Easter Postscript – Onward Christian Soldier! Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 7:24-27

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Holy week is over. For some, their annual (or maybe even biannual!) pilgrimage to the church is complete, and they will go back to their lives, comfortable knowing they have said their creeds, added a few prayers, maybe even had communion. In a way, they have waved their magic wand of blessing over the rest of the year, and will continue their lives unaffected.

This is not how it is meant to be.

Jesus is not a magic talisman we can wave at adversity. He is not just a ‘god’ in the sky we can pray to for blessing and wealth, protection and safety. A co worker (who was having a hard time with life) once said to me ‘I would pray to God every day if he would just give me strength. Does God give us strength?’ My answer was simple.

‘Yes, he does, but it is not a one way street. God is not a candy machine’.

‘I suppose not’, was the reply.

Many times during His ministry, Jesus admonished us not to just listen to His words, but to hear and act on them. The other writers of the New Testament believed the same thing.

James 1:22-25 (esv)

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

So Holy week is over. We have celebrated not only the victory that Jesus won on the cross, but also His resurrection from the dead. We have all recognized anew our sinful natures, and prayed that God would help us, guide us, and forgive us.

But now that the week is over, what will you do?

Will you be like the wise man, who built his house on the rocks? Or like the man who looks in the mirror, and remembers, and in doing so is blessed?

Or will you choose to be like the foolish man, who builds his house on the sand and then even forgets what he looks like?

A choice lays before us all. Many of us have had a wonderful time during Holy week, communing with God and His word, but God doesn’t call us for Easter – He calls us for life. Will you follow?

Matthew 6:9-13 (esv)

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.“

Amen

Easter Sunday – Born Again – 1 Peter 1:3-5

1 Peter 1:3-5 (esv)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

He is risen!

The victory was won with Jesus death. When Jesus died on the cross, He had already taken on our sins, received the Fathers punishment for them, and delivered to us His righteousness – that we might be right before God.

And yet, there was one more thing that was to be done. Jesus was to become the firstborn of those of us who will be raised from the dead in the last days. But by rising from the dead when He did, the whole Christian church was set in motion.

First, Jesus had promised on multiple occasions that He would rise from the dead.

Second, it had been prophesied multiple times that the Messiah would rise from the dead.

Third, everyone was watching. The Jewish world at the time had heard Jesus preach and teach. They had seen his miracles. Because he was crucified during the important Passover feast, Jerusalem would have been full of people not just from the local surrounds, but Jewish people from around the ancient world, come for the annual feast that first defined them as a nation.

Not only was Jerusalem full of tourists and worshipers, but the religious leaders of the day also knew that Jesus had said He would rise from the dead. Concerned about this, they took action.

Matthew 27:62-66 (esv)

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Even despite the teaching of Jesus that He would rise from the dead, the leaders were not in the least concerned about it – because they knew He was dead! People don’t rise from the dead! But just in case his disciples decided to steal the body, they made sure that at least couldn’t happen.

And yet, in the end, He did rise from the dead. Just as both Jesus and the Prophets had spoken.

He is risen!

The deception didn’t take place. Instead, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared, physically (including eating and drinking to prove he was real, as even the disciples were still struggling with the resurrection) in front of many people, including the 11 disciples, the women, and at least 500 other followers in the coming days (1 Corinthians 15:6)

Lets just be skeptical for a moment. We know Jesus had died. Apart from a few writings at the end of the Gospels, how do we know he did in fact rise from the dead? For me, they key is this – those who wrote that He rose from the dead went on to proclaim it until their deaths. And not easy deaths! We know that many were imprisoned, beaten, stoned to death, beheaded and crucified. They all went to their graves believing and proclaiming not only the death of Jesus – but also his bodily resurrection.

I know that if I was making up a story, I sure wouldn’t have gone through torture and death to perpetuate a lie! And it is not like 1 or 2 proclaimed it and suffered – they all did. The died with the knowledge that Jesus had risen.

We know Jesus died on the cross. We know He rose from the grave, and ascended to heaven.

He is Risen! Hallelujah!

1 Peter 1:3-5 (esv)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The victory was won when Jesus died on the cross, but He was risen for us, as a final proof of what He had done, not only for the disciples then, but also for us now. The resurrection and public appearances of Jesus after that day remain for us as a proof of not only what Jesus has done for us, but to give us hope for the future, where we will also be resurrected into eternity, to ‘an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you’.

Thank you Lord for what you did for us that Passover, almost 2000 years ago. Thank you that through your great mercy and love, you made us right with you again. Help us to grasp in some way the work that you did, that we might be truly thankful, that we might praise you as we should, and that we might follow you and honor you for the rest of our time here on this earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Easter Saturday – Day of Despair – Isaiah 53:7-9

Isaiah 53:7-9 (esv)

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away;and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

The victory was won. The problem was, no one knew it yet.

The gospels record nothing of what happened on the day after Jesus death. It was the Sabbath – there was nothing they could do. As Jews, in Jerusalem, at the time of the Passover feast, they would have obeyed the law and done no work, only meditated on Gods Word and maybe gone to the temple. Maybe they even stayed in the upper room and mourned.

We know Jesus predicted His death – and also His resurrection. But we also know from the gospels that the disciples still didn’t understand. Right now, they were tired, lost, dejected, confused and upset.

“We thought He would restore Israel.”

“What went wrong?”

“I was sure He was the one!”

“He did so many great things! What went wrong? Was it us?”

“Why Lord?”

“Why???????”

Psalm 30:4-5 (esv)

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,but joy comes with the morning.

The disciples didn’t know it yet, but joy was just around the corner – it would come in the morning. The victory was won – they just didn’t know it yet. Sin was defeated, but they were still blind to the victory.

Today was the day to give up all of their hopes, their dreams. Today was a day of despair.

Why we might ask? In some ways, the disciples still were affected by the teaching of the day. Whilst he was alive, even John the Baptist wasn’t sure if Jesus was the One – he sent his disciples to ask Jesus about it! The teaching of the day centered on the Messiah returning and restoring the Jewish Kingdom in power and glory. They expected it to happen immediately. They wondered why Jesus was teaching people to love and forgive, instead of showing up with an army and ridding the land of the scourge of Roman rule. They had, in the end, misunderstood the prophecy and scriptures.

The disciples had sat under Jesus teaching for 3 years – and yet, even they still hadn’t fully grasped what Jesus was doing. Today, all of their human hopes and dreams would fade away.

To be replaced by Gods plan.

I think even today, God sometimes allows is to go through the dry times. The hard times. Times of even despair. We do not go through those times as punishment as some may think, but we go through them so God can truly work in our lives. We experience those times that some of our inferior man made dreams might fall away – and be replaced with Gods prefect will and plan for our lives.

Romans 8:28 (esv)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Lord God, thank you for the work you did for us on the cross, not only that you took our sins and paid the penalty for our wrongs, but that you gave us your righteousness, that we could be right with the Father. Help us to understand your will, your good and perfect will, that we would do in our lives what is best for your Kingdom. In Jesus Name. Amen.

(Photo : flickr / Mourner)

Easter Friday – The Thief – Luke 23:39-43

Luke 23:32-33 (esv)

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

Luke 23:39-43 (esv)

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.“

I think one of the most amazing, and telling stories surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus, is that of the two criminals who were crucified with him. It becomes very quickly a wonderful picture of sin and salvation.

Criminals is a pretty broad category. If we look at the Greek word here in Luke which is translated as criminal, it means “one who uses violence to rob openly”. We are not talking about the guy who breaks in at night and steals a few things, but the guy who shows up with a shotgun, shoots all in his way and gets what he wants. Uses violence – there is a good chance that these guys were not just thieves, but murderers as well.

Matthew 27:41-44

So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

At the beginning of our story, both criminals are reviling Jesus. Another translation says ‘blasphemed’. At the start, they both rejected Jesus, despite the fact they were both about to face death. Even when facing death, as punishment for the sin in their lives, they still blasphemed God.

Before we go any further, let’s step back and take a look at the last week. Jesus had made quite a stir.

Matthew 21:10-11

And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Luke 24:18

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

Everyone in Jerusalem knew who Jesus was. At the least, the crowds knew that Jesus was a prophet of God. Most hadn’t got as far as the Messiah, but there was a tension in the air when He went around, with people waiting to see. Remember – this wasn’t a ‘one off’ event. This was the third passover that Jesus had come to Jerusalem, and in between He had spent his time traveling all around Israel, teaching and healing. Simply everyone knew who He was, and what He had done to this point.

Remember also that Israel had just spent 400 years without a ‘prophet of the Lord’. It had been an extremely dry time in the history of the people of Israel, from a spiritual perspective. There had not been a ‘word from the Lord’ in over 400 years – and this to ‘Gods chosen people’. First, John the Baptist turns up, causes a stir, but then says to watch for the next guy. And then suddenly Jesus turns up with not only authoritative teaching, but miracles and healing as if to prove His power and authority. Jesus was known, and He was the talking point of all of Israel, and especially Jerusalem. On this holiest of holidays for the Jewish people (the Passover), people were ready for something.

So with that back to our two guys on the crosses either side of Jesus. They were theives, murderers, and most likely more. Both had been caught and sentenced, and were being punished for their sins. And yet they still took the time in their pain and suffering to revile Jesus – because they knew who He was.

And yet – at some point in this process, one of them came to his senses. Being in Jerusalem, you could probably surmise he was an Israelite, and had probably grown up with the temple teaching, understood the feasts and holidays of the Jews (because they were still passionate about their laws). He had heard the scriptures. And suddenly, it became clear.

It started by rebuking the other criminal, who may well have been his partner in crime. ‘Do you not fear God‘?

It followed with confession of his sin. “and we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds”.

Then a confession of Jesus. “but this man has done nothing wrong”. This wasn’t today’s first confession of Jesus innocence, but maybe the most heartfelt. Herod and Pilate had both previously pronounced Jesus innocent (Luke 23:4,15,22).

Finally, he appealed to Jesus. “And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

It was that simple. He turned from his sin, even to the point of rebuking those around him, despite his pain and suffering. He then confessed Jesus – and appealed to Him.

This guy wasn’t baptised that we know of. He wasn’t catechised. He hadn’t learned the creeds. He may not have even read the scriptures for years, or been in a temple since his youth. And yet, Jesus had a response for him.

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

And here ends the story of the criminal. We don’t hear much else about him – not that there would be much to hear. As it was approaching the sabbath, this is the last we hear -

John 19:31-32

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.

We know that he suffered some more pain in this life, but died that day. And true to Jesus word, we can believe that he found himself in Heaven that day.

Why?

Because he was saved, on the day of his death, and despite a life of sin.

And the other guy? Unless something happened that is not recorded, he passed into eternal judgement.

What can we take from this criminals life, this thief and murderer?

No matter what you have done in life, you can be saved. Jesus death paid the penalty for us all, because we are all in sin. In our world we might think that being a violent thief and murderer is much worse than many other things – but before God, “all have  sinned and fallen short of God” (Romans 3:23).

And what did it take to be saved? He confessed his sin, and we can believe he turned away from it. And  ”Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).

In the end it is that simple. Salvation comes through Jesus, and is available to us all, no matter what has happened in our lives.

Lord God, thank you for sending your Son to us, that we might be made right with you. Keep it focused in our minds always, not just in times like Easter and Christmas, but all of the time. Continually remind us of your sacrifice that we might praise you as we should. Help us to understand it in such a way that we can share your love and sacrifice also with those around us, that they might also know you, and like the criminal, call out to you for salvation. In Jesus Name. Amen.

(Photo: flickr / jkonig)

Easter Wednesday – Betrayal – Luke 22:3-6

Luke 22:3-6 (esv)

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

In the midst of some of the most amazing days in the history of Israel, a plot is hatching.

It is the time of the Passover. The time to sit back and remember what God has done for the people of Israel. The passover signifies not only the exodus from Egypt, but also the setting apart of the people of Israel for God. As the Angel of the Lord passed over all of the houses in Egypt that one night, those of the house of Israel that had followed Gods instruction were saved, they were excepted from the judgement given to the rest of the land, freed from slavery in Egypt and set on the path to become their own people – Gods people.

And to add to it, the last three feasts had an edge to them. This new guy, this prophet of God – Jesus – had shown up. He had been teaching in the temple, arguing successfully with the religious leaders. He had taught the people with authority. He had even done some amazing things like heal the sick, heal those born blind and lame, cast out demons and even raised the dead.

Luke 13:17 (esv, emphasis mine)

As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

And yet, in the midst of it all, a betrayal was taking place.

The religious leaders of the day were over Jesus. He was taking the spotlight from them – and not in a nice way. He was condemning them publicly. He often argued with them – and won the argument. The people were getting ready to vote with their feet – and follow Jesus. But they didn’t know what to do about it. They didn’t want to cause a riot by arresting Jesus publicly, in the temple when He was teaching, as they knew the people thought highly of Him. So what to do?

Judas solved their problem for them. He agreed to betray Jesus, ‘in the absence of a crowd‘. As an exclusive member of his inner circle, he knew Jesus’ habits. He knew where Jesus would be. He had the inside information the leaders needed to carry out their plan. ‘And they were glad’.

In the midst of what was shaping up to be one of the most important Passover feasts in the history of Israel, with Jesus, the Son of God, teaching in the Jewish temple, a plot is hatched and Jesus is betrayed. And what an indictment! They were glad about it!

Can you imagine it?

And yet – not much has changed. We get ready to celebrate what is called ‘Good Friday’. Good from a human perspective alone – good for Christians as it signifies our forgiveness of sins. Good for the religious leaders because they will finally get rid of Jesus. Good for those convicted by sin because the greatest preacher who ever lived is going to be removed.

And as we get ready, we argue. We fight. We lust over how much chocolate we might receive this year, and how fast we might be able to stuff it in our mouths. We become more concerned with how we will cope without the local store for 2 days while it shuts to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Maybe we just become so focussed on making sure our easter services at church are ‘perfect’, that we forget to focus on why we are having church in the first place.

And just like Judas, we fall away.

This easter, lets try and keep in focus what is important – Jesus. Lets remember why we are here – Jesus. Lets remember why we go to church – Jesus.

Don’t worry about the shops being closed. Stop lusting after the things of this world. Stop becoming an angry, frustrated, short tempered Christian ’for the sake of Christ’, overly concerned with the perfection of everything for our services, and trust in God – who knows what is happening, and who will use the attitude of our hearts to change lives – not the perfection of our Easter scene.

Don’t be the one to side with ‘religion’ this week, but focus on Jesus, and the work He did to save us from our sins.

Lord God, help us to see you! Help us to focus on you, and to trust in you for all of the little details. Convict us Lord of the things that we are betraying you with, convict us of our attitudes in our hearts and teach us to change. In Jesus Name. Amen.

(Photo: Flickr / nathangibbs)