Our Messiah

I hope and pray that you never grow apathetic to what Jesus did for all humanity. I hope the same thing for unbelievers as well; that they either be hot or cold, not lukewarm when it comes to their thoughts and devotion to Christ. We need to continue to remember what Jesus did for us. That is why we take communion. That is why we celebrate Easter. Jesus is the one we worship. He is our savior, our Christ, our Messiah. Peter puts it this way as he addresses a crowd of people in Acts, chapter 2, verses 23 and 24:

"This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."

It was God’s purpose for Jesus to die for us. Many at the time didn’t understand that. Jesus had the power, and the authority to escape death, but he was obedient to God’s purpose. But as Peter says, God then raised him from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him… Impossible. Let us worship our Lord and thank him for what he did. You don’t have to wait for communion Sunday to remember, you can take communion in the privacy of your own home. I encourage you to give Jesus thanks for his obedience, and God glory for providing a way for our sins to be forgiven.

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From the very beginning, it was God’s plan for Jesus to die. Jesus is our Messiah, prophesied about by the prophets of old. Let us thank him, let us worship him, let us glorify him. Because he fulfilled his calling, we can all be called children of God. We all have been given the key to eternal life in heaven, if we would just accept him. Praise God for his grace and mercy. This makes me think about the song Amazing Grace - "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see." Are you blind today? Let Jesus open your eyes. Let him be your God, let him be your king, let him be your messiah.

Bring Glory

Jesus is an incredible example to all of us who are trying to obey God and live a life that is pleasing to him. He did everything right, even when it was incredibly, unbelievably hard to do so. He kept his eyes on God and his hands to his purpose, which was ultimately to bring glory to God the Father. When contemplating the way he was going to die, Jesus says in John 12:27-28:  

“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this very reason I came to this hour. Father glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Jesus knew that he was going to face a horrific death, and like any man, it weighed heavily on him. But he knew that even facing one of the worst scenarios any human could contemplate, that his goal was to obey. His goal was to bring glory to God. As much as Jesus might’ve wanted to have God save him from his fate, he knew that it was much more important to obey God and glorify his name. I encourage you to keep this in mind during your life struggles as well. You may not be facing a horrific death, but God may have called you to do something really difficult. Remember what Jesus did. He obeyed God and God was glorified because of it. We should strive to do the same.

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Jesus behaved perfectly on this earth, but he didn’t have it easy. His destiny was to die for us, even though he was innocent. And not a quick death; a slow and painful one. A humiliating death on the cross, on display for everyone to see. He knew his destiny, and as hard as it was for him to fulfill, he willingly did it. He obeyed God and brought glory to his name. Our purpose is similar. Our goal should also be to bring glory to God’s name. Thankfully, most of us are not called to die for the cause of Christ, but every one of us are called to live for him. So I encourage you, obey God and bring glory to his name, even when you may be called to do something difficult.

Open Your Eyes

Paul had an amazing life. He spent part of it persecuting Christians, then he did a 180 and actually became a Christian himself, preaching the very message that he used to oppose. The turning point for him was when Jesus, himself, confronted him. During that confrontation, God spoke to him through a blinding light as Paul recounts in Acts 26, verses 17 and 18 where God says: 

"I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

God sent Paul on a mission - to open the eyes of unbelievers, to turn them from darkness to light. Have your eyes been opened? Have you been turned from darkness to light by the power and grace of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ? That was Paul’s mission. It was a mission with a purpose - so that eyes would be opened and that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus. If you are still living in darkness - darkness not just meaning that you’re doing bad things, but darkness meaning that you haven’t come to a realization of the truth, that Jesus is the only way to heaven, then I encourage you to open your eyes. I pray that the Holy Spirit show you what believers all over the world already know - that a life without Jesus is really no life at all.

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Paul’s mission was to open the eyes of those who didn’t believe. To turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus. For those who don’t believe, these may seem like strange words, and the concept may even sound stranger, but it is the truth. Satan’s goal is to keep your eyes off of the truth and away from Jesus because he knows that faith in Jesus means freedom from him. Life with Jesus is the way that life was meant to be. And if you don’t believe that, I encourage you to do what Paul was sent to help others do - open your eyes, understand the truth - the truth that can not only free you in this life but can also reward you for eternity.

Make The Most

If you’re anything like me you’ll agree that when you were younger, if felt like you had all of the time in the world to do whatever you wanted to do. But the older I get, the more I realize that there seems to be less and less time in the day, and that I have to prioritize what is important and what is not. I’m realizing that I need to be wise about what I do, and where I place my energy - that I need to make the most of every moment. And I think Paul would agree, because he says in Ephesians chapter 5, verses 15 and 16:

"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

Paul says this after encouraging the Ephesians to turn from darkness and to be like Jesus. He encourages them to “wake up, o sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you”. I encourage you as well to wake up. Take a step back and look at your life. Are you living wisely? Are you making the most of every opportunity? The words from Paul could not be any more timely when he says that we need to be careful because the days are evil.

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“Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil”. I encourage you to think about how you are living life. Whether we are young and think we have all of the time in the world, or if we are a little older and realize that life is short and our days are numbered, we all need to consider whether we are living wisely or foolishly. I encourage you to live wisely, to live for Christ, to make the most of every opportunity you have to spread his love and to share the good news of the gospel because as Paul reminds us the days are evil. And I would submit to you that they are growing more and more evil as we grow closer and closer to Jesus’ return.

Fear Him

If you’ve paid attention to our news you’ll realize that ISIS is a growing concern - radical Muslims killing Christians along with anyone else who chooses not to believe in their god. But if you’ve paid attention to the Christian media, you’ll learn that the problem is even darker than that. You’ll learn that Christian persecution is greater than it has ever been in our history and a record number of believers are being tortured, jailed and killed just for believing in Jesus. When I hear news like this I’m always thankful that I live in America where currently there is freedom of religion. But if this kind of persecution does find its way to America, I hope that I’ll remember what our fellow brothers and sisters in these persecuted nations already know. They know who to truly fear. In Luke chapter 12 verses 4 and 5, Jesus puts it this way:

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."

All believers know that there is an afterlife, but not every believer has had their faith put to the test. The kind of fear that Jesus is talking about here is reverent fear. Knowing that we serve a holy God who makes all of the rules should give us a healthy respect, or reverent fear of the God who has the power to carry out our eternal sentence. If you have not put your faith in Jesus, I hope that these verses give you pause as you come to understand the power that He truly holds.

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There may have been people in your life who have told you that you need to take life more seriously. They may have even said some of the decisions you’re making could be life or death decisions. Though this may be true, Jesus tells us that there is something more important to consider than life and death. He expresses that we shouldn’t only take our life seriously, but it is more important that we take our afterlife seriously. So I encourage you to remember what Jesus says about the God we love and serve. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more, but fear him who, after the killing of the body, has the power to throw you into hell.