Category: Sermons

The last word – surprise!

We have covered all the last words from Christ on the cross

– He forgave

– Through the terrorist on the cross we learned that he just loves us for us

– With Mary and John we learned that he is always with us and our with-ness is important to remind others of His love

– it sound like Jesus being forsaken was a bad thing but in reality God had a better plan as he does with us so often if we will choose to trust him

– being faithful in the little things causes great things to happen

– He completed the task so we could have relationship with the Father and begin to live out the Kingdom of God on earth

Today is a day of surprises in so many ways…People all over Jerusalem were caught off guard that early Sunday morning…the ladies whom came to the tomb (I’ll talk about them later) Peter and John as they came and then all of the disciples…God loves to surprise us and especially those who don’t feel they are as important to God James (called the less) was one of those

James the less – Christopher

Luke 24:35-49 tells the story James just shared with us

Everyone was surprised! But why? Jesus had told them over and over again that he must die and then rise from the dead but when we grieve, when we are hurting it is hard to see possibilities, especially when we feel small, as if we are not as important as other people.

 In first century Israel the testimony of a woman was virtually worthless. It was a patriarchal society so whatever a man said was golden and whatever a woman said was less than half the value of a man’s word. But that is not God’s way of thinking because in the beginning he created mankind (both male and female) made in the image of God…in Israel in a court of law a woman’s testimony was worthless…but here is what God did

John 20:1,11-16

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

The first person to see Jesus alive was a woman, someone who’s testimony would be worthless someone who was surprised by Jesus being alive….she had come to add spices to his body for burial but in his love…he didn’t care about position, or power he looked at the heart and he met Mary someone who would seem worthless to their society but he always makes those who feel worthless to see their value

In John 20:2it says this

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have puthim!”

Why Peter? 

Mark 16:1-8

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Peter had betrayed Christ, he had denied that he knew him and had any relationship with him…he was afraid of what might happen to him if he admitted to being a friend of Jesus’.

How much lower can you feel than knowing that you betrayed your best friend, you had turned your back on him at their time of need

There are things we have all done, things we feel have separated us from God, maybe not so much that we are afraid of going to hell but why should we deserve to have God do anything for us. Others are so much more important to God than we are but that is because we are looking through human judgment, human eyes not the eyes of the one who loves us the most.

Jesus made it a point to tell Mary…tell all of the guys and especially Peter…surprise Peter….Jesus died for you too and He is alive again for you too…His love for you is not conditional instead is unconditional

Romans 8 tells us that nothing can separate us from God’s love

Peter was in great overwhelming pain feeling at his lowest point thinking how he could ever be forgiven and that His friend whom he thought was the Messiah was now dead…the pain would have overcome him

Mary Magdalene was at the cross and watched him die, held his mother in her arms and wept with her too

She may have been there as Joseph of Arimathea laid Jesus in his tomb and she wept again

Still in unbearable pain she makes her way to the tomb only to find his body stolen her pain is multiplied

CS LEWISauthor who you may know from the Chronicles of Narnia, wrote in the book, the problem of Pain

“God often chooses to move more through the windows of pain in our life than any other time”  

If you are walking through some valley of pain right now, even though everyone is here to celebrate Easter Sunday with their smiles on, you may be crying inside…Remember Jesus made a habit of surprising people in their pain, in the middle of their deepest valleys…

Martha and Mary were in a valley of pain, then surprise Jesus showed up and raised Lazarus…John 11:1-45

A woman condemned to death for committing adultery then surprise instead of death Jesus gave her abundant life and love John 8:1-11

A woman with no hope, in the pain of rejection by her community fitting in nowhere..surprise Jesus shows up and accepts her, loves her and frees her John 4:1-42

A man feels valueless, worthless, been an invalid in both body and mind his whole life…surprise…Jesus makes him whole in mind and body John 5: 1-15

Do you need a surprise this morning? Do you feel like James, that you are less that anyone else or are battling some thing that is so overwhelming in a few minutes we are going to invite you to receive prayer

I want us to notice something else here about this woman whose testimony would have been unimportant in a court but whom Jesus found as valuable…Mary was once again the first to see him but let’s look at the discourse again

John 20:14-16

14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

For some reason Jesus was unrecognizable at first…The jesus you may have been taught about maybe he is unrecognizable as the real Jesus

….uncaring just someone who started the world and has more important things to do than to worry about your little life

….maybe he is a vengeful wrath-filled God who is just waiting to punish you at any moment that you fail

….maybe he is frail and weak like the Jesus portrayed in so many of the Easter movies that he has no power help himself let alone you and your problems

If you thoughts about Jesus are any of these you would be wrong. Jesus told us in John 10: 3,4 His sheep know His voiceso….

Yes, he is the same God who was at creation and through him everything was created (1 Corinthians 8:6) but… 

– Psalm 139 tells us he cares about you so much so that he knows the number of hairs on your head, every time you sit down every time you stand up 

– he is actively involved in your life because Romans 8:34 Tells us he is always praying for you!

Yes he is the judge of the world and he has every right to judge us, condemn us for our sins, and send us to hell, but… 

– the reason he went to the cross was so that no one needs to go to hell (2 Peter 3:9) 

– Lamentations 3 tells us His mercies on us are new every morning. 

– He showed us by the story of the woman caught in adultery, the Samaritan woman, and Zacchaeus that… 

– he has no desire to destroy us because of our sin but instead wants us to be free and walk in the destiny he design us for from the beginning of time. 

– He went to the cross for our freedom from sin not to condemn us of it.

Yes, he is gentle and meek but… 

– he is also the mighty warrior, the king of Kings and Lord of lords 

– he came with power to destroy the works of the enemy in your life and my life and he came not just as fire insurance from hell because he is the door and the gate to the Kingdom of heaven 

– he took back all the authority Adam and Eve had been given by God but they gave to Satan. He then gave it to us so that we could live as part of the kingdom of heaven here on earth full of peace, love, joy and righteousness and bring destruction to the enemies plans for people in this world as we recognize our place in the Kingdom we become overcomers and conquerors over everything.

If you are feeling less today, like Mary like John, let Him surprise you come today and allow someone to pray for you and introduce you to the one who loves you the most and allow Him to show you.

If you are in some pain today, some dark valley, there is no need for you to stay there…the plans God has for you and has had for you since the beginning of time have been for your good, to give you a hope and a future according to Jeremiah 29:11

If you have thought of God as this vengeful, neglectful, or weak and uncaring God, he knows you and he is the one who loves you the most in fact Jeremiah 31:3 says he loves you with an ever lasting love isn’t it time you allowed him to show you how much he loves you

Trust is a tricky thing for many in our culture it is something that must be earned…as Christians because of needing to truly love as defined in 1^stCorinthians 13 and what Paul said to the Philippians 4:8 we are to think about what is good lovely and noble in all things which means we should come to a place of trusting until proven otherwise

But our world has been so corrupted and many have been so wounded and often we put onto others what we have felt from the start…we have failed so we assume others will fail us, we have been prejudicial and judgmental so we assume others are toward us. We have wounded others so we expect others to plan on wounding us…As Christians we have to begin to make the choice to trust the Lord in all things…Jesus sent two of his disciples to do a task. What was it like for them

Two disciples – Video

In case you are not familiar with the story here is the way it reads in scripture

Matthew 21:1-11

As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem,

‘Look, your King is coming to you.

He is humble, riding on a donkey—

riding on a donkey’s colt.’”

6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.

8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God for the Son of David!

Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Praise God in highest heaven!”

10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

As they got over their “trust issues” they found themselves part of something very big that would be remembered for over 2000 years they trusted the Lord and set up for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem that would initiate what we would call the passion week the last week of Jesus life, a week of intensive teaching, love and horror…their trust in Jesus words would establish the beginning of the end and lead to Jesus complete trust in His Father when at the cross he uttered this last words

Luke 23:46

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.

When Jesus said these last words it was as if a fuse of dynamite had been lit that would destroy the Kingdom of darkness….At this moment Jesus was saying all that I have done, I’ll I have come to do, all that we planned from the beginning of time, I have completed and now I am trusting it all into your hands Father….I am trusting that the way has been made for all of man kind to understand our plan if they will choose…that the whole world could be in your hands and that nothing would any longer separate us from mankind if they will choose

Matthew gives us a little more detail and a little more insight…because while this sounds like an ending it really was a beginning…

Matthew 27:50- 61, 28: 1-8

Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. 54 The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

55 And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. 57 As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61 Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. 5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message

Wow all of that happened because Jesus put his life into the hands of the Father

Amazing things happen when we choose to put our life completely into his hands…we tend to do it in times of difficulty and trouble and when we reach a point of maturity but often until we get to that place, we place our life in him and then we begin to make decisions that are not lead by him but by us and we take our lives back until a crisis happens or struggles come, or we just begin to miss Him

Jesus had been faithful with everything…he had lived a sinless life for over 33 years although he had been tempted in every way, he never cheated on his taxes, never looked at something on line that he should have, he never fudged the truth in any way, he never drank too much, never got a DUI, never lied to his parents never did anything that would disqualify him from being the perfect, sinless sacrifice for all sins, mess ups, hang ups he made our complete payment in full for all of that and then He trusted his life into the hands of his Father

Jesus hung on the cross suffering dying for 6 hours completed everything the scriptures said about him….in fact his entire life was the fulfillment of hundreds of references and prophecies from the Old Testament written over one thousand years…In fact even these last words were prophetic which we will talk about in a minute

Jesus was trusting that His Father would complete the task that he would not leave his body to decay, that laid in a borrowed tomb in three days he would be raised from the dead…that finally death, hell, the grave, and Satan would be defeated once and for all…

Why????? so that all who believed in Him would be able to receive forgiveness and start a relationship with the Father through Jesus

Jesus had full confidence in His Father to complete the task that is why Luke records it this way

Luke 23:46

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”

It was a shout, a proclamation, a victory yellnot a whimpy whisper of a defeated individual but a proclamation of total victory…Jesus wasn’t thinking, “I hope I made the right choice he was making a proclamation of defeating every foe….He was doing exactly what He said he would do in John 10: 9-11, 17-18

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 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.”

Jesus was proclaiming I am the only way to heaven, I am willing to do whatever it takes for my family including surrendering my life…the Romans can’t take it from me, the Jewish leaders can’t take it from me, Satan doesn’t have the power to take it from me, I lay down my life willingly into the hands of my Father

Jesus completed His part of the rescue mission by putting His life into the hands of his Father even in that he was quoting an Old testament prayer that every Jew would incorporate into their evening prayers

Psalm 31:5a psalm of David when Saul was chasing him

I entrust my spirit into your hand.

Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.

Then it goes on to say 15,16

My future is in your hands.

Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.

16 Let your favor shine on your servant.

In your unfailing love, rescue me.

These words from the cross were the words prayed everyday by Jews as they were preparing to rest at night…they wanted to make sure before they fell asleep that even their subconscious they wanted to make sure that were in right standing with God should anything happen while they slept, they were placing their lives everyday into the hands of a loving God

Much like the prayer we have learned to pray

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take….

It your hands do I commit my Spirit

Jesus was once again giving us an example of how to overcome, how to succeed in this life

Every day many are in battles they can’t seem to win let me challenge you with something radical place your life into the hands of the one who loves you the most

Every day you are facing fears, worries and anxieties they have become such apart f your life that you just accept them as a fact of life…they don’t have to be place these old familiar friends into the hands of a loving God

Everyday you are believing for your dreams, hopes to be fulfilled, God has placed them in your heart, mind and spirit how about placing your life in the hands of the one who gave them to you

Can you trust all of these things in the hands of a loving God?

How do you know you are? Are you worrying, are you battling having peace? Are you losing sleep? Are you losing joy?

If any of these things are others are going on chances are, they are in your hands and not His!

Commit then into His hands today! 

After 6 hours on the cross, meeting the needs of everyone else Jesus said these words…”It is Finished” but what was finished what did he mean…when something is finished it generally means something new is about to begin….someone who understood that better than anyone else was one woman who got a new beginning from Jesus

John 8:2-11

“…early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and  wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

A new start for her?…let’s hear from her

Adulteress – Charlee

Do you understand the way Jesus looks at you?Religion demands justice but relationship demands mercy…judgment demands death but love demands freedom

Do you understand that for yourself?God is love and his first desire is relationship, love and mercy…he is a God of justice and judgment too but only if we won’t receive love and mercy. If we walk in love, freedom and mercy so will he for us but if we walk in judgment, and justice so will he.

Jesus went to the cross to take the crushing weight of mankind’s sin. He knew when he was moving in forgiveness with the woman that soon he would be taking on everyone’s sin on the cross…

His mouth is parched from dehydration, he called for a drink as he is wrapping up his purpose on earth

John 19: 29,30

A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

IT IS FINISHED!

In English it is three words but in Greek it is one word but it means “it is finished and will forever remain finished and there is nothing that can happen to unfinish what Jesus just finished!”

Jesus was finishing what was in His cup…here is what I mean. Remember when Jesus was in the garden the night he was betrayed, he was praying..

Matthew 26:39

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

We don’t hear the Father’s response but I am sure it was something like this…I’m sorry my son  but you have to finish this cup it is the only way that we can rescue humanity from the consequences of their sin

Jesus was overwhelmed at this point so much so that he was sweating drops of blood his soul was filled with sorrow and the conversation continues

Matthew 26:42

…. “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”

The answer would have been the same, the only way to save humanity would have been to drink all of the cup of the sin, shame, and suffering that comes from the cross….This was not a surprise to Jesus it was what he had come to the earth for, He longed for mankind to be back in relationship with the Father to know his love and he knew he was the only one who could pay the price for mankind’s sin what we call “redeem” us from the kingdom of darkness.

The cup was all of the wrath of God for mankind’s sin, all of the demands of the enemy because mankind had surrendered their authority to him, and all of the sin of mankind….

You have heard it said “you are what you eat and drink”

Jesus took it all on to become sin for us

2 Corinthians 5:21

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The one who had never sinned took on all of our sinso the Father and the enemy would see the sacrifice and know that our relationship and our authority was reestablished and the enemy no longer has any rights over us and we now have complete access to the Father because of the blood of the Son

Jesus took the full cup of sin, the wrath of God and the curse that was proclaimed over mankind because of Adam and Eve’s rebellion.

Galatians 3:13,14

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus became this curse on a tree for you and I, we did not have the right to salvation or to come to God at all but when Jesus took on the very curse that keep us separated from the Lord even the curse of the law which could not be fulfilled by the works of man….He was able to proclaim…”It is finished” the curse, the rule of sin, the rule of the law…freedom has come when you accept Jesus as your Lord and savior by accepting the work He did on the cross…

As you have heard me say many times Christ work on the cross obliterated our sin so when we accept Him our sins are no longer held against us because they no longer exist and at the same time we can receive the promise of the Holy Spirit which we will talk about in a few weeks but to be quick empowers us, guides us, convicts us, leads us and so much more

Colossians 2:14,15 

by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.(ESV)

See the enemy has no right to triumph over you his power is made null and void because of the crossas our sins have been forgiven and that is the only right he has to triumph over us

When Jesus said it was finished he meant it was finished….we may face battles but the enemy has no right to win…we may face struggles but the enemy has no right to overcome…he is a nonentity as long as we choose surrender to Christ….IT IS FINISHED

Jesus established a way for us to remember that it is finished 

The Psalmist writes Psalm 23:5

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;”

This table the cup and the bread is a reminder to us to come to him to ask for forgiveness because he has already taken on our sin.

It is Jesus pouring out his body and blood and reminding us that if we choose to accept it, it is finished

If not, we will continue to struggle with our sins…

Today I want you to genuinely take time to think, God have a really let go of my

Bitterness

Fear

Anger

Greed

Unforgiveness (have I truly forgiven others)

Insecurities

Does my language reflect you

Does my heart reflect your heart in my attitude toward others of different races, cultures, genders, economic status, ages, 

Let’s take a moment to ask the Lord so that as we come to this table we are accepting what Jesus did for us with a pure heart

Let’s take a moment too to ask…have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior…have you accepted what He did on the cross as a real price that he paid for your sins….coming to church doesn’t save you…it should help you to grow but it is a personal thing between you and Jesus

Heads bowed eyes closed please reflect on your heart…are you coming to this table fully ready….are you coming having your heart pure because you have dealt with your sin…second are you coming to this table know Jesus is your Lord and savior that you have accepted him and the price he paid on the cross

Some times it is the small things that have a great impact…the first time a baby laughs or says Dadda or Momma.

A quick word or action of kindness by a stranger when needed

A hug at just the right time

It doesn’t have to be large to be significant today’s word is like that

John 19:28,29

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

“I thirst” what a seemingly insignificant phrase from the cross but it’s meaning is so much deeper than it seems

In fact, it may have sent Matthew to think about another significant moment where a drink was needed

Matthew 10:42

“And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Why was that important? Here is Matthew to share his take on it

Matthew – Roy

How is something simple like a glass of water an act of love?

Before we get to Jesus, those of you that have had children and those who were once children (This should then include everyone)

Remember a nightly ritual that happens in many homes

The story is read, teeth are brushed, prayers are said all tucked in then “I need a drink, or can I have a drink?

A little insignificant cup of water is the evening’s final act of parental kindness, bringing peace to the child…it would seem to be an insignificant act but as the child grows it is a small act of kindness that brought great comfort and a sense of love to the child.

Notice the way this verse reads from John 19:28

John 19:28,29

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

The Gospel of Mark tells us that this was about the 6^thhour of the day. Jesus had been hanging on the cross from 9am and now it is 3Pm.

For the first 6 hours 

– He talked to his Father about us

– He talked to a terrorist about heaven

– He talked to his clos friend about caring for His mother

– He felt the agony of abandonment for us in its fullness

After he had taken care of all the needs of others he now look to have his need met.

As Jesus was going to be nailed to the cross he was offered wine mixed with Myrrh which was a concoction to help to numb the pain Mark 15:23 but he refused

This act of Jesus thirst has great significance

Jesus placed all the needs of others above his own…think how our families, schools, government, this church would be if we all chose to follow His example always…even just taking time to be aware of the needs of others would make a dramatic change in our environment

Paul wrote this to the Philippian church and it is a great example of what Jesus did on the cross

Philippians 2;3-5

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Jesus could have played the “God – card”he could have chosen not to feel the pain, agony, hunger or thirst but instead he felt it all not escaping one moment of the suffering so he could relate to even the most horrid situations we go through

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

There isn’t any pain, rejection, suffering you can go through that he can’t empathize with you, he understands while he was totally God, he was at the same time totally man feeling all the pain that we could possibly imagine and he did it for you and I so we would know that he understands…he felt the intensity of the pain and rejection on the cross as we continue on in Philippians we see that to be true

Philippians 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Thirst came a result of the blood loss and dehydration making his mouth and throat parched and nearly impossible to speak…Jesus didn’t escape this suffering but felt it completely so we might know that He understands but he is also desiring to end our thirst.

John 7:37-39

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

He cried out in Thirst knowing that His suffering was soon to be over but earlier in His ministry knowing this point would come wanted us to know that we need not ever thirst because of what He would do on the cross. Because of his death, resurrection, and ascension he would be able to release the Holy Spirit to fill all men and women so they would be thirsty never again….in a few weeks we will be talking about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

To further prove He was the messiah, the anointed one, the God man in the flesh he had to thirst…

Two messianic propheciesthat stand out that show us who Jesus is, words spoken centuries earlier

Psalm 22:15

“My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.” NLT

Psalm 69:21

But instead, they give me poison for food;

they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

These two little words, “I thirst” once gain helped fulfill two of the hundreds of prophecies Jesus was showing to the Israelites so they might recognize him as the Messiah for the world (God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3)

Remember the cup of water we talked about in the beginning, the one given to nearly every little kid in history before bedtime? This little bit of drink that Jesus was given enabled Him to prepare to speak the last few words he would to finish the task he came to accomplish on earth.

It was just a little thing, something seemingly insignificant but powerful enough to change the world.

If all you have is faith that you seem to think is little or insignificant, think again…everything given to the Lord has significance…two simple words impacted the world, fulfilled prophecy, and prepared for something greater

You applying your little faith to your life and the lives of other can do the very same thing

As you are daily being faithful to the call of God on your life

As you are daily being faithful to God’s leading and guiding

As you are daily being faithful to pray for your kids, your parents, church family

As you are daily being faithful in the reading of the word

As you are daily being faithful to believe that God will come through for you

None of these things are little or insignificant but they may seem like it from the world’s perspective but they are the things that truly change the world

Today we are going to talk about one of the hardest phrases to understand from the cross….

“My God my God why have you forsaken me?”

Someone who felt forsaken by Jesus was Martha, one of Jesus’ closest friends

Martha – Marie

Martha felt the sting of being forsaken, when Lazarus died she felt forsaken, she knew if Jesus had come that he could heal her brother. She had called for him early enough…Lazarus was still alive, but when Jesus delayed she felt forsaken…

John 11:17-22

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ¹⁸Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. ²⁰When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. ²¹Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²Buteven now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

Can you hear the disappointment in Martha? “If only you had been here”  How often have you been disappointed in God, thinking that he let you down, only to discover that he just had a different plan, and if you trust Him, it will always be a better one…

On a first reading of hearing Jesus say, “My god my god why have you forsaken me” it can sound disappointing or perhaps it was simply Jesus crying from his heart

Matthew 12:34b

“…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

It would be easy to believe that this moment, above all the torture, rejection, and ridicule was the moment Jesus was dreading the most in the Garden…feeling the full weight of the sin of mankind, sense of the Father abandoning Him (even though he didn’t Jesus felt the neglect of utter abandonment) This is the moment Jesus was dreading in the garden

Matthew 26:39

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Jesus in His facetime with the father is saying, if there is any other way for me to rescue the world from sin, death, Satan, and hell, let’s go to plan B

Matthew 26:42

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 

Jesus simply agrees with the Father and says, if there is no other way for me to get eternal facetime with humanity other than to overflow my soul this way, then Let’s do it!

Jesus on the cross in this last moments of life, was not only feeling the physical results of the torture but was now feeling the full weight of your sin and my sin, the pressure of the enemy demanding that justice be served.

But even in this he presents us with hope…Let’s look at this scene

Matthew 27:35-49

After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. ³⁶Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. ³⁷A sign was fastened to the cross above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” ³⁸Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 

³⁹The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. ⁴⁰“Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and comedown from the cross!” 

⁴¹The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. ⁴²“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! ⁴³He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way. 

⁴⁵At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁶At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned (forsaken) me?” 

⁴⁷Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. ⁴⁸One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. ⁴⁹But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” 

Let’s take a look at these fourth words from the cross

⁴⁶At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God,why have you abandoned (forsaken) me?” 

One of the important lessons for us to learn here is that Jesus was being honest, he was telling us really how he felt

How many times have we come to church and someone asks us how we are doing and we say “fine” but inside we know we are not fine.

Jesus was showing us that in our anguish, rejection pain, it is OK to be honest. Allow people to love you to bring healing…Jesus wasn’t afraid to get real, to get honest and say it like he felt it

My God, My God why have you forsaken me

Believe it or not, this is not as negative a comment as it may seem.

Young Jewish boys, much like our children in children’s church today, were given the task of memorizing portions of scripture…from Genesis to Malachi these young children were given the task to memorize and then recite large portions…fortunately many of them were songs

When Jesus was on the cross dying a song came to his heart that he had memorized, it was sown into his heart like a seed to sprout at just the right time Psalm 22:1

“My God, my God why have you forsaken me”

This song was a song of lament, a song that people would sing when they were suffering. Everyone would have recognized it as Jesus spoke.

This song like many we know, as it is sung all the words flood through your mind…think of it, if you sing the first few words of Happy Birthday, row row row your boat, or “this is the song that never ends”

The whole song is in your head as you sing the first line…this is a tough song of lament but prophetic of Jesus condition

Psalm 22:7,8

All those who see Me ridicule Me;

      They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 

⁸      “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;

      Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Then verses 16-18

For dogs have surrounded Me;

      The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.

      They pierced My hands and My feet; 

¹⁷      I can count all My bones.

      They look and stare at Me. 

¹⁸      They divide My garments among them,

      And for My clothing they cast lots.

All of this was happening to Jesus so as he thought of the song, he was watching it be fulfilled in front of him

BUT THEN and we don’t know this for sure, but it is safe to assume, these verses came to heart

Psalm 22:27-31

All the ends of the world, Shall remember and turn to the Lord,

      And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. For the kingdom isthe Lord’s

      And He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth

      Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust

      Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. A 

posterity shall serve Him.It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 

³¹      They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,That He has done this.

This chapter ends with the promise of the cross…all the earth will turn to the Lord…HE HAS DONE THIS!!!

This song that He memorized as a child, sown into his heart tells the story, the suffering and then the victory.

As he said this words and proclaimed them from the cross, the lament was there but also because of the seed sown, the promise was there also..

In Jesus’ greatest time of suffering, a seed sprouted that gave Him hope…His Father was reminding Him that the anguish was worth it and that even this would turn for good.

While Jesus may have felt forsaken, like you and I do sometimes, like Jesus, we are never really forsaken…Paul wrote in Romans 8:31Jesus is always interceding for us, Psalm 139tells us that the Father is always thinking about us, and the Holy Spirit lives in us…Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)

We can’t trust our feelings, we always have to believe God’s word

But there is another subtle truth I want us to grasp here. Just as Jesus had seeds sown into him that brought truth and life so can we into those around us

Husbands and wives what are you sowing into each other

Father’s and mother’s what are you sowing into your children that will bring a harvest later

What types of seeds are you sowing at work, school, with your friends?

Every seed brings a harvest…start sowing good seeds today, something that will last a lifetime and bring a great harvest

Today if you are going through something and your feel forsaken, allow someone to pray for you so you can see that you never are nor will you be….if you don’t have a relationship with jesus you are right now and the Lord wants you to know that you don’t ever have to feel that way again

Allow the Lord to fill you up with hope, joy, and the blessings of a lifetime

First words were to his Father (for us and especially those responsible for His death)

Second to a terrorist

Third caring for family

Jesus, in agony, dying, is teaching us it is always first about others

John 19:23-27

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did. 25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

What was going through John’s mind? It could have been thisJ

Can you imagine what it must have ben like to watch your best friend die? Or even worse your son die?

Everyone at the foot of the cross, took a risk at being there, they too could have ended up on a cross of their own but their love overcome their pain and their fear.

So did Jesus’ love, as his body has been torn apart, His back ripped, shredded by a cat of nine-tails, rubbing up and down against splinter filled wood, every breath caused him to push up on the nails in his hands and feet, the thorns from the crown digging ever deeper into his scalp yet with love he looked through time to see you and me to say, “forgive them”, with love he looked at a broken, hopeless individual who looked Jesus in his broken condition but had seen enough of his reaction on the cross, heard the stories of this man and despite being in the same condition he knew Jesus to be God and Jesus welcomed him into paradise with Him

Through all of this pain, he cared about His mother and the disciple that he loved, John. He could have asked one of his brothers to care for her but he knew it would be good for John as well as Mary.

What incredible love to put the needs of family before your own? Have we lost that in our culture? When we put our families needs before our own we are reflecting Jesus

Dads when you are tired and weary after a long day and the kids want your time to play or read to them and you do, you are being Jesus. Mom’s when you get up early and pack the kids lunches or spend those precious few moments talking with them preparing them for school…you are being Jesus to them…when both of you have done all of these things for your children and you continue to do them for them even as adults but have still not heard “thank you”….you are being Jesus to them

But there are times where we can’t be there to fix it, to help…things happen to our children and as a parent you would gladly do anything for them, even take their place if you could  protect and defend your children, we can’t stand to watch our children hurt..can you imagine what Mary felt that day

Mary was not alone she was with the other two Marys and John. When we go through difficult places we need people who will be WITH us. We need people in our lives that will as John states here  regarding Marys and John, they will “stand by” and “stand with” us…Let’s look at something for a moment…Peter made this statement in 1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

The idea of a priest is a person who will stand by us and stand with us.God has placed His Holy Spirit in us, He is meant to lead, guide and bring all things to our remembrance but He is also to help us pour into the lives of others that is part of the reason for the gifts and fruit…a priest is WITH others so you can take what God has given you to pour into the broken and hurting.

Even in Jesus’ pain, he was loving, caring, being our savior and friend. Even in His pain he was working to pour out what he had in him to others so they might be cared for and become who God had called them to be…he was reflecting the Father as he was WITH them….There is a rather odd, almost out of place scripture verse I want us to look at

John 5:17

But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

This is what Jesus was doing from the cross,  he was being WITH his mother caring for her from the cross and WITH his best friend he was being present in their lives even in His moments of pain…he was giving us an example of how we must be always WITH all of those he places in our lives….

Too often we look for a plan or a program to impact the lives of others, even for our church to do it…and they do but they are most effective when you have spent the time to be WITH those in your family, at work, in your neighborhood and school. It is the caring, loving being Jesus to the world before that makes everything else work so much better to help people find their true calling and purpose in Jesus

Leonard Sweet in his book “Nudge” says sometimes it is less about our witness than our “with-ness”

Being present with people allowing them to come along side of us, seeing our lives and what Jesus has done and is doing for us so they can understand what he can and will do for them is being “WITH” them in a way that Jesus was with John and his mother even at the cross

Rather than needing to preach at people they need us to be with them, then they will understand our hearts…

It is why Jesus went to the cross so that we might understand that because Jesus went, God is now with us always as the Holy Spirit fills us to overflowing everyday if we allow Him to do so…He wants you then to take that understanding of His being WITH you to being WITH others so they might get to know the Jesus you know…because they see HIM in you as you are WITH him

Remember the scripture I read earlier about us being royal priest? In order to be a priest you must be with people being one who stands between them and God being with them.

I know it is often difficult to be there for people, to be “with them” but once again let’s look at Jesus example from the cross

John 19:26,27

When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

I know often it is not convenient to be with people, to care for them, to love on them, sometimes it robs us of our comfort to comfort others, it robs us of our time to be there for other, the phone calls, the texts, the times of encouragement face to face…if we look again at what Jesus said we see even in pain seeing the pain in others and loving them more even though they were separated by the cross…he was WITH them

Mothers have you ever had a time when you saw you child in overwhelming pain it breaks your heart, I’m sure every person in this room has felt the heart break for someone they love going through pain…it is in these times that the church is there to be WITH you…we are a family and when you are not going through your pain…you are to be there to be WITH others…that is Jesus example on the cross

But it goes beyond our getting our needs met we see Jesus in his personal agony not biting the heads off of others, not is he lashing out even though he is under great stress and duress instead we see him patiently still loving

Our hurts, pains, stresses, wounds do not absolve us from still acting loving and kind toward others….no matter the hurt and pain you are in look at Jesus example…we no longer have a pass to say “I’m just having a bad day” we have to be loving and “In the moment” because he is always WITH us…we need to learn to live in his presence and be WITH others even in our pain.

What we see in this moment on the cross is that before Jesus said “it is finished” he loved and cared for those most vulnerable

Despite the brokenness of his body and circumstances He was WITH those in need

So where are you today?

If you are broken and hurting the church is here for you…you are loved and we will be WITH you

BUT at the same time

In your pain, you need to challenge yourself to reflect Jesus to be loving even in your pain

For those who are not hurting the challenge is look to be WITH the people around you…don’t just go through the day to day with people all around you that need what you have inside…find ways to be WITH them….be a good WITHNESS to everyone around so they can come to the freedom you have come to know.  It is not convenient, nor is it comfortable but we have been saved so we might have relationship with Jesus and so we might also share that relationship with others..

As a priest you are called to “stand beside” people to be the one who stands in the gap until they come to know the love you have come to know

T

I had started this series before I left for Russia with Jesus first last words “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” Jesus speaks first to his Father let’s see who he talks with next

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

Many people were in Jerusalem as it was the Passover most Jews felt the desire to be in Jerusalem celebrating the Passover. Jesus had talked about entering the Kingdom of God with a rich young ruler earlier, what if that same man was there at the cross and heard this conversation Jesus had with this thief, this terrorist? Let me remind you of the conversation He had with this young man

Mark 10:17-23 “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”

What if he was there on this day what would his reaction be?

RICH YOUNG RULER Jamon

Can you imagine the frustration the rich young ruler might have been feeling had he heard those words…he had struggled trying to be the best doing the best trying to be good enough to gain entrance into the Kingdom of God and here is this thief who has wasted his life squandered it and he gets it at the last moments of his life.

Let’s look at this phrase Jesus used 

Luke 23:43

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

Since the beginning of time God has desired to have men and women with Him always..when he created mankind he used to meet with them in the cool of the evening…you see God has always longed for relationship with us…

We have all been created to have relationship with Him and each other…and that means everyone, no matter how we may judge them it means everyone

The first words Jesus spoke from the cross were directed at the father and here we see the second words are not to the disciples but instead to a terrorist on the cross

You might be asking why do you call him terrorist? The word-translated thief means “an evil working person, a violent person, one working for destruction and evil”

What is the make-up of a terrorist? It is someone who murders innocent people who lives a life that is an uprising against a nation of different ideals and many today believe that by doing so they are on the fast tract to paradise

That pretty much describes the two guys on the cross next to Jesus

Jesus was having this discourse with the thief because he was right there.

Jesus was constantly showing us that His reach was meant to be greater than what we are normally comfortable with, the Samaritan woman, blind beggar, the prostitute and now a terrorist…Jesus came to reach the whole world and gave us the commandment to do the same…in this case in particular those who should have been closest to him for the most part were not near him

Jesus was humiliated, naked, tortured, and unrecognizable, Jesus was alone but he still had the heart for the world so even in this state, he talked with those closest to him, in proximity, the terrorist.

The night before, each of the disciples had said “we will stand by you,” we will not leave you” but that was in the quiet stillness of a comfortable place…

Some times we are great about professing Jesus in our church, around other Christians but what about in the world, our neighborhoods, our communities, our schools, our businesses,

Surrounding Jesus is this howling mob of Romans, scoffers, mockers no one left for Jesus even in his pain, ridicule and rejection wanted one more to make it to heaven

Remember this verse Matthew 18:20

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Church breaks out where two or more are gathered in Jesus name…church broke out that moment at the cross between Jesus and the terrorist…it can break out with anyone anywhere when you are being Jesus to the world

We all have sinned and fallen short of the Lord’s glory. Every one of us has blown it, it could have been us on the cross next to Jesus when Jesus said

Luke 23:43

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me…

When Jesus said this he meant it for you and me as well. Here is what I mean

When we are in our bad way, when we are in our dark night, when we feel we are in immeasurable pain…we need to remember Jesus is with us…

When you are in pain and agony over a potential foreclosure…Jesus is with you

When you are in pain and agony over a relationship struggle…Jesus is with you

When you are in pain and agony because your kids are in their terrible twos and you are beyond what any human can handle…Jesus is with you!

When your teenager hit puberty their voice changes, their hormones kick into high gear they won’t talk to you but they want you to finance their life…Jesus is with you

Kids when your parent or parents hit a mid-life crisis and they leave you feeling abandoned and alone pursuing their own life and leaving you behind…Jesus is with you

Seniors when you are made to wonder do your kids or grandchildren even care…Jesus is with you

If Jesus could be there saying he would be with the terrorist how much more will he be willing to be with you?

You are never alone, when we repent of our sin when we feel His presence again…His arms are always opened wide to us…he never stops loving us even when we abandon Him.

God is always fighting for us to know he longs to be with us.

Think about it again if Jesus could speak to, forgive, and love on a Terrorist who had squandered and wasted his life but recognized at the very end that he was in need of a savior how much more will he be with you each step of your way…

Jesus loved both the rich young ruler and the terrorists hanging next to him. He loved them all equally

1. Rich Young Ruler left because he felt justified in his good works and expected to be accepted because of all of them
2.  One thief rejected Jesus because he allowed his selfishness to overwhelm him
3. The other thief accepted him because he knew he had no place to go and could sense in Jesus a purity and love even though he was so badly beaten that he was unrecognizable

The enemy is always looking for ways to bring division between us and the Lord…he will use whatever tools are at his disposal

You hear me quote these scriptures a lot

Jeremiah 31:3

Long ago the Lord said,

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.

With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.   

Hebrews 13:5b

“…I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Romans 8:38,39

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We battle worry, fear, troubles at home, troubles at work, battles with the government, battles on facebook, concerns about our future, our finances, our jobs, our kids.

If in his pain, in his tortured and horrific condition he can say to one who just repented I am with you and you will be with me…how can we ever think the Lord would abandon us.

I know our own religious, or self serving attitudes can demand that we have to be good enough to earn God’s care, love and forgiveness but that would make you like the rich young ruler when Jesus loves you and all you have to do is forgive yourself, receive his grace and mercy and you have his heart and his presence.

Or maybe you are angry at what others get away with or you can justify your sin because of all the pain others have inflicted on you…Jesus went to the cross for everyone’s sin and forgiveness is available for everyone including you if you will but receive it.

Maybe today is the first time you heard about the genuine love of the Lord where he is with you always or maybe you’ve heard it one hundred times and today it just makes sense…I would invite you to come to the altar and invite the Lord to take over your life and show you the way to paradise….we are promised his kingdom here on earth and the one to come…here on earth it is living in the love joy, peace righteousness and all the things that really are him

There may be other ways you feel distant from the Lord, you don’t need to be, he is right here right now and will be with you always! It is not about feelings but instead about knowing 

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Monologue -Paralytic Man – Christopher 

Imagine what it was like for that man to see the crowd, think there was no way he was going to get to see this miracle worker because of the crowd but his friends undaunted and full of faith…tear apart a roof, they were willing to do whatever it took for their friend…

Sometimes we need to have that kind of faith for our friends we might need to push them to get into a position to trust the Lord, his friends had more faith than he did, at first,an he knew he was a sinner and why would such a holy man want to have anything to do with him?

They rip through the roof and lower him down, I believe the minute he saw Jesus he knew he was going to be healed but he received more than a healing he received freedom that day from every weight…he was forgiven…lets look at the story

Matthew 9: 1-8 (ESV)

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

The man was changed that day…how could he ever forget those words that brought him healing from the inside out “Your sins are forgiven”

Fast forward to the final scene in Jesus’ life before his death on the cross. It is the Friday of Passover the Jewish festival that all the people were expected to attend even the ones who had been paralytics…a man once paralyzed could now walk to and through the streets of Jerusalem….imagine if he had walked by as this scene was taking place from the cross.

Luke 23:32-38

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 above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

Jesus whole life was about love and life and that relationship could be restored to mankind through forgiveness. The paralytic had received this for himself and imagine his thoughts if he were to hear this from the cross…”I know what Jesus forgiveness did for me, is he now, in this place, in this condition forgiving the whole world?” what freedom it brought me!!! What freedom it will bring to the world!

These words are the first of seven phrases the Gospel writers record from the cross…last words are normally significant…last words can be the literal last words from someone or they could be the last things said before someone leaves you

Such as:

I love you

Call me

Be safe

See you soon

It is interesting to see that Jesus’ first, last words were directed to the Father….the Son and the Father are having an intimate conversation from the cross…John 1:1tells us 

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

That phrase the “word was with God” it is like a word picture of God and Jesus being face to face communicating….in our understanding they were doing Facetime.  In that moment when Jesus was saying forgive them it was as if Jesus was face to face with the Father and t

they were having clear communication.

The Father was right there as Jesus was suffering, seeing everything that was going on a receiving the request from the Son

It should help us to remember that in those times when we feel whipped, bruised, rejected, wounded we know we too can cry out “Abba,” “Daddy,” “Father”

It should also remind us that even when we don’t know what we are doing against the Lord, when we are ignorant of what we are doing or ignorant enough to purposely do something against the Lord that he will still stand to cry out “Forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!”

It should bring us some relief from our regrets and failures

When we think I don’t know what I’m doing as a parent

I don’t know what I’m doing in this position at work or school

I don’t know how I got here with how often I have blown it

There are times all of us struggle with what we are doing as a parent, spouse, employee, employer, friend leader neighbor, son, or daughter

Sometimes our cry is “I don’t know what I’m doing except making a mess!”

None of us was given a clear instruction manual on how to handle every exact situation and relationship in life but we know we can be at peace knowing those words

Father forgive them!

We get forgiveness for who we are, what we do even when we seem to have done it on purpose, when we cry out to him and He forgives.

Part of the nature and character of God is that he is full of forgiveness…he is a God of reconciliation always working to reconcile us to him.

Through the cross, God did a pre-emptive strike for us….a pre-emptive strike is when someone makes the first move before you have a chance to do anything. On the cross, before we even had the chance to sin or even knew what sin was Christ dealt with our sin…we didn’t have the chance to acknowledge our sin or even repent from it Christ took it to the cross saying

“Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!”

It is interesting because many of us have been conditioned to think primarily about forgiveness coming in response to our confession and ownership of knowing what we did wrong 

We run to this scripture

1 John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

This verse is obviously true and the heart of God but before this was ever written or understood our sin was already forgiven at the cross.

Do you realize that with nearly every person Jesus was the initiator of forgivenessby telling people something they weren’t even asking for…”your sins are forgiven”

No one was standing at the foot of the cross, saying “Jesus please forgive me”in fact they were doing just the opposite, cursing, mocking, no one stood at the foot of the cross and prayed the sinners prayer instead Jesus did a preemptive strike and forgive us first

How could we ever have a face to face with an almighty, pure Holy God if he hadn’t forgiven us first….with what Jesus did on the cross it is as if the Father was saying “Hey, you are forgiven can we talk?”

We see the same thing in the story of the Prodigal son in Luke 15 the young man had sinned against his father and family yet before be can say a thing the Father runs to him and welcomes him with open arms, loves him and then this love compels him to confess not the other way around.

The Father is always running to us…In 1 John 1:9 where it says if we confess our sins”…the word confess means “to say the same thing as”

See what John is saying is when we confess we are saying the same thing that Jesus is saying about our lives…

This is what I mean it is Jesus on the cross saying to you and I “I’m here because you don’t know what you are doing”

I say: Jesus you are right my life is a mess, I am saying the same thing as you, you, I really don’t know what I’m doing most of the time I try to do right bur I keep doing what is wrong

Jesus: I know you don’t know and you don’t want to do all of that but you know what you are forgiven.

Confession is saying the same thing about our lives as Jesus has already said we are in need of forgiveness and we should accept the preemptive strike Jesus did for our sin..he has already canceled the power of sin in our lives we just need to choose to accept it…When He said “Father forgive them, he meant it”

We think we know what we are doing with 

Our lives

Our relationships

Our attitudes

Our finances

But we don’t! How often do they leave us empty without the intimacy a real relationship offers, they leave us broken, wounded, hopeless and we try to fill it with other things

Some of you are saying well I’m a Christian already I don’t need to hear this …but you too are carrying around a load of guilt, regret, bitterness, rejection all the poisons that are still poisoning our culture robbing you of real intimacy with Christ and power 

165 times Paul says we are “in Christ”….we are to be one with him always but you don’t feel that believe it because you haven’t applied Christ forgiveness to you so Christ is there and you are here trying to follow and serve him instead of being “in Him” being one with Him

Jesus wants us to be free of sin, be free of regret, bitterness, anger, rejection; the parts of our lives that are a mess because before you even committed the sin…Christ said, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what you were doing”you may have known you were sinning but you didn’t understand the full cost of the sin is the separation you have from His peace, love, joy, understanding hope and so much more because you have not applied His forgiveness to your life.

Will you do that today? Will you take a moment to evaluate your life? Do you have a real relationship with Jesus and intimacy where you know you are completely free and forgiven you can’t earn it, be good enough, or suffer enough to earn it…he already looked down from the cross and said….I have a plan and a purpose for them and as long as there is a wall of unforgiveness between me and them they will never fulfill that purpose they will always be striving, always frustrated 

Many a Christian has gone to the grave feeling unfulfilled because of this problem and many non Christians have never know freedom because they haven’t known this don’t be one of them…start fresh today!

Steps to maturity – learn God’s will- the challenge Part 3

It seems like a difficult one until you realize

1. God designed you for a purpose
2. He placed in your heart a joy that comes when you are fulfilling your purpose
3. He is constantly providing opportunities for you to fulfill your purpose 

It would seem that God’s will is always right in front of us….but what is it?

It is the way God created you, so you can live a fulfilled life, show the love of God to others and change the world!

Two weeks ago we talked about how being faithful even in the smallest of things is part of God beginning to reveal his will to you….

Last week….God will present situations for you. All you need to do is do them

Both Abraham and David kind of fell into God’s will from a human point of view but from God’s everything was designed and they accepted the design, they could have chosen to not save Lot or to not fight Goliath but instead they chose to follow God’s chosen path for them and use their skills, passions, and understanding to follow the Lord.

Finding God’s will doesn’t stop there. We will always go through a cycle of growth to keep changing the world around us and to make us more like Jesus.

God brought both Abraham and David to a point after their great victories to reveal their hearts…this is what I call training to follow God’s will part two

Let’s take a look – stretching so we might be more fulfilled

God’s revealed will to us is rarely the end the immediate open door is our learning to walk by faith. Then the Lord often places us in positions to mold and shape us into understanding who we are so we can completely fulfill our purpose

The Lord (either Christ or God the Father) appeared with two angels to Abraham. This is the fourth or fifth time the Lord had appeared to Abraham (depending on your belief as to whom Melchizedek is)

Genesis 18:22-25

Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Abraham was a warrior, a leader, a shepherd, a businessman, a traveler but the Lord wanted to make sure he was not selfish, God wanted to help him see he had to have a heart of intercession for the people.

God starts out, “50 righteous” and Abraham convinces him if only 10, righteous are in the city, will he save it…he had a heart for the people. God’s will for Abraham was that he become the Father of nations which required him to have a heart for nations…Sodom and Gomorrah were separate nations for Abraham so God wanted Abraham to see that he was ready to be the real Father of nations God had called him too

Abraham knew he was a leader because people followed him but he didn’t understand that God had chosen him beyond his natural ability to be an intercessor so he might always know the Father’s heart

An intercessor is a person who stands in the gap for others through prayer. In the process an intercessor learns the Father’s heart better than any other. A true intercessor is so in tune with God that they can have a tendency to be prophetic God may give them just a word or a vision as God did with Anna and Simeon regarding the birth of Jesus 

Abraham would need this heart to stand against all the enemies and understand how to build a nation based on faith in God

God will challenge you but the challenge is to help you understand who  you really are pushing you to get everything else out of the way so you can see the real you…. made to do and fulfill your calling

– When we first begin to move in the things of God and we are discovering our way of understanding His plan and purpose for us we need to remember that is just the beginning….as we trust God he begins to show us things about ourselves that are important to who we are called to be but may not know until placed in a position to have them revealed to us

Last week we saw David presented with an opportunity that he naturally grasped, the taking out of Goliath. The people sang his praises, praising him above Saul, his King. God had lifted the anointing to be King, off of Saul and gave it to David but as long as Saul was alive (even after his death) David honored that anointing…why? He was simply God’s man…BUT

For this honoring, David seemed to receive punishment rather than being in the Palace Saul tried to kill him so David had to run from Saul.

1 Samuel 22: 1,2

David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

David had learned to lead men into battle but leading the broken, the hurting, the grumblers, whiners, and complainers, giving people hope even when you feel hopeless is part of the gift of a good leader. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were all great leaders who like David in the midst of utter hopelessness and their own dark night of the soul brought hope to others and all were able to change a nation because of it

When you begin to understand part of God’s will for your life, he will open doors, present challenges and opportunities for you to embrace all of His will for you…he does it to open our eyes to all the possibilities. He is interested in you fulfilling your full potential and that only happens when he presents you with challengesafter you feel secure in where you are and you choose to live up to those seeing them not as challenges but as opportunities.

John Maxwell in his book “the 15 laws of Growth” states

“God’s gift to us is our potential, our gift to God is developing it.”

Embrace the challenge accept it as God calling us to a higher calling that will only bless us.

Sad part is most people reach this place and choose against pressing on we make comfort and relaxation our God rather than believing God has designed us for something greater

It is always our free will to reject it but as we see with Abraham and David as they embraced it they had great success in everything they did

How do we find God’s will and fulfill it?

1. Be faithful

God is always looking for people who will be faithful. What are you doing right now? Be faithful to it, do your best no matter how mundane, God places things in our lives to see if He can trust us so He might open doors for us

“Be faithful in little and he will give you much!” based on Luke 16:10

2) Look for the opportunities– God has called you to fulfill His will, He created you to fulfill His will so he will provide opportunites to reveal his will through you as you answer the call like David versus Goliath or Abraham saving Lot! It is simply a time of training….

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” Zechariah 4:10

3) The Lord will challenge you further to grow, once you feel comfortable where you are. There are gifts and callings inside of most of us that go unrealized until we are challenged. If we choose to rise to the challenge we see and feel God’s will revealed then it fits like it was made for us…sadly some today will come to this place and fear losing the comfort, control, relaxation they have found and will accept 2^ndbest and will wonder, why they are not truly joy-filled, at peace, seeing the victory, overcoming as they should and as God has planned…

-You were designed to fulfill your destiny, God’s plan, 

– God will provide opportunities that you can just fall into so you may fulfill your destiny and His plan and 

– You can grow into changing the world and fulfilling your destiny, if you are willing to accept the challenge the Lord places before you