Experience Grace and Following Jesus voice.

Experience Grace and Following Jesus voice.

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series Gideon – Part 3

Read Judges 6:5-10

The people of Israel are in great fear. To be honest they have good reason to be fearful. The Midianites and Amalekites and others would come and torment and burn their crops and kill their animals. Israel is demoralized and feel like they have nothing and are nothing. Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps there is a nation that is pressing against your people and taking everything. War is alive in our world. Perhaps you are in circumstances and there seems to be no way out. You feel like there is just nothing you can do or you are at a loss of what to do. Perhaps an enemy is beating down on you in some form in a regular pattern. Like the people of Gideon’s day you are very low because of this.

 

It is at this point Israel cries out to God. God’s response, by the way, is an expression of grace.

 

This may not be you, but Israel at one level has walked themselves into a valley of the shadow of death. They have rejected God and his leading and protection in their life for some time. Yet now they call upon him.

 

His response is nothing short of grace. God’s response is challenging and hard to embrace. Yet, God wants to help and lead them back to wholeness, but they still have to face their choices.

 

God’s response is not “you are a bunch of sinners.”

 

God’s response is:

* This is who I am and what I have done.

* This is who you should be.

 

In verse 8 he begins to remind them of what he has done for them and how he freed them. Then in verse 10 we read, ” I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. ..” In that moment, he reminds them who they are to be. You were not created to live in fear. Your circumstances are not to define who you are but I am. You are to live a life that does not live in fear.

 

If I am being honest I am not totally sure what that life looks like. I get that the nations are ravaging the lands because of the people leaving the protection of God and their sin. But look at what he is saying. Even if the circumstances are bad around you, even if people are looking stronger than you and hurting you, you do not live a life in fear of them.

 

That is going to be hard to live out depending on the depth of brokenness in our life. To walk away from fear and embrace faith is not easy journey. Yet God’s grace is for you and this is what he calls us to.

 

God continues to speak and shares with them the reason they have not entered, engaged and experienced the life they were created for. At the end of verse 10 he shares “you have not obeyed my voice.”

 

When we understand who God is and what he has done, we can know who we are and what we are to do.

The same can be true in our life. Jesus would share the reason we have not entered, or can engage or experience the life we were created for is because we look elsewhere. Everything God wants us to know is found in Jesus. Yet, fear drives us somewhere else.

 

In Matthew 7:24-28 Jesus just finished sharing God’s dream for our life. He lays out principles of the life we were created for. A life that leads us to Jesus and wholeness. Then he shares if you put these into practice–if you listen to him– you are like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. The rain came, the wind blew, but the house did not waver. Notice that even for Jesus followers storms will still come. Jesus says when it does, you will stand. You do not live in fear of the storm.

 

Like the people we read in Judges 6, it starts with fixing our eyes on God. Like the people in Judges 6 God’s grace is for you. Embracing his grace for you, and following his voice leads to living the life you were created for.

 

Reflection Questions:

* Where are you not embracing his grace in your life?

* Where are you hearing Jesus’ voice in your life? What does that change?

Six ways I listen and follow Jesus’ teaching

Six ways I listen and follow Jesus’ teaching

Posted on by Matthew Laker

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24 (NLT)

 

fall pathJust how do we listen to Jesus’ teachings and embrace them in our life?

 

It was a Saturday night and I was sitting on our back steps and reflecting on life. I started to think about the sermon I would preach the next day. I was talking about the need to learn the ways of Jesus and embrace him in the everyday moments. I wondered to myself, just how do I learn the ways of Jesus.

 

Here are six things I wrote down in my journal of ways I go about learning the ways of Jesus and embracing in him my life.

 

These are in no order.

 

Six ways to listen and follow Jesus’ teaching

 

a. Time for self reflection

 

Life goes so fast we fail to slow down long enough to actually reflect upon our experiences and their impact in our life. It is during these moments that I am looking at my life in light of who Jesus is. I am not sure if I do this well yet, but am learning as I walk this journey.

 

b. Regular reading of and meditating on God’s word

 

It is no secret that one of the biggest catalysts we can have in growing our faith is a regular reading and meditating on God’s word. I have learned to not get so hung up on completing a certain amount of text, but picking up where I left off. For example I do use some version of a bible reading plan. However, if I miss a time, I just pick up either where I should be in the plan or where I left off. I am not concerned about completing it, as I am about spending time in God’s word.

 

c. Investing in others (serving)

 

There is no better way to learn the ways of Jesus than to help others learn the ways of Jesus.

 

d. Regular gathering with God’s people for teaching, worship, prayer and fun.

 

Community is a big part of our faith journey. Many struggle with it for many different reasons. However if I am honest, it is part of how I listen to Jesus and follow him.

 

e. Learning from Saints now and before.

 

This one is connected to the community one above. The example as well comes out of Hebrews 11 and I have found it useful. You can do this through reading the stories of those who have gone before and those who are now. You can do this meeting with other followers of Jesus and being intentional with your questions and learn from them.

 

f. Walk the path

 

This is literally about putting his words into practice. It is that easy and that hard. It is about how I use my time, what I read, how I react and in what I trust. It is not easy.

 

What about you? How do you go about learning the ways of Jesus and putting them into practice?

Jesus wants to speak with you: Three things to do

Jesus wants to speak with you: Three things to do

Posted on by Matthew Laker

I was in a season of trying to figure out my next steps. There was much reflection and desire to hear from God. I started to ask questions like, how do I hear from Jesus? How does Jesus speak to us? Just because I am a pastor does not mean I have this all figured out. The second push behind some of this questioning was a real awareness in my scriptureearphones 2 640x427 reading of God wanting to guide and speak to his people.

 

I even picked up some resources to read and looked through some old notes and studies I had done. The thing is, even for the average person in the Bible, God speaking was not a large and massive event. Those are the rare moments. Even in the Old Testament stories we often refer to are very different experiences than what Jesus speaks about for us who are now under the new covenant.

 

Remember, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we can now enter the throne room of God. Jesus shared he would send his spirit to guide us to truth.

 

In John 10:27 Jesus shares:

” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

 

Jesus intends to speak to his followers.

 

Don’t just rush by that. Jesus, the creator of the universe and our redeemer, wants to speak to us. To be a follower of Jesus means in some way Jesus speaks to us. To some, this will seem like foolishness. For the follower of Jesus, this is to be the norm.

 

The big question is, what does this look like? How does this happen? What does it sound like? These are all good questions.

However, today I want to ask this question. As a follower of Jesus are you making time to hear from Jesus?

 

Even Jesus pulled away to spend time with God the father. There is an example there for us. In learning to hear from Jesus, we have to make time.

 

Three things to do.

 

1) Schedule it – Start by scheduling 15-30 min a day to worship and pray and be still before the throne of God.

 

2) Journal what you may be thinking Jesus is saying to you. Then take that to a trusted friend so you and your friend can test it.

 

3) Follow Jesus. Hearing God comes alongside obeying God. Obeying God leads to being able to enter, experience, and engage the life you were created for.

 

What questions do you have? What has been your experience?

In looking for end of time Signs, Don’t miss Jesus

Posted on by Matthew Laker

Series: Matthew 24 – part 2

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling.”  These were the words I wrote in an email in 2000 AD to my wife-to-be; we were not dating yet.  In 1999 many were talking about the end of time, and how many things were going to come crashing down.  The Christian church in the 20th century was filled with such “sign” talk.  And, so it continues today.  Books fly off the shelf, and certain books of the bible are only seen as pertaining to the future, with no thought to the here and now.  However, the question of signs is a fair question.   Just how is Jesus going to come back?

This is part 2 of a series of posts (part 1, part 3) that are looking at the Second Coming of Jesus.  To help narrow the conversation for better reflection, this series of posts will be based on Jesus’ conversation in Matthew 24.

The disciples come to Jesus and ask, “When will the end come and what will be the signs?” (Matthew 24:3)

We are always looking for something.  There is a trust that comes with having knowledge.  The danger is that we  can put our hope in that knowledge and miss Jesus.  We put our hope and status and identity in the fact that we know what is coming.

For example, we pray and pray, “Lord show me the future, show me what I am to do.”  As if having that knowledge will give us peace.  What if Jesus said, “You are going to suffer”?  Will we try to change it so we do not?  In a way knowledge can give peace, but the real issue is control.  Be careful to not miss Jesus in your planning and controlling.

Many times we seek the sign so hard, that we actually seek the signs and not Jesus.  In Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus shares many will come in the likeness of himself, but they will not be Jesus.   They will come and deceive many, saying, “Let me show you how to find successes, and wealth,  and have every lasting peace.  However, it will not be a Christ-centered road. In speaking about the signs, Jesus warns us to be careful to not lose sight of the real Christ. One of the first signs Jesus shares here is the reality of deception.

As we journey this life we have many voices calling out to us.  “Follow me,” they say.  Jesus warns us we can be deceived; however, we must not lose sight of the voice of Jesus. There must be an active work on our part to test the voices and those claiming to be our hope.  I do wonder what this will look like.  Could it be a person, or perhaps a way of thinking that looks Christian, but once we dig deeper, we find it is not Jesus at all.

Staying connected to the word of God (Bible) is a foundational way to be able to hear the voice of Jesus clearly.

Sometimes in our pursuit to understand the end time calendar,  our fault has been in putting our hope in knowledge, and missing Jesus.  It is Jesus who is our hope, not the ability to understand everything.  It is not about understanding how all the signs work out, but it is about Jesus.

Another danger in seeking to understand the end time calendar is that we miss our calling in this life.  In seeking to understand the end of times, stay connected to the voice of Jesus. Be careful and watch out that you do not get hung up in things that pull you away from Jesus, and from living for his kingdom here and now.

In looking for end of time signs, don’t miss Jesus.

Next post we will look verse 6-14.

What question do you have from this passage?