A Word about Our Master and Commander

Today I want to share a word about our Master and Commander as I comment on Matthew 28 verses 18-20. This very familiar passage reads:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even until the end of the world. Amen.

From time-to-time people like to assert their authority and I've collected several stories to illustrate this but not most appealing side of human behavior. From the business world comes this story:

Employed by the Human Development Center of a corporation in the Midwest, a young lady trained employees in proper dress and etiquette. One day, as she was stepping onto the elevator, a man casually dressed in jeans and a golf shirt got on with her. Thinking of her responsibilities, she scolded, "Dressed a little casually today, aren't we?" The man replied, "Well, that is one benefit of owning the company.”

Police officers also exercise authority. One officer reported, "It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you have back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then he looked at the dog and then he looked back at me and said, "What did he do?"

We all know that teachers must control their classrooms for learning to take place and that's why one child reported this after she had just finished her first week of school” "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk." 

Finally, there comes this story from the home front. A mild-mannered man was tired of being bossed around by his wife, so he went to a psychiatrist. This psychiatrist said he needed to build up his self-esteem and gave him a book on assertiveness, which he read. As soon as he had finished the book and confronted his wife. He pointed a finger in her face and said, 

"From now on, I want you to know that I am the man of this house, and my word is law. I want you to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight and when I am finished eating my meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterwards. Then after dinner you're gonna draw me my bath so I can relax and when I'm finished on my bath guess who's gonna dress me and comb my hair?”

“The funeral director,” interrupted his wife. 

We all like to exercise what little authority we may have but there is one person who has ultimate authority. He is Jesus our master and commander. Let's see his authority today.

FIRST, OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER HAS ALL AUTHORITY:

Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and because he is the sovereign ruler, he has all authority. This is what sovereignty means. Sovereignty means all authority. Our government in the United States is sovereign, but its powers are limited by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Jesus, however, is King and his authority is unlimited.

 One great advantage of the church serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is that his church also has authority. Some people think that Satan rules hell like God rules heaven, but this is not so. Jesus is ruler over all of these things. And that's why Jesus told Peter this about the authority of the church in Matthew 16:18-19, 

Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The authority of the Church doesn't come from what we do in church. It doesn't come from our worship or our worship music or even our pastors. The authority of the Church descends from our Lord. But not only that, but Jesus’s authority also extends to us personally.

We Americans are rebellious and we're individualist and we're proud. As an example, a kindergarten teacher, was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She asked one little girl, "What are you drawing?" The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like." And without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing, the little girl replied, “They will in a minute.”

We often forget that we too are under the authority of Jesus, and we can think we can do what we want, but we can't. 1 Corinthians 6: 20 says that we were bought with a price and therefore we should glorify God in our body and in our spirits which are the Lord's. They belong to God. We must to bow our knee to Jesus as our King, our Master and Commander is our Sovereign. He has all authority. And our Master and Commander sent us to all nations. 

OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER SENT US TO ALL NATIONS:

Jesus gave us a mission. He wants all people to have a saving knowledge of Him. He wants all people to understand the truth and be set free from the lies of Satan. He wants us as His Church and as His people to be the tools to make that happen. To do this, we must have power.

The old television show, Home Improvement, always had a joke about “more power,” but Acts 1.8 says that God’s people will receive more power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, Then, we will be witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus knew we couldn't do this work on our own, so He sent us power to give us the ability to do this work.

Today we have the Holy Spirit. Today we have the entire Word of God, the entire Council of God's Word, the entire Canon. We have our own testimony of salvation and so much more. We all those things He gave us, because our task is huge, and our task is difficult. And to do this task, we must go outside our comfort zone.

We often think that Jerusalem meant our hometown or the disciples' hometown, but that's wrong. The disciples were from Galilee. was not their home field. And it's not our home field either. This world is not our home field, we are just passing through it. We never have any advantage here except the advantage that God gives us. 

So, our Master and Commander had all authority and he sent us to share the Gospel with all peoples. He also told us to do all things.

OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER TOLD US TO DO ALL THINGS:

Our Master and Commander also told us to do all things and to teach people all that He has taught us. So, we need to be “full gospel preachers”. I don't mean that in a Pentecostal sense. What I mean is that we need to preach the full counsel of the Word of God. We don't need to keep people in ignorance; we need them to know what the full richness of God's love is for us. 

You don't need to know very much to be saved. You just need to know that Jesus died for you, and He wants you to commit yourself to Him, that you need to repent of your sins and that He would take care of the rest. But we do need to know a lot about being a disciple. The Psalmist said we should sing with understanding so we must teach people the full gospel. 

So, what is the full gospel? Since we come to the Lord as a child. it can't be hard to understand. What we need to teach is that:

• The Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost.
• That we need to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and mind and with all of our being.
• We need to love our neighbors as ourselves. 
• We need to obey the commands of Christ and we need to help people become disciples. 

Before we can help other people become disciples, we too must become disciples. Doctors were medical students first. Lawyers were flaw students first. Generals in the Army were first cadets first. Senior NCOs in the army began as privates. We must ourselves grow up to be disciples and we must be full gospel people before we are full gospel preachers. If we are not disciples ourselves, we can't make disciples. We can't lead by example if we don't know where we're taking people. We are not making disciples if we're disobeying our Lord and we really don't want to disobey our Lord, our Master and Commander, our King. Hebrews 10 :24 -27 says, 

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.

The one organization in the whole world that I'm afraid of is the Internal Revenue Service, not because I cheat on my taxes but, because I'm afraid of making mistakes. Some people do try to cheat on their taxes, and the IRS is there to find them and to bring them to justice. Many of those tax cheats live in fear that they will be found out. 

Our God wants us to obey Him. Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments. We don't need to put ourselves in the position of becoming afraid of God because we have not done what He's asked us to do.

FINALLY, OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER IS ALWAYS WITH US:

In this passage we can see a final truth which is as, good thing for us: our master and commander is always with us. 

We often let our fears prevent us from obeying God. We are just ordinary people. We feel incapable of doing the tremendous ask that He has given us. Sometimes we try to duck that task and let someone else do it who we think are more qualified. Sometimes we say, "Hey, I'm no hero." 

Interestingly, I've actually known some heroes. There was a man by the name of Al. Al who served in the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, the old 3/4th Cav as is it was called in Vietnam. He wasn't in the country but for three months when he'd been wounded three times and sent home. He limped the rest of his days, but that didn’t prevent him from retiring as a senior NCO many years later. 

My first platoon sergeant when I was a brand-new platoon leader in the Army was a man by the name of Chuck. He won a Silver Star escorting a convoy in Vietnam with the 4th MP Company because he was the sole survivor of the escort team.

I once knew a senior NCO when I was serving in the headquarters of the 25th Infantry Division in the United States Army, who won a Medal of Honor in Vietnam.

I know a fellow by the name of Jeff who was a missionary, but who had to resign because of a tropical illness that he caught in Africa, sacrificing his body for the cause of missions.

And then there's William, William who was a martyr at the Jibla Baptist Hospital, killed by an Islamic terrorist while helping to heal people in a very impoverished area of the world. 

The truth is that each of these was an ordinary person:

• Al had a bad temper. A really bad temper.
• Chuck, had his own stubborn, crazy way of doing things. His nickname was Crazy Harold and he sort of was.
• Jeff had a fixation on a particular kind of theology. He was saved and a man of God, but he was fixated that if you didn't believe about a certain thing a certain way that your faith was flawed.
• Bill was a very mild, avuncular, unassuming man. He didn’t look like the popular image of a hero.

All these folks were heroes, but they were just real people, regular people. And they needed God's help to do the work that they did.

We can obey God because He's always with us. Jesus will never leave us, nor will He forsake us. He will always help us whenever we step forward for Him and He sent the comforter who will help us do the things He's asked to do.

An old recruiting poster says, “Uncle Sam wants you!” Well, Uncle Sam may not want you. He does not want me anymore as old as I am. But God wants us. Jesus, our Master and our Commander, wants us. So the question comes, are we obeying Him today? Are we allowing Him to be all authoritative in our life? Are we going to all peoples for the cause of the gospel? Are we doing all the things that Jesus asked us to do? Are we resting in the fact that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is always with us? 

Are we obeying our Master and Commander today? 

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

Word about the Master of Salvation

Today I want to share a word about the Master of the Salvation as I comment on Luke 24:13-49. Let’s begin by reading Luke 24:13-24:

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.  And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 

My dad was a very frugal man because he had grown up during the Depression era. I remember very clearly when my mother and father had a long debate one night about buying an electronic calculator so they could do their taxes.  It was sort of like buying a computer today because sone couples might debate buying an expensive computer. They were debating this purchase because my father was very frugal, and he liked to save money as well as other useful things. In fact, he never threw away a screw or a nut or a washer or anything that could be useful someday. 

My dad had a big wooden box where he had stashed all of fasteners. It was a big wooden ammunition crate that he had scavenged from somebody, somewhere. If he needed a screw or a nut for a project, he would get an old scrap of a cloth tarpaulin and he would lay that out. Then, he would tip that wooden box over, and he'd go through all those little items he had saved over many years until he found what he needed. Then he'd pack it all back up again until the next time.

My dad was good at saving things that might be useful someday, down in the future. Well, our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, came to seek and save that which was lost. He was the Master of Salvation as we will see in Luke 24. We began by reading verses 13 through 24 and seeing some surprised disciples.

FIRST, WE SEE SURPRISED DISCIPLES:

After the Crucifixion, the disciples were defeated, and they were demoralized. This actually began before the Crucifixion, because they had been so excited about celebrating Passover in Jerusalem. That was something so exciting that it was the highlight of their life up to that day. So, they were shocked, they were dismayed, they were upset and surprised, by Judas and his betrayal of Jesus.

They'd been frightened by His arrest and by His trial. And when He was crucified on the cross, they were more than surprised, and they were more than saddened. They were shattered. They saw something they never expected to see, and it just destroyed their faith. Because of their shattered faith, these disciples scattered to the four winds.

Some of them, like these two who went to Emmaus, left Jerusalem. Some of them were holed up in the upper room. The doors were shut and barred, and they were hiding out in a place they hoped was safe from the Jews and the Romans. Later on, we see in the Scriptures, that Peter decided, "I'm going fishing." When you are in trouble, “you go with what you know.” Peter was a fisherman, so he went back to what he was comfortable with. Thomas, the doubting disciple, just disappeared. Nobody knew where Thomas went. He had a bolt hole, and he went there to hide out.

Now, these two that were on the way to Emmaus were discussing these events when they were met by Jesus. They were talking about the events of the past week because that's what people do. When someone has a situation in their life, they talk about it. They tell their story until they're finished telling it. Then when they're finished telling it, they don't talk about it anymore. These two, these followers of Jesus, were doing just that, talking about what was happening.

When Jesus came upon them, Jesus said, "What's all this about?" They were surprised because surely, everybody knew what was going on in town. They looked at Jesus and they basically said, "You ain't from around here, are you?" He couldn’t be from Jerusalem, because everyone there knew what was happening.

Of course, Jesus knew what was happening as well, but Jesus wanted to use this as a teaching moment because they didn't understand what was happening. They had seen it with their own eyes. They had heard the stories from others, and they were at a loss, and they had no idea what these things meant. They were surprised.

• They were surprised by the betrayal.
• They were surprised by the trial.
• They were surprised by the scourging.
• They were surprised by the Cross.
• They were surprised by the Resurrection.

But, if we read verses 25-32, we see that Jesus had a superior explanation.

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

NEXT, WE SEE A SUPERIOR EXPLANATION:

Jesus is not only the Master of Salvation, but here we also see Him being the Master Teacher. Jesus was often called Rabbi, meaning “teacher,” and he wanted people to have a saving knowledge of him and to understand the truth. As He said in the scriptures, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."

These folks wanted to know the truth and they were genuinely confused. Today, many people are confused spiritually as well; even a cursory review of social media outlets will confirm that fact. But even before social media, there were plenty of spiritual ideas around in the world in any case.

The key element is that Jesus said, "You need to know the truth." Then He went to the beginning of Scriptures and started to teach them all that they should have already known. We need to remember that Jesus and the early church did not have the same total Bible that we have today. The Bible that they had was the Old Testament. Jesus said, in essence, "If you understand the Old Testament and you know me, you know everything you need to know to find salvation." Again, Jesus was saying, that those who know the truth will be set free. But what is the truth?

• Truth is not a philosophy of life.
• Truth is not an abstract concept.
• Truth is not a system of belief.
• Truth is not a list of principles.

Truth is much simpler than all these things. Jesus said very simply in John 14:6, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.” So instead of complex theories, what they needed was the Savior.

They didn't need to understand all the reasons why the Jews rebelled against Jesus, and they didn’t need to understand the legal reasons why the Romans were the ones that had to put Jesus to death. They didn't need to understand the reason why God worked it out so that almost all known humanity at that time were responsible for the death of our Savior and Lord. What they had to know was there was a Savior who suffered and died for them. What they had to know was there was a Savior who rose from the dead for them and what they needed to know was a Savior who could warm their hearts. 

No doubt they were a little embarrassed at the situation they were in.  It's embarrassing when you don't recognize someone that you should know. These disciples were embarrassed, but what is more embarrassing than what they experienced is to cross over into eternity without recognizing your Savior. That's much worse than anything.

Next, let’s read verses 33-43:

And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.

WE ALSO SEE SCARED SINNERS:

What we see in the upper room were a group of scared sinners. To put their situation in context, we need to remember who these people were. We know what they became in the rest of the New Testament. We know their ministries. We know that they all died as martyrs for the cause of Christ. But at the time that we see them here, they were just regular ordinary people. None of these folks were what we today would call opinion leaders or influencers.  

They were nobody in particular and so when Jesus came in their midst, they were scared. They were scared because they finally understood He was different. He was the son of a carpenter, but He was also the Son of God. Because He was God, they were scared.

They also knew that they had really betrayed Him. All of them had run away. Thomas hadn't even come back yet. They were frightened. And frankly, we would have been frightened too, because they knew they were hopeless sinners in the presence of extreme Holiness. 

This situation is really not about the disciples, however. It is about Jesus coming to the disciples. They were nobody important. They were smelly fishermen, and they were rebellious people, and they were traitors, and they were scared, and they had run away and they had betrayed Him and yet Jesus came to them anyway. He saw fit to come in their midst and to talk to them and to bless them. What did He say when He came in? “Peace be unto you!” So, in the upper room we see some scared sinners, but we also see a sufficient Savior.  

Let’s read verses 44 through 49:

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

FINALLY, WE SEE A SUFFICIENT SAVIOR:

Jesus is the sufficient Savior.  Jesus is sufficient because he fulfilled the law. Jesus said, "I didn't come to abolish the law, I came to satisfy the law."

• He satisfied the law by His life; He lived a perfect life.
• He satisfied the law by His sacrificial death.
• He satisfied the law by rising from the dead and completing all of His work.
• He fulfilled the law in a way that we are incapable of doing for ourselves.

Jesus is sufficient because He has done for us those things that we can't do for ourselves. Because He fulfilled the law, He gave us freedom from our sins by relieving us from the debt of sin. When we are in Jesus, we are freed from the power of sin. In Jesus, we are able to live an abundant life here on earth.

Finally, Jesus is sufficient because He sent us the Helper.  He sent us the Holy Spirit to write God’s law on our hearts the way God said He would in the Old Testament. He sent us the Holy Spirit to help us live out our life without fear and He sent us the Holy Spirit to give us authority for being a witness. 

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is the Master of Salvation. He was the Master of Salvation for these disciples, and He is the Master of Salvation for us because He is the way, the truth, and the life. 

The question for today is this, have you met the Truth?  Has your heart been warmed by His presence in your life? Have you allowed Him to save you from your sins?

My daddy loved to save stuff. Jesus does too. And He would love to save you today.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Master of His Fate

Today I want to share a word about the Master of His Fate as I comment on passages from Luke, Matthew, and John. Let’s begin by reading Luke 18:31-34:

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

We often live in dread of our fate. For example, I received an e-mail from a man which told a tale that illustrates this point: 

I was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital after my wife had gone into labor and the nurse walked out and said to the man sitting next to me, “Congratulations sir, you're the new father of twins!” The man replied, “How about that, I work for the Doublemint Chewing Gum Company.” The man then followed the nurse to his wife's room. About an hour later, the same nurse entered the waiting room and announced that Mr. Smith's wife has just had triplets. Mr. Smith stood up and said, “Well, how do you like that, I work for the 3M Company.” The gentleman that was sitting next to me then got up and started to leave. When I asked him why he was leaving, he remarked, “I think I need a breath of fresh air.” The man continued, “I work for 7-UP.”

Jesus’s human fate was nothing less than gruesome.  He was beaten, and abused, and He was whipped until His flesh was flayed.  He was hung from a Roman cross which was the means for a cruel, lingering, and horrible death.  Who would choose such a fate as this?

Jesus. Only Jesus.

As we continue to see Jesus as the masterful person that He is, we will see clearly that not only did Jesus allow this fate, but He also actually chose it.  We’ll begin to see why as we review our first text for today.

JESUS PREDICTED HIS FATE:

Jesus came to the Earth with a purpose. From the beginning of human sin, God had a purpose: to redeem the world. Satan’s rebellion and sin had ruined God’s perfect creation, and this was something God could not abide. So, Jesus had come to redeem a lost, dying, and decaying world. In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  Therefore, His whole mission was focused on this purpose, and He, as always, was still on task.

The Disciples, however, were possibly distracted by other things. They had just come into Jerusalem. Now they felt as is if they were in the “big leagues.” They had just experienced the Triumphal Entry, but they didn’t know yet how fickle the crowd can be. They were also looking forward to Passover in Jerusalem, which, emotionally was like us today attending the Super Bowl or celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem. Trouble was far from their minds!

As we see in the passage from Luke 18, Jesus was focused on His purpose, and He reminded them of it. This was the third time He’d done so and both times before were near in time to an exciting event. The first time was just after Peter’s profession of faith in Matthew 16, and the second time was just after the Transfiguration in Matthew 1. Each of these (Peter’s Confession, the Transfiguration, and the Triumphal Entry) were important, but . . . they would be meaningless unless Jesus went all the way.

Jesus, of course, intended to go the distance and do what needed to be done!

JESUS ATTRACTED HIS FATE:

Let’s continue by reading Matthew 21:10-16:

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

In Jerusalem, Jesus was a threat to the establishment:

• He threatened the traditional way of interpreting the Word of God.
• He threatened the political power of the Sanhedrin.
• He threatened the bankrupt fundamentalism of the Pharisees.
• He threatened the bankrupt liberalism of the Sadducees.
• He threatened the security concerns of the Romans.

Jesus was like a thunderstorm: you couldn’t ignore him, and no one could predict where He would go and what He would do.

Jesus was no different in Jerusalem than He was in the Galilee or in Samaria. The difference in Jerusalem was that He brought a disruption to the power structure of that day that they did not expect or desire. The snobby people of Judah expected there to be disturbances in Galilee.  What more could you expect from such low-class people? Likewise, nobody cared much about what happened in Samaria, either.  Those “half-breeds” were beneath the notice of the elite. Now, however, like the attack on Pearl Harbor or the attack on 9/11, Jesus brought the threat home. Something had to be done!

In response to the threat to their power, the forces of evil were going to strike back: They were going to kill this “man” if it was the last thing they did.  Just like when David was caught with Bathsheba, they were caught in their sin. They were going to cover it up with a murder conspiracy, just like David did. And Jesus, being God, knew exactly what they were doing. What do you think He did?

JESUS EMBRACED HIS FATE: 

As we read in John 18:33-38, Jesus embraced His fate:

Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

People have different reactions when they are confronted by their fate. For example, Adolph Hitler committed suicide, while Saddam Hussein fled and wound up hiding in a hole in the ground. Saddam Hussein’s sons died in a shoot-out with the US Army, but others try to plea-bargain their way out of trouble. A few will trust in God, like the teenaged girl asked by the shooters at Columbine High School, “Do you believe in God?”  When she said “Yes,” she was shot and killed. All of them would rather be somewhere else, doing something else. Not Jesus, however.

• He embraced His arrest.
• He embraced the illegal, night-time trial that took place.
• He embraced the experience of being brutalized and killed.
• He embraced the fact that in all these things there was a purpose.

What Jesus did was literally, out of this world! What Jesus did was based on a different reality than the one that humans embrace. Only in God’s economy could defeat be victory. Only in the spiritual realms could this suffering bring succor!

Jesus came to give us what we couldn’t give ourselves. To do this, He had to be crowned King with a crown of thorns. He embraced this fate without reservation!

JESUS ALLOWED HIS FATE: 

Finally, John 19:5-11 tells us that Jesus allowed His fate:

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Those in power thought that they had Jesus right where they wanted Him. The Romans had Him in custody, so He was contained. The Sanhedrin were going to kill Him, so He would be out of their hair. The Disciples had been scattered to the winds, so they could threaten neither the Roman nor the Jewish establishments. Satan had manipulated it all, or so he thought. 

In truth, they had all been caught in Jesus’s trap. In fact, Jesus was right where He wanted to be, with the same attitude that the legendary Marine, Lewis “Chesty” Puller once expressed when surrounded by the enemy, “All right. They’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us … They can’t get away this time.”

Jesus had come for this purpose and in an example of spiritual Jujitsu, He was using His enemies’ own actions against them. Jesus was in control, not the Romans, nor the Jews, nor Satan. He could have had armies of angels come release Him. He could have spoken and rained fire down on His captors. He didn’t however, not because He couldn’t, but because He wouldn’t. He was right where He wanted to be.

Why would Jesus knowingly, willingly, and determinedly, inflict the trauma He experienced upon Himself? Because He loves us, and He wants to save us. Because He wants to give us righteousness, and He wants to have a relationship with us. Because He wants to give us a relationship with God that we need, and that God desires.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

CONCLUSION:  

Jesus embraced His fate on our behalf. Have you embraced what Jesus did for you? Don’t you think you should? Does your life honor what Jesus did for you? Don’t you think it should?

A Word about the Master of Nature

 

Today I want to share a word about the Master of Nature as I comment on passages from Luke 5 and Matthew 8 and 14. Let’s begin by reading Luke 5:1-11:

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Today, we will go sailing. We’re going to spend some time in boats today, and small boats at that.  As with many subjects, boats can cause people to have some strong emotions.  For example:

A man put a post on social media to try to meet a new girlfriend.  The ad said, “Looking for adventurous, out-doors oriented lady with boat and motor.  Send photo of boat and motor.” Of course, from the opposite perspective, one wife’s definition of a boat is “a hole in the water into which you pour money.”

All joking aside, one emotion that boats can cause is fear. This fear does not come from the boat itself, but from the way sailing is so dominated by weather.  Even a minor storm can seem big in a small boat, and even the biggest ships are vulnerable to the overwhelming forces of nature. 

When the Great Lakes ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald was launched in 1958 it was the largest ship on the Great Lakes, and it remained so until 1971.  She weighed 13,632 tons empty, and she was 729 feet long.  Called “Big Fitz,” she regularly carried twice her own weight of iron ore to steel mills in the US.  She was so big and powerful she seemed to shrug off the forces of nature, that is, until November 1975. On the 9th day of that month, while bound for Detroit, MI with 26,000 tons of iron ore, Edmund Fitzgerald was overcome by a winter storm and disappeared with the loss of all 29 crew members.

If anyone has doubts about the power of nature, they should go to the Mississippi gulf shore.  At the sea front you will find a tall pole on which is marked the height of the storm surge of the many large hurricanes that have come ashore there.  I had always heard about Hurricane Camille, and I was disappointed that the storm surge wasn’t marked, but I was wrong. Up near the top of the pole there is a mark that showed a wave of nearly thirty feet in height had crashed ashore there.

The forces of nature are far beyond the control of we mere mortals, but we will see today that they don’t even compare to the powers of the Master of Nature.

THE MASTER OF CREATURES:

In our passage from Luke 5, we see Jesus as the Master of Creatures. 

No one likes it when people butt into their business. As the old saying goes, “Those of you who think they know it all really irritate those of us who do!” The truth is that some people think they know more than the experts. Just as often, these folks act on their “knowledge.” Usually when they do, disaster strikes. 

An example of this is the leadership of a police department which took it upon themselves to install a temporary traffic light at an intersection without properly consulting traffic engineers. A fatal traffic accident was the result.

Jesus should not have known about fishing. Jesus was a trained carpenter and a religious teacher. This kind of fishing was not done by just anyone. These fishermen were highly skilled and had long training. Catching fish with a net isn’t easy; it is an industrial process. Yet, Jesus did know more about these creatures than these expert fishermen did.

Jesus is the Master of Creatures because He is the Creator as revealed by the very beginning of the Apostle John’s Gospel.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)

Because Jesus is the Creator, we need to honor His knowledge.  We need to follow His instructions to have dominion over this world and to be good stewards of it. If we violate His guidance we risk losing out on His abundance.

THE MASTER OF STORMS:

Let’s continue by reading Matthew 8:23-27:

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

In this passage we find our expert mariners and our supposedly landlubber carpenter on the Sea of Galilee, which was actually a very large lake. It was a lake, but that didn’t make it less dangerous. The terrain is such that a funnel effect is created that causes very strong winds that can create severe storms. like the one which sank the Edmund Fitzgerald on another large lake. Though the dangers were real, the Sea of Galilee was a key element in the economy and culture of northern Israel.  Without the Sea, it would not have been the same place.

The Sea of Galilee was a major transportation route, and Jesus and His disciples had sailed upon it to reach the other side, where Jesus had an appointment to meet with the Gadarene Demoniac, although the disciples did not know that yet. While on the way, a typical storm of great violence descended upon them. The disciples, who knew boats and the lake, were deathly afraid. Jesus, of course, was sleeping. Do you think Jesus didn’t know what was happening? Of course He did, but He was not worried because He is the Master of Storms. 

When He was awakened, Jesus rebuked the Disciples for their fear. He then rebuked the wind and waves, and calm came over the sea. The disciples marveled the same way we marvel at a magician, but then being surprised by how simple the solution was after it has been revealed to us.

THE MASTER OF PHYSICS:

For experienced fishermen, it seems that the disciples had a tendency to get caught at sea in severe storms. The next time this happened, in Matthew 14:24-33, we learn that Jesus was the Master of Physics:

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

God created our world, and He designed it to run in certain ways: He created the laws of biology. He created the laws of chemistry. He created the laws of oceanography, and He created the laws of physics. The belief of Christians in the existence of an intelligent creator prompted us to systematically study nature, because if there was a design behind the creation, we could discover it and discover how creation works. Even though science now often seems to despise our faith, in truth, science came out of our faith!

God’s design was perfect and was only marred by human sin. The Laws of Physics are largely immutable. They work the same way every time. We can use them for our own purposes, but we can’t alter them.  When we use the laws of physics properly, we can do wonderful things like fly an airplane. When you violate the laws of physics you pay the price. People often perpetuate the myth that bumble bees violate the laws of physics.  Nothing that flies can violate the laws of physics; however, if you jump off a building with an open umbrella you will violate them, and the results will be painful!

Jesus showed us in these verses that He is the Master of Physics. A man cannot walk on water, but Jesus could. And not only could Jesus walk on water, but He could also empower Peter to do so as well!

 MASTER OF OUR FEARS: 

Because human sin has marred God’s perfect creation, the world is a dangerous place. This causes people to experience fear. 

People are often afraid of creatures. Sometimes these are four-footed creatures, like the young lady who, when she was a child, had been knocked down by a dog who stole her graham cracker snack. Years later, as an adult, she was frightened by the barking of a German Shepherd. She frantically ran away from the dog, only to fall and hurt herself.  People are also afraid of two-footed creatures, like the mother who would always call her daughter when a convict had escaped, or if the local police were looking for a fugitive. 

Jesus, of course, is the Master of Creatures, whether they have two feet, or four feet, or slither upon the ground. We need to let Him be the Master of our fears about creatures.

People are often afraid of storms, too. Storms are violent and can cause destruction and death. I know a family whose home was once hit by lightning and caught fire. They never left their house unoccupied again. Someone was always at home just in case lightning might strike in the same place twice.  Jesus demonstrated that He is the Master of Storms and He needs to be the Master of our fear of storms, too.

People also have what is called on social media, FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. Like children who don’t want to nap or go to bed at night because they are afraid that they are going to miss out on something:

• We often think that God’s way is not the best way.
• We try to find ways around the rules of creation. 
• We try to find pleasure in ways God didn’t intend.
• We try to find power in ways that God didn’t intend.
• We rebel against His plan and when we do it costs us.

Jesus is the Master of Creation and He needs to be our master as well. We need to seek His abundant life, not our false abundance.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is the Master of Nature. He created nature for our blessing. The way we are most blessed is by allowing Him to be our master, too! Have we done this today? Or are we still trying to be our own master? Surrender to Him today!

A Word about the Master of Spirits

Today I want to share a word about the Master of Spirits as I comment on Mark 5:1-20. Let’s begin by reading Mark 5:1-5:

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 

Sometimes we lose what pilots call situational awareness.  That is, we just forget the situation we are in and lose sight of reality.  That was the way it was for a man I recently heard about who owned five dogs, and he installed an “invisible fence” to keep them in his yard.  An invisible fence is a wire buried in the ground around the boundaries of his property.  This wire emits a signal that can be received by a collar worn by a dog.  When the dog crosses the wire, it is shocked. 

This invisible fence proved very effective, except when the man lost situational awareness.  Once when he was taking his dogs to the vet, he forgot to turn the fence off before he backed out of his driveway.  The dogs found that to be shocking experience!

They say, “what goes around comes around,” and so it proved for this dog owner the next time he lost situational awareness.  He called a man to come to his house to groom his five dogs.  To do this the man had to take the shock collars off of the dogs, and while he was holding them in his hand, he thought he’d go check his mail box.  The five shock collars activated the second he crossed the wire and reminded him of his mistake!

We, too, make a mistake when we forget that we are at war. I’m not referring to the war on terrorism or in Iraq. There has been a war raging since before time began. It is a spiritual war.  As Paul said in Ephesians 6:10-13:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Humans struggle to overcome natural challenges, and we are totally unable to fight in the supernatural realm. We are blessed, however, the know someone who not only can fight supernatural battles, but also win them, every time!

A FEARSOME SPIRIT:

In the beginning of Mark 5, Jesus and His disciples were confronted by a fearsome spirit. This man was being used of Satan to strike fear in the hearts of people. People are afraid of Satan’s power as a supernatural being, and we are also afraid of his evil nature. Because we can’t see him, we are even more afraid of him.

Truth be told, much of this fear is unnecessary for Christians. We regularly confuse fact with fiction. We have been conditioned by Hollywood horror productions. We have been deceived by hyped stories of Satan worship. Most of these tales are false and misleading.  

At the same time, we should not discount Satan’s existence. He does exist, and he is evil and powerful. We ignore that reality at our own risk, and neither should we make light of evil, the way people do during Halloween and other cultural events which seem to celebrate evil. 

If we look at the subject of this story, we’ll see Satan at work. Satan had totaled destroyed this man’s life! He was living in hell!

A FREEING SPIRIT:

Let’s continue by reading verses 6-13:

But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

What happened when the man saw Jesus? He immediately ran and worshipped Jesus. He begged Jesus for help. This is an object less for us as well. When we are tempted or oppressed by the Devil, we should do the same!

Jesus, of course, knew exactly with whom He was dealing. The spiritual world is not hidden to Jesus. Satan has opposed God to His face on many occasions, and Jesus, Himself had recently been confronted by Satan. The demons also knew who Jesus was, and they reacted with fear. But, how did Jesus react to this confrontation? Jesus acted to free the man from this horrendous situation:

• Satan oppressed him.
• Jesus released him.
• Jesus prevented the spirits from going into another person.
• The man ended up dressed and in his right mind.

This was a complete job! No plea bargain was accepted! The guilty were prevented from hurting anyone else and a complete restoration of the man was realized. In this way, Jesus showed His complete mastery over the demons and spiritual forces of evil!

A FEARFUL SPIRIT: 

As we read in verses 14-17, this dynamic event caused a mixture of reactions:

And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

No one who meets with Jesus goes away unchanged. The townspeople reacted one way. The former demoniac reacted in an entirely different way.

The townspeople reacted with a fearful spirit. They seemed to believe in the saying, “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t.” They did not know this Jesus and they rejected His power because of their fear. They would rather have the devil that they knew.

Even today, people are afraid of the power of Jesus in their lives. They are afraid to attend church. They are afraid to release control of their lives to Jesus. People are afraid to risk on behalf of God. We give Jesus our broken lives to mend, but then we try to snatch then back. Contrast that spirit of fear, with the new spirit possessed by the man who was formerly possessed by demons.

A FOLLOWER’S SPIRIT: 

As mentioned before no one who meets with Jesus goes away unchanged. Finally, in verses 18-20, let’s see how the man’s spirit was transformed:

And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

The Bible tells us of many people whose lives were transformed by meeting Christ. This man was released from demons. Others were released from physical illness. Lazarus was released from death. Many, many others have been released from sin.

When our lives are changed by Christ, how should we respond? Our best response is gratefulness! We should be grateful about what Jesus has done for us. Sometimes this does not happen; Jesus once healed ten lepers but only one returned to Him, but it always should happen.

Although we can’t ever repay Jesus, we should be grateful to Him and the best way to show that we are grateful is to follow Him. This is exactly what the former demoniac did, and this story ends with an example of what happens when we develop a follower’s spirit. People hear about Jesus and the power of God impacts people’s lives. People’s lives are changed, and abundant life in Christ happens!

CONCLUSION:  

When Jesus sent out the twelve and then the seventy, they came back to Him proclaiming that “Even the demons were subject to us!” Because they followed Him and ministered in His Name, they saw first-hand that Jesus is the Master of Spirits. He still is today.

If you are beset by spiritual oppression you can turn to Him and He will release you! Then, when you are released by the power of God, then you have the privilege and responsibility to help others be released. Have you experienced the spiritual power of Jesus?  If not, you can today, if you will seek it!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Master Shepherd

Today I want to share a word about the Master Shepherd as I comment on John 10:1-18. This passage reads:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Sheep and shepherds play prominent roles in the story of God’s relationship with people, for example:

• Abraham, Isaac, and the ram that God provided as a sacrifice.
• Jacob was a shepherd for Laban for 14 years so he could marry Leah and Rachel.
• Moses was a shepherd for his father-in-law after he had to flee Egypt.
• David was the little shepherd boy who later wrote the Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalm 23).
• The shepherds at Christmas were the first to hear of the birth of Jesus.

Here we see that Jesus was the Good Shepherd, or as I am calling Him in this devotional, the Master Shepherd.

While we romanticize shepherds, in reality, their task was a dirty, smelly, and lonely one. As Luke tells us, they would “abide in the field” with their charges, almost living like animals themselves.

I once met a former paniolo, a Hawaiian cowboy, who told me that people had the wrong idea about such work. He told me, “People don’t realize that cowboys work hard from before sunup to after sundown, and they come home wet, cold, tired, and covered in muck.”

Not only was being a shepherd difficult, but it also involved a great deal of responsibility. They were responsible for feeding, watering, healing, and protecting the sheep, which were valuable commodities. Some shepherds failed at their task, neglecting the sheep, or failing to protect them. The consequences were severe for all concerned.

Jesus, however, was the Good Shepherd as we saw in our focal passage from John 10 today. He would lay down His life for the His sheep. But, what about the sheep? What are our responsibilities? Let’s look at them together.

GOOD SHEEP KNOW THEIR SHEPHERD:

They know his personality. They learn how he thinks and how he works, and they learn his heart. They also learn from him his purpose:

• To nurture the sheep and protect them.
• To lead them into places where the can prosper.
• To present them spotless to their master.

They also let him know them. Sheep tend to look alike, but they are not. All creatures have their own wants, needs, and limitations and the sheep must be open to their shepherd. The shepherd can do a better job of caring for his sheep if they let him know who they are.

GOOD SHEEP FOLLOW THEIR SHEPHERD: 

Leaders can't lead without followers. Often God’s people resemble a line from an old song from Dean Martin which complained that there are, “too many chiefs and not enough Indians around this place.” 

Sheep look meek and mild, but some were prone to wander. Also, while sheep are mostly defenseless, they can butt with their heads, and more than one shepherd has been knocked down that way.

Being a good follower is a blessing: to the follower, to the leader, and to God. If the sheep didn’t need to be led, they would not need shepherds. Also, being a good follower is a prerequisite to becoming a leader.

GOOD SHEEP TRUST THEIR SHEPHERD: 

Sheep need protection because they are prey animals, and the world presents many threats to them. In the same way, the world presents many threats to the sheep of God’s pasture (us) today. Some are temporal threats, but many are spiritual. Temporal threats are bad, but spiritual threats are worse because they involve issues of eternal importance.

The shepherd provides protection. Sheep are largely defenseless as individuals, and they are safer in a flock. The shepherd maintains the integrity of the flock, but he will also intervene between a threat and the flock. That is why Jesus called Himself the Door of the Sheep. The spiritual threats to our abundant life must come through Jesus to get to us. And Jesus can handle those threats!

The sheep, however, can thwart the protection provided by the shepherd:

• By wandering off by accident (sin).
• By wandering off on purpose (transgression).
• By wandering off to spite the shepherd (iniquity).

Yes, sheep can cause themselves and the shepherd much trouble by their wandering ways, but the good news is that the Good Shepherd is willing to seek the lost sheep. As Romans 5:8 puts it, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

GOOD SHEEP RESPECT THEIR SHEPHERD: 

The shepherd's job was a humble one. It was a dirty job, with a low status in society even though shepherds were charged with caring for a very valuable commodity. Also, for a shepherd to do their job properly, they must make sacrifices for the sheep. They put the sheep first before themselves, and they put the sheep before their families, too.

Good shepherds love their sheep, which is a reminder to us that love is not an emotion, but an action. Love is doing what is best for another, without regard to cost or inconvenience. When I was a teenager, our church youth group had a saying, “You don’t always have to like me, but you have to love me.”

The love of a shepherd to his charges reminds me of the saying I learned from the US Coast Guard about search and rescue in a storm: “You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back!”

GOOD SHEEP SHARE THEIR SHEPHERD: 

There is only one Good Shepherd, but there are many sheep. Some need more attention than others, and they must get that attention. All sheep need to be concerned about the whole flock, however. If one sheep takes up all the shepherd’s time, then the flock suffers, and eventually so will that sheep. What happens to the flock affects all within the flock, so the sheep need to share the shepherd with each other.

The sheep also need to realize that the shepherd is not indestructible. Even Jesus, the Good Shepherd, got tired and hungry. Jesus also had to maintain a close relationship with His Father. He often, as the King James Bible put it, would go “apart to pray.” This caused the old revival preacher, Vance Havner, to quip, “We must come apart, or we will come apart!” Shepherds cannot live in the field forever. They, too, are a part of a larger flock, and they need a shepherd as well. Good sheep share their shepherd so they can be blessed by times of refreshing and renewal.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus was the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His flock. Jesus is unchallenged as the Master Shepherd; there has never been any one better than Him at that vital role.

The question is not, “Is Jesus the Good Shepherd,” but it is, “Are we good, sheep?” Do we follow the Master Shepherd? Do we follow the under shepherds sent to us by Him? If we want to experience the abundant live Christ promised us, we should!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Master Leader

 

Today I want to share a word about the Master of Leadership as I comment on John 1:35-51. This passage reads:

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon te son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.  And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

We are continuing to learn from Jesus as our Master and Commander and today we come to the point in time in which Jesus called to Him twelve disciples to learn from Him and to carry on His work.  

In calling these twelve men, Jesus showed himself to be the Master Leader.  We’ve already seen Him as the Master of Repentance and as the Master of Temptation, but today we will see His mastery of a vital skill, the skill of leadership.  

I have been a student of leadership all my adult life and I still have a lot to learn.  I have held numerous leadership positions and yet I know that I am not a master leader in the way Jesus is.  For example, when I was a line officer in the Army before I became a chaplain, I served as a company commander in the Louisiana Army National Guard. One day, some of my full-time staff put up a plaque in my little office to honor my efforts.  It said:

I am their leader!  Which way did they go?

Leadership is a craft; it is not a pure science, and yet it is not done just for the sake of the art.  It is a very practical skill, yet one that is not easy to define.  To paraphrase an old statement about art: “I can’t tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it!” Today we will see the Master Leader demonstrating His craft.  We need to watch Him and learn.  

THE MASTER LEADER WAS COMPELLING: 

As we can see from our focal passage, the Master Leader was a compelling personality. He knew that leadership is different than command. Command is defined by the legal authority to compel compliance. That’s why the Uniform Code of Military Justice allows commanders to punish troops who don’t comply with their orders. 

Leadership is different. Leadership is the ability to inspire the willing cooperation of those being led. As leadership expert John Maxwell said, “If you look back and no one is following, you are not a leader.” Jesus was a leader because people followed him willingly, including:

• People who were already seeking God (Simon and Andrew).
• People who were sinners and outcasts (Matthew and the Samaritan woman).
• People who were struggling to make ends meet (fishermen).
• People in the establishment (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea).

This is a rare gift, and we must take full advantage of its power in the church and in the military. Every church, and every military unit, has members that people look up to. Influence like this can cause good things to happen, bad things to happen or nothing to happen! Jesus said that good things and bad things cannot come from the same source, so leaders must be wise stewards of their gift!

THE MASTER LEADER HAD A MORAL CHARACTER:

John 2:13-22 tells us more about the Master Leader.

And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

People invest their trust in their leaders. They believe them and do what they say. They trust them with important parts of their lives. They expect them to take due care of this devotion. Like when people entrust a financial advisor to wisely invest their life savings, people invest their trust in their leaders. Therefore, leaders must be trustworthy.

In the case of Jesus, we can see from this passage that He embodied righteousness.  He could not abide injustice, or pride, or arrogance, and He revealed this when He cleansed the temple. He also showed this when He forgave the sin of those repentant persons who came to Him. He was as comfortable proclaiming the woes on the Pharisees as He was in healing the ear of the high priest’s servant on the night He was betrayed. Jesus embodied righteousness and that righteousness infused His exercise of leadership.

We must insist that our leaders must be of the highest moral character. Too often we shoot ourselves in the foot by focusing on gifting and job performance but ignoring the issues of maturity, judgment, and morality. Leaders must be sure to guard their hearts, minds, and passions, because the damage leaders do when they fail morally is beyond measure!

THE MASTER LEADER WAS HIGHLY COMPETENT: 

Luke 5:1-9 reveals to us that the Master Leader was highly competent.

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken.

Since followers place at least a portion of their lives in the hands of their leaders, leaders must be competent for their followers to trust them.  They must be able to accomplish the tasks they set forth. What if there were no fish in net? Would the disciples have followed Jesus? If they are not competent, they may be liked, but they will not be followed.

To show their competence, leaders must lead by example, unlike the church pastor who hid in church basement when teams went out to visit prospects. Also, to be competent takes work. We learn how to lead by osmosis, we must study and train. We also must try our wings and learn from our mistakes. 

THE MASTER LEADER WAS COURAGEOUS: 

Luke 5:18-32 shows us that the Master Leader was courageous.

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him.  And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Leaders, being out in front of the group, are exposed and that makes them vulnerable. They often see things others don’t and they often take stands others don’t like. This makes them easy targets for criticism.

Jesus was the model of courage. He did the right thing, all the time, even if people misunderstood. Here, He forgave the man’s sin, not just healed him. Then, He called Matthew, even though he was a hated and despised tax collector. He even had supper at Matthew’s home!

Some, so-called, leaders practice a form of lowest-common-denominator leadership which is swayed or even dominated by public opinion. While this is really not leadership at all, it is very common among politicians and other civic leaders. Opinion polls drive American politics more than convictions do, but Jesus was the Master Leader, He was not dissuaded by public opinion from doing what was right.

Assuming risk is inherent in the process of leading. We must not be afraid to lead if called to do so. A turtle gets nowhere unless it sticks out its neck, so we must trust God and enjoy His love. As 1 John 4:18 reminds us, “Perfect love casts out all fear.” God’s love is perfect, even if ours is not!

THE MASTER LEADER WAS COMMITTED: 

Finally, Luke 9:57-62 shows that the Master Leader was totally committed.

And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

A leader does what it takes to accomplish the mission. Jesus, of course, was the inventor of the phrase, “going the extra mile,” and He did that and more Himself.

Leadership is about helping people overcome obstacles. It is also about achieving your goal, while taking care of people at the same time. One of my favorite leadership sayings encapsulates this concept:

Mission first! People always!

One of our biggest needs is for balance in our lives and in our work and our leadership. Airplanes have two wings for a reason. They need both wings to be able to fly straight and true. 

When I was a young boy, and I would get upset about something, my momma would always tell me to, “Straighten up and fly right.” Well, you can't fly straight, and you can't fly right if you are out of balance, and this idea of “Mission First, People Always” gives us the balance that we need in our lives and our leadership. 

This motto begins by reminding us that we have a mission to accomplish. If we don't accomplish this mission, then we have no reason to exist. We have a purpose, and we need to carry out that purpose. 

Although we must put mission first, we must also understand that we cannot accomplish that mission without people. We cannot do our job without our people. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to always take care of our people. And not only our people at work but our people at home, in our communities, in our churches, and our schools. Taking care of people is essential so that we can accomplish our mission. It is also essential because it is the right thing to do.

Let me put it this way: if we just focus on our mission then we become bureaucrats. If we just focus on people, we become politicians. We must have both wings to fly this airplane straight.

Jesus did what was needed to be done to achieve His mission and to take care of people:

• He turned water into wine, and He saved the wedding at Cana.
• He healed the sick and He revived the dead.
• He taught in parables, and He fed the 5,000.
• He put up with twelve whiny disciples.
• He died on the cross for our sins and He rose again to defeat death and hell.

Our leaders need to be committed as well. We must take responsibility because the saying, “Everybody’s job is nobody’s job,” is a reality. We must follow the command of God from Paul in Galatians 6:9 that says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” 

CONCLUSION:

As the Master Leader, Jesus set the standard for those who lead. Jesus was (and still is), compelling, competent, courageous, committed, and He is of the highest moral character. He taught His disciples to be leaders, and then they became models for Christians to follow down through the ages. As Paul instructed the church at Corinth:

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt