Suggested Scripture Reading: Matthew, Chapter 26 !

Focal Passage: Matthew 26: 45-52

Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the time is near. The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up; let’s go! See, My betrayer is near.” While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. His betrayer had given them a sign: “The One I kiss, He’s the One; arrest Him!” So he went right up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. “Friend,” Jesus asked him, “why have you come?” Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and arrested Him. At that moment one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his ear. Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up a sword will perish by a sword. Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels? How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”

One of the most amazing thing’s about our Savior’s love for us is that He knew He would suffer and die…He knew it before time began. There are over 300 prophesies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ— all written centuries ago.  Thirty three years of life on earth with one all encompassing goal…to die for us, as the Scriptures foretold. It’s hard for us to put our arms around this kind of love…

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us…1 John 3:16

I think maybe it will help us to understand if we look at the intentionality of it. Let’s examine just a few scriptures that teach us this truth. Do you remember the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after the last supper? Matthew 26 tells us He had been praying, and when He returned to the disciples He said:

Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” v. 46

Shortly after that, Matthew goes on to tell how one of the twelve reacted violently and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. in the group. The Gospel of John tells us this was Peter. Jesus sharply rebuked him, further revealing His steadfastness toward the goal…

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” v. 52-54

Another area where we see this intentionality is in the repeated trips to Jerusalem, the most dangerous place for Him.

…And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.” Mark 10:32-34

It is difficult for me to put my arms around this sheer determination and steadfastness that is not typical of human nature. Our tendency is to run from difficulties, especially those that will cause suffering…we try to avoid them at all costs. I would venture to say even more so when the suffering is unjust. But let’s not forget that although fully human, Jesus did not possess the sin nature that we have. When faced with injustice, He chose not to pursue justice for Himself. He offered His life freely.

For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. John 10:17-18

He knew He would be ridiculed, spat apron, beaten…His beard ripped from His face. He knew He would be nailed to a cross and die a slow agonizing death. Yet He chose to leave His heavenly throne…all for love. The words to the song by Chris Tomlin, “You Are My King”, send chills through my body when I hear it:

“Amazing Love, how can it be That You, my King, would die for me”

It was completely voluntary. He was certainly not subject to the constraint of any mere human. He was not overtaken by circumstances, there was no surprise…He was in complete control.

This Sunday, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, let’s dwell on the intentionality of it…let’s concentrate on the love a God who “became flesh and dwelt among us”. I pray that as we focus on this amazing love, we will understand what it means TO us and what it should mean THROUGH us.

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 2 Corinthians 5: 14-15 

SUGGESTED SCRIPTURE READING Luke 24

FOCAL PASSAGE

And as they were saying these things, He Himself stood among them. He said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. “Why are you troubled?” He asked them. “And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet. Luke 24: 36-40

Have you ever asked this question? After His resurrection, why did Jesus still have the scars from His crucifixion? Presumably, He could have had any type of resurrected body He wanted; why not have a perfect glorified body? I believe there may be a number of reasons He kept them. First of all, they identify Him for who He was and is. When Jesus appeared in the room with His disciples, they were afraid…they thought they were seeing a ghost. I imagine that was of no comfort to them. Had He been a ghost, that would mean He had not conquered death. But He showed them His hands and His feet, verifying it was Jesus. John 20:20 says they “rejoiced” when they saw them.

They rejoiced because His wounds showed them who He was, and we can rejoice because they show us He suffered and died…in our place…to live again forever. He still bears those wounds and when we see Him, we see will those scars. Revelation, chapter 5, tells us that John recognized Him in heaven as the lamb who was slain.

Then I saw One like a slaughtered lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. Revelation 5:6

A second reason for the scars is they tell us because He suffered, He knows what it is like to be human…He knows what we are going through. I can’t comprehend the reason for this next thought; it is way too much for me. But the Bible tells us that the God of all creation left His throne to become like me…to suffer like me…and to die in my place, that I might live with Him forever.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 14.

“The Word became flesh.” Because He was flesh and blood, like you and me, one of the disciples, Thomas, also had trouble grasping this thought…that though He was fully man, He was also fully God. Thomas was known for being a doubter. He hadn’t been with the disciples the first time Jesus appeared to them in the room, and he refused to believe it was true. But when he finally saw the scars of the resurrected Jesus, he was convinced.

Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don’t be an unbeliever, but a believer.” Thomas responded to Him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:27-28

I have two scars on my leg where a piece of rebar went through when I was about eleven years old. Somehow, in the way that only a young boy can, I ran upon this rod in a field, and it went in and out in one swift motion…quite a traumatic event. Now, fifty years later, I have forgotten many childhood memories. Yet when I see the scars on my leg, I remember that particular event in vivid detail.

I believe there is at least one more reason for His scars…we will see them for eternity, and will be reminded in detail of what He has done for us. And because Jesus overcame, we can overcome.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20.

Many people now, as then, do not recognize Jesus for who He is. Some believe He was a good man…a great philosopher…a preacher or the leader of a religion they do not completely understand. Still others claim to believe in Him, or at least His teachings, without totally submitting to Him.

The Greek word for believe in the New Testament is “pisteuo” and it is used hundreds of times. It is more than just an understanding of something as we sometimes use it today. It is an action verb and it means to be persuaded of. Much in the way we can say we believe a suspension bridge will hold us, but it’s not until we put in our faith in it and walk across that we truly exercise belief.

Revelation 1:7 tells us “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him”. Can you imagine how the soldiers who made those scars will feel when they see Him? Well, the truth is we all caused them…our own sin caused those scars. You and I are as guilty as the soldiers…and we will all see them.

The question is, will you look upon Him as a religious leader…a good man…a great philosopher? Or can you now believe, because of His scars, and like Thomas proclaim, “My Lord and my God”?

Focal Passage:

“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Matthew 6: 25-33

I have to say I had second thoughts about choosing this topic. I feel somewhat like a hypocrite writing about it because I struggle with this myself. It’s very difficult, to say the least, to lead a worry free life. But that’s what Jesus tells us to do in the scripture above.

I’m sure you noticed I borrowed the title of this study from that catchy little reggae tune of the same name. I’ve never thought about it before, but this song title is actually scriptural. If you’ll look closely at the first and last verses in the passage above, that’s exactly what it is saying. In essence, the first verse is the opposite of the last. When we worry, we are not seeking Him first…and we’re not happy.

Is it a sin to worry? The Bible doesn’t say so directly, but we can conclude this from the Scripture. We are commanded over and over that we are not to be anxious or worry about anything. And when we do, we are failing to trust God and to do what He tells us. It opens the door of our lives to Satan.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:6-8

The Greek word for “anxious” is “merimnao”, and it carries the idea of being “divided into parts”…or we might use the phrase, “go to pieces”. It can also carry the meaning of being distracted. Satan loves it when we are distracted from God. Distraction is one of his greatest tools. It happens when we take our eyes off Jesus.

Remember in the book of Matthew when Peter wanted to walk on water like Jesus? He had sent his disciples on ahead by boat, and during the night a great storm came…they were terrified:

But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear. Matthew 14: 24-26

At Peters request, Jesus told him to come to Him on the water:

“Come!” He said. And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:29-31

Peter was with a group of men who had seen Jesus perform countless miracles. They had just the day before witnessed Him feed over 5,000 people with a young boy’s lunch of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Yet with Jesus right in front of him he was terrified. Peter did what I do when I worry…He took his eyes off Jesus. We all do.

I’ve seen miracles too…the every day type. The seasons change like clockwork…the sun rises and sets every day…the acorn becomes the mighty oak…I watched our daughter being born. And miracle of all miracles, I’ve seen Jesus change a heart.

Yet, I still yield to pressure, I still lose faith from time to time. Sometimes when I worry, the back of my neck just tightens up from the stress…but deep inside, I know better. My point is this; like Peter we have hope in a Savior who lives! When the winds roar and waves crash, we need only to call on Him, and He will plant our feet on solid ground.

So what is the answer? It’s in the last verse of the Scripture passage at the top of the page “…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”. How cool is that? When we seek Him first, He takes all that anxiety and stress away…we can lay our worries upon Him. What and awesome God we serve!

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. 

Suggested Reading: Psalm 8

Focal Passage: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
 The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
 What is man that You take thought of him,
 And the son of man that You care for him?
 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
 And You crown him with glory and majesty! Psalm 8:3-5

Sometimes it simply amazes me that I would even cross the mind of God, let alone the fact that He loves me. To paraphrase part of the above scripture, Who am I Lord, that You would even give a thought to me? Yet the Bible tells us that even the very hairs on our heads are numbered (Matthew 10:30). That means it’s a personal thing. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done and it doesn’t matter what we’ve experienced— God loves us. We are honored, we are precious in His eyes (Isaiah 43:4). Is that not incredible? And to top it off…it’s everlasting!

…“I have loved you with an everlasting love; Jeremiah 31:3 (partial)

It boggles the mind, doesn’t it? It also boggled the mind of David as we see in the Focal passage above. In Psalm 139, he further elaborates on how God cares for and watches over us. I love the way The Message Bible puts it:

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
 to be out of your sight?


If I climb to the sky, you’re there!


If I go underground, you’re there!


If I flew on morning’s wings
 to the far western horizon,
 You’d find me in a minute—
 you’re already there waiting! Psalm 139:7-10

Most often when we think of God’s love for us, our minds run to the cross. The cross is God’s statement of just how much He cares for us. When we think of the immensity of this love, the very first thing we have to do is consider the price that was paid. Chris Tomlin says it very well in his song, Here I Am To Worship: “I’ll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross”.

What makes this love God has for us even more amazing is when we see it in light of the fact that we are so undeserving…we owe such a large debt. At the core of our very being is sinfulness. But at the core of God’s being is His holiness. In order for us to find any way to have a relationship with Him, we have to find a way for our sins to be forgiven. The problem is that there’s just no way for us to accomplish this on our own…the debt is just too big. So He paid the price for us:

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1John 4:10

One of my earliest memories is learning the words to the song, Jesus Loves Me. I’m sure most of you know the song too. Do you also know for a fact that Jesus Loves you? I’m not asking if you have that information, like you understand the sun will come up tomorrow. I mean in a more personal way…Have you experienced that love personally? Have you invited Him into your heart?

Some of you may be familiar with the name of Dr. R. Paul Caudill. He was pastor of First Baptist Church in Memphis for nearly 40 years and is known worldwide for his many accomplishments for the Lord. I was raised in that church…He married my Mom and Dad, and he Baptized me, as well as my brother and sister. He led First Baptist to build nine chapels in Africa and a hospital in Bangalore, India. In his retirement years he preached regularly at the Shelby County Penal Farm and was instrumental in the building of a chapel on the grounds. He authored over 50 books. I could go on and on.

He passed away at ninety seven years of age. When he died, his daughter was at his bedside. She heard him say something, but couldn’t quite make out the words. As she leaned closer to try and get a clearer understanding, he whispered the words to the children’s song… “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so”. This accomplished and learned man of God left this world with the truth from this children’s song his lips.

I can think of no greater words uttered by man.

Focal Passage: ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’ssake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Revelation 2:2-4

When you mention the Book of Revelation, it strikes fear in the hearts of many people, even Christians. But it need not; it’s a wonderful Book of hope and promise, and here is something you may not know: It promises that those who read, hear and obey the words of this prophetic book will receive a special blessing from God. (Rev. 1:3)

First I want to correct one common mistake. There is no “s” in the name of this book; it is singular, not plural as many incorrectly pronounce it. Revelation means simply, an “unveiling”, much as you would pull away the canvas of of a painting and “reveal” it for the first time. It is an “unveiling” of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I highly recommend a study of Revelation. It will amaze, and I believe can alter your relationship with Jesus in such a promising way. I would also recommend a good commentary, such as David Jeremiah, as it can be complicated sometimes. Adrian Rogers also wrote a very good book called “Unveiling the End Times in Our Time”. It is easy to read and understand, and doesn’t delve into other complicated prophesies as some commentaries do.

We’re only going to study a few verses in the second chapter, but first let me set the stage. Jesus has just appeared to the apostle John. And it’s not the Jesus he had seen before—at least not in appearance. He sees our Lord in all of His majesty and glory, and all he can do is fall prostrate at his feet. Although His appearance may be different here, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow…and He reaches out and touches John and says, “do not be afraid”. This is the same Jesus John knows and loves.

In chapter two, He instructs John to write letters to each of seven churches in Asia Minor. I want to point out that while these were literal churches in existence in John’s day, the letters are just as applicable to the churches of today and to the Christians in them.

Let’s look at the the letter to the church of Ephesus. If I sound “preachy” from here on out, I don’t mean to be. I often have to refer back to these verses in my own life. In the first part of the passage, Jesus commends them for their labors and perseverance, and that they are obedient. He is also pleased that they haven’t followed after false teachers which were prevalent then just as they are today.

All in all, up to this point, this sounds like a well functioning church. They’re going about business as usual,doing the work good churches should do. And if we equate this to ourselves as individuals, we might say: Went to church this week-check. Read my Bible daily-check. Put something in the offering plate-check. Prayed for those around me- check. But something was missing here, as it is sometimes with us. He said,

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

What does that mean? Some commentators take this to mean they had lost their love for one another. But in each of the letters in chapters two and three, the emphasis is on allegiance to Jesus, and most Biblical scholars believe that love for our Savior seems to be in view here. It means that they had lost the love they had when they first came to know Him. They were doing the right things, but for the wrong reasons…there was no passion.

Do you remember what it was like when you first fell in love, or maybe went on your first date? Ladies, did you spend a little extra time in front of the mirror? Guys, did you make sure that car was absolutely spotless? Did you anticipate seeing him or her all day? Was there excitement in your eyes, butterflies in your stomach?

What about the time when you asked Jesus into your heart and first began your relationship with Him? I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was a young boy of about 11. And to be honest, I remember I was excited, but I can’t remember much else. When I was around 20 years old, I began to really take a look at my life, and although I knew I was saved, I rededicated my life to Him publicly at the church I was attending…and boy do I remember that feeling. I wanted to be totally His, and I wanted to tell everyone I knew about Him. The feeling was so strong, that I actually thought I was being called to preach. I transferred to Union University and majored in religion to prepare to become a preacher. I was excited!

Service seems to come easy to some people. My wife, for example, loves to work in the inner city programs and gets involved in efforts to help those less fortunate than us without blinking an eye. That doesn’t come so easy for me. I would rather take another route. To me it’s much easier to teach a Sunday School class or work at the front door of the church as a greeter…I can smile and say “come on in” with the best of them. But I have to work at being a servant, that is much more difficult for me.

I read a book a while back by Chuck Swindoll (my favorite author) called “Improving your Serve”. It’s not a long book, but it was one of the hardest I’ve ever read. It humbles the reader. The book is based on the words found in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” I highly recommend it to you.

I hope reading this study today causes you to look inward as much as it did me while preparing it. And I want to throw out a challenge. Do something for someone this week for no other reason than your pure love for our Lord…and don’t tell a soul about it.

“…and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 

Suggested Scripture Reading: Philippians 3!

Focal Passage: 12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

It’s that time of year again…time for that list of things we’re going to do to improve our lives…New Year’s Resolutions. We all make them and we all break at least some of them, but we try again. I read recently where some take the easy way out:

“I’m going to eat more and exercise less”…or the more humorous route…
”I’m going to be more positive and less sarcastic; like I really have a shot at keeping that one”.

Whatever the case, most of us would like to do something to make our lives better in the coming year. Billy Graham recently stated some of his biggest regrets and what he would do to change them if he could. This one really struck me:

“I would spend more time studying the Bible and meditating on its truth, not only for sermon preparation but to apply its message to my life.”

That one immediately went to the top of my resolution list: I’m going to spend more time in God’s Word. Imagine how far that would go in helping us keep the rest of our list! Think back on your time in God’s Word this year…is there room for improvement?

I read recently where Rick Warren was asked what the best Bible Translation was. His answer was, “When you translate it into your life.” That’s what Bible Study is supposed to be about, isn’t it? I mean, if we’re not applying it to our lives, we’re not using it the right way. I find myself slipping into that trap. Many times most of my study time is spent preparing a Sunday School lesson instead of determining what God want’s me to do with His word. James tells us:

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. James 1:22-24

And Paul makes it pretty clear in 2nd Timothy:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

In other words, James says we’re to stop yakking about it and do it…and Paul says we have everything we need to be better. Let’s go back to the focal passage. Paul realized a responsibility to pursue a greater personal knowledge of our Lord…an intimacy…a conformity to Jesus and holiness. He viewed his experience as that of a runner…not looking back. He didn’t mean that he refused to remember the things he did in the past, he just didn’t have to dwell in them. He had abandoned the goal he had in the past. Now he had a new goal toward which he was looking and running.

If we truly desire to be more like Jesus…to know Him more intimately, what better possible way could there be than to spend more time with Him…in prayer, and IN HIS WORD? May god bless each and every one of us in the coming year as we strive to conform to His likeness.