Luke 12 :: Top Down Living

Luke 12

My wife drives a Jeep. It's our family's third Jeep, and over the years we've learned a few things about Jeep life. One of the most important is this: driving with the top down is awesome, but you better get a weather forecast. My first Jeep got soaked so many times that I ripped out all the stinky, mildewed carpet and waterproofed the interior, complete with drain holes. You would think I have learned my lesson, but as I write this, dark clouds are gathering outside, and my wife's Jeep windows aren't even attached to her Jeep.

In every teaching in this chapter, Jesus includes a reference to the future. Don't have a secret agenda, because a time is coming when secrets will be made public. Don't be obsessed with your physical existence, either its worries or its comforts, because none of that will matter most in the end. Acknowledge me in your conversations, your relationships and your public life. In verses 2, 5, 8, 20, and 31, and the whole middle section on watchfulness, Jesus keeps telling us to live today with the end in mind. A day is coming when the whole world will know that God is Sovereign and Jesus is King, and you will either be prepared for that day or you will be caught with the top down, so to speak.

Jesus has given us a gift his first listeners did not have. We know how the story ends. We don't know when, but we do know how. Do our lives reflect it? Do our bank accounts, our time investments, our thoughts, and our relationships reflect the Kingdom of God or earthly priorities? If Jesus called an end to this era today, would we be prepared, or would we be caught with the top down?

"Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself." -Jesus in verses 30-31

Matthew24::All Fall Down

There is a devotional message about trust in this chapter.  But I can't read it today and take a way a personal nugget of truth to help me with my day.  This chapter is so big, so dark in many ways, and yet the only hope for humanity. Here is what grabbed me: everything Jesus told the disciples in chapter 24 came true.  Let these historical facts inform your reading of the chapter:

• The temple was everything to the Jews.  God literally lived there, and the building represented their identity as people-His people-and their only hope.  Many times they preserved and protected it at the cost of their lives and even their nation.  So for Jesus to predict its destruction would be akin to promoting anarchy and godlessness, and would have been devasating for his disciples to hear.
• In the decades after Jesus' death and resurrection, multiple political factions arose in Israel, leaving it in a state of civil war.  Each faction was led by a "messiah" who claimed to be the one who would lead Israel to freedom and prosperity.  As each failed and/or was killed, they would be declared false messiahs by the Jewish ruling council.
• On August 10, AD 70, the Roman general Titus posted his 10th legion on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the temple and city of Jerusalem--the very spot where Jesus delivered his teaching in chapter 24--and three other legions at strategic points surrounding the city.  They attacked Jerusalem and burned the city to the ground.  The Jewish (not Christian) historian Josephus recounts how the centurions used pry bars to separate one stone from another in the ruins of the temple, to access melted gold from burned temple artifacts that had seeped into the cracks.
• In the early second century AD, Emperor Hadrian built a new city on the former site of Jerusalem, including a temple to Jupiter on the site of the former Jewish temple, successfully obliterating any visible connection between that place and the Jewish people.  Jews were not even allowed to enter the city on penalty of death.
• From AD 70 to 1948, there was no Jewish presence on the temple mount.  During that time, the site of the temple was defiled by foreign invaders, occupied by other nations, and built upon by the Romans, then the Christians, then the Muslims.  From the time of Jesus' resurrection to this day, the Jewish people continue to hope for the appearance of a messiah who will restore the temple and the grandeur of the Jewish state.  Consider this exerpt from the traditional Jewish book of prayer: "Because of our sins we were exiled from our country and banished from our land. We cannot go up as pilgrims to worship Thee, to perform our duties in Thy chosen house, the great and Holy Temple which was called by Thy name, on account of the hand that was let loose on Thy sanctuary. May it be Thy will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, merciful King, in Thy abundant love again to have mercy on us and on Thy sanctuary; rebuild it speedily and magnify its glory."

A = the site of the first-century temple complex

B = the muslim Dome of the Rock

Jesus dies and is raised to life.  Rome destroys Jerusalem and the temple by force.  Christianity swallows the Roman empire.  To this very day, the events Jesus predicted in chapter 24 dominate the news cycle.  The temple mount is the most politically and religiously charged piece of real estate on the planet.  People still look for hope and salvation in nations and kingdoms and buildings and human leaders who always over-promise and always under-deliver.  And still Jesus' kingdom marches on, each follower His temple and each group of followers his holy city.  And still he says, "heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (v. 35)

Matthew16::Identity Crisis

It began subtly.  Jesus was debating with the religious leaders in chapter 12, and made a mysterious comparison between himself and Jonah.  He controlled the news cycle, telling people not to say anything when he performed a miracle, or sending a healed person to the religious leaders only.  While he repeatedly made the point that non-Jews would be part of his Kingdom, he did not go to them or preach to them, limiting his exposure.  But things are about to change.

As all of this had been going on, the disciples, including our author Matthew, have been watching and learning.  Finally, Jesus knows it is time to ask THE QUESTION, to settle once and for all what all of this is about.  Peter--perhaps the most aggressive, type A personality among the disciples--is the one to answer: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."

Jesus' identity--the fact that he was the Son of God--was the focus of his ministry, not his actions or teachings.  The healings and the miracles served to point to his divinity.  The teachings showed an access to Truth not available to a mere mortal ("he taught as one who had authority, and not as the teachers of the law).  It was all about revealing that he was God in the flesh.  A miracle would impress, would help an individual for the rest of their mortal lives.  A good teaching might help people live better.  But his mission was much larger than that.  He was here to save all of humanity for all of eternity, and no one understood how big, how dramatic, how gruesome and glorious that effort would become.  Now that his identity is established with his disciples, everything changes.  There is a gravity that begins to pull Jesus, and the disciples, and all of us, to the Cross.

As followers of Christ, we spend a lot of time on Jesus' teachings, as we should.  But Jesus' teachings are not life--not primarily.  Jesus himself is life.  There is a huge difference.  If you try to follow Jesus' teachings, you will fail.  "Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:48) Good luck with that.  Jesus-perfection is unattainable, but Jesus-life is within our grasp, and Jesus is about to show us how.

What stands out to you about Jesus as a person so far?  What has surprised you most?  What about him are you struggling with?

Core Belief :: ETERNITY

We believe there is a heaven and a hell and that Jesus Christ is returning to judge the earth and to establish his eternal kingdom.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. My Father's house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going,"

John 14:1-4 (TNIV)

"Some glad morning when this life is over I'll fly away..." "Heaven's our place, it's where we belong..." "In the sweet by and by, we will meet on that beautiful shore..." These are all pieces of songs I have sung in the church about heaven. We've talked about the streets of God and the mansions. Here are some other familiar lyrics about heaven:

"Baby you're all that I want / When you're lyin' here in my arms / I'm findin' it hard to believe / We're in heaven" - Bryan Adams

"I've been lost in my own place / And I'm gettin' weary / How far is heaven?" - Los Lonely Boys

"God is comin' on day number seven / and he won't call me nigga when I go to heaven." - Ice Cube

"But I'm going to heaven son there's no reason to cry / I'm so excited today I'm gonna die / God says he loves me and I love him too / Yes, I have struggled, but now suffering's through" - Suicidal Tendencies

"Heaven help us now / Come crashing down / We'll hear the sound / As you're falling down" - My Chemical Romance

Everyone, everywhere has a different opinion about heaven. For some it's a rescue from social oppression. For others it's the height of ecstasy, either with drugs or with sex. For many it's just a symbol of escape. For us, heaven is a piece of a much bigger pie called ETERNITY. We believe there is a heaven and a hell and that Jesus Christ is returning to establish his eternal kingdom.

Eternity is a funny word. It's a word that most of us view in forward. However, it also carries with it a backward. It's our belief that eternity is the dimension of timelessness where God resides - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the Bible, God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This realm of timelessness produces a dilemma in our world of time, especially for those of us attempting to reconcile our experiences to God's Truth.

Most discussion about heaven in the church is focused around the future reunion with Jesus. Unfortunately, we often miss the present reality of his Eternal Kingdom when we stay there. When Jesus came, he declared that the Kingdom of God is here. He ushered in some part of that timeless space into the time where you and I exist. He prayed that the Father's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. The redemption of humanity and this earth had begun with the entrance of Jesus.

Our belief in eternity changes our perspective on this life. Because we believe that eternity isn't all out in the future, but is partly here and now, we can experience this reality today. We can experience a little bit of heaven on earth when we pass out a cup to the thirsty, or bread to the hungry, or clothes to the naked or a coin to the poor. Eternity is realized when we live now the way we will live then. When we don't judge each other because of the clothes we wear or the color of our skin. We can taste eternity when we are known and know others, when we celebrated and are celebrated by others, when we love and are loved by others.

I know that Jesus left this earth after his resurrection to complete the work on our final destination. The day I get to see that final place will be awesome, but for now I don't want to live "so heavenly minded that I'm no earthly good." This is why our belief in eternity is important - we are part of God's redemptive agency here today. Amazing.