Goodbye – From Burkina Faso (VIDEO)

One night, in family devotions, I was reading to my kids from a Bible storybook about Cain and Abel. In this author’s rendition of the story, Cain’s offering was rejected because it was not his best, while Abel’s offering was the best he had to give and therefore acceptable to God. It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks…this writer missed the entre point of the Biblical story! In fact, I believe the reality is quite the opposite.

Cain was a “tiller of the ground”. His days consisted of backbreaking manual labor and he earned every morsel with the “sweat of his brow”. When asked to bring a sacrifice to God, he must have surely thought that his offering would be the best in God’s sight. Cain’s offering was the hard earned fruit of his labor, the work of his own blistered hands.

But, in spite of all Cain’s striving, God rejected his offering. The Bible says, “Cain was exceedingly angry and his countenance fell” (Gen 4:5). Cain was so frustrated and angry because he had indeed brought his best to God…and yet his best was not good enough. God said, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” “Do well?” Cain must have thought. “I’ve done the best I can do.” Perhaps Cain knew in his heart that he had worked longer and harder than Able ever did. Through sweat, tears and hard manual labor Cain had worked the thorny soil to bring this offering to the Lord. Yet God was pleased with Abel’s gift and not his own. Cain could not understand and soon his frustration boiled over into murderous rage.

When a soldier is dying on the battlefield a medic will give him a potent dose of morphine. The drug will not save him, but it will mask the pain and ease the suffering. In the same way the blood of animals could never save and could not fix the root of the fatal wound; sin. These Old Covenant sacrifices could only mask the symptoms of sin for a short season, but every year new sacrifices had to be offered and new blood had to be shed.

The blood of Jesus was of a totally different quality than any blood ever shed before. The blood of Jesus not only dealt with the symptoms of sin, it went to the very root of the problem. The blood of Jesus was not a superficial remedy for a shallow flesh wound. It penetrated the core of the human condition and went all the way back to Adam; reversing the curse and turning the greatest tragedy in history into the greatest victory.

The turning of the water into wine was the first of Jesus’ miracles and it had a profound effect on those that knew him. John 2:11 says that it was because of this miracle that his disciples, “believed on him.” To most it would have been seen as a demonstration of power and a revelation of Christ’s Messianic identity, but those disciples would later see a much more profound prophetic meaning to the miracle.

In John’s elderly years, I’m sure that he thought often, about the “good old days” with The Master. He probably played and replayed every miracle, every healing and every teaching of Jesus over and over in his mind. Can you imagine the longing in his soul to touch Jesus again; to lay his head on his chest and gaze into his loving eyes? Even in his sleep the memories would haunt him; rolling through his heart night after night. And when those sweet dreams began to evaporate with the light of early dawn his only consolation was the promise of His blessed Savior, “Lo, I am with you always…”(…Continued)

What an embarrassing debacle! Running out of wine at a Jewish wedding was a shame to irresponsible hosts. Once their disgraceful miscalculation became apparent, the bride and groom could only wait and dread the moment when their thirsty drunken guests would start whining (no pun intended) about their dry goblets and itching tongues.

For all their bungles and blunders, however, the discombobulated newlyweds had unwittingly done something very wise…they had invited Jesus to their wedding. Jesus saved the day! I’m sure the bride and groom would have been thrilled for Jesus to supply any wine…even average wine. After all, it was the end of the wedding and usually the cheaper wine was served when the guests were inebriated and had become indifferent. But Jesus’ wine wasn’t just “good enough”…it was the best! It was the finest! It was more than enough!!

(more…) It’s also important to realize when reading the book of John that there is always something more to John’s stories than meets the eye. John often employees an ancient rabbinic method of teaching called “Remez” (which means “hint”) in which the teacher “hints” at something through a story or allegory but does not state his deeper meaning explicitly. Instead, the teacher allows the student to connect the dots and have a personal “ah ha” moment.

The book of John is full of “ah ha” moments and when the Holy Spirit illuminates the Word in our hearts, revelation begins to pour off every page. I have treated many of the other stories in the Gospel of John in other places, but for the next few days we are going to be studying the first of Jesus’ miracles – the turning of the water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee found in John chapter 2. I’m sure you will be blessed!

“Water into Wine” begins TOMORROW!

I heard a minister recently talking about the rapture and trying to make the point that every prophecy necessary to the return of Christ has already been fulfilled. One of his points was that the Gospel has already been preached in all the world according to the promise of Jesus in Matt 24:14 (And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.), “Now” he said, “We’re just waiting for Jesus to come back.”

If you are one of those standing in line waiting for the rapture like a ride at Disney World, consider these statistics on world evangelism that I have collected from a variety of sources. As you read these keep in mind that in the United States there is 1 ordained minister for every 200 people. Yet…

Napoleon said, “…Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him….Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Jesus Christ makes a demand which is beyond all others to satisfy; He asks for that which a philosopher may seek in vain at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart; He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally; and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! (…Continued)

The biography of D.L. Moody tells of how his life was changed by a revelation of the Love of God. He had invited a young “beardless” preacher come and preach in Chicago. He lacked confidence in the young man’s preaching skill, and since he was going out of town, he told the officers of his church, “There is a man coming here Thursday and Friday who wants to preach. I don’t know whether he can or not. You had better let him try and I will be back on Saturday.” When he returned home, he asked his wife, “How is that young Irishman coming along? How do the people like him?”(…Continued)

‘Take now thy son,’ said God to Abraham, ‘thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.’ (Gen 22:2) The sacred writer spares us a close-up of the agony that night on the slopes near Beersheba when the aged man had it out with his God, but respectful imagination may view in awe the bent form and convulsive wrestling alone under the stars. Possibly not again until a Greater than Abraham wrestled in the Garden of Gethsemane did such mortal pain visit a human soul. (…Continued)

…She read it to herself over and over, “God so loved the world that He gave.” She liked it so much that she kept it close to her heart and read it every day. She was raised to know that God was just, and Holy, that He hates sin and is angry with the sinner, but she had never read that God loved her so much that He gave…although she did not know what exactly He had given. This revelation brought such joy to her heart that she was singing, and her mother noticing the happy little girl asked, “What is the matter with you?” “Oh mother it is wonderful,” she said, pulling out the little sliver of paper. “Read what it says…‘God so loved the world that He gave.’” “Gave what?” her mother asked. “I don’t know, but if He loved me enough that He gave anything at all, I will never be afraid of Him again.” (…Continued)