Refuge Audio Podcast

After Jesus fed the 5,000 (John 6), the people wanted to take Him by force to make Him king. But Jesus departed. The next day, some went looking for Jesus and found him in Capernaum. Jesus knew they were looking for Him to get more free food. But rather than dismissing them, Jesus engaged with them and told them that He Himself is the bread of life—the spiritual nourishment that they truly need.

Holding to cultural superstitions instead of Scripture can lead to some wacky conclusions. That’s why it’s always important to examine a belief to see if it’s following cultural norms or if it’s based in Scripture. Just as in Christian culture today, some in the Jewish culture during Jesus’ time held certain beliefs about what the devil could do that may not have been rooted in Scripture. So Jesus carefully provided some Scriptural teaching to address these ideas. 

Jesus is a gentle man. He calls out to us because He loves us. He corrects us gently and comes alongside us, asking for permission to take His rightful place upon the throne of our hearts. But Jesus doesn’t do this forcefully. He knocks at the door of our heart, but He will never pound and demand entry. He patiently convicts and convinces until a decision is made—either an invitation to enter, or a dismissal of His offer. And like a gentleman, when the knocks go unanswered, He will eventually stop knocking.

After countless confrontations, the religious rulers relentlessly questioned Jesus about His violation of traditions. Sensing their intent, Jesus challenged them about their disregard for God’s commandment in favor of their own customs. This question should have initiated a respectful discussion. Lacking reason, logic, and intellectual integrity, these religious rulers clung to tradition—even when it defied truth. Driven by irrational hatred and senseless malice, they focused solely on destroying Jesus.

In times of uncertainty, we can run to Jesus for safety and security. He is our refuge and strength. He is ready to help when we need Him. But how? How do we find a strong and safe shelter in Jesus in the midst of the storms of life? How is Jesus our refuge and strength? How is He helpful in our times of trouble? These are good questions for us to ask—and to keep asking until we find the answers in Psalm 46.

God’s promises are sure, faithful, and reliable—even if they aren’t fulfilled right away or on our preferred schedule. Consider the life of Abraham. He waited 25 years before the fulfillment of God’s promise to have a child. In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul points to Abraham’s faithfulness to remind us that God’s promises aren’t dependent on our obedience to God’s law. Instead, it’s by faith that we receive God’s promises. 

The Apostle Peter wrote 2 Peter to believers in order to prepare them for the difficulties that lay ahead—false teachers, persecutions, hardships, and other challenges they would face. But before he begins his warnings, he starts his letter by building up followers of Jesus with encouragement to grow and mature spiritually in specific virtues. In reminding those in the church what we've received from the Lord, we are reminded of what it is to follow the Lord. Watch our study from Sunday as guest teacher Allan Benson led our time of study in 2 Peter 1.

Have you ever faced a mountain of a problem & felt like a failure? When you come to the end of your limited human might & power and begin to rely solely upon God’s Holy Spirit that the mountains of problems begin to move. This was God’s encouragement to Zerubabbel in Zechariah 4. God is graciously willing to help when we truly humble ourselves & admit that God’s work must be done in God’s way—not by our might or by our power.

In Matthew 11, we read of Jesus addressing two vastly different groups. On one side were the arrogant, overfed, unconcerned, and self-righteous religious elites who either opposed Jesus or were indifferent to Him. On the other side were the seventy Jesus had sent out to minister to the surrounding cities. These were the foolish, the forgotten, the unworthy, and unimportant in the eyes of the religious elite. Jesus rebuked the first group with a warning and received the second group with rejoicing. But some of the self-righteous just needed a clear invitation for salvation. And so Jesus addresses them and invites them to come to Him.

As Jesus went to preach and teach in the cities in Judea, He encountered the religious elite who were either indifferent to Him or actively resisted Him. Even after witnessing all that Jesus did, they still did not believe. This prompted Jesus to call out to them with a broken heart, warning the hard-hearted and self-righteous. But even when the majority of people in cities or countries are indifferent to or resist Jesus, there is always a remnant of individuals that accept His invitation to come to Him and find salvation, forgiveness, and rest for their souls.

Which is worse in terms of someone coming to Christ and finding everlasting life in Him: resistance or indifference? At face value, it seems like a simple question to answer. Those who don’t really seem to care are usually easier to deal with than those who want to argue with you. The question is not who is the easiest to deal with, but what mentality is less open to the Gospel. Those who are consistently critical are actually closer to surrendering to Jesus than those who couldn’t care less. We encounter this more than we realize. And so did Jesus, as we see in Matthew 11:20-30.

It’s difficult to appreciate just how good the good news truly is without first working through the bad news. Part of that was the responsibility of John the Baptist. He prepared the way for the good news of Jesus Christ by preaching repentance, which meant bringing to the forefront the bad news of sin. Some readily receive the bad news that they are sinners, which prepare them to receive the good news of complete forgiveness and the gift of righteousness. But some reject the good news of Jesus Christ because they reject the reality that they are sinners. In their self-righteousness, they are unable to believe, receive, and respond.

There’s an interaction that Jesus has with two of His disciples in Luke 24 that shows us His heart after His resurrection. He wants to meet with His followers and walk with them in familiar intimacy. But we often tend to miss God in our midst, not because he's too extraordinary, but because he's too ordinary. When our hearts are tuned to His voice, we can experience an intimacy with Him that allows us to enjoy fellowship with Him. 

John the Baptist was the greatest prophet, and yet he still needed to learn how to be content in any and every situation, that God’s grace is sufficient, and that His power is made perfect in weakness. And yet, at times John still wondered about Jesus: “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” This wondering and doubt is something that we struggle with too. Jesus’ answer should be enough for us, but we are still learning the same things that John was learning.

Have you endured so much pain & uncertainty that you muster up enough strength & faith to move the hand of God? Does it seem like the Lord is silent but responding to everyone else? You are not alone. The greatest man born among women also experienced this kind of discouragement. He asked Jesus, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” It’s a tough question with a tougher answer

In Matthew 10, we read of Jesus sending the twelve Apostles on their first mission trip and giving them several Christian principles to put into practice. In those principles, we learn that what Jesus was sending them to do had no guarantee of total success. There was a chance that people would treat them poorly. But what often draws us into a deeper and more reliant relationship with Jesus is the pain that comes when people treat us poorly. Not everyone will listen when you share the love of Jesus with them. As Jesus experienced, some may betray and even persecute you—including the very people that you laid down your life to serve.

After calling the 12 disciples who were called to be Apostles, Jesus sent them on their first mission. And in the remainder of Matthew 10, we read of the way that Jesus prepared them for this special task. He gives them a series of principles to put into practice. It’s a somewhat rapid-fire list of important truths to consider as they encounter much of ministry for the very first time.