New Perspective - Matthew 8:18-20 - Foxes have Dens

Matthew 8:18--"When Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. 19 A •scribe approached Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go!” 20 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

This has traditionally been a difficult passage.  Some have proposed that this statement is saying that Jesus was homeless and poor.  In one sense this is true but in another not.

Jesus was homeless by choice not by tragic circumstances.

Other translations use "teachers of the law".

There was something in this culture that I believe adds to this passage.  Famous Rabbis or teachers would attract disciples that would sit under their teaching.  The more followers, the more prestige and their followers would defend the betterness of their teacher they were sitting under.  So it was an honor for this man to come to Jesus to ask to be His disciple, but it was also a boost to the man's own reputation to say he sat under the popular teacher Jesus.

But in order to join or be accepted by a teacher, the candidate typically brought money to buy their way in.  A popular teacher could make a good living.  In order to gain more followers, these teachers would want to be easily found and work from a base of operations to spread their influence.  It could become a cushy life.

 It made me think that this man was likely not empty handed in approaching Jesus.  Jesus wasn't just turning down the man, he was turning down his money.  Jesus was turning down the culturally expected life of an established teacher.

If the man was himself a scribe or teacher of the law, he may have been expecting that pattern to continue under Jesus.  I also suspect that the man was wealthy and used to his own cushy life.

That's when Jesus hits him with a simple truth.  “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head."

In other words, following Me will not lead to the cushy life with a big house and comfortable bed.  He's not setting up a base of operations--He is going to the Cross.  If you want to follow Jesus, He will sometimes lead you through the valley of the shadow of death--but He will bring you through to the other side in Victory.

To me, this statement flies in the face of the health & wealth gospel, aka name it & claim it, blab it & grab it,  covet & love it.

This man was handing Jesus a "check" full of money.  Jesus didn't want a Rolls Royce or a private plane, another mansion or a Hawaii vacation.  He turned the man away in much the same way that Peter turned away Simon the Sorcerer's offer of money in Acts 8:18-23.

The Gospel has never been about money or the promise of riches.  Faith is not a means to greater wealth and Jesus is not delaying the Second Coming because "you don't got your money" as I heard Jesse Duplantis claim back in the 1990's at a church in Austin, TX (that was the last straw and my family and I finally walked out).

Faith is about a willingness to give up your own wants and comforts in order to live for the Kingdom.  It may mean turning down more money in order to be where God wants you to be.

Are you the man or woman willing to give up the money and creature comforts to follow Jesus or are you the one who walks away from Him for not providing it?

Money don't buy you love... nor salvation.

Christians, Churches & Halloween-- Sending Mixed Signals

I found this article from The Christian Post regarding the popularity of Vampires, Werewolves & other such stuff.  Worth reading and considering.

This was originally a sermon from a few years ago.  I've updated a few stats and a couple other things.

Mixed Signals

I am going to make a few proposals to change some of the famous public service ad campaigns you’ve seen in the last decades and I want to ask how many of you think these sound like good ideas? What kind of message do you think they send?

Noting a shift in the youth mindset and America’s value systems, many of the old government, public service announcements have been retooled. Gone are the outdated “Just Say No”, “Don’t Drink & Drive”, “Don’t Play with Matches” campaigns. Maybe you’ve seen some of the new ones.

">Smokey the Bear<"—longtime spokesman for the National Park Service has come out with a new commercial series concerning playing with fire—“Only You can prevent forest fires, but if you really want to start a fire or play with matches—be sure and only start small fires at home.”

On a similar note—the Illinois Department of Transportation is coming out with a new ad campaign, getting rid of the “Designated Driver” idea, instead, they could offer special training classes for the frequent drinker. The new slogan is—“Protect the Streets—Drink and Drive successfully by Practicing Often.”  Or better yet, parents, take away the need for driving by providing the beer and alcohol for your underage kids.

“Just Say NO” and other warnings against gateway drugs like alcohol and marijuana have been replaced. Local elementary, middle and high schools can offer after school training and free samples to students so they can find out which drugs they prefer and how to take them correctly. After all, they’re going to do it anyway. “Just say ‘Once’”.

What kind of message do these ads send? Mixed Signals. Mixed Signals in this sense are things that are confusing to our kids. We parents say one thing, then at some point, contradict ourselves and the kids cannot be sure which one they should follow, which one they should believe?

Is it wise for us to say 364 days of the year that something is bad, something is to be avoided, something is dangerous, and 1 day of the year, give them permission to participate in what we’ve been saying is bad all the other days.

This is a month in which many believers will send mixed signals to their kids, their neighbors and friends. Some of it won’t be by design or decision, but by the decision of others. Some may be because you may not have noticed or given it a second thought in some time.

Let me ask you, how many of you, your friends, or your kids have seen more about death, about witchcraft, about evil and murderous and demonic forces lately?

If you haven’t yet, drive by the front of Wal-Mart, watch TV this month, ask the video store what type of videos are most rented this month.


I am concerned how we adults and parents tend to tolerate, even send mixed messages about death, the occult, witchcraft or the demonic during the month of October as we get ready for Halloween.

These messages are inconsistent with our faith the remaining part of the year and typically, we would steer our kids away from such things. But this month adults and parents seem to be leading the mixed signals. We don’t even question our participation anymore.

Here’s some stats from the last couple of years.

This year, the average person plans to spend $66.54 on the holiday, up from $64.82 one year ago. Total Halloween spending for 2008 is estimated to reach $5.77 billion.*

This year, consumers will spend an average of $24.17 on Halloween costumes (including costumes for adults, children, and pets). People will also be buying candy ($20.39 on average), decorations ($18.25) and greeting cards ($3.73).

National Retail Federation

2010 Popular Costumes

Kids:                                                     Adults:
1. Princess                                            Witch
2. Spider-Man                                      Vampire
3. Witch                                                Pirate
4. Pirate                                               Nurse
5. Disney Princess                                Wench/Tart/Vixen
6. Action/Super Hero                           Cat
7. Ghost                                              Zombie
8. Pumpkin/Vampire (tie)                     Fairy
9. Batman                                           Athlete/Batman (tie)
10. Star Wars Character                     Dracula

It’s hard to say how these mixed signals are contributing to the spiritual climate in our country. But let me share this with you.

According to Information collected from 1990 to 2001, The fastest growing religion (in terms of percentage) is Wicca -- a Neopagan religion that is sometimes referred to as Witchcraft. Their numbers of adherents are doubling about every 30 months.

14.1% do not follow any organized religion. This is an unusually rapid increase -- almost a doubling -- from only 8% in 1990.

These beliefs, once largely ignored or dismissed in America are increasing in our population and becoming more and more accepted; real to the point that now the military is required to have wiccan chaplains and burial rites.  I'm not saying we have Wicca in America because of Halloween, but many factors contribute to the growing interest and acceptance of it and Halloween is a contributing influence.

When the Israelites began entering the Promised Land, they were given several warnings regarding the religious practices of the surrounding peoples and how they were not to be like them. For them such beliefs were a reality, a competing belief system that was a lure to be unfaithful to God.

Deuteronomy 18:10-14--10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells [notice good/bad, white/black isn’t mentioned], or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

Isaiah 8:19-20—“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

I believe God knew what He was talking about when he called His people to stay away from those things because they are dangerous to us spiritually.

The other nations practiced these things so they could gain control over or knowledge of the future, they would worship the created thing, rather than the Creator—ultimately these beliefs and practices keep people from an authentic faith in God based on worship in spirit and truth—so these are deceptions intended to prevent us from truly knowing God—so they function as lies and are demonic in their origin.

While many of us dismiss the occult or demonic, I and others can speak from experience—see my testimonies here

I hope you believe the Bible when it talks about the dangers of the demonic and the occult.

I hope you believe that Jesus had very real confrontations with the demonic, as did Peter, Paul, the other Apostles and the church—and you don’t write those accounts off as psychological conditions or some other medical phenomenon.

I hope you are not telling your kids that the occult is wrong, it’s dangerous, and totally opposed to God while at the same time saying, “we’re going to let you dabble with it for a little while, just once a year.

We tell ourselves… “It’s Harmless Fun” – maybe it is most of the time, but are you sure? Are you sure that putting your kid in those circumstances cannot affect them?

We’re going to buy dark, occultic decorations for our house, we’re going to encourage playing with witchcraft by putting the black pot in the lawn, we’re going to trivialize death and the demonic with cute cartoon figures and costumes that desensitize you to the real thing.”

That’s like saying:

Playing with matches is bad and dangerous, but let me show you the right way to strike them, let me give you a few things to burn.

You shouldn’t drink kids, but let me buy you a six pack for your birthday and let you drink it at home.

Hey Kids, there is a real spiritual evil out there trying to corrupt your soul and keep you from God, you must Resist the devil—but let me buy you a 10 horned demon mask, a witch or serial killer costume.

That is not a consistent message. It gives parental permission for something we normally wouldn’t want them playing with.

John tells us that he wrote the book of 1 John to warn us “about those who are trying to lead you astray”—1 John 2:26. John warns us in 4:1 to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God”.

It is my conviction that many Bible believing Christians have stopped “testing the spirits” when it comes to how we participate in Halloween.

I’m not saying that that a real Christian will not participate in Halloween.  I'm not questioning your salvation.

I’m afraid that we no longer question it or even care whether what we do, or whether how we celebrate is “from God” or not, that we no longer consider the spiritual impact of HOW we participate.

We have already accepted the idea and we’re no longer asking—is this wrong—we have made that decision—we not looking to Scripture to give us guidance.

When challenged, many believers react defensively even with anger regarding Halloween. It’s a very emotional reaction.

I believe people react that way because on some level, people are uncomfortable with Halloween but they talk themselves or justify themselves into doing it anyway—for the sake of the children or some other reason.

To me, that is extremely dangerous for the People of God.

We can reason and justify anything. And I find it inconsistent to “do it for the children” when they are the ones most at risk and dependent on adults to make the Spiritually discerning decision.

The demonic packaged up as “harmless fun” is still demonic and in reality that makes it more dangerous and deceptive.

2 Corinthians 11:14 warns us that, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”. In other words—he puts on a costume trying to convince everyone he is a cute, harmless, misunderstood guy. He wears a costume to hide who he really is and hopes that you’ll invite him in for a visit.

1. Playing with the Occult is Dangerous—Saul in 1 Samuel 28:4- was so afraid of the Philistines, that after trying to ask God what to do about it and getting nothing—more likely b/c his heart wasn’t faithful and his attempts were more insulting to God than inspiring.

He then sought out a “medium” (the title of a recent TV series, BTW) to consult the dead prophet Samuel. He wore a costume to do it— vs. 8 lets us know that he wore a disguise to meet with this woman. And while most biblical scholars disagree on exactly what happened when the spirit of Samuel appeared, was it really him, was it a delusion or a demonic deception, they all agree that something happened. Saul had to take her word for it because he apparently could not see the vision for himself—vs. 14.

Saul is playing with fire—he is doing something God commanded not to do, something he knows is wrong & tried to get rid of at one point by expelling the mediums earlier in his career.

He is dabbling, thinking he is exempt, thinking that it won’t hurt him, thinking that it’s not really a big deal, but he’s about to find out it is a big deal that there are consequences.

2. Playing with the Occult has Consequences—
1 Chron. 10:13-14—“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

a. Even non-Christians are beginning to recognize Halloween related consequences for children.

b. A study conducted of six- and seven-year-olds by Penn State psychologist Cindy Dell Clark found that most parents underestimate just how terrifying the holiday can be for young kids.

c. “Halloween is a holiday when adults assist children in behaviors taboo and out of bounds," Clark writes in the anthropological journal Ethos. "It is striking that on Halloween, death-related themes are intended as entertainment for the very children whom adults routinely protect."

3. Dabbling In The Occult is not Compatible with Biblical Faith

a. Acts 19:13-16—The demonic is real and dangerous. You and I must not dismiss it because there is a very real spiritual battle going on; a real demonic power. While most of what we see in America today, like the astrology, the wicca, the psychic hotlines, is fake—it is not always fake. And the Believer should know better than to try and live in both worlds.

b. Acts 19:17-20—Believers Got rid of their old way of life. Some of them had practiced sorcery in their previous way of life—but Jesus changed all of that. They may not have felt convicted to get rid of it in their lives, but they eventually saw the need, no matter how valuable the items were. Sorcery, witchcraft, the occult, idolizing death are not compatible in the lives of those who love God.


Whether you celebrate or participate in Halloween activities is a decision between you and God.

I’m not questioning your salvation if you have a pumpkin at your house or if you give out candy.

What I do want you to do is question how or why you participate—don’t decide as a parent today, based on the pleasant memories you had as a child.

Examine everything by your faith.

1. Test the Spirits to see whether they are from God.
a. Test the things your kids are exposed to—
Halloween is now more than just one day—many kids are looking forward to it all month just like they do Christmas—it’s hard to walk into Wal-Mart with all the decorations all over the stores.

Books, TV shows & movies, cute cartoonish characters try to convince your kids that witchcraft, magic, monsters and death is all harmless fun—

Through stories they try to teach that we should and that God sees a difference between a bad witch and a good witch, between black magic and white magic—and there is none.

b. Test the costumes they want to wear—

kids, let your faith guide your decision.
Adults, make the decision whether something is appropriate for your kids—offer alternatives because it’s not too late.

c. Test the decorations of your house—

kids open your eyes to what you see at home and ask what message it sends to your friends of your faith.
Parents, re-examine your plans—make your home a place of light and hope that does not glorify dabbling in darkness.

d. Test the decorations of houses as you walk around—don’t go to those houses that glorify the occult

e. Remember that Kids can’t always distinguish between the Real and Unreal.
They don’t think like adults logically, emotionally—as the study I mentioned found—the scary, death, occult themes affect them more than we realize. Make a commitment to Protect them and not Confuse them or send conflicting messages

f. Reclaim the day—don’t let this day be controlled by the dead in your house.

Try to promote life by handing out tracts with your candy, by carving Christian images in your pumpkins, by inviting all you know and recognize to church, or by reminding your house and your guests that Oct. 31st is the day Martin Luther hammered his 95 Theses on the door of the Cathedral back in 1517 that started the Reformation. On Oct. 31st, he began a revolution of faith that we are living in today.

g. Embrace Philippians 4:8—“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

Sermon - Inneffective and Unproductive - 2 Peter 1:5-8

Have you seen the Corn in the drought this year?  

It looks awful doesn’t it?

Would you ever plant corn if you knew this would be the harvest?  Is it worth it?

Of course not.

We see this corn and know that it is wrong.  It is wrong for it to be unfruitful.  It shouldn’t look like this.  It represents loss, wasted seed, wasted time, wasted season. 

Certain things have to go wrong for corn to turn out this way.  The two primary are…

There’s not enough Rain or it’s not at the right times

Temperatures are too hot for too long

But under normal conditions, the harvest develops as a natural growth process.  You plant and care for, but God makes it grow—He designed it that way.

This corn is designed to be fruitful and productive.

That’s the problem Jesus had with the Fig Tree—it had all the signs of life, all the indications that it should be fruitful and yet when Jesus approached it expecting to find some sign of the tree fulfilling it’s purpose—but he found none.  And so He cursed the tree.

Fruitlessness—ineffectiveness and unproductivity are wrong.

It’s when the natural growth process does not have the right conditions, then fruitfulness is stunted.

Scripture teaches that believers can be just like this corn and so can churches.  They can have no fruit—like they have been through a drought.

It is possible for us to be ineffective, unproductive and unfruitful.

2 Peter 1:8—For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.—ESV

1:8--For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.—NIV

1:8--For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.--HCSB

ineffective and unproductive.

I sometiems find it helpful to teach Scripture using Opposites.  Flipping the verse around to get a better understanding of what it actually says.

So look again at that verse in an opposite sense.

“If you DO NOT POSSESS these qualities in increasing measure   

OR  

If you possess these qualities in DECREASING measure, they will CAUSE you to be ineffective and unproductive even in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ineffective - inactive, i.e. unemployed; (by implication) lazy, useless :- barren, idle, slow

Unproductive - barren (literal or figurative) :- without fruit, unfruitful

What does it mean to be “ineffective for Jesus?

What does it mean to be unproductive for Jesus?

When you examine the fruit of your life, are you like this corn?

Is your life and walk with Christ ineffective and unproductive?

How about this church?

What did Jesus say to His servants who were unproductive and ineffective—the ones who took their talents and hid them in the ground and refused to do anything with them?

The idea of being Ineffective, the though of being unproductive, the chance of living a Christian life with Jesus walking by and seeing our fruitlessness should bother all of us.

So if not possessing certain qualities, not allowing them to grow in us can cause us to be ineffective, unproductive or unfruitful, then it’s important for us to find out what those qualities are. 

Because on the flip side, under the right conditions, if it’s not too hot, if the rain comes at the right times, then the corn will germinate and you’ll be able to have a fruitful harvest. 

To discover those qualities, we have to go back to 1:5--"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, ⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-contraol with endurance, endurance with godliness, ⁷ godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."

The Scripture says that you must possess these qualities in increasing measure—these also must be growing.  Not one at a time, one after another, they must all be cultivated simultaneously.

Make Every Effort – diligence, haste, speed—in other words this is something to be taken seriously, they are not to be neglected or forgotten.  These are things that are important

ADD to your faith – Add also means: Nourish-Supplement your faith—fully supply.  Like taking vitamins-- you need them to be healthy.

·        Goodness -  moral excellence, related to manliness or valor

o   Being good requires courage.  Courage to do the right thing even when it costs you.  Courage to resist the participating in the wrong even when everyone else is telling you to.

o   1 Peter 4:4 NLT –“Of course, your former friends are very surprised when you no longer join them in the wicked things they do, and they say evil things about you.”

o   If you’re not adding goodness, you are adding failure, not valor but betrayal

·        Knowledge

o   God wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul, MIND and strength. 

o   He does not want us to be ignorant, uninformed our unaware.  God wants to be known!

o   Learning about God—His plan of redemption, His love, the Scriptures.  We need to understand our faith.

o   Retraining your brain on how you act, when, who is your neighbor, that you should serve rather than be served,

o   Coming to a greater knowledge of the Gospel

o   Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

o   If you are not adding knowledge to your faith, you are adding or maintain ignorance—a chosen ignorance.  “by now you should be teachers… solid food is for the mature,….  I gave you milk not solid food.”

·        Self-Control – temperance,

o   That sense of consistency and stability, that you’re not going to jump at every whim or desire that crosses your mind.  That you will think before you act

o   As opposed to shooting first and asking questions later

o   If you are not adding self-control, your are really out of control - cultivating self-indulgence.  You’re really looking for ways for you to make sure you get yours.  You’re out of control of the Spirit of God and in control of the sin nature.

If you are not in control of yourself, you're waiting or depending on someone else to tell you what to do.  You want someone watching over your shoulder, treating you like a child... "don't do that...".

Self Control requires maturity and strength.

·        Perseverance – patience, endurance,

o   Longsuffering, the ability to hold on and not quit even when it is tough.  Even when you want to give up, you will keep fighting, keep doing what is right, keep to your convictions, even in the face of death—even

o   When the going gets tough, the tough get going--not out the door.

o   When you look at your life situation, when you look at the future of your church, do you have the valor, do you have the perseverance not to give up just because it looks hard?  Has the dynamics and the population of your neighborhood changed—does that mean you should reach out to them?  Do they not need the Gospel?

o   If we do not have perseverance in our walk with Christ, we give up easily

o   Opposite -  impatient, quitting, giving up, despair, no hope for victory/rescue.

o   When we quit in our mission, when we have no hope of victory in the mission, then it’s no wonder no one wants to join us in His cause?

·        Godliness – pious, devout,

o   This is referring to taking ones faith seriously.  Allowing your faith to penetrate to the entirety of your life.  You take the Name of Jesus with you out of this building and into your home.  Into the restaurant you’re going to for lunch.  Into your place of work.  You take Jesus you’re your pocketbook, your checkbook, this neighborhood around the church.

o   You cannot compartmentalize Jesus.  Jesus never intended to be just part of your life.  As Lord, He expects to be all of your life.

o   This is talking about offering your life as a living sacrifice. When your faith sets your priorities and your schedules.  You give up some things that are hurting your faith.  You give up some places or events you would like to go to. 

o   You seek after those things that bring Glory to His Name.  You may ask, what’s the difference between Goodness and Godliness?

o   There are many people that are moral and have a claim of goodness.  But we must understand that Morality or goodness without the foundation of godliness is worthless.

o   That sense of right and wrong, though corrupted by the fall is still a part of our nature—but it needs the transformation and salvation of God to make any goodness have any eternal value.

o   Godliness is about taking on His values, His purpose, His Heart and His Mission.

o   But if you are not adding godliness to your life, you are losing your first love, walking away from His values, His Purpose, His Heart.

o   Without God’s Heart beating within your heart, it is all the harder to Love as He Loves.

·        Brotherly Kindness—philadelphia –

o   For most of human history, the love and care of family was the most important part of life.  Many of those who came to faith in Christ lost everything, including their family.  They were exiled, kicked out and were frequently rejected by their family. 

o   Believers needed a new kind of family.  A family that would care for each other, watch out for each other, and love them as if they were truly their brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers.

o   They needed to love as family in a culture in which being an outcast or an exile was often a death sentence. 

o   They needed to know that they are united together in Christ with a greater bond than that of a family.

o   In order to be fruitful, effective and productive we must not just talk about our church as a family, we must treat each other as family—with true love.

o   I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.

o   And when we are the Family of God, an increasingly disconnected society like ours will be drawn to us because they are looking for something and someone to belong to.

o   And if we are not adding love as brothers, love as family—then we are divided, we are bickering and arguing, we are saying some people are not welcome or wanted and we are not fulfilling our mission.

o   It’s not easy to love family.  Sometimes it requires us to sacrifice.  Which is why we must continue to add Sacrificial Love.

·        Love—agape – sacrificial love—not only are we to add sacrificial living, we are to add sacrificial loving to our faith. 

o   When we no longer see ourselves as the center of the universe, we can truly live as if we are not the most important person in the world

o   We must begin to add to our faith the idea that someone else’s salvation is worth giving our lives for.  Their salvation is worth giving up of our time, giving up of our money, giving up of our rights, our pleasures, and control over our lives.

o   If we will add sacrificial love to our faith, we will begin to love as Jesus loved.  “No greater love has any man than this, that He lay down his life for his friends.” 

o   God proved He was willing to sacrifice for us.  We must be willing to sacrifice for Him.

o   Until we are willing to commit to serve others even with our lives, we will not be as productive as we could be.  We will not be as fruitful as we could be.

o   If we are not living with Agape love, sacrificial love, we are living with a love of our selves.  We value our own things, our own money, our own time more than we value someone’s eternity, someone’s maturity in the faith, someone’s

Can you imagine how Productive, Effective and Fruitful we could be if we had these qualities truly manifesting in each and every person’s life in the church? 

And if we are unwilling to be adding these things to our faith, then we are truly nearsighted and blind.  We are burying our heads in the sand, we are closing our eyes to the great and privileged calling to the Kingdom of God.

God desires us to be Fruitful, effective and productive for His Kingdom.  That’s why He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.  It’s why He has given us a faith just as precious as the Apostle Peter’s.

Are you fruitful?  Is this church fruitful?  Or has there been a drought going on?  When Jesus walks among us and looks at our fruitfulness, what will He see?

Let’s pray for rain together, let’s pray for a fruitful harvest.  Let’s ask God to add these things to our faith so that we will be effective and productive in our walk with Him. 

Will you join me in that?

Matthew 17:14 - Moving Mountains, Moving Kingdoms

In Matthew 17:14-21, Jesus is just coming down off the mountain in the event we call the Mount of Transfiguration.  It is the place that most clearly reveals His Identity and Mission—the place that shows the nature of His Kingdom—and the place Peter recalls years later when people were challenging Christians saying they were just making stuff up. 

2 Peter 1:16-17—“For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory: This is My beloved Son.  I take delight in Him”

It was such an amazing experience that the disciples Peter, James & John all wanted to camp out and stay for a while.  But like all mountaintop experiences, they have to end.

The Top of the mountain reveals Jesus’ Kingship and His Kingdom.  He is the one whom the Law and the Prophets testify to and point to—the coming Messiah.  Jesus has come to fulfill the Law and inaugurate the Promises God made in the Old Testament. 

In verse 14, Jesus descends from His Kingdom and reenters the kingdom of the world—the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13) under the authority of the Prince of this world (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, 2 Cor. 11:14, Eph. 2:2) in which he roams around like a roaring lion searching for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Scripture calls Satan this because in the Garden of Eden, Adam & Eve rebelled against the authority of God, and relinquished their authority to the serpent who deceived them and they placed themselves under his authority.

When Jesus came down from the mountain, He is immediately confronted by a representative of the kingdom He has come to destroy-- 1 John 3:8—“The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works.”

Jesus is the one invading Satan’s kingdom.  Jesus is the aggressor and is on the rescue mission—binding up the strong man and robbing his house.  “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and delivered us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves.”—Colossians 1:13

What we need to realize is:

• Apart from Jesus, we cannot fight Satan—to quote Scotty from Star Trek—“We don’t have the powerrrrrr!”

Jesus has to remove us from Satan’s dominion and move us into the Kingdom of Light.  Without Jesus’ power and authority, we are Satan’s subjects, slaves to his kingdom and our sin nature. 

Look at the way Satan can controls and manipulates humanity as evidenced by this boy’s life.  The demon has the authority to cause “seizures”—literally the phrase is “moonstruck” a Greek term which implies delusional – Lunatic.  Essentially, it describes someone with the inability to think or function correctly.  This demon causes directly (as with Job) or so demoralizes the person to intentionally cause themselves pain (like the teenage pattern called cutting) to even suicidal behavior. 

We should not lose sight of the fact that many instances of children (or adults) with behavioral problems are not merely psychological or self-esteem issues but are instead spiritual.  Satan can manipulate our bodies, our mind, our sexuality, our energy level, our hope.

Bottom line is that trapped under Satan’s authority, human beings will know nothing but pain, sorrow, suffering and death, taking many forms and using different strategies with each of us. 

There is no way we could ever “rule in hell rather than serve in heaven” as the phrase likes to claim because Satan has no interest in your opinion or participation, happiness or fulfillment, nor does he care about you in the least.  Anyone who says this needs to understand that Satan has no obligation to you, owes you nothing and promises you nothing.  If he promised anything, it is a lie as lying is his native language.

Back to the Matthew passage, Jesus invaded Satan’s Kingdom after coming down from His Kingdom on the mountain.  He was confronted with a demonic rep that was too much for the disciples He had left behind.  Why is that?

Jesus gives 3 reasons why the disciples could not drive out the demon.

1.     They Were Unbelieving—

a.     It’s like they had forgotten their own experience.  They had already been sent out with authority to drive out demons—Matt. 10:1.  They carried with them the authority of the Kingdom of God and it had worked before.

b.     It’s like they had forgotten.  It is like they believed the authority of the demon more than they believed the authority that Jesus had given them.  They were believing their eyes, rather than walking by faith and believing in their heart.  They had lived for too long in the world without seeing the power of God at work and that was available to them. 

c.     They believed the demon more than God.  There’s no telling what the demon said to the disciples but I’m sure it was unsettling. 

d.    While their Master was up on the Mountain in the cloud and smoke, experiencing the power and victory of the Kingdom of God, the disciples were down in the valley being defeated by the enemy—like Moses on Mt. Sinai while Aaron was building the golden calf.  They were living under the authority of the old kingdom rather than the New Kingdom that was coming down the mountain.

2.    Their Behavior was Perverse or Rebellious

a.     This is related to the last statement.  While they were believing in the false god—the demonic, the people in Exodus “engaged in revelry”.  Their behavior changed while their leader was away and it rendered them vulnerable to defeat, deception and idolatry. 

b.     In the same way, while Jesus and the others were up on the mountain, something about the remaining disciples changed—they became warped.  Their thinking and likely even their behavior had changed to the point that their authority was lost.

c.     Perhaps a recurring theme was going on.  Seeing the inner circle go up the mountain with Jesus might have really bothered them.  Seeing them blessed and privileged with this may have cause them to be jealous that Jesus didn’t take them and envious of the favorites.  Perhaps they began arguing and trying to justify how they should have been the one that went up.  Maybe they were getting angry at Jesus that He didn’t give them more credit or give them more responsibility.  Maybe they began to argue over who was the greatest or who would “sit” in seats of authority.  Perhaps they anticipated fighting the Romans and driving them out, taking vengeance upon their atrocities. 

d.    Perverse could also be translated Rebellious—which fits since we’re talking about authority to a King and Kingdom.  By rebelling against the Kingdom of God, they were putting themselves back under the authority of the Kingdom of Darkness.  Without the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were not out of the woods yet, and were vulnerable. 

e.     Perverse and Rebellious has to do with action.  Do our actions affect how we confront the demonic?  Yes—if we are continually in sin, then it’s doubtful we would even recognize the demonic.  If as believers we are ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit, ignoring repentance and turning away from our sin, we will be quenching the Spirit in us, rendering us unfruitful.  An unfruitful person has little power over the enemy.  It’s like trying to use a flashlight when the batteries are all but used up.  Yes, it turns on, but it doesn’t really help much, doesn’t light up enough to be useful and is flickering on the verge of going out. 

f.      Too many Christians, too many churches live as flashlights with dead batteries: dim, weak and useless to dispel the darkness.

3.    Because they Had Little faith

a.     The amount or size of the faith is irrelevant.  What matters is what or who your faith is in.  What you believe matters, but more than that…

b.     Satan, his kingdom and his demonic representatives are no match against the Kingdom of God and Jesus.  Satan is not God’s equal, not Jesus’ spirit brother or in any way on the same level.  Satan is a created being, a fallen angel that was created to serve God.  Jesus is the second person in the Trinity, God the Son, God in the Flesh—Emmanuel—God With Us.

c.     This is no contest.  The demon is not a match for anyone empowered with the Spirit of Jesus and sent out with His authority.  We have been given the armor of God in order to take our stand against the enemy.  It is a fight—but we have One who stands closer than a brother.  We have Jesus fighting for us and watching our back—Psalm 23.  We have the ability to resist him and stand firm in our faith.  In fact, Satan and his demons fear those who are submitted to God.  James 4:7—“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  Satan and his demons run and get away from those submitted to God.

d.    But we must be “self controlled and alert”—aware of the enemy’s temptations and tactics, and self controlled—as opposed to perverse and rebellious.

e.     We must be, according to Matthew 10:16 and Romans 16:19 “shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves”.  I’ve come to understand that this means we need to be aware of the tactics and patterns of the enemy so we can better combat them all the while not adopting those tactics as our own—remaining innocent.

f.      It is why we turn the other cheek at times.  Why we do not retaliate.  Why we bless rather than curse our enemies.  Why we are to clothe and feed them rather than enjoy their suffering.

g.     Satan repeatedly hits our weaknesses, often the same way, especially if it is successful in getting past our defenses.  It’s like what some football coaches believe—“run the same play until the defense proves they can stop it.”

h.     When I speak to people about coming to church after a long layoff, I always give them a warning.  If you say you’re going to attend this Sunday, then get ready because you’re about to get hit.  Something will happen to try to keep you from following through with this decision—your kids will get sick, your car won’t start, you’ll get in a fight with your spouse, the alarm won’t go off.  Something will happen to keep you away. 

i.      Because he wants you to be under his authority.  He wants you to be defeated.  He wants you to be powerless against him and not live in the power of the Kingdom of God.

j.      Too many Christians enjoy our perverse and rebellious behavior more than God—and so we live a powerless life.  Too many Christians believe what our eyes and immediate experience tells us rather than the truth of Christ’s transformation and New Authority.

k.     We live too often as if we have No Faith—we are Functional Atheists.  In this case, the disciples believe in the power of the demon more than they do the power of Jesus—and so they could not drive it out.

But even a little faith, even a young faith, even the least among you in Jesus has enough power to overthrow the Mountain that is the kingdom of Satan.

In Christ you have been made a New Creation, been given a New Citizenship in a New Kingdom and remain in this world as an Ambassador in order to take the fight to the Darkness

We are not to live in a spirit of fear, but a life of power as we walk, live and move in a world under another authority.  We live independent of the world’s authority, but we walk surrounded by it.  We are the true Free Radicals.

And in that Life for our new Kingdom, we have the authority to cast out Mountains.  In this case, Mountain isn’t so much a literal mountain as it is symbolic for Kingdom.

The Mountain Represents a Kingdom

This is not an uncommon symbolism in the Middle East and the world of Scripture.  Several commentaries I found say:

·         A mountain may represent the kingdom of God or a kingdom that tries to be like God.

·         Some societies identified sacred mountains with the location of their own political-religious center (e.g., Babylon, Delphi, Zion, Gerezim)

·         Isaiah 2:2 - In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

·         Habakkuk 3:6 He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.

Faith in Christ has the power to move Mountains/Kingdoms/Authorities.

And the Kingdom that is moved is the Kingdom of Darkness. 

Matthew 21:21—“Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.”

Most understand the Fig Tree to be symbolic of Israel being so unfruitful that its leaves are withered, opening up fruitfulness to the Gentiles.  In addition, if we understand “this mountain” in terms of Satan’s Kingdom and authority, then it is reminiscent of what happened to the herd of pigs in the region of the Decapolis after Jesus cast a Legion of demons out of man there.

Luke 8:32-33—“³² A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. ³³ When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

The Mountain into the Sea is symbolic of deposing the demonic strongholds in people’s lives and replacing them with the Kingdom of God.

It goes beyond the individual too.  Cultures have great beauty but also great darkness.  Whole cultures in this world are not immune from the influences and authority of the demonic.  These cultures have elements that are offensive to God and harden people to the hope of the Gospel.

Paul’s Mars Hill sermon in Acts 17 describes the religious culture, proclaims the truth that God has called everyone to repent and turn away from their idolatry.  This would change the culture—how it eats, how it approves of sex outside marriage, how women and children were used as toys for pleasure.  As Ambassadors for Christ advance the Kingdom of God, whole cultural strongholds and mountains also will be cast aside and transformed. 

That’s what we saw in the eventual take down of the slave trade by committed Christians in England like William Wilburforce.  That’s what we saw when Christianity stopped the abandonment of unwanted babies at temple shrines or under bridges and taught cultures to value life.  If only we would relearn that lesson and stop sacrificing our children on the altar of convenience—so we can continue in our irresponsibility.

The Kingdom of Darkness is cast out in the lives of the individual and that moves the Strongholds in the culture as a whole.

What Jesus is showing us is with just a small faith in the Bigger than the Universe God, the Mountain/Kingdom of Darkness cannot stand.  It is cast out of the way of the Kingdom of Light.

This is the fulfillment of Daniel 2:34-35 & 44

“As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth… 44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever”

The Mountain of God’s Kingdom will move all the other mountains in the world.  Satan’s kingdom, his mountain, his authority will be destroyed.  And Jesus proved just proved it.  

He came down from His mountain and invaded the kingdom of darkness.  With His authority, even the mountain of this world’s authority will move as His people advance.  

Let us not be unbelieving of this truth.

Let our behavior not be rebellious to this truth.

Let us truly have faith in Jesus because even a little faith in Him can move whole Kingdoms and Mountains