirit has given us gifts to be used for the good of the “team”. It may not be one of those gifts listed in 1 Corinthians, but, the gifts of the Spirit are not limited by lists.

 

What are you good at doing? What do you enjoy doing? What do you feel passionate about? What is the highlight of your day, your week, your month, your year? Figure out the answers to these questions, and you’ve discovered the gifts that God has given you. Then, find a way to use them in His service.

 

Every Sunday morning, at the beginning of our church service, my Pastor welcomes visitors and then says, “My name is Jerry Kasberg. I’m one of the ministers here because each of us is gifted to care for one another.”

 

In other words…

 

⁷ The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.              GNT