Today is a good day, a happy day, a day full of celebration and cheer for today is the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was on this day that the world's hope was returned, the day that darkness feared the most; the day when light would triumph.
Jesus conquered the grave and brought glory to God through his resurrection. He is alive right now and is in heaven with God your Father.
So what does this mean for us?
It means that there is hope after death, for Romans 8:11 reminds us that the power that raised Christ from the grave lives in each of us, so now, our greatest fear has been dicipated.
The power the Devil had over us; the fear of death, has been conquered and we now live in victory, in freedom and under the grace and mercy of the Almighty God. Now we have nothing to lose!
I would assume that most of us broke our fast today, so now what?
Well we continue living life as best as we can in order to bring honor and glory to God and we remember that he is doing good things even now in our lives.
We must carry our light to other people's lives and bless them in the ways we can so that through us, others can see God's mercy, love and grace.
This is our last lenten reflection and so I pray that God will answer all your prayers and bless you and your family in amazing, wonderful and miraculous ways and also that you will live a happy, long and prosperous life.
I wish you all the very best life has to offer and always remember, God's love is everlasting, so you need not worry; just have faith, for even just a little faith has the power to move mountains!
Not only when you've put your pieces back together or when you get over your problems or addictions or when you start following him more diligently and read the Bible more often, no.
He wants you right now, just as you are, even if you're broken and hurt, even if you're moral or immoral, even if you're bad or good, wherever on your spiritual journey you may be, even if you've been on it for years or only just begining; God wants you.
God doesn't care what you've done or haven't done, he doesn't care if others love or don't love you, he doesn't care if you've sinned one time or one billion times, he still loves you as he did before you ever comitted any sins.
God doesn't mind if you have doubts, he will take you anyway.
He doesn't mind if you don't love yourself or your life, he will shower you with so much love that you will lack nothing.
God doesn't care what others think about you, he doesn't care about what the Devil accuses you of or what you think is wrong with you, he loves you anyway.
He knows what you've been going through, he can heal wounds that you've suffered from continuously for years; Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't cure.
Just as you are; battered and bruised, broken and scarred, in the sight of God, you are one in a million.
You don't have to be ashamed in God's presence; you don't have to carry the burdens of your sins, in fact, the penalty of your sins have already been taken care of; your ransom was paid long before you were born.
God doesn't mind if you've made or are still making mistakes; he understands you.
He knows why you've done what you've done and he accepts you anyway.
He doesn't care about your race, your family background, level of success, amount of money in the bank, the way you speak, the way you look, God loves you, just as you are.
His arms are open wide, he's ready to accept you whenever you want, so what are you waiting for?
Go to him! He will rescue you, he will give you security and protection and peace and everything you could possibly need or want.
He is your Dad, your protector, your vindicator, your king, he is everything you want him to be and more. Trust him. Leave your life in his more than capable hands and surely goodness and mercy will follow you, all the days of your life.
Thousands of years ago, an event occurred on a day just like today; an event that would break the hearts of hundreds of people. It was an event that would rock the world out of balance. One that would leave many people in denial and others dumbfounded, however, this event was powerful enough to change hearts, and if the heart changes, things can never be the same again.
Of course the event that we are commemerating today is the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom, we would be condemed to a cruel fate, yet he took our fate upon his shoulders and died in our place. What a day today is!
Let's try to measure this love that God has for us, firstly, would you die for someone else?
You may say yes; maybe for a family member, your children or spouse or even another loved one, that's understandable.
Now, if they comitted a crime, would you still die for them.
Perhaps you would.
But what if their crime was against someone else that you loved dearly?
Your response may depend on the situation.
Now what if they weren't a family member, but a stranger, would you still die for them?
Maybe not.
Now are you willing to die, not for not one, but for billions of criminals to live?
Most likely no.
But that's what Jesus did for us; that's what God did for us!
The son of the Most High God; the heir to the throne, our prince, came to Earth to make us right by God, our king, through his sacrificial death on the cross.
Which God would sacrifice his own son for us sinners? Only the most loving, compassionate and caring God, only our master and maker. How can we not praise and worship our God? How can we not love him, how can we not trust him? After all he's done for us, anything less that full submission to him would be ungracious.
I pray, if you haven't already, that you will recieve the gift of love, peace and redemption, this Good Friday, and that Jesus' sacrifice will bless you and your family today and for as long as you live.
Imagine this; you are overlooking a trial at the house of a high priest; a trial where people who are seen as God's messengers are trying to find false evidence against an innocent man. Many people come forward and tell lies about the man, yet they can find no fault with him. Then, two men step up and says, 'This man said, "I am able to tear down God's Temple and three days later build it back up." When asked if he denied it, the accused makes no response. Then, they put him under oath and asked him the one question that they were dying to ask, "Tell us if you are the Messiah, the son of God." He responded, "So you say. But I tell all of you: from this time on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven." They had finally caught him, "Blasphemy!" They shouted and all the witnesses answered, "He is guilty and must die." So Jesus was tried and found guilty. 'Guilty of what', you ask? Guilty of being the son of God. So today we'll be looking at Jesus' trial as accoding to the Gospel of Matthew, of course, the other Gospels may have information not mentioned in Matthew's account so feel free to read them. The introduction to this reflection was written from a scene taken from Matthew chapter 26:57-66, entitled; 'Jesus before the Council.' Now we'll be moving forward to 'Jesus is taken to Pilate', and then up to the point where he is sent to be crucified. These passages can be found in Matthew chapter 27 verses 1-2, then verses 11-26. I'll just summarize the events. Jesus was placed in chains and taken to Pilate, the Roman governer. Pilate questioned Jesus and asked him if he was the king of the Jews but Jesus did not respond, in fact, Jesus refused to say a single word, and this surprised Pilate. According to Matthew, it is written that Pilate knew that the Jewish authorities had handed Jesus over to him because they were Jealous of him. Now every Passover, the Governor would set free any prisoner the crowd wished so he gave them the choice between a man called Jesus Barabbas and Jesus the Messiah. The people chose Barabbas. Now Pilate knew Jesus to be innocent, however, the people insisted that Jesus was crucified. So Pilate washed his hands and told them that he was not responsible for the death of this man, that it was there doing. And after sending Jesus to be whipped, he was sent to be crucified. Once again I say, surely, we must remember that all this had to happen, because if it did not, we would still be offering sacrifices on an alter for sins we comitted. We must thank God every day that Jesus was brave enough to offer himself up as a sacrifice for us, as unworthy as we are.
Today we will be reflecting on two portions of Scripture; the first of which can be found in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 26 verses 36-44, it is entitled; 'Jesus Prays in Gethsemane.'
In summary, Jesus had gone to the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jeruselem. He had taken three of his diciples with him to keep guard as he prayed since he knew the time of his arrest was drawing near, the diciples were; Peter, James and John.
The scripture says; 'Distress and anguish came over him, and he said to them, "The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch."
So he went into the garden, threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father! If it is possible, take this cup of suffering away from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want."
Then he returned to his diciples, he found them asleep so he said to Peter, "How is it that you three were not able to keep watch with me for even one hour? Keep watch and pray you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Thus he goes into the garden a second time and prays, "My Father, if this cup of suffering cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done." He once again returned to his diciples and found them asleep. Jesus then went away and prayed a third time saying the same words. When he returned he said to his diciples who were still asleep, "Are you resting? Look! The hour has come for the son of man to be handed over to the power of sinners. Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!" This passage diplays one of the rare occasions when Jesus reacts as any of us would when facing death; he was afraid. They say that the anticipation of death is worse than death itself, and at this point Jesus was anticipating his death. He knew what he was going to face and he was afraid, however, he still had the courage to say 'Not my will, but thy will be done.' In life, we face similar moments, times when we feel afraid, times when we tell God, 'Please, this is painful, take it away!' So surely you can relate, however, Jesus' destiny was especially difficult because he foreknew it and he was aware that it was full of pain and suffering. The second scripture for today can also be found in the book of Matthew, chapter 26 verses 47-56 and is entitled, 'The arrest of Jesus.' 'Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve diciples, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests and the elders. The traitor had given the crowd a signal: "The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him! " Judas went straight to Jesus and said "Peace be with you, teacher," and kissed him. Jesus answered, "Be quick about it, friend!" Then they came up, arrested Jesus and held him tight.' This exerpt from this portion of Scripture portrays Jesus' betrayal and arrest. It dipicts the undeserved betrayal and unjust arrest of an innocent man, and this was only the begining of Jesus' trials, trials which would eventually lead to his death. Now once again, this story sounds bleak, but we all know at this present moment that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God and that he's fine, however we must reflect on his character; a person that could speak to someone who betrayed him and still call him friend, that is certainly a strong, kind-hearted person. Of course, Jesus could have very well commanded an army of angels to come to his aid but this sacrifice had to be made in order to make us right with God so although he was afraid, he went through with it because he knew it had to be done, he even said in verses 35-56, "Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw? Every day I sat and taught in the temple, and you did not arrest me. But all this had happened in order to make come true what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures." While his suffering was tremendous we must remember that God's promises must come to pass and he had to fulfill his destiny because billions of lives depended on him and we must forever be grateful for his awesome sacrifice because it couldn't have been easy but he did it!
During the late 15th century, Leonardo Da Vinci did a particular painting; it was the painting of a man sitting at a table in an enclosed room, and laid out on the table before him was a feast. The man looked quite at peace, however, the men sitting around him looked a lot less peaceful, in fact, they were in a bit of an uproar.
If this painting rings a bell, you'll be happy to know that you've probably seen it lots of times because there are perhaps hundreds of thousands of replicas of this painting all over the world. They can be found in churches and even households.
Yes, this painting is none other than 'The Last Supper' as told in John 13:21, and this painting still basks in the refectory (dining room) of the church, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, in northern Italy.
Today, our reflection, can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26 verses 17-30. It encompasses two stories, the first of which is entitled; 'Jesus Eats the Passover Meal with his Diciples.'
Before we get into this one, let's just take some time to understand the history of this celebration called 'The Passover Festival.'
This festival is a Jewish one and it is basically a spring festival in honor of the Israellites freedom from Egyptian slavery during Moses' time.
'So why do they call it passover?'
Well, if we remember, during the time of Moses, when the Pharoah refused to let God's people go, God had sent ten plagues on Egypt, one of which was sending the Angel of death to pass over Egypt and kill the firstborn son of every family there.
The reason why the celebration is called 'Passover' is due to the exclusion of the Israellites from the death of their firstborn sons.
Now back to our main text, in summary this passage speaks of Jesus' last Passover meal with his diciples, however, during this meal Jesus informs the diciples that one of them would betray him.
The painting I referred to above by Leonardo Da Vinci depicts the reaction of the diciples to this news.
Each of them in turn says, "Surely, Lord, you don't mean me?"
To which Jesus replies, "One who dips his bread in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will, but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!"
Judas then spoke up, "Surely, Teacher, you don't mean me?"
And Jesus replied, "So you say."
Of course, Judas was the traitor.
Moving on to the second story, this one is entitled; 'The Lord's Supper' and it goes thusly;
'While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his diciples.
"Take and eat it," he said; "this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. "Drink it, all of you," he said; "this is my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in my Father's Kingdom."
Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.'
This passage relates a story retold generation after generation, Jesus' last supper with his diciples. This is what we commemerate everytime we take communion, remembering that he sacrificed his body, which is represented by the bread, and shed his blood, which is represented by the wine, in order to forgive all our sins. If you truely understand the magnitude of this sacrifice; this sacrifice which was made thousands of years ago which still holds for us even today and for who knows how many generations to come, you will realize that silver and gold may fade, the things we most treasure may fail us, but God's love for humanity will never fade or fail us.
Now on Holy Thursday, Churches all over the world will gather together and memorialize The Last Supper so if you didn't before, now you understand it's significance.
Our reflection for today can be found in John, chapter 2 verses 13-21, it is entitled; Jesus Goes to the Temple.
In summary, Jesus had gone to the Temple, only to find the people selling cattle, sheep and pigeons there. Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove the animals out and said, "Take them out of here! Don't make my Father's house into a marketplace!"
The Jewish authorities came to Jesus and asked him, "What miracle can you perform to show us that you have the right to do this?"
To which Jesus responded, "Tear down this Temple, and in three days I will build it again."
Of course the religious authorities thought this notion to be incredulous! Could Jesus rebuild a Temple that took forty-six years to construct in three days?
But what they didn't understand was that Jesus was speaking of his own body.
Jesus knew the plans of his Father and he knew what he had to do. The miracle he had told them he was going to perform is the very one that we will be celebrating on Sunday! He was saying that the proof of his right was his identity as God's only son and that his death for all mankind and his miraculous resurrection will prove to them who he is.
Of course, the people at that time didn't have the foresight to understand this but we are blessed enough to live during a time when we can reflect on and understand the magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice.
Now we must remember within ourselves that our bodies, just like Jesus', are God's Temple and we must remember that Temple's need maintenance. We must keep ourselves clean and take care of what God has been gracious enough to provide us with, even if that means we have to live without some things that are bad for our health, be it physically or emotionally.
So today is the 40th day of our fast and if you were curious as to why our fast usually lasts more than 40 days, this is the explaination. Our fast begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday, traditionally, but the way it is counted exempts Sundays. Some people fast throughout the week but not on Sunday that's why we end up with the extra days. So we usually fast for about 45-46 days depending on when you break fast.
Let me introduce you to a week that changed the course of history forever. A week that smashed through walls, broke barriers and shattered unbreakable hearts. A week that tied our fates together with one man so strongly, that countless people before us and every generation after us will still be bound to him. Welcome to the week that changed the life of every human being on Earth; welcome to Holy Week.
Today was recognized all over the world, as Palm Sunday, the day Jesus entered into Jeruselem and was welcomed as the King he rightfully is. For our reflection, however, I belive it would be best to start at the beginning of the end; that is, the point where Jesus was first seen as a threat and the Pharisees began plotting against him. This will take us to a scripture buried deep within the book of John. The entirety of John chapter 11. This scripture is about a man that can boast of dying twice (if that's anything to boast about), it is entitled, "The Death of Lazarus." Do read it if you can, but in summary, Jesus got news that one of his friends; Lazarus, was ill. When Jesus got this news, he knew that through this God was going to do something great, so instead of going to see him immediately, he waited where he was for two days. When he had finally gone to his friend, he found that he had been burried for four days. When Jesus was taken to the place of his friend's burial, he wept, so much did he love his friend. So, in order that the people believe in him to the Glory of God, Jesus commanded that the stone over Lazarus' grave was removed and he spoke, "Lazarus, come out!" And thus Lazarus came back to life, wrapped in his burial clothes. Many who saw this miracle believed in Jesus but some went and told the Pharisees. The Pharisees knew that the Messiah was coming but they didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Now, the Pharisees were afraid that the people would begin to believe in him and start following him as their king and that the Romans who ruled over them would then get angry with them and destroy their Temple and Nation. Thus they plotted to kill Jesus, in fact one of the priests said "What fools you are! Don't you realize that it is better for you to let one man die for the people instead of having a whole nation destroyed." This was a prophecy and according to the scripture, it was relating that jesus was suppose to die, not only for the Jewish people but also to bring together all the scattered people of God. Although this seems to be a bleak situation, it was the begining of Jesus' triumph and the representation of the depth of God's love and mercy for the human race. Now, this isn't a sad story, this is not the begining of the end of Jesus, this is the begining of the end of the chains that kept us ensnared to sin. Now of course, everything we commemerate during holy week didn't happen in one week and there was a build up before his crucifixion. From the moment of his birth, everyone God chose to reveal his plan to, knew that this person was going to do amazing things, however, even less people knew that this great man's fate was to bear burdens and carry scars that would be treasured by hundreds of billions of people of varying backgrounds, nations and tongues for as long as the Earth exists.
In life we all have critics; these critics could be our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, our family members, strangers or perhaps even ourselves.
We sometimes change ourselves to fit into crowds that we ought to run away from.
We feel the need to be a part of something; we crave acceptance, so in order to fit in we put our responsibilities behind us and engage in behaviors so unfamiliar to us that we barely recognize ourselves.
Sometimes we change because we care so much about what others think of us; so much so in fact, that we forget about what God thinks of us.
Why must we live life trying our best to please others when we have someone that approves us in spite of who we are? Why must we change ourselves for people who don't even know us when we have someone who loves us in spite of what we've done?
I'm not saying that we are perfect and have nothing we should change; even the best of us have issues that can use some devine intervention, however, if you are a person that is facing the pressure of wanting to please people, you will never be able to live a truely happy life.
There comes a time when you must ask yourself, am I living to please people or am I living to please God?
Galations 1:10 puts it like this; "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
This scripture is basically telling us that we are the servants of whomever we choose to serve. If you're trying to please people then you are the servant of man, if you are living to please God then you are God's servant.
You must consider this in whatever you do because people can lead you astray but God knows your life from begining to the end.
Proverbs 29:25 states "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."
You know yourself and God wants to have a relationship with the person you are even if that person is broken and has scars that won't fade. He wants to have a relationship with you when you're at your best and when you're at your worse. He knows what you've done, the choices you've made and he loves you, even if you don't.
Stop living to please people; people weren't made to serve people.
The truth is, you can never please people no matter what you do because you weren't designed to serve people, you were designed to serve God!
Stop caring about what they think of you. Stop placing so much worth on the words of men and start seeing the immeasurable value of the words of God.
Mother Teressa wrote a poem on this same concept, it's entitled:
'Do it Anyway' and it goes like this
"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centred.
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway
If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
The darkness shrouded the light of day, The tossing seas threatened to sweep me away, The storm grew fierce, the lightning, it struck, The ground ripped apart like crumbling rock. The storm grew fiercer, I was cold with fear, I knew that my limit was drawing near, I looked at the ocean, I looked to the sky, "My Lord, My Lord, I'm going to die!" The oceans; they trembled, the thunder it roared, I cried to the heavens "Have you abandoned me my Lord?" Suddenly I heard it, and not a second too late; A voice from the heavens, "My child, where is your faith?" A blessing from above, a voice of goodwill, From the heavens he commanded "Storm, be still." I was happy and grateful, for the truth is, you see, My savior calmed the storm, the storm inside of me. Our reflection today can be found in Matthew, chapter 8, verses 23-27, it can also be found in Luke, chapter 8, verses 22-23; it is entitled, 'Jesus Calms a Storm' This story is a popular one. Jesus and his diciples get into a boat in order to cross over to the other side of a lake. However, a storm hit the lake. Jesus was asleep on the boat at the time, his diciples were afraid and awakened him, telling him "Save us Lord! We are about to die!" Jesus answered, "Why are you so frightened? What little faith you have!" And then he ordered the wind and waves to stop and according to the scripture, there was a great calm. The diciples were shocked and said "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey him!" I wonder if like the diciples, when life's storms threaten us, whether we lose faith in Jesus or if we trust him knowing that our life is in the palm of his hands? Storms can threaten our comfort and security in the form of illness, sorrow, insecurity, addictions, you name it. It is a comfort to know however, that we have a protector that can save us simply through his words, he can command any storm, 'Be Still' and it will obey him. Psalm 46:10 puts it this way "He says, "Be still and know that I am God"" That means, remember who is supporting you; remember that the creator of the universe is protecting you. Who must you fear when the very being that can simply speak and a universe bursts into life loves you more than anything else on Earth? You must have faith and believe in he who created you, knowing that if he brought you to it, he will most definately bring you through it. Trust in the Lord and your faith in him will reveal to you unimaginably amazing things that will boggle your mind and you will say without doubt or fear that the Most High God is Holy and worthy to be praised and adored, and that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.
Today we'll be reflecting on the book of Matthew, chapter 7 verse 14-23; it is entitled, 'The Things that Make a Person Unclean.' In this scripture Jesus says, "There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean. " Now the diciples didn't understand this so they asked Jesus to explain what he had said. jesus replied; "Dont you understand? Nothing that goes into you from outside can really make you unclean, because it does not go into your heart but into your stomach and then goes on out of the body. It is what comes out of you that makes you unclean. For from the inside, from your heart, comes evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit adultry, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly- all these evil things come from inside you and make you unclean." Now what this scripture is talking about are those things that make us impure. What Jesus was saying is that the things in our heart are the things that make us unclean not the things we consume; as was the popular belief in those days. The things that make us unclean are those that reside in our heart; those are the things that lead us to do evil. What did he mean? He meant that the things that aren't a part of us can't make us unclean because they pass through us and leave our bodies, however, the things that are a part of us; the ones we hold in our hearts', they have the power to cause us to do evil and anything that has that kind of power is unclean. What does that mean for us? Well, it means that if we're holding on to something in our heart that causes us to do wrong we need to get rid of it. It may not be as easy as saying that you no longer want to have pride or hate and suddenly they disappear, we're going to have to work harder than that most likely, but it would be worth it in the long run if we can detatch ourselves from those feelings and become better people in the process.
Sin is very prominent in this world. Every one of us here on Earth are sinners and if you can think of a person in your life, (not Jesus of course), that you believe has not comitted any sins, the truth is, it's not that they haven't sinned, you just don't know what they've done.
That's not to say that you should condemn anyone just because they've sinned, remember you are a sinner also; we all are, and that's all the more reason to encourage the people you meet each day.
We all carry a cross. We walk through life with burdens and stresses, addictions, sorrows and all these things come together to make up the story of our lives. Sometimes the burdens that we carry; we carry them alone, we have no one to share them with because we're embarrassed by them, because we're afraid what others may think of us if we share those deep scars with them. We're afraid that if we tell someone they will use it against us.
Let me encourage you today because if you have sinned; forgiveness is awaiting you. If you have sorrow; joy is awaiting you. If you have stress; rest is awaiting you. If you have a yoke; freedom is awaiting you. You just have to have the courage to claim it.
How do we claim it? We pray. We lift our troubles to the one that created us, we confess our sins to him and then, we let it go, knowing that he has redeemed us, knowing that his grace is sufficient.
While we can all relate to sinfulness, there is someone in the Bible who could help us understand sin a bit more.
St Paul says this in Romans 7:14-25;
"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer myself who do it, but it is sin living in me, that is, my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord."
In this excerpt, St Paul is speaking of sin, and what he says basically is that there are two parts of us; the part of us that is a slave to God's law and a part of us that is a slave to sin. The part of us that is a slave to sin does sinful things and the part of us that is a slave of God does not do sinful things.
What he says is that if we agree that God's laws are good (ie, we know that what we're doing is wrong), but we don't do the good things we want to do but instead we do the sinful things that we don't want to do, it is the part of us that are slaves to sin that is comitting sin.
So while we want to do what is right, we are always tempted to do the wrong things and thus we're always at war.
Of course, the price of sin is death, however, we are delivered through the blood of Jesus Christ so we don't have to feel guilty or ashamed of our sins. We were forgiven even before we comitted them, of course in order to claim that promise we must confess our sins to God who is merciful and forgives us.
God forgives us all once we own up to our sins, even if we make the same mistakes hundreds of times.
I pray today, that God listens to your prayers and helps you to overcome the guilt and shame of sin and that you will be comforted and freed from your pains for as long as you live.
Today we'll be reflecting on Matthew chapter 5 verses 1-11, it is entitled, Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount.
In the book of Matthew, following Jesus' temptation, he chose some of his disciples, healed the sick brought to him and now in chapter 5 he saw crowds of people had come to listen to him, his diciples came to him on the mount and he began to teach them all.
Matthew 5: 3:11
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.
Blessed are they who hunger for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
If you recognize this passage then you are familiar with the beatitudes. In case you didn't know; the beatitudes are the blessings that Jesus mentioned in his sermon on the mount; so those blessing quoted above are the beatitudes.
So now that we know what the beatitudes say, what exactly do they mean?
Well the beatitudes were really declarations, the diciples had to know what they were getting themselves into.
Jesus was telling them what was expected of them as his followers.
The last part of the scripture was something like a prophecy, since they were insulted and persecuted, especially after Jesus' death.
So what does this mean for us. Well as followers of Jesus, we also have the responsibility of having the right attitudes and as the scripture tells us; we must be humble, kind, hungry for righteousness, merciful, peacemakers, pure in heart and know that even if we cry, we will be comforted and even if we are persecuted, God has a place for us in heaven.
It's not always easy keeping these attitudes in this world but we must remember to whom we belong and try our best to get along with others, especially since we know that it is not flesh and blood we fight against but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and wickedness in high places, Ephesians 6:12.
So let's try to uphold the same standards that Jesus set for his diciples since he walked in flesh upon this Earth knowing that his promises still stand rooted here and will remain until he returns.
Today I want us to look at two passages; both speak of the same scenario, however, each fills holes in the other, so to speak. So, let's look at Matthew chapter 4 and Luke chapter 4. We'll be alternating between these passages which are both entitled, The Temptation of Jesus. So After Jesus was baptised, the book of Matthew tells us that the Spirit led him to the desert to be tempted. You may think at this point 'Why would the Spirit lead him to be tempted, I thought the spirit was suppose to do the opposite.' Well, not exactly. The Bible doesn't say that we wouldn't be tempted but that God will keep the temptation from becoming too strong and that he would provide a way out of temptations, 1 Corinthians 10:13. So, Jesus went without food for forty days and forty nights and the Devil, seeing that he had this part that needed filling, tried to tempt him. So the devil said, "If you are God's son, order this stone to turn into bread." Jesus replied, "The scripture says, 'Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.'" It's important to note at this point, that in order to combat temptation Jesus used scriptures. Why did he use scriptures? Because what the Devil says are all lies but what the scriptures say are all true, so if what the voices you're hearing aren't telling you the same things that the scriptures are saying then that voice is coming from the enemy! Now, Jesus was hungry, yes, and he could have turned the stone into bread, however, he had made a commitment and he stuck out with it. You see, the Devil tries to make us break our commitments. He wants us to break our vows and not accomplish our destiny, but Jesus was not fooled. Then the Devil tried to tempt him a second time. He took Jesus to Jeruselem and set him on the highest point of the temple and said, " If you are God's son, throw yourself down, for the Scripture says, 'God will give orders to his angels about you; they will hold you up with their hands, so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones'" "Jesus answered, "But the scripture also says, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test." This temptation is especially interesting since the Devil himself quotes scripture. Ever had a temptation where it seemed as if it was coherent with the scriptures but really it was another of the Devil's attempts to hurt you? Yes, well even Jesus went through the same thing but again, his words were mixed with lies and evil intent and Jesus saw right through him. On another note, it is important to remember that if the thing the devil tempts you with leaves you feeling embarrassed and guilty, it's wrong, no matter what lies he tells you. Then the Devil tried to tempt him a third time, Luke 4:5-7 states; "Then the Devil took him up and showed him in a second all the kingdoms of the world. "I will give you all this power and wealth," the Devil told him. "It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose. All this will be yours, then, if you worship me." "Jesus answered, "Go away Satan! The scripture says, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!" After that the Devil left Jesus and the angels came and helped him. This last temptation showed the Devil's intention in testing Jesus. The Devil didn't know who Jesus was. He wanted Jesus to give him clues, so he pulled this card out, if Jesus fell for this one he'd know for sure that he wasn't God's son because only humans are tempted by such fleeting things as fame and wealth. Little did the Devil know that all the world already belonged to Jesus; the son of God. Thus Jesus passed his tests. You may say 'But Jesus is God's son, why did he have to be tested.' Yes, Jesus is God's son but for that time he was also a human, and as humans we are all placed under these conditions. We are all subjected to a world full of lies, temptations and corruption but one thing we can now be grateful for is that God loved us so much that he sent his son to make things better for us. Before Jesus died for us, we couldn't even imagine that an all powerful being like God would want to have a relationship with sinners like us, but Jesus became the bridge connecting us to the Father and now we can rejoice knowing that the Devil may scheme but Jesus will redeem. We can also rejoice knowing that Jesus went through all the things that we go through and he overcame it!
We live each day and experience life to its fullest. We climb the steepest mountains and tread in valleys low but sometimes we grow weary. We grow weary of life and its ups and downs.
What do we do when things feel this way? What cure is there for a weary and burdened heart?
There is someone in the Bible who can relate to this feeling very well.
In fact he said himself "My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul." Job 10:1
Of course this man was none other than Job.
Job was certainly tested by God. His family and wealth were all taken away from him in one day. If there was ever a person on Earth that had every right to feel weary; it was Job.
Now Job was a God fearing man, yet all these troubles had befallen him. If we read Job 1:6-8 however, we would recognize that whatever happened to Job was no surprise to God; in fact, it was God that gave the devil the power to test Job.
It is important when you get weary, to remember who is in control of your life.
Remember; God loves you and he would never put you in a situation that he knows you're not strong enough to handle.
You may say, 'But what he did to Job wasn't fair at all.'
No, it wasn't, but Job was able to handle it!
How did Job handle the troubles he faced; he trusted God.
In fact he stated in Job 13:15 "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him..."
So Job was put through torture of the crulest kind; everything was taken away from him, even his friends had turned their back on him. In spite of all this, Job still placed his trust in God realizing that God was still in control of his life
We too need to remember when we grow weary that God is still in control. For as long as we live there are beautiful, wonderful things awaiting us in our future!
God knows how much pressure we can take so be joyful when you go through adversity because it means that you are capable of carrying that burden.
Also, it is important to remember during your adversity that God is in the process of doing something new in your life; whether he's changing a bad habit or taking you to a new level your adversity will take you to higher heights.
Your weariness of your circumstances should be replaced with a spirit of quiet confidence knowing that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and that he will surely work things out in the favor of his people as he has always done throughout the ages!
Let's go on a journey through time; across raging seas and thirsty deserts, lush flowering meddows and mountains whose peaks reach into the heavens. Let's go back over 2000 years into the past to the bank of a cool flowing river in Palistine, Israel. Here we are, hidden amist a crowd of people witnessing a great spectacle. Before us stand two men, related, not only by lineage, but also by faith. One man tells the other "I ought to be baptized by you, and yet you have come to me!" The other man responds "Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires." You look on as the man is baptised within the cool sparkling waters of the Jordan river. Suddenly, as he comes out of the river, the most miraculous thing happens, the heavens open up casting a light on him, a dove descends, and along with it a voice rings out saying "This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased." You stand there awestruck and dumbfounded. Now, retuning to our own time, if you recognize that story, you would be aware that the man being baptised was none other than our Lord, Jesus Christ and the other man was the prophet; John the Baptist. This passage can be found in the book of Matthew chapter 3 verses 13-17. The other books which mention this scene can be found in the Gospels' according to Mark and Luke, however it is related in much less detail. Before I continue, it's important that we note the significance of baptism. Baptism can be thought of in two ways; firstly it can be seen as a symbol of conversion; so basically, the washing away of sins and starting anew, but as we all know, Jesus was perfect! This is why John stated that he should be baptized by Jesus. The second way baptism can be seen is as a pledge of alligence to God. It is a symbol through which we profess our faith. In the aforementioned scene, Jesus isn't baptised for the clensing of his sins but as an open declaration of his faith and alligence to his father. Soon after his baptism, Jesus began his ministry on Earth, but not before fasting and praying to God, that, however, is another story for another time.
Today, I want us to look at yet another passage found in the book of Luke. Luke 2:41-51. It is entitled 'The Boy Jesus in the Temple.' This scripture gives us the rare opportunity to witness Jesus at the tender age of 12 years. Most 12 year old boys today can probably be found running around the house doing mischievous things or playing outside but Jesus, on the other hand, was doing something especially interesting. Before we get into that though, let's put this story into context. Jesus' parents had gone to Jeruselem for the Passover Festival. Back in those days, they would walk where ever they went. Now Mary and Joseph had travelled for one day before realizing that Jesus was not among their relatives or friends. I can imagine how they must have felt. They were probably thinking "God, don't look now but I think we just lost the savior of the world!" On a more serious note though, surely they were worried so they went back to Jeruselem to find him. Day one; where could he be? Day two; someone must have taken him! Day three; just about the time when they were ready to belive that all their fears had come to pass, Jesus was found! What was he doing? Did ge get lost? Did he run away to hang out with his friends? No, he was found in the Temple, "sitting with the Jewish teachers, listening to them and asking questions." Jesus was preparing himself for his destiny! Even at age 12, he was already being prepared for his future in ministry. Of course his parents were relived to have found him. When they found him Mary had said "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been terribly worried trying to find you. " To which Jesus responded "Why did you have to look for me? Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?" His response was more meaningful than Mary and Joseph understood at that time. Jesus is the son of God; that is the Father he was referring to. What he was telling them was that if they really knew who he was, they would have known where he would be, if they understood his destiny, they wouldn't have had to search because they would have looked in the right places to find him. I find this scripture significant in another sense also. This wasn't the only time Jesus had gone missing. There was one other time, do you remember when that was? It was after he died on calvary, and again he was found on the third day; the day of his resurrection! He was gone but he returned, and now he is at the right hand of God. Mary and Joseph had lost him and because they didn't understand who he was, they didn't look for him in the right places, much like his disciples after his death; they were looking for him in the grave but he had already conquered the grave! What about you? Do you look in the right places to find your savior? Do you look to the Bible, do you look to the church? Do you look to the heavens? Do you look to your heart? Where ever God is, Jesus is there also. It's easy to find Jesus! Once you know who he is, you will never lose him because he is always near; even in the darkest of hours.
This time of Lent is a time of reflection and fasting, it is also a time when we commemerate the death and resurrection of our Lord; Jesus Christ. Now before we can really understand the significance of Jesus' sacrifice, we must first understand who Jesus really is. The book of John gives us an idea as to Jesus' identity. John 1:1-3 "In the begining the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From the very begining the Word was with God. Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him." It continues in verse 10 "The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own country, but his own people did not recieve him and believe in him. Some however did recieve him and believe in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children." Verse 14 "The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he recieved as the Father's only son." From those verses we can conclude that Jesus; who in this scripture is referred to as 'the Word', was with God since the creation of the world, so he didn't first exist as a human. He was with God since the creation of the world and he was sent into the world in order to save those that believe in him. We must remember that Jesus came to start a revolution. What was he rising up against? The devil. Why? Because since the garden of Eden, there was a shift in power. The devil had the upper hand over us, over our lives because we succumbed to sin. We were at odds with God because God is holy and only holy things may enter into his presence and thus God created the law; the ten commandments and of course the laws of Moses. If a person could keep the laws, they would be perfect and would be able to talk to God. However, we could not keep the laws of Moses thus, we couldn't be perfect so we needed someone who could and that person is of course Jesus. He was the only one that could fulfill the law because he was perfect. Lots of things changed after Jesus came, he brought a new way of doing things and with him commenced the age of forgiveness. For example, we all know the story of the woman who committed adultry who was brought before Jesus. By the laws of Moses, this woman was to be stoned to death for her crime, however, when brought before Jesus he said; "He that is without sin, cast the first stone." Jesus brought light into a world of darkness, truth into a world of lies. He brought change. Before, the penalty for sin was death, today we are blessed enough to say that the price has already been paid and through repentance we are forgiven and saved. So let's go back to when Jesus was a baby. Simeon made a prophecy which he told Mary, Jesus' mother; Luke 2: 34-35, "This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will speak against and so reveal their secret thoughts. And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your heart." He was telling her of Jesus' mission on Earth. His mission was to fulfill the law and through his fulfillment of the law we are no longer bound by the law but we are bound by grace. He fulfilled the law and by so doing redeemed us from it. The people spoke against him and he was crucified and Mary, his mother, witnessed it all. Hence the prophecy came to pass. Now, Jesus is a sign from God and even today, many people speak against him because they don't have faith in God and also because they don't understand the significance of his sacrifice. They don't believe in our creator, however, they do believe in sin and sin is reason why the law was created. Now that Jesus has fulfilled the law, those that believe and those that come to believe in him can be saved. So who is Jesus really? Our Savior? A King? The Prince of Peace? The light of the world? I think he's all of that and more because who else would sacrifce their own life to save ours if not the son of the Most High God?
Today, I want to talk to you about blessings and curses.
The scripture that we'll be focusing on is Genesis 27; a scripture entitled : Issac blesses Jacob.
Some prior knowledge that you may need before we get into this scripture; firstly, Isaac was the first born son of Abraham and Sarah; he was the promised child. Jacob was Issac's son and the twin brother of Esau. Esau was born before Jacob and thus he was the first born son and bore the birthright; a special privilage granted to the first born. Esau and Jacob looked different; Esau was hairy and Jacob wasn't. God had revealed to Rebecca (Jacob's mother) that he wanted Jacob to carry on God's promise to Abraham. Jacob bought Esau's birthright from him.
Okay so now that we've covered all that, this scripture speaks of a blessing; a blessing that according to the law at that time, was suppose to go to the first born but instead went to the second born who, incidently, held the birthright and therefore the one the blessing belonged to. So the blessing according to Genesis 27:28-29 goes like this;
"May God grant you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the Earth and plenty of grain and wine.
Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be Lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!"
If you continue to read the scripture into Genesis 27:39-40 you will find yet another blessing; that given to Esau and it goes
"Behold, away from the fatness of the Earth will your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. By your sword you shall live and serve your brother; but when you grow restless, you shall break his yoke from your neck"
You may say "That doesn't sound like a blessing at all."
Right you are; the blessing was given to Jacob, however, the one solace that Isaac could give his son Esau was to give him a way out of his curse, hence, "when you grow restless, you shall break his yoke from your neck"
Of course it's not the content of the blessings that I want us to focus on but the fact that Isaac used words to bestow blessings on his sons. The first one seemed like a blessing but the second seemed more like a curse. Why? Because of the words he used.
It's the same even now; blessings and curses are just words of your mouth, however, they are not limited to one's birthright.
Positive confessions are blessings and negative confessions are curses. In this case we're not talking about swear words but words spoken to confess things. For example, if one were to say, 'He will prosper!' That would be a blessing while if someone were to say 'He will never prosper!' That would be a curse.
Of course, blessings and curses are no longer awarded according to one's birthright. When Jesus died; he restored our dominion, (which Adam lost in the garden of Eden) so now, whatever we speak is what will come to pass (if it is according to God's will for our lives).
Well you may say, 'That's great! God doesn't want me to be cursed.'
No, he doesn't, but your words have creative power and you can still call bad things onto yourself.
'Why is this important?' You may ask.
Well, what do you confess over your own life and your family's life? Do you call blessings or do you call curses? We need to remember that the power of life and death lies in our tongue Proverbs 18:21.
Calling blessings simply means making positive confessions; just like Isaac did for Jacob and calling curses means making negative confessions life; like Isaac did for Esau.
You see positive confessions opens the way for God's blessings and favor to cover us while negative confessions tend to block our path. Perhaps the reason why negativity blocks our way is because it shows a lack of faith.
Blessings and curses are not to be taken lightly, sometimes blessings and curses can last for generations, hence generational blessings and generational curses. Of course you have the power to break all the curses on your life and on the life of your family through the name of Jesus Christ because if you ask for anything in the name of Jesus Christ he will give it to you, John 14:14.
So don't be alarmed by blessings and curses, they're just words, but remember that words, aren't as insignificant as they may seem, for the same words that have the power to create worlds, also have the power to destroy them so use yours wisely.
In light of International Women's day today, I thought that I'd write about a woman of faith found in the Bible. The Bible has many amazing women who are all great exemplars but today there is one specific woman I would like us to pay specific attention to and her name isn't even mentioned! This woman is the widow at Zeraphath. This scripture can be found in 1 Kings 17:7-16. It is the scripture of a woman, who was directed by God to supply the prophet Elijah with food at Zeraphath in the region of Sidon. Of course when the Prophet had gone to the place he was directed to go, there was the woman whom he proceeded to ask for water and bread. This was her response; 1 Kings 17:12 "As surely as the Lord your God lives, I do not have any bread- only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it - and die." Her response was very interesting, she was obviously a woman who believed in God because she said, "As surely as the Lord your God lives" however she did not expect God to give her anything, she was simply going to use up whatever she had and die. It is important to note that at that particular time, a drought had swept over the land. Therefore, it would have been difficult - if at all possible - to grow crops, so there may have been a famine. Then the prophet Elijah told her to go home and do as she had said but first to make some bread for him, for the Lord, the God of Israel says "The jar of flour would not be used up and the jug of oil would not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land" Then the scriptire goes on to say that she did as Elijah had told her and the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil didn not run dry. Two important things to note: Firstly, God could have used anyone to feed Elijah but instead of sending him to someone with more than enough, he sent him to this poor woman. You may wonder, 'Why is that significant?' I think that God wanted to show us that he can use us to do miraculous things even if we don't have a lot. He wanted to show us that he can multiply whatever gifts we have and in so doing bring honor and glory to his name. Secondly, it's significant because it shows the faith and trust that this woman had in God. She had very little yet she believed that the words from God's prophet would come to pass. She didn't argue with him, or say 'I have so little, it's impossible that what you have said will happen' she just believed and did as she was directed. Her testimony is truely worth listening to and if she could tell it, I bet it might go somthing like this; 'I had prepared myself for the worse, I knew that it would be the last meal my son and I would eat. I mustered up the strength to gather the sticks for the fire. As I gathered them I thought about my son and wondered if there could ever be the slightest glint of hope in this darkness. Suddenly, this man called out to me; this man of God, and asked me for water. I hid my tears as I nodded and was about to fetch it when he called back to me; it was then he asked for the impossible, he wanted bread. I turned back to him slightly embarrassed and told him of my situation, my son and I were going to have the last of the little we had and then we were going to die from starvation. Then he said something; something that brought hope to a thousand days of saddness, but could it really be true? Surely, surely it must be. Heaven has sent me a blessing; my jar of flour shall not run out nor would my jug of oil go dry until God sends rain to this land! Surely, God hears even the silent prays of the heart of even his humblest servant! Trust in the Lord your God for he will take care of you even if the odds are against you. You must have faith, look at me, a widow with nearly nothing, yet he multiplied what I had. Imagine what he can do for you!' So like this Widow, let us all trust in God, knowing that he will take care of us, even if we have very little.
In this season of lent, we focus our eyes on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and all of mankind. In order to undedstand Jesus' purpose, we must first look at his life.
All the gospels, (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) speak of Jesus' life on Earth. From his birth to his ministry to his death, everything was recorded, because his life on Earth was especially significant.
'Why is that?'
Well because Jesus was the one that people had been waiting for. He was the promised one, the one that all the prophecies pointed to. Prophecies like Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" and Micah 5:2 "But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the class of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times." Jesus was also the one God was referring to in his promise to David when he told him that one of his decendants would always be king.
'Why were the people waiting for him?' You ask
Because his coming meant that we would all be saved. His coming, his good life and his sacrficial death; he did all of those things so that we could exist in the moment we are privileged enough to live in today. A time when we can pray to our God without needing to make animal sacrifices of repentance for our sins to be forgiven.
In order to get a good understanding of Jesus' life we must first reflect on his birth. A couple months ago we celebrated his birth with all the exuberance and festivities that comes with new life but even in his birth things were not as they could have been.
You would think that the Messiah; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would be born with all the prestige and glamor of a Prince. Born richer than a thousand kings and in the comfort and luxury of a castle, but Jesus was not. His beginings was humbler than most, because most of us were at least born into a room with people. Jesus on the other hand was born into a room filled with animals.
In addition to this, from the moment of his birth, people were already trying to kill him, his destiny was so great. I think that the people present at his birth were especially significant because into his presence came the very rich and the very poor; the wise men and the shepherds. Even the citizens of heaven; the heavenly hosts could be heard singing. This was certainly not the birth of an ordinary person! Of course, although his birth was not all that it could have been , it was as it should have been given his destiny. Jesus is the king that loves his people so much that he put them before even himself and everything he did was in preparation for the moment of his death and resurrection. And his resurrection is worth celebrating because it means that he conquered the grave!
