Be Kind To Sinners

Romans is probably one of my favorite books in the Bible. I believe that Paul wrote it as an introduction letter to the church in Rome. He wanted them to know who he was and what he was all about. So, he gave a detailed overview--not exhaustive in scope--of what he believed. The book/letter is filled with great doctrinal truths. 

As I read Romans chapter one yesterday, and then chapter two today, I made an interesting connection. Paul taught that we are to be kind to the sinners who we don't think deserve kindness. We all experience sin in others that become our personal pet peeve--those sins in others that annoy us. The sin that annoys me most in others is when a person avoids physical or spiritual work--SLOTH. Slothfulness is a legit sin, even though it's the one deadly sin that most people have the hardest time remembering. 

In chapter two Paul is very clear that we should demonstrate loving sensitivity towards those who are struggling with sin. Even the sins that so easily annoy us. 

Do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:3-4)

Paul's words made me think back to chapter one as he talked about those who reject God. In verses 26–27 Paul mentions how God's punishment against unbelief can ultimately lead to a specific sin:

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 

A culture's rejection of God can lead to God removing his hand of protection and guidance from that culture. And a potential result for that culture is the sin of homosexuality.

I grew up in a generation where the majority of people I knew in the Church considered homosexuality to be the most egregious sin (it was their greatest pet peeve). The commonplace response of the Church was persecution by ostracizing and mocking the gay person in the community. I'd even go so far as to say it was considered an acceptable response. The result of this harsh response, that spanned a generation, is now the overwhelming belief that the Church hates the LGBTQ community. Because the Church did not respond with the same kindness, tolerance, and patience that drew them out of sin and subsequently transformed their lives, the gay community is largely resistant to the overtures of the Church today.

We all come up against sins that annoy us and rise to the level of our personal "pet peeve." Paul is teaching the need to be careful to show kindness, tolerance, and patience towards the sinner who is seeking God but isn't yet as perfect as we are (btw, that's sarcasm). Seriously though, God doesn't give us a license to stop loving people. We should be able to love anyone because perfect God has loved imperfect us. 

Share the Good News

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

The word "gospel" is one of the first Greek words I did a study on in seminary. In my Greek New Testament, it looks like this, Ευαγγέλιο; and it sounds like this EVANG-HELIO. William Tyndale, a major player in the reformation, who first translated the Bible into English, had this definition of the word:

“Evangelion signifieth good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that maketh a man’s heart glad and maketh him sing, dance, and leap for joy."

Whenever I go back and read his definition I experience a little bit of the Christmas season nostalgia, no matter what month in the year it is. I think it is the use of the words "merry" and "tidings" that put me in the Christmas spirit. It's not a bad picture or feeling to come to mind, as Christmas for me is the closest I get to heaven on earth.

The word "GOSPEL" is best and most easily translated into English as "GOOD NEWS." It is the Good News of Jesus coming to Earth as a baby born of God to Mary; it is IMMANUEL, God with us. No wonder I think of Christmas. The gospel of Jesus is Christmas, and it is Easter. It is Jesus's coming so that He could die in our place and rise from the dead canceling the eternal death punishment for those who believe.

According to Paul and Romans 1:16, It is this Good News of Jesus--His life story--that is the power of salvation for everyone who believes. 

I've always thought it beneficial to think about what is not the power of salvation. Being a good person is not the power for one's salvation. Being a friend to others doesn't result in the salvation of one's friend. Attending church or giving to a church doesn't result in salvation. Serving the poor isn't the power that brings salvation. There is only one act that is powerful to save, and that is believing the Good News story of Jesus Christ. And there is only one way for anyone--for our friends and family--to believe. They must be told the Good News. 

So simple and yet the question needs to be asked: How many of your friends and family have heard the story from you? 

We need to be like Paul. We can't be afraid to share the Good News story of Jesus with everyone with whom we come in contact.  

No Greater Legacy

I bought a wide-margined Bible that I'm using to work through the M'Cheyne's Bible Reading Plan. Each day I write my thoughts in the margins--many of which form the substance of these blog entries. A couple weeks into the year I decided I would gift this Bible to one of my kids at the end of the year and do it again for 2021 for the other.

Today's reading included Matthew 28:18–20--The Great Commission. As I wrote, I imagined my kids one day coming to this entry and embracing their God-given purpose. 

Here's what I wrote:

This is one of the most important passages for the Church today as it gives us our purpose. The command given by Jesus here is:

"Make Disciples!"

Many people wrongly confuse the command in the verse as "GO" because of the way it is translated in most versions of the Bible. However, if we were to translate it more word-for-word as literal as we could make it, it would be rendered more like this:

"While you are going make disciples…"

It is so important that we see ourselves as a people who are moving (without being commanded to move). And to understand that while we are moving we are obligated to "Make Disciples"--followers of Christ who are growing in their ability to obey His teachings. 

If you ever feel inadequate in this endeavor, don't forget:

1. He has been given "all authority," and  

2. He will be "with you always, even to the end of the age." 

Just as I hope my kids embrace this understanding of their reason for living, I'm making it my prayer that the church I serve reflects this understanding. In my mind, there is no greater legacy. 

I Want To Be Satisfied With The Life I Live

The M'Cheyne Bible reading plan has us jumping from Genesis to Matthew and from Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther to Acts. I'm not complaining, I'm enjoying the connections that show the continuity of this one big story. Even though we're only in the first month of reading, we've already seen several cases where there have been ups and downs in the relationship people have with God. In yesterday's reading--the last chapter of Nehemiah--we saw how quickly the exiles, who had returned to Jerusalem, fell from grace by forgetting their tithes, forgetting the practice of Sabbath and intermarrying with non-God-followers. We're not sure how their story ended, other than their descendants didn't continue following God until Christ's birth some four hundred years later. 

In today's reading from Genesis chapter 24, we do see how someone's story ended. We saw what a life of grit--one that pursued a relationship with God to the very end--produces.

"Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way" (v. 1).

Sovereign God--the God who orders our steps--told Abram in Genesis 12 that this life of blessing would be his experience. Abraham had his ups and downs. However, in his greatest mountain-top experience when he showed his love for God, God opened the flood-gates of blessing on Abraham.

"I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies" (Ch. 22, v. 17).

And God did it. He blessed Abraham so that when he died it was said,

"Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life" (Ch. 25, v. 8).

Isn't that what we all want? Certainly, there will be times of testing when we're tempted to do something contrary to what God desires. And I know we'll fail a test from time to time. But, if we choose God by following Christ we will finish like Abraham, satisfied with the life we've lived. Let's do it!

It's OK Not To Be OK, It's Just Not OK To Stay There

One should be careful not to confuse the parable of the wedding feast found in Matthew 22 with Luke 14:16–24. Both parables invite strangers to attend because the invited guests have rejected the invitation. Luke's account judges the people who rejected the invitation to the feast. But Matthew's account goes beyond that by judging one of the strangers--at first it seems harshly--for not wearing the proper attire. 

"When the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend how did you come here without wedding clothes?; And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."

If you are like me, your first reaction to this may have been, "That doesn't seem fair. The stranger wasn't expecting an invitation. Why would he be thrown out? Where's the love in that?" But once I got past my preprogrammed cultural bias I was able to see the truth that Jesus was teaching.

God is gracious but not without justice. Our culture--Church culture--which has come to believe that in His grace God accepts people who act contrary to his will, is simply not true. The invitation to be in relationship with God is universal (that's grace), but the acceptance is based on or proven through the evidence of a transformed heart that seeks to obey God. 

We stumble in many ways (James 3:2) and that does not disqualify us from the wedding feast of the lamb--the celebration of Jesus being united with His bride (the Church). However, when a person intentionally trips up by doing something they know is contrary to the desire of God, they are in danger of being thrown out.

The adage that we hear often at Kapahulu Bible Church explains this teaching well, "It's OK not to be OK, it's just not OK to stay there."  

What to Do with Bible Questions

I've often wondered how Paul could write in 1 Corinthians 11:23 that he "received from the Lord what I passed on to you" regarding the instructions for the Lord's Supper. Paul's ministry didn't begin until well after Jesus's ascension. In today's reading I found a clue as to how it was possible. 

Paul was giving a defense to an angry mob for his ministry to the gentiles. As Paul described his conversion story he relayed what Ananias told him when he regained his sight:

"The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard." 

On the road to Damascus Paul didn't "see" the Righteous One, but rather he was blinded by a great light. I believe Ananias was referring to encounters that had not yet taken place between Paul and Jesus. I believe the 1 Corinthians 11 passage is referring to one of those encounters as is a passage in the book of Galatians:

"I neither received [the Good News] from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:12

It really is exciting to discover answers from God's Word to the questions we have. Do you have any Bible questions that you've wondered about? Why not ask the questions to God in prayer and then get into His Word on a daily basis?  

God Knows Before It Happens

In Genesis 22 we read the account of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, at the Lord's instructions. Before Abraham brings down his knife to end Isaac's life the Lord stops him and provides a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac's place. The part of the story that stood out to me today was the blessing that followed. 

"By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies." 

This was not the first time that this blessing was heard (see Genesis 12:1–3). But this time the reason for the blessing is explained:

"because you have done this thing"

It's because of Abraham's obedience that God blesses him the way He does. 

This stood out to me because it demonstrates how God is in control, He knows how all events will play out, and He will bless those who He has called. 

God is able to make a promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 because He knows the obedience of Abraham in Genesis twenty-two. He also knows the missteps of Abraham in chapter 12 and 20 when Abraham introduced Sarah as his sister. 

God knows the journey of those who He's called--who identify as His children. He knows the areas in which we will struggle. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He knows our ultimate obedience and our ultimate reward in heaven. We know many of the areas in which we struggle. Wouldn't it be wise to surrender those areas to Him today?

The point that stood out to me was the fact that God knows the blessing He has for us before we're ready to receive it. 

My advice to my family today as we read this was: Let's be intentional on readying ourselves for His blessing. Let's surrender the areas in which we struggle. Let's be intentional and surrender them to the Lord so that we can experience the blessings He has for us.  

Faith and the Forgiving God

Yesterday's family reading from M'Cheyne's Bible Reading plan came from both Genesis 20 and Matthew 19. It has been so encouraging this year to experience the complimentary teachings from the Old and New Testaments--His Word is truly one big story.  

Genesis 20

In Genesis 20 there is a story of Abraham that is similar to an account from Genesis 12. In Genesis 12 as Abraham entered Egypt he introduced his wife, Sarah, as his sister because he thought he would be killed on account of her beauty and the foreign leaders desire for her. When the Pharaoh took Sarah, God punished him and he quickly reunited Sarah to Abraham and gave him many gifts to appease God's anger. Now in chapter 20, the same situation happens again but in the land of Negev with a king named Abimelech. It seems Abraham's reasoning is different this time--or at least his original excuse has changed. In Egypt Abraham introduced Sarah as his sister because she was so beautiful, in the Negev Abraham is 100 and Sarah is 90 years old. The root of Abraham's deceit is his struggle with fear of the people--same as it was in Egypt.

"Abraham said, 'Because I thought surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'"

Yet again God saved Abraham by bringing punishment down on the house of Abimelech. 

The fact that Abraham's faith in God was credited to him as righteousness is a truth that was known in both the Old and the New Testament (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3, 9, 22; Galatians 3:6). Abraham was pleasing to God not only in the moment of his belief, but also after he had died. Abraham lived a life that consistently followed God even though he had his moments of weakness. The great take-away is that God is pleased with us even when He knows we won't always do the right thing or exhibit the consistent level of faith.  

Matthew 19

In Matthew 19 we find another story of faith--this one doesn't have the same positive ending that Abraham's story did. There was a rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked what "good" thing he must do to obtain eternal life. Jesus's answer is interesting,

"Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." 

Jesus knew that this man did not have the same faith as Abraham--that is he did not believe he was interacting with God. Jesus's answer pointed out to those that were listening (or reading) that Jesus is God--He is the good One who is able to answer his question. Unfortunately, the man walked away in sadness, unwilling to do what God was asking of him. 

God asks us to do things in His Word. We all stumble in many ways (James 3:2). But just like Abraham--to be faithful--we are to show the faith that He makes strong in us by finishing well. How often does a person walk away in disobedience? And when they do, what does that say about their faith?   

It's never too late to get back on the right path by changing directions, asking for forgiveness, and submitting to the Will of God.  

Following Him

Don't Lose the Joy of the Moment

In todays reading from Matthew 17, Peter said to Jesus at the transfiguration when the Lord turned bright like the sun and Elijah and Moses appeared, 

"It is good for us to be here, if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here."

How often do we do that? We experience something good and desire to continue the experience by camping out in the moment. I've pastored several churches in the past twenty years. The common denominator for all the churches I've been called to has been that they've needed turn around; they were in decline and needed a transformation to bring about growth. Every church had some point in the past where the ministry was more vibrant than it is in the present. At each church I've heard the Peter-like voice that said, "Back in 19?? we experienced this good moment," followed by a suggestion that we should consider reinstating some practice, or program from the past. We believe that recreating a past experience and camping out there is the answer. "I will make three tabernacles here."

God is always on the move and He has created us in His image in this sense. That's why the literal translation of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20 is "while you are going." We were not created to sit still, we weren't created to "camp out," we weren't created to "go" from a stationary position. We were called to "GO" from a place of movement. Our going is a continuation from our last movement when we followed Him. When we experience His presence we shouldn't try to contain it or transfix the feeling. We should seek to chase after it and follow Him where He goes. 

If you are blessed to be in a spiritual season of life that is "good," pay attention to where the Lord is moving and FOLLOW HIM so as not to lose the joy of the moment. 

We All Have UPs and DOWNs

Cry Out to God for Help

The last post ended with "As (God's) children, the Father's blessing doesn't flow until we are responding to the Father's desire." In the Bible reading from January 14–15 (Genesis 15–16 & Matthew 14–15) I was encouraged by a complimentary truth to the previous post. God knows our shortcomings and is always ready to lift us up when we call in a fall. 

Abram was considered righteous by God when He believed what God had promised him (Genesis 15:6). And yet like Adam, who was persuaded to do wrong by his wife, Abram listened to his wife's plan to obtain an heir through Hagar. Abram was riding high in chapter 15 and was shot down in chapter 16. In tomorrow's reading (chapter 17) we'll see that God's plan for countless descendants would be fulfilled through his wife, Sarai. 

The New Testament reading for the day from Matthew 14 confirmed that when we take our eyes off from the Lord--when we misstep--we fall short just like Abram. In Matthew we find the disciples out in the middle of the Sea of Galilee during a storm. When Jesus appears to them walking on the water, Peter says, "If it is you Lord, command that I come and I will come to you." Jesus did command it and Peter got out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus on the water. This is a clear example of Peter's faith which pleases God, just like it did with Abram. However, when Peter took his eyes off from Jesus (v. 30) he fell short. 

We all fall short. Paul writes about it in Romans 6:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In case we think this is an experience only for those before they begin a relationship with Jesus, John writes about the Christian's experience in 1 John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." And if we think that we can reach a level of maturity where this won't be the case, James writes to leaders in James 3:2, "For we all stumble in many ways." We all fall short. 

But praise be to God He always is ready to lift us up when we cry out, like He did with Peter. "He cried out, 'Lord save me!' Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him" (Matthew 14:30b–31a). In our walks with the Lord we will all have our mountain top experiences, but guaranteed we will all have those instances or even seasons of short-comings (eg. mistakes, missteps, errors, wrong-doing, sin). God wants to continue the blessing, but we have to strengthen our resolve (faith) by crying out to Him for help.     

Being Responsive to God, Results In God's Blessing

I'm enjoying the connections between the Old and New Testament readings that I've made already in the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan. I found one in Sunday's family reading from Genesis 13 and Matthew 12; it's all about responsiveness and blessing. Actually, the connection began yesterday as I read the familiar passage of Abram's commissioning in Genesis 12:1–2 (NASB):

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; (2) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a …

There you see it: When Abram responds to God's Word (v.1) He is blessed in verse(s) 2 and three. Last year as I went through this, I took note that Abram didn't do what God told him to do. God said to go from his relatives, and yet in verse 5 we see that he brings his nephew Lot along with him. And if you know the story, Lot added a LOT of strife to Abram's life. And yet, he was blessed by God. I rationalized, last year, that the blessing came because God fulfills His promises--He is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. 

This year I saw something new in chapter 13 that has me seeing it differently. It is true that God is faithful and always keeps His promises. But, with this particular promise I have a hard time separating Abram's need to obey God, from him experiencing the blessing God describes in verses 2 and three. In verses 14–15 of chapter 13 I found my resolution. 

Then the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are… for all the land which you see, I will give it to you…"

The blessing didn't get underway until Abram was responsive to what God said. He said "go from your relatives… and i will bless you." It wasn't until "after Lot had separated from him" that God confirmed the blessing that was about to take place. 

With this postulate fresh in my mind I read Matthew chapter 12. 

"Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (vs. 49–50). 

When God makes known His will to us and we respond in obedience, we receive the greatest blessing there is: our identity is changed to that of Child of God.

As children, the Father's blessing doesn't flow until we are responding to the Father's desire.   

Differences Don't Always Mean Someone Is Wrong

In our Bible reading plan the past two days I've noticed a couple of differences from Matthew's gospel account when compared to Mark and Luke's account. 

Being the black and white guy that I am, I take uneasy notice of the gray areas in life when they present themselves. Most times, for me, something is either right or it's wrong. So when I read in chapter 8 that Matthew mentioned two demon possessed men, I had to go back to Mark and Luke to make sense of them only mentioning one. I was more at ease when I realized they never said there weren't two, they only mentioned the one very strong and violent demon possessed man. 

In today's reading Matthew mentioned that the synagogue official (take note he didn't mention his name) came to Jesus and said, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live." In Mark and Luke, the man's (by the way, they give the detail that his name is Jarius) daughter doesn't die until he's already asked Jesus to come to his house and lay hands on her. Mark and Luke tell of men coming to Jarius and Jesus on the way to his house and sharing the devastating news. As I read this, my initial thought was, "Someone throughout the years must have copied this down wrong," kind of like the telephone game we've all played while sitting in a circle. The information starts out one way, but arrives at the end of the line different. But that causes more problems for me because I know God protects/preserves His Word (see Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).

So, how do we come to terms with these differences? 

My wife and I agree on most things. The longer we're married it seems the more alike we are in our perspectives. But, two nights ago we were reminded that we still see some things differently. The difference on this night was that of a political nature--a subject neither of us talk too much about because we're not politically focused people. Truth be told, we both see our citizenship in heaven more so than any country. My wife was raised in a different culture with different experiences, she has a different personality, and she is gifted differently than I am. Based on our differences, there are times when we do have a different view of the same situation. On this night we were both responding to the global unrest in the Middle East, but we had different perspectives on what should happen. Ultimately, we both want peace and we know that can only come through the person of Jesus Christ. 

I believe the differences we come across with Matthew, Mark and Luke are similar. The differences don't change the truth being told, but they give us an understanding of these three different men. Matthew was a record keeper, he valued accounting details. It's not that Mark and Luke didn't appreciate details, but their details seem to be more personal by nature. Luke is writing from his perspective to "Theophilus" and Mark's reading is a detailed event you'd expect to receive from a friend. So, mentioning the name of Jarius would have been more personal and noteworthy to their readers than it was to Matthew. Matthew, from an accounting perspective, would want you to know that there were TWO demon possessed men. Whereas Mark and Luke wanted to share story of the one demoniac who was like no one they had ever encountered before. The truth, in all accounts, is that Jesus has all authority over the spiritual (demons) and physical (health) realms. 

I believe that God was telling me today, "The differences don't always mean that someone is wrong. Don't be so quick to judge. Take time to understand the other person." 

I'm not going to quit being a black and white kind of guy, that's my God-given personality. But I hope I can get a more detailed view of God's truth from the vantage point of my brothers and sisters in Christ. This approach will grow my appreciation for the body of Christ while strengthening my discovery and understanding of God's ultimate truth.   

Rest 2

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” —Matthew 11:28–30 (The Message)

“Why is a Sabbath Rest Day so important?” Jesus answered that question three ways. First,

We need soul recovery

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life”

Truth be told, we are in a battle for souls. The enemy of our soul is trying--every moment that he can--to trip us up, to discourage us, and to destroy us if it were possible. That is our day-to-day reality.


You may be reading this and your soul is tired, anxious, or some may even be angry. You’ve been in the battle and your soul has been effected. So many people are in need of a break. It's more than a break they need; they need “revitalization" (life recovery).


Jesus is teaching that the weariness that comes from that spiritual battle can be overcome as we retreat to Jesus for rest. As we spend that one day out of the seven focused on Him, spending time with Him, gleaning truth from Him. When we practice that rhythm, He recovers our soul.

I’ve got a bike that I periodically ride. The other day my son and I met one of his friends for lunch down in the center of the city where we live.  As we prepped our bikes, we realized that the tires were flat. We had to pump them up. I’ve since ridden the bike a couple of times and I haven’t had to put more air in the tires. But periodically they need to be inflated. That’s like us. We need to be re-inflated periodically. Otherwise we’re going to run on flat tires. Our souls get flat. If we’re not taking the time to REST and to be with Jesus to recover, what should we expect? King David made it clear in Psalm 95, if we don't cling to Him we will not go anywhere. We will be stay stuck in defeat. 

"‘They will never enter my place of rest.’” Ps. 95:11 (Read the all 95 for context)

Sabbath Rest gives our souls recovery.

Second, practicing Sabbath Rest Day is important because,

We learn grace in rest

The context of Matthew 11:28-30 is Jesus exhorting those who refused to learn. He is comparing them to Sodom and Gomorra. He’s actually saying that the people who experienced His ministry and His miracles and had not repented were worse than the people of Sodom and Gomorra.

But then in verse 27 it says:

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. …

And Jesus goes on to say a couple verses over:

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

Jesus shifted his righteous indignation against those who rebel against Him to a soft and gentle approach to those who follow Him.

He is saying to those who are unrepentant--who have heard the truth and yet don’t turn to Him--THAT IT IS BEYOND FRUSTRATING TO HIM, AND THERE WILL BE ULTIMATE CONSEQUENCES. But for those who are tired and seek Him out--those who have been attacked all week long, those of us who’ve made mistakes (we’ve sinned) in the midst of our battle--He is saying we will find rest in Him; we will experience His gentleness and His humility even thought we don’t deserve it. When we practice Sabbath Day Rests we will experience the rhythm of His Grace and we will learn from it. In the practice of Sabbath Rest we learn how to be gracious.

I know this to be true. If I’m not experiencing Jesus’s grace—taking the time to experience His grace—I’m not as able to pour grace out for others. If I’m living in busy-ness, noisy-ness, worry-ness, fearfulness (all the characteristics of a restless person) it’s more difficult for me to share GRACE with others. When my wife or my kids come to me in my distraction, I have unfortunately responded with a sharp response rather than a gracious attitude. The restful person is a delight to be around where as the restless person seems like they are distracted.

Sabbath’s Rest teaches us Graciousness through our experience with Christ.

Finally, Jesus said Sabbath Day Rest is important because,

We are reminded of truth

The Pharisees placed heavy burdens on the people. They said, "you have to do this and not do this on the Sabbath in order to be right before God." They taught that you had to work for the Sabbath. The people were weighted down with their expectations. That still happens today. We have a tendency to put similar expectations on ourselves.

That’s the whole idea of "Man being created for the Sabbath and not Sabbath being created for us" (Mark 2:27).

If we make our Sabbath Rest all about work--I gotta do this and I gotta do that and can't forget to get this done to please God or the people around me--then we’ve bought into the lie of the Pharisees. Jesus said:

My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

We might be asking, "In what way is His yoke easy and His burden light?" 

It is light in that God Himself is done, He is at rest. God created for 6 days and then He rested on the seventh. Jesus worked His work all the way to the cross and then He said “It is finished.” God/Jesus is at rest.

We need this reminder of truth. It’s not our working that brings us closer and more intimate with Jesus and His Father. But rather it is the working that He has done that we need to lean into that brings us closer to Him.

It is so easy to revert back to the natural, sinful person. The person who buys into the lie of our culture that teaches we have to work for approval, work for our good and work to get ahead.

God’s truth is: If you don’t rely on me—obey me—you will never get ahead. 

Learn to rest.