By faith

29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if they were on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were drowned. 30 By faith Jericho’s walls fell after the people marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute wasn’t killed with the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace. 32 What more can I say? I would run out of time if I told you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, brought about justice, realized promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 put out raging fires, escaped from the edge of the sword, found strength in weakness, were mighty in war, and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured and refused to be released so they could gain a better resurrection. 36 But others experienced public shame by being taunted and whipped; they were even put in chains and in prison. 37 They were stoned to death, they were cut in two, and they died by being murdered with swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats, needy, oppressed, and mistreated. 38 The world didn’t deserve them. They wandered around in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. 39 All these people didn’t receive what was promised, though they were given approval for their faith. 40 God provided something better for us so they wouldn’t be made perfect without us. 12 So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, 2 and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. (Hebrews 11:29—12:2, CEB)

By faith our ancestors walked and were right with God.

By faith we make our way through life. Not by sight or shear power. By Faith.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter, or as I memorized that verse, “Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” I had a t-shirt in my early 20s that said cross-eyed, with Hebrews 12:2 on it.

We should be so focused on the cross, and who Jesus is too us and how our life will be what God intended it to be when we walk in faith, that we are cross-eyed.

Focus on Jesus. Live by Faith.

Love People. Love God.

Don’t tell

24 Jesus left that place and went into the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know that he had entered a house, but he couldn’t hide. 25 In fact, a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard about him right away. She came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was Greek, Syrophoenician by birth. She begged Jesus to throw the demon out of her daughter. 27 He responded, “The children have to be fed first. It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 “Good answer!” he said. “Go on home. The demon has already left your daughter.” 30 When she returned to her house, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone. 31 After leaving the region of Tyre, Jesus went through Sidon toward the Galilee Sea through the region of the Ten Cities. 32 Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly speak, and they begged him to place his hand on the man for healing. 33 Jesus took him away from the crowd by himself and put his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34 Looking into heaven, Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Open up.” 35 At once, his ears opened, his twisted tongue was released, and he began to speak clearly. 36 Jesus gave the people strict orders not to tell anyone. But the more he tried to silence them, the more eagerly they shared the news. 37 People were overcome with wonder, saying, “He does everything well! He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who can’t speak.” (Mark 7:24-37, CEB)

Have you ever known something that was so good you had to tell others about it, but the person who did said not to tell anyone? Do you tell or not?

It is hard to keep a secret, let alone a secret that can be beneficial to others.

Would you have told others about Jesus healing everyone?

I probably would have. Jesus was restoring people to community. He was giving people relationships back.

What can we do to restore community and help everyone live in grace filled relationships?

Love People. Love God.

Did he just…

21 From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” 23 But he didn’t respond to her at all. His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.” 24 Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.” 25 But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.” 26 He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.” 28 Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish.” And right then her daughter was healed. 29 Jesus moved on from there along the shore of the Galilee Sea. He went up a mountain and sat down. 30 Large crowds came to him, including those who were paralyzed, blind, injured, and unable to speak, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them. 31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those who had been unable to speak talking, and the paralyzed cured, and the injured walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:21-31, CEB)

Jesus just called the Canaanite Woman a dog…

Now Israelites didn’t like Canaanites. This was not a term of endearment.

But the disciples were probably thinking it, and the people of that time wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but aren’t we supposed to love everyone? So calling someone a dog is not really loving them.

There are things in the Bible that don’t make sense. So what do we do with them?

This one I usually say Jesus here shows us humanity, where he messed up, and then the woman makes a comment and he says, you’re right, you are a part of the kingdom.

We all mess up. How do we handle the saying we made a mistake.

Fess up and own it in a loving manner.

Love People. Love God.

Knowing vs Doing

12 Those who have sinned outside the Law will also die outside the Law, and those who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. 13 It isn’t the ones who hear the Law who are righteous in God’s eyes. It is the ones who do what the Law says who will be treated as righteous. 14 Gentiles don’t have the Law. But when they instinctively do what the Law requires they are a Law in themselves, though they don’t have the Law. 15 They show the proof of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences affirm it. Their conflicting thoughts will accuse them, or even make a defense for them, 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the hidden truth about human beings through Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:12-16, CEB)

It really isn’t about knowing the rules.

It is about how we live.

We live in light and love and we are accepted. If we live for our own wants and desires, God will know the true nature of our heart and we will not stand.

Let light and love flow from God through your life.

Let you life point to grace and mercy of God.

Love People. Love God.

based

So every single one of you who judge others is without any excuse. You condemn yourself when you judge another person because the one who is judging is doing the same things. 2 We know that God’s judgment agrees with the truth, and his judgment is against those who do these kinds of things. 3 If you judge those who do these kinds of things while you do the same things yourself, think about this: Do you believe that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you have contempt for the riches of God’s generosity, tolerance, and patience? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to change your heart and life? 5 You are storing up wrath for yourself because of your stubbornness and your heart that refuses to change. God’s just judgment will be revealed on the day of wrath. 6 God will repay everyone based on their works. 7 On the one hand, he will give eternal life to those who look for glory, honor, and immortality based on their patient good work. 8 But on the other hand, there will be wrath and anger for those who obey wickedness instead of the truth because they are acting out of selfishness and disobedience. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 11 God does not have favorites. (Romans 2:1-11, CEB)

Now this is not very Lutheran, but according to what Paul wrote to the Romans here, God will give us what we gave. If we did good to others, God will give us good. If we did evil to others, we will get wrath and anger.

Not really the loving God we know from other parts of the bible.

I do believe we will stand in judgement and everything we have done will be recounted which brings anxiety to rise. We all are responsible for our actions, but the Grace of Christ covers us and makes us right with God.

Love Out Loud and let light and grace flow from your everyday actions. Do this because God first loved you when you were unlovable.

Love People. Love God.

not in but out

9 Jesus continued, “Clearly, you are experts at rejecting God’s commandment in order to establish these rules. 10 Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and The person who speaks against father or mother will certainly be put to death. 11 But you say, ‘If you tell your father or mother, “Everything I’m expected to contribute to you is corban(that is, a gift I’m giving to God),” 12 then you are no longer required to care for your father or mother.’ 13 In this way you do away with God’s word in favor of the rules handed down to you, which you pass on to others. And you do a lot of other things just like that.” 14 Then Jesus called the crowd again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 15 Nothing outside of a person can enter and contaminate a person in God’s sight; rather, the things that come out of a person contaminate the person.” 17 After leaving the crowd, he entered a house where his disciples asked him about that riddle. 18 He said to them, “Don’t you understand either? Don’t you know that nothing from the outside that enters a person has the power to contaminate? 19 That’s because it doesn’t enter into the heart but into the stomach, and it goes out into the sewer.” By saying this, Jesus declared that no food could contaminate a person in God’s sight. 20 “It’s what comes out of a person that contaminates someone in God’s sight,” he said. 21 “It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, 22 adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.” (Mark 7:9-23, CEB)

What comes out of you comes from the heart. I have seen anger and hatred so welled up inside a person they were shaking as they talked about that which they despised. Their hatred for this person or item had taken so control of them that they physically shook as they spoke about the things that were so wrong with them.

Our hearts contain evil that is so profound we must not let it to control us.

We need to allow the love of God that loves us when we don’t deserve it to so permeate our lives that we are not filled with hatred, but God’s love.

Do not worry about what goes in you, but what comes out of you. Allow light and love to flow from you.

Love People. Love God.

Endure

19 Now, it is commendable if, because of one’s understanding of God, someone should endure pain through suffering unjustly. 20 But what praise comes from enduring patiently when you have sinned and are beaten for it? But if you endure steadfastly when you’ve done good and suffer for it, this is commendable before God. 21 You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf. He left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps. 22 He committed no sin, nor did he ever speak in ways meant to deceive. 23 When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin. By his wounds you were healed. 25 Though you were like straying sheep, you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your lives. (1 Peter 2:19-25, CEB)

By Christ’s wounds we are healed. We can see through many things because of what our savior suffered for us.

We can show love through not seeking revenge or insulting others.

We show the love God has for us by loving all.

Love People. Love God.

Holy life

6 If you point these things out to the believers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus who has been trained by the words of faith and the good teaching that you’ve carefully followed. 7 But stay away from the godless myths that are passed down from the older women. Train yourself for a holy life! 8 While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come. 9 This saying is reliable and deserves complete acceptance. 10 We work and struggle for this: “Our hope is set on the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially those who believe.” 11 Command these things. Teach them. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Instead, set an example for the believers through your speech, behavior, love, faith, and by being sexually pure. 13 Until I arrive, pay attention to public reading, preaching, and teaching. 14 Don’t neglect the spiritual gift in you that was given through prophecy when the elders laid hands on you. 15 Practice these things, and live by them so that your progress will be visible to all. 16 Focus on working on your own development and on what you teach. If you do this, you will save yourself and those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:6-16, CEB)

Holy life training has promise for life now and to come. We will forever be living in the kingdom of God, so let us put forth the live and light of Christ in everything we do.

Let your very life point to Christ and what the love of God has done in your life.

Let everything you do help others see God’s grace and mercy and love for them

Love People. Love God.

Sin Boldly!

The Pharisees and some legal experts from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. 2 They saw some of his disciples eating food with unclean hands. (They were eating without first ritually purifying their hands through washing. 3 The Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat without first washing their hands carefully. This is a way of observing the rules handed down by the elders. 4 Upon returning from the marketplace, they don’t eat without first immersing themselves. They observe many other rules that have been handed down, such as the washing of cups, jugs, pans, and sleeping mats.) 5 So the Pharisees and legal experts asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples not living according to the rules handed down by the elders but instead eat food with ritually unclean hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah really knew what he was talking about when he prophesied about you hypocrites. He wrote, This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. 7 Their worship of me is empty since they teach instructions that are human words. 8 You ignore God’s commandment while holding on to rules created by humans and handed down to you.” 14 Then Jesus called the crowd again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 15 Nothing outside of a person can enter and contaminate a person in God’s sight; rather, the things that come out of a person contaminate the person.” 21 “It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, 22 adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.” (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, CEB)

Martin Luther once wrote in a letter to Philip Melanchthon that he should Sin Boldly! Because Philip was struggling with life and his own sinfulness. Luther said “Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (or “Sin boldly”),but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.”

I have talked alot about this quote with many people lately because it is on the front (Sin Boldly) and the back (full quote) of a shirt for the ministry I serve now. And I tell people Luther was telling Melanchthon to not be so concerned with the rules that you are just focusing on not sinning. We should be so about sharing God’s love because we know regardless of what we do God will love us and forgive us.

So sin boldly and don’t be caught up in the rules. Just live the love of God out loud.

Love People. Love God.

doesn’t allow

28 The Jewish leaders led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. So that they could eat the Passover, the Jewish leaders wouldn’t enter the palace; entering the palace would have made them ritually impure. 29 So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What charge do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered, “If he had done nothing wrong, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate responded, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your Law. The Jewish leaders replied, “The Law doesn’t allow us to kill anyone.” (32 This was so that Jesus’ word might be fulfilled when he indicated how he was going to die.) (John 18:28-32, CEB)

Our law doesn’t allow us to kill anyone, that is why we need you.

What charge is against him? And they can’t even give one. Their response is “If he had done nothing wrong, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.” We don’t really know what he did wrong other than disturb our way of life. But we need him taken care of.

How many times do we pass off our issues on someone else? We make someone else fix our problems. Jesus was making the religious leaders look at who they really were and what they were doing and they didn’t like it. So the easy way to fix the problem is get rid of Jesus. But does that fix the problem?

The easiest answer isn’t always an answer.

What can we do to be more like Jesus?

Love People. Love God.