Right now, I’m engaged in a Blitz through the Bible campaign. Basically, I’ve challenged myself to read the whole Bible in 2 months. I do this occasionally because it helps me to see the bigger picture of the Bible. When I do this, I’m always amazed how I can read something in the Old Testament in the morning and then read something later that night in the New Testament that gives reference to what I read earlier.

The books of Romans and Hebrews really come to life when read soon after reading the first few books of the Old Testament. It becomes quickly apparent that the two testaments are truly one story. God’s story. It becomes apparent that God’s story is not about us. It’s about God and what He did for us. Now, in His story, there are heroes and villains throughout; but those individual stories are diminished when taken apart from God’s bigger story. All of those stories, when seen as a single story, allow us to see a God who would stop at nothing to save His people. All of those stories point to a single act of sacrifice where one God-Man, Jesus, gave up His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

There are many people who deny God’s story. There are many others who claim that eternal life can be found in other stories. There are a lot of road signs out there that say “This Way to Eternal Life.” Many make the claim that all of these roads lead to the same destination…

Jesus made it clear that that was not the case.

One day Jesus was trying to tell His friends that He would soon be killed yet He was trying to comfort them:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” 

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6

Many object to this statement. Many who claim that there are many ways to God (or whatever their version of God is) say that this isn’t fair. It’s exclusive. It’s narrow minded. It’s mean-spirited. I’d say to them, consider this:

1. Jesus created it all, He gets to make the rules (John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16 assert that Jesus created everything).
2. Jesus didn’t keep it a secret. He put it out there for everyone to know. There is a way to God. I am that way.

Finally I would tell them this:

Jesus was under no obligation to make a way at all. There didn’t have to be any path to God. The fact that there is a way to God at all testifies to the love, mercy, and grace of God.

Jesus did make a way. He, Himself was and is that way.  What the Bible does for us is show us that way. Now you might say, “I’ve read the Bible, I know the way.” I’d say to you, “Not as well as if you were to read it again.” So… go for it. Find a Bible reading plan that works for you. There are many great ones out there. Just do it. There are no other words that lead to eternal life and no other source that can tell you authoritatively how to live a life pleasing to God.

P.S. If you really want to have a good time, have a go at reading it in 2 or 3 months. The YouVersion Bible app has a Read the Bible in 90 Days Plan and a Read the New Testament in 30 Days plan. I’m working both at the same time. So… go for it.

I’m going to get straight to it for once… I would never put this on my church sign:

One pastor did, though and, if you can believe the reports, the church members staged a walkout the following Sunday because of it. Yes, this was in response to the political battle waging between the President and the four congresswomen known as “the Squad.” The political back and forth has been very divisive and none of the participants are clean on this one.

So, why would a pastor invite such division into his church? Pastor E. W. Lucas was quoted as saying:

“Preachers, by and large, today, are afraid they’re gonna hurt somebody’s feelings, and when I get in the pulpit, I’m afraid I won’t hurt somebody’s feelings.” Pastor E. W. Lucas

That’s a terrible sentiment. I hope what the pastor was trying to say was that the message of the gospel is offensive and he would stay true to that message regardless of whether or not people didn’t like it. The Bible tells us with certainty that the message of the cross is and always will be a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1:23). It’s one thing if a pastor is preaching the truth of the gospel and people are offended; it’s another thing if the pastor is preaching anything else and people are offended. If a pastor delights in hurting somebody’s feelings, then it’s not the message of the gospel that is offensive, it’s the messenger that’s offensive, and that’s wrong. 

Jesus, Himself, had many people leave Him because of His message. At one point, His followers were leaving in such vast numbers that He looked at His disciples and sadly asked them if they were going to leave Him, too:

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:66-68

The church walking out on the pastor wasn’t the problem. It was the why that was the problem. If a pastor is going to divide his congregation, he better make sure it is because his Gospel message is offensive to them, not because his America message (or any other message) is offensive to them. He’ll be held accountable by God for that.

Now, I don’t know this man and I don’t know his heart and anyone can take one statement and make it mean something it might not fully mean in a larger context. I want to be careful to comment only on the sign and the one quote that I’ve seen. The sign seems unwise and unnecessary. The quote seems poorly thought out at best and offensive and divisive at worse. Neither was worth losing the congregation of the church. 

I want to be clear on one thing: I love America. I enjoy American celebrations such as parades and picnics and fireworks and John Philip Sousa. Those things are great!

But I also want to be clear on another thing: America didn’t die for my sins. I enjoy the occasional patriotic service so long as the service is God centered rather than America centered. When it comes to what happens in a worship service, there should be only one message: Christ, and Him Crucified.

I used to love reading a comic book called What If? This comic book would take something that happened in one of the Marvel comics stories and present a new story answering questions such as:

• What If Spider-Man Joined the Fantastic Four?
• What If the Hulk had the Brain of Bruce Banner?
• What If Jane Foster had Found the Hammer of Thor?

One question I used to ask my youth group was What If Jesus came off the cross when He was challenged to do so?

BACKGROUND
Jesus had been arrested, beaten, falsely accused, beaten, humiliated, mocked, nailed to a cross, and mocked again…

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Matthew 27:39-44 (ESV)

There are several instances where Jesus was tempted in the Bible (Matthew 4:5-11 documents three of these). Satan knew that if he could get Jesus to sin, God’s plan would fail. It’s reasonable to believe that Satan didn’t know what God’s plan was, he just wanted God to fail (after all, if Satan knew that God’s plan was for Jesus to die, he wouldn’t have moved evil men to have Jesus killed). But there were also other instances where Jesus was likely tempted. I can easily see this moment when Jesus was on the cross as being one of those.

Now if it were me, the story would have ended entirely differently. If I were on the cross and it was my mission to save the world by dying and I had the power of God at my disposal… the instant some mocking, loud-mouthed so and so said “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” it would’ve been <POOF> <ZAP> GAME ON!

I would’ve popped off the cross, hovered in the air, summoned my angel army and there would’ve been lightning and earthquakes. It would’ve looked like a Michael Bay movie with Peter Jackson embellishments.

And in so doing, my mission would fail.

If Jesus had responded to that challenge by coming of the cross, everything would be different. There would’ve been no means left by which mankind could be reconciled to God. Afterward, if Jesus didn’t simply destroy everything outright and let the world continue to be, every person born would live their miserable lives, die their miserable deaths, and live miserably forever with Satan without any hope for rescue.

What a terrible story that would’ve been. Fortunately for us, the real story goes like this:

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18

That’s a much better story!