Podcasts + Posts

If you consider Jesus your high priest, you disqualify the Law. If, on the other hand, you qualify the Law, then you disqualify Jesus. 

Sounds strange, I know. So let me back it up, and let’s see if we can find freedom from the rules + chains that often shackle us to religion rather than freeing us TO relationship. 

Why? Because these two are in conflict. And, at the end of the day, you were designed for relationship- not rule-keeping.

Sacrifices reminded people of sin but never fixed the problem 

Sacrifices were made in Israel every single day. Yes, bigger offerings were made at the three larger feasts on specific days (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles), but the sacrificial fire never went out. 

According to the Bible, sacrifice wasn't a reminder of grace but a reminder of guilt. It was a reminder of sin for the people (Hebrews 10:3), because it was impossible for sin to be removed by the blood of an  animal (Hebrews 10:4). 

You read that...

On the 3rd day of Creation, the “seed principle” of sowing and reaping was introduced. Many of us just ASSUME that it only has to do with plants and biology, but this principal is a “law” that we can see in every area of life…

In this talk, I first define the concept of reaping & sowing. Then, I talk about the Machiavellian fallacy we sometimes import into our theology. Finally, we dive into a few practical examples of where we see real life examples as it relates to sickness, disease, “losing” healing miracles, and other theological landmines….

First, four points about reaping and sowing…

Here are the four points. You always… 

1. Reap WHAT you sow >>>

Farmers all understand this. Kindergartners do, too :-)

If you plant corn, you’ll reap corn- not tomatoes. If you plant squash, you won’t harvest bacon.

It sounds odd, I know, but many people believe… 

… that you can sow...

God isn’t going to chastise you for something Jesus has already been punished for… 

Ride with me here… 

The prophet Isaiah foretold- centuries before His birth- that Jesus would bring healing by His death. In fact, he says, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was pierced for our iniquities.” Then- “By His stripes we are healed” (see Isaiah 53:3-5).

Notably, Isaiah speaks about all of the in PAST tense- as if it’s already DONE- even though he lived a long, long time before Jesus’ birth. 

That leads us to two New Testament authors that directly reference Isaiah’s declaration. Notably, one of them, Matthew uses Isaiah’s passage to explain WHY Jesus healed so many people on the way to the Cross.

In effect, Matthew says, “Yes. Jesus was going to die for all of these people. And He was purchasing their healing… So, He healed them throughout His ministry, because of...

Continuing the discussion on the Redemption… and focusing on shame (Jesus bled inside Himself to free / redeem the clutter inside of us), we stumble upon the story of the prodigal son. 

Turns out, there wasn’t a plan to talk about the son… or his older brother. But, here we are…

You see, shame causes us to choose to wear a mask rather than wearing our identity. It prompts us to be someone- or something- else, rather than being comfortable in our own skin. 

Such is the story of the younger brother. 

And, get this… it’s the story of the older brother, too.

Some of us choose the rebellious mask. A lot of us choose the “good deeds,” earn-my-way, show that I’m valuable and worthy mask. This last one… is the mask of the older brother.

Here’s the truth: your worst moments don’t define you. Nor do they disqualify you from the Father’s love. 

On the flip side: your greatest successes all...

Paul encouraged us to not stray from the simplicity that is found in Christ. His thought was, well… we tend to make things infinitely more complex. We tend to move towards complex religious systems. 

Jesus, on the other hand, came to make things easy. 

Follow me here… 

Moses received the Law- ten commandments which, in Hebrew, were expressed using only ten words (they have a far more economical language than we do). 

613 more laws were then added to explain what those ten words meant. They had moral laws, civil laws, and religious laws.

You’d think that would be enough, but no… well intended leaders created the Mishnah, the oral tradition built around the laws, to explain what each one meant…

That wasn’t enough, either. Enter, the Talmud. 

Then the legal comments added by scribes and lawyers (and their “fences” and “hedges” around the law).

And, then along come the rabbis… 

Jesus...

I grew up in a constant state of anxiety, believing that if I didn’t keep up with my sins and then confess them that God wouldn’t be able to hear my prayers- that I would be distanced from Him. 

The truth is that grace isn’t restrained and your Heavenly Father’s love isn’t contained by a few words- or a lack of words. God has not only forgiven your sins- and forgotten them- He’s also determined that He won’t hold any future sins against you (see Romans 4:7-8).

In addition, when we look at the place of confession in the Bible we discover that confession is a gift to us. Through it, we learn the  incredible transformative power of relationships. 

More info?

You can learn more about this topic in lesson 5 of The Next Best Step video class. Access free at www.TheNextBestStep.info  

I also mentioned the Advance weekend workshops for men. Learn more at www.EatSleepAdvance.com  

Listening +...