Sunday, April 24, 2011

A Weekend of Shock



Mark 16.1-7

John 20.1-29


To call what the followers of Jesus went through in between Palm Sunday and the Resurrection an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement. There were layers of emotions.

These men had literally left everything to follow the LORD: families, homes, jobs, businesses, friends. On Palm Sunday, just days before the Passover Feast, Jesus rode into Jerusalem, allowing for the first time in public the crowds to proclaim Him King, Israel's Messiah.

The Passover Feasts in that first century were fraught with emotion. To celebrate it in Israel, especially in Jerusalem dealt various emotions to the Jewish worshipper. Roman soldiers were everywhere. Its forces were beefed up for these feasts. They celebrated a feast that focused on their Exodus from Egypt while under Roman occupation. It was bittersweet. They celebrated freedom from one country while under the thumb of another.

For the disciples Palm Sunday changed much of that; at least that is what the followers of Jesus were thinking. Any day they expected Jesus of Nazareth to stand up to Roman Forces and with the help of the Zealots push them out of the land given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was a weekend of shock.

1. Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14.32-50
In the minds of the disciples this was the last thing they expected. They were delirious with joy from Palm Sunday. They had watched Jesus take authority over the temple on Monday and win debate after debate on Tuesday. Over the previous three and half years they had watched Him walk away from the opposition (because His hour had not yet come). They saw His power to command the wind and the waves but now He was seized and they all fled. In their minds Jesus should have overpowered them and that was not happening. They were in shock.

As we follow the LORD some things cross our paths that shock us. When we see someone who we thought was a solid believer fall into deep sin or depart from the faith, or become lukewarm it is shocking. When someone lies to us we are shocked. We are shocked when someone we thought had integrity steals. We need to guard our own hearts, keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus and pray that we do not fall into temptation.

Peter followed at a distance, after Jesus was arrested, to see what would happen. Perhaps He would overpower them after all. But He didn't.

2. Jesus was Crucified. Mark 15.25

They crucified Him.
This was so shocking to hear speak of this beforehand. We are told in Matthew 16.22-23 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. "Never, LORD!" he said. "This will never happen to You!" Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get behind Me, Satan!" Rebuking the LORD- imagine that?!

Then it happened Jesus was crucified. How could this be? They were all in shock.

The LORD does whatever He pleases. There are times when His actions catch us by surprise. I was speaking to Dr. Mucci a few weeks ago about Divine Healing. I said, "I am surprised sometime when God heals someone." He responded, "I am surprised every time!" He wasn't speaking about the lack of faith but the wonder of God's work.
We are told how to live but He is Sovereign. He is not obligated to do what we think He will do or what we think he should do. He does what He says He will do, but His thought are not our thoughts and His ways not our ways. They are beyond our finding out. Listen to what He says in His Word.
After He died...

3. Jesus was buried. I Corinthians 15.3-4
Burial in Israel in the First Century was for the rich in tombs hewn out of solid rock. Isaiah 53.9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in His death. Joseph of Arimethea loaned the LORD his tomb. Cemeteries are difficult places to go to. Funerals often have an element of shock, even when a person has lived a long life. We were talking recently about how we miss Katharina who went to be with the LORD at Christmas and we still expect to see her. come into the church.
There was no funeral for Jesus. He died and He was placed in the tomb. The emotions of the disciples are captured on the Road to Emmaus: Luke 24.21 "...we had hoped that He was going to be the One Who was going to redeem Israel..." The loss of hope is often found at a funeral or cemetery insomuch as the person has died and we are without them but for the followers of Jesus Christ, because of the Resurrection of our LORD, while there is grief, we do not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope because...

4. Jesus Rose From The Dead! John 20.18-20
This was the ultimate shock for those on that first Easter Sunday. They had forgotten His Word. Luke 24.1-8 v.8 then they remembered His Words of v.7 We get into all kinds of trouble when we forget His Word. By that First Day of the week they had lost hope. They were not looking for Jesus to rise. The women went to anoint His body with spices they had prepared. The disciples were hiding away for the fear they still might be arrested. The city that had proclaimed Him, "Messiah" ended up crucifying Him outside its walls. But He rose from the dead!

Don't forget His Word! He does what He says. He restores hope. He restores souls.

A weekend of shock turned into a weekend of joy-v.20

He has Risen!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Giving To God What Is God's


Luke 19. 28-48, 20.20-26


There is a thread of events that all take place in the temple precincts beginning with what we celebrate today- Palm Sunday: Jesus'm Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem beginning what we call Holy Week.


As we walk with Jesus this week private daily quiet times will be blessed in special ways. It is a week for drawing near to Him. Holy Week is the most covered week in the Bible. There is more detail about the days in between Palm Sunday through the Day Jesus rose from the grave than the account of creation in Genesis. In fact each individual Gospel contains more detail than it! Put all four gospels together as we have been doing the past 6 weeks and there is an enormous amount of scripture describing the events and words of Jesus this particular week. The eevent of His death and resurrection are at the end of it but are beginnings themselves. Let's meet together at the times we have scheduled throughout the week as a church family.


This chapter 19 in Luke's Gospel has a lot to do with money. 1 out of 7 verses in the Gospels deal with our relationship to it. Matthew records Jesus saying that either you will serve God or money. You cannot serve both. We have no money and still serve it!

Luke 19. 1-10 Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector

vs. 11-27 Mina=3 months wages

vs.45-47 Selling & the money changers driven out

The day after Jesus cleansed the temple of the misuse of money He was confronted with yet another money issue - that of paying taxes (to Caesar) 20.20-26


Let's look at the Palm Sunday Triumphal Entrance and the Cleansing of the Temple.


JESUS CAME INTO JERUSALEM AND ENTERED THE TEMPLE AREA vs.28-48

Ancient Prophecies were being fulfilled.

He is the Master of Love.

He knew this was God's Will.

He knew Jerusalem would not be His final work.


Only two times is it recorded that Jesus wept. Once in John 11 at the tomb of Lazarus and here over Jerusalem (vs. 41-44). We see Jesus's heart for the city.

God's heart for cities are shown in in Jonah 4.11 Ninevah had more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right and from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city? God loves the cities.


Jerusalem, O Jerusalem

The temple was there. His Father's House was to be a house of prayer for all nations. When Jesus saw the merchandising, the making of money off the poor pilgrims, how they took over the Court of the Gentiles with this nonsense, He got red hot angry and drove them out.


God help us today. The church will be robbers if it falls into this trap of trying to fill its coffers with money. How many churches are trying to survive today by all kinds of fund raising and pushing prayer, prayer for all nations out. We are to be a House of Prayer. Pity those churches which have resorted to all kinds of ways of raising money and do not have time or place for prayer.


About Prayer... For some reason the LORD has entrusted us to pray here. We have been given an extraordinary number of requests from all over. We have not sought this in the least. Our prayer list is overwhelming. It has become too big for many of us to pray over it in its entirety. Let the LORD draw your heart to certain ones and pray for them. He will direct you and I believe everyone will be prayed for.


Back to this cleansing- making money, profitting off helpless people- sin pushed prayer out and made it a den of robbers. Don't let anything push prayer out of your heart or out of the church.


Give to God what is God's! Prayer. The tithe is the LORD's! We are to Love/serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Our times are in His Hands. We need to Him to teach us to number our days so we will gain a heart of wisdom. Be a temple of prayer!

Be a good citizen of this country/ legal resident- pay your taxes.

Be a good citizen of heaven:

Lay up treasure there.

Pray to God in heaven.

Remember that is where we are headed!


Hosanna!

He Has Come.

He Has Died and Rose Again.

He ascended into heaven.

He is coming again!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

For Our Good

John 16.1-11
You are filled with grief because I have said these things.

It is for your good that I am going away.- Jesus Christ
We think that just the pleasant things in life are for our good. Most people do not see the value in rain. We complain about it- act as if it has no value at all. I lived in a place for 3 years which had little rain. It was as dry as a bone most of the time. We had to soak what little lawn we had every other day to keep it alive. One summer we got a plague of grasshoppers. They were everywhere. They jumped on you when you walked. It was hard to grow anything in that semi arid climate. I am sure people had them but I do not remember many vegetable gardens. That is what would happen here without rain. Tristan, my grandson, and I were in Target on the rainy day we had on Tuesday. I heard the complaints so I countered with a little jingle I made up called "Don't Complain About the Rain". This guy I see there often yelled out to me, "Did you order this weather?" I answered, "No! The LORD sent it! If we didn't have ti we would turn our Island into a desert!" This other guy was walking by and shouted out, "Amen Brother!" We resist change but change can and often does bring good for us. With cell phones I was able to meet a friend in a cemetery on Monday. His brother, my friend, died 38 years ago at the young age of 17 on April 4, 1973. With Facebook and cell phones I was able to meet him at Pinelawn. Take that walk we read about this week in John 15-16 from the Upper Room to the Temple Courts. Jesus continued the conversation after communion about "His going away". The disciples initially saw nothing good in that. They viewed it from a totally negative perception. We often need Christ to correct our wrong thinking. He explained things to them. He said, "It is for your good that I am going away." Good= advantage, to bring together- at the same time (it united them). to carry with others, to collect or contribute in order to help- Gifts to Japan/ Gifts of the Holy Spirit, to be profitable, expedient. The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ ushered in the Age of Spirit which we are now in. Jesus was confined to a human body while here on earth but today the Spirit is working all over the world! He was with them. Soon He was to be in them. 1. The Things That Appear and Sound Sad and Even Fill Us With Grief Can Be For Our Good. vs.6-7 Wait for the LORD. Psalm 27.14 Don't tell people this - pray for them to discover it. Speaking the truth in love means if you can't do it with compassion and understanding you are better off keeping your mouth shut. Jesus going away seemed like the worst news the disciples could imagine. Like Nathaniel asked about Jesus, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth? he might have been thinking "Can anything good come out of this for us?" We face the trials life brings asking these questions. The LORD tells us to wait. Remember what He said through Moses when they thought Pharaoh would overtake them at the Red Sea? "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today." Exodus 14.13 Wait. Stand firm. God will act. What gets us to pray more- the blessings or the difficulties? 2. Our Grief, When We Are In Christ, Will Turn To Joy. v.20 * This is the way of repentance- the way of life in Christ. Tear then joy. If not immediately then ultimately. Christ Jesus is the great Shepherd of the Sheep and the Comforter of Human Hearts. *In Jesus even death is swallowed up in victory! The 500 hundred Christians who will give up their lives today for the faith, our brothers and sisters, around the world, like our LORD, those who kill them will think that they put an end to their lives when in reality at the moment after death they will be filled with joy unspeakable and the church on earth will be strengthened. * As we mature in Christ we realize our sorrows here are but a stepping stone to a deepening of our faith. Fruit like patience is born in adversity and developed through difficulty. The most patient people are those who have suffered the most and allowed God to do the work He desires in their hearts. 3. A Word About Heaven - II Corinthians 12.3-4 While we know some things about heaven, there are other things that remain a mystery- not able to even be talked about. It is too wonderful to fully describe! We do know that "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (II Corinthians 4.17). We know our troubles, pain, suffering, sorrow, tears, death will be done away with. In heaven we will know fully. We will understand that many things we have grieved over have ended up working for our good. What we presently look at as disadvantaged we will find out actually was not that at all.
We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Heaven- The Place Jesus Is Preparing For Us


John 14.1-3

"I am going there to prepare a place for you."

- Jesus Christ


A cure for a troubled heart, when bad and upsetting news is received, is to focus on Jesus and His Promises about Heaven, the place He is preparing for us. The Blessed Hope of every believer is not problem free living here on earth. Jesus told us that in this world we are going to have trouble. The Blessed Hope of every believer is the Return of Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him.


Many need to have the promise of heaven stirred with their souls again! If you are overwhelmed with sorrow, if trouble is your hearts today, if you have lost your peace then these words of Jesus are what you need to dwell on, feed on and hide within your heart.


We can get so practical and have everything in our spiritual lives so explained with pat answers that we no longer feel the need for heaven. The truth is there needs to be some mystery and intrigue and unexplainables in our faith to keep it fired. We ought to be excited about finishing well here, hitting that finish line and getting to go to be with the LORD!


The scripture tells us that after Jesus revealed that one of them would be tray Him- one of the Twelve and that Peter would deny knowing Him three times before the rooster crowed and later all would fall away (Mark 14.27) He gave them these words about heaven.


1. Jesus is preparing a place for His followers.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.


He is making that city, the New Jerusalem, ready for His Bride.

Revelation 21.1-5, 22-27

He is with us through His Spirit now. He is seeing that the road is passable. The enemy is seeking to throw rood blocks up as we journey to heaven.

Pot holes which are pits: Despair, Doubt, Depression, Difficulty, Disobedience.

The LORD wants us to keep our eyes on Him and our hearts set on heaven.

He clears the way. He has blazed the trail. He has given us safe passage and is with us as we journey.

Over and over again in His Word He speaks to us about this place- the City of God.


2. He is Already There.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

Acts 1.4-11 He ascended- went back into heaven.

Those believers who depart from this life go to be with the LORD, which is better by far. (Philippians 1.23)

Jesus was taken back to heaven. His journey on earth ended. He is with the Father.

This was in His Heart while He was here on earth:

Luke 12.50 I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed.

Hebrews 5.7 During the days of Jesus' life here in earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.

When we get to heaven there will be no more death, sorrow, pain or tears.


3. Soon and Very Soon We are Going to See the KING!

I will come again

Revelation 22.7 I am coming soon

He is coming from heaven to earth to catch His Bride away. He is coming to gather His children back home to bring His family together.

Every eye will see Him Revelation 1.7

He will appear publicly Titus 2.12-14

This will be the renewal of all things. Matthew 19.28


When We All Get to Heaven

We Will be like Him I John 2.1-2