Redeemed and Reconciled

I was talking to a couple of ladies this morning about the relationship between Christmas and Easter. In the midst of this conversation two words came up - two of my favorite words - "redeemed" and "reconciled". 

 

We understand that Jesus came from heaven - that He was sent - to redeem all of humankind from the penelty of sin - that is death. We also understand that Jesus gave up His life on a Roman cross so that our sin debt would be paid. Furthermore, we understand that Jesus arose from the dead - that He arose from the tomb - so that we could be eternally reconciled with God our Father. 

This afternoon I was reminded of one of my favorite passages of Scripture - a passage I think of often around Easter but rarely around Christmas. And yet, without the gift of Jesus at Christmas we cannot celebrate the gift of Christ at Easter. 

Romans 5:6-11; You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Morning Prayer

This morning, as I walked through the church building, and into the Sanctuary - considering all of the planning, praying, and preparing that has gone into our celebration - I began to pray;

"God, I just want everything to be perfect..."

At that moment I was reminded that this may have been the very prayer of the Jewish religious leaders on the weekend that Jesus was crucified. 

The Jewish religious leaders had planned, prayed, and prepared for the celebration of Passover. Knowing that large crowds were entering the city, they watched as Jesus entered Jerusalem upon the back of a donkey, and a colt. As He entered the city they told Him to quiet the people - to quiet His followers - who were crying out "Hosanna". 

The next day Jesus entered the Synagogue and drove out money changers and those who were making a spectacle out of God's House - some of which were these Jewish religious leaders.

Now angry at Jesus and jealous of the attention that He was receiving, the Jewish religious leaders gave one of Jesus' followers a bride - 30 pieces of silver - for the knowledge of His whereabouts. Not only did they detain Jesus, they flogged Him, stripped Him naked, and hung Him on a Roman cross - hurling insults at Him as He hung suffocating to death. 

All the while they prayed;

"God, I just want everything to be perfect..."

And so, this morning, as I prepare to worship the Lord - who was not overcome by man - who did not stay dead in a tomb - who cannot have His plan thwarted - my prayer is;

"God, may Your will be done. If I have failed to prepare in any way for Your presence, make that aware to me. Then, after I have done everything that You have called me to do this morning, give me the wisdom and the ability to step out of the way and point to You, Jesus. God, may Your will be done."

Good Friday

It is nights like this that I love. Our children - all four of them - are in their beds, quiet and happy for the moment. I walked next door to the church and the smell of clean restrooms and the sight of just vacuumed carpet greeted me. As I walked back to the house I noticed how beautiful the evening is. It is a clear night sky, so I took a moment to sit out on our patio swing - with its brand new cushions - and gaze at the numerous stars in the sky. The smell of our freshly cut lawn and a perfect 72 degrees reminds me that this is almost too perfect.

And I remember that it is Good Friday. Just an hour ago we sat down as a family and read the account from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus laid down His life for us - bringing forgiveness and redemption for all of mankind.

As I sat out on our patio swing enjoying the perfection and peace that I am blessed with tonight I am reminded of the uncertainty and unrest that so many felt the night that Jesus was crucified. So many questions why..., what..., how... Good Friday was not such a good day for those that had watched Jesus willingly submit to the Roman authorities and religious leaders. Good Friday was not a day of peace for those that had watch Jesus hung on a cross in the midst of taunts and criticism. Good Friday was not a day to be remembered for those that had watched Jesus suffocate to death right before their eyes.

The only reason we can stomach the phrase "Good Friday" is because we know about Sunday!

Let us consider that this is indeed a good Friday. For this was the Friday in which Jesus removed our shackles of slavery to sin - this was the Friday in which Jesus opened the door for all of mankind to come in - this was the Friday in which Jesus bought and brought  us salvation. 

This is indeed a good Friday. For resurrection Sunday is three days away! 

Do You Want To See Jesus?

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:1-10)

These women were given an opportunity - essentially a question. Then it was posed to the disciples –  the followers of Jesus; "Do you want to see Jesus?"

Now, two thousand years later, that same question is asked of us, each and every one of us; "Do you want to see Jesus?"

Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:10)

So, Mary and Mary, they run – they sprint – I’m sure they moved faster than they had ever moved before. Busting into the upper room they see the disciples – the friends of Jesus and they tell them what has just happened

·        The earthquake

·        The stone rolling away

·        The angel of the Lord

·        The report – “He’s not here”

·        The empty tomb

·        And then…Jesus

Nonsense, these women are crazy. But who can blame them, it’s been a stressful few days, perhaps it’s simply wishful thinking. 

And then the question; "Do you want to see Jesus?"

See, this question struck these men. This was not just a person they hoped to see again, this was God’s Son, sent to the world to teach, heal, and redeem, this was a man, who had been crucified three days before, this was their friend that they had buried in a sealed tomb, this was Jesus Christ – their master and Savior.

Do we want to see Jesus? OF COURSE WE WANT TO SEE JESUS!

Do you remember when you first saw Jesus? Do you remember the moment that you first saw Him as your Savior? The One that has paid the price for your sin? Do you remember the moment that you first saw Him as your Lord? The One that will lead you to life of joy and peace?

Maybe you have never been introduced to Him. Maybe you don’t know Jesus, or maybe you have lost sight of Him as your hope, your peace, your joy, your comforter, your salvation, your everything.

See, Jesus is life – and He gives us a reason to live.  But more than this, He gives us the ability to live, to truly live a life of purpose and excitement.

Do you want to see Jesus?

This isn’t simply hearing about Jesus! This isn’t Jesus through the filter of another person! This isn’t Jesus as the world perceives Him! This isn’t Jesus as culture presents Him! Do you want to see Jesus for who He truly is?

·        Our Hope when the world seems hopeless

·        Our Peace when we are stressed and burdened

·        Our Joy when the world steals our joy

·        Our Comforter when people break our heart

·        Our Savior when we need to be rescued

Do you want to see Jesus?

Not only does Jesus want to show Himself to you. Jesus wants you to know that you can live. Because Jesus lives, you will also live. 

The Cross is an Embarrassment without...

Easter Sunday is the day when each if us have the honor of celebrating the greatest blessing given to us.

Christmas is wonderful and is to be celebrated, yet Christmas is of little meaning without the cross.

And the cross is an embarrassment without the empty tomb!

Everything about Jesus

I love the casual moments of chatting with my oldest children, now ages six and three. It is during these times that I gain insight into their young minds, gain access into their profound thoughts, and develop an understanding of what life looks from a small child's point of view.

Last Sunday I had one of these treasured moments with my children. As they sat and played together I mentioned that Easter Sunday was right around the corner, I told them that we would go to church and then travel to Grandpa and Grandma's house for the holiday. Then the three of us shared the following dialog:

Me: "You know what Easter is all about don't you?"
Three-year-old: "CANDY!"
Six-year-old: "No." (with a laugh and an eye roll)
Me: "No, it's not about candy."
Three-year-old: "The Easter bunny!?"
Six-year-old: "No." (with a laugh and an eye roll) 
Six-year-old: "It's about hiding eggs!"
Me: "No, we talk about those things at Easter but the real meaning is Jesus!"
Me: "Remember how we talk about Jesus dying on the cross?"
Six-year-old: "Yeah....?"
Me: "Well, Jesus died but then He came back to life three days later."
Me: "That is what we celebrate on Easter. Jesus is alive!"
Six-year-old: "Oh? Yeah!"
Three-year-old: "Daddy? Daddy?" (with a very serious tone and look he grabs me by the cheeks)
Me: "Yes?"
Three-year-old: "Does everything have to be about Jesus?"

"Does everything have to be about Jesus?"

Yes! Everything does have to be about Jesus! Not just everything at Christmas, everything at Easter, and everything at church. Everything that we do has to be about Jesus, everything must be focused toward and centered around Jesus Christ. Not only is this something that I hope to teach my children, this is something that I hope to teach every person that I meet and talk with and every person that sees me live my life.

But, I will never be successful - I will never teach my children or anyone else that EVERYTHING must be about Jesus - if I have not taught myself this first. That is, if I am not living my life in a way that honors, pleases, and glorifies Jesus Christ, nothing else that I do will matter.

So, ask yourself; Does everything have to be about Jesus? Are you living your life in a way that proves this to be true? Are you striving to teach others that everything must be about Jesus?

Blessed are...

“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen!” (Luke 16:6, NIV) To me, these are some of the most powerful words recorded in the Bible. These words tell us that we serve a God that was crucified for our imperfections, our sins, that He died this horrible death so that we did not have to and that He conquered death. He lives, even today, He lives! We serve a living God! Think about that for a moment…..then take a couple minutes thanking Him for all that He has been through for you.

As believers, Easter is one of the most joyous holidays because, through it, we get to celebrate everything that sets our faith and our Savior apart from this world. Now that the Easter holiday is through I encourage you to stay focused on Christ, on everything that He has done and everything that He continues to do in, through, and around you.

After Jesus’ resurrection he appeared to many people before his ascension into heaven. The other day I was reading about Jesus’ appearance to Thomas, one of His disciples (John 20:24-31). One verse caught me more so than the others that morning, verse 29. Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those that have not seen and yet have believed.” Was Jesus talking about us in this verse? Was Jesus saying that we are to be blessed, to be happy, to be envied because we have not seen Him and yet we have believed? I have read this passage in the past and for some time now I have believed that Jesus was, in fact, speaking about you and I. But more recently I was reminded of Jesus’ healing of the man who was born blind (John 9). Later, when this man was questioned by the Pharisees, he replies “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.” (John 9:25)

Whatever your view on this passage is, whether Jesus was speaking about you and I, because we have not seen Jesus in the physical sense or not. The truth is, it doesn’t matter! For if you have seen Jesus in the Spiritual sense, you have been blessed immeasurably. Your challenge, then, is to evaluate the relationship you have with The Creator of the heavens and the earth, to come to know Him for who He is in, around, and through you! And then, live this blessing out and share it with everyone around you, today, tomorrow, and forever.