Thursday, March 29, 2012

Where Do Your Blessings Come From

Difficult times can be the source of blessing.



Blessings - Laura Story 

We usually pray for the difficult times to go away, none of us like for anything to be tough, but what if those difficulties are the very thing that God is using to send blessings your way?

Don't feel bad if you have prayed for those difficulties to get lost, your in good company, even Jesus prayed for a better way. He didn't want the pain of the beatings and the cross and he prayed in so much agony over the hard times that he would endure, "let it pass" he said to God the Father.

Thankfully God didn't take Jesus away from the suffering, it is difficult to see a greater good coming out of the pain when we are in the midst of it, but just like it did in Jesus case to a lesser degree there is also good coming from the bad in our lives as well.  

We cry out to God to "let it pass" but so often he doesn't, isn't he interested in my well being? Yes he is, but sometimes the best for us is to go through the suffering and keep our eyes on God and what he wants us to learn in the difficult times.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Praying For Real

Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives.


Luke 22:39-46 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.

40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. 45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.

46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

Jesus and his disciples had just finished the Passover meal, they left Jerusalem and went to the Mount of Olives, it was a familiar place that they have been to many times. Matthew and Mark tells that they went to the Garden of Gethsemane which was at the foot of the mount. (Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32)

Jesus knows why he is there, Jesus is there to do some serious praying and he tells the disciples to do the same. Jesus steps away from the disciples and gets alone with God, he needs to talk to the "Father" about what is coming up very soon. Did you notice the closeness of their relationship in the use of the word Father?

Jesus didn't pray a lofty prayer or a prayer that hides what we are going through, his humanity is really showing in the agony of his prayer, he doesn't want to go through suffering but he wanted to be obedient to God's will. Jesus shows us that we are perfectly normal when we approach fear with distress and he had the same desire to avoid suffering that we have.

Jesus was willing to obey his father, to be human and to accept the undeserved suffering and death. Jesus prayed to his father with great honesty, he didn't hold back, all of his humanity shows up in this scene just before his trial and crucifixion.

Hebrews 4:15-16 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

When trials come and it seems like evil is all around, I need to remember that Jesus understands my weaknesses and he wants me to come to him in honesty so that I may receive comfort and grace.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

All Because Of The Cross

Nothing but the blood of Jesus can heal our disease.



All Because Of The Cross - Paul Baloche

What can wash a- way my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus

For my pardon this I see, nothing but the blood of Jesus
For my cleansing this my plea, nothing but the blood of Jesus

All because of the cross we are white as snow
All be- cause of what You've done
There's a cleansing flow for all who come
Lord, we come

This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus
This is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus

All because of the cross we are white as snow
All be- cause of what You've done there's a cleansing flow
All because of the cross we are white as snow
All be- cause of what You've done
There's a cleansing flow for all who come

Lord, we come
Lord, we come
Lord, we come

Oh, the blood of Je- sus;
Oh, the blood of Je- sus
[Repeat]
Oh, the blood of Je- sus
Oh, the blood of Je- sus
On the cross, our sin erased
In Your death, our life was raised
On the cross, our sin erased
In Your death, our life was raised

All because of what You've done,
 There's a cleansing flow for all who come"

This Easter don't forget the sacrifice that was made to bring forgiveness to us all. That brutal rugged blood stained cross made me white as snow, I dare not forget the high price that was paid for my soul.

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Begining Of A New Covenant

Jesus shares the Lord's Supper with his disciples.


Luke 22:13-20 They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

14 When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.

15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. 16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

17 Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”

19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”

20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Jesus gave his disciples very detailed instructions on where the Passover meal would be served, the instructions remind us of the instructions that he gave the disciples when he sent them to get the donkey that he would ride into Jerusalem. (Compare Luke 22:9-12 with Luke 19:30-34) The details of these two passages help to remind us that God is in control of everything, Jesus' crucifixion didn't catch either of them by surprise. The disciples found that all of the details were just as Jesus had said, even the man carrying the water pot, which would be a strange sight to see a man doing "woman's work."

It is now Thursday of Passion Week, the day that the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it is the day that the Passover Lambs are prepared and this evening the Passover meal would begin at sundown.

Jesus institutes a new memorial meal. The first one was Passover, a memorial of the deliverance of God's chosen people from Egypt, this new memorial meal that we call The Lord's Supper is in anticipation of the permanent deliverance that would take place very soon. (Exodus 12:1-20)

The unleavened bread of the Passover would now represent Jesus body that was broken on the cross. Each time we break the bread, may we always remember how broken his body was, each time we drink the juice, may we remember that we was covered with blood from the whip that tore his flesh.

Broken For Me

Hebrews 10:10-13 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
The broken bread and the juice serve as a reminder of the new relationship between God and man that was started as a result of Jesus sacrifice for all of our sins, a sacrifice that was good for all time, it would never have to be made again.

I need to be careful when I take part in the Lord's supper that I take time to realize the gruesome treatment that he endured for me.

Thank you Lord for your Son that made the ultimate sacrifice for me.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Be Ready For Jesus Return

We don't know when so we need to be ready continuously for the return of our Savior.


Matthew 24:42-46 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.

Matthew 25:1-6 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’

Matthew 25:14-15 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

Given the seriousness of the events that will take place in the end times, Jesus makes it very clear to his disciples that they need to be ready. (Signs and Wonders of The Antichrist and The Great Tribulation) Jesus tells them that things are going to go crazy in this world and that we need to keep alert and be ready at all times. As Jesus so often did, he told them some parables to illustrate his point, he wanted there to be no confusion about something so serious.

The parable of the wicked servant (Matthew 24:45-51)

The wicked servant may have started out okay but when the master delays there is the temptation to be selfish, lazy, disobedient or immoral. It is a very natural reaction, our carnal nature takes charge, it's like your parents telling you not to do a certain thing while they are away from the house, you may think you can get away with it, but there is always a chance that they will arrive home early.

Jesus had already scolded the leaders in the previous chapter for mistreating the people that were under their care. (Matthew 23:1-36) God gave them their position as leaders in the church and they should perform their service with an eye toward the fact that Jesus may return at any moment.

The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

I never really understood this parable before studying it today, I didn't realize that a wedding procession in Palestinian from the bride's home to the groom's house usually took place at night, the bridesmaids are outside the bride's home waiting for the groom to get there to escort her to his home.
In traditional Palestinian weddings, messengers may repeatedly announce the bridegroom's coming, yet it can be delayed for hours. Delays occur while the bride's relatives haggle over the value of presents given them, emphasizing the bride's great value and thus the wisdom of the groom's selection .
- Inter Varsity Press Commentary
This parable tells of the tragedy of experiencing the second coming of Christ unprepared. It didn't matter that the virgins fell asleep the tragedy was in the fact that they knew about delays yet they didn't prepare for them and they needed to go get ready after the groom came, it's too late.

Both of these parables refer to the delay of Christ's coming and warn us that we must beware that the long wait for the return of Jesus does not lead to apathy and carelessness.

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

Christians are required to be active. How can you be a Christ follower if you are sitting in a recliner all of the time? Christians who refuse to use the gifts and the money that God has given them to use for his work will encounter harsh judgment when Christ returns. We have the opportunity to invest our time and money in ways that will help to multiply the kingdom.

Don't be discouraged by the delay.

2 Peter 3: 8,10,14 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
Think about how surprised the people outside of the ark were when water started pouring down from the sky, they thought that they could go on ignoring God but the day of judgment came and caught them off guard. Nobody expects a thief to break-in, we take safeguards against, we prepare our homes because we know that it will be a big surprise when he comes in.

Jesus is on the way, don't worry about the delay, the delay gives more people the opportunity to prepare for his coming.

I want to be ready constantly, Lord help me to be found faithful to the end.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Signs And Wonders

Jesus warned us that we better be ready for his return.


Luke 21:7-12, 27-28 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”

8 He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. 9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.”

10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. 12 But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution."

27 "Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

Who can explain the desire to know what will happen tomorrow? Maybe it is our desire to be in control that drives some people to go to great lengths to find out what the future holds. The disciples were fascinated with the future, you couldn't hardly blame them, after-all they were promised a better day, they were promised restoration and healing, they were expecting the Messiah. They believed that Jesus is the Messiah but they were confused about the timing, they thought that his reign was about to start.

There is a better day coming for God's children but it isn't going to begin very soon, the disciples were expecting the Messiah and the awesome changes that he would bring, they hoped that now is the time for it all to begin. Instead of giving them a timetable, which would cause many to become slack or discouraged, he gives them the warning signs and gives us a caution about the events that will take place.
Some of the signs of the times:
False Christs, Matthew 24:5, Luke 21:8
Wars, Matthew 24:6, Luke 21:9-10
Famines, Matthew 24:7, Luke 21:11
Earthquakes and fearful sights, Matthew 24:7, Luke 21:11
Persecution, Matthew 24:9,  Luke 21:12-19
Betrayal, Matthew 24:10, Luke 21:16
  False Prophets, Matthew 24:11
  Lawlessness, Matthew 24:12
  Loveless, Matthew 24:12
  Gospel preached to every nation, Matthew 24:14
  Armies surrounding Jerusalem, Luke 21:20-22
  Miraculous signs in nature, Luke 21:25
If you think that this world is a crazy place now, you haven't seen anything, the antichrist will make the worse of our savage governments look tame, the most brutal men in history will he seen as nothing compared to him. There have been a lot of people that have claimed to be Jesus and this will increase in the end times as will false prophets, people will look for answers and out of desperation they will believe the deceivers.

Even today we look for signs and wonders, people try and interpret every disaster that makes the evening news as a sign that his return is imminent, it is difficult to not think about it. After all this world is not our home, for those of us that have become followers of Christ, we are anxious to get to a better place that he has prepared for us.

Hebrews 11:16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

God has performed "signs and wonders" ever since creation. We are still exploring new things that he created in our world and in the galaxies that surround us. He made the sun stand still, a donkey talk, fortress walls fall down at Jericho with nothing but worship as a weapon. Is God guilty of hiding out and not proving himself to us? (Psalm 77:10-20, 78:1-4, Job 38:1-41)

Jesus performed "signs and wonders" cast out demons, healed, raised the dead, he even rose from the dead himself, but did everyone believe in Him? Actually they asked him for more signs! (Matthew 12:38, 16:1, 24:3)

The apostles did many "signs and wonders" to prove that they had received power from God through their faith in Jesus. (Acts 2:43, 5:12, Romans 15:18-19, 2 Corinthians 12:12) Still not enough signs and wonders for some people.

Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Instead of looking for "signs and wonders" we need to be found faithful, God is most pleased with those that believe without a sign, that's the true test of faith. He wants us to be ready at all times (Matthew 24:44) doing what is important, serving him, seeking to be righteous and serving others so that they will see God's love through us. (Matthew 5:13-16, Titus 2:12-14)

Thank you Lord for proving your existence, your love and most of all your forgiveness. 
Related articles

Saturday, March 10, 2012

True Repentance Is A Matter Of The Heart

God tells us to stop playing around and get real.


Joel 2:12-14 That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.”

Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. 14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before.

In today's world, it is difficult to imagine that it is impossible to tolerate something, we have been told that truth isn't rock solid so therefore we can't possibly know what is right and wrong. The result of that kind of logic is that you have to tolerate everything, you get to decide what is right and wrong for yourself but don't impose your thinking on anybody else.

My God isn't tolerant, he is patient, merciful and forgiving, but he isn't going to allow me to live how I want to live for very long. In the tolerant society we live in, it is hard to understand that he cannot tolerate our sin, holy God cannot do it. He isn't going to tolerate fake repentance either, God doesn't want me to go through the religious motions and check off all of the boxes on my religious to do list, he wants a true change of heart.
Signs of a renewed heart
✔ Loves the Bible - Psalm 119:162
✔ Confident hope - Ephesians 1:18-19
✔ Desire for holiness - Colossians 3:1-2
✔ Desire to seek God - Psalm 119:10
✔ Encouraged - Psalm 73:26
✔ Joyful - Psalm 4:7
The prophet Joel told the people of Israel that God is reaching out to us to save us from judgement, God said "Give me your heart." basically he said "make a u-turn and come back."

If we are truly his children then there was a time when we knew with all of our heart just how disgusting and filthy we are, we knew that we needed a heart cleaner, and at the moment that we ask God to come into our hearts he starts the cleaning process.

Sometimes we walk away from the cleaning, that's okay, if we are truly repentant for doing so, God says that we can come back without fear. He is anxious to take us back and keep working on us, the prophet says in today's scripture that he is "eager to relent" he would prefer to shower us with love and mercy but he will not tolerate our arrogance and rebellion forever.

My God says that I need to be patient, merciful and forgiving but he doesn't give me the luxury of tolerating wrong, not even in my own life. This Easter season, I need to choose to receive a blessing instead of a curse from God, I need to examine my heart daily and be sure that is has the signs of a heart that has been renewed.

Thank you Lord for your patience and mercy, thank you for going to the cross and healing that nasty wound called sin, making a way for me to be your child. I want to live for you every day.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Destruction Of The Temple - The End Of Judaism?

Our relationship with God is totally changed by Jesus sacrifice.


Luke 21:5-9 Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, 6 “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?” 8 He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. 9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.”

On his last day of public ministry, Jesus is leaving the temple with his disciples when they begin to talk about the magnificent building that was the second temple. The first temple was destroyed by the Babylonians when the Israelites were taken into captivity, the temple was rebuilt to a lesser degree (Ezra 3:12) after it was authorized by Cyrus the Great, this temple came to be known as Herod's temple after he renovated it and made it into the spectacular sight that the disciples marveled at.

Jesus breaks into their conversation and tells them that the temple, as massive as it is, will be completely demolished. The disciples must have stood there in shock, this building was constructed from stones that were huge, Jesus told them about the events that would occur in 70 AD, political unrest would lead to an uprising that would trigger the destruction of the temple.

One of the ways that Jesus proves himself is through prophecy, he has given two in my recent studies the first of his crucifixion and the other is the prophecy of the destruction of the temple. They may not have liked the fact that a Gentile had built up the temple, but at least they had a temple, what sorrow they must have felt to think that they wouldn't have a temple again.

Did God bring the destruction of his temple on purpose to tell us something?

The temple was destroyed:

✔ Justly - because of the sins of the Jews
✔ Mercifully - to take away from them the occasion of continuing in Judaism
✔ Mysteriously - to show that the ancient sacrifices were abolished, and that the whole Jewish economy was brought to an end, and the Christian dispensation introduced.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
The temple was destroyed because of Israel's many sins, including defiling the temple, remember just after Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey he did a partial cleansing of the temple before he began teaching there.

The disciples didn't realize that they were not going to need this temple anymore, soon there wouldn't be a need to practice Judaism any longer. There wasn't any reason to keep this building around, soon Jesus would enter the "more perfect Tabernacle in heaven" the "Most Holy Place" (Hebrews 9:11-12, 24) and while he is there he would offer the final sacrifice for sin. (Hebrews 10:1-18)

There is a new temple

Ephesians 2:19-22 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
Even if the building was still standing that building was defiled and the glory of the Lord would probably not be there. Jesus is the cornerstone for a new temple, a temple where Jews and Gentiles have equal access, we are all a part of God's family and we are all a part of his temple.

The old temple is gone, our bodies are now God's temple and his spirit lives in us, we are a royal priest hood, I don't need to go down to a temple building and ask another sinner to make an imperfect sacrifice for me. What I need to do is live to please God so that his Spirit will have a holy dwelling place. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Peter 2:5, Hebrews 7:26-28)

Thank you Lord for coming to live in me! I want to live each day to please you and present you a holy temple. (Galatians 2:19-20, Titus 2:12-14)