Monday, April 30, 2012

Who Is Your Father, Do You Look Like Him?

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 14:6-11 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

John 8:39-41 “Our father is Abraham!” they declared. “No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. 40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father.”

Who do you look like? Do you take after one or maybe a little bit of both of your parents? You probably grew up hearing that you look more like one them. It is very normal for you to look a lot like your earthly family but do you look very much like your spiritual family?

Jesus talked a lot about his Father, in today's scripture he tells his disciples that he looks so much like his father that it is easy to know who his Father is and what his personality is like just by looking at the Son. (John 1:18, 10:30)

Imagine spending almost everyday with Jesus for three years and getting a continuous flow of revelation from Jesus about who he is and about what God the Father is like. Jesus talked about the Father and he showed us what the Father looks like. How could Philip miss it and ask Jesus to show them the Father? Maybe Philip wanted some sort of revelation of God like Moses had. (Exodus 33:18-20, 24:10)

Jesus talks about his Father:


✔   Creator (Mark 10:6, 13:19)
✔   All Knowing (Matthew 6:8-18, 10:29-30, Luke 16:15)
✔   All Powerful ( Matthew 19:26)
✔   Worthy of Glory (Matthew 6:9, John 12:28, 14:13)
✔   Our Heavenly Father (Luke 6:35 11:9-13)
✔   Loving (John 3:16,  Luke 15:4-7)
✔   Merciful (Luke 6:36)
✔   Just ( Matthew 18:28-35, Mark 11:25)
I dig into God's word to help me see. I have seen the Father and I have seen his Son, they look a lot alike and if I am a child of God then the family resemblance should be easy to see in my life as well.

Jesus accused the religious leaders of looking like they are in a different family. The family that they look like has traits such as anger, jealousy, hate, gossiping, obscene stories and rude jokes. (Ephesians 5:3-7)

Children in God's family have certain traits that come out, traits like love, mercy, forgiveness, serving. The children of God live life in obedience to his teachings, they live with Jesus teachings in mind, teachings such as the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew chapters five through seven. (Matthew 5-8)

Luke 12:48 When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

As a child of God, there is a tremendous amount has been revealed to me about God the Father and God the Son, so much has been revealed that I should keep in mind what will be required of me, I need to be sure that I live like a child of God so that other people can see who my Father is. (Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 2:10)

Saturday, April 28, 2012

I'm Alive!

I wanted to thank you, thank you, thank you!



When I was locked inside my head
When I was lost in a maze of doubt
You called my name and woke me up
You called my name and let me out

And when I chased one more mirage
'til I was tired and parched again
You gave me one more cup to fill
And sent me one more desert rain

I was sure of all I knew
I knew the world was mine to claim
I had directions printed out
And then I hit a world of shame

Out there alone and left to die
Cut off from You, my sole supply
You shed your tears for me and then
You took my hand and raised me high

I'm alive, I'm on fire
And my spirit burns with desire
You set me alive
And with no way to hold it inside

I wanted to thank you, thank you, thank you!

What an amazing life we have in Christ, the lonely despair and shame that the devil wants us to live in has been taken away from us in exchange for peace, forgiveness and joy.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Do You Know The Way?

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Do you know how to get to God? How many roads lead to heaven?

All of the popular theories about how to get to heaven tries to run over the "one way" signs in the Bible so that man can decide for himself "which way" works for himself.

Religious people have been deceived into believing that there can be a different way to heaven, the various religions of the world ignore the one way that is the only logical way, the way that has been authenticated through scripture and the prophets. All of the man made theories in the world cannot hold up to the proven truths in God's word. 

Jesus shares three truths about himself in this verse today, he said that he is:

the way

John 8:23-24 Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

Acts 4:12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Jesus made the impossible become possible, he made the only way to heaven, if you think there is another way then you need to look at Jesus next attribute.

the truth

John 8:31-32  Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings.  32  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Jesus embodies all of the truth that we need to know about God, he is God's revelation to us, what more proof do we need of the existence of God and how much he loves us?

Our world is looking for real truth, the kind that isn't fickle, God is the source of all truth. Real truth is full of things that we cannot change, God's truth is reality and anything else that we make up that goes against his truth is a deception. The greatest danger is for us to make a different way to God other than "the way."

the life

John 5:25-26  "And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it's here now, when the dead will hear My voice--the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.  26  The Father has life in Himself, and He has granted that same life-giving power to His Son.

Jesus is the life giver, at the beginning of creation he was giving life (John 1:2-3) and through his death he gave me life for eternity in his presence.
I am the way, the truth, and the life. Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou should pursue; the truth which thou should believe; the life which thou should hope for
- Thomas a Kempis, “Imitation of Christ” 
Jesus claims about himself, if they are true, put him in a totally different league than any other religious leader. All of the other leaders made their own claims about themselves, none of them were authenticated by prophecy, none of them fulfilled a hundred different prophecies just by being born. None of them can say that they have been to heaven and that they are coming back to get their followers, so far their tombs are still full of bones.

Jesus is the only one that was God's son, that left the presence of God to spend thirty-three years on earth, returned to God to prepare a place for us and when it is ready he will come back and take us home.

Thank you Lord for absolute truth in this world that is so full of deception. Thank you for making a place for me in your presence where I will spend eternity.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Trust Jesus For Your Eternal Destiny

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 14:1-3 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me."

2 "There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?"

3 "When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am."

Jesus has been predicting his death to his disciples and with the end of his ministry coming to an end soon, he gives them some words of encouragement for the days of trouble that are just around the corner. Jesus wants to give them peace for today and security and hope for the difficult days to come.

Jesus tells them that if they are already trusting God then they should be able to trust in him as well. Trusting God shouldn't be all that difficult to do, just take a look at his record for keeping promises, the Bible is full of examples of God's promises fulfilled.

The fact that Jesus was here on earth was one of the promises that God made that came to pass. We have heard it said that Jesus coming the first time fulfilled hundreds of prophecies, did you know that there are more prophecies of the second coming than there were of the first? We have every reason to believe that the second coming of Jesus will happen just as the Bible said that it would.

Don't worry about your future.

2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.
The future is a scary thing for a lot of people, there is a sense inside of us that the physical life that we are a part of right now isn't all that there is. God knew that we would be anxious about our next minute, tomorrow and for our eternity.

I need to remember that the Bible is full of promises that I will be taken care of and that Jesus will return to take me home just as he promised. I need to live without fear of the future.

Thank you Lord for the promises that are in your word, the fulfillment of your promises thus far is proof that you will do what you have said that you will do. You are worthy of my trust for my eternal destination.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Learn How To Serve Like The Master

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.


John 13:1-5 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.

2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

John 13:12-17 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

Jesus entire life was an example of what love looks like, in today's scripture he has a limited time to teach his disciples before his death. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach his disciples to show them love in a very tangible way, once again showing them the kind of lifestyle they should live.

Foot washing was a hospitable act that a servant would do but at this meal we see the host doing the foot washing. Most of us wouldn't want to touch anybodies stinking feet but Jesus used the opportunity to show us a few things about serving others.

You say that you don't like to serve? Jesus love was what motivated him to serve maybe if you are not motivated to serve then you might have a problem loving people. Jesus loved us so much that he came into our world as a peasant and served us and gave it all for us despite the high position that he had. Jesus wasn't too good to serve so it seems pretty obvious that none of us are too good.

Let God's love show through you.

1 John 3:16,18 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
We are called to live a life of sacrifice and service, putting aside our old selfish man and following the example that we have been given. (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:5) It sounds like a difficult task, to live in opposition to our sin nature, we don't have to go it alone, the Holy Spirit will help us to become more like Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:5-9)

I need your help Lord to live a lifestyle that is pleasing to you, thank you for your willingness to show love.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Passion Fruit

Nail your old passions to the cross.


Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 5:22-25  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  23  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.  25  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

As gruesome as it is, the cross was a necessary destination, there are two people that needed to be crucified: Christ and my old self.

The crucifixion of Christ was necessary, not for his own benefit but for my benefit. Jesus gave me eternal life and he taught me the extreme nature of love.

The crucifixion of my old man is necessary to show my love for Christ. As a believer, I have the Holy Spirit living in me to guide me, I don't want to do the things that the old man "enjoys." The Holy Spirit gives me power to live differently, I no longer want to live the life that is described in Galatians 5:16-21, that kind of lifestyle will not get me into my eternal home. (Romans 8:6, Galatians 5:21)
 
When you nail your old passions to the cross you should become passionate for the things that bring him glory, the fruit of the spirit should be my "passion fruit." Check out the awesome flavors of the fruit that the Holy Spirit will produce in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The fruit will give away your spiritual condition.

Matthew 7:16-20 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.
Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
I cannot hide my spiritual condition for too long. The choices that I make will prove who I am and who is in control or my life. The Holy Spirit wants to produce good fruit in my life but he won't bully his way in to do it. The spirit wants to lead me but he will never push.

Help me to nail my natural man to the cross and give the Holy Spirit complete control so that I can produce the fruit that will please you Lord.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Easter Is Done, Now What?

How should you respond to the agony that Jesus went through?


2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.

He died for everyone so that we have all died to our old life.  Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

1 Peter 4:1-5 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

As a Christian, I have received the greatest gift of all, it came with a very hefty price tag, Jesus gave it all in order to purchase this gift. I have received the gift of eternal life in the presence of God and all of the riches that heaven has to offer. We don't like to think of the unpleasant events that led to Jesus sacrifice but we need to let it sink into our minds and let it have an affect on our lives.

As a result of his sacrifice I have the opportunity to have a relationship with God. Everybody knows that if a relationship is going to be successful then you have to do things certain things for them to work. A relationship needs to be cultivated, you have to give it some TLC in order to get good results, my relationship with God is no different.

Jesus has done so much for me, it is a lopsided relationship, how could I ever do enough to balance out what he has done for me? I can't do anything that will even out the score, I can never give back as much as he has given but I can do something to show my love and gratitude which will help keep our relationship from being so lopsided.

Jesus said that if we loved him then we would do what he commands, in the letter that Peter wrote he says that we will "be anxious to do the will of God" (1 Peter 4:2). That sounds a lot different from the lives of many people that are in the church. We are anxious people, we worry about so many things, but are we anxious for the right things? Are we anxious to live to please our Lord?

Christ died for me so that I can live for him.

Romans 6:4-8 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was.  6  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.  7  For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.  8  And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him. 
It is a process that doesn't happen overnight (2 Corinthians 3:18). Christ followers should have started dying to our old life and the power of sin should be lessening as we begin to live for Christ. We shouldn't look like the rest of the world, our Facebook page should look different, our internet history should look different, the words that we use and the words that we hear in music, television and movies should be different as well.

I need to respond to the awesome show of love that was displayed on the cross. In light of the crucifixion, it would be a crime  to go on living without any effect on my life. I need to give up everything for Christ, I need to be anxious to do God's will and to do his work, it is easy to get mixed up and start chasing your own desires.

Help me Lord to show you as much love and appreciation as possible for the amazing things that you have done for me.

Monday, April 09, 2012

Resurrection Sunday

If Jesus rose from the dead, then I will too.


Luke 24:1-12 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

8 Then they remembered that he had said this. 9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11 But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

Oops! The plan failed. The plan that the religious leaders cooked up to get rid of Jesus, they figured that Jesus is just a man and if you kill him then he can't make any more problems for you, that would work for any other man but not Jesus.

There is an empty to to be dealt with, everyone knew it was empty, you couldn't contain news like that.

The guards knew it, the ones that were charged with sealing and protecting the tomb, the religious leaders asked for their presence to guarantee that the tomb wouldn't be emptied by the disciples.

The women that arrived at the tomb that morning knew it, the disciples knew it and they also knew that they were not responsible for taking the body, they were too busy hiding in deep depression.

The religious leaders knew it was empty, even though they took precautions against thieves, so instead of finally admitting the truth they made a deal with the guards to make up an explanation of what happened.

There is overwhelming historical evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. A group or 500 hundred saw him at one time, Cleopas and another disciple walked with him on the road to Emmaus, all eleven of the disciples saw him, some touched him and some even ate a meal with him.

The fact that he did rise energized the eleven disciples that were depressed and despondent and all eleven died as martyrs . The apostle Paul told the church in Corinth that they could go interview the list of witnesses for themselves. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)
1 Corinthians 15:51-55 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The promise that we can believe is that because Jesus rose from the dead we will also rise from the dead.

Before the resurrection life was hopeless, the disciples and the women that were a part of Jesus ministry feel like the door has been slammed shut on everything that they were involved with for the last three years of their lives.
Because of Easter, I know that:

✔  I am accepted by God
✔  Jesus is in heaven interceding for me
✔  I have all the power to live the Christian life
✔  I will live forever in heaven
✔  I will receive a new body
✔  I will have resurrected relationships with my loved ones that have gone before me.
Thank you Lord for your provision for me, your love is truly amazing!

Saturday, April 07, 2012

My Reaction To The Crucifixion

Which person at the cross resembles you?


Luke 23:27-49 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ 31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” 48 And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. 49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

Imagine being an eyewitness to the most significant event in human history, think about what Jesus looked like after all of the abuse, what if you were there watching the events unfold. What would your reaction be?

Luke tells us that there was a large crowd witnessing the event, the general population of Jerusalem, the Roman soldiers, the religious leaders and even a couple of criminals, let's take a look at their reactions:

There was the crowd in general including many grief-stricken women that Jesus took a moment to speak to. The crowds went home in deep sorrow when it was all over.

The religious leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” They got their way, they thought to themselves "we win."

The soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. They mocked him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” Even the sign that they nailed to the cross that said "the King of the Jews" seems like sarcasm.

The criminals being crucified, one of them mocked Jesus but the other one got what it was all about, he realized that an innocent man was being executed, somebody that was more than an ordinary man. Is Jesus a king? This criminal realized that Jesus is the king of a kingdom that is not of this world.

One particular Roman soldier got it “Surely this man was innocent, this man really was God’s Son!” (Matthew 27:54, Luke 23:47)

Which person at the cross best describes your reaction to Jesus?

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Who Is Jesus, Is He The King?

A question for us all to ponder.


Luke 22:66-71 At daybreak all the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council, 67 and they said, “Tell us, are you the Messiah?”

But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. 68 And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.”

70 They all shouted, “So, are you claiming to be the Son of God?” And he replied, “You say that I am.” 71 “Why do we need other witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”

Luke 23:1-3 Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. 2 They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”

3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

Jesus accusers are having their day in court. The proceeding that began in the middle of the night with the high priest is now continuing with Pilate, listening to the charges against Jesus, Pilate asks him “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Interesting question and one that every person should consider. After-all if he really is who he said that he is then the consequences for giving the wrong answer or not even answering at all are very serious. What if we call some eyewitnesses into the court room to answer Pilates question?

Remember thirty three years ago? The angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus will be a king:
Luke 1:32-33 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Remember the Magi and the gifts that they brought for the king, remember King Herod:
Matthew 2:1-2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
 How about another witness? Nathanael told us as soon as he met Jesus:
John 1:47-49 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”
 After Jesus fed five thousand people they tried to make him king:
John 6:14-15 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.
Who do you say Jesus is? That is the question that Jesus asked his disciples one day during a pop quiz. It is a question that we had better answer correctly. Lets look at what Jesus says about himself:
John 6:51 "I AM the living bread which came down from heaven."

John 8:23 "You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."

John 8:12 "I AM the light of the world."

John 8:58 "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

John 10:9 "I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

John 10:11 "I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."

John 11:25 "I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

John 14:6 "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 15:1 "I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser.
The evidence is in and each of us has the opportunity to weigh the evidence and decide on a verdict. It looks to me like the deliberations should be very short before the jury returns to the courtroom and gives its verdict.

Thank you Lord for caring enough to leave heaven and be mistreated for my benefit.

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Peter takes his eyes off of his Savior.


Luke 22:54-62 So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. 55 The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there.

56 A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” 57 But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” 58 After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!”“No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. 59 About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

61 At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 62 And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

Imagine the look. Peter just finished doing what he said that he would never do when Jesus looks straight at him. Imagine breaking your Master's heart and seeing it in his eyes as soon as you have done it, no wonder Peter left the courtyard crying, he couldn't believe that he actually did what Jesus told him that he was going to do.

Peter didn't just do it one time, Jesus told Peter that he would do it three times within the next few hours and despite all of the determination that Peter could muster up he still proved Jesus to be right.

What happened? There was a big change from the Peter that was sitting in the upper room at the table with Jesus to the Peter that was following at a distance. In the upper room there was intimacy and eye contact but then Peter is in the shadows on the street and he is hanging out with the servant girl at the edges of the courtyard of the house of the high priest.

Peter got away from Jesus and he lost his focus. It reminds me of the time when Peter walked on water, he got out of the boat and he walked toward Jesus, he was doing great until his eyes got off of Jesus.

What's your point of view?

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Can you imagine if you had to look directly at Jesus each time you did Him wrong? It tore Peter up and I am sure that it would help us make better choices too.

Keeping our eyes on Jesus is an essential part of our battle with sin and our natural man. We need to run the race to win by stripping off the burdens of this world, even the burden of fear, that was the burden that was weighing Peter down after Jesus arrest. As pastor J.C. Ryle said:
There are three points of view in which your soul should look at Jesus Christ. Let me set them before you in order, and tell you what they are. 

✔ You should look backward, to Jesus on the cross.
✔ You should look upward, to Jesus at the right hand of God.
✔ You should look forward, to Jesus coming again at the last day.
There is a battle going on in this world, their is an enemy that wants to persuade you to take your eyes off of Jesus, your enemy knows that if you are out their all alone without Jesus then you are an easy target and you are capable of being like Peter and doing things that you swore you could never do.

There is great advice in the old hymn:
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth
will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
I need to keep my eyes on you Lord, without you I can do nothing.

Monday, April 02, 2012

The Kingdom Of Darkness Takes Control

The battle is on, which kingdom do you belong too?


Luke 22:47-53 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of his twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss.

48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 53 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

Jesus has been praying to God in the Garden of Gethsemane while his disciples fell asleep, he asked God for a plan B, if there is any other way then lets put it into action. Jesus returned to where he left his disciples and while he is talking to them about their inability to stay awake and pray, they are interrupted.

An armed guard comes to get Jesus in the middle of the night, they wouldn't dare take him away while he was teaching in the synagogue, the Pharisees couldn't take a chance on the crowds reaction.

The kingdom of darkness is given authority to take Jesus and do what it wants with him, the devil and all of his demons are ready to put an end to Jesus, Jesus acknowledged what was happening in today's scripture:
"But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”
The kingdom of darkness was allowed to take the Prince of Peace and brutally torture and kill him for our benefit. Jesus disciples thought about defending Jesus and Peter even grabbed a sword and struck one of the guards but once they realized that Jesus wasn't going to rise up against the guards and establish his kingdom they hit the road.

We Have Been Rescued

Colossians 1:12-14 Always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
The kingdom of darkness is still wreaking havoc on the earth, it is a mighty kingdom but God's children do not have to worry about it's power, the Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus has rescued us and freed us from the power of sin.

Thank you Lord for the great rescue, thanks for making me your child and for allowing me to live in your Kingdom. I want to let my light shine for you.