Bloghardt's Reflector

Others doubted.  They had their eyes only on what Jesus might do.  Testing Him.  If you would just give us a sign, we’d believe in you.  But, didn’t Jesus just wow-ed them all by casting out a demon out of the mute?

Perspective. Truth.  We live in a world where truth is determined by our vantage point.   That may be true to you, but it isn’t true to me.  That’s just your interpretation, your way of seeing things.  You have your truth about God and I have mine.

That’s American religion, isn’t it?  There are all sorts of ways to look at God, all sorts of paths to Him.  

Seems like a sensible, open-minded perspective.  Looks good, doesn’t it?  After all, there are three doors to the church on a bunch of sides, so why not God dealing with us that way too?

Yet, such open-mindedness about religion usually stops at the Jesus point.  “You can believe in any way to heaven, just don’t tell me about Jesus.”  Or as I was told by a university,  “You can’t worship Jesus here.  That’s too closed minded.  We’re for multiple paths to religion.”

But, the multiple-way-to-God religion just doesn’t fly.  It seems reasonable, until you think about it a bit.  Consider what would happen if you were sick and went to the doctor and he handed you a pill and said “It doesn’t matter what medicine you take, all pills are the same, just take this.”  What would you do?  Well, I know one thing is for certain, you’d ask for a new doctor.

And if you were on the forth floor of a burning building and the firemen had put a ladder in a particular window for you to climb out to safety.  Would you tell them, “It doesn’t matter which window I choose, all windows lead to outside?”

No, some choices are bad.  Some windows lead to death.  All medicines are not the same.  Even pills that look the same may differ.  One may cure you, the other do you harm.  

Why would you think faith would be different?  Do you want to bet your life that all the pills are the same?  Do you want to bet the life of your family that every window has that ladder in it?  

So, how will you know the way to God?  Where will you put your eyes?  How will you know for certain which faith is the right one? 

“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and guard it,” says Jesus.  Eyes - or better ears on the Word.  Ears on what Jesus says and does in His Word.  

You and I can’t put our eyes on Jesus’ signs.  We can’t see the wonders He did.  We can’t see the cross.  I turned 37 this week, and as old as I have become, not even I was old enough to be at the foot of the cross.

So Jesus directs us to the external Word.  Faith flows from the external Word, from the Scriptures.  

Fix your eyes on what Jesus did and does for you in the Word.  How He heals the mute man.  How He cares for those who accuse of Him casting out demons by Satan and how He loves the lady who wants to give His mom props for having such a fine boy.

Let your faith and view of Him flow solely from the Scriptures.  For what Jesus says in the Word is so radically different from what we could think of God. 

Like today - today Jesus likens casting out demons to a thief breaking into a house.  Satan’s the strong man.   The strong man thought his weapons would keep him safe - until a stronger man shows up.

Jesus is the stronger man who breaks into Satan’s pad like a burglar.  He steals you back from your sins, from your death, and the devil.  He takes away the spoils, He takes back you and saves you.

He overpowers Satan - binds Him and ties Him up.  Like He did for the mute man. And the Deceiver is defeated, run out once for all time, not by force of arms, but by being Christ being conquered on the Cross.  

Consider that: Jesus saves you by being betrayed.  Jesus saves you by being mocked spit upon, and beaten.  He saves you by being rejected.  He saves you by being scourged.  

He saves you by being by having nails driven into His hands and feet.  Jesus saves you by being crucified and dying.

From that the defeat of the Cross comes the Lord’s eternal victory for you and me.  Satan is conquered by his strength.  Death is over come by death on Easter morning.  Life from death. Salvation from His crucifixion and resurrection.

Guard that Word.  Protect it.  Cherish it.  Read it.  Mark it.  Learn it.  Let it fill your speech with one another.  Let it be the way you live in your families and homes.  

Dear friends, I know alot of pastors hold up bibles and ask you to believe what the bible says about you.  I’m asking you to believe and put your faith in what the Scriptures say about what Jesus did for you on the Cross.  

He kept the Law that you should keep by His holy life and bitter sufferings and death.  He then died the death you deserve.  His death is your death to sin.  His resurrection is your new life.

Test all pastors, including me, with the Scriptures.  Does what they say point you to Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Or could it stand without Jesus on the Cross?  If the preacher can preach a sermon that doesn’t totally depend on Jesus crucified for you, change the channel, put their book down.  

For Christ would have you cherish His Word about how He has overcome the strong man for you and in your place.  To trust and believe the simple fact that He lived for you, died for you, and rose for you.  Yes, what He did counts for you. 

It counts for Bella today too.  All that was evil was cast out of her.  No more unclean spirits, only Jesus.  She was washed, made clean, made a child of God in the font.  She’s alive now with Christ.  His own special person.  A person for whom He died.  

Today, the Father has fixed her eyes on Jesus.  Our eyes too.  For there is one way to God and that is the man Jesus.  His holy life and His sufferings and death.  

Oculi means “eyes.”  Eyes on Jesus.  Eyes off what you think and feel about God.  Eyes off your ideas about God.  Eyes solely on Jesus.

But, first, some medicine.  Every pill doesn’t look the same, but today Jesus gives you food that will last unto eternal life.  He gives you what the church father Ireneaus in like 200 AD said is the “medicine of immortality.”  Here is real food, real medicine that you can eat and be saved - the Body and Blood of Jesus in with and under the bread and wine.

And with your eyes on Jesus, you’ll see more clearly than ever before all that He’s working for you.  Each day, in your family, in the life of your children, in your friends, around you.  Protecting you from evil, overpowering the strong man, and cleaning up your world so that there would be more and more Him in it.

Blessed, indeed blessed are those who hear the word of God and guard it.  For the Word fixes our eyes on Jesus and Him alone.  Have a happy Lent!  In the name of Jesus.