Deep

33 God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep! They are as mysterious as his judgments, and they are as hard to track as his paths! 34 Who has known the Lord’s mind? Or who has been his mentor?  35 Or who has given him a gift and has been paid back by him? 36 All things are from him and through him and for him. May the glory be to him forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36, CEB)

God is deeper than we can possibly fathom. As I read this I’m reminded of the sonf Deep and Wide.

Deep and Wide.
Deep and Wide.
There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.
Deep and Wide.
Deep and Wide.
There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.

God’s expanse is so much wider and deeper than any of us can image. We can not fit God in our box and should not try. We can not possibly know all that God knows, or see all that God sees or understand all that God understands.

And that should bring us peace, knowing that everything is in God’s hands.

without excuse

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.[a] 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)

So every single one of you who judge others is without any excuse. So isn’t that all of us? I mean really can any of us say we have not judged someone else?

We all judge others, based on religion, race, sexuality, political party. I am in no way saying it is right, I am saying it happens. People who say they don’t notice those things are lying to themselves. We all see things and judge others who are different than us. Admitting it is the start of working through it.

We as followers of Christ need to surrender ourselves to Him and let His eyes be our eyes. Then we will see people not for the things that separate us, but by the hurts that are in their lives. We will see the pains they are dealing with. We will see the evil that is assailing them.

Then maybe we would love them, as God loves them. And that is really what the world needs now.

Who do you say I am?

13 Now when Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Human One is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” 15 He said, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Then Jesus replied, “Happy are you, Simon son of Jonah, because no human has shown this to you. Rather my Father who is in heaven has shown you. 18 I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it. 19 I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered the disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Christ. (Matthew 16:13-20, CEB)

Who do you say Jesus is?

The Christ?

The Messiah?

God?

What do these words mean?

Well, Christ is the Greek term for the Hebrew Messiah, and they roughly mean savior. So do you see Jesus as your savior? And if so what is He saving you from?

Peter said Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God. To which, Jesus responds, yes and God gave this to you. You are blessed.

Then Jesus says upon this rock I will build my church and even the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. Now did Jesus mean Peter, the rock, or the rock He was standing on.

I would say yes. Roman Catholics take this as the verse where Jesus makes Peter the Pope or the head of the church and gives him the keys to the kingdom, which is true, and yet he also gives them to the rest of the disciples as well a little later. And the interesting thing is where they are. Actually scholars say they were at the place where a temple of Pan was. And if you don’t know about Pan, look it up, interesting stuff, but it was also known as the gates of Hell. So Jesus was saying that even in this place known for worship of Pan and it being the gates of Hell itself, will not stand against His gathering. His followers will do more and be more than those who stand against it.

Do you believe this?

Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 When the disciples arrived on the other side of the lake, they had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “We didn’t bring any bread.” 8 Jesus knew what they were discussing and said, “You people of weak faith! Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you don’t have any bread? 9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves that fed the five thousand and how many baskets of leftovers you gathered? 10 And the seven loaves that fed the four thousand and how many large baskets of leftovers you gathered? 11 Don’t you know that I wasn’t talking about bread? But be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he wasn’t telling them to be on their guard for yeast used in making bread. No, he was telling them to watch out for the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12, CEB)

Whose teaching should we watch out for today?

Many would say the teachings of those who say that everyone is included in God’s grace who are living sinful lives. LGBTQIA+ people are not to be included because they are sinning and living a shameful life is what some people say, and they would think that anyone who doesn’t believe this is not teaching correctly and therefore are yeast we should look out for.

But who really should we not pay attention to? I am sure there are lots of people who would say that you should not listen to me, because I am one of those people that believes God accepts us as we are and loves us. God doesn’t want us to change before we come to God, because God has made us perfect. To quote the great theologian Jon Bon Jovi, “When you want to give up and your heart’s about to break Remember that you’re perfect, God makes no mistakes” (From the Song Welcome to Wherever you are.)

We should know that God loves us the way we were created by God, and when someone tells us we need to be different before God will love us, then I will tell you, they are the yeast Jesus is talking about.

Now this doesn’t mean we do not change, but God is the one that does the changing, not us.

Know you are perfect as you are, because that is how God made you, and God doesn’t make mistakes.

And here is our theologian for your listening enjoyment:

take pride

12 We won’t dare to place ourselves in the same league or to compare ourselves with some of those who are promoting themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding. 13 We won’t take pride in anything more than what is appropriate. Let’s look at the boundaries of our work area that God has assigned to us. It’s an area that includes you.14 We aren’t going out of bounds, as if our work area doesn’t extend as far as you. We were the first ones to travel as far as Corinth with the gospel of Christ. 15 We don’t take pride in what other people do outside of our boundaries. We hope that our work will be extended even more by you as your faith grows, until it expands fully (within the boundaries, of course). 16 We hope that our work grows even to the point of the gospel being preached in places beyond Corinth, without bragging about what has already been done in another person’s work area. 17 But, the one who brags should brag in the Lord. 18 It isn’t the person who promotes himself or herself who is approved but the person whom the Lord commends. (2 Corinthians 10:12-18, CEB)

Do not take more pride than you deserve and do not pride in what is not yours.

What have we to be proud of? What have we done that we should be boastful about and say we have done?

Isn’t truly everything we do something that God has placed in us to do? And should we not give God the credit?

So take pride in the fact that you are God’s.

confronting lawsuits in the church

When someone in your assembly has a legal case against another member, do they dare to take it to court to be judged by people who aren’t just, instead of by God’s people? 2 Or don’t you know that God’s people will judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to judge trivial cases? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary things? 4 So then if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint people as judges who aren’t respected by the church? 5 I’m saying this because you should be ashamed of yourselves! Isn’t there one person among you who is wise enough to pass judgment between believers? 6 But instead, does a brother or sister have a lawsuit against another brother or sister, and do they do this in front of unbelievers? 7 The fact that you have lawsuits against each other means that you’ve already lost your case. Why not be wronged instead? Why not be cheated? 8 But instead you are doing wrong and cheating—and you’re doing it to your own brothers and sisters. 9 Don’t you know that people who are unjust won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Those who are sexually immoral, those who worship false gods, adulterers, both participants in same-sex intercourse,10 thieves, the greedy, drunks, abusive people, and swindlers won’t inherit God’s kingdom. 11 That is what some of you used to be! But you were washed clean, you were made holy to God, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:1-11, CEB)

If a person is not a follower of Christ they should not decide a legal matter between believers. Plus we should not be letting those who don’t believe see us having disagreements. This does not help the love of God being shared with the world.

How can we share God’s love and be in turmoil with each other?

We need to settle our differences and show the world God’s love.

healing

Now when Jesus had come down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with a skin disease came, kneeled before him, and said, “Lord, if you want, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do want to. Become clean.”Instantly his skin disease was cleansed. 4 Jesus said to him, “Don’t say anything to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded. This will be a testimony to them.” 5 When Jesus went to Capernaum, a centurion approached, 6 pleading with him, “Lord, my servant is flat on his back at home, paralyzed, and his suffering is awful.” 7 Jesus responded, “I’ll come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 I’m a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and the servant does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was impressed and said to the people following him, “I say to you with all seriousness that even in Israel I haven’t found faith like this. 11 I say to you that there are many who will come from east and west and sit down to eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.” 13 Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you just as you have believed.” And his servant was healed that very moment. (Matthew 8:1-13, CEB)

What is faith? Faith is the belief in the unseen. The centurion knew when the order was given it would be done. That is faith in the one receiving the order. The centurion also knew that when Jesus said something it was like him giving an order. It will be done.

Would you need Jesus to come with you, or would you believe it would be done because Jesus said it would?

And if you just said you would believe because Jesus said, do you?

who is saved?

13 I’m speaking to you Gentiles. Considering that I’m an apostle to the Gentiles, I publicize my own ministry 14 in the hope that somehow I might make my own people jealous and save some of them. 15 If their rejection has brought about a close relationship between God and the world, how can their acceptance mean anything less than life from the dead? 16 But if part of a batch of dough is offered to God as holy, the whole batch of dough is holy too. If a root is holy, the branches will be holy too. 17 If some of the branches were broken off, and you were a wild olive branch, and you were grafted in among the other branches and shared the root that produces the rich oil of the olive tree, 18 then don’t brag like you’re better than the other branches. If you do brag, be careful: it’s not you that sustains the root, but it’s the root that sustains you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Fine. They were broken off because they weren’t faithful, but you stand only by your faithfulness. So don’t think in a proud way; instead be afraid. 21 If God didn’t spare the natural branches, he won’t spare you either. 22 So look at God’s kindness and harshness. It’s harshness toward those who fell, but it’s God’s kindness for you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise, you could be cut off too. 23 And even those who were cut off will be grafted back in if they don’t continue to be unfaithful, because God is able to graft them in again. 24 If you were naturally part of a wild olive tree and you were cut off from it, and then, contrary to nature, you were grafted into the cultivated olive tree, won’t these natural branches stand an even better chance of being grafted back onto their own olive tree? 25 I don’t want you to be unaware of this secret, brothers and sisters. That way you won’t think too highly of yourselves. A part of Israel has become resistant until the full number of the Gentiles comes in. 26 In this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove ungodly behavior from Jacob. 27 This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins. 28 According to the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but according to God’s choice, they are loved for the sake of their ancestors. 29 God’s gifts and calling can’t be taken back. (Romans 11:13-29, CEB)

God’s gifts and calling can’t be taken back!

You see it is not your choice to be cut out of or grafted into the tree, it is God’s. If you produce good fruit even if you weren’t a part, God will make you a part, and if you are a part and don’t produce good fruit, God will cut you out, but then can also put you back in if you start producing goos fruit again.

So salvation is all about what God wants, not you.

So still who can be saved?

 

create problems

15 The prophets’ words agree with this; as it is written, 16 After this I will return, and I will rebuild David’s fallen tent; I will rebuild what has been torn down. I will restore it 17so that the rest of humanity will seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who belong to me. The Lord says this, the one who does these things 18known from earliest times. 19 “Therefore, I conclude that we shouldn’t create problems for Gentiles who turn to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter, telling them to avoid the pollution associated with idols, sexual immorality, eating meat from strangled animals, and consuming blood. 21 After all, Moses has been proclaimed in every city for a long time, and is read aloud every Sabbath in every synagogue.” (Acts 15:15-21, CEB)

We should make it as easy as possible for people to come to faith in God.

There shouldn’t be hoops to jump through or complicated things to do.

Just stay away from idols, sexual immorality, eating meat from strangled animals, and consuming blood.

That list should be easy, but it’s really not. We all have idols in our lives, some have money, or a house, or a spouse, or a phone, or something that takes the place of God.

And this post is not going to try and undertake what sexual immorality is. That could mean so many things and will be different depending on the person.

Eating meat from strangled animals, so shooting them is ok.

And don’t drink blood, Communion is ok though.

So make it east and open for all.

What rules do you have for people to join the church?

in or out…

10 Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand. 11 It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?” 13 Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be pulled up.14 Leave the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.” 15 Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.” 16 Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? 17 Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. 19 Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. 20 These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.” 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. (Matthew 15:10-28, CEB)

I have always had an issue with this text because Jesus calls this woman a dog.

It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.

Now is this because she is a Canaanite? Even so, why does Jesus call her a dog? Yes, He has come for the house of Israel, but we see later that the mission of the church is to all people. So why?

I assume like many things it is to prove a point to the disciples. To teach them and us something. Yes, Israelites thought very little of Canaanites and many would call them names. But there was no need for this, but Jesus was teaching on following the law and eating with unclean hands and about what goes in a body verses what comes out of the body.

And this woman got faith. She knew that Jesus could heal her daughter. So she went to Him and asked, and Jesus said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.” To which the woman replied, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.” Even the dogs, the lowly, eat the crumbs, the small mustard seed size pieces which fall off the table, and that is enough. She knew if even the smallest amount of Jesus was present with her that her daughter would be healed. And Jesus saw that come out of her at that moment. 

It isn’t what goes in us, but what we give out.

What do you give out?