Full Speed Ahead One Step at a Time: How You Can Walk in the Spirit Every Day –Galatians 5:16-18
This is one of the most important passages on the Christian life in the New Testament. It answers a question all of us have asked at one time or another: Why is it taking me so long to get better? We’ve all wondered about that, haven’t we?
� "I thought by now I wouldn’t struggle so much with anger. Why is it taking me so long to get better?”
� "I still get tempted by pornography. Why is it taking me so long to get better?”
� "I go to church every Sunday but I still have so many doubts. Why is it taking me so long to get better?”
� "I thought I’d be a better person by now but I’ve got so many bad habits. Why is it taking me so long to get better?”
� "I’m a bitter person even though I cover it up most of the time. Why is it taking me so long to get better?”
Many of us wish we had an answer to that question. We might assume that upon being saved, we would rapidly sprout wings and fly to Heaven. But it doesn’t happen that way. God has ordained that even though we are being made like Jesus, it only happens a little bit at a time. And sometimes that “little bit” seems very little indeed.
When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, God did not allow them to conquer it all at once. Because there were many entrenched enemies in the hills of Canaan, the Jews had to fight for every inch of it. Then they had to fight to keep what they conquered. It took them many years to possess the entire land. This is also a picture of the Christian life. There is victory to be had but it will not come easily or quickly. We are in a warfare with spiritual foes who will not easily yield their ground. Whether we wish to admit it or not, we will struggle with sin and temptation as long as we live. There is no reprieve from this struggle. And that’s one major reason why it takes so long for any of us to get better.
The Apostle Paul writes:
The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong , I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. Romans 7:14-16 NLT
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. Galatians 5:16-17 NLT
The NIV says: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Galatians 5:16-17 NIV
Struggle is a Normal Part of the Christian Life.
Many Christians prefer not to hear this truth because they want a Christianity that proclaims “all victory all the time.” They want a guarantee that all their problems will be solved if they will follow the right formula. But that is not realistic nor is it Biblical. We are to fight the good fight of faith, putting on the whole armor of God, standing in the evil day, and enduring hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Verse 17 is abundantly clear in this regard. Two principles are at war within us. One is called “flesh.” The other is called “the Spirit.” They are constantly at war with each other. The flesh is Paul’s term for the sinful nature inside all of us by virtue of our physical descent from Adam. This nature is hostile to God, selfish, and utterly evil. When we come to Christ, we become new creations by virtue of the Holy Spirit who comes to live within us. Even though the dominating power of the flesh is broken, the pull of evil remains with us. As one writer put it, evil desires arise from the flesh like smoke from a chimney. To say it another way, flesh is what we are by natural birth; the Spirit comes to us by our spiritual birth.
We can get several conclusions from this:
• Flesh and the Spirit are fundamentally opposite. They do not and cannot cooperate.
• The conflict between our flesh and the Spirit is continual and inevitable.
• That conflict produces conflicting desires in the believer.
Thus with the same mouth we curse and we bless. We love and we hate. We serve and then we steal. We proclaim Christ and then we lie to our friends. We read the Bible and then we watch dirty movies. We sing in the choir and then we have an affair. And so it goes. The manifestations differ, but all of us feel the struggle in one way or the other.
Some people think, “If I come to Christ, all my problems will be solved. I’ll never struggle again.” Think again, folks! If you come to Christ, your problems are just starting. As a lost person, you sin because that’s your nature. As a Christian, you have a new nature that pulls you toward God while the flesh remains with you until you die. In one sense, Christians have conflicts the unsaved never know about. Our rewards are great but so are our struggles.
We ought to praise God for the war within. The deadly feud between flesh and Spirit is one sign that we are the children of God. Do you desire to be holy? Do you want to please the Lord? Is there a hunger in your heart to know Jesus and to love him? Do you desire to live a higher and better life even though you cannot seem to attain it? If you answer yes, that is strong evidence you are born again - saved. Despite your personal failings, do you truly want to do what God wants you to do? Then you may rest in the knowledge that you are a child of God. Your struggle with sin is proof of your divine heritage. If sin is a burden, at least it is a burden and not a joy. If you can swear and hate and steal and mock and lust and think all sorts of foul thoughts and speak harsh words, if you can do that and feel nothing, then you need to take a good look at your “salvation”.
Our ongoing struggles and temptations are not in themselves sinful. We are not condemned because we struggle. It’s not the struggle that matters; it’s how we respond. The sin is in giving in, not in the fight itself.
• No one escapes the conflict.
• No one can avoid the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit.
• No one gets a Christian life free from outward pressure and inward turmoil.
And there is no second blessing or spiritual experience that can magically propel you to a state where you no longer struggle with sin. That won’t happen until we finally get to heaven. Between now and then, we walk the hard road to glory, fighting every day to stay on the right path.
In the end is it impossible to remain neutral. The Holy Spirit can only help us when we depend on him. We still have a choice to make: Flesh or Spirit! Right or wrong! Good or evil! My way or God’s way!
That Struggle Produces Many Benefits.
It’s crucial to remember that God allows the struggle as part of our ongoing spiritual growth. Strange as it may seem, we need to struggle because that’s the only way we can grow in grace. Here are a few benefits to consider:
• It reveals to us our inherent weakness.
• It kills our pride and arrogance.
• It humbles us again and again.
• It forces us to cry out to God for help.
• It reveals the uselessness of human effort apart from God’s strength.
• It teaches us to rely on the Lord alone.
• It causes us to love the Savior who delivers us from sin.
• It leads us to a life of continual repentance.
• It makes us more watchful against the advancement of sin in our lives.
• It prods us to use all the means of divine grace.
• It encourages us to develop habits of holiness.
• It forces us to lean on our brothers and sisters to help us out.
• It leads us to look for daily solutions instead of instant miracles.
In Galatians 5:16 Paul tells us to “let the Holy Spirit guide your lives” That opens up a vast area of crucial truth.
• The Holy Spirit is a Person.
• He resides in us from the moment of conversion.
• He creates in us a new desire.
• He gives us the power to obey.
• He leads us to live like Jesus would live.
Paul’s point is that what the law could not do, the Holy Spirit does. Our hope is not in rules, but in the Person of the Holy Spirit indwelling every believer. By his power we can obey God in the midst of our ongoing struggle with sin.
In verse 16 the NIV translation says -- walk by the Spirit
The Greek word for “walk” is very ordinary. It means to walk from one place to another. It’s in the present tense, which means “keep on walking.” To walk means “to take a series of small steps in the same direction over a long period of time.” Walking implies steady progress in one direction by means of deliberate choices over a long period of time. To walk in the Spirit means something like “let your conduct be directed by the Holy Spirit” or “make progress in your life by relying on the Holy Spirit.” It has the idea of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide every part of your life on a daily basis.
Walking is slow compared with driving a car or flying in a plane. It’s not flashy at all. And sometimes walking can be tedious, slow, dull, drab, and downright boring. And yet if you’ve got to get from Point A to Point B, walking will get you there eventually. All you have to do is just start walking and don’t stop until you get there.
Letting the Holy Spirit guide our lives is not some mystical experience reserved for a few special Christians. It’s God’s design for normal Christian living. It’s nothing more than choosing (by God’s grace) to take tiny steps toward the light day after day after day. Those tiny steps do not remove the struggle but they allow us to walk in the light even while we feel the pull to go in another direction. The pull of the darkness is always with us in one form or another. By the Spirit’s power, we can choose to walk in the light every day.
What should we do during our struggles?
• Stay humble.
• Watch and pray.
• Keep your eyes on Jesus.
• Take little steps in the right direction every day.
• When we fall, get up and move forward for God.
Remember that our struggle is not sinful. God allows it so that we will look to him for daily solutions instead of instant miracles. The struggle itself is evidence that we belong to God. Through the struggle with sin our soul is made strong and we are being made fit for heaven. Stand and fight. The Lord is on our side.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
TEMPTATIONS AMERICANS FACE
TEMPTATIONS AMERICANS FACE
Feelings of patriotism tend to flow rather freely at this time of the year. When we sing the "Star Spangled Banner," or hear a choir sing about America & the freedoms that we enjoy, we often want to stand up & salute or just do something to show that we’re proud of our nation.
Sometimes we hear patriotic speeches which contain that ringing phrase, "I’m proud to be an American!" And we echo those sentiments, too. But think about it for a moment. Maybe what we ought to be saying is, "I’m grateful that I’m an American!"
A father was talking with his rather rebellious son one day & said, "Every person who lives in the United States is a privileged person." The boy answered, "I disagree." And the father replied, "That’s the privilege."
We have the privilege to disagree. We have the privilege to speak our mind. We have freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, and the right of petition. We have the freedom to hope & dream & pursue our dreams. We are free in so many ways!
We have these rights because of what our forefathers have done. You & I didn’t earn the privileges that we enjoy as citizens of this land. But let’s be thankful for those who did earn them & passed them on to me, & that is what we should celebrate on the 4th of July.
During the 1800’s, a French political philosopher, visited our nation seeking to uncover the secret of our greatness. He traveled from town to town, asking questions, examining every facet of our society, & then wrote his conclusions in a book.
Here is something he wrote:
"I sought for America’s greatness. I found it not in her fields & forests. I found it not in her mines & factories. I found it not in her Congress & great tribunals. It was only when I entered her churches & heard her pulpits thundering against sin & preaching righteousness that I discovered her greatness. America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
Folks, if we put our trust in education, we’ll get what education can give us. If we put our trust in money, we’ll get what money can give us. If we put our trust in government, we’ll get what government can give us. But if we put our trust in God, we’ll have everything we need, for all eternity.
A few years ago a picture of the historic flag designed by Betsy Ross appeared on the front page of a Chicago newspaper, & underneath it was this caption, "It’s time to check our stitches again."
Maybe it is time for us to check the stitches & to make sure that we are still the home of the brave, & the land of the free.
Let’s look at three temptations that Americans are facing today.
I. TEMPTATION TO ENJOY FRUITS OF CITIZENSHIP WITHOUT TENDING TREE OF LIBERTY
The first is this, there is a very strong temptation to enjoy the fruits of citizenship without tending the tree of liberty.
There was a sermon a number of years ago entitled "Parking on Someone Else’s Nickel." Now obviously the sermon is pretty old because you don’t park anyplace for a nickel anymore. But the point is true. Here is part of sermon:
I have a friend whose home town had only one street with parking meters on it. He says that when he was a teen-ager he remembers driving up & down Main street looking for a place to park.
There were always plenty of parking places because not too many people lived in his town. But not just any parking place would do. He always looked for one that still had time left on its parking meter.
And when he didn’t find it going down one side, he would make a U-turn & go back the other. He might burn up a gallon of gas looking for a parking meter with some time left on it. But when he wheeled into one that still had 30 minutes left it made his day. He was parking on someone else’s nickel!
Could this be a problem in our country today? Most of us haven’t earned the freedoms we enjoy. We didn’t go to foreign lands & fight for them. We have not shed our blood & sweat & tears for them. We are parking on someone else’s nickel.
A writer expressed it this way. "We eat from orchards we did not plant. We drink from wells we did not dig. We reap from fields we did not sow. We are warmed by fires we did not kindle. We are sheltered by roofs we did not build. We are blessed by moneys we did not give." We are thankful to be a citizen of these great United States. But as a citizen, we have a responsibility to tend the tree of liberty.
Is the world a better place because we are a citizen of this country? Is our community a better place because we are a part of it? Is our church a better church because we are a member of it? What are we doing?
Or are we enjoying the fruits, but not tending the tree of liberty?
II. TEMPTATION TO ENJOY BENEFITS OF CAPITALISM WHILE IGNORING CONSCIENCE
There is a second temptation & that is to enjoy the benefits of capitalism while ignoring the cries of conscience. It’s okay that we live in a capitalistic country. Capitalism is not dirty word. Capitalism means free market. We are free to buy, sell, make a profit - to earn our own living.
But capitalism without conscience becomes a cruel & ruthless form of life where competition & success & greed & materialism corrupt & we lose our concern for others.
You see, when our forefathers came to this country & founded our system of government, they were convinced that there was a Higher Power who was involved in the destinies of men & nations. They believed that men were endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights - & that among these were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
This was evident in the way they wrote, the way they lived, & the way our nation developed. There was a moral fiber, a moral strength in our nation.
But today it seems that by & large our society is so caught up in greed & materialism that we’re only interested in ourselves. It is survival of the fittest, & all we’re concerned about is making more & more. The result is increased crime, increased drug addiction, increased immorality.
A man sent a letter to Ann Landers. He wrote, "This is for the woman who was distressed about her son. I would like to ask her some questions about the boy. Is he disrespectful? Has he been arrested for drunk driving? Has he been kicked out of college for cheating? Has he made his girl friend pregnant? Does he get failing grades? Does he steal money from your purse?"
"If you can answer `No’ to all these questions, stop complaining. You have a great kid." It was signed, "Ralph N., Oakland, CA."
Here is how she answered him.
She replied, "Your letter showed just how much times have changed. You said that if a kid today isn’t on drugs, doesn’t get failing grades, hasn’t been arrested for drunk driving, or kicked out of college for cheating, hasn’t made his girl friend pregnant, or stolen from your purse, that he’s great. But you make no mention of achievement. There’s not a word about integrity, a sense of responsibility, decency, morality or service to others."
Then she went on to add, "What a sad commentary on our times. Good Lord, where is our nation headed, & who is going to lead us there?"
The soul of America is God, & we’re in danger of losing our soul!
III. TEMPTATION TO WANT CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
Our 3rd temptation is to want Christianity without commitment. We are not talking about an emotional experience. We’re talking about a commitment & surrender to God that results in a changed heart & life.
For too long there have been churches who have felt that it’s all right for nice little people to get together in their Sunday best, & listen to pleasant choir specials & little sermons that make them feel good about themselves & their homes & families & relationship to God.
"Just tell me how nice I am, how pretty I am, how righteous I am. Give me Christianity, but don’t talk to me about conversion. I don’t want to change. I want to remain exactly the way I am."
Somehow along the way, in our celebration of independence & freedom, we have forgotten the greatest freedom of all. Jesus Christ went to the cross & gave His life to gain our freedom from sin. And that is a message that you & I & our country needs to hear again & again today.
So let’s salute the flag. Let’s allow our patriotic juices to flow freely, & get goose pimples up & down our spine. But remember this, we didn’t earn our freedoms. We may not even deserve them.
Folks, hopefully we are humbly thankful to be a part of this great land of ours, & that we do not take our citizenship lightly, but be determined to hold high the freedoms we enjoy so that the generations that follow us will experience & treasure them also.
And the prayer today is that we will be a real Christian who is hungry & thirsty for the truth of God, & that we will never compromise it, but share it with a world that desperately needs to hear the only truth that can guarantee our freedom for all eternity.
Feelings of patriotism tend to flow rather freely at this time of the year. When we sing the "Star Spangled Banner," or hear a choir sing about America & the freedoms that we enjoy, we often want to stand up & salute or just do something to show that we’re proud of our nation.
Sometimes we hear patriotic speeches which contain that ringing phrase, "I’m proud to be an American!" And we echo those sentiments, too. But think about it for a moment. Maybe what we ought to be saying is, "I’m grateful that I’m an American!"
A father was talking with his rather rebellious son one day & said, "Every person who lives in the United States is a privileged person." The boy answered, "I disagree." And the father replied, "That’s the privilege."
We have the privilege to disagree. We have the privilege to speak our mind. We have freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, and the right of petition. We have the freedom to hope & dream & pursue our dreams. We are free in so many ways!
We have these rights because of what our forefathers have done. You & I didn’t earn the privileges that we enjoy as citizens of this land. But let’s be thankful for those who did earn them & passed them on to me, & that is what we should celebrate on the 4th of July.
During the 1800’s, a French political philosopher, visited our nation seeking to uncover the secret of our greatness. He traveled from town to town, asking questions, examining every facet of our society, & then wrote his conclusions in a book.
Here is something he wrote:
"I sought for America’s greatness. I found it not in her fields & forests. I found it not in her mines & factories. I found it not in her Congress & great tribunals. It was only when I entered her churches & heard her pulpits thundering against sin & preaching righteousness that I discovered her greatness. America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
Folks, if we put our trust in education, we’ll get what education can give us. If we put our trust in money, we’ll get what money can give us. If we put our trust in government, we’ll get what government can give us. But if we put our trust in God, we’ll have everything we need, for all eternity.
A few years ago a picture of the historic flag designed by Betsy Ross appeared on the front page of a Chicago newspaper, & underneath it was this caption, "It’s time to check our stitches again."
Maybe it is time for us to check the stitches & to make sure that we are still the home of the brave, & the land of the free.
Let’s look at three temptations that Americans are facing today.
I. TEMPTATION TO ENJOY FRUITS OF CITIZENSHIP WITHOUT TENDING TREE OF LIBERTY
The first is this, there is a very strong temptation to enjoy the fruits of citizenship without tending the tree of liberty.
There was a sermon a number of years ago entitled "Parking on Someone Else’s Nickel." Now obviously the sermon is pretty old because you don’t park anyplace for a nickel anymore. But the point is true. Here is part of sermon:
I have a friend whose home town had only one street with parking meters on it. He says that when he was a teen-ager he remembers driving up & down Main street looking for a place to park.
There were always plenty of parking places because not too many people lived in his town. But not just any parking place would do. He always looked for one that still had time left on its parking meter.
And when he didn’t find it going down one side, he would make a U-turn & go back the other. He might burn up a gallon of gas looking for a parking meter with some time left on it. But when he wheeled into one that still had 30 minutes left it made his day. He was parking on someone else’s nickel!
Could this be a problem in our country today? Most of us haven’t earned the freedoms we enjoy. We didn’t go to foreign lands & fight for them. We have not shed our blood & sweat & tears for them. We are parking on someone else’s nickel.
A writer expressed it this way. "We eat from orchards we did not plant. We drink from wells we did not dig. We reap from fields we did not sow. We are warmed by fires we did not kindle. We are sheltered by roofs we did not build. We are blessed by moneys we did not give." We are thankful to be a citizen of these great United States. But as a citizen, we have a responsibility to tend the tree of liberty.
Is the world a better place because we are a citizen of this country? Is our community a better place because we are a part of it? Is our church a better church because we are a member of it? What are we doing?
Or are we enjoying the fruits, but not tending the tree of liberty?
II. TEMPTATION TO ENJOY BENEFITS OF CAPITALISM WHILE IGNORING CONSCIENCE
There is a second temptation & that is to enjoy the benefits of capitalism while ignoring the cries of conscience. It’s okay that we live in a capitalistic country. Capitalism is not dirty word. Capitalism means free market. We are free to buy, sell, make a profit - to earn our own living.
But capitalism without conscience becomes a cruel & ruthless form of life where competition & success & greed & materialism corrupt & we lose our concern for others.
You see, when our forefathers came to this country & founded our system of government, they were convinced that there was a Higher Power who was involved in the destinies of men & nations. They believed that men were endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights - & that among these were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
This was evident in the way they wrote, the way they lived, & the way our nation developed. There was a moral fiber, a moral strength in our nation.
But today it seems that by & large our society is so caught up in greed & materialism that we’re only interested in ourselves. It is survival of the fittest, & all we’re concerned about is making more & more. The result is increased crime, increased drug addiction, increased immorality.
A man sent a letter to Ann Landers. He wrote, "This is for the woman who was distressed about her son. I would like to ask her some questions about the boy. Is he disrespectful? Has he been arrested for drunk driving? Has he been kicked out of college for cheating? Has he made his girl friend pregnant? Does he get failing grades? Does he steal money from your purse?"
"If you can answer `No’ to all these questions, stop complaining. You have a great kid." It was signed, "Ralph N., Oakland, CA."
Here is how she answered him.
She replied, "Your letter showed just how much times have changed. You said that if a kid today isn’t on drugs, doesn’t get failing grades, hasn’t been arrested for drunk driving, or kicked out of college for cheating, hasn’t made his girl friend pregnant, or stolen from your purse, that he’s great. But you make no mention of achievement. There’s not a word about integrity, a sense of responsibility, decency, morality or service to others."
Then she went on to add, "What a sad commentary on our times. Good Lord, where is our nation headed, & who is going to lead us there?"
The soul of America is God, & we’re in danger of losing our soul!
III. TEMPTATION TO WANT CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT COMMITMENT
Our 3rd temptation is to want Christianity without commitment. We are not talking about an emotional experience. We’re talking about a commitment & surrender to God that results in a changed heart & life.
For too long there have been churches who have felt that it’s all right for nice little people to get together in their Sunday best, & listen to pleasant choir specials & little sermons that make them feel good about themselves & their homes & families & relationship to God.
"Just tell me how nice I am, how pretty I am, how righteous I am. Give me Christianity, but don’t talk to me about conversion. I don’t want to change. I want to remain exactly the way I am."
Somehow along the way, in our celebration of independence & freedom, we have forgotten the greatest freedom of all. Jesus Christ went to the cross & gave His life to gain our freedom from sin. And that is a message that you & I & our country needs to hear again & again today.
So let’s salute the flag. Let’s allow our patriotic juices to flow freely, & get goose pimples up & down our spine. But remember this, we didn’t earn our freedoms. We may not even deserve them.
Folks, hopefully we are humbly thankful to be a part of this great land of ours, & that we do not take our citizenship lightly, but be determined to hold high the freedoms we enjoy so that the generations that follow us will experience & treasure them also.
And the prayer today is that we will be a real Christian who is hungry & thirsty for the truth of God, & that we will never compromise it, but share it with a world that desperately needs to hear the only truth that can guarantee our freedom for all eternity.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A Vanishing God
Jesus often comes to us in unexpected ways and unexpected means.
Think about how He came to Earth. For centuries, Israel had waited for a political and a military Messiah (Savior). They expected Him to lead a rebellion and free Israel from Roman oppression. But how did the Messiah make His entrance? He came in a way that made it easy for His own people to reject Him. He came as a frail baby, born in a feeding room for animals. There He was. The promised Messiah who was expected to overthrow the Roman Empire and set Israel free from oppression. A needy Nazarene born in a manger.
When Jesus grew up, He ate and drank in their presence and taught in their streets (Luke 13:26). Yet they didn’t recognize Him. (Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:57-58) He was unassumingly modest. A mere craftsman; the son of a craftsman. (He’s just the carpenter’s son. Matthew 13:55) He grew up in the despised city of Nazareth, (“Nazareth!” ……. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” John 1:46) fraternizing with the despised and oppressed. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum? (Matthew 9:11). This had to be a big deal since it is mentioned in 3 of the 4 Gospels. But more startling, He befriended sinners ‘……. a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ (Luke 7:34). How can this be ?, the “church” people wanted to know. As such, the people of God didn’t recognize Him. Why? Because He came in a way that made it easy for them to reject Him. And what about the disciples?
Read the story again. Jesus continued to break out of their expectations. He couldn’t be pinned down, figured out or boxed in. The Twelve were constantly confounded by Him. His teachings were offensive. His actions scandalous. His reactions baffling.
But the greatest offense of all was the cross. It offended everyone—both Jew and Gentile. The only crown the promised Messiah-King would accept was a crown of thorns. Look at Him again. A suffering Messiah, a defeated King. It’s easy to reject Him.
One of the Lord’s most faithful disciples teaches us this principle well. Mary Magdalene was the first person to see Jesus after His death and resurrection. Do you remember what she did as soon as she recognized Him? She grabbed Him, and she wouldn’t stop clinging to Him. Jesus responded, “Don’t cling to me.” (John 20:17). Why did Jesus tell Mary to stop clinging to Him? Because Jesus had somewhere to go. He was on the move. Jesus was poised to go to Galilee to see the other disciples and then to ascend to His Father.
Note the principle: He was moving forward, but she was clinging to Him. Jesus was in effect saying to her: “Mary, stop holding on to me. There’s a new way to know me that’s different from what you’ve experienced thus far. Let me go. I must move on.” Do you remember the disciples who walked on the road to Emmaus? “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel.” (Luke 24:21). “Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!” Luke 24:31
Their hopes were shattered by Jesus’ horrible death. Suddenly, the resurrected Christ began walking beside them, yet their eyes were blinded from recognizing Him. However, when He engaged in the very simple gesture of breaking bread (something He had done frequently before them), their eyes were opened. He then quickly disappeared from their sight.
These stories hold a critical insight. You cannot cling to the Christ you know today. He will vanish from your midst. Jesus Christ is an elusive Savior. Seeking Him is a continuous “project” that never ends. He doesn’t dance to our music. He doesn’t sing to our tune.
Perhaps He will in the beginning when He first comes to us, but that season will eventually end. Just when you think you’ve laid hold of Him, when you have got Him figured out, He will slip out of your grasp. He will appear to you as a stranger. But on second glance, we’ll discover He’s no stranger at all. The event on the Emmaus road will be repeated. We will recognize Him!
We all wish to cling to the Lord who we know now. We all wish to hold on to the Christ who has been revealed to us today.
But you can “write this down”: He will come to us in a way we do not expect—through people we’re likely to ignore and inclined to write off. Perhaps they don’t talk our religious language. Perhaps they aren’t theologically sophisticated. Perhaps they don’t use our vocabulary. Perhaps they don’t share our insider knowledge (or at least we think we have insider knowledge.) nor agree with our great understanding of the Scriptures. May they are just not PLU’s. (See note at end of lesson as to what a PLU is).
I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.
‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“…….., ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (John 25:35-40)
So we cling fast to the Lord we recognize—receiving only those who talk our language, use our jargon and employ our catchphrases—and all along we end up turning the Lord Jesus Christ away.
What, then, does Jesus do after we fail to receive Him when He comes to us in an unexpected way? He moves on. And the revelation we have of Him ceases to grow. Jesus Christ is richer, larger and more glorious than any of us could ever imagine. And He comes to us in ways that make it tempting to reject Him.
When Peter, James and John saw the transfigured Lord on the holy mountain, Peter wanted to build a tabernacle for Jesus, Moses and Elijah and remain on the mountain to enjoy the encounter. But God would not allow it (Matthew 17:1-13). Good old Peter, missed the point again
There is something in our fallen nature that, like Peter, wishes to build a monument around a spiritual encounter with God and remain there. But the Lord will not have it. He will always break free from our frail attempts to pin Him down, box Him up and hold Him in place. And He does so by coming to us in new and unexpected ways.
Are ready to recognize Him?
PLU – People Like US
Think about how He came to Earth. For centuries, Israel had waited for a political and a military Messiah (Savior). They expected Him to lead a rebellion and free Israel from Roman oppression. But how did the Messiah make His entrance? He came in a way that made it easy for His own people to reject Him. He came as a frail baby, born in a feeding room for animals. There He was. The promised Messiah who was expected to overthrow the Roman Empire and set Israel free from oppression. A needy Nazarene born in a manger.
When Jesus grew up, He ate and drank in their presence and taught in their streets (Luke 13:26). Yet they didn’t recognize Him. (Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:57-58) He was unassumingly modest. A mere craftsman; the son of a craftsman. (He’s just the carpenter’s son. Matthew 13:55) He grew up in the despised city of Nazareth, (“Nazareth!” ……. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” John 1:46) fraternizing with the despised and oppressed. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum? (Matthew 9:11). This had to be a big deal since it is mentioned in 3 of the 4 Gospels. But more startling, He befriended sinners ‘……. a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ (Luke 7:34). How can this be ?, the “church” people wanted to know. As such, the people of God didn’t recognize Him. Why? Because He came in a way that made it easy for them to reject Him. And what about the disciples?
Read the story again. Jesus continued to break out of their expectations. He couldn’t be pinned down, figured out or boxed in. The Twelve were constantly confounded by Him. His teachings were offensive. His actions scandalous. His reactions baffling.
But the greatest offense of all was the cross. It offended everyone—both Jew and Gentile. The only crown the promised Messiah-King would accept was a crown of thorns. Look at Him again. A suffering Messiah, a defeated King. It’s easy to reject Him.
One of the Lord’s most faithful disciples teaches us this principle well. Mary Magdalene was the first person to see Jesus after His death and resurrection. Do you remember what she did as soon as she recognized Him? She grabbed Him, and she wouldn’t stop clinging to Him. Jesus responded, “Don’t cling to me.” (John 20:17). Why did Jesus tell Mary to stop clinging to Him? Because Jesus had somewhere to go. He was on the move. Jesus was poised to go to Galilee to see the other disciples and then to ascend to His Father.
Note the principle: He was moving forward, but she was clinging to Him. Jesus was in effect saying to her: “Mary, stop holding on to me. There’s a new way to know me that’s different from what you’ve experienced thus far. Let me go. I must move on.” Do you remember the disciples who walked on the road to Emmaus? “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel.” (Luke 24:21). “Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!” Luke 24:31
Their hopes were shattered by Jesus’ horrible death. Suddenly, the resurrected Christ began walking beside them, yet their eyes were blinded from recognizing Him. However, when He engaged in the very simple gesture of breaking bread (something He had done frequently before them), their eyes were opened. He then quickly disappeared from their sight.
These stories hold a critical insight. You cannot cling to the Christ you know today. He will vanish from your midst. Jesus Christ is an elusive Savior. Seeking Him is a continuous “project” that never ends. He doesn’t dance to our music. He doesn’t sing to our tune.
Perhaps He will in the beginning when He first comes to us, but that season will eventually end. Just when you think you’ve laid hold of Him, when you have got Him figured out, He will slip out of your grasp. He will appear to you as a stranger. But on second glance, we’ll discover He’s no stranger at all. The event on the Emmaus road will be repeated. We will recognize Him!
We all wish to cling to the Lord who we know now. We all wish to hold on to the Christ who has been revealed to us today.
But you can “write this down”: He will come to us in a way we do not expect—through people we’re likely to ignore and inclined to write off. Perhaps they don’t talk our religious language. Perhaps they aren’t theologically sophisticated. Perhaps they don’t use our vocabulary. Perhaps they don’t share our insider knowledge (or at least we think we have insider knowledge.) nor agree with our great understanding of the Scriptures. May they are just not PLU’s. (See note at end of lesson as to what a PLU is).
I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.
‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“…….., ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (John 25:35-40)
So we cling fast to the Lord we recognize—receiving only those who talk our language, use our jargon and employ our catchphrases—and all along we end up turning the Lord Jesus Christ away.
What, then, does Jesus do after we fail to receive Him when He comes to us in an unexpected way? He moves on. And the revelation we have of Him ceases to grow. Jesus Christ is richer, larger and more glorious than any of us could ever imagine. And He comes to us in ways that make it tempting to reject Him.
When Peter, James and John saw the transfigured Lord on the holy mountain, Peter wanted to build a tabernacle for Jesus, Moses and Elijah and remain on the mountain to enjoy the encounter. But God would not allow it (Matthew 17:1-13). Good old Peter, missed the point again
There is something in our fallen nature that, like Peter, wishes to build a monument around a spiritual encounter with God and remain there. But the Lord will not have it. He will always break free from our frail attempts to pin Him down, box Him up and hold Him in place. And He does so by coming to us in new and unexpected ways.
Are ready to recognize Him?
PLU – People Like US
Monday, June 13, 2011
Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar
Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sXt3RU_1do
I used to wish that I could rewrite history
I used to dream that each mistake could be erased
Then I could just pretend
I never knew the me back then
I used to pray that You would take this shame away
Hide all the evidence of who I've been
But it's the memory of
The place You brought me from
That keeps me on my knees
And even though I'm free
Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar
I have not lived a life that boasts of anything
I don't take pride in what I bring
But I'll build an altar with
The rubble that You've found me in
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
And every stone will sing
Of what You can redeem
Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar
Don't let me forget
Everything You've done for me
Don't let me forget
The beauty in the suffering
Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar
Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar is the title of a song on the latest album by Point of Grace. It is a great song and as I was listening to it this last Sunday on Gardendale’s service on TV and again Saturday night as I was praying about the lesson God wanted me present this week, it made me think of some times I had really rather forget. Most of us have these. The song is talking about the wounds as a result of mistakes made in life, bad decisions, hurts we have been through, that kind of thing. It maybe refers more to sin in our lives and things in the past that we are embarrassed about.
Not as often as in the past but sometimes the memories of some very bad times in my life come back. I am sure this happens to most folks. The memories can be so vivid and that they can take you right back there again. You may feel and see it all again. In my case, after working through it, I usually wrestle with the Lord a little, wondering what is the purpose of this remembering. Why do we need to feel it all and hurt so much again? Now, it never goes away, there is always pain, but it may not be as intense as it can be sometimes. Something reminds us and the pain comes again. What is the Lord's purpose in those painful memories and why are they still necessary.
Have you ever thought these memories come up so we can remember not to lose our compassion for others, especially when there are many people are struggling with various situations. Maybe we need to spend more time praying for others who we know are hurting. Maybe we need to reach out and give a hand to one of these people. Maybe we need to really care! Maybe we need to understand that what may seem trivial or simple to us may really be big for one of our brothers or sisters! It obvious that sometimes it takes a lot for the Lord to get our attention of our selves and put our focus on others.
Jesus kept his physical scars. The Bible related the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection in Luke 24. Verse 40 says When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And if we listen to the other gospels, he showed them his side, maybe his back, obviously they would have seen the scars on his head from the piercing thorns. Did you ever wonder why he kept the scars? If he was the son of God, why not completely heal those hands and feet. Why bear the scars?
Why did Jesus keep the scars, show the scars, why does he through eternity keep those scars?
Was it simply to show them that he was the same person that had been crucified? Was it simply to historically verify that the same person who had been brutally treated, died, was buried, came to life again? Or was there a deeper meaning in his scars that he so willingly showed his disciples?
The most obvious reason he showed his disciples the scars, and continues to wear the scars even in eternity is because scars tell a story. Probably if each of us to survey our own body, we would be able to tell the story of virtually every scar that shows. The reason for that - scars tell a story.
We all have wounds in our hearts, either from sin in our lives or painful things that happen along the journey. Whatever the wound is from is not important, what is important is that we have that scar to remind us of what God taught us through the pain. My prayer is that each wound the Lord heals in my life I only hope He leaves a large scar so I won't forget. Our scars should lead us to praise God for His mercy and remind us of the beauty there is in suffering (as the song says). They should lead us to compassion and hearts and hands that go out to others. We shouldn't hide those scars either. The Lord wants us to encourage others with them.
Don't be afraid to let your scars show. Jesus isn’t! As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. ” Luke 24:40
Lord, thank you for leaving the scars in my life, and please continue to do so. Use them Lord to bring me to my knees in awe of your mercy and how you use broken hearts, and to inspire me to compassion toward others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sXt3RU_1do
I used to wish that I could rewrite history
I used to dream that each mistake could be erased
Then I could just pretend
I never knew the me back then
I used to pray that You would take this shame away
Hide all the evidence of who I've been
But it's the memory of
The place You brought me from
That keeps me on my knees
And even though I'm free
Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar
I have not lived a life that boasts of anything
I don't take pride in what I bring
But I'll build an altar with
The rubble that You've found me in
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
And every stone will sing
Of what You can redeem
Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar
Don't let me forget
Everything You've done for me
Don't let me forget
The beauty in the suffering
Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar
Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar is the title of a song on the latest album by Point of Grace. It is a great song and as I was listening to it this last Sunday on Gardendale’s service on TV and again Saturday night as I was praying about the lesson God wanted me present this week, it made me think of some times I had really rather forget. Most of us have these. The song is talking about the wounds as a result of mistakes made in life, bad decisions, hurts we have been through, that kind of thing. It maybe refers more to sin in our lives and things in the past that we are embarrassed about.
Not as often as in the past but sometimes the memories of some very bad times in my life come back. I am sure this happens to most folks. The memories can be so vivid and that they can take you right back there again. You may feel and see it all again. In my case, after working through it, I usually wrestle with the Lord a little, wondering what is the purpose of this remembering. Why do we need to feel it all and hurt so much again? Now, it never goes away, there is always pain, but it may not be as intense as it can be sometimes. Something reminds us and the pain comes again. What is the Lord's purpose in those painful memories and why are they still necessary.
Have you ever thought these memories come up so we can remember not to lose our compassion for others, especially when there are many people are struggling with various situations. Maybe we need to spend more time praying for others who we know are hurting. Maybe we need to reach out and give a hand to one of these people. Maybe we need to really care! Maybe we need to understand that what may seem trivial or simple to us may really be big for one of our brothers or sisters! It obvious that sometimes it takes a lot for the Lord to get our attention of our selves and put our focus on others.
Jesus kept his physical scars. The Bible related the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection in Luke 24. Verse 40 says When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And if we listen to the other gospels, he showed them his side, maybe his back, obviously they would have seen the scars on his head from the piercing thorns. Did you ever wonder why he kept the scars? If he was the son of God, why not completely heal those hands and feet. Why bear the scars?
Why did Jesus keep the scars, show the scars, why does he through eternity keep those scars?
Was it simply to show them that he was the same person that had been crucified? Was it simply to historically verify that the same person who had been brutally treated, died, was buried, came to life again? Or was there a deeper meaning in his scars that he so willingly showed his disciples?
The most obvious reason he showed his disciples the scars, and continues to wear the scars even in eternity is because scars tell a story. Probably if each of us to survey our own body, we would be able to tell the story of virtually every scar that shows. The reason for that - scars tell a story.
We all have wounds in our hearts, either from sin in our lives or painful things that happen along the journey. Whatever the wound is from is not important, what is important is that we have that scar to remind us of what God taught us through the pain. My prayer is that each wound the Lord heals in my life I only hope He leaves a large scar so I won't forget. Our scars should lead us to praise God for His mercy and remind us of the beauty there is in suffering (as the song says). They should lead us to compassion and hearts and hands that go out to others. We shouldn't hide those scars either. The Lord wants us to encourage others with them.
Don't be afraid to let your scars show. Jesus isn’t! As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. ” Luke 24:40
Lord, thank you for leaving the scars in my life, and please continue to do so. Use them Lord to bring me to my knees in awe of your mercy and how you use broken hearts, and to inspire me to compassion toward others.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Day Before Easter
What we celebrate today is the central, defining event The Day Before Easter
of the Christian faith. On this day, for the last twenty centuries, Christians have gathered together all over the world to celebrate that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. This simple statement of faith is the key distinction between Christianity and every other religion or philosophy known to man. It sets us apart. Every man or woman in history who claimed to have discovered the meaning of life, who claimed to know the way to God -- every one of them is still dead. But Jesus Christ lives.
This fact not only makes Christianity unique. It also makes it good news. But to call the gospel of Jesus Christ "good news" is to be guilty of a gross understatement. It’s not just "good" news. It’s great news. It’s fantastic news. It’s unbelievable news; wonderful, amazing, incredible news! We are going to look at why Resurrection Sunday is such great news, why it’s more to us than just an interesting historical event. We’re going to see how something which happened two thousand years ago can still have meaning and significance for us today. But first, we’re going to talk about a different day. Holy Saturday, the day between the death of Christ on Good Friday and the discovery of the empty tomb on Easter Sunday. Because the good news of Christ’s resurrection life can only be appreciated against the bad news of his death.
Consider how the disciples must have felt as the sun came up on that cold, gray Saturday morning. Just the day before, they had witnessed the brutal execution of their leader; they had watched him suffer as his life slowly drained away. His wasn’t a calm, peaceful passing. And it wasn’t a noble, heroic death. It was the agonizing, shameful, humiliating death of a condemned criminal, nailed to a wooden cross between two real criminals. They listened as Jesus took his final, tortured breaths; they saw the Roman soldier thrust his spear into Jesus’ side to make sure he was dead; they watched as his lifeless corpse was pulled down and dragged away to be placed in the tomb.
How must they have felt? Grief-stricken. Heartbroken. Shocked. Horrified. Traumatized. As any of us would be, seeing someone we love treated this way. But most of all, confused. Only a week before, they were walking proudly at Jesus’ side as he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, surrounded by adoring crowds. Crowds shouting, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" They were all convinced that he was the Messiah, the one who would save his people. He was going to re-establish Israel as an independent nation, he was going to give them, his disciples, positions of honor and authority in his new kingdom. But then everything came crashing down around them. Jesus was arrested, and brought before Pilate, and the crowds suddenly changed their tune. "Crucify Him!" they shouted, "We have no king but Caesar!". And now this. A dead teacher. A lifeless savior.
"How could it end this way?", they must have thought. Everything Jesus taught had seemed so right, so true. Was it all a lie? If so, then how could they have been so mistaken, so deceived? How could they have ever thought that this uneducated carpenter was right, and all of the religious authorities were wrong? What fools they had been! But then again -- didn’t Jesus perform miracles? -- heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, cast out demons? Could a man who did those things really be a liar and a fraud? Or perhaps they had been following a madman, a lunatic who thought he was God’s Son, but who was really just an ordinary man. Was that it? Or was he just tragically misguided? A sincere man who got carried away, who started to believe the things that people were saying about him, and who didn’t realize where it was all leading until it was too late? Who was Jesus, anyway? They thought they knew him, but now their whole world had been turned upside down, and they weren’t sure of anything. They couldn’t reconcile what had just happened with what they thought they knew about Jesus. Surely, the Son of God couldn’t die, could he?
Yes, try to imagine how confused and distraught they must have felt. Now, let’s ask ourselves a question: We’ve felt this way too, haven’t we? You thought you understood what was involved in following Christ. You thought you knew what was supposed to happen. You had hopes, plans, expectations. And then something came out of left field and knocked you right off your feet. You never saw it coming. And not only that, you never imagined that it could come. "What’s going on!" you cried out, in pain and confusion. "This isn’t supposed to happen! This isn’t supposed to be part of the Christian life! I never expected cancer. I never expected failure. I never expected my wife to have an affair. I never expected to lose my job. I never expected my child to die. Something is terribly wrong. I thought I knew who Jesus was, but the Jesus I was following would never allow this." Have you ever felt that way? If so, you’re in good company. Because those are exactly the kind of thoughts that were going through the minds of the disciples on that Saturday morning. It seemed that God had abandoned them, and they didn’t know what to do, where to turn.
Consider also what this meant to the disciples from a spiritual point of view. By all appearances, it meant that the Pharisees had been right all along. It meant that when the Pharisees attacked Jesus, and warned people not to listen to him, and cast out of the synagogue anyone who admitted to being one of his followers, they were actually doing God’s work! It meant that the disciples, in following Jesus, had been rebelling against God! And that was the worst possible news. Because the God of the Pharisees wasn’t a God of love. The God of the Pharisees was a severe, unforgiving taskmaster who accepted nothing less than perfect obedience to every one of his laws. And although the Pharisees self-righteously claimed to keep those laws, the followers of Christ knew it was impossible. They understood that no one could ever satisfy such a God. And so with Jesus dead, they saw no hope of salvation. If Jesus was wrong, then the God that Jesus was teaching about, the God of love and forgiveness, the God who welcomed all who came to Him in faith and repentance, that God was just a fiction. And the real God was the God of the Pharisees, a God of wrath and judgement, a God who demands, and condemns and punishes. Can you imagine how the disciples must have felt, as they thought about the implications of Christ’s death? They must have been overwhelmed with despair and hopelessness, as in their minds they heard the doors of heaven clang shut forever.
But then something happened that changed everything, for them and for us. “He is risen from the dead! [Luke 24:6]
Hallelujah! As it turns out, Jesus was not a madman, or a con man, or a fool. He was, and is, the risen Lord, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. And the God he revealed to us, the God of love, and grace, and mercy, the God who welcomes all who come to him through faith in Christ -- that God is real. The gates of heaven are not closed to us; they are open wide. And Jesus is standing at the threshold, inviting us in. What a relief! What a joy! What a hope! What a Savior!
Now let’s consider why the resurrection is such great news for the Christian. First of all, it means that Death is not the end. The grave is not our final destination. By dying and then rising again, Jesus Christ has vanquished death once and for all, so that death no longer has the final word. For us, it’s only a doorway to eternal life.
"He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News”. 2 Timothy 1:10b
And because we have accepted Christ as our Savior, “…..we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him”. Romans 6:8-9
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Cor. 15:57
Because of what Christ did, we as Believers are immortal. Do you understand that? Do you believe that? Through faith in Christ, we possess what mankind has been searching for since the dawn of time -- the fountain of youth, the secret of everlasting life. We have found it! We will never die. We cannot be killed. We are going to live forever. Our lives have a beginning, but will never have an ending. When the stars have all burned out, we will still be alive, worshiping and serving God. We are immortal. [When we’ve been there 10,000 years / Bright shining as the sun / We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise / Than when we’d first begun].
And this knowledge that death is not the end gives us courage. We can stand firm in our faith; we can do the right thing no matter what the cost; we can suffer any loss or hardship without regret. Why? Because the worst possible thing that can happen to us, death, has been rendered powerless. It no longer has the ability to do us any permanent harm.
The resurrection gives us courage, because we know that no one can take from us the thing that we treasure most -- our life. Disease, or old age, or an accident, or even a murder, may kill the body. But because of the resurrection, we know that life doesn’t end at death. And so we don’t need to be afraid.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows us that things are often very different from how they appear. As Christians, we walk by faith, rather than by sight. And not everything that looks like a loss, or a failure, or a defeat really is one. Remember that during the time Jesus was in the grave, it seemed that the forces of evil had won. They had destroyed the Son of God! Death was victorious! And yet, as Jesus told his disciples on the road to Emmaus,
“You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27
In other words, the death of Christ, the most terrible crime in human history, was a part of God’s plan. Did the disciples understand that? No. Not at all. Remember, how did they react when the women told them about seeing the angels at the tomb, angels who gave them the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead? Luke 24:11 reads, "But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense". It wasn’t until later, when Christ appeared to them himself, that they finally realized what had happened. [Luke 24:36-45]
You know, we don’t understand what God is doing, either. It may be there on the pages of Scripture for us to read, but we too are often surprised when God does what he says He will do. Does the Bible warn us to expect trials and suffering in this world? Yes. But when it comes, we react as if something has gone terribly wrong. We can’t reconcile our little picture of God with what is happening in our lives. And so it seems that God has abandoned us, as if He is no longer in control. But that isn’t true. Even when things seem darkest, when it seems that God is far away, when it seems that evil is winning, God is at work. He’s at work in our life. And he is working to accomplish his good, and loving, and wise purposes, even when it seems he is nowhere to be found. He hasn’t been defeated. He hasn’t abandoned us. He is here right beside us, just like he’s always been.
of the Christian faith. On this day, for the last twenty centuries, Christians have gathered together all over the world to celebrate that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. This simple statement of faith is the key distinction between Christianity and every other religion or philosophy known to man. It sets us apart. Every man or woman in history who claimed to have discovered the meaning of life, who claimed to know the way to God -- every one of them is still dead. But Jesus Christ lives.
This fact not only makes Christianity unique. It also makes it good news. But to call the gospel of Jesus Christ "good news" is to be guilty of a gross understatement. It’s not just "good" news. It’s great news. It’s fantastic news. It’s unbelievable news; wonderful, amazing, incredible news! We are going to look at why Resurrection Sunday is such great news, why it’s more to us than just an interesting historical event. We’re going to see how something which happened two thousand years ago can still have meaning and significance for us today. But first, we’re going to talk about a different day. Holy Saturday, the day between the death of Christ on Good Friday and the discovery of the empty tomb on Easter Sunday. Because the good news of Christ’s resurrection life can only be appreciated against the bad news of his death.
Consider how the disciples must have felt as the sun came up on that cold, gray Saturday morning. Just the day before, they had witnessed the brutal execution of their leader; they had watched him suffer as his life slowly drained away. His wasn’t a calm, peaceful passing. And it wasn’t a noble, heroic death. It was the agonizing, shameful, humiliating death of a condemned criminal, nailed to a wooden cross between two real criminals. They listened as Jesus took his final, tortured breaths; they saw the Roman soldier thrust his spear into Jesus’ side to make sure he was dead; they watched as his lifeless corpse was pulled down and dragged away to be placed in the tomb.
How must they have felt? Grief-stricken. Heartbroken. Shocked. Horrified. Traumatized. As any of us would be, seeing someone we love treated this way. But most of all, confused. Only a week before, they were walking proudly at Jesus’ side as he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, surrounded by adoring crowds. Crowds shouting, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" They were all convinced that he was the Messiah, the one who would save his people. He was going to re-establish Israel as an independent nation, he was going to give them, his disciples, positions of honor and authority in his new kingdom. But then everything came crashing down around them. Jesus was arrested, and brought before Pilate, and the crowds suddenly changed their tune. "Crucify Him!" they shouted, "We have no king but Caesar!". And now this. A dead teacher. A lifeless savior.
"How could it end this way?", they must have thought. Everything Jesus taught had seemed so right, so true. Was it all a lie? If so, then how could they have been so mistaken, so deceived? How could they have ever thought that this uneducated carpenter was right, and all of the religious authorities were wrong? What fools they had been! But then again -- didn’t Jesus perform miracles? -- heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, cast out demons? Could a man who did those things really be a liar and a fraud? Or perhaps they had been following a madman, a lunatic who thought he was God’s Son, but who was really just an ordinary man. Was that it? Or was he just tragically misguided? A sincere man who got carried away, who started to believe the things that people were saying about him, and who didn’t realize where it was all leading until it was too late? Who was Jesus, anyway? They thought they knew him, but now their whole world had been turned upside down, and they weren’t sure of anything. They couldn’t reconcile what had just happened with what they thought they knew about Jesus. Surely, the Son of God couldn’t die, could he?
Yes, try to imagine how confused and distraught they must have felt. Now, let’s ask ourselves a question: We’ve felt this way too, haven’t we? You thought you understood what was involved in following Christ. You thought you knew what was supposed to happen. You had hopes, plans, expectations. And then something came out of left field and knocked you right off your feet. You never saw it coming. And not only that, you never imagined that it could come. "What’s going on!" you cried out, in pain and confusion. "This isn’t supposed to happen! This isn’t supposed to be part of the Christian life! I never expected cancer. I never expected failure. I never expected my wife to have an affair. I never expected to lose my job. I never expected my child to die. Something is terribly wrong. I thought I knew who Jesus was, but the Jesus I was following would never allow this." Have you ever felt that way? If so, you’re in good company. Because those are exactly the kind of thoughts that were going through the minds of the disciples on that Saturday morning. It seemed that God had abandoned them, and they didn’t know what to do, where to turn.
Consider also what this meant to the disciples from a spiritual point of view. By all appearances, it meant that the Pharisees had been right all along. It meant that when the Pharisees attacked Jesus, and warned people not to listen to him, and cast out of the synagogue anyone who admitted to being one of his followers, they were actually doing God’s work! It meant that the disciples, in following Jesus, had been rebelling against God! And that was the worst possible news. Because the God of the Pharisees wasn’t a God of love. The God of the Pharisees was a severe, unforgiving taskmaster who accepted nothing less than perfect obedience to every one of his laws. And although the Pharisees self-righteously claimed to keep those laws, the followers of Christ knew it was impossible. They understood that no one could ever satisfy such a God. And so with Jesus dead, they saw no hope of salvation. If Jesus was wrong, then the God that Jesus was teaching about, the God of love and forgiveness, the God who welcomed all who came to Him in faith and repentance, that God was just a fiction. And the real God was the God of the Pharisees, a God of wrath and judgement, a God who demands, and condemns and punishes. Can you imagine how the disciples must have felt, as they thought about the implications of Christ’s death? They must have been overwhelmed with despair and hopelessness, as in their minds they heard the doors of heaven clang shut forever.
But then something happened that changed everything, for them and for us. “He is risen from the dead! [Luke 24:6]
Hallelujah! As it turns out, Jesus was not a madman, or a con man, or a fool. He was, and is, the risen Lord, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. And the God he revealed to us, the God of love, and grace, and mercy, the God who welcomes all who come to him through faith in Christ -- that God is real. The gates of heaven are not closed to us; they are open wide. And Jesus is standing at the threshold, inviting us in. What a relief! What a joy! What a hope! What a Savior!
Now let’s consider why the resurrection is such great news for the Christian. First of all, it means that Death is not the end. The grave is not our final destination. By dying and then rising again, Jesus Christ has vanquished death once and for all, so that death no longer has the final word. For us, it’s only a doorway to eternal life.
"He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News”. 2 Timothy 1:10b
And because we have accepted Christ as our Savior, “…..we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him”. Romans 6:8-9
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.1 Cor. 15:57
Because of what Christ did, we as Believers are immortal. Do you understand that? Do you believe that? Through faith in Christ, we possess what mankind has been searching for since the dawn of time -- the fountain of youth, the secret of everlasting life. We have found it! We will never die. We cannot be killed. We are going to live forever. Our lives have a beginning, but will never have an ending. When the stars have all burned out, we will still be alive, worshiping and serving God. We are immortal. [When we’ve been there 10,000 years / Bright shining as the sun / We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise / Than when we’d first begun].
And this knowledge that death is not the end gives us courage. We can stand firm in our faith; we can do the right thing no matter what the cost; we can suffer any loss or hardship without regret. Why? Because the worst possible thing that can happen to us, death, has been rendered powerless. It no longer has the ability to do us any permanent harm.
The resurrection gives us courage, because we know that no one can take from us the thing that we treasure most -- our life. Disease, or old age, or an accident, or even a murder, may kill the body. But because of the resurrection, we know that life doesn’t end at death. And so we don’t need to be afraid.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows us that things are often very different from how they appear. As Christians, we walk by faith, rather than by sight. And not everything that looks like a loss, or a failure, or a defeat really is one. Remember that during the time Jesus was in the grave, it seemed that the forces of evil had won. They had destroyed the Son of God! Death was victorious! And yet, as Jesus told his disciples on the road to Emmaus,
“You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27
In other words, the death of Christ, the most terrible crime in human history, was a part of God’s plan. Did the disciples understand that? No. Not at all. Remember, how did they react when the women told them about seeing the angels at the tomb, angels who gave them the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead? Luke 24:11 reads, "But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense". It wasn’t until later, when Christ appeared to them himself, that they finally realized what had happened. [Luke 24:36-45]
You know, we don’t understand what God is doing, either. It may be there on the pages of Scripture for us to read, but we too are often surprised when God does what he says He will do. Does the Bible warn us to expect trials and suffering in this world? Yes. But when it comes, we react as if something has gone terribly wrong. We can’t reconcile our little picture of God with what is happening in our lives. And so it seems that God has abandoned us, as if He is no longer in control. But that isn’t true. Even when things seem darkest, when it seems that God is far away, when it seems that evil is winning, God is at work. He’s at work in our life. And he is working to accomplish his good, and loving, and wise purposes, even when it seems he is nowhere to be found. He hasn’t been defeated. He hasn’t abandoned us. He is here right beside us, just like he’s always been.
HE BEGAN TO WEEP!
HE BEGAN TO WEEP!
Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” (Luke 19:28b-31)
The 2 disciples must have wondered about what Jesus told them to do, because none of the Gospel accounts about the ministry of Christ ever mention Him riding any animal to get from one place to another. He must have walked hundreds of miles in the area but there is no mention of Him ever riding, except in a boat across the Sea of Galilee.
But now, He gives this unusual command to go into the village to get a donkey colt that had never been ridden, & to bring it to Him. It must have seemed a strange command, indeed.
He even tells them the exact words they are to use should anyone question them. They are to say, "The Lord needs it." Was this prearranged? Did the owners know what Jesus was going to do? We don’t know.
It is obvious, though, that Jesus knew what He was going to face in the city of Jerusalem. So His decision to go into Jerusalem must have been one of the most difficult Jesus ever made.
And on top of that, to ride into the city on a colt, rather than to walk into it as He had often done before, must have been an even more difficult decision, because riding a colt into the city was a public declaration that He was a King.
In times of war the conqueror would ride upon a prancing stallion. But in times of peace, the king would ride a colt to symbolize that peace prevailed. So, for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem upon a colt is to declare that He is a King.
How would the people respond to that? Would they recognize that His Kingdom was not of this world - that it was a spiritual kingdom, & He was to be a spiritual King? Small chance, because He had been teaching them that for 3 1/2 years, & still they had not learned that lesson.
Perhaps some of them would greet Him with laughter. Maybe they would be amused by what Jesus was doing. After all, it was a rather ridiculous picture. Here is a carpenter declaring Himself to be a King!
Perhaps some would think, "He is a lunatic, living in a world of fantasy - imagining Himself to be a King!" And they would laugh at him.
Others would greet Him with anger - upset because they would interpret His riding into the city as arrogance & blasphemy against God.
Of course, many would hail Him with joy, welcoming Him as an earthly King, come to reestablish the throne of David, & overthrow the Roman Empire. They were ready & eager to place a crown upon His head.
Among the crowds would be people He had healed. Some had been among the thousands He had fed. Many more had seen some of His miracles, & listened as "He spoke with authority." They had listened, & their lives had been changed.
Jesus knew all of this. He knew that just over the horizon was the cross, looming like a monster ready to consume Him. But Luke tells us that in spite of it all, “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." Luke 9:51
As Jesus rides down toward the gate of the city, the crowds are growing, & there is a festive air, for it is Passover & people are gathering from far & near for this greatest of all Jewish holidays.
Even before Jesus arrives, the news has spread that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. You can imagine the excitement that prevails.
"Have you heard the news? Lazarus died, & was buried in a tomb so long that his body was starting to decay. But this teacher from Nazareth called, `Lazarus, come forth’ & Lazarus came forth. I saw him! They stripped away the grave clothing, & he actually walked & breathed & lived again! Surely only the Messiah - only the Son of God could do that!"
The news travels from one person to another, until finally when Jesus was ready to enter the city, great crowds had collected on both sides of the road. They were there! They had cut palm branches & were shouting, "Hosanna…”, (A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” Which later would become an exclamation of praise!) (Matthew 21:9 NIV) Excitement prevailed throughout the whole city!
Then Jesus looked over His waiting audience. He must have seen the mixture of expressions on their faces.
There were those who loved Him: Perhaps Bartimaeus was there, a man who had received his sight, no longer in his beggar’s rags. How about Zacchaeus? He had paid back his debt to society, & had made his peace with God. And the lepers? Their skin had been cleansed & now they were rejoicing for the healing that the Lord had given them.
Lazarus & Mary & Martha & Mary Magdalene – maybe they were all there! Their lives reflected the love that was in their hearts for this man who had taught them, & molded them & changed them.
There were also sinister faces there. Faces with squinty eyes, waiting for Him to say one wrong word - to make one mistake.
The church folks, the Sadducees & Pharisees were there. They were supposed to be keepers of the law, the spiritual leaders. But Jesus had gained so much popularity that they felt threatened. So, full of jealousy, they watched Him.
The Romans were there, fearing revolt & watching for any sign of rebellion against Rome. They were ready & waiting to crush any uprising.
Jesus realized, as He listened to their "Hosannas," that soon the sinister voices would drown out the voices of love - that those crying for Him to be King would soon be crying, "Crucify Him!" or simply standing aside, saying nothing at all.
Did you ever wonder how the apostles were reacting to all of this? Maybe Judas was ecstatic - basking in the reflected glory - because Judas may have wanted an earthly Kingdom more than any of the others.
Can’t you just see Peter walking with chest expanded -enjoying the throngs & the cheers of the crowd - maybe with one hand on his sword just in case something went wrong - thinking to himself, "Maybe it was worth it to leave the fishnets & boats. Maybe at last we are going to get what we deserve."
Possibly there was Thomas, a bit skeptical about everything that was going on - wondering what is going to happen next. After all, he is “doubting” Thomas.
What about James & John? Do you suppose they were thinking about Jesus being crowned King - so that they could be on His right & left hand in positions of authority & power?
They were all there in Jerusalem - loving faces - sinister faces - anxious apostles. Crowds trampling almost one upon another - when suddenly - the whole procession stopped.
Maybe it was a little like rush hour traffic interstate? One car stops, then all the other cars stop, like a chain reaction. Can’t you just hear the people way back in the crowd that day saying, "What’s the holdup? What is going on? Why don’t you guys move on?"
But the people who were closest to Jesus could see - & they realized that it was He who had stopped the parade. Then they saw His body begin to shake. Maybe at first they thought He was laughing. Laughter would seem to be natural - for everybody else was laughing, & joy prevailed.
But then they saw His face, & they saw no evidence of laughter. Rather, they saw sorrow & tears. He was not laughing. The Bible says in Luke 19:41 that “he began to weep”.
The Scripture tells us that Jesus reacted emotionally many times from different scenes that He saw. When He saw the poor. When He saw the hungry. When He saw people sinning. When He saw the ill. The Scriptures say repeatedly that "...He had compassion on them."
But it only tells us of two times that Jesus cried. One time He cried at the grave of Lazarus. You remember, Mary & Martha were both weeping, & it says that Jesus wept with them. He wept for them. He entered into their grief with compassion & He identified with their sorrow & despair.
Why was Jesus crying. He looked at the city of Jerusalem. He saw the mixture of faces & the masses of humanity crowding there - & He realized the emptiness of their lives. They had not heard the message of peace. They did not understand the purpose of His coming.
Listen as I read Luke 19:41-44. "As He approached Jerusalem & saw the city, He wept over it & said, `If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you & encircle you & hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you & the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.’"
They had eyes, but they didn’t see. They had ears, but they didn’t hear. They missed the whole point of the message that God had given to them.
The fact they waved palm branches showed that they didn’t understand, because that is exactly what they did when the a group of Jewish militants overthrew the Syrian oppressors & reestablished worship in the temple before Jesus’ time.
By waving palm branches they were showing that they expected Jesus to be another warlord - another general of the armies – a king who would lead them to overthrow the Romans. They were saying that they were ready to pick up their swords & shields & go to war if He would lead them!
Jesus said, "I didn’t come for that purpose. I came to show you a more excellent way. I came to show you the way of love. "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35) I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. (Matthew 5:44)
Those people who listened to Him must have thought, "Well, those are beautiful words, but surely He doesn’t mean Rome? He doesn’t expect us to love Rome? Only a lunatic would command you to love Rome. We can’t love Rome!"
But don’t you see - that was exactly what He was saying? "Love even Rome - because Rome with her mighty army has seen the power of the sword. But Rome has not seen the power of love. Show them love!"
The nation of Israel had the opportunity to show Rome something new & different. But because they didn’t understand Jesus - because they completely misunderstood His mission - Jesus wept over them because the opportunity would be taken away & they would never have it again.
These were God’s people - God’s chosen people. God had loved them & led them across the wilderness & into the Promised Land. But they did not understand the Messiah when He walked in their midst. Because of that, Jesus wept.
He sees the towering Temple of God silhouetted against the sky. But beyond that - in the years immediately ahead - He sees the armies of Titus surrounding the Holy City. He sees Temple stones being taken down & the whole city leveled.
All of that because they didn’t recognize the Messiah when He came! How different their lives could have been. How different the history of Israel could have been if they had only recognized the one who came into their midst, riding on a colt.
It is Matthew who adds that as Jesus looked at the city He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” Matthew 23:37
Today, just like the city of Jerusalem, we find ourselves in the presence of Jesus. What He finds when He looks into our faces?
Does He see people concerned about so many things - worried about income taxes - worried about job security - worried about their health, or lack of it? Does He see people who are so busy doing things here & there - so busy that they never bother to consider those things that are eternally important?
Does he see people who recognize Him for who He is? The Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God?
When He turns & looks into our lives, do you wonder, will He weep once again because of what He sees? Or will we have the joy that passes all understanding as we respond to His outstretched arms & hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! ………Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:23 NIV
Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” (Luke 19:28b-31)
The 2 disciples must have wondered about what Jesus told them to do, because none of the Gospel accounts about the ministry of Christ ever mention Him riding any animal to get from one place to another. He must have walked hundreds of miles in the area but there is no mention of Him ever riding, except in a boat across the Sea of Galilee.
But now, He gives this unusual command to go into the village to get a donkey colt that had never been ridden, & to bring it to Him. It must have seemed a strange command, indeed.
He even tells them the exact words they are to use should anyone question them. They are to say, "The Lord needs it." Was this prearranged? Did the owners know what Jesus was going to do? We don’t know.
It is obvious, though, that Jesus knew what He was going to face in the city of Jerusalem. So His decision to go into Jerusalem must have been one of the most difficult Jesus ever made.
And on top of that, to ride into the city on a colt, rather than to walk into it as He had often done before, must have been an even more difficult decision, because riding a colt into the city was a public declaration that He was a King.
In times of war the conqueror would ride upon a prancing stallion. But in times of peace, the king would ride a colt to symbolize that peace prevailed. So, for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem upon a colt is to declare that He is a King.
How would the people respond to that? Would they recognize that His Kingdom was not of this world - that it was a spiritual kingdom, & He was to be a spiritual King? Small chance, because He had been teaching them that for 3 1/2 years, & still they had not learned that lesson.
Perhaps some of them would greet Him with laughter. Maybe they would be amused by what Jesus was doing. After all, it was a rather ridiculous picture. Here is a carpenter declaring Himself to be a King!
Perhaps some would think, "He is a lunatic, living in a world of fantasy - imagining Himself to be a King!" And they would laugh at him.
Others would greet Him with anger - upset because they would interpret His riding into the city as arrogance & blasphemy against God.
Of course, many would hail Him with joy, welcoming Him as an earthly King, come to reestablish the throne of David, & overthrow the Roman Empire. They were ready & eager to place a crown upon His head.
Among the crowds would be people He had healed. Some had been among the thousands He had fed. Many more had seen some of His miracles, & listened as "He spoke with authority." They had listened, & their lives had been changed.
Jesus knew all of this. He knew that just over the horizon was the cross, looming like a monster ready to consume Him. But Luke tells us that in spite of it all, “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." Luke 9:51
As Jesus rides down toward the gate of the city, the crowds are growing, & there is a festive air, for it is Passover & people are gathering from far & near for this greatest of all Jewish holidays.
Even before Jesus arrives, the news has spread that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. You can imagine the excitement that prevails.
"Have you heard the news? Lazarus died, & was buried in a tomb so long that his body was starting to decay. But this teacher from Nazareth called, `Lazarus, come forth’ & Lazarus came forth. I saw him! They stripped away the grave clothing, & he actually walked & breathed & lived again! Surely only the Messiah - only the Son of God could do that!"
The news travels from one person to another, until finally when Jesus was ready to enter the city, great crowds had collected on both sides of the road. They were there! They had cut palm branches & were shouting, "Hosanna…”, (A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” Which later would become an exclamation of praise!) (Matthew 21:9 NIV) Excitement prevailed throughout the whole city!
Then Jesus looked over His waiting audience. He must have seen the mixture of expressions on their faces.
There were those who loved Him: Perhaps Bartimaeus was there, a man who had received his sight, no longer in his beggar’s rags. How about Zacchaeus? He had paid back his debt to society, & had made his peace with God. And the lepers? Their skin had been cleansed & now they were rejoicing for the healing that the Lord had given them.
Lazarus & Mary & Martha & Mary Magdalene – maybe they were all there! Their lives reflected the love that was in their hearts for this man who had taught them, & molded them & changed them.
There were also sinister faces there. Faces with squinty eyes, waiting for Him to say one wrong word - to make one mistake.
The church folks, the Sadducees & Pharisees were there. They were supposed to be keepers of the law, the spiritual leaders. But Jesus had gained so much popularity that they felt threatened. So, full of jealousy, they watched Him.
The Romans were there, fearing revolt & watching for any sign of rebellion against Rome. They were ready & waiting to crush any uprising.
Jesus realized, as He listened to their "Hosannas," that soon the sinister voices would drown out the voices of love - that those crying for Him to be King would soon be crying, "Crucify Him!" or simply standing aside, saying nothing at all.
Did you ever wonder how the apostles were reacting to all of this? Maybe Judas was ecstatic - basking in the reflected glory - because Judas may have wanted an earthly Kingdom more than any of the others.
Can’t you just see Peter walking with chest expanded -enjoying the throngs & the cheers of the crowd - maybe with one hand on his sword just in case something went wrong - thinking to himself, "Maybe it was worth it to leave the fishnets & boats. Maybe at last we are going to get what we deserve."
Possibly there was Thomas, a bit skeptical about everything that was going on - wondering what is going to happen next. After all, he is “doubting” Thomas.
What about James & John? Do you suppose they were thinking about Jesus being crowned King - so that they could be on His right & left hand in positions of authority & power?
They were all there in Jerusalem - loving faces - sinister faces - anxious apostles. Crowds trampling almost one upon another - when suddenly - the whole procession stopped.
Maybe it was a little like rush hour traffic interstate? One car stops, then all the other cars stop, like a chain reaction. Can’t you just hear the people way back in the crowd that day saying, "What’s the holdup? What is going on? Why don’t you guys move on?"
But the people who were closest to Jesus could see - & they realized that it was He who had stopped the parade. Then they saw His body begin to shake. Maybe at first they thought He was laughing. Laughter would seem to be natural - for everybody else was laughing, & joy prevailed.
But then they saw His face, & they saw no evidence of laughter. Rather, they saw sorrow & tears. He was not laughing. The Bible says in Luke 19:41 that “he began to weep”.
The Scripture tells us that Jesus reacted emotionally many times from different scenes that He saw. When He saw the poor. When He saw the hungry. When He saw people sinning. When He saw the ill. The Scriptures say repeatedly that "...He had compassion on them."
But it only tells us of two times that Jesus cried. One time He cried at the grave of Lazarus. You remember, Mary & Martha were both weeping, & it says that Jesus wept with them. He wept for them. He entered into their grief with compassion & He identified with their sorrow & despair.
Why was Jesus crying. He looked at the city of Jerusalem. He saw the mixture of faces & the masses of humanity crowding there - & He realized the emptiness of their lives. They had not heard the message of peace. They did not understand the purpose of His coming.
Listen as I read Luke 19:41-44. "As He approached Jerusalem & saw the city, He wept over it & said, `If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you & encircle you & hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you & the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.’"
They had eyes, but they didn’t see. They had ears, but they didn’t hear. They missed the whole point of the message that God had given to them.
The fact they waved palm branches showed that they didn’t understand, because that is exactly what they did when the a group of Jewish militants overthrew the Syrian oppressors & reestablished worship in the temple before Jesus’ time.
By waving palm branches they were showing that they expected Jesus to be another warlord - another general of the armies – a king who would lead them to overthrow the Romans. They were saying that they were ready to pick up their swords & shields & go to war if He would lead them!
Jesus said, "I didn’t come for that purpose. I came to show you a more excellent way. I came to show you the way of love. "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35) I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. (Matthew 5:44)
Those people who listened to Him must have thought, "Well, those are beautiful words, but surely He doesn’t mean Rome? He doesn’t expect us to love Rome? Only a lunatic would command you to love Rome. We can’t love Rome!"
But don’t you see - that was exactly what He was saying? "Love even Rome - because Rome with her mighty army has seen the power of the sword. But Rome has not seen the power of love. Show them love!"
The nation of Israel had the opportunity to show Rome something new & different. But because they didn’t understand Jesus - because they completely misunderstood His mission - Jesus wept over them because the opportunity would be taken away & they would never have it again.
These were God’s people - God’s chosen people. God had loved them & led them across the wilderness & into the Promised Land. But they did not understand the Messiah when He walked in their midst. Because of that, Jesus wept.
He sees the towering Temple of God silhouetted against the sky. But beyond that - in the years immediately ahead - He sees the armies of Titus surrounding the Holy City. He sees Temple stones being taken down & the whole city leveled.
All of that because they didn’t recognize the Messiah when He came! How different their lives could have been. How different the history of Israel could have been if they had only recognized the one who came into their midst, riding on a colt.
It is Matthew who adds that as Jesus looked at the city He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” Matthew 23:37
Today, just like the city of Jerusalem, we find ourselves in the presence of Jesus. What He finds when He looks into our faces?
Does He see people concerned about so many things - worried about income taxes - worried about job security - worried about their health, or lack of it? Does He see people who are so busy doing things here & there - so busy that they never bother to consider those things that are eternally important?
Does he see people who recognize Him for who He is? The Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God?
When He turns & looks into our lives, do you wonder, will He weep once again because of what He sees? Or will we have the joy that passes all understanding as we respond to His outstretched arms & hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! ………Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:23 NIV
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Blinking Light
Blinking Light
A couple of weeks ago I was driving my wife’s van and this little annoying light just appeared on the dashboard. It is only a “picture” of an engine. I ignored for a while I guess thinking it would just go away. It didn’t. Thought about just putting a piece of tape over so we couldn’t see it. You see this vehicle doesn’t have many miles on it so how could it be a problem. Decided against that. Saw Clayton (one of our WhoSoEvers) Saturday and decided maybe I should heed this early warning sign and let him come get it Monday and take to their shop. Maybe it just needs an oil change. We’ll see.
You see, the manufacturers of the van designed it in such a way that when the engine was having some problems, when there were some signs that something was wrong or going to become wrong, that check engine light would begin to blink. And when that check engine light comes on, it’s a call to action. Now you can ignore it. You can cover it with tape. You can pretend like everything is okay. But it is not to your advantage to ignore the blinking light on the dashboard of your car. If you do something about it now, it could save you a small fortune later, a lot of stress down the road.
And in our lives, God has what we’ll call an “Early Warning System.” He has these blinking lights that begin to show up on the dashboard of our lives to get our attention, to help us realize some areas that need some help. And when those lights come on, when God sends us His warning signals, it is an invitation to us to take action, to get some help, to spiritually wake up, to make some changes. Yet a lot of us cover it with electric tape.
Maybe…maybe right now in your life there are some early warning signals. There are some blinking lights that are flashing, some areas—maybe a marriage, maybe in your family, maybe your spiritual life—where God is trying to get your attention. So in this series we’re going to talk about God’s Early Warning Systems. God tries to draw our attention to areas of our life that we need to ask for His help (in) or we need to make some changes.
We are not given these warnings from an angry judge but rather from a loving father. God gives us warnings in our lives because He wants what is best for us. So these warnings that we’re going to be talking about…these are not the bad news of Scripture. This is good news that God warns us because He cares about us.
There are many examples in the Old Testament where God is giving his people warning signs – their “blinking light”. In 2 Chronicles 36:15a we read) “The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them…”.
Then we see His motivation. It says in 15b, “for he had compassion on his people…”.” So it’s out of God’s love for us that He warns us, that He activates His warning system and gives us these blinking lights. That if we pay attention to them, if we look at the dashboard of our life and we see these areas that need attention, it can save us all kinds of heartache and all kinds of stress later down the road.
Most of us know the story of Abel and Cain (if not see Genesis 4:2-4:16) – the sons of Adam and Eve. Short version – The brothers each bring a sacrifice to God. Abel’s is acceptable to God but Cain’s isn’t. Instead of seeking what God wanted he developed an “attitude”. God warns him! “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:6-7
But Cain doesn’t see this as a warning. He takes a piece of tape; he covers the blinking light. He moves ahead and does what he wants to do. And…and everything just comes crashing down around Cain.
Now this is a story that we’ve become fairly familiar with. We could all probably point to examples in our own life or of other people who have been warned by God, people who have been given opportunity after opportunity to listen to God and to do things God’s way but they don’t do it. For whatever reason, the blinking light…they just ignore it. They go at it their own way.
It’s not to hard to look back and see blinking lights we ignored in our past. We can see them in hindsight where God was trying to get our attention. But sometimes it is hard to see it when we really need…really need the warning.
But let’s look on the dashboard of our lives now. Let’s think about where we are right now and just ask the question, “Is it possible that God is trying to get our attention?” Is it possible that he is calling us to change, that He is wanting us to wake up and He wants us to do it now so that down the road we can be saved all kinds of heartache, and our families, our spiritual life can be saved devastation?
So are there some warning signs in your life? Is God trying to get your attention? Let’s look at just a few of the ways God warns us, some of the blinking lights that will show up. Here is one of the blinking lights that you can expect. God will send you His Word at just the right time. That’s when He speaks to Cain—when sin is crouching outside his door. There is a supernatural power of the Bible to speak into your life at just the right time when you most desperately need to hear it if you’ll have ears to hear. It is the supernatural power of the Word of God.
In order to see this light, we need to be reading His Word; we need to be praying daily, “God, speak into my life with the truth of your Word.” As we do that, we’ll have a better awareness of His warnings and of His guidance in our lives.
Often God uses sermons and lessons like this one as blinking lights. Over the years that I have been teaching, I’ve gotten feedback from people that will say that the lesson that God had given us for a Sunday was for them – some of you in this room and others from our internet ministry. Anybody thinks this was by chance? That I personally knew what was going on? Certainly not – God had a message for us! Is it possible that God is trying to get our attention, that there is a light that is blinking on your dashboard that you need to pay attention to? He will speak into your life at just the right time. But we have to listen.
Another blinking light that God will sometimes send our way is the examples of others who go before us. Whenever Cain’s name is mentioned in the New Testament, it is always used as a bad example. In other words, in the New Testament Cain becomes the blinking light. The New Testament writers point to Cain and say to the rest of us, “Look, be careful. Be careful of following the path that Cain was on because if you do, here is what will happen to you.” First John 3:12 says, “We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother.” Jude 11, “What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain…”
We have other examples as well—people who are, for us, an example of what will happen if we continue down the path we’re on. There is something about seeing someone else experience the consequences of the decisions we are now making. We see that they made the same decisions we’re now making and here is what happened to them, and it’s an opportunity for God to get our attention.
Mistakes others around us make can serve as a warning to you: “Look, if you keep going down this path, if you keep going in the direction you’re going, you’re going to end up in the same place.” So God will sometimes speak to us…He will sometimes warn us through the life of someone else.
Here is another blinking light that God will use: He will use the words of someone in your life. Now here is the thing. You may not know this, but most people know…like friends and family…they know about your blinking lights. Now, they may not know about their own, but they know about yours. And when you’re not around, your friends and family will talk about the blinking lights on your dashboard. Do you know that? Every once in awhile…not very often… you’ll have one of them who will come to you and say, “Your check engine light is on, and you probably ought to give that some attention.” Now when someone comes to you and points out a blinking light in your life, your response, like most, is to become defensive. “You see my dashboard…? You ought to see your dashboard! My light is blinking; but you motor is “knocking”. Why don’t you change your oil, pal?” So we quickly become defensive … But maybe that is the voice of God in your life. The Bible says in Proverbs 27:6 that “wounds from a friend can be trusted.” Maybe you have a friend who comes to you and says, “I don’t want to overstep here but it seems to me that your drinking has become more and more of a problem. Look, I don’t want to make you upset but I’ve got some real concerns about your teenage son, and I know this is awkward but I feel like I need to talk to you about it.” The tendency is to be defensive, but maybe this is God’s warning system and He has sent someone into your life. Maybe it’s a pastor, or a parent, or a teacher, or a neighbor, or maybe it’s a child or a stranger. They come and they say something to you, and if you’ll have ears to hear you’ll realize this isn’t…this isn’t them speaking. God is saying something to me.
Another blinking light for us is sometimes a sample of future consequences. Here is what God will do. He’ll give us a taste of what the consequences will be if we continue down the path that we’re on. So what He’ll do is He will allow a fender bender to prevent us from a train wreck down the road. Maybe that is where some of you are.
Another blinking light is the supernatural leading from God. We don’t always call it a supernatural leading. We sometimes call it a coincidence. We sometimes call it, you know, chance, luck, or maybe even indigestion. (I personally do not believe in luck or chance for a Christian) We just kind of dismiss it. But it is very likely that God speaks to us more than we realize. But we just don’t see it. Sometimes we can see it and we go like ---, “How can you not see it? God is trying to get your attention here! How can you not see it? How can you think that is just chance?” But we can dismiss it. And I know I can do it too.
So today let’s just look at some of the lights that may be blinking on the dashboards of our lives. One of the biggest reasons we miss God’s voice in our lives…one of the biggest reasons we miss those blinking lights is because we’re going so fast. I didn’t even see the light. You need to slow down. So hit the brakes a little bit. Slow down a little bit more now.
We have been talking about blinking lights on the dashboard but let’s switch for a moment to a road sign. It is a sign put up by Jesus: It’s a U-turn sign. It says, “Look, today is the day. Now is the time. It doesn’t have to be this way.” God says turn around, “It’s not too late. You can still do the right thing.” The reason it is not too late is because Jesus has paid your price. He has died on the cross for your sins. So He specializes in coming onto the scenes of wrecks and putting the pieces back together if you’ll just turn things over to Him. So there is a light that is flashing on your dashboard. What are you going to do? Ignore it? Put it off? Cover it with a piece of tape? Or will you listen to God’s loving voice in your life warning you to take action?
A couple of weeks ago I was driving my wife’s van and this little annoying light just appeared on the dashboard. It is only a “picture” of an engine. I ignored for a while I guess thinking it would just go away. It didn’t. Thought about just putting a piece of tape over so we couldn’t see it. You see this vehicle doesn’t have many miles on it so how could it be a problem. Decided against that. Saw Clayton (one of our WhoSoEvers) Saturday and decided maybe I should heed this early warning sign and let him come get it Monday and take to their shop. Maybe it just needs an oil change. We’ll see.
You see, the manufacturers of the van designed it in such a way that when the engine was having some problems, when there were some signs that something was wrong or going to become wrong, that check engine light would begin to blink. And when that check engine light comes on, it’s a call to action. Now you can ignore it. You can cover it with tape. You can pretend like everything is okay. But it is not to your advantage to ignore the blinking light on the dashboard of your car. If you do something about it now, it could save you a small fortune later, a lot of stress down the road.
And in our lives, God has what we’ll call an “Early Warning System.” He has these blinking lights that begin to show up on the dashboard of our lives to get our attention, to help us realize some areas that need some help. And when those lights come on, when God sends us His warning signals, it is an invitation to us to take action, to get some help, to spiritually wake up, to make some changes. Yet a lot of us cover it with electric tape.
Maybe…maybe right now in your life there are some early warning signals. There are some blinking lights that are flashing, some areas—maybe a marriage, maybe in your family, maybe your spiritual life—where God is trying to get your attention. So in this series we’re going to talk about God’s Early Warning Systems. God tries to draw our attention to areas of our life that we need to ask for His help (in) or we need to make some changes.
We are not given these warnings from an angry judge but rather from a loving father. God gives us warnings in our lives because He wants what is best for us. So these warnings that we’re going to be talking about…these are not the bad news of Scripture. This is good news that God warns us because He cares about us.
There are many examples in the Old Testament where God is giving his people warning signs – their “blinking light”. In 2 Chronicles 36:15a we read) “The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them…”.
Then we see His motivation. It says in 15b, “for he had compassion on his people…”.” So it’s out of God’s love for us that He warns us, that He activates His warning system and gives us these blinking lights. That if we pay attention to them, if we look at the dashboard of our life and we see these areas that need attention, it can save us all kinds of heartache and all kinds of stress later down the road.
Most of us know the story of Abel and Cain (if not see Genesis 4:2-4:16) – the sons of Adam and Eve. Short version – The brothers each bring a sacrifice to God. Abel’s is acceptable to God but Cain’s isn’t. Instead of seeking what God wanted he developed an “attitude”. God warns him! “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:6-7
But Cain doesn’t see this as a warning. He takes a piece of tape; he covers the blinking light. He moves ahead and does what he wants to do. And…and everything just comes crashing down around Cain.
Now this is a story that we’ve become fairly familiar with. We could all probably point to examples in our own life or of other people who have been warned by God, people who have been given opportunity after opportunity to listen to God and to do things God’s way but they don’t do it. For whatever reason, the blinking light…they just ignore it. They go at it their own way.
It’s not to hard to look back and see blinking lights we ignored in our past. We can see them in hindsight where God was trying to get our attention. But sometimes it is hard to see it when we really need…really need the warning.
But let’s look on the dashboard of our lives now. Let’s think about where we are right now and just ask the question, “Is it possible that God is trying to get our attention?” Is it possible that he is calling us to change, that He is wanting us to wake up and He wants us to do it now so that down the road we can be saved all kinds of heartache, and our families, our spiritual life can be saved devastation?
So are there some warning signs in your life? Is God trying to get your attention? Let’s look at just a few of the ways God warns us, some of the blinking lights that will show up. Here is one of the blinking lights that you can expect. God will send you His Word at just the right time. That’s when He speaks to Cain—when sin is crouching outside his door. There is a supernatural power of the Bible to speak into your life at just the right time when you most desperately need to hear it if you’ll have ears to hear. It is the supernatural power of the Word of God.
In order to see this light, we need to be reading His Word; we need to be praying daily, “God, speak into my life with the truth of your Word.” As we do that, we’ll have a better awareness of His warnings and of His guidance in our lives.
Often God uses sermons and lessons like this one as blinking lights. Over the years that I have been teaching, I’ve gotten feedback from people that will say that the lesson that God had given us for a Sunday was for them – some of you in this room and others from our internet ministry. Anybody thinks this was by chance? That I personally knew what was going on? Certainly not – God had a message for us! Is it possible that God is trying to get our attention, that there is a light that is blinking on your dashboard that you need to pay attention to? He will speak into your life at just the right time. But we have to listen.
Another blinking light that God will sometimes send our way is the examples of others who go before us. Whenever Cain’s name is mentioned in the New Testament, it is always used as a bad example. In other words, in the New Testament Cain becomes the blinking light. The New Testament writers point to Cain and say to the rest of us, “Look, be careful. Be careful of following the path that Cain was on because if you do, here is what will happen to you.” First John 3:12 says, “We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother.” Jude 11, “What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain…”
We have other examples as well—people who are, for us, an example of what will happen if we continue down the path we’re on. There is something about seeing someone else experience the consequences of the decisions we are now making. We see that they made the same decisions we’re now making and here is what happened to them, and it’s an opportunity for God to get our attention.
Mistakes others around us make can serve as a warning to you: “Look, if you keep going down this path, if you keep going in the direction you’re going, you’re going to end up in the same place.” So God will sometimes speak to us…He will sometimes warn us through the life of someone else.
Here is another blinking light that God will use: He will use the words of someone in your life. Now here is the thing. You may not know this, but most people know…like friends and family…they know about your blinking lights. Now, they may not know about their own, but they know about yours. And when you’re not around, your friends and family will talk about the blinking lights on your dashboard. Do you know that? Every once in awhile…not very often… you’ll have one of them who will come to you and say, “Your check engine light is on, and you probably ought to give that some attention.” Now when someone comes to you and points out a blinking light in your life, your response, like most, is to become defensive. “You see my dashboard…? You ought to see your dashboard! My light is blinking; but you motor is “knocking”. Why don’t you change your oil, pal?” So we quickly become defensive … But maybe that is the voice of God in your life. The Bible says in Proverbs 27:6 that “wounds from a friend can be trusted.” Maybe you have a friend who comes to you and says, “I don’t want to overstep here but it seems to me that your drinking has become more and more of a problem. Look, I don’t want to make you upset but I’ve got some real concerns about your teenage son, and I know this is awkward but I feel like I need to talk to you about it.” The tendency is to be defensive, but maybe this is God’s warning system and He has sent someone into your life. Maybe it’s a pastor, or a parent, or a teacher, or a neighbor, or maybe it’s a child or a stranger. They come and they say something to you, and if you’ll have ears to hear you’ll realize this isn’t…this isn’t them speaking. God is saying something to me.
Another blinking light for us is sometimes a sample of future consequences. Here is what God will do. He’ll give us a taste of what the consequences will be if we continue down the path that we’re on. So what He’ll do is He will allow a fender bender to prevent us from a train wreck down the road. Maybe that is where some of you are.
Another blinking light is the supernatural leading from God. We don’t always call it a supernatural leading. We sometimes call it a coincidence. We sometimes call it, you know, chance, luck, or maybe even indigestion. (I personally do not believe in luck or chance for a Christian) We just kind of dismiss it. But it is very likely that God speaks to us more than we realize. But we just don’t see it. Sometimes we can see it and we go like ---, “How can you not see it? God is trying to get your attention here! How can you not see it? How can you think that is just chance?” But we can dismiss it. And I know I can do it too.
So today let’s just look at some of the lights that may be blinking on the dashboards of our lives. One of the biggest reasons we miss God’s voice in our lives…one of the biggest reasons we miss those blinking lights is because we’re going so fast. I didn’t even see the light. You need to slow down. So hit the brakes a little bit. Slow down a little bit more now.
We have been talking about blinking lights on the dashboard but let’s switch for a moment to a road sign. It is a sign put up by Jesus: It’s a U-turn sign. It says, “Look, today is the day. Now is the time. It doesn’t have to be this way.” God says turn around, “It’s not too late. You can still do the right thing.” The reason it is not too late is because Jesus has paid your price. He has died on the cross for your sins. So He specializes in coming onto the scenes of wrecks and putting the pieces back together if you’ll just turn things over to Him. So there is a light that is flashing on your dashboard. What are you going to do? Ignore it? Put it off? Cover it with a piece of tape? Or will you listen to God’s loving voice in your life warning you to take action?
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