A Cozy Christmas?

What are your family traditions for Christmas?

As long as I can remember, it has been a Horner tradition to get up early and read through Luke 2 to candle light. As a kid, my brother and I would wake up first, light all the candles, plug in the Christmas lights and then wake up the rest of the family. I wish I could say that our eager anticipation was for the reading the Bible, but, in all transparency it was the huge pile of presents under the tree. But my faithful parents tradition of placing the Story before the gift giving has produced a harvest in our family.

Today my siblings led their young ones in the reading of Luke 2, passing on the story of our faith. It is such a joy to have Jesus as the center of our family, which by far is the greatest gift God has blessed me with.

This morning, my parents and I read all of Luke 1 and 2, just to change things up a bit. I was struck by Zechariah’s prophecy as he prayed a dedication over his son, John the Baptist. Within this short passage is some transcending truth that holds huge implications to all of humanity.

Take a few moments and read Luke 1:67-79.

A Redeemer Has Come

This profound truth is summarized in one name: Immanuel, meaning “God with us!” Prior to the first advent of Christ, man’s knowledge of God was limited to descriptions God passed on to humanity. These are still very treasured attributes and names that we hold fast too, but the transcendent nature of God made him at the time seem unknowable. This is why the incarnation is so amazing. God moved into the neighborhood.

When Christ left heaven and wrapped himself in human flesh, he bridged the gap and made a medium in which we could relate to. The Man-God came as an innocent baby, lived a normal life, yet without sin. He understands what it is like to be tired, poor, sad, hungry, rejected, hurt, to lose someone close…he knows what it is like to be human. This is a God who understands us, who can sympathize with us, who remembers we are but dust.

A Remembered Covenant

God looked down through the ages and never once forgot his promise to mankind to send a Redeemer. He knew man would rebel and sin. He knew man would reject His Son. He knew that we would rather worship ourselves then trust Him. He had every reason to withdraw His promises, but He is the faithful covenant keeper! He promised a Deliver to set His people free. God remembered!

A Righteous Response

The story of Christmas often comes to mind cradled with warm fires, close families, presents and comfort. But Jesus didn’t come to make us comfortable. The manger is not just a symbol of peace, but a precursor to the harsh reality of a cross. The love of the Father sent forth His Son to live a perfect life to be a perfect sacrifice. Christmas’ cradle is a call to holiness and righteousness. Jesus doesn’t want you to look upon Him and justify your sins, but to humbly seek forgiveness.

Christmas is a reminder of a decision we must make. It is a time of reflection and action. Who is Jesus? Is He who He says He is? Has He done what He said He would do? There is no middle ground. If Jesus is the Son of God then we are confronted with the reality of our sinfulness and our need for a Savior. It is not comfortable to think about my sin! It is not comforting to think that, left to myself, I would be headed to hell. It isn’t reassuring to realize I need a Savior, that I am lacking something.

Yet the very truth that brings the reality of my need, is the same truth that fulfills it. Seeing Jesus as the Son of God is to realize that He is my Savior. To see Jesus as the Christ is to see that He paid for my sin. This is why He came. He calls to you “come and follow me!” He calls us to forsake our sin and trust Him.

Like any Christmas present under the tree, it’s not enough to just look at it and admire it. You have to receive it and claim it. Jesus’ offer to you is free, you just have to choose to claim Him, to follow Him, to trust Him. That is what Christmas is all about!

Redeeming Christmas

 “I love it and I hate it.”  

The Christmas season that is.

It’s my favorite time of the year and yet it drives me crazy. It’s a world of contradictions in my head and in my heart.

So Much To Love

There is so much to love about it! First and foremost is the reflection on the first Advent of Jesus Christ. The story of His birth and reminders of how much God the Father loved this world of sinners brings the deepest joy.  True Life and the Light to all man, born in a manger in a small village.  Immanuel, God with us, coming in peace and offering the free gift of grace to all who believe.

Christmas carols in every store, on every station, proclaiming the name of Jesus. Decorations galore popping up all around. Snowy nights and warm fires. Family coming together to celebrate and feast. Christmas parties. The hustle and bustle of last minute shopping. Giving of gifts. Candy canes…yum! The list can go and on! It’s a great time of the year.

So Much To Hate

There is so much to hate about this season. The commercialization of the birth of Christ drives people to spend their savings for the next best thing. Instead of love for each other, the willingness to trample someone to get a better spot in line. The insatiable greed of the receiver. The lack of gratitude. The attitude of entitlement. Mythological stories to distract from Christ, like Santa Claus.

Perhaps the truth about my consternation is self-reflective. It is the greed and selfishness that has crept into my own heart that has distracted me from the true meaning of Christmas. I first began to realize this as a young boy when my grandma got me second hand polyester clip on ties, faux turtlenecks, and a ugly sweater vest. I wanted the newest He-Man toy and all I got was some ugly clothes. My parents told me to thank my grandma, but I could hardly look at her. I did muster a slight, “thank you grandma,” but I wasn’t very thankful.

After a while I began to settle down and realize how selfish and ungrateful I was. Before we left grandma’s house, I was able to give her a big hug and tell her I loved her. But I will forever be reminded of how I put my selfish greed above the giver.

“MORE”

The reality is that God knew I was an awful sinner, dead in my trespasses and only desire was selfish, when He gave the first Christmas gift. It was to an entire world of ungrateful, selfish children, who scream “MORE” after opening each gift. No concern for the Giver, only a desire to have fallen appetites quenched for a moment.

Even the world realizes this and comes up with ways to curb the bad attitudes by saying Santa is “making a list and checking it twice, He’s gonna find out who is naughty or nice!” Yet our entire festive season is building toward self-gratification and selfishness.

Joy Unspeakable 

 Yet Jesus came, not to indulge our selfishness, but to overcome it! Santa maybe making a list, but Jesus came to destroy the list. We cannot quantify the love of Christ by a list of good or bad deeds. Even if we could be really really good, we still fall short of His perfection (Romans 3:23). On your best day, the day you have no bad thoughts, the day you put others before yourself every time, when you speak only kind words and never lose your temper, the day you give all your money to the poor guy on the corner and you attend mid-week prayer meeting, even on that day your good deeds are like a dirty diaper to Jesus (Isaiah 64:6). But Jesus came into our mess to clean us up! He wants us to know that He loves us so much (John 3:16).

When we think about the list, we miss the point. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Jesus took our naughty list and nailed it to the cross and dressed us in righteousness! Christmas is the time we should celebrate the provision that God made for us and how we can reflect that to the entire world! Take joy in the God of your Salvation (Habakkuk 3:18).

Redeeming Christmas

I’m learning that I don’t have to wrestle with the love-hate of this season. I can celebrate in freedom and in truth, because the Son has set me free! When I see that Jesus is the foundation for this season and my focus is on communicating Him in all things, it becomes the most joyful time of year. The warmth of family reminds me that I have been adopted into His forever family. The Christmas meals reminds me that I have been invited to feast at God’s table for eternity. The gifts I receive remind me of God’s generous gift in the cradle. The gifts I give help me understand that “it is better to give then to receive,” because in doing so I imitate my God.

Why should I waste my time getting depressed at the evidence of sin around me, when Jesus came to overcome that sin. Enjoy Christmas, see the victory Christ has already won. Only through faith can we see the full joy we can have in the Christmas season and everyday.

So during the hustle and bustle of Christmas week, as you are planning your parties, finishing your shopping and baking your foods, remember to stop and reflect on the One who left heaven, came as a babe, went to the cross, died, was buried and rose again so you can be accepted. He did this to spend time with you. Make the most of the time you have, spend it with Jesus!

Life, Liberty and the Obsession with Safety?

 When did the American dream turn into an obsession with safety? It seems like everyday something else is being reported on the news as too dangerous, or a new law being passed for “public safety.” Sometimes those things are good, but now days it seems like safety is the most popular idol to fall down and worship upon.

When I was a kid I would ride my bike without a helmet, knee pads or elbow pads. When I asked to go play outside, I had to stay within the range of mom’s whistle, which was way beyond her site. Let me tell you, mom can WHISTLE! I could be almost two blocks away and still hear it!

I remember getting into the family car and not wearing a seatbelt, or getting into a child’s seat. Sometimes I would start up front, in between mom and dad, then get bored, climb over the seat, step between my siblings who were probably fighting in the back seat, and stretch out on the back dashboard of our car. It was a great place to watch the stars shine bright on long road trips!

Now, if these things were to happen today, my parents would probably be arrested for child endangerment or neglect. However, I never felt neglected or unloved. I felt free and alive. I knew my parents would be there for me when I needed them. Sure there were definite risks, but what I describe was the common experience 25 years ago.

Today there are laws and regulations about how long children have to be in a car seat, wearing seat belts (one of my first cars didn’t even have seatbelts), they have even taken marry-go-rounds out of the local parks. There are chewed up tire pieces glued into rubber asphalt for playgrounds today.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t use common sense or be responsible in our choices when it comes to safety. Certainly I could tell stories of how the lack of safety equipment in the past led to injuries and deaths that are avoided today. However, I think it is good to ask if our obsession is robbing us of real life.

In our faith, I think we have built similar safety mechanisms to prevent us from fully experiencing God’s best. We think God has called us to the safe and comfortable life, when in reality He has called us to so much more!

Abram was minding his own business in Ur when God called him to leave everything he knew based on a promise (Genesis 12). Stephen preached the Gospel and received a stoning for his obedience (Acts 7). Hebrews 11, known as the “Hall of Faith,” recounts many who faced extreme opposition because of their faith.

“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy…” (Hebrews 11:35-38)

Did Jesus declared in John 10:10 that “The thief has come to kill, steal and destroy, but I have come to grant you a comfortable and safe life.” NO! He said He came to give us “Life to the full!” Our life would be found in freedom from sins and peace with God! He never said we wouldn’t face trouble, He actually promised it would come. However, He promised to be with us, rooting for us and praying for us.

When we look at the present work of Jesus Christ, what He is doing today, we learn that what He is doing today can give us the greatest confidence in this life as we look to eternity.

Jesus is our Great High Priest and is seated at the right hand of the Father! Yep, that clears it all up…now go take risks! Haha, I know we have some unpacking to do. Yet in that sentence is a lot we can hold on to.

Jesus provided for us what we could not provide for ourselves (Hebrews 2:17; 9:14)

A priest, in the OT, was one who would offer sacrifice unto God on behalf of the people. He would take the blood from the bulls and present it as a sin offering before God in the Holy of Holies once a year. Because he too was a sinner, this atoning sacrifice would have to be repeated time and again.

Jesus is our Great High Priest who offered Himself as our perfect sacrifice, becoming the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means a once and done sacrifice that completely satisfies the wrath of God, never needing to be repeated.

Knowing this about Jesus should help us see that we have nothing to prove to God, we cannot earn God’s favor, but it has been freely given to us because of Jesus! This is awesome news! It should free us from our insecurities in life and allow us to be free in our expression of worship.

Jesus has our back (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

As our High Priest, Jesus goes to God on our behalf! He’s kind of like our defense attorney in God’s courtroom. When the enemy brings a charge against us, Jesus defends us!

Plus, there is no longer a need for a Temple because the sacrifice Jesus made, tore the veil that excluded us from the holiest place, from top to bottom. We now have direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ our High Priest (Hebrews 10:19-20).

We can now draw near to into the very presence of the Father without fear, but have confidence because of Jesus.

Jesus knows us and prays for us (John 17:14-17)

Jesus doesn’t pray for our safety, or our comfort, but He does pray that the Father will protect us from the evil one. He warns us that we will have difficulties but He prays our faith will remain strong. And He longs for us to be with Him when our time here is done.

He goes to the Father with specific prayers for us. He knows you by name and prays for your specific needs (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34). Knowing that our High Priest knows us and prays for us should give confidence to live victoriously.

When we begin to understand that Jesus is constantly going to bat for us in the “supreme court of heaven,” we should desire to live our lives in such a way that brings glory and honor to Him. A “safe Christian” life does not bring honor to Jesus. Living on the frontlines, challenging people to live out loud for Jesus and sharing Christ with unbelievers is how we draw people to Him.

Jesus is awesome and knowing what He is doing for us today should give us courage to live a life that brings glory to His name. How have you been holding back in your faith? How does knowing Jesus is your High Priest going to help you overcome your fears and take a risk today?

Re-Create Me

 

“HELP!” Let that sit for just a moment….

“H-E-L-P!!!”

Seemingly such a small word, yet it carry’s the weight of the world within the four letters. It’s a word that we use when we have no other words to say. It’s a word that sums up all the unknowns in our minds and our hearts. Sometimes we can verbalize only this word, yet words fail to describe the deep emotional hurts that provoke this cry.

We have all found ourselves in a place needing help. From the time when we were children and needed help to tie our shoes, to the time our car breaks down, or our first accident. Each carries emotional baggage with it, one we can shrug off as soon as the solution has been found, but others there seems to be no solution in sight.

“HELP!”

“My parents just told me they are getting a divorce!” “I just found out I’m pregnant…my parents are going to kill me!” “My boyfriend is cheating on me!” “My uncle raped me!” “I’m so alone, nobody understands me!” The emotions from these events are so deep that sometimes there is no words to describe, no understanding to be had and few seem to be able to help with them.

I’ve been looking into some responses this week and one stands out to me. There is an escape some teens have chosen that provides for them a release from the overwhelming emotional pain, but drives them further and further from the help they need. Self-Injury, or more commonly known as “cutting,” is becoming a more and more common expression of pain. You may not be aware of this phenomenon, or you may only be exposed to it from movies or media. Yet 1 in 8 teens are turning to this form of escape.

Self-injury is when someone inflicts pain on themselves to mask emotional pain that is bigger then they can handle. As the athlete who burns off steam by hitting a punching bag, a self-injurer uses their body as a punching bag. Some hit themselves to the point of bruising. Others burn themselves. And still others cut themselves. When life is out of control, they feel they can sneak off to isolation and control this one thing. The momentary pain makes them feel alive and removes the bigger problems temporarily.

A cutter may not be able to tell you why, or what’s going on. It is their reality and they want help, but are afraid to tell you about it. They want someone to love them, to hug them and tell them it’s going to be okay. Yet when they tell a parent or a friend, most freak out on them. Most people act like they are crazy and a freak. No wonder they don’t tell us.

As I watched YouTube videos of testimonies from teens that injure themselves, read journal entries and saw pictures, my heart broke for these kids. I found myself wishing I could pull each one close and give them a big B-Rad bear hug and tell them there is hope! There is hope in the person of Jesus Christ!

We are studying Jesus Christ: the same Yesterday, Today and Forever. If I truly believe Jesus is who He says He is, and will do what He promises to do, then I must believe that what I teach about Him will reach into that dark place a student is at when they cut themselves for an escape. What a great joy it will be when they see that Jesus is the answer to life’s toughest problems.

Jesus as the eternal Son of God, always existed as the second person of the Trinity. He never had a beginning and He has no end! Nothing catches Him by surprise and we are never beyond His reach. Yet the world we live in is broken and our understanding of who He is has been tainted with sin, therefore we are separated from Him and our understanding is darkened. We need a course correction to see Him clearly. Thankfully He has given us His Word to reveal to us what we need to know to be rescued.

Jesus is the Creator of the Universe (Colossians 1:15-16).

You might be thinking that there are million other places to start with when thinking about a teen struggling with self-injury then with creation, however I think this is a very essential understanding for us all. Before Jesus came to earth in the incarnation, He was very active in the past, specifically with the creation of the universe and everything in it.

Jesus is seen here in Colossians as the one who created all things. In Genesis 1-2 we see that Jesus, God, created the earth in six literal days. This has become a controversial topic in today’s society. More and more Christians are trying to find ways to accept evolution as legitimate science and excuse the creation account in the Bible as a myth. What does the teaching of evolution say to the teen who is curled up in the last stall in the restroom at school about to cut herself for the 50^th time? Evolution says you are an accident, you aren’t supposed to be here, you are worthless, survival of the fittest, etc.

Jesus created the world with purpose and with meaning. All things were created by Him and for Him. Everything is here for a reason and that reason is to bring glory to God. Jesus as Creator tells this young girl that there is a bigger purpose and meaning to life. That Jesus both began something and holds it together. That He is real and working and there is hope because He is listening!

Evolution has crept its way into all parts of our educational system, marketed as real science and those who believe the Bible are fools. Yet Evolution is not real science, it is a faith claim. It actually takes more faith to believe in evolution then it does to believe that an all-powerful, all-loving God spoke the world into existence.

Evolution has no answer to origins, where we came from. Sure it says that the Big Bang happened and that from some primordial soup a simple celled orgasm sprang forth and evolved into a fish, a monkey and then into a man over billions of years. Sounds pretty believable right?

Except evolution is a theory and not a law. It has not been proven to be real science and it contradicts established laws of science, i.e., the 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics to name one (that things go from order to disorder…you know they breakdown, the law of entropy).

Creation says that God, Jesus Christ, always existed and He created the universe and the world with a specific purpose. With such specific details and intentions when we look at nature we are compelled to believe in a God (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19-20).

Jesus not only created the universe, but He created you (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 139:13-16).

Jesus not only created the universe and the earth with meaning, with a purpose, but He specifically created human kind for a relationship with Him. Man is the only creature that He created in the beginning with His own hands. Genesis tells us how He scooped up the dust of the earth and formed man in His image. Humanity was God’s masterpiece, the apex of His creation and He gave us His image, His likeness and His breath!

Do you see how this brings value to life? When someone is so overwhelmed with life, feeling alone and worthless that they only want to feel something so they cut themselves, if they only knew that Jesus made them to be in a relationship with Him.

The Psalmists uses the language of intimate involvement in the unique creation of each and every one of us, being knit together in the womb. You were no accident to Jesus, at conception He was working the cells to grow together, to form into a new body! You are precious to Jesus because His fingerprints are all over the creation of your body! He doesn’t want you to harm your body, but to know that He loves you and beckons to you to know who He is!

Jesus created the universe, He created you and He made provision to reconcile creation (Colossians 1:20-22).

Jesus created the universe and us to bring glory to Him, however we all look around and see the brokenness around us. Can disease, loneliness, pain really bring glory to God? If things are the way God intended, then why does self-injury exist?

The truth is that sin has disrupted the way things God intended them to be. When Adam and Eve first rebelled against God in the Garden, sin came into the world and death, pain and disease followed (Romans 5). Things are broken. Hurt is real. Yet God heard our cries for help!

Just over 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to reconcile us to God. He knew that there was nothing we could do to work off our sins, to pay for the wrong things that we have done. There is no pain we can inflict on ourselves to overcome our guilt. We cannot repay the debt that we owe. Yet Jesus came to pay it for us when He shed His blood on the cross so that we don’t have to. His resurrection shows us that the check cleared, that He is alive and offers us life!

His self-sacrifice brings hope and peace to those who trust in Him. He claims to re-create us based on our faith (2 Corinthians 5:17).  That is His offer to you, right now! If you are overwhelmed with life and find yourself crying out for “help,” know that Jesus came to help you! He wants to re-create you into His child, He wants to be with you, and He wants you to have hope for the future.

If you are just getting by one day at time, and you find yourself escaping to some form of self-injury, or you run to alcohol, drugs, sex, relationships, etc. anything to mask the pain. Know that Jesus promises to give you abundant life (John 10:10) when you trust in Him. No, the problems don’t just disappear, but He brings meaning and purpose to our troubles. He is with us in the dark valleys and He hold our hands through the tough times. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Will you trust Christ today?

Maybe you are a Christian and you don’t struggle with issues like this. I want to ask you to walk through life with your eyes open to the hurting and pain around you. There are people created in God’s image all around who struggle with cutting and pain who need hope. Don’t freak out when someone tells you they need help and are hurting. Embrace them and lead them to the cross!

Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, came to re-create you!

Halloween and Holy Living (repost)

Halloween is a holiday obsessed with death. It is filled with zombies, mummies and demons. There are many questions about its beginnings, some point back to ancient Roman pagans, others to ancient Celtic practices, and others to early Christian superstitions. Though the beginnings maybe unclear, what is clear is our cultural perception of it. A holiday that is dedicated to scary, horror saturated fun! Though there are costumes of witches, warlocks, werewolves and demons these are less spiritual confessions then commercial marketing. Our materialistic culture has stripped the holiday from its roots to the point that if you were to ask the average person in our community “what is Halloween truly about?” the responses would be varied but have one thing in common…they wouldn’t have to do with some Satanic worship experience. No, mostly it would be about parties, fun and candy.

So what am I to do with Halloween as a Christian? To understand this, first I must ask you a question; what is your belief about Jesus’ place in culture? Do you believe Jesus is against culture and therefore you must defy culture at every opportunity? Do you believe He is in culture and therefore you are free to participate in cultural activities? Or do you believe Christ is over culture and therefore you must redeem culture?

We see in Colossians 1:18 that Jesus is “preeminent” in everything. As a believer we must see Christ at the center of everything, we must change our perspective to align with His reality.

Halloween is a materialistic holiday obsessed with death. How do we see Christ over this Holiday in a redeeming fashion? We preach the Gospel! The Bible is full of stories that use God’s power over death to point us to Jesus. The Bible deals extensively with death. The human predicament is that we will all die, and Halloween can be looked at a way that we try to dismiss the reality by dressing it up in costume. Yet we are not left on our own to answer these tough questions. God has given us the answers in the Bible.

Halloween reveals a passion and desire in mankind that desires the superstitious, the fantastic and unexplainable. We often think that these myths and legends belong to the pagans and we should leave them alone. Have you read the Bible? Wow, God understands this, or as I believe, we desire these things because of how He has written on our hearts a desire for Him. He has placed in His Word story after story that draw us in and point us to Him.

Halloween is a time where we can deal with those weird passages of the Bible that we may not fully understand or see how they fit in. The stories of the “Nehphelim” or the “witch of Endor” certainly seem seasonably appropriate. Or how about the story of those who came to life at the crucifixion in Matthew 27? Wow that is weird! Yet what does it teach us? God has power over death! As believers we have this hope that Christ rose from the dead and therefore we look forward to a future resurrection.

We shouldn’t get caught up in the silly controversies that often arise with this holiday; instead we should look for ways to communicate the Gospel to our culture in a way that makes Jesus look appealing!

Does running a campaign against “jack-o-lanterns” make Jesus look glorious or petty? Does closing your doors on “beggar’s night” make Jesus look glorious or stingy? Does passing out Bibles or tracts but no candy draw people to the Word or make them feel ripped off? We know that the Word of God, the Gospel Message, is more to be desired then gold, let alone a Snicker bar, but the culture doesn’t realize this.

Let’s use Halloween as a way to show that Jesus is truly Lord over all. That we serve a loving and kind God who is abundant in mercy and generous. Let’s show how God doesn’t get caught up in the trivial, but has sent us out on a mission to live out His message. Maybe if we stop arguing and protesting over the stupid and mundane, and start living out the Gospel in our life then the culture around us will “see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven!”

Abide

“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28 ESV).

Think back to a time when your parents left you home alone for a significant amount of time. Yeah you remember that time when you were like “ABSOLUTE FREEDOM AT LAST!!!” Making your checklist of all the TV shows your going to watch, movies you want to rent. Eating all the junk food…with no veggies!

Your thinking…party! Oh and of course, finishing the To-Do List they left. The reality is imminent, the question was am I going to be looking forward to their return with joy or a dreaded anticipation. The response really has nothing to do with my parents, but with my choices. If I was obedient and completed my tasks, I would look forward to their return. If I procrastinated with the To-Do list, I would be running around franticly trying to finish and praying they caught all the red lights. Sometimes (and in my case very rare occasions) when I did something I know they wouldn’t approve of, even if I finished the chores I would be filled with dread upon their return.

Why? Because I was sure they would find out what I did and be disappointed in me. The guilt of my decisions would bring a fear into my relationship. I was certain that Fresh Prince was right when he sang about “Parents just don’t understand!” Of course, I often thought I would pull one over on my parents not appreciating their wisdom and understanding.

As I matured I began to see how obedience led to more trust and more freedom. Not only that, but my relationship with my parents became sweeter and filled with more joy.

The Apostle John is writing to believers a reminder that one day the Lord will return and you should desire to look forward to that day with joy! He calls us to “abide” or “remain” in Him. This is the part that really excites me about Christianity. Biblical Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship. Something that can be developed and is intimate and personal.

By spending time abiding in Jesus Christ we gain confidence in Him and look forward to His return. Later on there is a promise that says, “No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning.” Abiding is to develop the friendship with Jesus, to spend time in His Word and learn about Him. It is talking to Him in prayer and growing in prayer. It is understanding that true Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever!

John further describes the reasons we should desire to abide in Him by describing His love for us. He loved us so much that He adopts us into His family, promises one day to makes us like Him and that we will be with Him forever!

Everyday we can choose to live in obedient fellowship with God and have confidence in His presence, or we can indulge our flesh and feel shame before God. Jesus Christ came to put an end to sin, He won the victory on the cross and He rose again to bring new life! Choose today to abide in Him, your eternity is worth it!

An Unlikely Love: The story of Jesus

Fill in the blank: Love makes us __________________________ !

How would you respond to that? My initial response was “Love makes us do crazy things!” Then I found out, thanks to Facebook friend, that “Love makes us do crazy things” is also the number 1 response on Google. I suppose our answers will vary depending on what we are doing, how we are feeling, what our experiences with love have been, and what our hopes about love are. Maybe our answer will reflect whom we are thinking about when we hear the word “love.”

Sometimes we have a hard time distinguishing between true love and infatuation. Yet it is all part of the process of getting to know someone and pursuing him or her. Yet “crazy” to me is a good word. Love should get you out of your comfort zone. Love has to be expressed and demonstrated to be known as love.  Love has to be visible.

Do you believe in love? Does love really exist? You may laugh at these questions, you may think it is a stupid question, but really think about it. Prove to me that love exists. You can’t. You cannot bottle love. You cannot see love. Yet we all believe love exists. Proving love is a lot like trying to prove God exists, but that is another post for another time.

What we know about love is based on subjective feelings, verbal statements and physical actions. Every one of us is wired just a little different and so we speak love in different ways. The one thing we do all hold in common is that we all desire to love and be loved.

Now back to my initial thought “love makes us crazy,” yes this is not original with me. Yet it is the thought that first came to me. It’s because when it comes to love I don’t understand me. I don’t understand why I think and feel the way I do when I do. If you know me, I tend to be a very even keeled kind of guy. I don’t make a lot of decisions based on emotions. Always seem to have my feelings in check and life is generally pretty good and that is the way I like it.

Can I get a little vulnerable with you? Throw into the experiment of my life the prospect of dating and everything goes out of whack.  All of a sudden I don’t know what I am thinking, why I want to do what I want to do, why things make me nervous and wondering “where did all my words go?” It’s crazy to me. Yet it is also inspires me to do something, in all its frustrations it causes me to move. Even if my movement is only little steps at a time, every step puts me a little further out there.

Whom do you love? Now I am not looking for youth group confessions here to reveal our secret crushes. I want you to think about the persons in your life you love. Family, friends, significant someone? What makes them an object of your affection?

Let’s be honest, we love people who are loveable. We love for many reasons, some shallow and some very deep. We love someone because we find him or her attractive, fun to be around, we have things in common, a shared dream. We love someone because they have been kind to us, cared for us, protected us, loved us.

How many of you immediately think of the most unlikely person as the object of your love? How many of you love a murder, a drunk, a rapist, a liar, thief, etc.? How many love someone who is unworthy of your love? No we tend to love the loveable.

Let me share with you a story from John Elderidge about love:

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. No one dared breathe a word against him, for he had the strength to crush all opponents. And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels and clothed her body in royal robes, she would surely not resist—no one dared resist him. But would she love him?

She would say she loved him, of course, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, nursing a private grief for the life she had left behind? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know? If he rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escort waving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted a lover, an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a king and she a humble maiden and to let shared love cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love that the unequal can be made equal.

The king clothes himself as a beggar and renounces his throne in order to win her hand. The Incarnation, the life and the death of Jesus, answers once and for all the question, "What is God's heart toward me?"

In this story we get a little picture of God’s amazing love for us. You see love moved God to do the crazy!

 ^“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV).

One translation states, “God demonstrated” his love. Love has to be visible to be understood. God doesn’t just say a lot of empty words He proves His love! Yet the story above still doesn’t fully grasp the extent of God’s love for us. We are not just humble maidens, but we are worthless sinners who live in direct opposition to God.

Even on our best day, when we do everything right, the Bible says “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6 ESV). Our entire being was rebelling against our Creator when He pursued us. He stepped out of Heaven, wrapped Himself in human flesh, lived a perfect life, was rejected by the people He came to save, crucified, died and buried to show He loved you. Three days later He rose again from the dead, for death could not hold Him! He could have just said “forget these humans, they killed me, let them get what they deserve!” Instead He opens His arms toward us and says, “Come to me, trust me, be my child!” That is a very unlikely love! Have you received His free love?

For those of us who follow Christ, He has shown us what unlikely love looks like. How are you living your life as an example of His love? Don’t just love the loveable. Learn to love the unlovable, the undesirable, and share Jesus with them!

An Unlikely Mercy: The Woman Caught in Sin

Caught!! What a frightening word! The funny thing is that it wouldn’t be a scary term if we never did anything wrong. Yet we all have a sin nature and a guilt complex.

For instance, personally I hate having a police car driving behind me. I can be driving the speed limit, with my seatbelt on, both hands on the wheel and not even listening to music, but I feel like I am going to get pulled over. It’s just a scary feeling at times.

Maybe it’s because of the dozens of times I was speeding and got away with it. One night I was driving home from youth group really excited about what God was doing in our teen’s lives. I was listening to praise and worship music and not really paying attention to the speed. Driving down Sandrun Parkway there is a little dip in the road that runs through water. As I slowed down to cross the water, I thought it would be fun to gun it on the way up out of it. I accelerated to 45 miles per hour on a 25mphs road. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw the park ranger’s truck just up a head. “Oh it’s only a park ranger, they don’t give tickets,” was my excuse for breaking the law.

I was wrong!! Yes, wrong to excuse my speed, but also wrong about park rangers. She quickly pulled me over and extended to me a ticket for speeding. I was penalized $75 for my speeding, yet she extended to me some mercy. Mercy is not getting what I do deserve. Though she wrote me a ticket, she ran it through the Parks instead of through the city, so it wouldn’t put points on my record. I was wrong and she would have been justified in issuing me the full penalty for my crime. Yet she did not!

To be honest, I didn’t think my speeding was a crime before I was caught. I got used to doing my own thing. I guess I rationalized my sin by saying “if I don’t get penalized for doing it, then it must not be wrong.” Others may say it this way “if it makes me happy and doesn’t hurt anyone then it can’t be wrong.” That is often our approach to sin. We don’t think sin is as severe as it really is. Just because God doesn’t lay the “Smack Down” on us every time we sin, doesn’t mean He condones our actions. God would be justified to strike us dead at the very moment we sin, but He doesn’t.

There is a great story in John chapter 8 about a woman caught in the sin of adultery. Now we know very little about this woman, her life circumstances and her normal behavior. We see her in this vary narrow window. But what we know about her is she was committing adultery. Whether this was her first offense or not, we don’t know, but we know she was guilty.

Very likely she was a normal person just like you and me. Life can be overwhelming and her marriage may have become very difficult. She may have felt over looked, uncared for, or just angry at her husband. Along comes a nice guy who treats her with kindness. He listens to her and compliments her. She longs for the times she passes him in the market place because she knows he will affirm her. It feels so right to be around him and then, one thing leads to another, she sleeps with him. She probably didn’t wake up one morning and say “I want to commit adultery today!” No, I’d imagine it was a slow process, one moment at a time that led to this sin. I’m sure she was conflicted with a sense of it being wrong, but also making her happy.

Many today assuming God wants them to be happy and so continue to do sins they think make them happy, when in reality they are robbing themselves from true happiness. The truth is God is far more concerned about your holiness then your happiness. What we need to learn is that the pursuit of a holy life is removing the things from our lives that actually make us unhappy. It is removing the cheap imitations of the real blessings God has in store for us.

Back to the story: the Pharisees found her in her sin. This fact always begs a couple of questions for me. How did they know she was committing adultery? Did they send a PI to tail her and report back to them? If they new she was headed down this road, as religious leaders, shouldn’t they have cared more about her soul then her sin and tried to lovingly reach out to her before this point? What about the man involved in this? Where was he? Was he just using her so they could trick Jesus? And so on…

We don’t know all those answers, but we see what happens next. They throw her at Jesus’ feet and say “the Law of Moses commands us to put an adulterous woman like her to death by stoning! What do you say we should do?” Now the Roman law of the land was strict that only Rome could give the death penalty. These religious leaders where trying to get Jesus to either agree with Rome and therefore make the Jews mad, or to agree with Moses and they could report him to Rome.

Jesus does the unexpected thing when he challenges the crowd “he who has no sin should throw the first stone!” And then he stoops down and writes in the dirt. There is not an argument with Jesus. I can imagine some hesitation on the crowd’s part, and the religious leaders part. Everyone knew they had sin at some time or another. They knew that if they were guilty of one part of the Law they were guilty of all.

What did Jesus write in the dirt? It could have been the 10 Commandments that everyone was guilty of. We are not given the specific details. However His words were convicting enough. They all dropped their stones and walked away.

Jesus’ charge to the crowd showed that only the perfectly sinless could judge sin. Only God Himself is the just Judge. His own statement said that He was the only one who could throw that first stone. He had every right to throw the stone at her. Yet He didn’t!

She was indeed caught in sin! The Law did say she deserved to die for her sin! Jesus was the just Judge who could enact judgment. But instead, He had mercy! He did not give her what she did deserve. He chose, rather, to forgive her and charge her to “go and sin no more!” He did not condone her sinfulness. He did not give her permission to keep on sinning. He showed mercy and called her to life.

How did she feel at that moment? Death seemed to be imminent and now she sees life! How grateful she must have been! How much love she must have felt for the One who saved her! Think of the zeal she must have had to live in the new freedom and life she was given!

The truth we all face is that we have been caught in our sin. We stand in judgment already. We are desperately wicked and headed for an eternity without God on our own. Yet Jesus came to meet us where we are at. To offer us life when we are facing death. To remove from us the penalty that we deserve and give us life.  Jesus calls us to “Come and follow me,” and when we trust Him he forgives us and calls us to “go and sin no more.”

Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever! Every day is an opportunity for us to live in the mercy He has given us. Not only that, we can extend that mercy to others! Instead of judging others, we can show them mercy and love them to Jesus! Look for ways this week to extend mercy and reflect Jesus to a lost and dying world!

Unlikey Giver: the story of Zacchaeus

“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he!” What an unfortunate little jingle this man has to be remembered by, but that is how the song I learned in Sunday School years ago went. The song accomplished its purpose as it has taught many children this story in an easy to remember way. I suppose I’d like it better if I could sing it with an Irish brogue haha.

Yet the story of Zacchaeus has so many truths for us to learn. I hope you don’t mind, but I am going to take a little poetic license to understand Zac. What we know for certain is he was a “wee little man,” that means he was really short if you missed the subtle hint from the song. And he was not only a tax collector, but the Chief tax collector. 
As the chief we know he was powerful and most likely hated by the Jews because of his position and sympathies toward Rome.

Not to be offensive to anyone who happens to be vertically challenged, but we might suppose that Zac had the “Napoleon complex” or “little man’s syndrome.” I picture a man who felt the need to overcompensate for his physical stature by pursuing the most powerful position he could get. Like the kid on the playground that was always picked last for the team grows up to be the owner of a ball club so he could boss the superior athletes around. That may not be a true depiction of Zac, but that’s how I envision this guy.

In my mental picture of this story, Buddy the Elf would describe Zac as “an angry South Pole elf.” I see a man mad at the world who thought he got the raw end of the deal. He gained power, and then extorted more money from the people just because he could. He built himself an empire. Yet he was alone.

Loneliness has a way of eating at our souls. The first thing God said that was not good was for man to be alone, and He said this before the Fall, before sin entered the world. He said that because we are wired for relationships, for community. And Zac’s anger and bitterness led him to power and aloneness.

Until one day he hears news that a great Rabi, teacher, is coming to town. This Jesus has performed many miracles that he has heard about. He heard about demons being cast out, the blind receiving their site, the sick healed and the dead raised back to life! Could it be that He may be able to work a miracle in Zac’s life. Maybe make him taller, or give him friends? Thinking Jesus is something like a Genie in a Bottle.

So you think that is a ridiculous assertion? Really? How many of you have glasses and sometimes wake up first thing in the morning and say, “dear God I know you could heal my eyes if you really wanted to!” Or the moment you feel sick you pray for the miracle cure immediately. Or...you name it, you know your heart better then I do. We love ourselves so much that we want what is best for us. You might whisper it in a prayer or speak it in a wish, but to be certain, if you could improve anything about yourself miraculously you’d have a list!
At the news of Jesus’ arrival, Zac does what every business man of his stature would NOT do...he ran! In that culture, the more important you were the more people would wait on you. Running is what the servants would do, not the masters. And Zac ran.

Than Zac couldn’t see because of his size. So what’s he do? Does he command everyone to move or else he would raise their taxes? Nope! He looks around, sees the nearest tree and runs and climbs it! Now that would be a site to see! A Bill Gates type climbing a tree to see an itinerate preacher man!

It’s here that the story amazes me. What happens next should warm your heart, should capture your mind and excite your inner most being! In this vast crowd of people clamoring down the way, Jesus SEES Zac up in the tree! I can imagine what Zac was thinking as their eyes met. How many times had Zac tried to see things in the past when the important guys saw him and made fun of him. Shoved him in a locker, put him in a trash can or just simply called him out in front of the crowd to humiliate him. All Zac wanted to do is see and hear the preacher man and now it’s going to happen all over again.

Yet that is not what happened! Instead Jesus pays Zac the highest of compliments. First He sees Zac, then He calls him down and says “I must go to your house!” “Hey Zac my friend! I want to hangout with you tonight!” Zac goes from expecting ridicule to receiving highest honors! It was such a distinct difference from the norm that Zac’s entire life was changed! He gave Zac community, friendship and a new sense of belonging. Zac was no longer alone!

We don’t know what Jesus said to Zac, we don’t know what sermon He might have preached to him. What we do know is how Zac changed from being with Jesus. Zac stands up and proclaims his new faith in a tangible way! Because of being with Jesus Zac wants to pay back everyone he defrauded! He wants to give to anyone he mistreated! He wants to reflect the generosity of his Savior!

Jesus didn’t declare Zac saved because Zac did these things. Zac believed in Jesus and his heart was changed. The saving faith was evidenced by the thief turned giver!

Jesus tells us in John 15 that when we hangout with Him we will become like Him. We won’t change on our own power but we will change from His presence. Jesus came to love you and change you. He sees you and calls out to you! He also came for that mean girl at school. He came for that self obsessed guy on your team. He came for the one you would think is very unlikely! Jesus changed Zac and He can change them. Spend time with Jesus today and look for ways to share Him with someone!

An Unlikely Prayer: the story of Daniel

How committed are you to your habits or disciplines of your faith? If you call yourself a Christian, what is different about your life now that you know Jesus? I’m not talking about “my sins are forgiven and i have a promised home in heaven” Sunday School answers. I’m asking about everyday life Christianity. If I were to ask your classmates, co-workers or neighbors to describe your faith and practices, what would they say? Would they be ready to describe you as a Christian? How?

Some provocative questions this week, right? No, your right, that isn’t easy to answer, although it should be. I began to develop a personal quiet time with Jesus everyday when I was 15 years old on my missions trip to Ireland. I had received Jesus’ free gift of salvation years earlier, but had fallen into ritualistic Christianity...you know, go to church three times a week and pray over meals Christianity. But on my missions trip I was challenged with the developing the personal relational Christianity. Life with Jesus isn’t about ritual, it’s about growing in intimacy with God by spending time learning from Him and talking to Him. It’s about telling others about who He is and celebrating Him with other believers.

I cannot say I have been perfect in spending time with God everyday since then, but that is where it started. Learning to spend time in prayer, more then just over meals. Regular attendance at my local church building relationships with other Christians also became very important to me. Looking for ways to share Jesus with others is also something we should be doing more regularly. What are normal parts of your life?

Now that you have your list of the Christian habits you do regularly, I want to ask you this: What would you do if a new law was issued that says “you cannot read your Bible, pray to your God or attend a church for the next 30 days. If you do, you will spend 3 months in prison.” What is your initial reaction to this thought? Anger, outrage? Come on, you know that when you go on vacation you skip church. When you have a long Saturday you would rather sleep in on Sunday. You don’t actually read your Bible all that often. And prayer? It’s more of a mindless exercise you mumble over your food anyway, so why not just take a mini vaca from it?

I know that scenario sounds radical, but an edict far worse then this was issue to this weeks unlikely character. There was a law put in place specifically because the leaders knew Daniel’s faith in God led him to pray three times daily. Because of their jealousy, the wicked rulers had the king sign into a law a command to not pray to any other god, except the king, for 30 days or be thrown into a fiery furnace.

We know the story from Sunday School, that Daniel was thrown into the lions den, however I want to look at the unlikely faith and prayer of Daniel. He had established a pattern about his faith that was recognized, not just by his neighbors and fellow believers, but by the rulers of the country. He would go out on his balcony and pray three times daily to the God of the Bible.

An Unlikely Hero: the story of Ehud

When you think of a hero, what comes to mind? Big muscles, a red cape and bullet proof? You just thought of Superman! Maybe a rich, smart and courageous man who likes to go spelunking? Yep, that's Batman!

Webster's defines a hero as: a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities. If we are honest, we look for the traits that we find most attractive in humanity. Bravery, courage, physical strength, physical beauty, as close to perfection as can be humanly attained. Isn't that right? If you disagree with me, when is the last hero movie you saw an ugly hero? Right!

When you think of a hero, how often do you think of an outcast? A physical handicap? Or a social stigma?

This week we are going to look at a story of a man who lived his entire life with a social stigma, an outcast. An yet that did not prevent him from rescuing his entire nation from the oppression of a wicked king (Judges 3:12-30).

In the Ancient Near Eastern culture, and many other cultures, there was a suspicious view of left handed people. If you were left handed, you were considered less of a person. The right hand was the symbol of dominance, of power and of strength. Those born left handed were encouraged all their life to learn to be right handed so as not to offend anyone.

Social stigmas can be very hard and demoralizing. Social stigmas can be part of the larger cultural context or a localized phenomena. For instance, as a child I had very bright red hair and had freckles all over my face. Adults thought I was adorable (who wouldn't, right? haha), yet children were vicious. "Freckled face freak!" they would scream at me! To make matters worse, I got glasses and became the "four eyed freckled face freak!" I hated my red hair, I hated my freckles and glasses. I got in fights. I ran away from this and it was hard to find friends.

Yet as I grew older, the bright red faded. The freckles on my face diminished. And the harshness of childhood faded. I was able to move beyond my earlier struggles, but yet there were times I was so angry and sad. Yet I have to ask myself, what if this wasn't just a season of my childhood, but an every day event for the rest of my life experience?

That is more like what Ehud had to face. And yet God called him to be the deliverer for His people. Israel had fallen back into their cycle of rebellion. The consequence for this was that God raised up Moab to  oppress Israel. Under the oppression the people cried out to God for deliverance. And God answered with Ehud.

Now the people must have been wondered why Ehud? Because Ehud was left-handed he was the unlikely candidate. Yet God called Ehud specifically because he was left-handed. The social stigma against left-handedness was so strong that the opposing king, Eglon, never assumed anyone was left-handed.

Ehud took tribute to Eglon and affixed his sword to his right leg. When he was admitted to the king's presence, they checked his left leg, for it was custom to draw your sword across your body. They never checked his right leg!

Ehud told the king he had a secret message from God for him. Eglon dismissed everyone from his throne room and Ehud drew his sword and plunged it into Eglon's fat gut! Which, by the way, was so fat large that the fat enveloped the hilt of the sword...gross! Ehud escaped and gathered the armies of Israel and defeated Moab.

I am so thankful that we live in the New Testament Era and not in Old Testament times! Ehud was called to deliverer a people from an oppressive king, and his handicap turned out to be the key to his victory. Ehud didn't take credit for this victory but immediately declared the Lord as the victor!

What appeared to others as weakness, was the vehicle of God's deliverance. What man looks at as weakness, God can use in strength! Each of us have our own insecurities. Some deal with real social stigmas that are unfairly placed upon them, such as Ehud had. This may be due to race, skin color, physical features, past experiences, etc. Yet at some level, everyone of us gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and sees inadequacies. We see things that we hate, that we think limit us. When we should be seeing opportunities for the strength and glory of God to be revealed!

What's holding you back? What weakness causes you to fear? When we are weak, He is strong! Rely on the strength of God and watch as He does amazing things in your life!

An Unlikely Faith: the story of Rahab

Faith is a hot topic of discussion...or a discussion avoided at all costs. Everyone has an opinion about, though most often that is based on their own definition of faith. We operate in our neutral circles and speak platitudes back and forth as if they are all equally valid and true. 

What is definitely agreed upon is that faith is often the result if upbringing. The truth that faith is not based on nature but on one's nurturing is plainly evident...most of the time. Gas a believer in Jesus Christ, I often take for granted the godly heritage that has been passed down to me. For generations the Christian Gospel has been heralded and proclaimed in an influential way to Europe and America. Every aspect of life has been permeated in so me way with the Christian faith. And I thank God for this! So it comes as no surprise to people that I am a Christian. 

However, the culture in America is quickly changing. We no longer live in a Christian dominated society. Even if there are statistically more "Christians" in America, our voice is one of the quietest in the sphere of influence. We live in a pluralistic society that no longer esteems the Christian faith highly, but often looks down on it with disdain. 

Since the schools kicked prayer and the Bible from it's classrooms, we have seen generation after generation raised with no knowledge of God. Ask around and many people today have no clue who Jesus is, aside from a common swear word. They cannot tell you what the 10 Commandments are, aside from the random news headline pertaining to the courtroom or classroom. 

It used to be that the biggest difference with your neighbors was wether they were Baptist, Methodist or Catholic (no offense to the other denominations, I certainly could've included a longer list). Today however it is more likely that you have atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons (to only name a few). 

In our culture today it is becoming less and less likely to assume Christianity and more likely to assume not. It is becoming a climate where unlikely faith will become more apparent. 

When I think if unlikely faith, I think of a faith that sprung out of circumstances that seem so remarkable against God that, in my human wisdom, I would write off. A faith that sprung up in Ninevah, a pagan capital city, because of a sermon delivered by an antagonistic prophet. Or the faith of John Newton, the slave ship captain whose livelihood was dependent on dehumanizing people. Or the harlot Rahab. 

Joshua had just taken the reigns of leadership from Moses and declared his dependence upon the God of his fathers. He was going to lead the conquest into the promised land that he had scouted years earlier. He sent two spies in feel out the defenses of the great city Jericho. 

The word about the conquest of the Israelites was spreading, so the king of Jericho was on high alert. The spies took shelter in the home of a prostitute, Rahab. Little explanation is given in the Bible about why these spies turned to her house, just simply that they went there. 

Some might argue that they were typical, young men who were curious, but the text does not speak to any sexual encounters. And reading the Bible through, I can tell you theBible is not shy about telling the full story, i.e. Ammon and Moab...look it up. 

Some argue that it was more of a hotel and a good place to stop and gather information. Still others believe it was a divine appointment by God to meet a desperate heart full of faith. 

Regardless of why the spies chose this location, they were there and had no reason to expect special treatment. If caught they could expect to be killed. When the suspicious king heard they stopped by Rahab's, he sent an inquisition. Rahab hide them men on the roof and sent the soldiers in another direction. As soon as the guards are gone she runs to the spies and says:

 "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath." Joshua 2:9-11

What is significant to this phrase is the level of understanding she had developed. In the Ancient Near East, religion was dominated by superstition and polytheism (belief in many gods). Most people believed in local gods, the god of their city was restricted to boundaries of their city or empire. So when war would wage, they would think it was a battle between local gods at stake. 

However, we see Rahab declare that the God of Israel is the God of heaven and the whole earth. As God destroyed Egypt and the Amorites, she connected the dots that the gods of Egypt and the gods of the Amorites were powerless. Even the gods of Jericho were because Israel served the One True God. 

It wasn't the religious leaders, the philosophers or the rulers of the kingdom that came to genuine belief. Not it was a harlot, an immoral woman. We no nothing of her background, but we have learned a lot about her faith. 

The spies agreed that her and her family would be spared if she hung the scarlet cord out the window when they attacked. The same cord she allowed the spies to escape on. When the attack ensued, she gathered her family and hung the cord, a seemingly ridiculous request. 

As the walls crumbled, the trust in God demonstrated through a scarlet cord proved true. Her and her family were saved and ultimately welcomed into the family of Israel. We only later see Rahab in Matthew 1 as a great great grandma to Jesus. And then again she makes it into the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. 

Little did she know that the scarlet cord would be part of God's redemptive story. Scarlet has carried with it the connotation of sin. Think of the "Scarlet Letter" and other image ties of sin. 

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Her faith in God's provision brought life, forgiveness, a new identity and a new home. The provision God has made for the forgiveness of sins is the shed blood of Jesus. 

"Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" Hebrews 9:22

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Just like Rahab had to trust in the scarlet cord, we trust in the blood of Christ. The name of Jesus is our source of hope, forgiveness, a new identity and a new home. 

No matter what background we come from, no matter what sin has kept is down, there's power in the name of Jesus to break every chain and set us free!