Formula for National Healing

Formula for National Healing

June 8, 2020

Jeremiah 33:6 "I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security."

The prophet Daniel, wrote in Daniel chapter 9 about Jeremiah, and he said he understood the 70 years of captivity were about to come to an end, as written about through the prophet Jeremiah, as there was a promise and a caveat. The promise is in Jeremiah 33, and the Lord says starting in verse 6, I will bring health and healing to it (meaning the land and the people in it), and I will bring them back and rebuild them. Then it goes on to further say, I will cleanse them from their sin and will forgive their rebellion against me. I will restore the fortunes of the Land as they were before. So Daniel read these words and he was scratching off the years waiting for the Lord to bring full restoration and healing to the house of Israel.

If you read chapter 9 of Daniel, he doesn’t pack a suitcase, he doesn’t write letters to his relatives telling them he is going to come home and ask them to get a hot dinner ready, you’ll read it and notice that he gets on his knees and repents. Daniel repents. Daniel was likely one of the most righteous men of the time, possible the most righteous man alive, and he gets on his knees and repents. He understood the Lord was going to heal the land and forgive the sins and so Daniel took it upon himself to repent for the need to live in exile in the first place, because the children of Israel broke the covenant with the Lord. Daniel repented on behalf of all the sins that were committed to get them the 70-year sentence, even though Daniel was only a child when it all started and went down. Daniel, himself, had nothing to do with the 70 years in exile and had nothing personal to repent for, absolutely nothing, but he repented on behalf of all the sins of the forefathers that brought the punishment of the exile.

Daniel, unlike a few of our church leaders today, understood the formula in the Bible to bring about national healing. The formula is found in 2 Chronicles 7. The Lord says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and repent of their wicked ways, then I will hear their prayers and then I will forgive their sins and then I will heal their land.

Daniel knew the formula, if he wanted the prophet's words to come true, the formula for seeing the nation healed and people restored, there had to be repentance. The formula is an if-then statement. It requires acknowledgement of sin and repentance from it. The Lord says the acknowledgement of sin and repentance comes first and then the healing and restoration would follow. We often get it wrong, and our church leaders today calling for prayers to restore and heal our land is wrong. The church leaders need to call for  repentance.

Daniel knew this. He knew he had to acknowledge and repent of the sins of his forefathers and that the Lord would do His part. Jeremiah told them of this need for forgiveness of sins, and both Jeremiah and Daniel were familiar with the formula in 2 Chronicles 7. Daniel had to lead. And so, we as Christians, need to lead the way in repentance if we want to see our national healed. Don't pray for national healing, that is a foregone conclusion from the Lord when there is repentance.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  2 Chr 7, Jer 33, Dan 9

Out of Season Fruit

Out of Season Fruit

June 1, 2020

Mark 11:13 "Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit."

Both in the books of Matthew and Mark, there is an account of the story where Jesus curses the fig tree. In the accounts, Jesus walked up to the fig tree, desiring some fruit from it. When He noticed that it did not have any fruit, He cursed the fig tree and it quickly withered up and died. The accounts detail there were leaves on the tree, which meant summer was present, but Mark notes that it was not fully fruit season yet. Mark declares that no one expected figs yet, since it was not season, and yet Jesus walked up to the tree anyway because He was hungry and wanted some fruit. Why would Jesus have walked up to the tree expecting some fruit? Jesus knew it was not fruit season yet. Why would Jesus expect something from the tree inappropriately and then punish the tree when it was not producing fruit out of season? The story goes on to impress the power of the spoken word that the Disciples would have in their lives, creating an analogy to the actions of Jesus at the fig tree, but is there something more to the fig tree?

Recall that Jesus was present and an active participation in the original creation during Genesis. The Bible says that by the power of the spoken word, the world, and all that is in it, was created.  Life was spoken into that fig tree from the very beginning and it was given instructions to bear fruit. Back then, in the Garden of Eden, there was no rain or seasons, and no curse of winter. Back then, the fig tree was instructed to bear fruit at all times, and it was able to bear fruit constantly. If a fruit tree had leaves on it, at the original creation, it had fruit on it. There was no such thing as in-season fruit; it was always in season. Jesus and the fig tree that He cursed, had a prior relationship, one where Jesus walked up to any tree in the Garden of Eden and it was always bearing fruit. Since the fall of man, fig trees came under the same curse, the curse of winter and only bearing fruit in-season. Jesus knew this particular fig tree would not have fruit on it, since it was subject to the rules of times. But Jesus remembered that fig tree when it wasn't under a curse, when life was spoken into it and when it was commanded to bear fruit at all times, and when there was always sweet fruit to satisfy hunger.

Jesus used the cursing of the fig tree to communicate to the Disciples the power they would have in their ministries, but was that the reason Jesus walked up to that fig tree that day, looking for fruit? No one knows if Jesus used it as a set-up to teach the Disciples, but there is more to the story than communicating the power the Disciples would be able to display. It was a reminder of what spoke that fig tree into life at the beginning, that life was created by the power of the word, but also that bearing fruit was a requirement. The Lord's original intent for that fig tree was to bear fruit at all times, without consideration for a season.

Like that original fig tree, you and I were intended to serve the Lord at all times, without regard for seasons. There is more to the analogy of the fig tree than just communicating the power the Disciples would have; Jesus wanted to communicate that if we do not bear fruit then we will be cut off from the Lord permanently. He does not require that we bear fruit only when we feel we are ready; we were created to bear fruit at all times. The Lord's intent for you life is for fruit, even today when you do not feel you are coming into your season yet. The Lord expects you to bear fruit and if you do not, then you will reap the rewards of that fig tree, you will join the fig tree in its curse. Its time to bear fruit, even if you think it is out of season for fruit.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Gen 1:1-13, Jer 17:8, Matt 7:15-20, Matt 21:18-22, Mark 11:12-26, John 15:1-8

Will You Respond

Will You Respond

May 18, 2020

Philippians 3:16 "But we must hold on to the progress we have already made."

Jesus appeared to John, one of the original 12 disciples, when John was in his 80s, exiled on the isle of Patmos, where John penned the book of Revelation. Jesus told him to write down all that he saw, both for the present and the future.  There was revelation for the present churches that Jesus wanted to get out, and Jesus called out seven churches specifically, with a brief word from the Lord for them. It was a prophetic word detailed for the specifics of the respective church at that time. The churches, however, represent churches today, too, as the issues addressed were not unique to anything that isn't going on in churches today.

Without going into detail on the seven specific churches, the issues were: forsaking their first love, false doctrine and false prophets inside the church, asleep Christians who still have work to do, and lukewarm Christians needing discipline. While each church clearly had their specific problem the Lord wanted to call out, these issues represent problems that go on inside the walls of our churches today. In fact, we are all likely guilty of one, or more, of the items on the list (at some point). The Lord wanted each church to finish well and admonished them to repent and correct the error.

Your church is not perfect, since is full of imperfect people, but the Lord gives each of us opportunity to repent and correct, both collectively and individually. His message to the churches was clear and John delivered them to the letter. What we don't know, however, is how they responded when they read the letter from John as a prophetic word from Jesus. Did they crumple up the letter and discard it as fake? Did they hear the word but disregard the call to action? If you had received that letter this week in your church, one detailing an error in practices and a call to repent, would you believe the letter and respond? John was pretty credible, so it is not likely they did not believe the message was from Jesus, but how did they react and how far did they get in repenting and correcting the errors in the church?

Churches get it wrong daily, so do Christians. When Jesus had John pen the letters to the churches, He did not wish to destroy the whole church or close their doors, simply adjust what was wrong.  He commended each of them for something because they were getting some things right and perfect, but He wanted them to be blameless in everything. How would you have responded? Jesus wrote you a letter, too, its the whole Bible that you've likely read before. When you read it, do you readily see the error in your ways and repent and correct? How do you respond? Will you respond? You are not likely to get an unique letter from Jesus, rather His Holy Spirit will bring to light your failings, if you're willing to give Him the opportunity. How often do you give Him the opportunity? When He points out the things you need adjusting, are you going to close your ears and refuse to change? This is our biggest tactic when confronted with our imperfections; we deny its truth or discount its validity. What if its true? What if you've forsaken your first love or what if you've fallen asleep and there are still things you need to do for Him?  The Lord is speaking to you even now, about your shortcomings. Will you respond?

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Rev 2-3