The Vicars Husband

[Day 173]

Matthew 17.19-20

Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  “Because of your little faith,” He told them.  “For I assure you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you”

Can you imagine if nothing was impossible for you?  What would you do?  Heal the sick?  Stop natural and manmade disasters from happening?  Transform society?  Imagine if not only you but everyone who was a Christians acted as if nothing was impossible.   Can you imagine?!

Jesus, with Peter, James and John has been on a high mountain.  As they are there, Jesus is transformed in front of them.  Moses and Elijah come and speak to Him, and God’s voice speaks out clearly from a cloud, “This is My beloved Son.  I take delight in Him.  Listen to Him!” 

The Glory of God is revealed in Jesus Christ, and God’s glory shines with exceptional brightness.  Moses and Elijah, maybe representing the Law and the Prophets, are there witnessing the glory of God in the living person of Jesus.  The glory of God is no longer contained in the Tabernacle made by humans, but in God Himself, in Jesus. 

And Peter, James and John witness the revelation of God’s glory in Jesus too, maybe a foretaste of Pentecost, when all believers would be filled with the Holy Spirit and transformed into Tabernacles, full of the glory of the living God.

So, when Jesus comes down from the mountain and is met by His bemused disciples, who have tried so hard to cast out a demon, but with no success, He speaks out the truth about faith.  If we have just a small amount of faith we can move mountains; nothing is impossible for those who have faith in Jesus.

Our bodies are living tabernacles (2 Corinthians 5), full of the glory of the Lord.  And with God’s power in us, nothing is impossible.  So, what are you going to do about it?

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying:

Ask God for more faith – and receive it from Him

[Day 172]

Matthew 16.3-4

Jesus answered them, “You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.  And evil and adulterous generation wants a sign, but no sign will be given to it…”

We like to be given signs, don’t we?  Signs that someone else loves you; signs that you’re going in the right direction; signs that the clothes we’re going out in will be the most suitable ones for the weather.

A couple of weeks ago, we went off to the beach.  When we set off it was cold and rather grey, but within an hour or so the sun had come out and we were sweltering in our thick trousers rather wishing we had had the foresight to bring swimming shorts and towels.  If only we had had a sign!

“Ah”, some people might say.  “The signs were there all along, you just couldn’t read them.  If we had looked at the forecast, or read the signs in the sky or heard the birds singing in a particular way, we would have known all along.”

The Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven to prove that He is God.  But Jesus mocks them – “You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.” 

To have read the signs of the times would have meant that the Pharisees would have had to be aware, through the Holy Spirit, of the reality of the invisible spiritual realm.  But, blinded by their religious arrogance and pride, they were spiritually incapable of reading the signs of the times.  And yet, it was precisely the time that the prophets had forecast, a time when Jesus, the saviour of the world, would walk among men.  The signs were there all along, they just couldn’t read them.

Today we have the chance to read the times spiritually.  Through God’s eyes, we can see what it going on spiritually in our communities and nation.  And amazingly, God invites us to be a part of His transforming Kingdom building work.

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying:

Picture of a ball of fire.  People gather round it and warm themselves around it.  They invite their friends to do the same.  But it is still fire, still powerful.  The fire is the Holy Spirit, but we must never believe that God is somehow just for a nice warm glow – He is powerful and awesome

[Day 171]

Matthew 16.21-23

From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, “Oh no, Lord!  This will never happen to You!”  But He turned and told Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s”

It is easy to give people false hope.  We want to be nice.  We want the happy ending to be there.  We want fluffy clouds, pats on backs, no nasty surprises, no bogeymen. 

But the reality is that, well, it’s not always the true reality.  Jesus points out that His death is imminent.  He starts talking and teaching about His death and resurrection.  But Peter wants none of it.  He wants to be nice.  But Jesus’ reaction is instant and severe.  What Peter wants is a false hope, a false happiness.  What Jesus realises is that true happy ending will happen, but only after the agony of death – and nothing, not even His friend’s nice false hope, will derail Him.

Anyone listening to this morning’s Today programme on radio 4 could not help but have been moved by the story of Bruce and Jan Bovill.  Jan was diagnosed with dementia over ten years ago and today was her funeral.  Her widow, Bruce, said, “You can’t win the war with dementia.  Dementia is always going to win, but if you keep faith with yourself and the person then you can win a few battles.”  That is how the world reacts to disease and death.  We can’t win the war, but at least we can put faith in ourselves.

However, that hope is false.  It is nice, perhaps, but false none the less.  Jesus knew that the ultimate in happy endings would happen, that He would be raised from the dead, and by doing so, would destroy the power of death once and for all.  He did win the war over disease and death.  And we can too.  We don’t put our faith in ourselves – the best we can hope for then is to win the odd skirmish, but remain defeated.  No, we put our faith in the risen Lord Jesus and Him alone.  And through Him we can be assured of victory every single time.  “Grave where is your victory?  Death where is your sting?”(1 Corinthians 15.55).

So next time someone asks you for a nice fluffy answer don’t be afraid to speak out the truth of the reality of Jesus and don’t hesitate to offer the alternative ultimate happy ending.

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying:

Glorify God in all that you do

[Day 170]

John 6.66-69

From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him.  Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”  Simon Peter answered, “Lord, who will we go to?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God!”

There is so much excitement.  Jesus has fed thousands of people, and the crowds are desperate for more.  You can almost hear their feet running along to Capernaum looking for Him.  Jesus then offers them more than mere bread that goes stale and mouldy.  He offers them Himself – the bread of life, ‘bread’ that will last forever, ‘bread’ that is in fact His body offered as a sacrifice, torn up to feed the spiritually hungry.

But Jesus’ teaching is hard.  People are offended.  They came wanting more signs and more bread.  They came bringing their friends along for entertainment.  They came wanting an easy life, a nice time, a lovely chat.  And yet Jesus has the nerve to tell them that they can only come to God through Him.  He is the bread of life that has come down from heaven – Him, the son of a carpenter from Nazareth.

And then He goes even further.  He tells them that life isn’t anything to do with our flesh.  Life is only through the Holy Spirit.  If our bodies are to be fully alive, then they need to be full of the Holy Spirit.  This isn’t saying that our bodies are bad or that flesh is evil.  No, this is saying that for our bodies to become fully alive, we need to be turning to the right place – Jesus Himself.  It’s no good trying to find life from other sources, we will always be dissatisfied and hungry for more.  Simon Peter gets the answer right.  Where else can we possibly turn to?  Who else can we possibly go to? 

The message that Jesus brings is offensive to many.  All religions do not lead to God.  Heaven is not on the end of spiritual searching.  His teaching is hard.  We do need to die to ourselves for Him to live in us.  We do need to take up our crosses and follow Him.  We will be persecuted and ridiculed, mocked and looked down on.  But where else will we find bread that gives us life in all its fullness, and lead to eternal banqueting with our Heavenly Father?

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying:

Are you ‘lazy’ enough?!  Do you have enough time on your hands to know what God is doing and always carry the capacity to increase as God leads you to?  Or are you always so busy and hectic, fighting one fire after another, that you cannot see what God is doing?

[Day 169]

Matthew 14.13;23

When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone… As He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick… After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray

Jesus is incredibly compassionate.  He is deeply upset by the death of John the Baptist – so much so that He goes off to a remote place to be on His own.  But word spreads that He is on the move, and instantly huge crowds of people gather to meet Him, to be healed by Him, to be near Him.  And as soon as He sees them, He has compassion on them.  Incredible compassion.

His compassion leads Him to action.  He has compassion on the huge crowd, and so He heals them.  He doesn’t send them off and tell them to come back another day.  He doesn’t say, “My good friend has died, so leave me alone!”  No, He sees them, has compassion on them and heals them.

He then feeds the thousands of people who have gathered.  They are in a wilderness and it’s late.  Jesus has been working all day, but He understands that the people are hungry.  He has compassion on them.  He utterly understands the needs of humans.

But He is also utterly heavenly.  He fully understands that His strength comes from the Lord and He loves being on His own with His Heavenly Father.  At the end of the day, He goes off on His own to be with His Father.

So, what a 24 hours Jesus has had!  He is utterly human in His compassion, and He is utterly Godly in His desire to be at one with the Lord.  He starts the day full of human emotion and ends the day displaying His Godliness by walking on water.

Today Jesus still meets us in our humanity but, as with Peter, He calls us to become more than that through Him.

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying: 

Are we too ‘heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good’?  Jesus wasn’t

[Day 168]

Mark 6.22-24

King Herod said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want and I’ll give it to you”.  So he swore oaths to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” … “John the Baptist’s head!” she said

Another great day of cricket today.  England playing at Lord’s and on the point of victory against Pakistan.  It reminds me of a cricketer who played in the original Test Match against Australia in which the Ashes were born.  I talk of CT Studd.  His name is even engraved on the Ashes Urn itself.

CT Studd came from a wealthy family, was educated at Eton and Trinity College Cambridge.  He had a huge future in front of him.  But instead of choosing business or politics, he gave away his inheritance and worked until his death in China and Africa, telling people about God.  Many undoubtedly saw his choices as foolish.  ‘He had so much potential,’ you can hear them say.  ‘Why waste his life?’

I’m sure that there were many who equally assumed that John the Baptist had wasted his life, rotting in prison and then dying ignominiously at the bequest of a girl. 

What on earth motivates the likes of John the Baptist and CT Studd?  I suspect it’s nothing on earth that motivates but rather the rewards of heaven.  Studd once said, “I knew that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come.” 

What motivates us?  I’m sure most of us are too old to play cricket for England and the chance to have our names engraved on the Urn have long gone.  But our names are written in the Book of Life for ever.  And so with that assurance, we can speak and act and live every minute of every day in complete obedience to God.  It might be that our choices are small ones – but it may be that our choices will lead us to sacrifice worldly success and even our lives for God’s Kingdom.  What a call.  What an honour.

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying: 

What’s most precious in your life?  Are you willing to give it away for the sake of God’s kingdom?

[Day 167]

Matthew 10.7-8

As you go, announce this: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, drive out demons.  You have received free of charge, give free of charge

Jesus sends out the 12 disciples with clear instructions.  But before He does so, He “gives them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.” (10.1). 

Someone once said that power is like a huge juggernaut cruising along a road.  Authority is like a tiny policewoman stepping out in front of the lorry and raising her hand to stop it.  There are many terrifying demons and unclean spirits out in the world.  There are many terrifying sicknesses and diseases too that at times seem to trundle their way through families, congregations, communities, nations.  But however terrifying they can sometimes seem, Jesus gives His disciples authority over them all. 

There are no exceptions.  Jesus doesn’t say, “Oh, except for cancer, because that’s really nasty, and you can’t deal with that.”  Or “But forget about schizophrenia because it’s too complicated.”  No, there are no exceptions – Jesus gives them authority over every disease and sickness and over every unclean spirit.

Once they have been given authority, Jesus sends His disciples out to proclaim the kingdom of heaven has come near.  God’s kingdom is near and is indeed breaking through when freedom from spiritual and physical oppression comes.  Or rather, God’s kingdom is breaking through and therefore His freedom comes.

How about Jesus’ followers today?  By Jesus and through the Holy Spirit we too have been commissioned to continue proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven is near.  And we too can be sure that as we do so, evidence of God’s power and authority at work will break out too.  And that it will be a great reminder to us that this is how God intended creation to be and that as creation becomes God’s intention, then He alone is glorified both now and into eternity.

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying:

God can work despite us.  Yet God also chooses to work in and through us.  What a privilege!

[Day 166]

Matthew 13.57-58

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and in his household.”  And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief

A small miracle happens.  The whole church gets excited.  Emails wiz around and other churches get excited too.  It proves, we argue, that God still acts today in miraculous ways.

But maybe we come to the whole area of miracles from the wrong way.  Absolutely, miracles are a sure sign that God is involved in our lives.  And certainly, miracles are to be rejoiced at and are literally marvellous things.  However, these verses don’t say, “And there were no miracles because of their unbelief.”  Instead, it says, “And He did not do many miracles there …” 

Instead of rejoicing at the few miracles that do happen today, maybe the paucity of miracles should be a cause for alarm.  Now, I’m not saying that we must have miracles in order to believe (John 4.48).  Rather, that miracles were and are a sign that the God’s kingdom is at hand and that the reality of His eternal love and grace are greater than the momentary pain of sickness and ill health.  I also don’t want to negate the faith of those who have prayed long and hard through their own illness seemingly without any sign of success.  And I recognise that some illness and disease will only be healed in heaven itself.

Having said that, I’m again drawn to the words in these verses.  “And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.”  Let’s not get complacent when we see a scattering of miracles and think that that is all that the Lord is capable of doing.  And let’s not allow our unbelief or the unbelief of others prevent the Lord from pouring out an abundance of miracles, a season of open heaven, where His grace and His love pour down and in and through us to the whole of creation.

When we see small miracles happen, let’s give God the glory and allow Him to stretch our belief that nothing is impossible for Him and that He delights and longs for creation to be as He intended it from the beginning of time – perfect and pleasing in His sight and for His glory.

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying: 

Extend your vision of God – and He infinitely larger still

[Day 165]

Luke 8.45-48

“Who touched Me?” Jesus asked… “Somebody did touch Me,” said Jesus.  “I know that power has gone out from Me.”  When the woman saw that she was discovered, she came trembling and fell down before Him.  In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured.  “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well.  Go in peace.”

A poor lady has had menstrual bleeding for 12 years.  She has been to the doctors, but they have just made matters worse.  Silently, and with a combination of determination and embarrassment, she makes her way through the crowds and steadily approaches Him from behind.  Stretching out her hand, she manages to touch the tassel of His robe.  And instantly the bleeding stops.  After twelve years!  Can you imagine the delight, the elation, the joy? 

And then her heart must have almost stopped.  “Who touched Me?” Jesus asks.  His disciples start pointing to the crowds and try to reason with Him.  “Look, Jesus.  There are hundreds of people around here!”  But as she looks at Jesus, she knows that He knows.  So she steps forward, her heart pounding.  “It was me.” 

You might wonder after all she had been through, why Jesus needed to publicly humiliate her in front of hundreds of people.  Why couldn’t He just have winked at her and said, “I know.  It’s ok now”?  Why the need to explain in front of everyone?

Well, I wonder what the reaction of the crowd would have been?  Maybe they would have seen and heard that through a single touch Jesus had made what was unclean clean.  Maybe they would have been thinking about the dying 12 year old girl who Jesus was on His way to visit.  Maybe they would have equated the 12 years of the girl’s life with the 12 years that the woman had been bleeding for.  And then of course there were 12 tribes of Israel, and maybe they would have taken hope that the man who healed the woman could also not just save a young girl, but could wash away the uncleaness from the whole of Israel and bring salvation to all the 12 tribes.

By speaking out what God has done in our lives, however embarrassing it might be, we acknowledge that He is Lord of all and that our faith in Him can even bring about healing and peace.

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying:

Do you believe that Jesus can heal today?  Do you have faith that He can?  For yourself?  For your family and friends?

[Day 164]

Matthew 8.32-34

So when they had come out, they entered the pigs.  And suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.  Then the men who tended them fled…At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus.  When they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region

It’s easy to think that had we been alive in 1^st century Palestine, we would have been Jesus’ followers.  But as many as were for Him, there were plenty who were against Him.  In this story, two demon possessed men prevent people from passing by them.  They are demonically violent, and yet instantly they recognise Jesus as the Son of God.

Later, when the town hears about the herd of pigs rushing down the steep bank into the sea and the two demon possessed men sitting like normal people, they too go out to meet Jesus.  And they too recognise that Jesus is the Son of God.  But rather than humble their knees before Him in awe and reverence, they beg Him to leave their region.  They had once been terrorised by two demon possessed men, but now that they have their freedom, they are desperate that the one who gave them that freedom leaves them.

We need to be careful for what we pray for.  We might pray for freedom, for redemption, for those who have a hold over us to release us.  But we must also be aware that God might answer our prayers and do so with an astounding and overwhelming show of His power. 

We should know that however powerful the forces are that are against God, His power is always stronger and mightier and His is always the victory.  As we recognise something of the reality of God, let us be aware that His power is something that can never be contained or boxed in.  But even when we do see Him in power, we know that there will be plenty of sceptics and cynics who even if their eyes are opened, will beg Jesus – and His followers – to leave.

How would we have acted in 1^st century Palestine?  We may never know.  But we can respond today in 21^st century Britain.  Are we willing to give up everything and follow Him, or would we rather things just stayed as they were?

What is God saying?

I believe that God is saying: 

How is loving the Lord your God with all your heart going?