Tag: Jesus

What is True Faith? | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals3 Comments

Faith

What is true faith? We talk about faith all the time. When we call someone to follow Jesus, we tell them to have faith in Him. When someone is struggling, we encourage them to exercise faith. We use salvation and faith interchangeable. Faith is a word we use all the time, but what does it mean? For the next few weeks I will answer that question.

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28 serves as an excellent example of faith. Over the next few days we will glean four things faith is from her story.

(2) True Faith is Persistent

The Canaanite woman was persistent. She kept coming after Jesus, even when He ignores her and the Disciples are annoyed. But she doesn’t care. She doesn’t turn away. She is persistent.

All those who exercise faith in Jesus are persistent as well. They know who He is. They know He has control over all things. They know He is Lord. They know He is the Messiah, so they continue to go after Jesus. They don’t give up.

How does this work out practically?

Some of you might be out of a job, and praying for another one, but God hasn’t answered you. Instead of giving up on God, we have to persistently trust Him, knowing He will answer in His own time.

Maybe some of you are sick, having difficulties at home, or need guidance. You have been praying, but God hasn’t delivered. Instead of giving up on God, we have to persistently trust Him. Again, knowing He will answer in His own time and in His own way.

True faith doesn’t allow situations, circumstances, or barriers to dissuade us from going after Jesus and trusting in Him. True faith is persistent.

The Content of True Faith

Continuing to build our definition of true faith, we see:

  • True faith believes – It specifically believes Jesus is Lord and the Son of David. He is our authority and the only way to a reconciled relationship with the Father.
  • True faith is persistent – It continues to go after Jesus not allowing anything to dissuade it or act as a barrier.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Have your circumstances caused you to stop chasing after Jesus?
  2. Do you continue to chase after Jesus no matter what is going on in your life, recognizing only He is Lord and Messiah?

Resources

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Post adapted from my most recent sermon The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

What is True Faith? | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals11 Comments

Faith

What is true faith? We talk about faith all the time. When we call someone to follow Jesus, we tell them to have faith in Him. When someone is struggling, we encourage them to exercise faith. We use salvation and faith interchangeable. Faith is a word we use all the time, but what does it mean? For the next few weeks I will answer that question.

The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28 serves as an excellent example of faith. Over the next few days we will glean four things faith is from her story.

(1) True Faith Believes

The Canaanite woman believed. She believed Jesus could heal her daughter. She believed that because she recognized Jesus was Lord and the Son of David. These titles reveal a good deal about Jesus and the content of believing faith.

1. Jesus is Lord, He has authority over all things.

By calling Jesus Lord, the Canaanite Woman recognized rightly He is the One who directs her life. He is the One who has the right to call the shots in her life. The same goes for you and I.

You see, if we place our faith in Jesus, we allow and trust Jesus to direct our lives. As well as we submit every aspect of our lives to Jesus. He is our Lord, our King.

2. Jesus is the Son of David, He is the Father’s chosen Savior, the Messiah.

By calling Jesus the Son of David, the Canaanite Woman believed there is no other way to the Father but through Jesus. She recognized He is the only way. He is God’s chosen One. Essentially, she recognized nothing but belief in Jesus could right her relationship with God.

Connected to the belief that Jesus is the only way to God is the idea that we can do nothing to earn a relationship with God. We can’t work our way to God. We can’t repair our own relationship with Him. Only Jesus can repair our relationship with God.

Jesus is the only One who lived a perfect and righteous life, so He is the only One who doesn’t deserve God’s punishment, which means He is the only One who can take our punishment for us.

On the cross Jesus does just that, hanging in our place. As our substitute, He takes God’s wrath for us. In other words, God pours His wrath out on Jesus instead of us, even though we are the One’s who deserve punishment.

The Content of True Faith

So far we see true faith believes. It specifically believes Jesus is Lord and the Son of David. He is our authority and the only way to a reconciled relationship with the Father.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you believe Jesus is your Lord?
  2. Do you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father?

Resources

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Post adapted from my most recent sermon The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

How Do You Know You Value the Kingdom? | Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Treasure

Maybe you have called yourself a Christian for a long time, but how do you know you value the kingdom?

The Parable of the Householder

The Parable of the Householder not only tells us what Jesus’ disciples should do, but what those who value the kingdom will do.

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (Matthew 13:52, ESV)

Jesus not only compares His disciples to the Scribes – the learned teachers of the day – but also to a household master. He pictures the master bringing out and showing off his old and new treasure.

The old treasure represents the familiar teachings of the day, while the new treasure represents the teachings Jesus revealed to the disciples.

What’s Jesus point?

Jesus’ point is that His disciples are to teach the people how the old and new truths He revealed integrate together. Jesus’ message doesn’t wipe the slate clean. It doesn’t replace the old. It fulfills it, and it is the disciples job to show how that’s the case.

Why Spread Jesus’ Message?

Problems will arise, if Jesus’ disciples carry Jesus’ message to the people. People will reject and hate them. Life will not be easy. Knowing that, why spread Jesus’ message?

The value of the Kingdom should cause Jesus’ disciples to spread His message.

You see, those who value the kingdom will tell others about it. They will talk about it, no matter the cost.

That’s because we talk about those things we value.

How do you know if you value the kingdom?

(1) Is Jesus apart of your conversations with others?

Do you talk about Him with you friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers?

We talk about those things we value. You can know if you value the things of God, you can know if you value the kingdom, you can know if you value Jesus, if you talk about Him.

How else can we know if we value the kingdom or the things of God?

(2) Do you read God’s Word?

If you value the things of God, you will want to learn more about Him. The way to do that is to read His Word.

(3) Do you pray?

If you think God is valuable, you will set aside time in your day to talk with Him.

(4) Do you seek to live according to God’s Word?

If you think His wisdom and commands are valuable, you will want to live by them.

(5) Do you give your money, time, and resources to kingdom work?

Those things we value, we invest in. Do you invest in the kingdom by giving your money, time, and resources to it?

(6) Do you put Jesus first in your life?

The things we value get first priority in our lives. So is Jesus first in your life, or is He 2nd or 3rd, or even at the bottom of your list? We give first priority to those things we value. So is Jesus first in your life?

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do the questions above reveal you value the Kingdom or not? Why or why not?
  2. What other questions would you add to the list of six above?

Resources

Post adapted from my most recent sermon Why Should You Want to Follow Jesus?

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Why is Jesus’ Kingdom So Valuable? | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Treasure

Jesus’ Kingdom is the most valuable thing in the world and you should want to give up everything to follow Him. But why? What makes His Kingdom the most valuable thing in the world?

(1) Jesus’ Kingdom is valuable because those who are apart of it have a restored relationship with God and eternal life.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 13:47–50)

Jesus compares the fishermen picking out the bad fish with the angels work when Jesus returns. The angels will separate the evil from the righteous. The evil will face God’s punishment, while the righteous enjoy a restored relationship with the Father and eternal life.

Those who are apart of the kingdom, those who follow Jesus are no longer enemies of God. They enjoy a restored relationship with the Father because Jesus paid the price for their sins, taking the punishment they deserve.

How great is that? How valuable is that? It’s worth more than anything this world could ever provide.

(2) Jesus’ Kingdom is valuable because it will never fail us.

It’s the best investment we could ever make. It is guaranteed. It is no risk because Jesus follows through on His promises. He promises us eternal life. We get it. He promises us joy. We get it. He promises us acceptance. We get it.

On the other hand, the world promises us all kinds of things, but doesn’t come through. And if it does, it’s not lasting.

The World Promises Joy

You might find joy in a new car or home or phone. The joy, however, it provides is only momentary. It’s easily taken away. A car wreck. A dropped phone. A house fire.

The World Promises Satisfaction

You might find satisfaction in your job. What happens, however, if you are fired, disabled and can’t work, or if old age has caught up to you and you are forced to retire?

The World Promises Success, Fame, and Wealth

Take fame for instance. People chase fame all their lives, but it is fleeting and short lived. Think about all the sports stars, actors and actresses, and musicians who are now labeled “has beens.” They were famous for a while, but eventually grew too old or a new rising star stole the spotlight.

Fame is short lived. The same with success and wealth and whatever else the world promises.

The world is always going to fail us. Jesus, however, will never fail us. The kingdom will never fail us. It will be there for all eternity.

Conclusion

Jesus’ kingdom is valuable because:

  1. It provides us with a restored relationship with God and eternal life.
  2. It will never fail us.

With something so valuable, why would you ever want to go after anything else?

Questions for Reflection

  1. Can you think of other reasons Jesus’ Kingdom is the most valuable thing in the world?
  2. Do you believe Jesus’ Kingdom is the most valuable thing in the world?

Resources

Post adapted from my most recent sermon Why Should You Want to Follow Jesus?

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Why Should You Want to Give Up Everything and Follow Jesus? | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals5 Comments

Treasure

Why should you want to give up everything and follow Jesus? Maybe you are struggling to answer that question. Captured by the world, you don’t know why you would want to give up everything to follow Jesus. You think to yourself,

“The world offers so much – wealth, status, acceptance, a good time, freedom. After all, isn’t following Jesus limiting? Isn’t it devoid of fun? Why would I ever want to follow Jesus?”

Why should you want to give up everything and follow Jesus?

Jesus’ answer comes in the form of two parables. The Parable of Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matt. 13:44-46 ESV)

In both parables, costly treasure is found. The first man finds it buried in the ground. The second while looking for pearls. After finding their treasure, both liquidate all they own to acquire it.

It would be like you selling your: Land, cattle, house, furniture, clothing, cars, electronics, etc. Everything you have, you sell. Sentimental value doesn’t matter. The treasure is worth a lifetime of memories.

Why were these men willing to go to such extremes?

They were willing to sell everything, even doing it with joy, because they realized what they were getting. They realized the value of the treasure.

The treasure in the parables relates to the Kingdom of heaven. Through His teaching, Jesus tells us the Kingdom is worth more than all we possess. It’s the single most valuable thing in the world. It’s worth any consequence or suffering we might face because nothing we could own would bring us more joy and satisfaction. It’s worth everything!

Conclusion

To answer our question: Why should we want to give up everything to follow Jesus? Because His kingdom is more valuable than anything the world can offer.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you believe Jesus’ Kingdom is more valuable than anything this world can offer?
  2. Are you willing to give up everything to follow Jesus?

Resources

Post adapted from my most recent sermon Why Should You Want to Follow Jesus?

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How Do You Know You Are Apart of Jesus’ Family

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

Church Family

Who is apart of your family? That’s easy, it’s either those born into the family, those adopted, or those who married in. If they weren’t born or married in, or if they weren’t adopted, they aren’t apart of your family.

Jesus’ criteria for being apart of His family is different. You can’t be born in and you can’t marry in. But you can be adopted. The only way to be adopted is to believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

How do we know who are apart of Jesus’ family? Anyone can say they are apart of the family. How can we know for sure they, or we, are in?

Who Are Apart of Jesus’ Family?

In Matthew 12, Jesus tells us who are apart of His family. Starting in verse 46 Jesus says,

While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50, ESV)

Jesus is explicit. Those who do the will of the Father are apart of His family. In other words, those who desire to live according to God’s Word are apart of His family, and those who don’t, aren’t apart of the family.

Jesus’ family members desire and live according to the Father’s will.

An Important Point

Jesus’ criteria is an important concept to grasp. There are many who claim to be Christians. Who claim to know God. Who claim that Jesus is their Savior. These same people, however, don’t desire, or do, the will of the Father. They don’t live according to God’s Word, which means they are not apart of Jesus’ family.

Jesus is explicit. If you don’t do the Father’s will, you aren’t apart of His family. If you don’t submit to God and allow Him to call the shots in your life, you aren’t apart of His family. If you don’t live according to God’s Word, you aren’t apart of His family.

You might be religious. You might be spiritual. You might be a good person. You might come to church every week. You might rub elbows with Christians. You might help everyone in your neighborhood. But if you don’t do the Father’s will, you aren’t apart of Jesus’ family.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you search God’s Word to determine His will?
  2. Do you desire to live in obedience to God’s Word?
  3. Do you allow God to be number one in your life?
  4. Do you allow God to direct your life?
  5. Do you seek to follow Jesus on a daily basis?

Resources

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Post adapted from my most recent sermon: Jesus’ Family Doesn’t Need A Sign