The half-brother

“You have an older brother and a half-brother.   With the half there are those who will go with the mother and those that will stay with the Father.”

This is what the Lord said to me after I had a short conversation with two Jewish men in which I simply shook their hands telling them that “you can’t honor God without honoring Israel.”  They said, “We agree.”

It turns out that they had an outpatient rehab and physical therapy practice.

As I was walking away I said, “May your business be blessed, and all those who enter the doors be blessed as well.”

They simply said, “Thank You.”

It was in the car that the Lord spoke about my half-brother.

The Great Invitation: paraphrase

“Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”  Matt 11:28-30

While I can’t add to it, or say it any better than the Word of God, I would like to share with you what this passage means to me, taking in some of the things that the Lord has impressed upon my heart regarding this invitation.

When I read these words I understand them to mean…

The Great Invitation (day 5)

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”  Matt 11:29

I said that the invitation in verse 29 was dependent on the one in verse 28, and that it was different, but specific.  So if you aren’t sure what that invitation is I’ll wait while you go back and look at the last couple of days’ posts.

Go ahead.  Really.  I can wait.  I’ll get a cup of coffee.

Ok.  Done?  Good.  Then you know that the rest was given a definition that can be summed up as…

The Great Invitation (day 4)

“Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”  Matt 11:28-30

“and I will give you rest”

If the promise is for rest then we must understand what rest is.

The Great Invitation (day 3)

“Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”  Matt 11:28-30

Oh yes… the heavy laden.  Do you fit into this group?

If you have every thought, “Why is this happening to me?” or “I don’t understand why my life is so hard.” You qualify for being heavy laden.

The Great Invitation (day 2)

We pick up where we left off yesterday.  But first, let us look again at the passage that makes up the Great Invitation:

“Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”  Matt 11:28-30

Does this invitation apply to you?  Let’s see.  Perhaps you fit into one of the two categories mentioned…

The Great Invitation (day 1)

The Great Invitation, as I like to refer to it, is found in Matthew 11:28-30.  Over the next few days I want to break down this amazing invitation so that we look at exactly what it is.

But first let us look at the passage:

“Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”  Matt 11:28-30

Discernment vs. Judgment

There are those moments when you sit and hear the preaching of the Word that just POP and you know that it is going to make a difference in your life.  They are the moments when what you just heard sinks in and sears into your conscience.

And praise God that they do.  Praise God that there are the faithful who, when He speaks to them, repeat those words and bless the hearers.

I had one of those moments at church this past weekend.  I rarely bring my phone into church.  But last weekend I accidentally did so I put it on silent.  I say accidentally because I realized later that it was no accident, but providence.  I would need it.  I would need to send myself a message so that I would never forget what I heard.

Where did that come from?

“for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Matt 12:34

It is verses like this one that really convict me.  When I say something stupid, or cruel, or out of line… this verse acts as a mirror.

What is in my heart?  And why is it so abundant?...

What are you looking at?

“The light of the body is the eye:” Luke 11:34

How many times since September 11 have you noticed 9:11 on the clock?  How about the car you drive now… do you see more of them on the road since you started driving one?

You are not alone.  We take in so much information and images every second that we subconsciously discard the things that don’t mean something to us. 

We see what we recognize.  We see what means something to us.

But we don’t always see what we need to…

More on the eleven

“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart,…”

 A few days ago we looked at why there were only eleven.  We posited (cool word) that it was because we each are number 12.   We were challenged to take that number.

But now I want to take a look at why Jesus, when He was about to send His disciples into the world, upbraided (another cool word) them.

Begging the question

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matt 28:19

If you have ever felt guilty because you haven't been on the street corner preaching, on the soap box shouting, or handing our tracks at the airport or door-to-door... don't.  One of the biggest hindrances to the spreading of the gospel is the lie of the enemy that we are all to do it.

The command was to teach and to baptize.  Both of these require both people to be involved.  There is a sense of unity and union in them.  When people want to learn… you teach.  When they have heard the Word… they are baptized.

But we aren’t all called to evangelize…

Turning the tables

“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;” Mark 11:15

Have you ever felt this way?  Have you ever just wanted to, in your anger, flip the tables over and go on a rant?

I have. 

In fact, I am sure I have done it.  But not always in a good way. 

Not always at the right time.

But there is a time and a place for such anger; a time and place when that anger does not lead to sin, but produces the fruit of the Spirit.

When is it holy to overturn the tables?  When is it OK to go on that rant?... 

Challenging the authority of Jesus

“But when the Pharisees heard [it], they said, This [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” Matthew 12:24

Interesting… When they can’t deny what He does… they challenge His authority. 

Talk about a re-direct.  Pulling the attention off of the action, they don’t actually deny that it was done but challenge how it was done.

Sound familiar?

The place of desolation

“And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:” Matthew 12:25

Did you ever notice that there is something very important about this verse?  That may seem an understatement.  But think about it.  Where is this all going?

Division is from the devil.  And we need to heed the warning of Christ here.  Every kingdom… EVERY KINGDOM… that is divided against itself IS BROUGHT TO ... 

Did you catch that?  Brought to. 

What?

The prayer of Hope

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” Romans 8:24

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

We have looked at hope before.  We said that it is a present response to a future state or action.  But what should our prayer be?  What is the prayer of hope?

Reference God

 “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6

To acknowledge means to give credit to, to recognize.

Another way of saying it is to give reference to. 

If you have ever done or read a research paper you know that there is a bibliography.  But the bibliography you start out with is often much larger than the bibliography you actually reference.  Some people call this a “selected bibliography.”  It represents the sources you chose to site.

The drain cover: Fed by the ravens

“And it shall be, [that] thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” 1 Kings 17:4

I needed to get a drain cover for the shower to catch hair.  I went to the store and honestly had no clue as to where to get this thing.  I tried the obvious (to me) and went to the section that had stuff like shower curtains, shower rods, and the like.  Couldn’t find it there. 

So I went to the section for plastic white things… there are a few of these.  But no luck.

Finally I said, “Lord, I could use a little help here.”

Take a number

“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:14-15

Just before Jesus was taken up into heaven He gave what has been called The Great Commission.

Why do you suppose that while Jesus was here, in the glorified flesh after the resurrection, He didn’t replace Judas?  Why was the Great Commission only given to eleven when, after He left, the Apostles drew lots to see who would take the place of the betrayer?  Wouldn’t it have made more sense to take care of that technicality before the ascension?

Who’s the strongman?

“Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” Matthew 12:29

I have heard the enemy, the devil, referred to as the strongman.  But that isn’t biblical, and it definitely gives that snake too much credit.

Every father, every husband, every man of God needs to read this passage and realize…

When Jesus stands still

“And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, [thou] Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, [thou] Son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?” Matthew 20:30-32

How many times do we act as the multitude?  How many times do we rebuke those earnestly crying out for God because we believe that “they should hold their peace?”

And how many times does He stop, stand still… regardless of where the multitudes had hoped He was going (I can almost see the faces of the ones who ran on ahead thinking they would get the best seat… only to find He was going where they though!) and ask, “What will ye that I shall do unto you?”

Breaking a sweat

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:44

One night when I was on my prayer walk I was going before the Lord regarding a season that seamed desolate in my life.  I felt as if I were going through a desert.

“What is going on Lord?” I cried.  “I have seen people healed, miracles happen, heard you voice, and have seen angels… why the desert?  If this is my 40 days… get me to 41!”  I continued, “I can’t imagine what the desert was like for you… I can’t imagine Gethsemane…”

I didn’t even get any further when I heard the Spirit speak to me and say,…

Borne of four

“And again he entered into Capernaum after [some] days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive [them], no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken [it] up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee… I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” Mark 2:1-5, 11-12

Man!  These are the kinds of friends I want.

You know… often we miss the little things that make the most difference.  This guy was bed ridden.  But he had friends.  Friends who would do anything they needed to just to get him to Jesus.  When they heard He was in town… nothing stopped them.

Joel 2:28–30: What happened to who?

“And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions : And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”

We hear this specific scripture twice.  Once here in Joel 2 and the second time in Acts 2.

The debate is rarely that what happened in Acts 2 was the very prophecy of Joel coming to pass, it is more the question as to whether or not it stopped there.

I hold that it didn’t.  But don’t take my word for it.  Let’s take the Word of God for it.

Spotting a few…

“I’ll spot you four touchdowns and still beat you!”  Those were the words of my daughter’s boyfriend as he recounted a conversation with our grandson over an old Nintendo video game.  You see, the game was a classic, but you had to know how to play it.  And the hours he had put in on it gave him the upper hand.  He knew that he would win… and he knew that it would be that much more impressive when he did even after spotting the four touchdowns.

Sometimes God does the same thing.

2 Timothy 4:2

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”

What do you hear when you read this passage?  If you are a little forward, as I tend to be, this can be dangerous.  Or, it can be encouraging.

Romans 8:31–32: If God be for us…

“What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

Did you ever have a day when things didn’t go exactly as you had planned?  Did you ever meet someone who just seemed to not like you?  You don’t understand why… but it just is.

And here is the tough question…

Have you ever been the one on the other end?

I have. 

Ephesians 4:7, 11–16

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ… And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

What a mouthful.  If anyone ever wondered if they had a place in the body of Christ…

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

When we see all the terrible things happening in the world and we ask ourselves, “What is going on?” we should always remember to have a kingdom perspective… a perspective that says comfort one another with these words.

John 9:1-4

“And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from [his] birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

If it were the Pharisees asking this question I would guess that it was meant as a trick to catch Jesus in some way.  But it came from His disciples, the ones close to Him, the ones who were truly trying to understand.  And so the question came from an honest place.  A place that was taking all of what they had learned growing up, and doing its best to fit it into this new paradigm they had about God… that He was a Father.

You see, they must have been wondering how a loving Father could cause someone to be born blind.  So they looked for an answer.  Someone had to be at fault, they assumed.