The Quest

I remember growing up in Baptist churches where children and youth were always encouraged to memorize Scripture.  Remember the old “Sword Drills?”  John 11:35 was always my favorite verse to memorize – Jesus wept!  Shortest verse in the Bible.  I could truthfully say that I had memorized Scripture but in reality, I was just taking the easy way out. 

This week as I studied for Sunday night’s message, the power of that small verse finally hit me.  JESUS WEPT!  It’s not just two words to be easily memorized and forgotten.  The powerful truth is that the King of kings, Lord of lords, the Almighty God wept because He felt the hurt and heartache of his friends, Mary and Martha.  Jesus told His disciples that they were His friends.  I am so thankful that I get to be a part of that group of people that Jesus calls His friends.

Jesus understands our hurts and heartaches.  He weeps with us.  I think I understand that truth more and more the older I get.  I usually don’t cry, but if I see my wife cry, I can’t help but weep with her.  I blame it on my blood pressure medicine.  Maybe it’s because we’ve been together for 30 years.  Maybe there is something to the Biblical truth concerning the oneness of married people.  Scripture says, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” (John 17:22)  The oneness we have with Jesus through His Holy Spirit enables Him to understand our deepest hurts and concerns.  From that understanding, He weeps with us.

JESUS WEPT!  I will never look at those two words with the same careless attitude again.  I will never cheapen them like that again.  What powerful words!  What comforting truth!  My Jesus loves me with an amazing compassion.  How could anyone face life without Him?  No matter what comes my way, I know that I will face it with my God who weeps with me.

In the book of First Samuel, chapter 14, there is the story of Jonathan, King David’s great friend, and his armor bearer.  While Saul was still reeling from Samuel’s news that God had found someone to take Saul’s place because of his disobedience, the enemy of God’s people was encamped close by.  Jonathan decides to go over to the enemy camp and pick a fight.  So he says to the young man who carried his armor, “Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans.  Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; I am with you completely.” 

So they go over and start a fight and the Scriptures say that in the “first slaughter” these two guys take out twenty of the enemy.  They fought with such tenacity and ferocity until the enemy trembled.

That’s how we should be today.  We should join together and be armorbearers for one another.  We should fight until the enemy trembles.  Sadly, what happens most often is that we fight with each other or we’re like Saul, we’re sitting around trying to figure out what to do.

Let us be the Church of Jesus Christ – His Body and join together and pick a fight with the enemy.  It won’t take but a few of us – God can bring victory through a few or through many.  Let us fight with all our hearts and make our enemy tremble.  There is no better way to do that than to be SALT and LIGHT for Christ.  Let us join Jesus as His armorbearers (Ephesians 6) and fight with Him.

This last Sunday taught us the Power of the Image.  We saw in the image of baptism, a portrait of the new life that belongs to every follower of Jesus.  We are buried with Him – the old is gone, it’s dead.  And then we are raised with Him – the new has come, we are alive.  Going under the water portrays the passing of the old and coming up out of the water portrays the coming of the new.  After baptism, we partook of the Lord’s Supper, in which we see a portrait of the sacrifice that made this new life possible.  The bread portraying the body of Christ broken – brutalized so that the church (the Body of Christ) might be whole.  The cup portraying the blood split – the ransom paid so that the church could be free. 

The Lord’s Supper points backwards to the blood of the innocent spread on the doorposts so that the death angel would pass over God’s possession in Egypt.  The Supper points us to this day in which we, as God’s possession bought with the precious blood of Jesus are to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.  And the Supper points to the future, when the possession of God – His Church – will be adorned in white and come to the marriage supper of the Lamb of God.  The Lord’s Supper portrays the work of God throughout history.

Even in the offering, we see the portrait of giving.  God gave His Son.  Christ Jesus gave His all.  We are to give, not just money.  That’s too easy sometimes.  We “tip” God and hold back the more important offering of our lives, our time, our efforts, and above all, our hearts.

Portraits of Christ.  The question we must ask ourselves is this:  When people look at my life, do they see a portrait of Christ.  My prayer is that we can truthfully change our logo to say, “KBC …a touch of family and a taste of Christ.”  When we become portraits, then people will not only sense our touch of family but walk away from here hungering and thirsting after Jesus because we gave them a taste of Christ.

The other day at the Southern Baptist Convention, I was ticked off at having to pay $9 for a hamburger, $3 for fries, and $3 for a small coke at the Hijack Cafe (otherwise known as any Orange County Convention Center food provider).  When I went to get ice for my drink, they were out.  When I asked the attendant about ice, he said, and I quote, “The machine is tired!”  I looked at him and with an angry tone I said, “I paid $3 for this coke, the least you could do is have ice.”  Later, I found ice at another dispenser.  When I went back for a refill, that same attendant had gone and filled a serving tray with ice and was dispensing it to customers.  So I said to him, “I’m glad you’ve got ice now.”  I guess he didn’t recognize me when he said, “Yeah, some guy stuck his cup in my face and yelled at me that he’d paid $3 for coke and deserved ice.”  MAN, I felt stupid and small.  This guy, I don’t know if he’s a Christian or not, probably formed his whole opinion of Southern Baptists and more importantly, of Christians on my selfish act.

Francis Chan spoke at that convention and asked the question, “Would the people who spent the day with you feel that they had spent the day with Jesus?“  I would have to say “NO” on that day at the drink dispenser.  What a challenge – to leave behind the taste of being with Jesus in the lives of those with which we interact.  I’ve been working on being SALT and LIGHT since the message from the command of Jesus to do just that.  I want to be “salty” enough to make people thirsty for Jesus and “light” enough to show those people the way to the Water of Life who can quench their thirst.  Pray for me.

My son, Keilan used a poem by William Cowper, 18th century poet and hymn writer, to write a song called, “Light Shining Out of Darkness.” Take the words and find encouragement if you’re having a bad day.

God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;  He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.   Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill,  He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will.

Chorus:  When the sky is grey and all hope seems lost, there is light shining out of darkness. 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.   

When the sky is grey and all hope seems lost, there is light shining out of darkness.   When the sky is gray, when the world’s crashing down, there is light shining out of darkness.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.

The song is powerful and the message so true.  Take heart, your God is in control.

The sermon series on the Book of Proverbs has been challenging.  It has caused me to evaluate the way I do a lot of the “everyday stuff.”  Solomon spoke to so many practical issues and challenged me, along with his son, to make sure that the choices I make in life reflect wisdom based in the knowledge of God.  What an awesome task – to be and to do what pleases God; making choices that reflect an understanding that my life is His!  Solomon told his son to live in awe of Almighty God and God would direct his paths.  Regardless if that path went through dark and sorrowful places or in bright and joyous places, the presence of God would be there.  May the assurance of His Presence comfort us in the darkness and enrich us in the joyous places.

The Book of Proverbs teaches that a person who excels in their work will be known among kings.  Sometimes there’s so much to get done that it’s easier to do everything half-heartedly rather than give your all to each task.  My desire is to do all things in such a way that they glorify God and point people to Jesus.  For that to happen, I will have to evaluate what’s important and what’s not.  I will also have to be wary of the “Tyranny of the Urgent,” in which I give more attention to the urgent rather than the proper attention to the important.  All this only comes about as my quest takes me to the feet of Jesus first, seeking His face, then to the matters at hand.

Thanks for visiting this site.  I hope that whatever is shared here will help you in your quest to be the person God has called you to be and to do what He has called you to do.  The Great Quest of Life is to know and serve our King, Jesus Christ.