More Popular Than Jesus?

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

In March 1966, at the height of Beatlemania, John Lennon was quoted—

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock ’n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but His disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.” 

Maureen Cleave, the reporter who included this quote in her article about the Beatles, tried to clarify that John was talking specifically about the Church of England, especially when John mentions the disciples of Jesus twisting the words and example of Jesus as it is recorded for us in the New Testament. 

But I wonder if the same argument could be made today about the “stars” in the evangelical movement? Many of those who claim to be preachers of the Gospel have both an online and in-person following that rivals that of the Beatles of the 1960s. Their gatherings are rock concert-esque, with their fans spending lavishly on their books, videos, and seminars. 

But here’s my question: Are these “rock star preachers” making Jesus famous or themselves famous? 

How would John the Baptist’s words sound coming out of the mouths of these mega-stars: “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease. He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so” (John 3:30 AMPC)? 

Before John was born, the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that John “will be great in the eyes of the Lord” (Luke 1:15). 

Notice: “Great in the eyes of the Lord” is so infinitely better than “great in the eyes of the world”! 

John’s whole life was one of confident humility (or humble confidence). He spoke God’s Word confidently, but wasn’t seeking the praise of men nor intimidated by the criticism of men. As a result, God’s Spirit remained on him in an unmistakable way. 

God will use anyone in the way that He used John, if they will only have the same attitude John had: “I must decrease and Jesus must increase.”

May I suggest this attitude-adjusting prayer for everyone who has been called by God to herald the Good News about Jesus—

Heavenly Father, as I preach today may all eyes move past me and turn to Jesus. “He must increase, but I must decrease. He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.” Thank You for this opportunity You have given me today to point people to You. May I only be seen as great in Your eyes, but may the world view me only as Your humble servant. 

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When The World Fears Christians

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Here’s an interesting interaction between King Saul and David—

And Saul jealously eyed David from that day forward. … And Saul cast the javelin, for he thought, I will pin David to the wall. And David evaded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:9, 11-12 AMPC)

This exchange in this well-known story got me wondering. I was thinking how Saul had the position of authority over David and he had a javelin in his hand, but the Bible still says that Saul “was afraid of David.” Why would that be? I think even the most atheistic of people intuitively know there is something other-worldly about those in whom the Spirit of God abides, which makes worldly people lash out at them in fear. 

But those who fear God—as David did—don’t fear mortals. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, Who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 NLT). This reverent fearlessness is what galls those who fear the unknown, so they try to silence confident God-followers. 

In these attacks, Jesus tells us not to respond naturally, but supernaturally. “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you” (Luke 6:27-28 NLT). 

Peter picked up those words from Jesus and instructed Christians: “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world. … For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:12, 21 NLT). 

Although Saul feared the presence of God in David, he also had to acknowledge the success that came to David because of God’s abiding presence in him, and also, by extension, the success that came to Saul’s kingdom. On the one hand, Saul wanted David dead; on the other hand, he wanted David close by—

So Saul removed David from him and made him his commander over a thousand; and [David] went out and came in before the people. David acted wisely in all his ways and succeeded, and the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how capable and successful David was, he stood in awe of him. (1 Samuel 18:13-15 AMPC) 

When Christians are supernaturally empowered by God, they never have to respond in natural fight-or-flight from those who lash out at them. Let your faithfulness to God be your testimony that points others to Him. 

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Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you.” (John 15:18-19)

Good Grief From A Friend

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After God created Adam, He said, “It’s not good for you to be alone.” That’s just as true today: God didn’t intend for us to journey on our own, but He gives us companions along the way. 

Last week we saw that God has to sometimes cause us grief to get our attention when we are straying from His path. He sometimes puts people in our lives to do the same thing. 

There’s a reason God puts the people in our lives that He does. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). But that sometimes means people will get upset with us (Galatians 4:16). “Real friends hurt each other. … Truth is the primary way faithful friends should wound each other—it is the help that hurts.” —Dick Brogden 

(Check out all of the verses in this post by clicking here.) 

The Corinthians thought they were super-spiritual, but Paul had to call them out on their foolishness (1 Corinthians 3:3; 5:1-2). Before Pauls’ letter, the Corinthians seemed happy. His letter caused them grief, but it was good grief that led to repentance and true joy (2 Corinthians 7:8-10). 

To keep silent when a brother or sister is straying is not God-honoring. We are not to be the sin police, but we are to address sinful issues (James 5:19-20). 

As King David flirted with the idea of how he could get something that he thought would make him happy, an anonymous attendant tried to get his attention. David ignored this and then tried to sweep it under the rug. In fact, he thought he got away with his sin (2 Samuel 11:1–12:7). 

But God sent Nathan to speak a hard word to David. We don’t know when Psalm 141 was written, but we know that David did write it. Perhaps it was penned at the time of Nathan’s loving confrontation. He said, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head” (Psalm 141:5). 

We do know that David wrote Psalm 51 after Nathan’s loving hard word, and in this prayer we see David’s confession, repentance, and a request for God’s joy to replace David’s grief. 

So how do New Testament-era Christians use good grief to help fellow saints? 

  1. Examine yourself first (Matthew 7:1-5). Make sure you aren’t plagued by the same sin you have noticed in a brother or sister. 
  2. Cry before you confront, just as the prophet Samuel did before he had to deliver a hard word to King Saul (1 Samuel 15:10-11). 
  3. Confront in love with the goal of restoration, but make sure you are confronting someone who know you love them and who will receive your loving word  (Proverbs 27:5; 9:8). 
  4. Pray that their grief will be turned to joy (Luke 22:31-32; Galatians 6:1; Psalm 51:12). 

Friendships with fellow saints are precious and they are vital. We need iron to sharpen iron (Proverbs 27:17) so that we will all stand before the throne together for eternity. 

This is the final message in our series Grief Into Joy. If you missed any of the messages, you can check them all out by clicking here. 

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Never Invulnerable

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Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus resisted the fierce onslaught of the devil in the wilderness. After using the Word of God to defeat all three of the devil’s temptations, Luke records, “the devil…left [Jesus] until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). 

The verb Luke uses here is suggestive of a time when the devil may think he has an advantage over his intended victim. The KJV says the devil departed for “a season.” Just like farmers know the proper season to plant, to weed, to harvest, and to rest, so does our adversary. 

Check out how some other translations of the Bible render Luke 4:13—

  • another more opportune and favorable time (AMPC) 
  • until the next opportunity came (NLT) 
  • lying in wait for another opportunity (the Message paraphrase) 

Jesus warned Peter that the devil wanted to sift him as wheat (Luke 22:31-32). Although Peter knew the “opportune time” was coming, he was unprepared when it did come and he failed in his initial time of temptation. Jesus restored Peter and told him that he was going to be the one to help prepare others to be victorious when the devil attacked them. 

Peter may have had this in mind when he warned us to be alert for our prowling enemy (1 Peter 5:8). The apostle Paul also tells us to be aware of the devil’s schemes, and to never be without our spiritual armor (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11). 

There is never a time when I am invulnerable to a spiritual attack. 

The moment I think I am self-secure is an opportune season for the devil to unleash his attack on me. “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). 

Peter tells us to “resist [the devil], standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:9). In the preceding three verses, Peter tells us just how to do this:

  • humble yourself before God—no feelings of self-sufficiency 
  • don’t be anxious about an impending attack 
  • remain alert and sober minded (1 Peter 5:6-9) 

Don’t be caught off-guard by giving the devil “an opportune time,” but stay utterly dependent on God. As James says, we have to first submit ourselves to God and then we will be prepared to resist the devil and watch him flee from us (James 4:7). 

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Again And Again And Again

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I don’t know if this ever happens to you, but I’ve lost count of the number of times that this happens to me. I open up my Bible and begin reading right where I left off the day before, and as I’m reading, my attention is riveted by words that seem to pop off the page! 

I look at them again and see that this passage contains highlights or underlining or notations from when I read here before. Yet I’m left scratching my head saying, “How did I miss this when I read this passage earlier?!” 

I know this is because I’m a different person now than I was the last time I was reading this passage. I’ve learned some things and hopefully I have grown in the process. Quite simply, the Holy Spirit knew I wasn’t ready earlier for the new concept that jumped off the page at me. 

The other day I was reading in the Book of Romans and I noticed something that Paul wrote—

     And, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of Your name.” Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol Him.” And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, One who will arise to rule over the nations; in Him the Gentiles will hope.” (Romans 15:9-12) 

Look at that wording: “As it is written … again it says … and again … and again….” Paul is telling us that God tells us the same thing in different ways, at different times, and through different voices. It’s the same message, but it resonates a little differently in each place. As God’s Word speaks to us again and again and again, we see the richness and fullness of the message. 

In v. 9, Paul quotes David in 2 Samuel 22:50 and Psalm 18:49. 

In v. 10, the quotation is from Moses in Deuteronomy 32:43.

In v. 11, an anonymous psalmist in Psalm 117:1 is quoted. 

And in v. 12, Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 11:10. 

(Check out all of these Scriptures for yourself by clicking here.)

The Jews considered the Holy Scripture to be divided into three sections: The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Look again what Paul did: 

  • He quotes Moses from the Law 
  • He quotes Isaiah from the Prophets
  • He quotes David and the anonymous psalmist from the Writings

Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). And after His resurrection, as He walked and talked with a couple of disciples, He reminded them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). 

One of the reasons that the consistent message of the Scripture is repeated again and again and again is so that everyone will have a chance to hear it and believe it. 

There is such a beauty in this! I encourage you to take the time to look up the cross-references that many Study Bibles have put together. As you read the “it is written” statements in the Bible, I hope you will be encouraged as you see it throughout all the Bible again and again and again! 

Check out the book reviews I’ve shared on these study Bibles: 

I would also recommend 3 Bible studies for you to try and 2 more Bible studies for you to try. 

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Joyful Proof

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

This whole series of messages is about how God can turn our grief into joy. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most joy-filled event in all of history: the resurrection of Jesus! 

At our Good Friday service, we talked about how the day was anything but good for those who were there. The day is only good for people who have been rescued from eternal, inescapable grief. 

The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned and the penalty for that sin is eternal separation from God (Romans 3:23, 6:23a). But Jesus died in our place (Romans 5:8) to turn our eternal grief into eternal joy. Check out this out: God promises to exchange the cup of wrath and judgment with the cup of righteousness and peace (Isaiah 51:17-22). That’s exactly what Jesus accomplish with this death and resurrection! 

(Check out all of the biblical references in this post by clicking here.) 

On Friday, no one was joyful. In fact, it was just the opposite: Grief gripped their hearts and held them in fear. Probably the only one who was happy on that day was the devil. 

On Saturday, the clouds of grief and fear darkened even more. It was the Sabbath day, and the Jewish followers of Jesus would still have to attend the synagogue and go through the motions of the day. Can you imagine how hollow and meaningless all of the activities seemed? 

Then Sunday morning arrived. Jesus had predicted this (Matthew 12:40), but when some of the women who attended to His needs during His years of ministry came to the tomb, they were completely unprepared for what they found (Luke 24:1-7). 

Jesus told them that they would see their grief turned to joy (John 16:20, 22; Luke 22:53), but when these ladies told His disciples, they still couldn’t comprehend it (Luke 24:9-12, 19-24). 

Grief can so grip our emotions, that it will effect us physically as well: our eyes are clouded, our mind is fuzzy, and our ears seem stuffed with cotton (John 20:14-16; Luke 24:15-17). 

So what finally convinced them? Their own hearts! 

Solomon wrote, “He has planted eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The AMPC says: He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds—a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy. 

Mary finally saw Jesus and saw her grief turned to joy when she heard Jesus say, “Mary.” 

These men on the road said their hearts burned in them when Jesus explained the Scripture to them (Luke 24:31-32, 27). 

And when the other disciples were locked away for fear of the Jews (John 20:19), Jesus spoke to them about how His Word was fulfilled in His actions (Luke 24:44-46). 

There is a hymn that ends, “You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart.” There is something unmistakable and irrefutable when someone knows what it is to have their sins forgiven—to have their grief turned to unquenchable joy! 

In fact, the best proof of a risen Savior is seeing a life freed from gripping grief that used to plague them.  

If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, the thought of the end of life and what comes next probably fills you with a sense of uneasiness. It doesn’t have to be this way! 

If you do know Jesus, please remember that your best testimony is a life that doesn’t get bogged down in the same grief the world experiences. When you can show supernatural joy while everyone else is gripped by grief, people will turn to you (1 Peter 3:15). 

Please check out the other messages in this series called Grief Into Joy by clicking here. 

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Temporary Sorrow For Eternal Joy

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On Sunday we looked at the thought that our grief often comes because our current situation isn’t what we expected it to be. Notice that we say, “what we expected,” as though we can control anything!  

Today we remember the horrific death of Jesus on the Cross and we call it Good Friday. We can only call it “good” now because we see the results on the other side. If we were to go back in time to the weeks, days, and even moments before Jesus was arrested and so cruelly treated, those around Him would call that time anything but good. 

Look how the disciples responded to this coming event (Matthew 16:21-22). Grief can also come when we give more weight to today’s pain than we do to eternity’s joy. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

This has always been a strategy of the devil to get people to look at now and not consider eternity. That’s how he tempted Adam and Eve, who gave in to this ploy. And then he tried the same strategy on Jesus, but failed (see Genesis 3:1-5; Matthew 4:1-10). 

Jesus knew why He came to earth (Matthew 20:28). And as He got closer and closer to the day of His crucifixion, the weight began to build (John 12:27). 

Look at how Jesus fought grief by making sure He gave more weight to eternity. He turned His pain into prayer so His Father could exchange His grief for His joy (Matthew 26:36-44).

Jesus prepared His disciples by trying to give them an eternal focus (Luke 22:14-20). He told them to pray that they wouldn’t give in to this temptation to trade eternal joy for momentary pain, but they didn’t understand. This is what focusing on the pain of now does—the weight of it exhausts us emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

But look at the eternal focus in vv. 17-19:

  • The crushed grape gives us wine 
  • The bruised wheat gives us bread 
  • The crushed, bruised, crucified Savior gives us eternal life  

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24).

Remember the devil’s strategy: get us so focused on the pain of now that we forget about the far greater joy that lasts forever. 

Jesus wants us to “do this in remembrance of Me”—to see the crushed grape and the bruised wheat and the crucified Savior in the light of eternity. 

Check out the other messages in this series called Grief Into Joy by clicking here.

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Praying Against Or For Slanderers

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Quite a few psalms in the Bible are prayers against our attackers. Is that an acceptable prayer for us to still pray today? 

The Scriptures I reference in this clip are Psalm 58:6-8; Luke 23:34; Luke 6:28. 

Imprecatory prayers are, “Get ’em, God!” prayers. Intercessory prayers are, “Bless ’em, God!” prayers. 

Since both of these prayers are in the Bible, both of them have their place in our healing from the bites we have received from others, but the intercessory prayers are the ones we need to strive to pray. 

You can read more about this kind of praying in my posts: Still Maturing, Trespassers, and When You’re Unfairly Attacked. 

The full sermon about dealing with slanderers is here, and you can also go much deeper with this subject in my book When Sheep Bite. 

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Jesus Is Worth More Than Anything

And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish; and as their nets were at the point of breaking, they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold with them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. … And after they had run their boats on shore, they left everything and joined Him as His disciples and sided with His party and accompanied Him. (Luke 5:6-7, 11)

It was immediately after Peter, Andrew, James, and John had the largest success in their careers that Jesus asked them to walk away from their fishing business. 

And they did!

Following Jesus is worth more than anything that we might call “success.” Money, health, fame, and the like are nothing but brief shadows.

The Life that only Jesus can give is the soul-satisfying reality that increases in its enjoyment forever! 

The Malicious Attack

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible.  

You may have noticed that the intensity of the pain of these sheep bites has been escalating—from flattery, to criticism, to gossip. Now we come to probably the most painful of bites: slander. This is the bite that will have the strongest pull toward the natural response, which will require our greatest reliance on the Holy Spirit to respond supernaturally. 

Remember that gossip has a veneer of truth on it; slander has no truth at all. They are outright lies. They are flimsy lies. They are malicious lies. One of the Hebrew words translated slander means scandal-monger: someone who trades in lies (Jeremiah 6:28 NLT; Leviticus 19:16).

(Check out all of the biblical references in this post by clicking here.) 

The natural response to slander is, “I have to respond to them!” The supernatural response to slander is, “I have to yield to God!” 

The natural response, however, is fueled by my wounded pride. On the other hand, the supernatural response is fueled by humility toward God. 

Slanderers are arrogant people too (remember Jeremiah said “they are as hard as bronze and iron” [Jeremiah 6:28]). God’s people are learning to humble themselves to wait for God (Psalm 38:12-15). These humble people are the ones who get God’s help, and not His laughter (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34 NLT). 

Look at how Jesus dealt with the very natural urge to respond to those who slandered Him. After Jesus was arrested by the temple guards, He was hauled before one group after another and each time the slanderous lies were spitefully spit at Him. In front of the Sanhedrin, before Roman governor Pontius Pilate, and in the throne room of King Herod Antipas, angry men unleashed their venomous claims—none of which were true.  

There are two common themes we can notice in all of these settings.

  1. The lies were seen for what they were: complete fabrications without any truth behind them—Mark 14:55. Governor Pilate said “I find no basis for a charge against Him” (Luke 23:4), and he added, “Herod came to the same conclusion and sent Him back to us” (v. 15). 
  2. The silence of Jesus: “Jesus remained silent and gave no answer” (Matthew 27:13-14; Mark 14:61, 15:5). The only red letters in this interaction with both the Sanhedrin and Pilate are when Jesus is asked a direct question. Jesus quickly answers the questions, “Are You the Messiah,” “Are You a King,” and “Don’t You know the power I have?” (Mark 14:61, 15:2; John 19:10), but He never responds to the slander. 

Let me repeat: Our supernatural response can only come from yielding to the Holy Spirit’s influence. 

  1. We cannot treat slanderers as anything less than people created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 15:1, 3). 
  1. We must take our pain into God’s presence. This is what Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21-23). We can help ourselves by praying imprecatory prayers. These are words for God’s ears only (Jude 1:9; Psalm 58:6-8). 
  1. We have to learn to pray for our slanderers. We have to mature from praying against them to praying for them. Look at how Jesus interceded for His slanderers (Luke 23:34), which He calls us to as well (Luke 6:28). 
  1. We have to live as overcomers. We overcome by NOT responding to slander in the natural way (Romans 12:21). But we allow our supernatural response to be used as a powerful testimony (2 Corinthians 6:3-10; Colossians 3:1-2, 8, 12-14). 

We can do this—the Holy Spirit is empowering us to do this. Let’s not get down in the mud with those who slander us, but let’s yield to God and allow Him to handle this painful situation far better than we ever could. 

If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series, you can find them all here. And if you are a pastor, please check out my book When Sheep Bite, which will help you both respond to sheep bites and teach others how to respond as well. 

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