Jason's Blog

I mentioned seven symptoms of a spiritually struggling heart the other day.

1.  A person with a spiritually weak heart is easily stressed. It can ruin their day if the smallest of things goes wrong. The waitress had better not be late to the lunch table . . .

2.  The spiritually weak heart is driven by what others think. Clothes, houses, jobs, money, honor, prestige—these are the priorities of a weak heart.

3.  The spiritually weak are open to pretense. They keep up appearances and look good doing it. They are one-way around friends and different when they talk to teachers. They play the game.

4.  The spiritually weak are way overconfident in our own ability. They believe in all the compliments of others and in our ability to get things done. They are so proud.

5.  The spiritually weak have no margin to do good. They operate out of the bottom line and what’s best for them.

6.  The spiritually weak scapegoat and are defensive.

7.  The spiritually weak are restless and hungry. They are inpatient and irritable, angry and self-serving.

If you have symptoms like these, watch out. When you are alone, the big demons will come your way and fill your heart with despair or tell you that you deserve more in life.

 

 Sermon Preached on Sunday, Novemeber 2nd: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“Trust is that rare and priceless treasure that wins us the affection of our Heavenly Father.  . . Among his countless children, whom he so greatly loves and whom he heaps with tenderness and favors, there are few indeed, who truly entrusting themselves to him, live as [children of God.]“ 

I find these words (of Paul de Jaegher) so true.  It is easy to coast through life and never embrace a life of trust in God.  What would it be like for me to actually trust God?

We can’t live very successfully if we’re trying to make everyone happy by living up to their rules or standards.  The only thing that matters is seeking what God would really want.  I suppose this is what made David the man after God’s own heart and the great example for kings like Hezekiah and Josiah.  We talked about them in class yesterday and how they lived out from a heart of faith.

So may God confirm your trust in Him this week.  Live with a deep sense of calling and as a servant those around you.  Seek to be a leader in your family, your marriage, and at work.  Trust God fully.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Last night we took a closer look at the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 7:53-8:11).  I am amazed at how calloused the leaders are that they were willing to sacrifice this woman in order to win over Jesus.  It seems unlikely that she had committed a serious crime since there were no witnesses.  This is an obvious violation of the law (Deuteronomy 17:7).

Unfortunately, this is the plight that Bible times women actually faced.  You’ll probably find the story of Susanna interesting.  It was written sometime around the 3rd century B.C. and tells the tale of a righteous woman trapped by two religious leaders.  Facing a certain death for the crime of adultery (of which she was entirely innocent), who would come to her rescue but the prophet Daniel.

If you like to listen to stories, check out the audio file.

Three reactions to the Biblical story.

1. It gives me great courage that Jesus would not accuse this woman but call her to leave a life of sin. 
2. I’m haunted by the leaders who were so ready to scapegoat this woman in service of their agenda to discredit, dishonor, and find charges against Jesus.  Why is it that religious people (like me) are such good faultfinders? 
3. What an amazing Savior we have!  He responds with calmness in the face of difficult cases.  He is full of grace, and the holiness of his character seems to be able to convict even the hardest of religious accusers.

What reactions do you have to this story?  In what ways does can you hear the good news more clearly today in light of Jesus’ actions at the temple that day?

Purity of heart is the beginning point for life change.  God’s people always find themselves again when they devote their hearts to the Lord.  Take the great temple restoration project led by Josiah.  If we look at the account in 2 Chronicles 34, the sequence of events is critically important:

• In the eighth year, he began to seek the God of his father David (v. 3)
• In the twelth year, he began to purge idolatry (v. 3-7)
• In the eighteenth year, he began to cleanse the land and temple (v. 8-13)
• On finding the book of the law in the temple, Shapan read it in the presence of the king (14-18)
• He consulted the prophetess Huldah so that he might further inquire of the Lord (v. 19-28)
• Josiah called the leaders of Israel together that they might hear the Law and renew the covenant (v. 29-31)

Importantly, Huldah explains that Josiah’s heart was responsive and he had humbled himself before God (v. 27).  The actions of Josiah stemmed from a changed heart, a pure heart.  And the good news is that God always responds to a pure heart.

The great Restoration project was not simply an attempt to reclaim ancient forms but the ancient faith of their father David.  Had Josiah simply sought to restore ceremony, God would not have been pleased.  Instead, in Josiah’s life, faith led to actions—daring ones for a teenage king that were further fueled as he courageously heard from God’s Word.

So may it be with us.  May we have pure hearts and full lives of faith.