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We live in an age when people avoid the inevitability of death. We don’t like to talk about death. When someone dies, often their body is quickly cremated, and those who are grieving try to move on as quickly as possible, avoiding pondering on the destination that we all face:, heaven or hell.

Jesus spoke a lot about heaven and hell, in particular the parable of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16.

Without getting too caught up in the metaphor of the parable, we must be careful not to miss the real reason for the parable. This parable had a twist at the end that, I believe, revealed the primary reason that Jesus taught it.

Two Different Men

The two main characters in the parable are a rich man and a poor man who was called Lazarus. The rich man remains nameless, but he was exceptionally wealthy and ostentatious in displaying his wealth. The rich man trusted in his riches; this was his downfall.

This is also the downfall of our nation. The irony is that the statement, “In God we trust” appears on the currency that we really trust in. Self-sufficiency is a fatal pitfall (Hebrews 11:6).

Jesus gives the poor man a name, Lazarus.  Everyone in the town would have known the name of the rich man. But Jesus knew the name of the poor man. God sees the downcast, the broken, and the poor.

Two Different Destinations

As the story is told by Jesus, both men die and Lazarus is given a personal escort to the side of Abraham, which in Jewish culture would have been the place of greatest honor.

From a temporal place of suffering and pain, Lazarus is lifted to an eternal place of peace and comfort.

Then the rich man dies, and he is sent to Hades, a place of torment (Luke 16:22-23). At death, the rich man enters into eternal punishment and eternal poverty, while Lazarus is eternally wealthy in paradise.

The difference between the two men was not riches or poverty; it was faith (see Ephesians 2:8).

In his suffering, the rich man cries out to Abraham, asking him to send Lazarus to help him. He still sees Lazarus as a lower-class man, someone to do his bidding (Luke 16:24).  Abraham responds by letting the formerly rich man know that his situation is permanently set (Luke 16:26).

Jesus taught that Hell would be a place of excruciating eternal suffering, but the worst part would be the complete absence of the grace of God—that is what makes it Hell.

As Jesus continues to tell the parable, we see the twist in the tail; the rich man seems to fear for the plight of his brothers. This rich man was probably not a bad person by human standards. He displayed concern and love for his family.

The reality is that there will be people in hell who, by our worldly standards, did good things. But all our good deeds are worthless when we stand before Jesus on judgment day; the only thing that matters is our response to the Gospel message.

One True Book

The rich man, again seeing Lazarus as someone to do his bidding, begs Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to go and warn his family.

Abraham responds in verse 29, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.”

Abraham is talking about the Holy Scriptures, the Hebrew Bible, which we call the Old Testament. We know, looking back from a New Testament perspective, that all the Law and the Prophets point to Jesus. The Old Testament is a revelation of Jesus fulfilled in the New Testament.

Luke 16:31, “He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

I think Jesus added that last sentence knowing that many who were listening to him would refuse to believe in his resurrection just a few months later. Today, we have the complete Word of God, the revelation of Jesus, that explains all we need for life and salvation (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

This means that all Scripture is fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. Written by 40 different authors over fifteen hundred years, the Bible never contradicts itself and is as relevant today as it was almost two-thousand years ago. The Bible is a book that is supernatural in its writing and supernatural in its application. Jesus used the Scriptures as his only defense when tempted by Satan.

One Illiterate Generation

Sadly, in our digital culture, people want something trendy and flashy. People look for new revelations from the latest content creator or YouTube channel. But few people are reading and studying the Word of God for themselves. The result is that we have widespread and frequent deception.

We live in a nation of Biblical accessibility and Biblical illiteracy. People come to church to hear an inspirational message and don’t even bring their Bibles, which is an indication that they don’t open their Bibles at home. As a result, people are easily misled and fall prey to false teaching.

This is the age that Paul wrote to Timothy about in 2 Timothy 4:3-4. The result is that we have a weak but well-entertained church that is fearful of the future with no desire to reach the lost with the Gospel message.  

The sad indictment that Jesus taught in this parable is that even if someone would rise from the dead, the people would not believe. Someone did rise from the dead, and the Bible is his revelation to us.

Is reading and meditating on the Word of God part of your daily routine? If you develop this spiritual discipline, you will find that it is living bread for your soul as the Holy Spirit reveals the Scriptures to you. Whether you are rich in earthly treasures or not, you will be rich in the treasures of Christ.

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If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that there are people that we would not be concerned about being outside of the grace of God. We all have a line.

This is part of our fallen human nature. During the time that Jesus walked the earth, the nation of Israel had people that they hated so much they declared them to be beyond the hope of redemption.

A Question for a Question

Jesus confronted this way of thinking and challenged the norms of culture during his earthly ministry. We read about his confrontation with a Mosaic law expert in Luke 10, and we know it as the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Sometimes we forget that Jesus told the parable in response to a challenge. A lawyer had posed this question: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

To the lawyer’s chagrin, Jesus answers the question with a question, asking, “What is written in the Law?” In response, he begins sparring with Jesus. Jesus directs the man to an authority that they can both accept – the law of Moses (Luke 10:26).

The lawyer answers Jesus’ question by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. He connects these two different passages, showing a good understanding of the law of Moses.

“And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

Jesus commends him and seems to move on, but the learned man is not satisfied. He knows that he is not perfectly loving towards his fellow man, so he is looking for a definition that will lower the bar on the requirement of the law. He asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

A Parable for a Problem

Jesus tells a parable to correct the scribe’s false understanding of who his neighbor was.

In this parable, a man is beaten to the point of death, and three people walk past him as he lay on the side of the road between Jerusalem and Jericho.

The priest, who should have been the first to help, walks by on the other side of the road. A man from the tribe of Levi does the same thing and keeps on walking.

The third person to come by is a Samaritan. Samaritans were hated by the Jews because of racial position and religious differences. The Samaritans were judged and condemned by the Jewish people.

We do not know if the injured man was a Jew or Gentile, but it made no difference to the Samaritan; he did not consider the man’s race or religion. The Samaritan only saw a person in need of assistance, and he assisted him by going above and beyond in his care.

A Question for an Answer

Jesus made his point by asking the scribe a laser sharp question, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”  (Luke 10:36).

Once again, the lawyer’s answer reveals his personal hardness of heart. He refers to the Samaritan as, “the one who showed mercy.”

Jesus then tells the lawyer to “go and do likewise,.” Jesus means that the man should start living what the law tells him to do by following the Samaritan’s example of merciful care, irrespective of the recipient’s race, religion, financial position or nationality. 

The lesson is the same for us. If someone has a need and we have the means to help, then we are to give generously and freely without expectation of return, regardless of the recipient’s race, religion, socioeconomic status, or political views.

A Parable for Our Practice

As we put this into practice, we will find that mercy always costs. Mercy is compassion that is willing to pay the price. Mercy is what we have received as followers of Jesus. We deserved death (see Romans 6:23), but Jesus paid the price that we could not pay.

Jesus in turn calls us to show mercy to those we meet along the pathway of life, and it will usually cost us something. Often it will cost us our prejudice.

However, there is no person on earth who can meet this standard, Jesus sets the bar impossibly high; our heart is selfish to the core. When left to our own devices, we do the wrong thing. We see the person in need and justify why we don’t need to help them. The drug addict, the homeless person, the illegal immigrant, the person who looks different…

Dr. Albert Mohler wrote, “There is not a single human being, made in God’s image, who does not deserve our compassion, care and mercy.” That is a challenging statement.

The compassion that Jesus showed on the cross should be the mark of every Christian even towards those we feel are beyond mercy (see 1 John 3:16).

A Question for an Eternity

Getting back to the original question of this legal expert, “What must I do….to inherit eternal life?”

We know from Scripture that we will never be able to do enough good things to inherit eternal life. We need a savior, Jesus Christ. And only then, as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, will we be equipped to love our neighbor.

Although compassion is a pillar of the church, it is an outflow of the ministry of the church. Compassion is essential in the church, not because it is what good people do to help one another but because it is the way the church points people to Jesus. Jesus views compassion very seriously (see Matthew 25:34-36).

Until Jesus comes again, the church is called to the Great Commission and to works of compassion, displaying the love of Christ to a broken world.

Isaiah 58:6-7

The church is called by God to the Great Commission, to declare the Good News and make followers of Jesus, baptizing them and teaching them what Jesus taught. Along with that are the multiple aspects of gathering, prayer, worship and encouragement. But sadly, some churches get too focused on their internal programs that they lose the passion for the mission of the church.

How are we doing as a church? Are we still laser focused on the Great commission?

The parable of the sower is one of the few parables that Jesus explained to his disciples as we read in Matthew 13:18-23.  

A sower went out to sow:

For any crop to grow, the seed needs to be sown. In the first century the farmer would manually throw the seed on the prepared ground. The seed represents the Gospel, the Word of God. The sower sows the seed, but God makes it grow, and this is also true of the Christian Walk.

Ultimately the purpose of sowing is to produce a crop. To grow something. To produce life. If there is no sowing, there is no life and only the Gospel message is able to produce eternal life.

A church that does not sow the seeds of the Gospel, cannot expect to see new life.

The sower sows the seed, but there are four different soils or receptors of the seed. These represent four different ways that people respond to the word of God.

1. The Pathway (Matthew 13:4)

The pathway is the area between the prepared soil, it is the place that people trample as they walk around the prepared soil. This hard ground represents a hardened heart that is not receptive to the Gospel.

People’s hearts can be hardened for several reasons; trauma, poor life choices, and often pain caused by other believers.

Someone with a hard heart, is not capable of receiving the word of God. Our best course of action in this case is to pray that the Holy Spirit would work and soften their hearts.

Satan loves a hardened heart. The birds in this parable represent how Satan comes and takes away even the seed of the Gospel (Matthew 13:19).

Never give up praying for someone who has a hardened heart.

2. The Rocky Ground (Matthew 13:5-6).

Sadly, not every positive response to the Gospel means new life. Many people are quick to respond to the Good News wanting the promise of eternal life, but in reality, they have made a superficial commitment.

Jesus said that the plant sprung up immediately, there is evidence of growth, excitement and energy, but the roots aren’t deep enough to sustain the new believer, when persecution and hard trials come. And eventually they wither away (Matthew 13:21).

As a church, we can be guilty of counting numbers, celebrating new responses and baptisms, which are all good, but are we discipling the new believer to help them grow, deep and sustaining roots.

The soil in the parable had rocks. A gardener must take pains to remove all rocks and stones before sowing, otherwise the plants will not develop healthy roots.

That is the discipleship process, it takes time, prayer and feeding on God’s word to remove the rocks from someone’s life. In fact, every believer should be working out the rocks in their lives as they come to the surface.  

What are the Rocks?

The rocks in our lives are areas of compromise. These are pockets of embedded sin, sins that we are comfortable with.

There are the rocks of; unforgiveness, anger, addictions, hatred, racism, foolish talk, gossip, complaining, dishonesty and the like.

Anxiety is also a rock, fearing the unknown displays a lack of trust in God (Matthew 6:25).

The rocks come in many forms, but they all prevent us from growing deep, life sustaining roots. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to you, what are the areas of compromise that you are entertaining, that are preventing you from growing deep roots as a Christian.

3. The Thorny Ground (Matthew 13:7)

The thorny ground is more subtle than the rocky soil. Weeds are not immediately evident when planting in a freshly plowed field and weeds also have a nasty habit of returning.

Jesus explains that the thorns are the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22).

The cares of this world can be good or bad, but ultimately, they are things that draw us away from our relationship with the Lord Jesus.

The Greek word translated “cares”, could mean anxiety, worry or anxious concern. Jesus warned against this in Matthew 6 and also we have the wonderful promise of 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.“

Jesus points out the deceitfulness of riches is a thorn. Being rich is not wrong nor sinful, but when our life revolves around our finances, then it becomes a thorny weed that chokes out the Gospel message. Sadly, we are a nation that is obsessed with wealth. And we know that money lies to us, it cannot make us happy or bring us eternal security.

We pull out the choking weed of the love of money by being aggressively generous. We destroy the alure of money by fully trusting the Lord with our finances and generously giving. Generosity kills the weed of anxiety and the deceitfulness of riches.

4. The Harvest (Matthew 13:9)

Jesus explained that good soil produces a bountiful harvest (Matthew 13:23).

A person with a receptive and fruitful heart is a recipient of God’s grace. While we can follow good spiritual disciplines to make our lives more fruitful for the Lord, ultimately a receptive heart is a gift from the Lord.

This is why it is vital for us to pray for our lost friends and neighbors, for our unsaved children and family members. Praying that God works a miracle in their hearts to receive the Gospel message.

Who are you praying for today?

The Fruit and the Sower.

What is the evidence of growth and fruit?

A good starting point is Galatians 5:22-23, but there is other evidence of a healthy Christian life. Fruit such as, godly character, integrity, soul winning, disciple making, generosity, endurance in suffering, the ability to control our emotions and our tongue, to name a few. These are evidence of a life committed to the Lordship of Jesus (see Psalm 1:3).  

With so much focus on the soil, who is the sower?

While we are all the soil, recipients of the Gospel, we are also called to share the Gospel message. We have been commissioned by Jesus to share the Gospel message to the ends of the earth.

Are you intentionally sowing today?

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Once upon a time…

We all love a good story, don’t we?

Jesus was the greatest storyteller when he walked with his disciples. He taught many things in what we call parables, which are simple stories that reveal a deeper meaning. Jesus spoke in parables not simply to teach moral lessons in a way people would remember but to reveal the kingdom of heaven. There are multiple layers to every parable that Jesus taught, but each one shows us something about God’s character and our own hardened, sinful human nature.

Thirty-five percent of the content in the synoptic Gospels is the parables that Jesus told. If parables were Jesus’ primary teaching method, then they should be very important for us to study.

What is a Parable?

The word parable means “to set alongside”. A parable is a story that is set alongside a timeless truth to reinforce or to clarify a certain truth.

Dr/ Albert Mohler defines a parable as, “Surprising stories and word pictures drawn from the familiar, that powerfully reveal to us the unfamiliar”.

God uses this concept throughout the Bible. Sometimes God uses historical accounts to stand as a standard to reveal His character and nature. In the Old Testament, God frequently God referred to himself as, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt”. The Egypt deliverance was their great story.

The books of Esther and Ruth reveal aspects of the nature of God and the Gospel.

The prophets were sometimes called upon to act out the message in sometimes uncomfortable ways, providing a visual parable if you will (look at Jeremiah and Hosea for example).

Job is a true story that has become a parable for the sovereignty of God.

Our creator knows our mind is wired for story because He created it that way. Our creator came, teaching in parables 2000 years ago, and they still speak to us today.

Truth Obscured

When Jesus first taught the parables to the original audience, they were obscure; his listeners didn’t grasp the true meaning of what Jesus was saying. 

The disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 13 verse 10, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”  They noticed that Jesus was not explaining the parables to the people. 

Jesus answered in verse 11, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

Why would Jesus intentionally obscure truth from the very people he came to save? The disciples and the people thought they knew who Jesus was. They were expecting a messiah who would overthrow the Roman empire and re-establish the great nation of Israel. The disciples were trying to help Jesus create a following by revealing who he was, or at least who they thought he was. Why was Jesus hiding the truth in stories?

While Jesus explained the parables to his inner circle, he was really speaking to the church that would be birthed after his ascension. The parables are for us, revealing truths about the Kingdom of Heaven.

In verse 12, Jesus explains that there are two kinds of people, those who hear and understand, and those who hear and do not understand.

Truth Revealed

What makes the difference? The key is the Holy Spirit, the revealer of truth. The parables are not just informative stories; they are crucial for the believer to grasp and to apply leading to a harvest of righteousness. It is our privilege to mine them in order to grow in wisdom and sanctification.  

Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah in verses 14-15, quoting Isaiah 6 which includes the prophet’s commissioning. God responds to Isaiah’s willingness by telling him that He is sending the prophet to a people who have dull hearts, blind eyes, and deaf ears.

All followers of Jesus have been commissioned by him to go and proclaim the Gospel (see Matthew 28:19-20). Just like Isaiah, we will have some people who hear and are saved and others who hear but reject the Gospel, facing an eternity separated from God.

So why do some people receive the Gospel and others reject it? What makes the human heart receptive? Can we soften our own hearts (see Jeremiah 17:9)?

This is a complex paradox that theologians have wrestled with for centuries. On the one hand we have the absolute sovereignty of God and on the other hand we have the responsibility of the hearer to respond.

In verse 16 Jesus tells his disciples, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.”

Jesus didn’t say, “you see and hear because you are smarter, or special in some way.” The disciples weren’t chosen because they had superior people skills or IQ. No, they were blessed by God to have Jesus explain the parables to them.

We know from Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit, that when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are blessed to be able to understand the truths of God’s Word.

Truth Told

Along with the sovereignty of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit bringing revelation, we have what we call the doctrine of election. Why does the Bible teach that there are some who are chosen and others not? From Abraham to the writings of Paul and the book of Revelation, we see that God elects His people.  

Our calling as followers of Jesus is not to try to determine who the elect are and aren’t but to proclaim the Gospel. We sow the seeds of the Gospel, but the Holy Spirit is the one that brings new life, winning souls for the Kingdom of Heaven. The more we share the Gospel, the more of the elect we find!

The Gospel is the one true story that makes every parable understandable. It is the one truth that reveals all other truths that Jesus taught.

Are you seeing? Are you hearing? Are you understanding? Who will you tell?

September 11, 2001. A horrific attack shook the world, affecting countless lives. It was traumatic for the survivors and those who lost loved ones. It was a doorway that everyone had to go through.

Only the Lord knows the doorways of grief and trauma that potentially await us this year.

From Successful to Suffering

The biblical figure Job had to endure terrible and painful doorways. He was blameless and upright according to Job 1:8, yet Satan was permitted to inflict terrible things on this righteous man. In all he endured, Job did not sin lose his faith in God (see Job 1:22).   

Job’s friends’ slander and accuse him as they try to make sense of his suffering. In chapter 19, he tries to defend himself. Through all this, God seems to be silent and preventing Job from finding relief (see Job 19:8). It is evident that God is showing Job that the only way forward is by going through the doorway of suffering.

Suffering can be an intensely lonely time in a person’s life. Job laments that everyone has deserted him (see Job 19:13-19).

As Job is making his plea for mercy, he knows that God has allowed these awful events to happen (see Job 19:21). Job recognizes God has permitted his pain; he doesn’t give Satan any acknowledgment. 

If we learn anything from the account of Job, it is a study in the sovereignty of God. We don’t know why God allows suffering, but ultimately, we know that God has promised to work it all for our good and for His glory. There are countless stories of people who have gone through the doorway of incredible pain and suffering allowing God to use their pain for His glory.

From Pain to Perspective

From verse 25, we notice Job changes his focus. It seems as if he had a prophetic revelation that went millennia ahead of his current situation and points to the redeemer, a portrait of Jesus.

What shifted? Job walked through the doorway of suffering and found that Jesus was right there. God gave Job a revelation of what is to come, the eternal and abundant life that Jesus offers.

While Job was on the inside of the door, he was experiencing excruciating physical pain, trauma and even slander. He was frozen, stuck in his pain and trauma.

But when he took his focus off his immediate situation and turned to the Lord, he walked through the doorway of trauma and found that God was already there. He was not alone; God had never left him (see Deuteronomy 31:8).

From Hurting to Healed

The promise of God’s presence is echoed throughout Scripture, culminating with the giving of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to the church.

Sometimes when we encounter suffering, we freeze, not knowing how to move forward through the door that we are facing. There are times when God seems far off; we get stuck, paralyzed by the trauma or the unknown of living beyond the current painful situation. We cannot see what healing would even look like or how to get through the doorway.

Are you dealing with trauma? Stuck on the threshold of the door, paralyzed by trauma or fear of the unknown?

When you experience trauma that was not your fault and not your choice, God invites you to work through the effect of the trauma. That is what God did for Job; He can do that for you.  Healing will come as you step through the doorway by allowing God to change the effect of the trauma.

From Abandoned to Abundance

Another person in the Bible who experienced incredible trauma was Joseph. He was abandoned and sold into slavery by his own family. But God had other plans, we have this great promise in Genesis 50:19-20, “But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Joseph had been through incredible trauma, but he walked through the doorway of his trauma to the healing on the other side, thus he was able to say, “I am in the place of God”.

The healing took place as God changed the meaning of the past for Joseph.

Today, you may be dealing with the effects of a painful situation, loss of a loved one, violence done to you or someone you love—trauma comes in various forms.

The effects of trauma are far reaching. Often a Christian counselor is necessary to help you walk through that doorway to healing and direct you to look at our Redeemer as Job did.

As you step through the doorway, you will find that God has gone before you, but more than that, He never left you.

As we stand on the brink of a new year, I want to spend the next two weeks focusing on the prospect of changes that we all will be facing in the coming year.

Changes can be likened to doorways. Sometimes doors open to us, and we have the choice to step through them into a life change. It may be a new relationship or a job, or even a new home. Some people will graduate or receive a promotion. Others will retire. New doors can be stressful yet exciting, filled with potential. 

When we as believers face a new doorway, we must have faith to step into the unknown.

Jesus described himself as the door in John 10:1-13. From this passage, we see that Jesus is the only door to eternal life, Jesus is the key to abundant everyday life, and Jesus is our Good Shepherd when we face life-altering doors.

Jesus is the only Door to Eternal Life

In John 10, Jesus declares that he is the only way of salvation; he is the only door to a relationship with God, sadly this doctrine is not widely believed in many Christian circles. A recent survey of 3100 people who claim to be born again Christians found that only 25% believed in the exclusivity of Christ for salvation.

I want to categorically state today that as long as I am called by God to preach the Word of God, I will hold to the truth that Jesus is the only way of salvation. If Jesus was not the only way of salvation, there would be no point in proclaiming the Gospel; it would be irrelevant. Jesus makes the statement in John 10 verse 9 that he is the way of salvation. There are several other verses in the Bible that explicitly declare that Jesus is the only way of salvation (see John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5).

No other religion has a god who did what Jesus did. Jesus is the only savior who stepped down from his throne in heaven and paid the price for our salvation by giving his life as a ransom for our sins. We don’t have to do anything to earn salvation, and we cannot add to our salvation.

Jesus is the Key to Abundant Life in the Daily Doors of Life 

Once we have established that Jesus is the only door to eternal life, how does this knowledge affect our day to day lives in 2025?

Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Jesus came not only to save us but that we may have abundant life. This abundant life begins when we are truly born again and begin our relationship with our Creator.

This abundant life is not exempt from the trials and pain of life; rather, it is a life of peace with God, a life that lives to glorify God and enjoy His presence even in the midst of suffering.

To live this abundant life, we have many daily choices to make. Little choices that either lead to life or produce a slow death in us. Every day we are faced with new doorways as decisions are presented to us.

Doorways of Distraction

There are doorways of distraction: spending hours on social media, online browsing, watching hours of TV, listening to unhelpful podcasts, or the distraction of pornography. These doorways lead to a slow death in us, not eternally speaking, but a numbing of the mind and soul. I challenge you this year to make a radical decision to change what you are feeding on. When you decide what to watch, read, listen to, and consume, ask yourself: is it producing life or death in your heart and mind?

Doorways to Transformation

We have the choice every day to open the doorway to things that are life giving and supernatural. This doorway is opening the Word of God and prayerfully allowing the power of the Word of God to transform our life.

Doorways to Relationship

Then there is the doorway to spending time with another believer, encouraging and being encouraged. There are many doorways of relationships within the Body of Christ that lead to life.

Doorways to Blessing

We are also daily presented with doorways to bless our neighbors. Simply being available to help someone in need as that doorway presents itself and we take a step of faith.

Every day we are faced with doorways that lead to life and other doorways that lead to death. Determine today to live to glorify God by your decisions.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd in the Big Doors of Life 

Every one of us will also face significant doors in 2025, doors that have life-altering implications. Some will have to make significant decisions regarding careers, relationships, relocation, and other life-changing choices.

For every life-changing door we face, we need to know the will of God for our lives. Jesus said in John 10:4, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

As followers of Jesus, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives; He is our counselor. We also have the Word of God that speaks to us. The only way to know the voice of the Good Shepherd is to spend time in his presence, reading the Bible and waiting on him in prayer.

This is why those daily doorways are so important because when you are faced with the significant doorways, you will know the voice of the Good Shepherd. You will know what to do (see Isaiah 30:21).

Sometimes those doorways present themselves suddenly, and we must decide quickly. When that time comes, we need to know the voice of the Lord.

This is walking by faith, looking to Jesus and waiting on him (see Psalm 32:8). When we walk by faith, we’ll see every doorway in light of eternity, believing that the Lord has gone before us and that His plans for us will accomplish our good and for His glory.

There is no downside to going through a door by faith that the Lord has opened.

What doorways are you looking at in 2025? Determine today to begin preparing for that doorway that might present itself. Daily wait on the Lord, listening to his voice, so that when he speaks and opens a door, you will be able to respond in faith.

My wife, Debbie, will readily tell you that I am really bad at waiting. Just watch me at a checkout in the grocery store.

Waiting is seldom humorous. Some of the greatest pain we face in life is because we are waiting. Waiting for dreams to be fulfilled, waiting for God to break through and answer our prayers, waiting for healing or reconciliation.

But God is never in a rush, and we struggle with that at times, don’t we?

Two thousand years ago, the people of Israel were in a period of waiting. They had been promised a Messiah who would redeem them from their oppression and bondage. They had waited through the judges. Waited through the kings. Waited through the prophets. And now, they found themselves waiting through silence.

As hopeless as the situation seemed to be, God was at work. He was orchestrating all of human history to culminate in this one pivotal moment in time—the birth of Jesus.

As difficult as the process may be, there is purpose in waiting. In the space between our hopes and their fulfillment, we have the opportunity to encounter the presence and power of God.

Through Simeon’s Eyes 

In Luke 2:25, we meet an old man by the name of Simeon. Like Anna, Zacharias, and Elizabeth, he was part of a faithful Jewish remnant who were anxiously waiting for the long-prophesied Messiah.

Luke describes Simeon as a man who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (see verse 25). The “consolation of Israel” means the comfort of Israel or the fulfilment of the prophecies. Simeon longed to see God fulfill His promise of a Redeemer.

Simeon’s Solace

On one seemingly ordinary day at the temple, this old man’s prayers were suddenly answered, but not in the way he would have expected. There was no sweeping move of God, no mighty army from heaven, no victorious liberator. God answered his prayers with a weak baby. We must always remember that salvation is found in a person, not in words spoken or religious duty performed. Salvation will always be realized through a relationship with the person of Jesus. 

God had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord Christ (see verse 26). It is crucial that each of us, like Simeon, meets the savior before we see death. 

Simeon’s Strength

Luke describes Simeon as a man who was righteous and devout (see verse 25). He was in right standing with God. From what we know, he was neither a priest nor a religious leader, but he was devout in his personal spiritual disciplines. God had favor on him and showed him the Christ child.

Verse 25 ends with a little glimpse of the source of Simeon’s righteousness, saying that “the Holy Spirit was upon him.”The Holy Spirit was Simeon’s source of strength to wait in righteous devotion. When we are waiting, we need the presence of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us.

Simeon’s Song

Simeon took this baby in his arms and began singing. Mary and Joseph must have been a little confused, maybe a little concerned, as a strange old man picked up their baby.

In verse 34, Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph but not Jesus. Jesus didn’t need the blessing of man; he came to be a blessing. Simeon knew exactly who Jesus was saying, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed” (Luke 2:34b).

The promised Messiah had come. Simeon had been waiting a long time, and finally, the light of the world had come. Simeon’s immediate response was to worship, declaring through song who Jesus is and what he had come to do. We are also waiting for Jesus to come again. In fact, all of creation is waiting for Jesus to return in glory (see Romans 8:22-23).

We are a waiting people, but we are not without hope. God is faithful to His promises. Just as He fulfilled His promises to Simeon, so He will fulfill His promises to us. We can wait because we trust in His promises.

Through Our Own Eyes 

What are you waiting for?

• Healing?
• A family member to come to Christ?
• Financial breakthrough?
• To be married?
• To have children?

Waiting is part of the human experience – we cannot avoid it. But God is in the waiting; there is not a moment of waiting that God doesn’t use for His glory and our good if we allow it. And there is not a waiting place where His presence cannot strengthen us.

Our nature is to yearn for things and people and situations so much that we make an idol out of them, thinking they will bring us what we need. We take our eyes off the Lord and betray our trust in Him, putting it in those things instead—that’s idolatry. But nothing outside of Jesus will never fully satisfy us. Sometimes God, in His mercy, makes us wait until the thing we are waiting for is no longer an idol.

God is in the waiting, preparing us, refining us, sanctifying us.

As we celebrate Christmas this week, the fulfillment of God’s promise of Salvation, I urge you to consider, what are you waiting on the Lord for? Are you leaning on His presence to strengthen and sustain you as you wait? Do you believe that He—and only He—can supply your needs according to His riches in glory (see Philippians 4:19)?

Through Eternity’s Eyes

The Bible is full of promises for waiting people.

Psalm 27 is a psalm about waiting. It ends with “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14).

At first reading, it sounds like waiting is passive, a sitting around. But the Hebrew word “EL” translated as “for”, can also be translated as “upon” or “on”. The KJV translation reads, “wait on the Lord…”

When you wait on the Lord, you wait actively in belief that He will come through. You wait on Him as your source and your strength in the waiting. 

Psalm 27:4 invites us to seek the Lord and know His presence as we wait.

“One thing have I asked of the Lord,
     that will I seek after:
 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
     all the days of my life,
 to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
     and to inquire in his temple”.

David found the secret of waiting in the presence of the Lord, worshipping Him and praising Him. You and I are invited to wait on the Lord in prayer. God promises to meet us and comfort us in our waiting.

As believers, we do not wait without hope. No matter what we are waiting for—and what answer He gives—we can always wait with confident expectation that our heavenly Father will give us good and perfect gifts in His time. We can enter His throne room with that confident expectation because we know and trust Him.

If you do not know the Lord, you will not be able to wait on Him, and you will not experience the satisfaction found in Him when your earthly desires go unmet.

God’s Word promises both strength and a blessing for those who wait on the Lord (see Isaiah 40:31 and 1 Corinthians 2:9). Do you believe that?

In the everyday reality of life, waiting is hard. We can grow discouraged and become despondent. Breakthrough might seem far off; God might seem distant. Many of you know that season; you might be there today.

Here is something that I will hold on to and proclaim as long as I live: no one who waits on the Lord will be disappointed. He will always do what He has promised. He will always work for our good and His glory. And He will always supply our deepest needs.

What are you waiting on the Lord for today?

Imagine you were tasked with the greatest announcement in all of History. Imagine that God put you in charge of making the announcement of the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. How would you go about it?

Today you might launch a mass media campaign, or a viral video series, maybe spend a lot of money on TV commercials. Obviously, none of these methods were available in the first century, but God used a very unlikely method all the same.

First God used ancient prophets who wrote and taught about a coming messiah. Most of them were alive around seven-hundred years before Jesus was born.

But then God is silent for four-hundred years, until a small group of shepherds have an angelic encounter that announces the birth of the Christ child. The shepherds seemed to be unlikely candidates for a world-altering announcement.

The shepherds heard the angel’s pronouncement and saw the host of angels singing—and they believed. As they believed, they responded in four ways to the incredible news they had heard.

The angel of the Lord made the message personal for them, saying in Luke 2:11, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

This child who was born was for them, it wasn’t a child who would be disconnected from their lives. By visiting the shepherds, the angel revealed the grace of God toward all of mankind. Shepherds were really outcasts in Israel, In fact their work not only made them ceremonially unclean, and it probably kept them away from the temple for weeks at a time so that they could not be made clean. God does not always call the rich and mighty; frequently He calls the poor and the lowly (see Luke 1:51-53).  

The shepherds got it, and they responded in faith in four ways:

1: They Believed

Now it may seem obvious that they would believe. They had just had an incredible supernatural encounter the likes of which very few humans have ever witnessed. But they had to believe the word of the angel.  

But what about us? I am sure none of you have seen a mighty host of angels, but there is a promise when we believe by the power of the Holy Spirit (see John 20:29).

Do you believe?

Believing always requires a response. There is always an action or a step of faith that follows belief. The shepherds responded.

2: They Obeyed (Luke 2:15).

In verse 15a we read, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go…”

Notice that in verse 11, the angel didn’t tell them what to do, but rather it was an invitation. When Jesus is presented, there is always an invitation. And their faith compelled them to go and see the Christ. Even as a baby, he changed lives, and he is still changing lives today.

Some people have suggested that these shepherds were some distance away, it was not a simple task to find someone to take care of their sheep. But they worked it out, they were not going to miss this opportunity.

How often we are given opportunities to encounter the Lord, but we find it too inconvenient. We know we really should go to that prayer meeting, or that life group, but we feel a bit tired. It is just a little inconvenient. And so, we miss out on what may be a special time with the Body of Christ. When the Lord gives you an invitation, always respond even if it is inconvenient, maybe, especially if it is inconvenient!

This leads to the third response:

3: They Worshipped God (Luke 2:20).

The angels praised God at the beginning of creation, now they were praising God for the new creation. The birth of God’s rescue plan of salvation.

We know from the Old Testament that God’s glory was in the tabernacle and then in the temple, but God left the temple because of the nation’s sin. But now, God’s glory had returned. Emmanuel, “God with us”. God was in that stable in the person of a little baby.

The lowly manger became the Holy of Holies because Jesus was there. And the shepherds worshipped, they glorified God.

You cannot truly worship someone or something you don’t know. The Shepherds met Jesus and bowed before him. To truly worship God, it must flow out of a personal relationship (see John 4:23-24)

If you struggle to worship the Lord, may I suggest that it is because you have never really met him. And to clarify, I am not talking about being able to sing some songs. To worship God is to give Him the place of preeminence in your life.

And then finally, the fourth response:

4: They Testified (Luke 2:17-18).

For some reason in the 1^st century Roman law, shepherds were not allowed to testify in court. They were considered unreliable witnesses.

Again, if we had an important announcement, we would never pick people who have a bad reputation or no credibility. But God sees the heart and called these shepherds to be preachers of the Gospel. They had the honor of announcing the good news of the Messiah.

Telling others about Jesus is a privilege an honor. People who encounter Jesus, are compelled by the spirit of God to tell.

But this isn’t a one-off event. By the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God, we have the invitation to encounter Jesus every day.

When you meet with Jesus, like the shepherds, people around you should see and know that you had a private meeting with the King of Kings. How often do you take advantage of the privilege to meet with Jesus?

Take a moment today, do a quick inventory and see how the Holy Spirit might be asking you to respond. If we are truthful, we could all respond more readily in obedience, in worship, and in witnessing.

How will you respond in faith today?

What is God inviting you to believe?

Last week we talked about what it means to believe in Jesus for salvation. To illustrate my point, I professed that I believed the chair could hold me, but if I didn’t act on that belief by stepping on the chair, no one would believe that I actually believed that (see Romans 10:9). Believing always requires a response, an action or a step of faith that follows belief. 

In Matthew 2, we read about a group of wise men who simply believed—and acted in response to that belief. 

Who Were the Wise Men?

To understand why the wise men’s active belief is significant, we first need to understand who they were.Our cultural and traditional Christmas scenes get two things wrong about the wise men, which are also called magi: 

1. The wise men did not arrive along with the shepherds. When they visited Jesus in Bethlehem, he was not a newborn, and Mary and Joseph were not living in a stable. Their visit likely occurred six to eighteen months after the birth of Jesus. 
2. The number of wise men. Though tradition says three, we do not actually know how many magi there were. From the three gifts listed in Matthew 2:11, many people have assumed there were three kings from the Orient, but this is not certain. What we do know is that when their caravan arrived in Jerusalem, there were enough of them to trouble the whole city.

In addition to these common misconceptions, it’s also important to understand that these wise men were not Jewish. They were Gentiles, outside the covenant people of God. By bringing these wise men to the feet of Jesus, God was revealing right from his birth that Jesus was the Savior of the whole world (see John 4:42).

Romans 15:12 says, “…The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 

What Did the Wise Men Do?

The magi responded in faith—to the sight of a star in the sky. They traveled for months, crossing thousands of miles of desert and mountain and harsh conditions, to see the “king of the Jews”, though they themselves weren’t Jews (see Matthew 2:2). 

Just consider the journey that the magi took. It was a huge undertaking to travel great distances 2000 years ago. There was no air travel or trains, no Holiday Inn Express, no Quick trip to buy a snack on the run. They had to plan and carry all their provisions. Journeys were dangerous, not to mention expensive. These men had to spend a huge sum of money to travel to a small insignificant town in Israel. 

What did the Wise Men Bring?

The wise men didn’t come empty handed. They brought gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These seem like strange gifts for a one-year old. Why not a car seat or changing table or some other culturally appropriate baby gift?

The gifts, though strange to us, were actually symbolically significant and probably provided the money for Mary and Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. The gifts are also prophetic. The wise men knew what many people celebrating Christmas today don’t know—the purpose and the mission of the life of Jesus. 

• Gold: the precious metal represents that Jesus is the King
• Frankincense: the strong smelling fragrance indicates that as Jesus lived, the fragrance of his life impacted many with miracles and teaching (see 2 Corinthians 2:15). 
• Myrrh: the embalming substance used at burials was a prophetic declaration that Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many. He came with the purpose of being a sacrifice for our sins. 

Why Did the Wise Men Do It?

Why did they make such a remarkable journey? Because they believed.

They had read the ancient Hebrew manuscripts; they were astronomers and scholars, who saw the signs and believed. What they saw in the sky lined up with what they read in the ancient texts. Scripture doesn’t tell us how exactly they knew that the star was “his star”; it just says that they followed it to worship him. 

We don’t know exactly what they saw. It was not a naturally occurring phenomenon. It was a light in the heavens that they noted and caused them to believe. 

Could it be that “the star” which the Magi saw, and which led them to a specific house, was the Shekinah glory of God? That same glory had led the children of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years as a pillar of fire and cloud.

When almost everyone in Israel missed the signs, these men from the East recognized the signs and believed. In faith, they responded by embarking on an arduous journey. They read, they noted, they saw, they believed, and they responded by moving into action. 

How do we respond?

Today, when God speaks, He speaks in different ways, primarily through His word and by His Spirit. But the Lord’s voice will never contradict His word. 

When God asks you to do something, how do you respond? 

Are you quick to respond, give your yes to the Lord and do what He calls you to do? That takes believing in His word and in His promises.

Maybe you, like most people, are too busy with the day to day, and you miss the signs, the call of God. 

God is still calling, inviting people today. When God directs, we are invited to respond. But in order to respond, we have to believe. 

Do you believe that God is able to provide for you where He sends you and what He calls you to do? Believing is intensely practical, 

Maybe you have never given your life to Jesus. Take that first step of believing that he is your savior today. 

Maybe you are facing a significant decision and you are not sure what to do. Or perhaps you do know what to do, but your belief is weak. 

What is God inviting you to believe today? And what action do you need to take to respond to that belief?

Click on the camera to view the full message video.

What does the word “believe” mean? The dictionary answers, “To consider to be true or honest, to accept the word or evidence of someone or something.” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/believe)

No Work Needed

By definition, a Christian is someone who believes on Jesus for righteousness. Romans 10:6-7 says, “But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”

These verses sound a bit confusing, but what Paul is saying is that there is nothing we need to do to earn our salvation. We don’t need to go anywhere or do anything. This is righteousness based on faith in the risen Lord Jesus. Faith in the truth of God’s word and the Gospel.

Our salvation is through faith in Jesus alone (see Ephesians 2:8).

Confess and Believe

How do we place our faith in Jesus?

Romans 10:9 tell us, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”

We have established that it takes faith to be saved. From this verse we see that there are two things that we have do: confess and believe.

Confess

To confess Jesus as Lord, we must first acknowledge our need for a Savior, turning from our sins and repenting of them (see Matthew 4:17 and Acts 2:38). We confess Jesus’s saving Lordship privately to him and publicly to others.

A new believer’s baptism is a public confession, a testimony to others. Baptism doesn’t save you, but it is a public declaration of what Jesus has already done in your life. This is why, before someone is baptized, we always have them confess before the congregation what Jesus has done in their life. There is power in our confession.

Believe

But believing is more than simply saying a few words. Anyone can say a sentence without believing it. Faith on Jesus is believing that he can save me from my sin and then trusting him for my salvation. There is a difference between believing in something and believing on something.

One can believe in the historical Jesus, the fact that a man was born and lived in Israel 2000 years ago, without believing that he is the Christ and the only way of salvation.

Believing is more than declaring; it is evidenced in how you live. When we truly believe on Jesus for salvation, it changes the way we live so that our decisions and lifestyle flow from a Christian perspective—what we would call a Biblical worldview (see John 8:31-32). 

We must believe that Jesus died in our place, but we must go further and trust him with our lives now and in eternity. We must believe on him for salvation and for our transformation.

Belief That Saves

Salvation is not based on giving verbal ascent to certain truths. Our salvation is based on fully trusting on Jesus, leaning on him, resting on his completed work—believing that Jesus has saved you and that he will save you. This is belief that saves.

We, by nature, believe in things and people all the time, but sometimes our belief is unfounded. The person or thing we believe in lets us down.

• We believe in our strength, until it is gone.
• We believe in our wealth, only to find it fleeting.
• We believe in our medical professionals, until they have no answers.
• We believe in our friends and family, until they desert us in hard times.
• We believe in our political leaders, only to find that they don’t share our values.
• We believe in our military, until our nation, like every great nation one history, crumbles.
• We believe in our intellect and learning, until we encounter a problem we cannot solve.

Ultimately, everything we believe in is fleeting. Only Jesus remains. He is the only eternal God, who can handle all of our problems and our cares (see 1 Peter 5:7).

Does your belief match your confession?

The Role of the Church

We have the truth, and we have our belief, but what is our responsibility as the church? 

Romans 10:14-15a says, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”

Every day we interact with people who do not believe on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Our role as the church is to declare the Gospel, to tell others about him. There is tremendous importance in speaking the truth of God’s word.

But why don’t we share the Gospel?

The excuses are plentiful, “I am not an evangelist”, “I am too shy”, “They might reject me”, “I might lose my job”, and many more.

However, may I suggest that the real reason that we don’t share the Gospel is that we don’t believe it?

If we truly believe that we are all eternal beings, destined for either heaven or hell, and that the only way to be saved—from suffering in hell and eternal separation from God—is to confess and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, then we would take every opportunity the Holy Spirit gives us to share this truth with those around us.

Do You Believe?

Are you living like you believe? Or are you living like a practical atheist? Professing to be a Christian, but in the practical issues of life—finances, career decisions, relationships, etc.—relying on your instincts, your intellect or even Google!

Do you trust Jesus in everyday life, or do you live as if he doesn’t even exist?

Do you believe the truth of the gospel enough to want to share it with others?

If you don’t believe on the name of Jesus for the every day life issues, then he is not Lord of your life, and it is an indication that you may not be not saved. 

Being a Christian is not coming to church, carrying a Bible or attending meetings; it is believing on the name of Jesus for everything. It is having a personal relationship with him that governs your every decision. And it is believing the good news of the gospel is so good you want others to believe it, too.

Do you believe? Have you confessed that belief?