Where Is Your Focus?

Posted on May 3, 2021 by drgause@agause.com

And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus (Mat 14:29). The typical sermons I’ve heard emphasizes Peter’s failure. However, we shouldn’t overlook the fact he accomplished something no other human (except Jesus) had ever done. Peter. . . walked on the water (14:29). It does not say he stood on the water. Matthew doesn’t tell us how far—a few steps or a hundred yards? We don’t know. But it does not matter. For an unknown distance, Peter walked on water. Then something happened. He took his eyes off Jesus and noticed the fierce wind. The wind hadn’t changed. It wasn’t blowing any stronger or any less than when he stepped out of the boat. What changed? Peter’s focus shifted. At this point, his faith failed; he became frightened, and began to sink (v30).

The Holy Spirit led me to this passage years ago when I was in graduate school. With term papers to write, tests to take, books to read, etc, I became overwhelmed. I was already on a walk of faith just being in a master’s program. I felt inadequate for this level of education. However, the Lord had led me there; I entered the MA program focusing on Him. I did well for three months, but suddenly I was frightened and sinking. The number of assignments hadn’t changed; the number of term papers was the same. Why was I frightened and sinking? The Holy Spirit spoke to me through this scripture, “You’ve taken your focus off Jesus”.

Our journey through life is no different. The Christian must walk by faith in a world full of problems; strong winds are blowing, and storms are always raging around us. All of us at times can become overwhelmed. It seems like the last two years have taken us through a hurricane. If we are struggling to stay afloat, we need to do a personal reality check and ask ourselves, “ Where’s my focus?” The Book of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus (12:2). The Greek word translated fix means to gaze or to stare with undivided attention by looking away from every other object and see nothing thing else. The context in this verse concerns Jesus enduring the cross, despising the shame. How did Jesus do that, because of the joy set before Him? The word set before means to lie before one’s eyes. Jesus endured the cross and shame because His focus was on the joy He could see beyond the cross. Thankfully, He didn’t lose His focus.

The encouraging lesson for us comes after Peter lost his focus and began sinking. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him (v31). The Book of Hebrews tells us one reason Jesus came, For in that which He suffered, having Himself been tempted, He is able to run to the cry of those who are being tempted and bring them aid (2:18 Wuest). The phrase run to the cry, which KJV translates ‘able to succour’ means provide immediate assistance to even the faintest cry. We may feel like it is all over, but Jesus never abandons us. If you are sinking, cry out to Jesus, He will not let you perish, but return you to the boat.

If someone dropped you into the eye of the strongest hurricane and you walked at the same speed it was moving, you would remain in perfect calm while the storm raged around you. When we focus on Jesus in this stormy world, it’s like walking in the eye of His calm and peace. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you (Is 26:3 ESV).

Sustaining Word for the Week: Where’s your focus today? You may feel like it’s too late. You’re frightened and sinking. Cry out to Him and you’ll find Him reaching out and taking hold of you. And then refocus on Jesus.

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Draw Near

Posted on April 26, 2021 by drgause@agause.com

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (Jas 4:8) or Come close to God, and God will come close to you (NTL). What image comes to mind when you read this verse? Maybe you envision sliding over on the sofa and then God moving over next to you or God embracing you in an emotional experience as you would with your spouse. My method of Bible interpretation and application has altered over the years. This adjustment has brought greater clarity and understanding of scripture. Now, I focus on finding how a verse or phrase applies to practical life. What does it look like to draw near to God? What actions did James expect his readers to take to draw near to God?

The first step in all interpretation begins with examining the book as a whole. Who was the author, who was the audience, when and why did James write? He starts by telling us to whom he was writing. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings (1:2). James was the half-brother of Jesus, the brother of Jude, and the leader of the Jerusalem church. He did not send the letter just to one church but to Jews dispersed across other nations. James wrote from a Jewish mindset, and the style of the letter is like Proverbs in contrast to a discourse. Without a doubt, it is the least theological in the NT. It deals more with the practice of the Christian faith than with its precepts (Constable). With that information, I asked myself what image came to mind with a Hebrew when they read Draw near to God and He will draw near to you?

The first time a Jew living by the Law read this verse, they were probably shocked. They would think of Moses at the burning bush or their ancestors at Mt. Sinai. These best illustrates the concept of the old covenant. The Lord said to Moses, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Exo 3:5). God told the people, “Moses alone, however, shall come near to the Lord, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him” (Exo 24:2). The priests were allowed to draw near only if they were cleansed and holy. “Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them” (Exo 19:22). The Law instructed the priest how to consecrate themselves by rituals and offerings. But the Law was weak, useless, and made nothing perfect (Heb 7:18, 19). Even then, the nearest a priest could come was outside the veil that hid God. The Law taught that God was holy and man could not perfect himself and enter into His presence.  

Note the change under the new covenant. God says: “Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you.” How can that happen? The Law was only a shadow or pattern of the good things to come and pointed us towards the way of righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. Jesus once for all offered His body and sanctified and perfected us for all time. An offering or a ritual is not something that a believer needs year after year. Now we can draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith . . . by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh (Heb 10:20, 22).

With this in mind, what does it look like to draw near to God? First, we need to determine what it is not.  Drawing near is not a spatial occurrence. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Joh 4:24). It does not take place by seeking a subjective aesthetic experience. Others believe they can draw near through the accumulation of biblical knowledge. I had a man in Sunday School for years who knew as much about the written Word as I did. But he was an atheist and came to church because of his wife. Drawing near does not happen because we discipline ourselves to keep a set of legalistic rules. Twice Jesus referred to Isaiah 29:13; These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

Drawing near begins with having a sincere desire for truth. God’s truth is absolute and is irrefutable, unarguable, and unchanging. People may say they want to draw near to God, but when confronted with the absolutes of God’s Word, they rebel. Those who draw near have total confidence and trust in God. Living near to God is an act of faith. Faith believes what God has said and acts upon it. Abiding near to God is not a feeling. If we are living according to His Word, we are near Him.

For the immature believer or a non-believer, he writes, cleanse your hands the instruments by which people do evil. This means clean up our actions. Purify your hearts, the source of sin. And humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up (Jas 4:10). 

Sustaining Word for the Week: You can draw near and live near God by what Jesus did for us.

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Simple

Posted on April 19, 2021 by drgause@agause.com

Remember the days when you could buy a new TV, plugged it in, hit the on/off switch, turn a knob to set it to the station you wanted to watch, adjust the volume, and sit down. The only other changes you could make were the brightness and contrast. Despite my background as an engineer in TV broadcasting and two-way radio communication, today if we buy a new TV, I have to call my grandson to come set it up. The instructions are too complex using words, abbreviations, and emojis I don’t understand. I began back in the days of vacuum tubes and when electronic equipment was simple. Now with all the advancements —no tubes— everything has become complicated. History shows that after any nation was destroyed, the remnant returned to a simple basic life of food, shelter, clothing, and family. The Western world has developed into a complex and complicated system.

Complicated systems don’t stop at the church door. When I came to Christ, all I knew was the simple Gospel—Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins; by faith, I could repent and ask Him to forgive me; and He would give me eternal life. I did this riding in my truck on the way to work. Instantly, I knew my life had changed. BUT! Then Christians began to teach me all the rules, rituals, and traditions I must follow, which began complicating my walk with Christ. By the time I finished my theological training, I had created a well-defined structure of beliefs. Somewhere in my complex system, my simple Gospel beginning got lost.

Last year a verse in Corinthians caught my attention. Paul admonished the Corinthians, But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ (2 Corin 11:3). Note what the serpent did; he led Eve away from the simplicity . . . of devotion to Christ. The Lord made serving Him in the Garden simple. But Satan convinced Adam and Eve there was more they needed to know. He complicated their simple life. By the time Jesus came the Pharisees and Sadducees had so complicated the ten commandments with an additional 613 commandments, 248 do’s and 365 do not’s, it became impossible for the common man to know how they should serve the Lord.

Jesus came to the common people and simplified serving God. He reduced all the complex rules of the Pharisees and Sadducees to two commands. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these (Mk 12: 30, 31 NIV). Jesus told His disciples, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Scriptures do have teachings that are deep and mature, which we must study and ponder to understand. “But the core tenets of Christianity are simple. Salvation, worship, the church, and daily living can be understood by even the simplest of minds” (Wes McAdams). Have we made Christianity too complicated and confusing for the common person to understand?

Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica and told them to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you (4:11). He conveys the idea of a quiet and peaceful life to Timothy. We are to pray for the authorities so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1Ti 2:2.) A tranquil and quiet life indicates a simple life with an uncluttered heart. It doesn’t leave us exhausted and stressed out. Rather a simple, tranquil, and quiet life brings freedom. When we face troubles, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to lead us to scriptures that give us simple directions, and He provides comfort, peace, and strength. It is that simple.

You may think this is an odd illustration but bear with me. This life lesson has been in the back of my mind as I wrote this. It has helped me better understand my spiritual journey as a Christian. When I bought my second hunting bow, I got all the ‘bells and whistles’—recurve, sights, balance weights, silencers, etc. Over time, I began noticing people at the target range I knew that had been using a bow for years were shooting a simple straight bow. Basically, that’s a refined version of what we made as kids from a long stick and a string. I asked the owner and he said it seems that the long-time bow users always began with the most complex bow they could purchase but after a time they got tired of their complicated set-up and switched back to the simplest bow they could get. Maybe all of us need to go back to the simple Gospel.

Sustaining Word for the Week: Are you exhausted from doing too much trying to satisfy religious rules? Jesus made it simple. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest  (Mat 11:28). Simple is a lifestyle choice.

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Step of Confidence

Posted on April 5, 2021 by drgause@agause.com

“Fran, let me pray for you; you look so sick.” Between her coughs and sneezing, she responded, “I’m not sick. By faith, I’m not sick.” That night she became so ill with the flu, she was in bed for three weeks still claiming her faith had healed her. Over the next months, with more disappointments in what she thought faith was, Fran left the church. Sadly, she’s not the only person I’ve watched fall because of their misunderstanding and misuse of faith. Faith is essential for our Christan walk; And without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6). So what is faith?

First, it’s not a denial of reality as Fran thought, neither is it a blank check to get anything you ask for and believe our faith guarantees it. One of the most misleading definitions of faith today says it is a blind leap into the darkness of the unknown, hoping something is out there to catch you. Religionists claim that faith means to believe in something with no evidence. The skeptic Mark Twain remarked, “faith is believing in what ain’t so.” The Bible nowhere asks us to take a blind leap; biblical faith is the exact opposite. Faith is a confident, rational step into the light based on evidence, reason, and relationship. When Paul came to Thessalonica for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures (Act 17:2). 

The word translated faith and also trust are from the same root word. The foundation of faith is trust in the object of your faith. Some teach to have faith in your faith. “I’m trusting in my faith.” This makes faith the object of your faith, which is meaningless and leads to disappointment because it has no object. Biblical faith is trust in a person—God. Having faith means that you are trusting in God’s character and trustworthiness. The object of Abraham’s faith was not God’s promise that he would have a son; his faith rested on God Himself.

Note several other facts about faith. First, faith is a gift from God and not something we can create on our own.  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8). Grace and faith are both divine gifts. God’s grace is not a reward for faith; faith is the result of grace. Faith is a fruit of the Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith (Gal 5:22 BBE). Faith grows as our knowledge of God grows through our increasing understanding of His word. But faith is more than a passive awareness that comes by studying the Bible. My definition of faith has developed into a simple statement—faith is taking God at His word and acting upon it. Faith puts belief into action, trusting the character of God regardless of the outcome. It does not always bring the results we ask for. We don’t get a new luxury car or new house because we are believing we will. Rather, we are trusting God to bring about His will in our life and what is best.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were about to be thrown into Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace of blazing fire for not bowing to his gods, they responded, If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up” (Dan 3:17, 18 MSG). The object of their faith wasn’t deliverance, it was trust in the Lord that His will would be accomplished.

Habakkuk is another example of trust in God when his crops failed and his herds didn’t produce. He proclaimed When the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines; when the olive trees do not produce and the fields yield no crops; when the sheep disappear from the pen and there are no cattle in the stalls— I will rejoice because of the Lord; I will be happy because of the God who delivers me (Hab 3:17, 18 NET)!

We hail the men and women of Hebrews 11, as the heroes of faith but can miss an important truth about them. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us . . . (Heb 11:39, 40 NIV). Their faith was not in what they hoped to receive but their trust was in God the provider. We can take a confident and rational step in the light of His Word. For those who have received Jesus’ salvation by faith have learned to trust in Him because of all He has proven to us.

Sustaining Word for the Week: Focus or maybe refocus your faith not on the results but on the One who will provide. And even if He does not give us what we wanted, He has something better.

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