Gospel Life Learning: July 2017

Teaching 13: When We Assume God Won't Help Us

When We Assume God Won't Help Us

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If you need to catch up on the summer with Jesus series, you can find a list
of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, by going HERE.

Find books by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.
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Here is our scene today, from Mark 8. The setting: the disciples and Jesus just entered a boat after Jesus had miraculously fed thousands of people who had gathered to hear him teach.

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."

The disciples discussed this with one another, (likely wondering what Jesus meant*), and said, "It is because we have no bread."

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

"Twelve," they replied.

"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

They answered, "Seven."

He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

*This is my, the blogger's, parenthetical insertion. Not in the actual text!

Here we are with the disciples, who just realized that even though they had seven baskets full of extra bread, that they only brought one loaf with them on the boat. How could they have forgotten to bring more of the extra bread?

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he responds in a somewhat typical fashion - with a warning and a play on words! He said, "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees." What?

Here is some background. To the Jews, yeast was considered a metaphor for evil. The idea was that a small amount of evil in a person's soul is likely to eventually spread throughout, eventually making the person fully evil. Jesus made a play on words. The disciples were worried about not having enough bread; and here is Jesus, giving a warning about metaphorical yeast! The disciples didn't know what to make of it.

What is the "yeast of the Pharisees?" The commentaries for this chapter generally conclude that Jesus was referring to the fact that the Pharisees had witnessed many miracles, yet they still did not believe. The "yeast" was their hardened hearts, hearts that were predisposed to one way of thinking so that they could not accept the truth, even in the presence of miraculous evidence. Similarly, Jesus disciples had been with him for quite some time now. They had seen all his miracles thus far. They had been recipients of numerous miracles of abundant provision. Yet they still thought that they were going to go hungry for an evening? No wonder Jesus asks them, "Do you still not understand?"

Yet, the disciples didn't understand. They just assumed that Jesus was chastising them because they forgot to bring the extra bread that he had just provided. Why were they so worried? Did they assume that because Jesus had just provided; that he would not do so again due to their foolishness? Were they thinking to themselves, "We are such idiots! Jesus just provided an abundance in bread for us; and we just left it on the shore. We forgot to bring it! It is going to waste! We are so foolish to have squandered what he provided for us! Now what are we going to do?"

The disciples didn't doubt Jesus's ability to provide. They assumed, however, that because they had been foolish and forgetful, that Jesus would not provide for them again. It was their fault. They messed up. Certainly they would not be rewarded with another provision, when they had wasted the provision they were just given.

Do we also feel this way sometimes? Do we secretly think, maybe without even realizing it, "Oh, God just provided for me, so I certainly shouldn't expect anything more from Him anytime soon."

Or do we believe, "God gave me that opportunity, and I missed it! I squandered it! It is my fault for not seizing the opportunity God gave me. Certainly He is not going to give me another chance or another opportunity any time soon. I really messed up!"

Can we think of some examples of when we may have thought this way? Let's complete this sentence, "Sometimes I feel like God won't provide for my needs because I _________________."

Do we assume God rations out His provisions?
Do we assume if we do something foolish that He with withhold a provision from us -- a provision of something that we really need?
Do we think God will punish us by withholding something we really need?

Never will He do that!

Think about it. Even when the Israelites were required to wander in the wilderness due to their disobedience, God still miraculously provided for their true needs through the manna, quail, and water from a rock. And to this day, He continues to meet our true needs in unexpected, but dependable ways. He meets our needs because that is His nature. He is God the Provider; One of His names is Jehovah Jirah (the Provider). God provides based on His ability and desire to provide to us (Phillipians 4:19), not because we have acted wisely.

Do we think God's economy ever suffers a recession? He owns all and is able to give and meet all our needs, regardless of what we may have squandered in the past. Each day is a new day; and if we wake up and confess and repent of our erroneous ways, He erases that past foolishness and gives us a clean slate once again. So we must throw out any false beliefs that God won't provide for us because of some dumb thing we did or because of certain sins in our past.

God is our Provider.
It is His nature to provide.
He will provide for us.

And He asks us, lovingly and questioningly, just as Jesus asked the disciples, "Do you understand this yet?"

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For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

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Teaching 12: Times of Anxiety and Running on Low Faith...

Times of Anxiety and Running on Low Faith

For the next several posts, we will be looking at some of the miracles of Jesus.

Remember, if you also need to catch up on the summer with Jesus series, you can find a list
of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, by going HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

Here is our passage for the day, from Mark 4.

That day, when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this?" Even the wind and the waves obey him!
- Mark 4:35-41

Jesus says to his disciples, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Is Jesus suggesting that when we exhibit fear -- even in the midst of a life threatening danger -- that we are also demonstrating a lack of faith? From this reading, it certainly seems so.

However, I find it more important to notice this:

Even though the disciples were afraid,
even though they lacked faith, and
even though they were assuming the worst, presuming that they would die...

they still came to Jesus with their great fear and anxiety, including even their criticism towards him,
and
Jesus still helped them.

Jesus still met their needs. He still helped them. He still calmed them; and He even calmed the storm around them.

Even if we are afraid, very afraid, about a life situation, we can still go to Jesus in prayer with our fears. Our fear does indicate a lack of faith; Jesus himself stated this. However, when we bring our fears to Him, He will still hear us. He will still calm us; and He is still willing to demonstrate control and provide calm in the situation around us. Once we experience this, our faith grows stronger; and the next time we go through one of life's storms, we may react with a higher level of faith. The storms teach us to bring our fears and burdens to God; where He has the opportunity to demonstrate that He can do things only He can do. As the disciples said, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" There are things that only God can do in the midst of whatever fear you are facing!

So we may bring our huge fears with our small faith to Jesus. We may be convicted that our fear reveals our limited faith; however, we are also encouraged that He is willing to help us anyway.

What are some life situations that are currently causing us fear and anxiety about the future? What literal or figurative storms are we facing or fear we may face soon? Are we worried about money or meeting our financial obligations? Are we concerned about an illness, or a recent diagnosis? Have we experienced a loss of relationship, a loss of work, a rejection, or some other loss that has us gripped with fear over the unknown that lies ahead? Are we worried about someone we care about -- their health or their lifestyle? Or perhaps we worry about relationships - losing a relationship, or not ever finding meaningful friendships?

Here is a challenge for us, a challenge that will grow our faith as we depend on God to calm us and guide us through our most fearful and stressful experiences. Let's write down on paper all the things that bring anxiety into our lives. Take three to five minutes, and write down a list of everything that immediately brings fear into our lives.

Next, we will take that list to God in prayer, confessing our anxiety to Him, and asking Him for His peace and His plan in each of those items on our list -- in each of those areas which bring us so much fear.

Here is an example of a specific prayer for each item on this list of fears:

God, I bring my fear to you about __________________. Help me to recognize that you are in control and that I can trust you. Strengthen my faith and trust in you. Please remove these anxious and fearful feelings from me, and replace them with your peace and a portion of your wisdom. Please also provide me with patience to wait upon your answer and on the unfolding of your plan.

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Teaching 11: When We Don't Forgive

Note from Sherry: I am enjoying sharing videos and transcripts with you, and hope you are enjoying them and gaining some new insights and encouragement to help you strengthen your walk with our amazing God! I realize that I have fallen behind in my promised "two videos per week" over the summer. Creating, editing, and posting videos turned out to be a much larger and time-consuming task than I realized! I hope you will understand! (I know you will, you all are wonderful people!) So for the rest of this summer teaching series, I will be posting some video teachings and some will be regular written blog posts. Some will be a mix of writing with a video inserted for the points that are better communicated in voice than in pen.

Remember, if you also need to catch up on the summer with Jesus series, you can find a list
of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, by going HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

When We Don't Forgive

For me and many others, the teaching we are reviewing from Jesus today is quite frightening! It is a very clear teaching about what happens when we choose to live with a spirit of unforgiveness. This teaching is found in a parable in Matthew 18.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

At this, the servant fell on his knees before him. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I will pay back everything." The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. "Pay back what you owe me!" he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay it back."

But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in. "You wicked servant," he said, "I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?" In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. - Matthew 18: 23-35 (NIV)

For me, this parable can be very personal and frightening! Jesus is very clear in this teaching that we are to forgive others. God has forgiven us our sins, therefore, we should forgive others of their wounds against us. God went to great lengths to offer us complete forgiveness. How can we consider holding unforgiving grudges against our brothers, sisters, and family in Christ?

Look at what happens towards the end of the parable. The master turns the unforgiving servant "over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed."

Then look at the very last part of this passage again at what Jesus specifically says about what this parable means. Jesus said, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Ouch! This means that if we do not forgive others, then God will allow, or even cause, negative events to come into our lives! The purpose of these negative events is to cause us to learn to forgive. This parable of the unforgiving servant is a very serious spiritual teaching with serious consequences if it is not understood and followed.

There is a 16th century painting by an unknown artist that depicts a scene from the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant as if it had taken place in the 1500's. The painting captures the stubborn bitterness on the face of the unforgiving servant, as he is handed over to the jailer who may punish and even torture him. The jailer, even though he wears a nice top hat, appears, by the features on his face, to be just as stubborn and unforgiving as this unforgiving servant.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to go anywhere with this hat wearing, fancy clothed jailer! The jailer doesn't look like a forgiving person. Wait...? Does that mean the jailer also depicts a reflection of me, when I don't forgive? When I am unforgiving, do I also desire to see others "get what is coming to them?" No! I don't want to be like that! Lord, help me to forgive, every day! I want to remove the burden of unforgiveness upon my heart, and I desire genuine and complete freedom from emotional bondage that the habit of unforgiveness pressures upon our lives. I want to forgive not merely for the sake of the person who hurt me -- but I want to forgive in order to stay genuinely close with you, Lord!

Take a look at the painting here:

Then look at the last verse of this passage again. Jesus says that you must forgive from your heart. In other words, just saying "I'm sorry," or "I forgive you" may not be sufficient. God looks into our hearts, and He knows the true state of whether or not we have authentically forgiven or whether we are harboring grudges, revengeful thoughts, and other symptoms of unforgiveness.

When we do not forgive in our hearts, we invite trials, troubles, and difficult times in our lives. Some of these trials may even feel torturous. This is why it is often said, that when we forgive, we don't really do it for the other person -- we do it for ourselves, in order to free ourselves from the prison of unforgiveness!

Now, I want to insert here that forgiveness and reconciliation are not synonymous. Forgiveness is always required by God; reconciliation is not required. In fact, God recommends, as found in the Proverbs, that we do not reconcile with people who are quick to anger, nor those who actively abuse wine or other substances, nor with those who stir up dissention, nor those who lie, nor those who refuse to genuinely apologize or admit when they are wrong. If you have been wounded by someone with one or more of these characteristics, you may be relieved to know that you are required to forgive, but you are encouraged not to reconcile (Proverbs 22:24, 16:28-29, 6:16-19). This doesn't mean that you continue to harbor harsh feelings toward the person. Instead it may mean that you still care about that person and genuinely pray for an increase in their well being, but do so from a distance.

So we pray, pray, pray each and every day for the ability to forgive. We ask God to reveal to us areas of unforgiveness and judgmental attitudes that are residing in our hearts. We confess those areas every single day! And then we re-confess them when those attitudes of unforgiveness return in our hearts. See, most times, forgiveness in not immediate, it is a process of renewal in our hearts. This is especially true when we are first learning how to forgive. We may have to ask for the ability to keep forgiving the same person for the same event day after day. This parable teaches us that, when we keep our hearts pure by authentically confessing areas of unforgiveness and grudges each day, we will likely avoid many troubles in our lives -- and we may also avoid some "tortourous troubles."

In the beginning, if we are not used to praying for a forgiving heart, then we may consider keeping a list in our journals of the people we need help with forgiving. (We may want to use "code names" or "coded initials" if we don't want anyone finding this journal and reading our list!) Praying over that list, we will ask for a forgiving heart for each person on our list. We will ask God to release the anger and bitterness inside us over whatever offense occurred. Then we will check our list daily before prayer time. Has an unforgiving attitude returned towards a person on that list? Has someone new made their way onto our list? Then we pray for a new dose of forgiving ability. Doing this daily will become a significant link in our ability to experience and follow a close and intimate walk with the Lord.

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Teaching 10: A Quick, Daily Spiritual Assessment

A Quick, Daily Spiritual Assessment

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

HERE is the full video for Teaching 10 titled A Quick, Daily Spiritual Assessment. A written transcript is right below the video, if you prefer reading through it. Enjoy...and I would love to hear any feedback/discussion you have by commenting here, on facebook, or by sending me a message on facebook.

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Today we are in the book He Called. I've been skipping around some. We are on Day 15 now, page 96 in the paperback. This is the Parable of the Sower. And I know that probably many of us have read this before. It is Mark 3:4-9. I want us to think of the parable in maybe a bit of a different way in how we have thought of it before. Let's think of this parable as a spiritual assessment for ourselves. And everyday, when we wake up – or when we go to bed – let's think about, what part of the field were we in that day? And what are we going to do the next day, or in the morning – throughout the day – to stay in the best part of the field?

So to explain the parable: Jesus was talking about spiritual growth in God's kingdom on earth. And he compared it to a sower, and the sower is the person who is spreading the word of God, the person who is teaching the Bible, the person who is spreading the word that God is near, and He's available, and is sharing the gospel.

So the sower spreads the seed, and some of the seed falls on the side of the road. And there's these birds! And these birds gobble up that seed before it can ever take root. And in our lives, those birds are if you are putting yourself into some kind of culture, or if you are surrounding yourself with people who are denying the Lord or who are, in anyway, making you uncomfortable in your faith – I think that you could say that you are letting yourself – being bait for the birds. Don't let yourself be bait for the birds! So, on the side of the road – are we there? Are we starting to completely leave the Lord? Hopefully there is not many of us there, but if you are, you can very easily move back over.

The next one is the rocky soil. Are we in rocky soil today? What happens is, when the seed is in rocky soil – or maybe the wind blows it over into the rocky soil, maybe after it had been in good soil for a short time – what happens then is – we are growing just a little bit, but it's not really having any effect. And the first time we get too busy or something hard gets in the way – we just die (spiritually).

Then, the next area that the seed falls in, is the thorny soil. And the truth is that many of us spend many of our days in the thorny soil. And the thorny soil is when you have accepted Jesus, you are following him, but you have days when the thorns, the distractions of the world, the distractions at work, the difficulties, the anxieties, things you are dealing with – those things should be propelling you closer to the Lord – those problems, those thorns. Remember when you are having problems, what do you do? How do you solve them? Always do something that is going to bring you closer to God. Ask yourself, “Is the way I am dealing with these thorns – is my thorn management – is it something that is bringing me closer to the Lord, or is it taking me further away?” Because if you are letting it take you further away, if the choices you are making – if the method you are using to deal with your thorns is taking you further away from God, those thorns are going to take you down.

So ask yourself, where am I? Am I dealing with thorns? Am I letting thorns get in the way?

And then the last area that the seed falls on is the good soil. And when you are in the good soil and remain in the good soil, you produce a crop of 30, 60, 100 times what you ever would have done had you spent too much time in that thorny soil. And notice the difference – those over there flirting with the birds, they aren't producing anything for the kingdom of God. Those in the rocks, they aren't producing anything. Those in the thorns, now they are producing some, producing some fruit. But if you stay in the good soil, you deal with those thorns – by coming closer to God when you have thorns, rather than letting those thorns distract you. And then, you stay in that good soil – that good soil where you are walking with God, you are thinking about Him, you are carrying Him in your mind throughout the day. You are staying close to Him. If you need to, you are using strategies to keep Him in your mind – whether it be signs posted throughout your house; or visualizing that He is there with you throughout the day, or setting a timer so that you can stop and reflect and be thankful for him throughout the day. You are in that good soil, and your fruit is going to be 30 times, and then 60 times, and then 100 times! It just multiplies, and multiplies, and multiplies.

And what is this harvest? What is this fruit? We know the fruit of the spirit. It is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, and self control. That's the fruit. So, at the end of the day or in the morning – use this as a spiritual test – oh I don't like the word 'test' – use it as a spiritual assessment. And don't use it to beat yourself up. “Oh I spent too much time with thorns today.” Just ask God for forgiveness and move back over into that good soil. And let me tell you something. If you're not feeling love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, or self-control – if you are lacking one of those, or if you are struggling in one of those areas – I bet it's because you are dealing with your thorns in the wrong way! And those thorns are latching in and not allowing you to experience – not just the love, joy and peace – but experiencing it growing, and bouying, a hundredfold, and increasing, so it just starts to flow over – and you are changed.

So that is the parable of the sower. Stay in that good soil, every day, Wake up and say, “What am I going to do when my thorn comes up today? Because you know what your thorns are. You know what your thorns are. Get your garden plan. Assess each morning. Stick with it. Produce that crop, that increasing, increasing crop. I'll tell you what – once you've spent some time in that good soil, and you start [knowing the increasing good things the Spirit gives,] you will never want to go back to the thorns, ever again. Never again. Who wants to live in thorns?!

All right – have a good day, have a good evening, have a good weekend. Bye.

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Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Teaching 9: A Simple, Effective Method of Prayer

A Simple, Effective Method of Prayer

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

HERE is the full video for Teaching 9 titled A Simple, Effective Method of Prayer. A written transcript is right below the video, if you prefer reading through it. Enjoy...and I would love to hear any feedback/discussion you have by commenting here, on facebook, or by sending me a message on facebook.

--------------Transcript -------------------------

I just want to take a few minutes and share with you a method that I have used to really help my prayer life – to have more effective prayers and to have more focus in prayer. Some of you may already have something or may have been taught this before, but I know many, many people who haven't. So I felt led to share this today.

What I am recommending for anyone who is struggling with consistent prayer, or focused prayer – wondering why their prayers aren't effective, feeling like they are “hitting the ceiling,” feeling maybe like God doesn't hear them or God doesn't care – this is something that will help. It has helped me so much, and if it helps someone else, or if it even helps many people – please share this video! The only way your friends and other people will know, is if you help me share. Could you imagine if all around our country and on facebook, if people started learning to pray effectively and started applying this – how it could change their lives?! How many lives could be changed?! For someone, a Christian who has de-churched themselves and doesn't go to church anymore – and it could be for valid reasons. Or maybe someone who hasn't “plugged in” anywhere with a faith group and they haven't learned these things. Oh, it could be such a change in their lives, because we know prayer changes things in a big way.

This does line up with the teachings of Jesus. I'm not going to go into all the background here because I want to get right to the recommendation.

Basically, it is a four step prayer. The first step has two parts, we will say part 1a and part 1b. When you start praying, the first thing that you do is you thank God and praise God for who He is. You actually begin your prayer with praise to Him, in recognition of who He is and His characteristics. And that sets your heart in the right place. So you start your prayer with “Thank you, Lord, for ____(whatever comes to your mind – for being so powerful, for being so great. Thank you Lord for all your love and that you are in control. Thank you for hearing me).____ Then you start transitioning from thanking God for who He is – for His characteristics – to thanking Him for things He has done, for you and for us and for the world. Thank you. So you start off with a time of just thankfulness and praise, thanking Him for what He has done, and that sets your heart and releases anxiety that you may be carrying over the response, or the answer to your prayer. So it is a great way to start a prayer, and as you know, Jesus recommended, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” He started with recognition of God in an honorable, praiseworthy, thankful way.

Then step two is confessing your sins. Of course I always have some sins that come right to mind, and then I ask God to bring anything to mind that I need to confess. This is also when I – in my prior videos I share that every day I ask God to reveal grudges and any bitterness in me – I ask Him to bring those to my mind, so that I can confess them and ask Him to take those out of me, and to give that load to Him. Now, this is the best thing – after you pray and confess your sin, let it go by telling God, “I confess this, and I accept your forgiveness. That is a big difference than just confessing. Because the Bible tells us that if we confess our sins, He will forgive them. It's spiritual law. If you confess, with an authentic and contrite heart, if you confess and wish to repent – He will forgive it! It is done! Because what some people do, and maybe they feel as if their prayers are less effective, is they keep confessing the same thing over and over again to God in their individual prayers. So after entering [prayer] with praise and thanksgiving to God for who He is and what He has done, then you confess your sins. [As an example], “Dear Lord, I got really angry, and I was rude. I'm sorry. I confess my wrong attitude. I want you to help me change, and I accept your forgiveness.” And I have found that adding that phrase after you confess each sin, just saying, “and I accept your forgiveness,” it just releases that burden and the angst even further because you can take that promise. He's forgiven me! He's forgiven me.

So there is step 1a and 1b, and then step 2, and then step 3 is when you move from confession to the third part of the prayer, which is the requests. This is the part I don't have to instruct anyone how to do. Everyone seems to know how to make prayer requests to God and to ask Him for things. You make requests for yourself, and requests for others in that time.

Finally, the last part (step 4) is closing it [the prayer] with letting Him know, “This is what I want; I really hope that this is within your will; but Lord if it is not I know that somehow - what your plan is, is what is best for me.” And when you pray like that, it kind of releases the control of the situation – that continuing anxiety. “I am giving it to You.” And this can be tough.

And another thing that I do – I will admit that I have been incredibly scattered in prayer. So one thing that I have started doing (I do this when I am feeling tired or having trouble keeping my mind focused) is I set a timer, so when I start my prayer I set the time for one minute. And I go through that first phase of praise and thanksgiving. Knowing that the timer (and I use a silent buzzer [on my phone]), knowing that the timer is going to go off keeps me focused. So I am not wondering like, ok have I prayed enough yet? It keeps me focused on the Lord, because I know that timer is going to go off. Now sometimes the timer goes off, and I need more time in that particular segment of the prayer that I am in. So then I will just hit reset – not reset, but re-start – and take another minute. For me, this has helped me so much. I know it sounds silly, and of course this is not the only way to pray. God hears all our prayers, but this has helped me so much, and I just want to share it with any of you. Then the timer goes off, and I am finished with that section [of the prayer], so then I go to the next part – the confession. Usually I do have to increase the minutes on the confession! "I confess....and I accept your forgiveness." And usually by doing this [with the timer], my prayers have extended. That wasn't even the original goal. The goal at first was just to see if I could pray for four or five straight minutes. But I find myself needing more time, because I am more focused.

So it has helped me, and it may help many of you if it is something that you want to try. Ok, so here's to effective prayer lives for millions of people.

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Find this book and others by the author at Amazon by clicking HERE.

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Teachings of Jesus 8: How to Know If You Are Worthy of Heaven? (With the Parable of the Dragnet)

How Do You Know If You Are Worthy of Heaven? (With the Parable of the Dragnet)

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Get the book or e-book to go along with the study. We will be covering 18 teachings this summer by video. The book, however, has nearly all Jesus's teachings in Mark and into Matthew. Get the book or e-book at Amazon by clicking HERE.

HERE is the full video for Teaching 8 titled How to Know If You Are Worthy of Heaven? (With the Parable of the Dragnet). A written transcript is right below the video, if you prefer reading through it. Enjoy...and I would love to hear any feedback/discussion you have by commenting here, on facebook, or by sending me a message on facebook.

--------------Transcript -------------------------

This is the dragnet cast into the sea. This is another parable about the end times - how the separation, the sorting of the evil from the good is going to occur at the end of the age.

Here is the scripture. This is from Matthew 13:47-50.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.

So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” - Matthew 13:47-50

So in this parable, it tells us that the dragnet is cast into the sea, and it pulls in all the fish. So in this parable, the dragnet is Jesus's message, the gospel message. It went out from one point, it went out from Galilee, and now it has gone out throughout all the world, and everyone who hears this message is caught up like a fish caught up in the dragnet, and it is pulled up to the shore. And just like in the last [parable] there is going to be a separation, from the wheat and the tares. He tells a different parable but it is the same basic idea. There is going to be a separation – and guess who is going to do it? Who is going to do the judging? The angels will be doing the separating, based under the authority of Christ, of Jesus. It said very specifically in the [parable of] the wheat and the tares that it will be the Son of Man, which is the biblical term for Jesus, along with his angels that will be separating the wheat from the tares. And the angels will be separating the wicked from the righteous, and they will be throwing [the wicked] into a fiery – now this is a metaphor – into a furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This phrase, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” – this was like a cliché in the Bible. It means a place of great sorrow, of great anxiety, a place where you are not sure where you are going to get your needs met. What is very clear, from Jesus' words himself, is that at the end of this age, there is going to be a separation of the good from the wicked. The good will go to be with God in the kingdom of heaven, in the kingdom of God. The wicked will go to a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of great sorrow and anxiety.

And many people say, “Oh that's fine, because I know I'm not wicked. I know I'm a good person. So when the time comes, the angels are going to look at me and they are going to put me over there [with the righteous.] Because I am a good person. I don't really mean to do anything wrong or to hurt anybody, and when I do - I am sorry for it.”

Here is the problem and what we don't understand. God's definition of good and evil, or righteous and wicked, it is different from our definition. God says every single person – every single human being on the earth – is fallen. Because he doesn't just judge on how we act, or how we behave, or whether or not we have murdered somebody. He judges on our thoughts! Jesus says, “You know not to murder, but I tell you if you hate someone you have murdered him in your heart, and you are not worthy of the kingdom.”

So when Jesus started teaching this, the disciples themselves were like, “So how can anyone ever be saved?” And Jesus answered them and said, “God's grace is what saves you.” His actual words were, “With man this is not possible, but with God this is possible.” So how do we know if we are fallen, if we are wicked, or if we are righteous? Well, the biblical worldview is if we are here, we are fallen. Because no one is perfect. And nobody can ever do enough good deeds on their own to make up for all the evil thoughts that we even have.

First I want to ask the question. When your time comes, when the end of the age comes – whether you believe this happens at your physical death or at another time at the actual end of the age – are you sure that you will be separated with the righteous?

Here is what the gospel is – here is what the good news is – there is a way to be sure, and that way is through believing and following Jesus. See, here is what the Bible says about this question: How, how can this be possible? How can anyone be saved? How can I be sure that I am considered righteous?

The Bible says everyone is fallen – everyone is fallen and everyone needs forgiveness. The only way to be considered righteous is to be forgiven. The Bible also tells us that this forgiveness – there is only one way to get it – it's through Jesus. This is Romans 3:23, everyone needs forgiveness. And forgiveness is only available through a relationship with Jesus. That is Ephesians 1:7.

Now the good news is that God is willing and ready to forgive everyone. He wants you to find him, he wants you to find His forgiveness. And that is John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. So the good news is it is available to everyone, but it is not automatic. There is a false teaching going out saying, “Oh! God is going to – at the end -- He is going to be lenient, and He is going to save everybody.” No, God never said that. It is very, very clear that His forgiveness is available, but not automatic. Jesus himself said that not everyone who even claims to be a follower of Christ will actually go into heaven. Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who calls me 'Lord! Lord! will enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Again, just like the disciples asked, “How can anyone be saved?” We are not able to redeem ourselves in any way. It is by the grace of God. He wants us to be saved. And He has made this one, relatively simple way. And it is through His grace that we are saved; it is nothing we have done. It is His choice to save us, and He promises us that He will do so if we choose to be in a relationship with Jesus.

Then once we believe Jesus, we begin following him; we repent; we turn away from our sin. And we don't do this on our own. The desire to repent comes from the Holy Spirit – and I don't have time to go into all the teachings about the Holy Spirit -- but Jesus walks with us, his Spirit goes with us and convicts us and actually gives us new desires to want to be better and to want to get rid of the sin in our lives. This is a life long process. Luke 13:3 says, “Unless you repent, you will all perish as well.” Then, John 14:6 says, “No one comes to the father except through me.”

To the skeptic, I ask you, what have I lost? If I die and I am wrong, I guess I will just turn to dust. But if you don't accept this free gift from God. If you don't accept Jesus, and you are wrong, then you've lost everything.

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36

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Get the book or e-book to go along with the study. We will be covering 18 teachings this summer by video. The book, however, has nearly all Jesus's teachings in Mark and into Matthew. Get the book or e-book at Amazon by clicking HERE.

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

If you would like to learn simple, practical ways to walk closely with God every single day, then we recommend Closer to God: Simple Methods, Starting Today.

If you would like to read posts like the ones from this blog in book form, then you will enjoy the author's title A Key Question for All Life's Problems available as a Kindle book. The excerpts in the book may be read for personal spiritual growth, or used as sermon starters or lesson outlines.

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Teachings of Jesus 7: Why Doesn't God Wipe Out Evil Now? (With the Parable of the Wheat and Tares)

Why Doesn't God Wipe Out Evil Now? (With the Parable of the Wheat and Tares)

For a list of all free video teachings and transcripts in this series, go HERE.

Get the book or e-book to go along with the study. We will be covering 18 teachings this summer by video. The book, however, has nearly all Jesus's teachings in Mark and into Matthew. Get the book or e-book at Amazon by clicking HERE.

HERE is the full video for Teaching 7 titled Why Doesn't God Wipe Out Evil Now? (With the Parable of the Wheat and Tares) . A written transcript is right below the video, if you prefer reading through it. Enjoy...and I would love to hear any feedback/discussion you have by commenting here, on facebook, or by sending me a message on facebook.

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Today is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.

I love this parable because it addresses the number one complaint, I guess you could say, that skeptics and non-believers have about Christianity and about the Christian God. One of their strongest arguments is that they say, “Well, if God is good and he created the world and eveything in it; then how come there is evil in the world? How come there is evil? There is evil, so therefore God cannot exist. That is their argument.

And you know what I love? I love that – 2000 years ago – before this question was even asked by us, Jesus gave us the answer for it in a a parable. And not just one parable, he gave us at least two parables about this.

This is a longer passage today. Not only did Jesus tell the parable, he also specifically explained what each part of it meant. He didn't do this for all his parables. There are only a few, where, he told the parable, and when he saw the disciples didn't quite get it, he then went back and explained what everything was in the metaphor. Doesn't this demonstrate the foreknowledge of God? This question that many of us struggle with the most – he answered it over 2000 years ago.

Here is the passage:

“Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'

And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the harvest, I will say to the reapers, 'First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.'”

Alright, I'm going to put up a picture. Look at this picture. This is wheat and a tare, side by side, before they are ripe. It is very, very difficulty to tell them apart. One of the main things is that the wheat is a little 'puffier;' the fruit of the wheat is larger than the tare. But as they are growing it is very, very hard to tell which is which. Now, once the wheat is ripe, you can tell which one is a tare. You can tell much better because the wheat limps over when it is ripe, but the tare it sticks straight up.

Still, what does this mean? So we are going to go on to Matthew 13:36, and here Jesus actually explains.

“Then he left the crowd and went into the house. And his disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the wheat and the tares of the field.' And he said to them, “The one who sows good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Then the Righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears, let him hear. “ - Matthew 13:36-43

Why is there evil in the world? Why do terrible things happen? This parable tells us clearly that the evil does not come from God; it comes from the other side. And Jesus clearly explained that the tares were planted by the enemy. But this question is also, “Why doesn't God just wipe out all evil right now?” Although I don't have a nice, simple answer for that, we do know – from reading the whole context of the Bible – that there is a spiritual battle being waged in the unseen world. And we, for whatever reason, we are fallen. We are fallen by our nature away from God; and we are here for the purpose of finding our way back to God. And the Bible tells us that shouldn't be too difficult of a task! Because God has designed our lives – He has designed our lives to give us every opportunity to find Him.

Acts 17 tells us that God has designed our lives in such a way that we will desire to seek Him and find Him. God did this so they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. - Acts 17:27

And he also promises us that if we do seek Him, with our whole heart, that we will find Him. You will seed me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart. - Jeremiah 29:13

God is also extremely, extremely patient. The Bible tells us that to God, a thousand years is like a day, and a day is like a thousand years.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish. - 2 Peter 3:9

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord, a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. - 2 Peter 3:8

And how can this be? I'm going to go off the path right here and then come back, because that was always something that was hard for me to really grasp. But now that I am a bit older, I understand how the older you get, time seems to pass more rapidly. For example, I am in my forties now, and to me, a year seems to pass in about three months time. Of course when we were much younger, when we were children, a year – waiting a whole year – it felt like a decade! As you get older, time seems to move faster. So can you imagine how God, who is outside of time and who has existed all of this time? Yes – a thousand years is like a day to Him. But he is patient and he has set things up in order to give you every opportunity to find Him.

A couple of months ago, I was having a conversation. This was not a face to face conversation. For some reason I had engaged someone, I think, on a news message board somewhere. And he was using this argument. “Well why does God allow evil in the world. He can't exist because he is good, so he should just snap his fingers and make everything ok.” And my response to him was, “Well, that is interesting because that is what God is doing. We are fallen, and He is working out His plan to separate the evil from the good, so that we will be with him forever in goodness and righteousness.” And I don't know that he had ever heard it said that way before. And this gentleman, he kept saying similar things, and and I kept saying, “Well that is God's plan. That is what He is doing. That is what God is working out.” Then I finally said to him, “Don't you find it interesting that what you think God should do – is exactly what He is doing? And the only reason you reject Him is because He is not doing it on your timeframe?” And he really stopped the conversation after that. So hopefully, that is maybe something to keep him awake at night. Maybe not.

But God's timeframe is not the same as ours. And this parable explains why. Because He is giving everyone as much time as possible to find Him. And he does not want to start the separating process too early. We don't know who is going to be counted as righteous at the time. Because we know God accepts true death bed conversions, whether we think that is fair or not. He does. He is patient because He wants as many to find Him, to come and join Him.

A second purpose for my writings is to help strengthen your faith, especially when it comes under attack. So the next time you hear this argument...and if you are engaging in the culture in any way whatsoever, then you are hearing this argument. You will know that Jesus answered that some 2000 years ago. He let us know! So the next time someone comes to you with that argument, or that argument is presented in the media in some way, you will have a response. And the response won't be some "Oh, this or this, or this....or philosophically that." The response is directly from Jesus, what Jesus said.

And the other thing – just be thankful. If you have anyone you know – friends – who haven't found God yet, just be thankful that He is patient. When you pray, thank God for being patient. Thank God for setting out paths so that as many as possible will be able to find Him. And pray that those that you care about, that they do find that path. The path is already there, they just have to find it. Pray that God will inch them closer to that path.

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