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Jeremiah 17:5-8 5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.  6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.  7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Our house in Sherman had a row of Japanese boxwoods that I planted. They did well except for one spot on the corner of the house where the shrubs kept dying. I replaced the bushes in that spot three or four times, and they grew for a while, but then they start turning brown and eventually died off. No one could figure out why this kept happening. There seemed to be something in the soil in that spot that kept killing the plants.

Where something is rooted is important. If a plant is rooted in a place where it does not get proper food and water, it won’t grow. If the roots do not run deep, the plant will have a hard time withstanding the winds of adversity. This applies to people as well as plants. Where are your roots?

All of us are rooted in this world. Many think and live and act as though this is all there is. They have an emptiness in their lives that they want to fill. Some determine the way to be happy is by taking advantage of everything this world has to offer. They look for sustenance and nourishment in things. They try to find fulfillment in getting more money, more toys, more vacations, bigger houses, newer cars, designer clothes, electronic gadgets and whatever else they can find. Such pursuits consume their lives and bring, at best, fleeting satisfaction. If you live life as though this is all there is, that empty feeling will never go away. If you put your trust and confidence in things, not only will you be disappointed here on earth…you will be devastated for eternity, like a parched bush in the wasteland.

So what about those of us who follow Jesus? Our roots are in the world, too. And Jesus warned it would not always be easy: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He overcame the world and offered you something better. He promises forgiveness of sins and fulfilled lives when you believe in Him as your Savior. He also prayed that you would understand that your spiritual sustenance should not come from the world, but from Him.

John 17:13-17 ¹³ “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

What we need to survive, more than that to live forever, will not come from the world. It comes from the WORD, and the Word Made Flesh, Jesus Christ. Yes, we are in this world, but we are not to be of the world. It is imperative for Christians rooted in this world to be nourished by the Word. We are made holy by God’s truth, which has been shown to us in Jesus Christ. We need to drink deeply of the love and grace and promises that God has made and fulfilled in Jesus. We do that when we are in His Word.

The passage from Jeremiah equates trust and confidence in the Lord with being rooted in a spot where you will get all the nourishment you need, like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. Trees planted in spots like that will flourish.

Where are your roots?

Ignorance is not always seen as a bad thing. The old saying “Ignorance is bliss” might lead you to believe that ignorance is to be preferred. However, just because you think everything is fine does not mean that it is! Ignorance is not truly bliss. You may be ignorant of the fact that you have a water leak under your slab, and be happy thinking that everything is fine. But eventually you will discover that things are not as blissful as you believed. (Yes, that is the voice of experience speaking.)

A long time ago somewhat explained it to me this way: “Being ignorant is not a sin. Staying ignorant is.” It is one thing to not know something because you have not had proper information shared with you through no fault of your own. It is an entirely different matter to be confronted with true information and then chose to ignore it.

In Acts 3 we see how Peter was changed by the Resurrection of Jesus. He was empowered and emboldened by Jesus to tell others that “He is Risen” and that changes everything. After Jesus used him to heal a cripple outside the Temple, Peter was sharing this message of the living Jesus with the crowd that gathered. Peter says that he knows the Jews acted in ignorance when they crucified Jesus.

Acts 3:17 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.”

Peter is trying to help them escape their ignorance by telling them that Jesus is their Risen Lord and Savior. He loves them so much that He let Himself be killed in order to pay the price our sins demand. That He did everything we need to be saved is confirmed beyond all doubt by His resurrection. So Peter tells those who killed Jesus that His love is big enough to forgive even that. He had come so that everyone could be forgiven and receive the undeserved gift of eternal life.

When you have that knowledge, that certainty, that faith, it changes you. God wants your life to be transformed by His love. He tells you not to let fear and worry block your view of life as it is under His control.

1 John 4:18 perfect love drives out fear

That perfect love is Jesus Christ, God’s love that came to earth as one of us to free us from our slavery to sin and death and fear and worry. And that love incarnate told us how our lives should be changed by our faith in him.

Matthew 6:25, 34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear  … do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Imagine what it is like for those who have not been led to faith. Their worries and fears surround them and cripple them. They may feel blissful and secure in their ignorance, not knowing that without faith in Jesus they are doomed to an eternity of torment. But it does not have to be that way. God has made it possible for everyone to be forgiven for Jesus’ sake. In Acts, Peter was trying to make sure the Jews didn’t STAY ignorant.

You and I need to remind each other not to let fear keep us from living lives as God’s trusting children. We need to be emboldened in the same way Peter was to share what we know and lead others out of their ignorance. We want them to join us as those who are blessed by believing that because Jesus lives, we live also.

One of the things I have enjoyed doing for a number of years is working with Habitat for Humanity. I have done it off and on for about a dozen years now, but I had not done anything with Habitat since last September. Travel, preaching at Port Isabel for a month, a death in the family, the holidays, bad weather and illness had put me on the sidelines. But that changed last week. I was able to go help do some chainsaw work, helping clear off a lot for our next build. I worked for four hours, and while it felt good, I was completely worn out after that. Not having done anything like that for a while meant I was out of shape. I needed a lot of rest.

Physical exhaustion tells you that you need to rest. If you don’t, it can have severe consequences. Why don’t we recognize the same thing about ourselves in the spiritual realm? We try to cover up and hide our spiritual exhaustion from ourselves and others, which can also have dire consequences.

We often speak of Jesus being our example to follow, and that should be true in this area as well. When he felt depleted, He went and talked to His Father (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16). This would give Him the rest and refreshment He needed. And He invites us to do the same.

Matthew 11:28–30 ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

“Rest for your souls.” It comes when we spend time with Jesus. We speak to Him. We listen to His Word. We remind ourselves that He is our Savior, that He has rescued us from sin, death and the devil. He has given us His salvation and assured us of complete forgiveness and life eternal. And He promises to be with us every step of the way as we go through our lives.

Jesus knows that living as His followers will wear us down at times. That is why He invites us to come to Him. And He promises us the rest we need. Spend some time speaking and listening to Him every day.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

All things to all men, all things to all people – that sounds like something a politician would try, doesn’t it? In an election year, we see plenty of that. Candidates morph into a different person depending on the crowd that is around them, kind of like a chameleon blending in with its surroundings. Is that what Paul is talking about here?

Not exactly. Paul starts off by saying that he is free. He acknowledges the freedom God has given him: freedom from sin, death and devil that Jesus accomplished for all people when He took sin on Himself and paid the debt with His death. That freedom belongs to all who have put their faith in Jesus. It is real freedom, the most important freedom we all need. So what does Paul do with that freedom? He declares himself a slave to others for the sake of Jesus and in order to win them for Jesus.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law …, so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law …, so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men …

On a superficial level, it sounds as though Paul is describing the very thing we hate and despise about politicians. So how is this different? Motive? Motivation alone, no matter how noble, does not justify telling people what they want to hear just so they will like you or vote for you. But if you look closely, you will see that is not what Paul is describing. Paul’s motivation is good: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel.”  Paul does what he does for the Gospel. He is working to bring others into the fold. But that noble motive alone is not enough to make a case for “the end justifying the means.” Again, that is not what Paul is describing. His definition of being all things to all people could be put this way: meet people where they are. If you want to share the Gospel with Jews, you have to understand the Jewish mindset. If you want to share the message of Jesus with those trying to earn their salvation, you need to understand their thought process. If you want to share the message of life and salvation with those who don’t think they need saving, you must understand their frame of reference. Meet people where they are. Know their culture, their belief systems, and meet them where they are.

In order to share the Gospel with someone, you have to understand how they think, where they are coming from. That is what Paul is encouraging in this passage. Take Jesus to them where they are. Be all things to all people.

We’ve had a lot of rain already this year where I live. I’m not complaining, just setting the scene. Because we live in a rural area, we burn a lot of our trash in a barrel. With all the rain, it had been a while since I emptied the ashes. There is a large washed-out area at the back our property where I dump them. You go through a low-lying area in the trees to get to it, crossing two run-off creeks.

Since the barrel was over half full of ashes, yesterday I put it on my tractor and headed off to empty it. There was still some water in the creeks, but it didn’t look too bad. I made it through the first one, but as soon as I hit the second creek, I knew I was in trouble. I felt the tractor sinking below me. Even though it is four-wheel drive and has very aggressive tires, that makes no difference when it sinks down to the axles. It is stuck. Because we had more rain last night, it will probably sit there a while before I get it out.

Have you ever been stuck in the mud? It is a pretty helpless feeling. The Psalmist wrote about that.

Psalm 40:1–3 ¹ I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. ² He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. ³ He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

Commentators tell us that terms like mud, mire, the pit or the depths all refer to Sheol or the grave. It is a bad thing to be stuck in the mud, even more so if you are talking about what you deserve because of your sin! But David, who wrote this Psalm, reminds us that God is our Savior, our rescuer. He lifts us up out of what we deserve and sets us on the firm foundation of His promises.

You and I know that God has kept all His promises in Jesus. He is the Rock of our salvation, the one who has paid for our sin and given us His victory over the grave. That is our reason for singing His praises in our lives, which gives others the chance to “see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”

 Don’t stay stuck in the mud.

My previous devotion was about our foreknowledge, what we know in advance because God has given us His Word. I want to look at a little more of Peter’s Pentecost sermon with you today and talk about a couple of other significant words in this passage.

Acts 2:14a,22-32 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: …  22 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him: “`I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ 29 “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

A key word near this end of this passage is “MARTUS,” witnesses, from which we get the English word “martyr.” Peter speaks of how they were witnesses to all that they were saying. Eyewitnesses are important in proving a case. They are the most credible kind of evidence there is. And it was a Biblical standard that two witnesses verify the truth of a matter.

• Deuteronomy 17:6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
• Matthew 18:16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
• 1 Timothy 5:19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.

Witnesses are credible because they have firsthand knowledge of something. If more than one person says it, you can count on it. You and I are witnesses to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Can you say that you are a witness in the same sense that Peter does in this passage? Simply put, No. Peter and the disciples were primary, first hand, eyewitnesses. They watched Jesus die on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. They saw Him buried. They also saw Him victoriously risen from the dead. I guess you would have to say that we are secondary witnesses, relying on the testimony of those who were eyewitness. But we are nonetheless witnesses to the truth.

After His resurrection, when Jesus appeared to the disciples without Thomas, do you remember what he said? Thomas said He would not believe unless he saw it for himself, and what did Jesus reply? Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. (John 20:29) He was speaking about us, those who are removed by time and space from being eyewitnesses. Yet we have believed, we are blessed, and we are now to be witnesses. While our witness is not the same as that of the eyewitnesses, we do know what has happened. You and I know that Jesus was put to death for our transgressions and raised again for our justification. His death was for us, His resurrection was for us. We know that. So we are witnesses.

Another term of significance in this passage is the one translated as “tell confidently.” This was a word had different meanings depending on the context in which it was used. In the Political world, this term was used to refer to “free speech” in a democracy. In the Private sector, it also meant to speak freely, but it sometimes had a negative connotation as in being impudent. In the book of Acts it is used in the sense of bold, open, public speaking, or “candor.” (4:13; 9:27-28; 14:3) On that first Christian Pentecost, enlightened and emboldened by the Holy Spirit, the disciples were telling confidently what they had witnessed.

You and I are witnesses who know what will happen. We should feel the same urge and urgency to let other people know what we know. You and I can speak of this confidently, based on the fact that we are speaking God’s Word and His promise, not our own. The same Spirit that enabled the disciples to speak on that first Christian Pentecost will empower us to be His witnesses, too. We can speak the truth just as confidently as the first disciples did.

May God enable all of us to confidently tell others this Good News of our Savior.

Acts 2:14a,22-24 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: …  22 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Over the years, I have heard from lots of people when they,someone in their family or even a friend of theirs gets a medical diagnosis that they don’t want to hear: a mother with Alzheimer’s, a two-year-old with a brain tumor, a young man paralyzed in an automobile accident, an uncle with pancreatic cancer. Often times when someone is sharing news like this, they will say, “The prognosis doesn’t look good” or “the prognosis isn’t good.” That word, PROGNOSIS, has worked its way into many of our vocabularies. More often than not, we use it and hear it in a negative setting, like the ones I just mentioned. However, it is possible to get a good prognosis from the doctor, too. But what does this term mean? For the most part, it has to do with a predicted outcome, what you think will happen. Our English usage of this term has to do with conjecture, or maybe an educated guess.

The passage above from Acts 2 contains the Greek word  “PROGNOSEI.” That is the basis for our word prognosis, which is translated in the New Testament as FOREKNOWLEDGE – This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge. PROGNOSEI comes from the Greek “pro” meaning before and “gnosis” meaning knowledge. It literally means to know something in advance. It is used here to speak of God knowing in advance what He was sending Jesus to do. He did it on purpose, He meant to do it. This was His plan. There was no guess work involved, but a definite and certain plan. And God’s prognosis, His advance knowledge of what Jesus would do, was good. God had a definite plan long in advance, going all the way back to the Garden of Eden. It was all carried out, down to Christ being handed over to lawless men who crucified Him.

This passage speaks of God’s knowing in advance what would happen. Through Christ, He has now given us advance knowledge, too, a prognosis. In addition to knowing what has happened, we know what will happen in our future. And our prognosis is not just conjecture or even a super educated guess. It is definite knowledge of which we have absolute certainty. We know that Christ was put to death and raised again so that we might have forgiveness and life. Our future is life everlasting with our Savior in joy and peace. We say in the creed, and He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead. We know that will happen. And since we will be judged not on the basis of who we are or what we have done, but rather on the basis of our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we will be forever with the Lord.

What’s the prognosis? When it comes to the outcome of our faith, there is no guesswork involved. We know what has happened and we know what God has promised for our future.

For my entire ministry I enjoyed working with kids. The older I got, the harder it was for me to keep up with their world, their frame of reference, their vocabulary and the like. They take the rapid technological advances in stride. I still marvel that we can video chat with anyone in the world in real time!

I remember about twenty years ago I was talking to a teenager and made a reference to Will Rogers’ famous line, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” I was greeted by a horrified, disgusted look, followed by the question, “Was he gay?” They have as much trouble relating to me as I do to them. I have to confess that at times I find myself agreeing with the words of that song from the musical “Bye Bye Birdie.”

“Kids! I don’t know what’s wrong with these kids today. Kids! Who can understand anything they say? Kids! They are disobedient, disrespectful oafs! Noisy, crazy, sloppy, lazy loafers! And while we’re on the subject, kids! You can talk and talk till your face is blue! Kids! But they still do just what they want to do! Why can’t they be like we were? Perfect in every way! What’s the matter with kids today?” (lyrics from the song “Kids” by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse, featured in the musical “Bye Bye Birdie.”)

Yes, indeed, what is the matter with kids? If you’re looking for examples of societal collapsing, consider these: One high school cancelled its prom for the first time in history because last year’s senior class “got drunk and left bottles and cans all over the street.” Then there’s the school where pregnancy starts in junior high and has become so prevalent, students nonchalantly call it the “sophomore disease.” Speaking of sex, I just read about two sex-crazed girls who wanted a man so badly they conspired to get their own widowed father drunk so they could jump his bones. The father didn’t remember it, but he impregnated both girls. And what should we make of the kid who was so jealous of his brother, he lured him into a field, killed him in cold blood and then, after smarting off to the judge about his crime, got away with a slap on the wrist? Then there’s the ingrate son who conspired with his greedy mother to swindle his blind father and cheat his older brother out of any inheritance. Kids! What’s the problem with these kids?

Well, for starters, they’re not kids anymore. The drunks who forced the prom cancellation were from the Class of 1933 in rural Indiana. The pregnancy story is from a high school in the 1970s. The last three episodes I mentioned are all from the Bible: the girls who got their dad drunk and essentially raped him are Lot’s daughters. The murderous brother is Cain and the swindler son is Jacob. 6,000-year-old stories that lead you to conclude the next generation is going to send society to hell in a hand basket.

What’s the matter with kids today? The same thing that has always been wrong with them. This is not a new problem. It is an ongoing one. We see piercings and tattoos covering ever more body parts, wildly colored hair and outfits and we think to ourselves, “What’s wrong with these kids? There’s no hope for them.” I know I’ve had those thoughts. I had a neighbor kid who I was convinced would be in jail before he was 20, and I prayed he wouldn’t end up killing someone. In fact, he did kill someone and wound up in jail.

The fact that the concern about the next generation has always been around and the world has somehow survived up till now anyway does not mean we should ignore the problem or gloss it over. It is a real problem. It is also a problem for which there is a real solution. God’s solution.

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. 

The most crucial part of that training is to teach them about God’s grace. Yes, you use to the Law to shape and mold them and teach them proper behavior. You teach them that there are consequences for their actions. But you absolutely need to tell them that God’s grace offers mercy and forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. You tell them that He died to pay for sin so that we would not have to do so ourselves.

I’ll share more on this tomorrow.

“Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.” I thought of that song lyric a lot last week. I dropped Cheryl off at the airport on Sunday. She flew to St. Louis for several meetings because of her position on the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Board of Directors. She did not fly back until Saturday evening. I always miss her terribly when she is gone, but the reason I kept thinking about that song lyric had a different significance this time. I literally did not see the sun the entire week. We had rain and fog and clouds all week long. It was not until I was driving to the airport on Saturday that the sun finally made a brief appearance before going back behind the clouds again for the rest of the day. The next morning, the skies were completely clear and it was a beautiful, sunny day!

Because of the rain, I was stuck inside much of the week, unable to do some of the things outside that I wanted to do. I made use of the time cleaning, organizing, and decluttering our house. I made several trips to donation centers to get rid of stuff that was sitting in our home and attic unused. While I got things done, it was not much fun. I did not feel like I was living life to the fullest.

As I think about that dreary week that just ended, I think that must be what it is like for those who live without the light of Christ in their lives. They know they are missing something, but they don’t know what it is. They are not really doing the things they want to do. There is no true joy and happiness. A dreary existence indeed.

Look at what Jesus said about Himself.

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 9:5  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus was the Light that was sorely needed in a world of darkness. He showed people God and His love. Literally. And He did what was needed so that everyone could be in the light here on earth and forever in heaven. He paid for sin and earned forgiveness for all people. It is available to anyone and everyone who will take Him up on His offer.

Jesus knew that He would go back to His Father. The light of the Son of God has shined into this world. Jesus did not want the world to have to say “Ain’t no sunshine when He’s gone,” so He told His followers to shine His light.

Matthew 5:14–16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

We are to shine the light of Jesus, the Son-shine, for others to see. We do this by our words and actions. We should live in a way that shows our faith to others, and we should tell them why we live that way. Paul also wrote about this light.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Those of us who live in the light, who live in the Son-shine, need to let others see the light through us.