dr logans blog

1 Kings 21:1-17

2 Timothy 3:1-5

There is something clearly demonic going on in our day that is gathering steam and threatens the whole of society as we have known it. It is not the platforms of political parties. It is not the agenda of a permissive media. It is not even particular candidates with their spin on everything from inflation, the escalating price of everything, reproductive rights, crime, and the environment. What is it? For the non-believer and the marginal believer, it is just the natural result of changing values and attitudes. But for the believer it is evidence of what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, difficult times in the last days. 

            The difficulty can be seen in what is happening in every aspect of our daily lives. There is the focus on the creative use of pronouns, new syndromes that have their genesis in the twisted minds of those with evil intent, gender dysphoria, gender fluidity, the inability to define what a woman is, the insistence that men can bear children, and the move away from seeking equality to seeking equity. Some so-called believers want to ignore or overlook these things surmising that they cannot be overcome and must be lived with. Others are caught in a fog, wondering what to do, and ignorant about how we got here. But for those more discerning, the cause and effect is clear. We are dealing with what Paul calls doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1), but what or who is the motivation behind these doctrines? How did they overtake those who perhaps at one time were considered solid in their stances? Of course, it is our enemy, the devil, but it has been and continues to be manifested in demonic spirits known as the spirits of Ahab and Jezebel.

The spirit of Ahab is an empowering spirit. Many like to speak about Jezebel, but it is important to note that there is no Jezebel spirit without an Ahab standing next to her empowering her.

Jezebel was control hungry, but Ahab was too weak to say ‘No!’

Ahab failed to learn from his father’s sins. His father, Omri was a wicked king, but Ahab exceeded his wickedness.

Sin was a trivial thing to him. He followed in the steps of King Jeroboam, who had become the standard of wickedness, setting up idols for worship, making priests of all the people, instituting his own feast to take the place of the Lord’s feast, and more.

He allowed himself to be influenced by evil. He married Jezebel, the daughter of a foreign king, when Israel had been specifically warned about marrying them. She went on to encourage him in the paths of sin.

He engaged in idolatry. He did not just set up temples and erect statues for Jezebel, he worshiped at them. Anything we elevate equal to or higher than God is an idol.

The spirit of Jezebel is a controlling spirit. She was empowered and permitted to thrive in her wickedness only because Ahab refused to lead. You cannot have an active, control-hungry Jezebel with a passive weak-willed Ahab. Ahab is dangerous because he does not act, but Jezebel is dangerous because she acts.

Ahab represents the man who is expected to take responsibility for a situation but fails to do so. He lays down and watches his wife devise evil and pull others into her web. He enables the Jezebel spirit rather than taking authority over it.

There is a difference between authority and control. 

Authority: Listens
Control: Demands

Authority: Helps us grow
Control: Stifles personal expression

Authority: Uses our strengths
Control: Takes advantage of our weaknesses

Authority: Equips others
Control: Robs others of their autonomy

Authority: Widens horizons
Control: Narrows experiences

Authority: Delegates
Control: Micromanages

Authority: Correction and discipline
Control: Punishment and retribution

Authority: Justice (what is wrong)
Control: Judgment (who is wrong)

Authority: Teaches how to make decisions
Control: Makes decisions on your behalf.

Authority: Establishes boundaries
Control: Trespasses across personal boundaries

Authority: Gives
Control: Takes

Authority: Listens
Control: Dictates

Authority: Flows from a spirit of love
Control: Operates from a spirit of fear

The spirits can and should be overcome. The fact that we are living in perilous times does not mean that we must capitulate, that we must give in and accept that it is just the way of the world. The world today is Jezebel, and the body of Christ is too often Ahab. But we have been given power and authority over our enemy.

Right now, we need to refuse to accept the way things are or are moving as normal and let our yes be yes and our no be no. Part of doing that means that we do not give up our rights as though they do not make a difference. We are called to watch and pray. To watch does not equate to passivity, but to be proactive. Stand up and speak up. Vote. To pray means to recognize that God can do what we cannot. It is not over until God says it is over, and God has promised that vengeance belongs to him. Note what happened to Ahab and Jezebel. Jezebel dies violently after being thrown down from the top of her home. Her body is tramped by horses and then eaten by dogs. Ahab dies after being hit by an arrow in battle, bleeds out and then dogs lick up his blood. So will be the lot of these spirits. They will not prosper or overcome. Make no mistake, they will win some battles but will not win the war because greater is the One in us that the one in the world.

Isaiah 53:10-12

The work of Christ, what He did on Calvary, His suffering and death matters! It was not in vain. There was a purpose for all He endured for you and me. Regardless of the attempts to minimize His sacrifice, you and I would not be here today had He not been obedient unto death, even the death on the cross. Some do not and cannot understand what Jesus effected when He suffered and died, but there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). 

It was necessary for Jesus to die because the divine punishment for sin was death (Romans 6:23). There was no sin in Jesus, but He did not die for Himself, rather He died for you and me. It was necessary for Jesus to die because the promise of defeating the devil required an innocent death (Genesis 3:15). It was necessary for Jesus to die because the prophets foretold it. It was necessary for Jesus to die because our God cannot let our sins go unpunished. Had He not died in our place we would have to carry our own sin and suffer God’s judgment in the flames of hell. But thanks be to God, He, our heavenly Father kept His promise to send and sacrifice the perfect Lamb to bear the sins of those who trust in Him. Jesus had to die because He was and remains the only one who can pay the penalty for our sins. So, it matters, and this is why?

An unbreakable tie between our hearts and Jesus has been created! As a result, we are to be thankful, appreciative, and devoted.

Our salvation depends entirely on His suffering, death, burial, and resurrection! There is nothing we can do to warrant His love or earn His grace and mercy. Jesus did it all.

It shows us how to live in hope despite oppressive and vulnerable situations. So many are living without hope endeavoring to find it in things that only can provide temporary relief at best. We need to point people to Jesus.

It matters that Jesus suffered, bled, and died. It matters that His sacrifice paid our debt. We are alive today because our bill has been voided. But it also matters because we have a message for this world that is so cynical and jaded. No matter how much money you have only Jesus satisfies. No matter how many government programs are created only Jesus can supply that which is lasting and enduring. No matter if you do win the lottery, it can be gone as quickly as it came, but Jesus never fails.

 It matters that Jesus is still the answer for this world today. It matters! It matters!

Isaiah 53:1-3

Who is this Jesus we sing about, talk about, and to whom we pray? For all the centuries that have passed since His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus is still controversial today. Even in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian people are quick to thank God, call on angels, but the name of Jesus is despised and Jesus Himself is still rejected. People are not interested in knowing Jesus today rationalizing that to do so is to participate in a religion that is a dead thing and something they do not want. But Christianity is not ultimately about participating in a religion but rather it is about having a relationship with the person Jesus which, because He is alive and living, is a living thing.

I feel led to preach this series because the past couple of years, while in a pandemic, has yanked the cover off a Church that promotes, protects, and invites people into membership in a religion that is, as Bishop Jackson emphasized, a headless horseman. But Jesus is the head and is still the answer for the world today. As the songwriter put it, “Oh, it is Jesus! Yes, it is Jesus! It’s Jesus in my soul. For I have touched the hem of His garment, and His blood has made me whole!” So, I want to present and re-present Jesus to a people who have become disconnected from Him, who think He is no longer relevant, or that have become complacent remaining at home scrolling across their electronic devices having their ears pricked but not their souls touched.

It was foretold that people would not believe in Him (vs. 1). The Jews heard repeatedly that Messiah was coming but could not receive Him because they were looking for one with a sword of violence.

He did not have an appearance we associate with leadership, fame, and fortune (vs. 2). People are drawn to those they elect to office at times because they look the part. Saul was King of Israel, the first king, and was handsome, a whole head taller than other men and yet God ended up rejecting him as king in favor of David.

He was and is able to empathize with us regardless of what we suffer (vs. 3). There is no sorrow with which He is unfamiliar, including disease, even though He had none.

“Who is this Jesus Christ? He is, history will record, the most captivating, the most influential person who ever lived. The most studied, the most examined, the most written about, sung about, discussed person ever. He is the only One who can produce forgiveness, who can bring true peace, joy in this life, eternal blessing in the life to come. He is the only One who can take you to heaven.           

He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to God but by me.” That is either the illusion of a madman, the powerful deception of a clever liar, or the truth, and no other options exist. When the media and elite educators search for the true Jesus, and it shows up in books and television, inevitably, they fail to find Him. The Jesus they come up with is some Jesus of their own invention or the invention of others – or even worse, the invention of demons. The reason they look and never find the real Jesus is they never look in the place where He’s revealed. They fail to look at the Bible and take the Bible as absolutely, unequivocally true. But it is. The Bible is true. 

Let the record stand. There never has been anybody like Jesus, no one. No one even close. He is the master of everything. He is the master of hungry crowds. He is the master of the sick. He is the master of the sinful. He is the master of demons and Satan. He is the master of nature. He is the master of angry Pharisees. He is the master of clever theologians whom He confounds. He is the master of a Roman governor. He is the master of Herod, a puppet king. He is the master of Himself, struggling in the midnight of His passion on the Mount of Olives, fighting sweat, blood, and tears and who comes forth triumphant and victorious in dedication to His Father’s will. In the terrible agony of the cross, He is the master of everything. All around Him, there is fury. All around Him, there is chaos. But He is calm. He has the mastery of His own heart and mind and tongue and will. Even there at the cross, He pauses to forgive a penitent thief and opens the doors of paradise for him that very day. 

No one ever lived like Him and what He said lays claims on every life. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me.” “The Son of man,” He said, “has power on earth to forgive sins. Whoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father who is in heaven.” He said, “Whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” He said, “I am the light of the world,” “I am the bread of life,” “I am the resurrection and the life.” These are the unambiguous claims that Jesus made.

Let me sum it up this way: If God became human, we would expect Him to have a miraculous entrance into this world, wouldn’t we? And He did, born of a virgin. If God became a human, we would expect Him to be sinless and live a holy life, and He did. Pilate could not find a fault in Him, Satan could not find a fault in Him because He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. He was without sin. If God became a human, we would expect that His words would be the clearest, truest, purest, most authoritative ever spoken, and they were.

If God became a human, we would expect Him to manifest supernatural power, and He did. If God became a human, we would expect Him to have a universal and permanent influence on the world, and He does. If God became a human, we would expect Him to accomplish His purpose, and He has. So, who is this man? He is God!

Isaiah 53:4-6

What did Jesus do for you and me? Most believers will answer that question in ways one would expect. When asked one might say, “He saved my soul!” They might say, “He came to give me abundant life.” Or “He proclaimed good news to me.” Or “He came to bring me out of darkness into the marvelous light.” None of these responses are wrong. Jesus came and did all of those things, but these are mostly learned spiritual or theological responses, and in this post pandemic world, they are insufficient because they fail to get to the nitty gritty of where most people live today.

Most people today, even if they have grown up in church but have held it at arm’s distance, want answers with which they can actively identify. There is a generation who need Jesus today that are simply not going to respond to evangelistic approaches that impacted and brought generations to faith before them. Their lives are more complex. Their options are far greater and the external stimuli they receive from social media and all other forms of media are plethora. 

The testimony of my and how I came to faith in Jesus is not their testimony. They don’t live like I lived. Their lives are far more chaotic than mine ever was. In truth, I often do not understand what they do, how they do it, and why; and it does not really matter what I think because it is their reality. So, the question, “what did Jesus do for me?”, takes on greater relevance and urgency because of the complexity of their lives and we have an answer. What has He done?

He took our wounds, pains, hurts, and sorrow (Isaiah 53:4)!

Griefs – pains of the body (Isaiah 53:4a)

Sorrows – pains of the mind Isaiah 53:4b)

He took our infirmities, so as to remove them (Isaiah 43:5a)! 

Pierced or bruised – crushing inward and outward suffering

Carried my burden 

He took our punishment upon Him (Isaiah 53:6b)! “The innocent was punished as if guilty, that the guilty might be rewarded as if innocent. This verse could be said of no mere martyr.”

None of this did He have to do! He was guilty of no crime. He was innocent of all charges. He was never sick, yet he carried our sickness. He was tempted just as we are but never yielded. Why would He do it? He knew where we would be and with what we would have to contend. He knew how virulent our enemy would be and the temptations we would face. He did it because He loved us and loves us still.

What has Jesus done? What did He do? One ministry says “He gets us! He was mocked by elites, betrayed by friends, imprisoned by politicians, killed by authorities and He forgave them all!” He knew isolation, anger, rejection and anxiety too, and He can help you!

What’s He done? I cannot talk about you, but I can tell you what He did for me! He removed the fog of my confusion. He shined the light of His glory into the darkness of my situation. He removed the shame of my past and showed me the promise of my future. He washed my garments that were nasty and dirty from until they were spotless and clean.

What’s He done? He removed loneliness and despair. He healed sick bodies despite the doctor’s scary diagnosis. When you should have died, he said you shall live. When you were confused about who you were He removed your doubts and condemned the lies of the enemy.

It may not be sufficient for some to recall the sacrifice He made for me and for you, but none of what He has done, is doing and will do is possible without it. One songwriter put it this way:

See on the hill of Calvary                                           What He’s done
My Savior bled for me                                                What He’s done
My Jesus set me free                                                  All the glory and the honor to the Son
And look at the wounds that give me life                   My sins are forgiven
Grace flowing from His side                                      My future is Heaven
No greater sacrifice                                                    I praise God for what He’s done

Sing for the freedom He has won                               What He’s done
Even death is dead and done                                      What He’s done
His life has overcome                                                 All the glory and the honor to the Son
Speak, say the Name above all names                        My sins are forgiven
Over every broken place                                             My future is Heaven
He is risen from the grave                                          I praise God for what He’s done

Now on a throne of majesty                                       What He’s done
The Father’s will complete                                         What He’s done
He reigns in victory                                                    All the glory and the honor to the Son
Sing hallelujah to the King                                         My sins are forgiven
He is worthy to receive                                               My future is Heaven
All the worship we can bring                                     I praise God for what He’s done

What’s He done for you? I cannot help but tell it because I know that what He’s done for me He can do the same thing for you. My flaws did not disqualify me. My sin was wiped clean, never to be brought up again. I am a new being, a new creature, living in a new reality. I may have done what they said I did, but that is not me. You may have done what they said you did, but a decision for Jesus today will make you brand new, uncommon, something and someone never seen before. That’s what He’s done.

Isaiah 53:7-9 John 15:13

If you are familiar with the OT background of prescribed animal sacrifices, you will note that the crucifixion of Jesus was very different. Hebrews 10 tells us, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” The sacrifice of Jesus was the sacrifice of a human, not an animal. But not just a human, but a perfect person who had lived life fulfilling all righteousness – so by active obedience, God could impute to redeemed sinners such as us His righteousness. Not just a perfect human, but the very Son of God who could experience the eternal wrath of God for all of those whom He intended to save.

But what really stands out in our passage this morning that makes the sacrifice of Christ so unique is his willing, voluntary, silent submission to that act of sacrifice – knowing full well the entirety of what was involved. The slaughtered lamb did not choose its death. The slaughtered lamb did not understand what lay ahead of it as it blindly followed the rest of the flock to the butcher’s knife. But our Lord Jesus, the precious Lamb of God, set his face resolutely to go to Jerusalem, fully understanding what lay ahead on the cross. Not just the experience of a violent, barbaric, grotesque, publicly humiliating death … but the unleashing of the full wrath of God against him because he died in our place to pay the penalty for sins that we deserved to pay. He would cry out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me”

This is just a little of what Jesus endured for you and me, and to a contemporary society, it makes absolutely no sense. How and why would an innocent person willingly die for something they did not do? It is not just. It is not fair. Consequently, it is difficult to understand or for that matter accept. Yet, he endured it all for you and me. Isaiah foretells us three things Jesus would do.

He willingly laid down his life (vs. 8). He was made answerable. There was a debt to be paid that was answerable by His suffering and death.

He silently submitted (vs. 8). The word “oppress” is one that means He was pressed or harassed to the point of being totally weary and fatigued, and yet He did not respond because He allowed Himself to be oppressed and because it was the Father’s will.

His innocence was vindicated in His burial (vs. 9). Even though Christ would die with the wicked, God would not allow Him to be buried with the wicked.

Jesus endured the most horrific suffering imaginable to humanity, and He did it for you and me. It was not something he had to do. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked the Father to remove the assignment but submitted in obedience. When He was arrested, He went quietly. He did not protest even a little bit. When they scourged him, He didn’t retaliate. When the soldiers put the crown of thorns on His head, He didn’t curse at them. When they drove the nails in His hands and feet, He didn’t threaten them. When the bystanders spat at Him, He didn’t spit back. When they swore at him, He didn’t swear back. Though no one spoke up for Him and no one came to defend Him, still He endured because He knew it would be the means by which salvation would reach to the end of the earth and how the arm of the Lord would be revealed.

What would you do, innocently accused, sentenced to death, maltreated in the worst of ways? What would you do if everything was against you, and nothing was in your favor? Such was the not the case for Jesus. He knew what was coming. He knew the grave could not hold Him and death could not contain Him.

Day 3 – Psalm 16:11

You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.^[1]

I must admit just how often I tend to believe that I have the best path or, at least, a better path than that which I find in the Word of God. Intellectually I realize that God always knows what is best for me, but in my flesh my initial reaction is to seek my own path. It is because my vision is obscured, and I am unable to see clearly. I am one of the 60% of the population that wears glasses or contacts. When my glasses get dirty, which they always seem to be, it is difficult to see. I am able to see but the spots and the smears distract me enough to make it difficult to see clearly. So too, there are abundant distractions preventing us from recognizing the highest and best God offers us. The psalmist gives praise to God and in the process informs us that it is God who shows us the paths in life we should follow. Then, as if anticipating any objection, tells us why His path, God’s path, is best, because in His presence we will find fullness of joy and eternal pleasures in His right hand. That is what I want, and I cannot provide it for myself. I will, therefore, place my trust and confidence in Him, and make certain He remains the object of my focus. My prayer for you is that your desire and aim will be the same.

Holy God, You are so gracious and merciful to us. You never cease showing us the right path to follow no matter how often we follow our own. Forgive us, Lord, for ignoring and neglecting You direction. Forgive us for seeking our own way. You alone know the things that obscure our way and distract us from our purpose. Help us to focus more consistently and when we are distracted, help us to take the measures to correct our vision. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 16:11.

Day 2 – 2 Kings 6:15-17

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.^[1]

We are like Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, fearful and hesitant because of limited vision and focus in the wrong places and on the wrong things. Like Gehazi we can only see what is visible to us because our vision has yet to be perfected, and like Gehazi, faced with what appears to be insurmountable odds, we panic not knowing what we should do. This is particularly instructive for us as we leap into a new year. In the past we operated according to what we were able to see, hear and believe. Not so with Elisha, and as with Elisha, so with us.

Dear Lord, please expand my ability to see beyond my circumstances. Forgive me for being fearful and hesitant, and my limited vision and focus in the wrong places and on the wrong things. I trust You to lead me in paths grace and favor. I trust You to show me the way You would have me to go and the things You would have me do. Thank you for Your love and care that surrounds me and my circumstances and brings me victory. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 2 Ki 6:15–17.

Day 1 – Mark 8:22-25

And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything? And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.^[1]

In the passage above, we read of a man whom Jesus healed of blindness but had to touch a second time before his vision was perfected. To place the passage in context this incident happened after the disciples who, as they crossed the sea, were discussing a lack of enough bread with them for everyone to eat and be satisfied. Jesus could have addressed their lack of preparedness, but instead He addresses their lack of focus, vision, understanding. They were worried about bread and missed the fact that they had the Bread of Life with them, as well as someone who had just fed five thousand men, not counting women and children, and then another four thousand. After feeding the five thousand He had twelve baskets full of scrapes left over and seven after the four thousand. I love this passage because Mark seemingly changes the subject away from bread to blindness and recounts the incident when Jesus had to touch a man, he had healed of blindness more than once. What was the problem? Faith, no! Doubt and unbelief, no! It was vision, focus. They had eyes but could not see, ears but could not hear. Their problem is our problem and one that can be corrected as we focus on Jesus.

Father, as we begin this new season enable us to focus more on Jesus and less on our temporal issues. Keep us from mirroring the lack of vision and focus of Jesus’ disciples who were more concerned with eating bread than being with the Bread of Life. May we never be deluded in believing that our efforts are greater and more reliable than what we have in and with Jesus. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mk 8:22–25.

Matthew 5:16 (KJV 1900): “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. Any light coming from us is merely a reflection of Him who is the light. Obviously the depth of our relationship with Him determines the amount of light reflecting in us. We then are obligated to let that light shine so others, presumably those who do not know Him, may see our good works and glorify Him who gives the light. We are obligated because the light is not our own, but also because we were called out of the darkness of our past into His marvelous light. It is not an option, to shine or not, it is what is required and expected of us. Today put away all the fraudulent light we are prone to reflect and shine for Jesus.

“Shine, Jesus, shine. Fill this land with the Father’s glory. Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire. Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy. Send forth You Word, Lord, and let there be light.” May these lyrics and the sentiments they express spring alive in us today. Amen.

Psalm 1:6 (NASB ): “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Our God is omniscient! There is nothing past, present or future that has or ever will escape him. That means we cannot fake our way through this walk. It also means that if He knows the way of the righteous, He knows the way of the wicked as well. We might feel, at times, as if our righteous stand, faithful service, and holiness is in vain, especially when it appears others with no such commitment get over time and time again. But God sees. He knows. HE KNOWS!

Thank You, Holy Father, for Your infinite knowledge. You see us when we are in whatever estate and deal with us accordingly. Help us to hold on to our confession of faith, confident that He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it, even to the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.