Deny Thyself!

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

There’s is a generally accepted saying:  “Anything worth having is worth working for.”  That principle is generally understood.  One place in our society that it doesn’t seem to be accepted is in religion.  For some reason, many believe that the benefits of religion should be had....just because.  But Jesus sees things differently.  

First of all, Jesus indicates that if we want the benefits that he has to offer, we must come after him.  The word “come” is a word of action.  That means that we cannot access his benefits by simply existing.  But that word also implies that we must walk in a specified and directional manner.  We cannot go our own way in our own way, but we must go to where Jesus is and in the manner that he commands.

Secondly, Jesus says that we must deny ourselves.  Jesus is telling us that if we want the benefits that he has to offer, we must make some sacrifices.  Our purpose in life must no longer be about fulfilling our own wishes and desires, they now must be converted into doing what our master wishes.  We must now realize that if we are to follow Jesus, it is no longer our own lives to do what we want.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 

The significance of this concept cannot be overstated.  We do not belong to ourselves any longer, we belong to God.  Therefore since God is the owner, he must be the controller of  our lives

Lastly, Jesus states that we are to take up his cross.  In other words, we are to carry on the mission that he started.  He came to seek and to save those that are lost, and that must be our mission as well.

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

More than a Baby!

Luke 9:19-22 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. (20) He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. (21) And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; (22) Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. 

During this time of the year, we hear a lot about the Baby Jesus.  You know, “Born in a manger”.  “No room in the inn”.  “Peace on earth, good will towards men.”  We see the messaging everywhere... in songs, on advertisements even in the Charlie Brown Christmas special.  But the messaging that we hear this time of year is only part of the whole message.  In fact, the birth of Jesus is a very small part of the important message of the gospel of Christ.  Jesus alludes to more of that important message in our text today.

We often hear that “Freedom isn’t Free!” and that certainly applies to Christianity as well.  Jesus, as he is asking about rumors of who he is, reveals more about the destiny of his near future.

Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

He says that:

1.  He must suffer many things

2.  Be rejected by the religious leaders

3.  Be killed

4.  Be raised on the third day.

For Jesus’ birth to have ANY meaning at all, we have to look at the purpose of his life.  And that purpose was to be the perfect sacrifice to take away the sins of man.  To do that, he had to endure the cruelty of the cross.  The problem for most people is that the same man that died on the cross for our sins, made demands for our lives.  In general, he told us to hear him, follow him, reject sin, forsake our worldly life and to live a life dedicated to serving him and to others.

You see, people love the story of the baby Jesus because the baby doesn’t make demands, but the man does.  Jesus is more than just a baby.  In fact, for the promises of that baby to have any impact on our lives, we must understand, and accept the fact that the man demands that he be the Lord and Master of our lives.

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Why Such a Tragedy?

Today, I want to take a detour off of our normal path to address the tragedy that took place on Friday.  In the morning hours of an otherwise normal day, an evil, heartless gunman walked into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut, and opened fire on a room full of kindergarten children killing everyone in that class.   Before he was finished, he had killed 20 children and 6 adults.

The obvious question coming to everyone’s mind is WHY?  Why would this happen?  Why would a loving God ALLOW this to happen to such innocent little precious lives?  While we may never really understand the “Whys” of this incident, we can better understand “why” in general.  Why is there so much evil in the world created by a loving God?  In short, the answer comes down to two words:  FREE WILL!  When God created man in his image in the garden of Eden, he created us with free will...the ability to choose our own path.  The opportunity to choose right from wrong.  So why wouldn’t God have created us only to do good?  Why would he ever even give us that choice?

Think of it this way... for those of us that are parents... what do we want most from our children?  To be loved!  So, when we wanted to be to be parents, why didn’t we just go to a toy store and buy a baby doll that we could pull a string and hear:  “I love you mommy...I love you daddy”?  If all we really wanted was to be loved, we could have been told that by a mechanical doll.  The difference is that it means significantly more to us to have a child choose to love us and choose to say it rather than to repeat it out of a sense of mechanics.  There is nothing that warms my heart quite like the way my daughter greets me, hugging me really tightly after she had been gone a while.  God really isn’t any different. God wants to be loved...truly, genuinely loved.  But it only means something when we choose to love God on our own.  If he would have created us without choice, we would have been no different than a mechanical doll, only stating the words:  “I love you God” out of a  sense of mechanics.  He wants us to CHOOSE to love him and then to demonstrate it to him.

Because we have a choice, freedom of choice has extremes.  We can then choose to love or to rebel and to do those things that are at the most extreme limit of evil.  That was exactly what was demonstrated on Friday.

We have to know, that as badly as we hurt and mourn for those precious little lives and their families, God is hurting even more.  He is broken hearted by the pain that his children are suffering.  And he is broken hearted at what one of his children has done.

So what’s the answer?  How do we deal with this?  First, we have to realize that these kinds of tragedies will always exist.  They always have, they always will.  It is a fact of life.  Death is a part of living.  The only way that we can minimize it in our society is to have a society that looks to God for guidance and the sense of right and wrong.

Deuteronomy 4:7-9 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? (8) And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? (9) Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; 

If we search for a reason for why so much tragedy in world, in our culture, in our society today, it is because we continue to push God out of it.  We are a great nation or society when we draw near to his statues.  We lose that when we draw away from him.  The farther that we get from God, the closer we get to evil.  The only answer is to individually and societally better live by the ways of God.

What would this world be like if everyone followed the teachings of Jesus?  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Go the extra mile  and on and on.  If everyone simply lived as God has directed us, we would NEVER have to experience this kind of tragedy again.  But the truth is, as a nation, as a society, we are running from God, and as long as we do, we will have to endure the actions of those that choose to do evil.

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Jesus Needs Us!

Luke 9:11-17 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. (12) And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. (13) But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. (14) For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. (15) And they did so, and made them all sit down. (16) Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. (17) And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. 

This is one of my favorite miracles that Jesus performed, but for an odd reason.  First the context.  Jesus’ ministry has gotten so popular by this time that he is able to attract huge crowds,  So much so that we are told that over five thousand people has assembled to hear Jesus speak.  After the crowd had been with him all day, the disciples recommend to Jesus that he dismiss them so they can go and get something to eat. Instead, Jesus tells his disciples to feed the crowd.  Of course, they are stunned at that asking because they had only five loaves of bread and two fishes between them that they could offer.  Because they can’t, Jesus takes matters into his own hands...sort of!  He tells the disciples to make the people to sit down, he gave thanks for the small amount of food and then gives it to the disciples to pass out to the crowd.

So the important question is:  Did Jesus perform a miracle?  I think the answer is obvious.  He fed 5,000+ people with enough food to feed only two people.  There is  no other possible explanation for this event.  But here is the point and the reason this is my favorite miracle.  Jesus NEVER touched the bread or fish!  It was all done through the hands of the disciples.  Did they DO anything miraculous?  Absolutely not.  They simply waited tables.  But this miracle could never have been performed without the simple caring actions of the disciples.

I think God still works in similar ways today.  I think God’s love is best demonstrated when we show it through our own caring actions.  It does not take us signing over our entire paychecks or giving enough money to build a building.  Just a cup of cold water.  Just pat on the back.  Just a simple hug.  A simple, cheap card.  But when we do, we can warm someone’s heart and show God’s love.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

This Is NO Parlor Trick!

Luke 8:41, 51-56 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:... (51) And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. (52) And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. (53) And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. (54) And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. (55) And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. (56) And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. 

Miracles continue to be a hot topic in the world of religion.  There are many people that dismiss the Bible’s account of miracle’s existence as recorded in it’s text.  They do not believe that they happened then nor that they happen now.  Of course, most of them dismiss the Bible altogether as God’s revelation to man.  To debunk the mentioning of miracles, they explain this sort of account as a parlor trick.  They want to imply that the little girl was just asleep and that Jesus simply woke her up.

To draw this conclusion, we have to assume that humans during this time were simply “prehistorics”.  According to Wikipedia, surgeries were performed as early as 3500 BC.  That is 3500 years prior to the time of which we are speaking.  Granted, they do not have the base of knowledge that we have today, but they could tell when someone was dead.  So much so that when Jesus informed them that she would “awake”, they laughed at him.  They knew it was a ridiculous notion.  It may have been ridiculous to most but Jesus had the power of God.  Notice how the Bible words this.  When he called to her...

Luke 8:55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. 

Her spirit came again to her.  Clearly she was dead because her spirit had departed.  Jesus had the power, that only God has, to bring the life of a human back to their body once it has departed.

Jesus is different from every other religious leader because he was able to perform, real, substantial, verifiable, instantaneous miracles.  Jesus clearly is the REAL deal and therefore worthy of us seeking and following him!

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

What Manner of Man is This?

Luke 8:22-25 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. (23) But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. (24) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. (25) And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. 

While the Bible has countless examples and encouragement for us to have faith in difficult times, it is encouraging to see that, even those that walked and talked with Jesus daily, saw him do countless miracles and experienced his power on a personal level, had times of fear and distrust.  It is easy for us to be hard on ourselves for not being as strong as we should, but we need to realize that faith is a process.  Faith takes time.  Faith requires substantive growth. 

In our text today, we find that Jesus and his closest followers are on a ship crossing over to the other side of the lake.  While it was quiet, Jesus found it a prime opportunity to get some much needed rest.  During his slumber, a severe storm arose and the passage tells us that they were in jeopardy.  I would imagine, that due to the fact that several of these men were professional fishermen, it had to have been a fierce storm to terrify them.  And terrified they were!.  They went and woke up Jesus to inform him that they were about to perish.  Sometimes we use such language as hyperbole to emphasize a though spot.  However, I think they were giving a literal assessment as to how they perceived their situation.

Notice now Jesus’ reaction.  Once he stilled the storm he asked them ”Where is your faith?”  Was Jesus being too hard on them?  Didn’t they have a right to be scared?  Certainly fear is natural, but we should not abandon our faith in the process.  

To understand this concept, we need to refresh our understanding of what faith is.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Faith is based upon knowledge and understanding of God’s truths.  So what was the truths that they ignored when they panicked? 

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

These men knew better than anyone that Jesus was the son of God and that he had a unique purpose on this earth that was not fulfilled.  They should have known that God was not going to let his son perish on that boat.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am NOT saying that I would not have been scared or that I would have done things any different.  What I am saying is that this is a great opportunity to learn the lesson that Jesus is teaching us.  When we are dealing with a difficult situation, we need to learn from these men.  We need to stop and think about what we believe...about what we know....and rely on God’s promises.

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Who Is Important to Jesus?

Luke 8:19-21 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. (20) And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. (21) And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. 

If we were to take a poll, who would you say is the most important person in the world to you?  I would have to say the most important person in my life is my lovely wife.  A very close second would be my daughter.  Next would be my parents and then my brothers and sisters along with some of my closet friends.  In our text today, Jesus wasn’t exactly polled about this, but he gave us his opinion anyway.  

We know Jesus was out preaching and his mother and brothers came to see him.  There was such a large crowd gathered that his family could not easily get to talk to Jesus.  Instead, they got a message into him via a messenger, informing him that they were outside and wanted to see him.  Here is his response.

Luke 8:21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

In this response, Jesus is not saying that family is not important.  On the contrary.  Throughout the Bible, we are told that family is very important.  In fact, there are commands in place that directs us to take proper care of our family.  It is our responsibility.  So what is he trying to convey?

Jesus was here on earth for a spiritual purpose and used earthly things to convey spiritual messages.  Here he uses his physical family to teach this all important lesson:  That following God, hearing his word and following it is the MOST important thing we can do!  God, and obedience to him must be our number one priority!  His spiritual family was a higher priority than his physical family.  In saying this, he began to define who fit into the spiritual family:  those that do the will of God!

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.