Sunday, March 31, 2013

He's Alive! Now I'm Alive!

God's mercy brought new life that will last for eternity.



I once was dead in sin
Alone and hopeless.
A child of wrath I walked
Condemned in darkness.

But Your mercy brought new life
And in Your love and kindness,
Raised me up with Christ
And made me righteous.

You have bought me back
With the riches of,
Your amazing grace
And relentless love.
I'm made alive forever,
With You, life forever
By Your grace I'm saved
(By Your grace I'm saved)

Lord, You are the light,
That broke the darkness.
You satisfy my soul,
When I am heartless. My true identity,
Show me who I am,
And help me to believe.

You have bought me back
With the riches of,
Your amazing grace
And relentless love.
I'm made alive forever,
With You, life forever
By Your grace I'm saved
(By Your grace I'm saved)

My sin has been erased,
I'll never be the same.
My sin has been erased,

I'll never be the same.



Ephesians 2:4-5 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Saturday, March 30, 2013

What Have You Decided About Jesus?

We all have a decision to make.



Luke 23:39-43 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.”

Three crosses, three men crucified, one of them is the cross of our Savior the other two crosses hold men that are criminals.

On one cross the God-man, he didn't get a fair trial, he didn't do anything wrong and he didn't get treated the way that he should have. On the other two crosses the victims probably had a fair trial and they were found to be deserving of execution.

The crowds made their decision about Jesus, the two men on the crosses next to Jesus made up their mind about him and just like them, we are criminals that deserve to die and just like those two men we also have to make a decision about Jesus.

The choice that we must make is pictured at Calvary, we can be like the criminal that saw his sin, he changed his mind about his crimes and he saw Jesus for who he really is or we can be like the criminal that joins in with the crowds and rejects Jesus.

Three crosses, each one a symbol, one cross was a symbol of redemption being provided, the other a symbol of redemption being received and the third cross a symbol of redemption being rejected.

What have you decided about Jesus?

Friday, March 29, 2013

I Am Redeemed

I’ve got a new name, a new life and a hope that will carry me home!



Seems like all I can see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son
stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
Wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”
I remember oh God, You’re not done with me yet

I don’t have to be the old man inside of me
Cause his day is long dead and gone
I’ve got a new name, a new life I’m not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
Big Daddy Weave "Redeemed"
Ephesians 1:3-8 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

How Much Is Jesus Worth To You?

I need to have an extravagant love for Jesus.


love Jesus, worship, Bible study
Matthew 26:6-16 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy.

7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste of money,” they said. 9 “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? 11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. 12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 26:33-35 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.

Throughout Jesus ministry there were always great contrast in emotions toward him, as we approach the end of Jesus life, the passionate feelings about him have not subsided. Love him or hate him, we see a great contrast in the way that people feel about Jesus, how much he is loved and how well he is treated.

In this chapter of Matthews gospel the first character that shows us how much they value Jesus is the woman that pours expensive ointment on him. The woman walks into a dinner party with a bottle of expensive ointment.

Everybody at the table got mad and they said that it was a huge waste of money. What a noble cause, looks like the disciples are interested in helping the poor, who could argue with such a good idea?

The next demonstration of how much Jesus is worth in this chapter is from Judas. A man that has been with Jesus for three years, a man that Jesus called a friend, a man that was dipping his hand into the money bag.

Things were not working out as Judas had hoped they would, Judas was in it for what he could get, he was ready for Jesus to announce his earthly kingdom but Jesus was talking about dying. Judas values power and wealth more than he values Jesus.

The last person to indicate how valuable Jesus is to him is Peter. Swearing his allegiance to Jesus, Peter says that he will never leave no matter how bad things get, great intentions but as we will see later he didn't have a lot of commitment.

Soon Jesus is arrested and everybody abandons him, you will find Peter following Jesus from the shadows, for a while anyway, but later on the cost gets to be too high and Peter values his life more than he loves Jesus.

How much do you love Jesus? Are you using him for your own purposes? Will you run and pretend you don't know him when the cost is too high? Does your everyday life prove that you love him?

The extravagant love that was shown to us while we are enemies of God is too difficult to understand, no matter how much we give, it is such an incredibly small thing compared to the love that he has for us. Nobody should feel that the expense of loving and worshiping our Savior is too high like the disciples did when the woman anointed him.

Thank you Lord for the awesome display of your love at Calvary. I need to love you extravagantly everyday and let it show by my good works, my worship and my obedience to your commands.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Widow's Offering - A Picture Of Jesus Sacrifice

The widow gave her all, Jesus gave his all, how is your giving? 


sacrifice, Easter
Luke 21:1-4 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Proverbs 11:24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.

Philippians 2:3-5 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

There was a lot of giving going on that day in the temple. It was difficult to miss who gave and who didn't give and it was easy to be recognized for how much you gave. The leaders in the temple probably looked on as the donations were made so that they could intimidate the people into giving, they may have known who gave but they didn't know what Jesus knew, he was the only one that knew the attitude of the giver.

Jesus saw the rich and famous and how large their gifts were and then he saw the poorest of the poor and Jesus told his disciples that in God's economy the widow was the best giver in the temple that day. The widow had it right, she didn't dwell on how little that she had, she didn't think about how big her needs were, her happiness, comfort and security were not as important as her humble obedience.

Do you think she knew that the leaders in the temple were going to spend some of the money on themselves? These are the same leaders that were scamming the people with the money changers and the animals in the temple. The fact that they were going to misuse the money didn't stop her from doing what she was supposed to do. She still gave and did so without animosity.

It isn't in scripture but the Religious leaders were probably furious, as closely as they were watching Jesus and analyzing everything he said and did, I bet that they heard what he said about the givers that day.

Research has shown that when your income increases the percentage that is used for charitable contributions tends to drop. Just like the scene in the story of the widow, those that had the most gave the least, we tend to give less the more we are blessed.

The widow's enormous sacrifice reminds me of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me. He sacrificed the riches of heaven, he subjected himself to the woes of the human experience, hunger, sadness, temptation and in a few days he would make the ultimate sacrifice.

Give Like Jesus

Jesus gave until it hurt. He was willing to help the worst of sinners. If anybody had a good reason to not be an excellent giver it would be Jesus, he gave to those that don't deserve it, his generosity and attitude in giving set the standard high for us to follow. We have benefited from his generosity despite the ugliness of our sin.

In order to be like Jesus I must be selfless and humble, willing to be humiliated and suffer for those that don't deserve it, I can not judge them. I must be willing to look out for the needs that are around me and be willing to meet them with the right attitude. I can not help them only when it is convenient or when it doesn't cost too much.

Just before Jesus gives us his all he makes sure that we see what he expects us to give. I will never go broke being generous if I am generous with the right motives. Jesus wants my sacrifice but he only wants it with the right attitude.

I want to be a generous giver Lord, thank you for your generous gift of salvation!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

A Question You Need To Answer: Who Is Jesus?

It's Jesus' turn to ask the Pharisees some questions.


Luke 20:39-44  "Well said, Teacher!" remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there.  40  And then no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

41  Then Jesus presented them with a question. "Why is it," He asked, "that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?  42  For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms:

'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at My right hand  43  until I humble Your enemies, making them a footstool under Your feet.'   

44  Since David called the Messiah 'Lord,' how can the Messiah be his son?"

The leaders in the temple were trying to find a way to get rid of Jesus, they thought that they needed to do something to get him to slip up and do something wrong, they were "Putting Out Some Traps" to try and catch Jesus but he gave the perfect answer to every question that they threw at him.

After Jesus answers their questions he turns the tables on them, according to the account of these events in Matthew 22:41-46, Jesus asked them two questions:

Question number one: “What do you think about the Messiah, whose son is he?”

Every Israelite knew the answer to that question. For hundreds of years they have been waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, they thought that they knew everything about the Messiah and that they would certainly know when he comes but somehow most of them didn't.

There are hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah that were made hundreds of years before he was born. They knew that prophecy predicted that:
  • The Messiah would be a descendant of David
  • He would be born of a virgin
  • He would be called out from Egypt after hiding from Herod
  • The children would be killed by Herod
  • A messenger would precede the Messiah's arrival
Jesus clearly claimed to be the Messiah and Son of God:
  • Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he is the Messiah (John 4:25-26)
  • Jesus made himself equal with God (John 5:17-18)
  • Jesus said that he had seen God, which no one else could do (John 6:46)
  • Jesus forgave sins, which only God had the authority to do (Mark 2:5-11)
  • Jesus affirmed Peter's statement that he is the Messiah and Son of God (Matthew 16:15-17)
  • Jesus told the high priest that he is the Messiah and Son of God (Mark 14:61-62)
The Pharisees couldn't deny the answer to the question, everybody knew that he would be a descendant of King David, but they didn't put it all together. Jesus, David's son fulfilled so many prophesies but they were so spiritually blind that they could not see the person that they had been watching for.

Question number two: "Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”

Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 and asks them the question that they can't answer, it would be ridiculous for King David to call any of his sons "Lord," a new king would never be given that esteem by the old king. The people knew that this Psalm referred to the Messiah. David was referring to somebody greater than himself, somebody with a greater mission to accomplish.

The king described in Psalm 110:1-7 that David calls Lord, is a king that sits at the right hand of God, he is a king that rules over all other rulers, an everlasting priest and the judge of the nations.
The final proof
Romans 1:2-4 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus birth already gave us so much overwhelming evidence to prove that he is their Messiah, but if that isn't enough for you then there is always an empty tomb, Jesus death and resurrection also prove he is the Messiah.

The Jewish leaders couldn't deny that Jesus was back, the disciples were empowered because he was back, Saul of Tarsus changed from a devout Jew to being a Christ follower because he was back. In fact thousands of people converted immediately while Jesus was back on earth for forty days as he spent time proving that he was not a ghost but that he was the same person that they had crucified.

Nobody could decide to be a phoney and try and imitate the Messiah and the prophecies that his life, death and resurrection fulfilled. I just pray that each reader of this column has the ability to see the plain truth better than the citizens of Jerusalem did. Who Is Jesus? You must decide.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Putting Out Some Traps

The man who couldn't be trapped came to help us because we were trapped.


Luke 20:20-22 Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. 21 “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22 Now tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Luke 20:27-29 Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees, religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. 28 They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. 29 Well, suppose there were seven brothers.

Matthew 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Jesus has been making a lot of waves in Jerusalem and the religious leaders are out to get him, between the Triumphant Entry, Clearing the Temple and calling them out in the parable about the Wicked Farmers, they are hot. The situation gets worse as Jesus shows up each day at the temple and teaches large crowds of people, who does this untrained teacher think he is, he just keeps showing up at the temple uninvited and without any credentials as a rabbi.

The religious leaders decide that they need to set out some traps so they try and stump Jesus with some difficult questions about political and social problems, that hasn't worked in the past and it doesn't work this time either, Jesus proves that he has the answers. Political and social issues are not his main concern but he does have an answer for the tough questions that we face in every area of our lives.

Jesus vs Traps, Traps Lose

John 10:17-18 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
The religious leaders don't realize that they don't need to use any traps, it is very clear who is in charge of the events that lead up to the crucifixion, Jesus is going to give them what they want... for a while anyway. They didn't realize that Jesus didn't come to Jerusalem to rise to a position of power... yet.

Jesus couldn't be trapped by Satan, Jesus came to Jerusalem to be the Passover Lamb, he was voluntarily giving up his life. The devil trapped us but he could not trap Jesus. We fell to the trap of sin by our own lust and desires but Jesus came to destroy the devil and make the trap of sin and death powerless in our lives. (Romans 6:5-11, 7:24-25)

Are you still trapped in your sins? Accept Jesus’ gift of salvation and enjoy the freedom of life in Christ and eternity with Him. (Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2:13)

I thank you Lord that you are in control, Satan has been defeated and I can have victory over the devil's schemes, the devil's traps are powerless against you.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Rejecting God's Son Has Severe Consequences

The wicked farmers rebel against God and try to steal His vineyard.


vineyard, rebellion
Luke 20:9-13 Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story:

“A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. 10 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed."

11 "So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away."

13 “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’"

God has been cultivating relationships ever since the Garden of Eden, he has gone out of his way to improve the soil, he has pruned the vine and blessed it with perfect opportunities to grow. The nation of Israel should be a very prosperous vine but the people that God left to tend to the vine for him have not been good farmers.

The way that the wicked farmers treat the servants is a vivid picture of Israel's persistent rejection of the prophets and John the Baptist. Time after time God sent men to call them to repentance and over and over again the religious and political leaders rejected them and persecuted and/or killed them and even now they have rejected the Son that the Land Owner sent.

Ever since the Triumphant Entry Jesus has been accepted by the people and the crowd in the Temple is increasing in size everyday. The crowds are accepting Jesus even though it is for the wrong reason, they think that he is going to rise up in power and change their situation physically but Jesus is on the way towards changing their spiritual condition.

The farmers that were left to care for the vine will get their way soon. They have rejected the Son of the Land Owner and they will get rid of him for their own gain. They are going to kill the Son but that isn't the end of the story.

Don't reject Jesus

Acts 4:10-12 "Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” 
Imagine thinking that you have solved your problem and three days later you find that you are wrong, they didn't count on the fact that the Son that they killed would come back to life, they didn't imagine that he would be proved correct in all of his teaching and they would be condemned.

What a powerful message from Peter, right after he healed the crippled beggar, he made it crystal clear why he was able to perform this miracle. Peter quoted the same scripture from Psalm 118:22-23 that Jesus quoted, I wonder if the religious leaders cringed as those words rang in their ears.

We have all tried to solve our own problems instead of accepting Jesus, we have made our own gods, we have tried to find meaning and significance apart from Jesus. If you reject Jesus you soon find out that you don't have any good options. We are just like the people that saw Jesus after his resurrection, we have the opportunity to see that we are wrong, we have been given plenty of chances to change our mind about Jesus.

We need to take heed of the warning that Peter gave us, there is salvation in no one else, the consequences for rejecting the Son are beyond measure.

I have accepted your Son into my life for salvation, help me to accept him into my life each day, help me to draw closer to him by accepting his authority and living for him everyday. Amen.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

It's A Clean Sweep When Jesus Clears The Temple

The religious leaders don't get that Jesus has the right to set them straight.


Luke 19:45-48 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

Luke 20:1-8 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Wasn't it bad enough that Jesus just rode into town on a donkey as the crowds declared that he is the Messiah? Jesus infuriated the religious leaders when he refused to tell the crowds that they were wrong about him and as if that wasn't bad enough he returns to the temple and upsets the establishment some more.

Instead of acting out against the Roman government in Jerusalem as you would expect the recently announced king of the Jews to do, Jesus entered the temple and dealt with the issues in God's house, the corruption there was more important and the political problems. Jesus cleaned house by throwing out the money changers and the people selling animals for the sacrifice, both services were necessary but they were being used for huge financial gain.
To Jesus the issue in Israel was not Roman occupation, the issue was Jewish religious corruption. The Lord is not concerned with the people's relationship to Rome, He's concerned with the people's relationship to God.
-John MacArthur
The Jews and proselytes to Judaism needed the money changers so they would have the proper currency for the temple and the people selling the animals made it easier to travel to the temple from far away without taking care of the animal sacrifice. Both of these business transactions were being made in the part of the temple where the Gentiles were allowed to go to pray.

I have to wonder what would happen if the people that Jesus threw out felt any guilt for their wrongs and they went to the religious leaders to offer a sacrifice for forgiveness, then what would the Pharisees do? Would they admit they were wrong and that they also needed to repent and offer a sacrifice? I doubt it.

Who gave Jesus his authority?

John 12:49-50 I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
The religious leaders loved the authority that they had and they liked to think that they were a big deal but Jesus rejected their authority and did what he pleased. He overrode their decision to allow the animals and thieves into the temple courts. There's nothing more devastating and hard to swallow than being treated as if you don't matter when you think you really do.

Jesus was always known to speak with authority (Matthew 7:28-29) but the Pharisees hadn't figured it out yet, they have been around Jesus and they have heard him teach since he was 12 years old, for the last three years he taught and performed miracles but they are so spiritually blind that they have to ask him where his authority is from. (Luke 2:45-47, 4:36)

We know by his teaching and his miracles that he is clearly the Son of God, Jesus didn't need to answer their question directly and get into a debate about his authority. His authority was proved everyday of his earthly ministry and we all know that actions speak louder than words.

The question that I have to answer is will I submit to Jesus authority in the way that I live my life? Will I seek to please myself and do whatever I need to do to have fun, make money and be popular?

I need to recognize and submit to Jesus authority in my life and live for him, he has the right to insist that I live for him and I am better off by submitting to his authority now rather than later when everyone will submit to his authority and confess him as Lord. (Philippians 2:9-11, Colossians 3:1-25)

Monday, March 18, 2013

Christ Passion For His Lost Sheep

Jesus wants to heal his lost sheep so much that it makes him cry.


Luke 19:41-44 But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes."

43 "Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”

The nation of Israel has been called lost sheep for a long time, the Bible calls them lost sheep over and over again, it started way back in 1 Kings 22:17. Our Savior saw the lost sheep from the beginning of his ministry, he was moved with compassion and now as his ministry comes to it's end, he is still looking at lost sheep all over the place. (Matthew 9:36)

Most of them had rejected the shepherd, they had only accepted him for the political gain that they sought after, only a small crowd had accepted him as Messiah in the previous verses known as the "Triumphant Entry" Jesus longed for them to know peace, he longed to heal their wounds, if they would just come to him and accept him. The Good Shepherd had offered them true lasting peace but they didn't accept him. (Romans 5:1).

Jesus told them that it was too late for them now, their spiritual blindness had kept them from seeing the Good News that our Savior had brought to them, the benefits of a personal relationship with him were out of reach now. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Isaiah 40:11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Jesus cries for us, he wants to heal us, hold us in his arms and protect us, he knows how much better it will be for us but he knows that men love darkness more than the light, he knows that we are prideful and we attempt to be self sufficient. He allows us to make our own choice no matter how devastating the consequences.

Thank you Lord for healing my greatest wound. Sin no longer has a death grip on me thanks to your willingness to be the sacrificial lamb.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Triumphant Entry Changes Everything

Jesus enemies are put off by the crowds praise for him.


Luke 19:28-40 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “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. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.

36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When they reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.

38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Jesus is in Jericho getting ready to leave for Jerusalem, he has just finished telling the crowd in a parable that he was not going to Jerusalem to begin his reign as king of Israel. (Luke 19:11-27) As he heads for Jerusalem he tells the disciples to go and get a colt for him to ride. Does that sound a little bit confusing? Didn't Jesus walk everywhere that he went?

Jesus intentionally planned to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey just like a king would, a king that was coming in peace would ride a donkey rather than a horse which was viewed as a weapon of war, but why did he ride in as a king when he said that he wasn't going to be the king anytime soon?

Earlier in Jesus ministry he dodged the crowds that were pushing him to be king (John 6:14-15) and he told other people not to talk about who he is but now Jesus is welcoming the publicity. It was  time for the events that will lead to Jesus death to begin to be put in motion.

Jesus could have walked into town quietly like had before but this time it had to make a stir, things had to escalate a lot to get to the point of putting Jesus to death, if he had continued as he had been doing for three years then he could have stayed a radical rabbi until he died a natural death, there wouldn't have been a reason for him to be crucified. This entrance was going to change everything.

The crowd was shouting Psalm 118:26, which is a messianic Psalm. In addition, they added the word King to the Old Testament scripture, showing that they believed Jesus was the Messiah. The crowd was singing the praise that he deserved but it caused a great commotion that guaranteed that there would be trouble real soon.

The Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke His disciples because they knew what the repetition of Psalm 118:26 was about. Jesus replied that, even if His disciples were to keep silent, God would make the truth known somehow, even if the rocks in the street had to break out in praise.

Why should there be so much opposition to a man riding a donkey into town? The donkey ride changed everything, it put the spotlight on Jesus and showed us exactly who he is and it brought the opposition and rage of all of hell to oppose him. Satan can not stand for Jesus to get praise and for him to be glorified even if the crowd had the wrong motive for doing it.

All of the power that our Savior has and yet he comes in peace riding on a donkey, he has the power to do what the people want and save them from the Roman government but instead the wheels are in motion that will bring the end of their greatest enemy. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

Thank you Lord for choosing to take the journey to Jerusalem that would result in your death, thank you for the victory that I have over sin and death!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Jesus Will Reign As King

Will you accept him as king before it's too late?


Luke 19:11-14, 27 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.

12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ 14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’

27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’”

It is interesting that Jesus used current events in this parable to teach the people about God's Kingdom. In the true story Herod Archelaus went to Rome to stake a claim for the kingdom that his dad Herod the Great had left to him in his will. Archelaus had dealt harshly with the Jews before this and a lot of Jews went to Rome to protest his petition to become king. Despite their efforts, Caesar Augustus made him ruler from 4 BC to 6 BC. Archelaus was the reason that Joseph was afraid to leave Egypt and return to Nazareth.

Luke is very straight forward about the reason for this parable, Jesus told this parable before he left Jericho and headed for Jerusalem, he needed to correct a misunderstanding. There were many people that thought that Jesus would rule here on earth right away and they felt that this trip to Jerusalem was a good time for it to start.

Jesus had to tell them that it wasn't time, he spoke to the issue before, trying to get people to realize that he wasn't going to overthrow the Roman government and be their earthly king. They hungered for immediate relief from the Roman government but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. (John 18:36)

Jesus told us that in God's plan he wasn't going to reign yet but instead he was going to die. Jesus was here to cover the death penalty that we are all facing for our sins. They thought that they wanted him as king but what they needed most was a Savior.  (John 3:16)

Jesus Has Been Given Authority From God

Ephesians 1:19-21 This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else, not only in this world but also in the world to come.
Jesus came to earth as a lowly servant, a sacrificial lamb, he was obedient to God's will and as a result he has been crowned king and he will return to reign. (Phil 2:8-11) When he returns he will judge us for our allegiance to the king:
  • Did you accept him as king or did you reject him? 
  • Did you use the resources that he gave you to help prosper the kingdom?
There will be a great reward for our faithfulness to the Lord, I need to be faithful like the servants that anticipated the kings return and invested his money, he has given me resources that I need to use wisely.

Thank you Lord for your great sacrifice that took the death penalty away from me. I acknowledge you as King and want to submit to your authority in my life at all times.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Slackers For Christ

You know Jesus left us some work to do.


 Mark 13:34-37  "The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves' instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.

35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don't know when the master of the household will return--in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!"

Colossians 3:24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Do you remember your parents giving you a "to do" list and then leaving the house for a while? Was the list carefully completed, or was it ignored? Sometimes I had to run around the house doing stuff in an attempt to make it look like I had really tried to do it diligently.

Jesus tells his disciples that he is going away and while he is away they have work to do for him. It seems that a lot of disciples these days have forgotten that there is work to do. He has given us instructions for some jobs that he wants us to complete while he is away, there isn't any time for being a slacker for Christ.

Back in the New Testament Church, everybody was doing the work but it didn't take very long for the church to create a separation between professional Christ followers and the rest of the congregation that had to go to secular jobs. We have adopted the mindset that the ministers are the guys that get paid to be in business for God and they need to get things done that we should be doing.

Every one of us are ministers, the master delegated work for everyone of his slaves, there is work to be done that isn't being completed because somebody is ignoring the work that they think isn't their responsibility.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that they need to be excited about their work, I need to always work on today's task and be ready for a new assignment enthusiastically, I cannot sit around glowing in the spotlight of the last thing that I did for Jesus. Are you excited about ministry opportunities? Are you always looking for a new assignment or are you looking forward to an extended time off?

Be Happy Working For Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:58  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
I need to be careful that I don't get discouraged, Paul told the Corinthians that they need to "be strong and immovable" the discouragement will come my way, that is one of Satan's schemes that I need to be ready for. Satan doesn't want you to work for Jesus so he will discourage you. When I feel like having a pity party I need to remember that "nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

Help me Lord to be excited about every opportunity to be a part of your plans, you are an awesome, huge God but you still desire to use little ol' me to accomplish your plans.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Healer

By his wounds you are healed.



Video: Healer from Elevation Church

We are all infected and struggle to find relief, is there a vaccine, could there be a cure? I have found a cure that I would like to share with you.
Isaiah 53:2-5 There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole.He was whipped so we could be healed.
Jesus is our healer, he is the Great Physician, he came to cure our deepest wound, that awful disease called sin. There isn't any reason to allow the infection to continue, grace and forgiveness are the cure and they are completely free, no amount of money or good works are required. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9)

While he was here on earth he healed a lot of sick and he brought dead people back to life but this was just a temporary fix. All of those touched by Jesus eventually got sick again and they eventually died but this healing that I am talking about is permanent. Jesus made a complete and permanent atonement for our sins, the only thing that we need to do is believe. (1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 10:10-12)
Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 
Jesus Christ, through the predetermined plan of God, was born of a virgin, died as the sacrifice for humanity, was resurrected to restore spiritual life. Helpless sinners without hope have been given the ultimate hope because we know that death is not the end and that we have eternity to spend with our healer.

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Jesus Changed My Destiny

I was on the road to ruin until Jesus paved the way to a new life.


1 Peter 2:22-25  He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.  23  He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24  He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.

25  Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

Philippians 3:19-20  They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.  20  But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.

The common ground that all of mankind has is the headache of sin, all around the world we are all looking for a way to handle the effects of sin, we are all missing the world as it was before the fall. Man has devised a lot of ways to try and put a bandage on the wounds but none of them change the end result of my sin.

There is only one way to deal with sin successfully, a ransom has to be paid to cancel our debt but who could possibly have enough assets to liquidate so that you could pay it? Fortunately I have someone that loves me that has the resources to pay my debt. 

The heartache and misery of my sin was placed on Jesus, something that he had never felt before, he was the perfect sacrifice because he did not sin, he did not tell a lie or get revenge or fight back, he trusted God when somebody treated him wrong.

I couldn't change my destiny

Psalms 49:6-9  They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches.  7  Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God.  8  Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough  9  to live forever and never see the grave.
The punishment that I was headed for has been avoided, Jesus put a u-turn sign up, the road to the grave and judgement doesn't have to be my destination. The gods that the world has created cannot change my destiny and so the world wonders around like lost sheep looking to satisfy their appetite for the temporary as they head to destruction.
John 3:16  "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Thanks to Jesus payment for my sin I am a citizen of heaven and I am on the narrow road that leads me home. I have been redeemed, cleansed and given a new life and now I am under the loving care of the good Shepherd.

Thank you Lord for changing my destiny!