Only One Sign For Eternal Life

"And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red
and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky,
but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." Matt 16:3 NIV

I was very young when my mother began teaching me some pretty cool things; especially if you live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She taught me how not to get lost in the woods when picking wildflowers by observing the position of the sun or the moon and what side the moss grows on a tree. She taught me how to track, at least well enough to follow my own trail back out of the woods. She also taught me how to forecast the weather by watching the leaves on the trees or the color of the skies. She taught me "red skies at night, sailors' delight; red skies in the morning, sailors take warning."

When the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven he told them there would be only one sign for them. That sign would be the sign of Jonah. The prophet Jonah, you might recall, had spent three days floating around in a watery abyss in the belly of a big fish. He had thought at the time that this would be his grave; his final resting place.

The sign that Jesus was referring to was that he, himself, would repeat the sign of Jonah. But, this time it would be for the salvation of all people; for all who would believe him. Three days he spent in the grave. He descended into hell. (1 Pet 3:18-20) And... just as Jonah was spit from the mouth of the fish to go and proclaim God's message to those nasty Ninevites that they might be saved and live; on the third day Jesus rose from the grave so that all who believe him would be saved and inherit eternal life.

God gave us many signs in creation to assist us in our daily lives. But, Jesus, is the only sign that we need for eternal life.

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 Trouble Can Be A Good Thing

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 NIV
There are times when we come to a point of feeling totally helpless; like we have fallen into the most miry pit.

Like Jonah being swallowed by a big fish this helplessness is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, if it had not been for that big fish, Jonah would have drowned. God sent that big fish to save Jonah from death so that Jonah could and would go and proclaim the message as God had directed him to.

It is when we are at our lowest point; when we have no reasonable way of helping ourselves, that we must accept our helplessness and rely on God.  Like Paul, when it feels like everything is lost, our hope remains in God who delivers us. We understand that there are those who wish our hope to die. They would desire that our message of the Kingdom of God in Christ Jesus would die. But, it will not die. Our hope, our desire for the Lord, will only be strengthened in the persecution received at the hands of those who reject our faith; by those who reject God.

May the peace of the Lord be with you in all circumstances. God is with you.

Pr. J

John 21:1-14 Fishing For Men

John 21:1-14 NIV
Sometimes things that happen to us will remind us of something that happened in the past. I often run into people who I know that I know; but, their names or even how it is I have come to know them slips my mind. Then they say something or do something and it all comes back.

After he had risen from the dead, his disciples did not recognize him when he called to them from the shore. When then let down their nets on the right side of the boat and were unable to haul the catch in because it was so large; they remembered that this had happened before. It was when Jesus had first called them to follow him; when they had first met him, that they had been instructed to let down their nets. When the catch was so large that they could not haul it all in, Jesus told them that he would now teach them to fish for men. (Luke 5:1-11)  He did just that. For three years, they followed him learning all that they needed to know to fish for men and now that Jesus' work is over; with the help of God, their work of fishing for people is just beginning in earnest.

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 6:1-15 - Feeding Your Neighbor

John 6:1-15 NIV
The feeding of the 5000 is one of my favorite stories among many favorite stories. Such a miracle! But, today I'm not wondering so much about the miracle of five small barley loaves and two small fish feeding the multitude. Today, I am wondering about the miracle of this boy who was willing to give his five small barley loaves and two small fish to feed the multitude. Who was he? Where did he come from? Where were his parents? Were they lost in the crowd somewhere? How did he come to have these loaves and fish? What was going on in his head when he gave them to Jesus to feed the people around him? Was he reluctant? Was he excited over the prospect of feeding his "neighbors?"

How excited do you get over the prospect of feeding your neighbors with food for the body as well as the soul? Are you reluctant? Do you calculate how much you can actually give and still have enough for yourself to be a bit more than comfortable? Do not worry. These five small loaves and two small fish fed 5000 men plus women and children and they still had leftovers to gather up. Do we suppose that God cannot do this today as well? Give generously to those in need then of both food for the body and food for the soul and do it with a joyful spirit! Let's get a bit excited about our opportunity to be able to participate in the mission God has called us to. Let's get a bit more excited about living in His Kingdom, even today!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 24:36-49 Jesus Is Not A Ghost; He Lives!

Luke 24:36-49 NIV
A young friend of mine affirms that she does not believe in Jesus Christ. She does not believe that he rose from the dead for her. Yet, she believes in ghosts. You know those things that go bump in the night to plague the living. On the one hand she will say there is no resurrection and in the next breath she will be talking about some haunting; worried about some ghost. I'm afraid I don't quite get why anyone would be afraid of the dead. After all, we have a living God; a God so almighty that he can make dead bones rise and walk; so almighty that he can resurrect the dead.

The disciples were frightened when they suddenly found Jesus standing among them. They thought he was some kind of ghost. After all, hadn't he died on the cross and hadn't he been laid in that tomb? But, ghosts are not reputed to eat. So he displays his physical resurrection by eating fish that they have prepared.

Jesus is not a ghost. He is not dead. Jesus lives!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 11:29-32 - Greatest Miracle

Luke 11:29-32 NIV
Everyone wants a sign. Everyone wants a miraculous sign before they will believe and follow in the footsteps of Jesus. One has already been given.

Just as Jonah was in the belly of the big fish for three days and was spit out to continue that mission to which the LORD had sent him on; the Son of Man was given up to the grave for three days. He rose from the dead and continues His mission of bringing the Good News of the Kingdom for all people; but, now through you. The greatest miracle is the resurrection to life eternal in that Kingdom through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

No matter how many miracles an unbeliever will experience or see they will not be able to comprehend them as miracles. But, with the eyes of faith, we see all things miraculously achieved by the hand of God.

Believe, follow in His footsteps to eternal life in His presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 11:1-13 Teach Us

Luke 11:1-13 NIV
Lord, teach us to pray... Teach us...

The disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. So, he does. He gives them what we call the Lord's Prayer. It is a simple prayer. With this prayer, there is no one who cannot say that they do not know how to pray. Just pray this prayer the Lord gave us. It covers it all.

Verse 11 has caused me a little uneasiness in preaching on occasion. Jesus asks, "Which of you fathers, if your sons asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?" Sadly, I've run across more than a few parents who would give their children a snake instead of fish; fear instead of peace; sorrow instead of joy.

But, by coming into a closer relationship with our Lord, through prayer, we will learn; come to realize and know that our Father in heaven, gives good things to those who ask.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 9:10-17 Feed 5000

Luke 9:10-17 NIV
The apostles had been busy healing the sick and kicking out demons. Yet, when the crowd of 5000 men (plus) were hungry after following Jesus and listening to him, the apostles didn't have a clue. Jesus tells them to feed them. But, how? How are we going to feed them? We have nothing to feed them with!

Power to drive out demons, but not the ability to feed the hungry? That doesn't compute! Jesus takes the little that they have: five loaves of bread and two fish, gives thanks to God, gives it to the disciples to distribute, and they feed everyone, with leftovers, to boot.
The power of God to care for His people should never be underestimated. The apostles were a bit slow in understanding this; but, I think that we might even be slower.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 5:1-11 Fishing

Luke 5:1-11 NIV
When Jesus took them fishing, Peter, James and John caught so many fish that their nets were breaking. Then he told them that from then on they would be fishing for people. "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." (vs 11)

What does this mean to leave everything behind to follow Jesus? Does it mean to spend an hour at Worship on Sunday mornings? Does it mean we share the good news when it's convenient and easy to do? What does it mean to you? These men made their living at fishing. They left their boat and nets and followed to learn a new thing. They left their very livelihood behind to follow Jesus. If they are like most fishermen that I know, they loved fishing. They left this thing that they loved behind them and went off to follow this itinerant teacher and preacher. They trusted that they would not starve to death. They trusted that he would be with them to lead them. They were unafraid to go follow this new vocation: fishing for people.

Jesus is with us. May God grant that He teach us and give us the courage to fish for people.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 8:1-21 - Sign Of God's Will

The other day someone was lamenting that God was refusing to give them a sign to let them know what God's will was for them. They ask and ask for one, but God does not answer. Since they do not receive a sign from God to stop them from doing what they already know is wrong; they do it anyway. If you are one who is still waiting for a sign from God, let me remind you that God has already given us a sign of His purpose for us. Jesus Christ, Himself, is the sign. We can find His will for us in His Word.

The Pharisees wanted a sign from heaven. Jesus' response was to sigh deeply and say, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” (Mark 8:13 NIV)

The disciples find themselves, with Jesus, worried because they had no bread, with them, to eat. This was after they had witnessed him and even participated in feeding the multitudes with a handful of loaves and fish, twice. Twice! They witnessed this and they did not understand! There are signs all around us; signs of God's gracious love and concern for us. But, sometimes, our desires and our fears for ourselves keep us from seeing the mighty and loving acts of God. They keep us from hearing God's plan; His purpose for our lives.

Are we seeing it? Are we hearing it? Are we living according to God's plan for us? Or maybe we have chosen to be stubborn, since God hasn't seen fit to come to us and in an audible voice speak and tell us personally what we should or should not do, and do exactly the opposite of what God's Word tells us is His will for? God does speak to us. Just not in the way we're trying to dictate to God; but, He has made His will known to us. May God open our eyes to see; our ears to hear; and our hearts and minds to a greater understanding of His will for us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 6:30-55 - Miracles

Jesus feeds the multitude on five loaves of bread and two fish! Many have tried to reason away this miracle. But, let me ask you this: have you ever had a meal with God's children and did not have enough food to feed them all? I know that it has never happened at Zion or in communities that I have worshipped with or served. There have been a few meals where we may have run out of something, but there has always been something else to put on the plate to feed the people with. Most often we have so much left that we're busy trying to figure out who in the community we can bring food to that was not able to make it to the meal.

On Saturday, we held a funeral service for a very dear sister in Christ. The great crowd of people who came to hear the Gospel stood in the narthex as well as in the kitchen. While grieving our loss, it was a joyful celebration of her eternal life in Christ. When it came time for the fellowship meal, the line went up the stairs and into the narthex for a very long time. It never crossed my mind that we would not have enough food to feed them all, only maybe not enough chairs for them all to sit at. We all ate. We all sat (except for those who were serving). God provides.

We don't have to reason out how God performs the miracle of feeding the multitudes. We don't have to justify Jesus walking on water or how he did it. We don't have to figure out how Jesus heals the sick. Like Sylvia, we just know that He did and He does. Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jonah 2 - Begging God

"From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said:

'In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
    and you listened to my cry.'

And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land." (Jonah 2:1,10 NIV)

Here's what happens when you go in the opposite direction of where God is leading you: you end up begging Him to save you from your very poor decision.

Been there... Done that... Prayerfully and hopefully, I won't do that too often in the future. But, being the sinner that I am, it is highly probable.

Thanks be to God that He loves us enough to have mercy and to keep calling us to Himself!

God's Peace - Pr.

Jonah 1 - Just Do It!

The story of Jonah... Guess what? I believe the story! That is the bottom line... Anyway, the point of the story is not to give us a reason to debate whether a great fish is able to swallow a man and then spit him out later; rather, it is about this man who was called by God to serve Him and His people and decided to go in a different way.

How many of us have done that? I've known that I was called to serve as a pastor since I was about eleven or twelve years old. It took me decades to follow in the Way He would have me go. I heard the call many times. Repeatedly, I rejected it and put my priorities and the priorities that others set for me before His priorities. Repeatedly, I went the wrong way and found myself frustrated and unhappy and in more trouble than I anticipated - way more than I wanted!

My point is this: If God is calling you; if He is sending you somewhere to do His will; just do it. You most probably will in the end anyway; because, He will keep calling. Just trust Him and go for it!

God's Peace - Pr. J