True Vine Talk

The Merging Of Hope and Truth Found In Jesus Christ

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  • Whose Clothes You Got On?

    5/07/2022

    There is nothing on earth that does not show either the wretchedness of man or the mercy of God; either the weakness of man without God , or the strength of man with God.

    Blaise Pascal
    “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.   Matthew 10:26-28

    There is a children’s story by Hans Christian Anderson titled “The Emperor’s New Clothes” that teaches lessons on vanity, truth and the pressure to conform.

    In the story an Emperor is duped by a couple of shrewd characters and his own vanity into believing an invisible set of new clothes is the hottest fashion trend. Bearing it all, the Emperor parades his new fashion for all the kingdom to admire. The subjects of his kingdom loudly proclaim the beauty and majesty of the Emperor’s attire even when their eyes tell them he is naked. Neither his attendants nor his subjects dare to reveal the truth. None want to be considered ignorant, subject to ridicule or potentially suffer the wrath of the king. But one small child whispers the obvious “the Emperor has nothing on at all” which prompts the crowd to boldly proclaim the veracity of the naked parade. The Emperor’s eyes are now open but he continues on with the spectacle with even more pomp knowing the parade cannot stop for his pride must not suffer.

    The same schism that afflicted the Emperor can overtake a nation, culture, people or even a church where truth is lost to a self-absorbed, vain reality. When a people vacate or pollute the truth and the principles God has commanded, the natural order of life becomes distorted. The book of Romans chapter 1 speaks about a society that “exchanges the truth for a lie” and how God ultimately gives them over to their own delusions and exposes the blindness of their pursuits.

    We see a call to conform to new norms rolling across our nation. It is a call where historical virtues, morals and values that were once governed by Biblical truth are said to be irrelevant. This call is being echoed throughout academia, business and government. However, these new norms are based on a fluctuating, emotional rationale rather than enduring absolute truth and occasionally even science. Those advocating such values create their own subjective truth while living in their perceived reality and expecting others to affirm the clothes they bare at the expense of the real truth and the disintegration of a nation .

    The need to conform to societal norms is extraordinarily powerful and exerts a strong pull on what people are willing to believe even when they know it to be untrue. The people of 1930’s Germany followed the lunacy of Adolf Hitler to their own destruction knowing the truth yet choosing to ignore it to conform to the delusion of the masses and the ideal of lies. A society must guard absolute truth and righteousness in order to be blessed by God and continue to thrive.

    My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.  Hosea 4:6

    In the verses from the Gospel Matthew, Jesus is encouraging His followers not to be afraid of speaking His truth. He acknowledges there will be a cost to proclaiming the truth when it shakes the foundation of the accepted cultural narrative. But there is a greater cost to living a lie than the death of the body. For the very soul of a person or a nation will wither and lose its identity when truth is forsaken. The absolute value of truth must overcome the transcendency of fear. It takes courage and faith in One greater than ourselves to proclaim it and even suffering for it if need be. Those who are Christ followers are called to be clothed in His truth and the guardians of it in the society which they live.

    One day the King of Truth will come and He will reveal all things even the deep, hidden things. And the glory of His righteousness shall array us in the beauty of the garment of salvation. 

    I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.   Isaiah 61:10
    How To Know Jesus Christ

  • Not Everyone Who Says…

    5/03/2022

    Repentance doesn’t come from the lips in a prayer of forgiveness. It comes from the heart in an attitude of sorrow and humility. Determine now to be done with sin so that you may live for Christ.

    Amir Tsarfati “Revealing Revelation”
    “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’   Matthew 7:21-23

    The words of Jesus in these verses cut right to the heart of the matter. They are also some of the most clarifying words on the God / man relationship found in the New Testament. Reading them should make anyone who calls themselves a Christian pause and carefully consider the implications on their spiritual walk.

    Jesus is directing His words to those who identify themselves as His followers, believers or disciples whose lives do not reflect the will of the Father in Heaven. Although, they clearly identify with Him in their “Lord, Lord” declaration, Jesus does not recognize them as He poignantly tells them “I never knew you”. It is obviously a shock to the crowd because they list all the great things they have done for Him. Expecting a well done, they receive an eternal brush-off. The issue is that their life is defined as those practicing lawlessness, in other-words sin. References to sin : Galatians 5:19-21 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

    The Apostle John defines lawlessness for us in 1 John 3:4-5. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He (Jesus Christ) was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

    So, Jesus is striking the benchmark here. Good works, even wondrous ones do not necessarily prove a heart has been redeemed by the Spirit of Christ. Someone can perform magnanimous deeds and give great sums of money yet live a life characterized by unrepentant, unabated sin. The bottom line is that religious works count for nothing unless we have been regenerated by the Spirit of Christ which results in a change in the actions and patterns characterizing our life.

    Jesus states it is only those who do the will of the Father that shall enter the kingdom of heaven. So what is the will of the Father? First and foremost, He calls all people to humble themselves, repent of sin and entrust there lives to His Son, Jesus Christ. 

    And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.  1 John 3:23

    A life regenerated by Christ (i.e. Being Born Again) is a changed life. I am speaking from experience. Jesus radically changed me and gave me a new heart. It is faith in Christ that must comes first, regeneration then occurs by His Spirit and the result is a desire for obedience and good works flowing from the renewed life. Then there is a heart to do the will of the Father. I am not saying that perfection is the result but a life characterized by a heart to please God in truth.

    However, God the Father is not a genie who can be manipulated. His terms for eternal life are not negotiable. He calls all to genuine faith in Christ rooted in and guided by truth; truth established by Him through the essence of His nature and His inspired Word. 

    For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”  John 6:40 (NIV)
    How To Know Jesus Christ

  • My Restless Heart

    4/25/2022

    “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him (Christ) who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12b-13 (NIV).”

    Most of us have heard of the idiom “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”.  It is an expression that conveys the idea that there is always something out there better than what we currently have.  Whether it is a job, car, phone, a house, etc., the desire for the “other side of the fence” is a peril of our human heart. In today’s vernacular, it’s called going for the upgrade.

    No doubt, there are always good reasons to upgrade but the human heart has an insidious appetite for more.  Today’s media in all formats contribute to building dis-satisfaction by flooding us with the “bigger and better message” playing off that human weakness. The message is tough to escape.

    God in His wisdom gives strong admonitions in Scripture regarding related traps like envy, covetousness and greed which at their core begin with a lack of contentment. He warns us about the destructive nature it creates in the human heart and in our relationships. The continuous desire for more produces a striving that robs us of our peace creating worry and financial insecurity. Even worse is that when we do get that “one thing more”, the contentment only lasts a short season and the cycle begins all over.

    Contentment is not natural to the human heart and must be learned through spiritual discipline. The Apostle Paul reveals even he had to learn the secret of contentment. Learning to trust the strength of the One who carries us through the valleys means having to go through some valleys first.  Trusting Jesus Christ begins with having the assurance that He is sufficient for all our needs. It is then He becomes our peace and the contentment that satisfies the soul.

    The Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

  • Secrets of the Heart

    4/20/2022

    Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so, you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.  Psalm 51:1-4    (Psalm 51)

    It is not unusual for God to take the opportunity to expose the hidden secrets of our heart in order to lovingly call us back to Himself. We see that in the life of King David. Nathan, the prophet, used a simple parable to reveal the sin David was concealing in his heart. That sin had become a stumbling block for David in his once close relationship with God.   Reference: (2 Samuel 12)   

    No one wants their secret sins openly exposed. But who can truly hide anything from the Lord? He tells us in Jeremiah 23:24 “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?”. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.  David recognized God’s truth and the sting of conviction in Nathan’s words.

    In Psalm 51, David unlocks the burdens of his heart which resulted from a period of moral defeat. His double life was openly laid bare exposing the man who boldly faced and slew giants as an adulterer and murderer. David was at a spiritual crossroad in his relationship with God; either harden his heart and turn from God or seek forgiveness. David knew his only recourse was to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness.  Without it, inner peace would always elude the man who was once known as “a man after God’s own heart”.  In Psalm 86, David reflects on the character of God that would redeem him.

    For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.      Psalm 86:5

    God does not want us to be crushed by the weight of sin. In His unbounded love, He will pursue us and beckon us to be restored to Him. There is no depth of sin too great to be forgiven except the rejection of Christ Himself. Jesus Christ who loved us and washed us from our sin in His own blood is always ready to receive anyone who calls upon Him. For we have a Savior who in every way can empathize with our every weakness. 

     For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one (Jesus Christ) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
    How To Know Jesus Christ

  • Because I Live, You also Will Live

    4/17/2022

    “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26)

    The Cross leads us to repentance but the empty tomb guarantees us victory.

    Pastor Jeff Marshall

    If there was a day in human history that altered the dynamic of man’s future, Easter was that day. Although without the Crucifixion on Friday, there would not have been an Easter and the Resurrection on Sunday. These two days changed how man is able to relate to God forever. They accomplished what man is powerless to do on his own. A decisive victory won where death was conquered, and the power of sin vanquished.

    As Jesus Christ breathed His last on the cross, the earth shook, graves opened and the temple veil split. But death could not hold Him!!  “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:44-57 (NIV)

    Easter Sunday is the day to celebrate the Resurrection and Christ’s victory over death, but it is also a day where dread and fear of death were overcome by a living hope that is eternal. Without the Resurrection of Christ, death has us in its clutches and we are just dried up bones in the earth with no hope. But we who know Christ now have a promise of an irrevocable hope that is alive.  

    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

    The Crucifixion and the Resurrection occurred in history at “God’s appointed time”. There is a Day on the horizon appointed when that same Jesus shall appear as Conqueror, Judge and King to take possession of His inheritance. On that Day, we shall see the Lord Jesus Christ in His victorious appearing and we will share in the glory of the Resurrection.

    His enduring promise to those who love Him is: “Because I live, you also will live.”  John 14:19 (NIV)

    How To Know Jesus Christ

  • The Heart of the Matter

    4/12/2022

    Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; Where your treasure is, there is your heart; Where your heart is, there is your happiness.

    St Augustine
    I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.  Ezekiel 36:26-27

    We once had a neighbor with a bunch of kids that seem to always be creating excitement. Their 3-year-old daughter took many an opportunity to strip down and run naked through the neighborhood with great pleasure and boisterous giggles. It always resulted in a lot of smiles as people watched the scene unfold when her siblings and mother chased after her.  It still makes me laugh even today.  The heart of that little one was looking for attention and found an effective way to get it.

    The heart of man is the centerpiece of God’s concern for humanity. For the heart is the reflection of our inner man or spirit and drives who we are. Our thoughts and intents which though may be hidden from everyone else, are laid open and naked before God (Hebrews 4:13).

    This may surprise you but God is less concerned about our actions than the condition and intent of our heart.  The heart of man is the source of how one lives his/her life; for out of the heart spring forth either good or evil (Matthew 12:35).

    But man is helpless to change his own heart. Some religions will try to change us and make us acceptable to God through keeping rules, good works, rituals, pilgrimages and so forth. But unless the heart has been changed by God Himself through faith in His Son, our human efforts are meaningless.

    God is the great heart changer, restorer, mender and renewer; longing to give us a heart created to please Him. If you are willing, by His grace you can have a new heart through faith in Jesus Christ; a heart of faith created for good which is pleasing and acceptable to Him.

    On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  John 7:37-38

    Are you thirsty for the living water Jesus offers?  Call upon Him and He will receive you and change your heart!

    How To Know Jesus Christ

  • Who Me, Worry?

    4/7/2022

    Photo courtesy of Dan Speicher Photography

    “When I set God at the center of my life, I realize vast freedoms and surprising spontaneities. When I center life in my own will, my freedom diminishes markedly, I live constricted and anxious.”

    Eugene Peterson

    “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

    “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34 (NIV)

    How much time and energy does worry consume of your thoughts each day? Lately, there have been many concerns in the news to add to the worry list – inflation, war, gas prices, and of course Covid. Many of our concerns we have no control over, and yet we still worry. In these verses Jesus warns about worry because He knew that worry will cause people to falter in their relationship to both God and others.   

    Jesus understood people have needs in life; food, clothes, jobs, etc. And He also understood we have a human tendency to worry about such things.  But He points out that worry cannot add a single hour to life. We expend a lot of energy and it usually solves nothing.  In other words, worry has a cost associated with it and offers little in return.

    With the words “But seek first…..” Jesus is re-ordering our focus and priorities in life. It is a challenge to change our “life focus” from worry to faith.  Let’s face it, walking by faith is not easy but most life altering challenges aren’t. But when you consider who has your back, the path becomes a whole lot straighter.  If God can part the Red Sea and cause the sun to stand still, He can surely take care of us.   Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 NLV)

    How To Know Jesus Christ

  • Only Say the Word

    4/6/2022

    Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:5-8 (NKJV)

    These verses from the book of Matthew are an excerpt of an encounter Jesus had with a Roman Centurion. As a commander of 100 ordinary soldiers for the Roman army, a Centurion understood authority. It is obvious the Centurion is aware of Jesus’ notoriety and possibly may have witnessed Jesus perform healings and miracles himself.  It is fascinating the Centurion comes to Jesus, a Jew, for help. The Romans did not hold most non-Romans in regard and considered them inferior especially the conquered and subjugated.

    But the Centurion appeals to Jesus anyway to heal his servant with a surprising expression of humility and faith. You see his faith come alive when the Centurion says that he is not worthy to receive Jesus into his home recognizing Jesus Christ as the One who is preeminent. Even further, the Centurion’s faith then moves beyond just seeing Jesus as a holy man into understanding Jesus has supernatural authority over the realm of life and nature. His declaration of “only speak a word” is an incredible admission of faith in the One whose power and authority are on display.    

    Jesus honors the faith of the Centurion: When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (verse 10). Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour (verse 13).

    Could this have been the same Centurion who at the crucifixion of Jesus said, “Truly this was the Son of God”? Well, we really do not know for sure. But his expression of faith in Jesus Christ to transcend and overcome the natural can give us pause to ask ourselves “Do we have faith like that in the One who created all things?”  The Book of Colossians describes the nature of Jesus Christ as follows:

    He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Forby Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. AndHe is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.  (Colossians 1:15-18 NKJV)

    How To Know Jesus Christ

  • As a Little Child

    4/4/2022

    Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:15-16 (NIV)

    Childhood is a wondrous time of life. Young children are naturally curious and accepting. They do not worry about tomorrow.  Their pure hearts have not learned to see life through eyes of skepticism or cynicism. They can trust and yet not fully comprehend. A child inherently trusts the words of one who loves and protects them and would not consider they are being lied to. It is an innocent time of life that we usually long for again as we grow older.

    This is the trusting heart of faith that Jesus is speaking of in Mark 10. He asks us to trust that His death is enough to cover our sin.  He asks us to walk in a new way of life by the power of His Spirit that lives in those that receive Him. He asks us to know that one day we will be raised as He was raised from the dead that first Easter.  Jesus calls us to receive Him in faith.  He made the way so we can believe with a trusting heart of a child and see life with a newness again.

    Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  John 1:12-13 (NIV)

    How To Know Jesus Christ