He Is Risen…He Is Risen Indeed!

For April 12, 2020
It was supposed to be like any other Sabbath in Jerusalem. Much all the others that preceded it, this one was peaceful and quiet. Highly trained, battle tested, hardened Roman soldiers were guarding Joseph of Arimathaea’s tomb, preparing for what would otherwise be an ordinary day.

Then it happened:

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 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.” 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. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” Matthew 28:1-10 (NLT)

Little did anyone know that the entire course of human history would be changed forever when three women were informed that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead—just as He said.

The implications of His resurrections comprise the central core of our Christian faith and message as 1 Corinthians 15:17-20 (NLT) insists:

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

Because He lives, we can know that our faith in His death and resurrection is not in vain. Forgiveness of sin along with the gift of eternal life with the Lord forever is now a certainty—because He lives.

Herein lies what distinguishes Jesus Christ from all other religious leaders: He rose from the dead just as He promised, and His tomb remains empty today. Jesus Christ is risen…He is risen indeed!

What a Wonderful Savior and Happy Easter!

The King Is Coming And It’s A Sunday Celebration!

For April 5, 2020
Among the locals who gathered in Jerusalem to observe the holy week of Passover and Unleavened Bread, enormous crowds descended upon the city from around the world.

This particular Sunday, people were preparing for the Passover. There was a  faint, distant rumbling, which grew into a noticeable change in excitement and anticipation among the people. The distant rumbling eventually grew into a deafening roar:

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!1

People gathering at Jerusalem from around the world to witness such a historic event was not coincidental. Our God is a God of divine purpose and supreme order.

More than one thousand years before Jesus’ birth, The Lord mandated all males who practiced Judaism to assemble “in a place which the Lord shall choose” three times each year.2

When royalty came to town in Jesus’ day, conquering monarchs rode horses symbolizing their dominance over their vanquished subjects. However in humility, our Lord Jesus Christ rides a colt, the foal of the ass in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 (KJV):

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass!

Jesus’ public adulation was His Triumphal Entry, which acknowledged Him as the “Prince of Peace” described in Isaiah 9:6. This particular Sunday is called Palm Sunday since people covered the road with their clothes and palm branches in a great celebration.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had arrived, and “the whole world had gone unto Him!”3

He could have chosen something more suitable to His station as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Instead, our Lord establishes a new ministry paradigm featuring humility, and love. He could have chosen to be the Conquering King, but He became the Humble Servant instead.

Jesus’ demonstration of humility should not be surprising since our holy God, the Creator of Heaven and earth humbled himself to occupy human flesh as Jesus Christ.

Purposely, He utilized this particular form of transportation—on the first day of the last week of His earthly life—to illustrate His accessibility to all. Just as He promised in John 3:13-17 (NLT):

No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Jesus is coming, and it’s a Sunday Celebration! Yet He is still accessible to us today—by faith.

What a Wonderful Savior!

Then The Lord Showed Up!

For March 29, 2020
There was much excitement among the hundreds of thousands of freed Israelites who camped by the Red Sea. They were celebrating their sudden and unexpected release from 400 years of Egyptian bondage. Their first Passover resulted in the deaths of every firstborn in Egypt, which prompted the immediate expulsion of all Hebrew slaves.

However, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about releasing the slaves and he ordered his army to capture and return them to Egypt. He pursued them in his chariot along with his army, his officers, and all the other chariots.

It was an imposing sight for Israel to look behind and see Pharaoh’s army marching towards them. Especially when there was no physical barrier to protect them, and with the Red Sea in front of them, they were doomed.

As a terrified nation cries out to the Lord for help, Moses offers them these encouraging words:

Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today…The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:13-14 (NKJV)

Then the Lord showed up…to protect and defend His children miraculously! The Lord told Moses to stretch out his hands and staff, because they were to cross the Red Sea on dry ground! This was something unheard of.

The Angel of the Lord and the Pillar of Cloud positioned themselves behind the people to separate them from their enemies. The cloud illuminated the way for Gods people, while darkening the path for their enemies.

The Red Sea divided, and the Children of Israel walked across on dry ground; with the water standing like two walls on their right and left sides. Their pursuers would follow them, but at their own peril.  When the Lord disabled their chariots, the Egyptians realized they were fighting against the Lord Himself. And once Israel was safely across, the waters receded to full depth. Not one pursuer survived.

The Lord saved His people so that the entire world would know that He alone is God.

As the Lord saved ancient Israel that day, He is both ready and able to save His people today. We must pray to the Lord, trusting that He is fully capable to deliver us from adversity. For He is ready to protect and defend His people of faith, especially those who trust in Him for salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Many of us are now facing an invisible enemy designated as covid-19, and for some, the battle appears to be hopeless. Nevertheless, the Lord is good and merciful; ready to “show Himself strong” on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect before Him.1

Our Lord can make us witnesses of His miraculous work on our behalf so that we may love Him, trust Him, and serve Him. Therefore, let us call on Him to fight all our battles, and watch Him show up for us.

Our Lord is merciful, loving, and faithful; worthy of our faith, confidence, and love as Lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT) teaches:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

What a Wonderful Savior!

What Ever Happened To Our Faith?

For March 22, 2020
Up until a few months ago, there was much discussion about how we have the ability to manipulate the earth’s environment in ways that will allow us to facilitate climate change successfully.

This was a false notion as recent events have demonstrated how our human efforts are woefully inadequate when addressing environmental, microbiological, or global life science-related issues; especially in light of the ongoing, worldwide covid-19 hysteria.

We are not the Creator, and we do not have the capacity or the means to manage God’s creation. We are mere stewards over His creation. In our pride and arrogance, we’ve mistakenly attempted to elevate ourselves to deity with the insane notion of managing God’s universe.

Yet, it has been astounding to watch how one, single, invisible, microscopic, organism can completely incapacitate 21st century civilization, as has cov-19. Instead of our eradicating the virus, we’ve resorted to fear, paranoia, hysteria, misinformation, “social distancing,” isolation, and despair.

In other words, if we cannot control a simple virus, how can we control our atmosphere? At times we are so overwhelmed by life’s unexpected uncertainties that we overlook the simple answers—right before our eyes: only the Creator can solve creation’s problems.

In our hysteria, we have disregarded how Genesis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. We also have overlooked how Psalm 115:11 tells us to trust in the Lord because He is our helper and shield.

As our Sovereign Creator and Sustainer, God never abandoned His creation. He alone preserves and sustains the whole universe and us, just as Nehemiah 9:6 (NKJV) declares:

You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.

One theologian describes God’s ability to preserve us:

Preservation is that continuous agency of God by which he maintains in existence the things he has created, together with the properties and powers with which he has endowed them. Preservation implies a natural concurrence of God in all operations of matter and of mind. Though personal beings exist and God’s will is not the sole force, it is still true that, without his concurrence, no person or force can continue to exist or to act.1

God is our Sovereign Lord, Creator, and Sustainer in Whom we live, move, and have our existence as Acts 17:28 declares. His sovereignty provides us with comfort and assurance we need in our distress, because we know He cares for us and that His special preservation towards His creation cannot fail since nothing occurs or exist independent of His sovereign will.

Those of us who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the vicarious merits of His  death and resurrection, which paid the price for our sin and reconciles us to God forever, are certain to experience the Lord’s continual care as Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV) illustrates:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

1 Peter 1:5 tells us that we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Ultimately, our faith should never be placed in our finite human strength, because it will always be inadequate in and of itself. Instead, we must put our faith in God’s almighty power and loving care, for He’s got this and He’s got us—now and forever!

What a Wonderful Savior!

 

What Ever Happened To Prayer?

For March 15, 2020
During the glory days of ancient Israel, King Solomon had the Temple constructed to honor the name of the LORD; the Creator of Heaven and Earth; the God of Israel. Upon its completion, Solomon offered a prayer of dedication to invoke God’s presence and blessing on the Temple and His people forever in 2 Chronicles 6:18-21ff (NLT):

But will God really live on earth among people? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you. May you watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have said you would put your name. May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place. May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive….

Solomon continues his prayer and closes with the following:

O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place. And now arise, O LORD God, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation; may your loyal servants rejoice in your goodness. O LORD God, do not reject the king you have anointed. Remember your unfailing love for your servant David.   2 Chronicles 6:40-42 (NLT)

After the prayer, a remarkable thing happened. God answers with fire from Heaven, which consumes the burn offerings and sacrifices dedicated on the brass altar, and the glory of the Lord fills the Temple to such a degree that the priests could not enter the Temple to perform their sacred ministerial duties.

Then those who saw the fire consume the sacrifices along with God’s glory filling the temple, bowed themselves, worshipped and praised the Lord saying: “For He is good; for His mercy endures forever!”

An even more astonishing thing happens a few days later. God appears to Solomon at night and affirms his prayer by saying: “I have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.”1

Then God utters those timeless words that I believe are especially relevant and applicable for us today (my emphasis):

At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.  2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NLT)

None of us are exempt from adversity, sickness, peril, or even death. Job aptly observes that our lives are relatively short, yet full of trouble.2 In addition in Matthew 5:45, Jesus assures that both the Children of God (just) and those who are not of God (unjust) will encounter random, uniform difficulty as  long as we live on earth.

Unfortunately, it is often during our times of trouble when we doubt the Lord’s goodness, presence, and protection on our behalf. But hardships do not negate God’s love, grace, and mercy, nor are they signs of His desertion.

Recently, quarantine, mass testing, hording of supplies, and widespread panic have resulted from our fears concerning the coronavirus. However, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God provides the formula to address our troubles appropriately: 1) Humble ourselves, 2) Pray, 3) Seek God’s face, and 4) Turn from our sin. God is faithful and can deliver us as Psalm 34:19 (NLT) teaches, “The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.”

What ever happened to prayer? In other words, why are we not calling for prayer; seeking God’s help and intervention instead of wildly running into a panic mode? Why not humble ourselves, seek God, turn from our wickedness and allow Him to be God—not us—in this and every situation we face?

Jesus Christ suffered adversity on His way to Calvary’s cross. But there, His death paid the price for our sin so that we can have a restored relationship with God the Father that will last forever. In the final analysis, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection help us to understand that all the things we experience will work together for our good just as Romans 8:28 teaches.

God has not abandoned us. He will give us the extraordinary resolve to count it all joy3 because our unspeakable treasure is not on the earth—it is in Heaven. Jesus assures us that in Him, we have the ultimate victory:

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33 (NLT)

We can be steadfast and ever vigilant in pursuit of our incorruptible inheritance because we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.4 Our toils serve as constant reminders of the presence of sin in our fallen world, which contrasts God’s magnificent Heaven. There, all our toil and suffering will be forgotten instantly the moment we see Jesus Christ in his full majestic splendor.

What a wonderful Savior!

 

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