Sunday Front Porch Sitting: The Reason to Rejoice

I wanted to try and add this new series to my blog. I figure on talking a little bit about the Bible every other Sunday after church. I know you're on a computer or smart-device, but pretend that we're sitting on the front porch after preaching, sipping a sweet tea, waiting for supper to be ready, and just pondering what we find in the Bible.

I think it would have been a pretty cool thing to meet Jesus in person when He was walking on this earth. Thousands of people had that chance, as we see through out the gospels...sometimes the crowds who came to see Him were so thick, it was impossible to see Him through all the people!

Let's take quick notice of seventy such people who were there with Jesus in Luke 10. These seventy were asked of Jesus to go "into every city and place, whither he himself would come" (10:1).  But, Jesus told them that He would send them "as lambs among wolves", with no extra money (10:3,4)...I'll bet that made them feel at a disadvantage!

But those seventy people returned to Jesus later, rejoicing! Because they had found the power to heal the sick (10:9) and even to cast out demons (10:17)!  But then again, it wasn't THEIR power now, was it? They realized it was all through Jesus.

This would be a nice place to end the story. How cool, right? Imagine being able to make the lame walk, or the blind see through Jesus! But wait, they almost missed the point. Sure, all this was pretty new to them, and though they returned to Jesus with joy (10:17), they had missed the real reason to rejoice.  Let's read the following verses:

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Let me repeat that for those in the back who may have missed it. Rejoice not that the spirits are subject to you; but RATHER rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

This is just one of many times in the Bible where Jesus shifts our focus from things temporal, to things eternal. When it comes down to it, only the eternal really matters.

Well, I can hear Momma calling us to go in and wash up. Looks like it's time for supper. Happy Sunday, friends!