Agape Love

    

         During the final week of the life of Jesus on earth, much happened.  The Gospel of John spends a lot of time, from chapters 12-20, dealing with the last week.  Chapter 12 begins with the preparation for the entry into Jerusalem and Chapter 20 begins with the events of the tomb and the fact of the risen Savior.  Everything else in between tells us what happened during that last week.  One of the events, was the account of the "new commandment."  John 13:34-35 says, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."   

     Jesus tells them this and it has become of great importance ever since.  This type of love was indeed rare in the Greek language.  The Greeks knew of other types of love, but they didn't know that much about this type of "agape" love.  They didn't know of the "righteous deeds to meet the needs of another."  This has become a prominent teaching, however, in New Testament times.  We often find that certain attributes of the Christian faith are more difficult than others.  This is one of them.  One might think that love should be easy to do, but it doesn't.  The world, following the lead of Hollywood and other so called experts, have missed the mark so badly on the issue of love, that everyone seems confused.  The real issue of love cannot be found in most cases.  It, love, is that act of doing things, right things, for others who have need of them.  It is doing when you don't feel like doing.  It is loving those whom you don't feel like loving.  It is following the example of Christ in all of your dealings in life.  So, it has become very difficult to actually do in the present day church.  You don't have to be a prophet to look around and see the evidence.  Churches are splitting and forming other churches.  Pastors and other church leaders are becoming involved in extra marital affairs.  Anger and division are evident throughout the world.  The testimony of churches has become so ineffective, that no one really knows who the real Christians are.  Did you remember the last sentence of today's Scripture?  "...By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples..."  It's not the bumper sticker that says, "Jesus is the Answer" nor is it the religious jewelry or other quaint gadgets that we have that identifies the true believer.  It is their love for one another that should be the primary example.  So, when you wonder the testimony of believers is falling a little short, take a look at the "love issue."  Remember, this is not about feeling good, having your heart skip a beat over someone or the general warm fuzzies.  It's about doing right things for people who have needs in their lives and having people do right things for the needs that's in your life.   Love is righteous acts to meet the needs of another.   Praise God today for His love in sending His Son to die for our sins.  Now, that's real love.

When You Need a Friend

     I just received a notice from the insurance company that my funeral expenses are now paid for.  We had been paying so much a month for the past five years so that there would be no plans to be made at the time of my demise.  We have a tendency to make plans ahead for whatever event that could possibly take place.  Then we can say, "If everything goes according to plan, we should be OK."  The events of the crucifixion were not going according to the plan of the disciples or probably not even Mary.  They probably had not even thought of what they were going to do with His body after the crucifixion.  Matthew 27:57-60 says,"When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:   He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.   And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,   And laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."  
      When Jesus died that day on the cross on Calvary a man steps forward to take charge.  His first requirement is to go to Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus which he did and he got permission to take the body.  Joseph is mentioned several times throughout the gospels and the emphasis was on the fact that he was a rich man.  He already had made his own burial plans, and so had a new tomb that had not been used.  In those days, after a period of time, the bones of the person in the tomb would be removed and placed into a box called an ossuary   The tomb could then be reused.  In the case of this particular tomb, no one had been placed in it.  It was a new tomb.  Joseph is accompanied by an individual we all know from John 3, by the name of Nicodemus.  Together, they wrap the body, place the spices throughout the wrappings and place Him in the new tomb.  From the family's point, it was a relief.  Now they at least knew where the body would be and could visit it later.  There are times in our lives when we find ourselves in the middle of an event for which we had not planned.  Those are the times that someone may step forward out of the background and take care of the needs that have come up in our lives.  You may be the "Joseph" that can take of a need for someone else when they are dealing with much more than they can handle at the moment.  It is good in these situations that we are obedient to the leading of the holy Spirit in our lives.  So, If God has called you to be a Joseph to someone in your life today, don't hesitate but rather follow His leading.  Praise God today for the fact that He guides each and everyone of us in all the situations of life.

Death, Burial and Resurrection

         Two things were vital so many years ago.  First of all, Christ had to die for our sins.  Without His death on the cross there would be no possibility of salvation.  A payment had to be made and Jesus made it.  He uttered those words on the cross, "It is finished."  Jesus was the payment.  The second thing that is important to us is the fact that the grave was not going to hold Him prisoner.  He was going to raise from the dead.  This was accomplished a few days later when on the first day of the week, Jesus was raised from the dead.  John 19:41-42 says, "Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.  There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand."  
        There are many people in the world that want the story to end with these verses.  In their eyes, Jesus was just a good teacher, or maybe even a prophet.  They call Him a good man and one who had a cause for which to fight.  They don't see Him as He is, the Son of God.  Their denial of that fact however, doesn't change the truth one bit.  The fact still remains that Jesus did raise from the dead.  We don't have just the testimony of one person, or two, or three but of over 500 people who saw the Lord Jesus Christ.  Atheists, agnostics, Jews, Romans or zealots could not produce the body of Christ because it had been raised from the dead even as He said it would be.  With these two facts:  That He died for the sins of the world and that He was raised from the dead, guarantees the complete message of Christianity.  If either of these items were not true, we would be in trouble.  But, the truth is, He did die and He did rise.  For that, we can praise the Lord today.  Luke 24:5-6 reminds us, "And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?   He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,"  The angels were there to again make an important announcement.  Jesus was not in the tomb and not only was He not in the tomb, He was alive.  Because of this great fact, we have a calendar that tells us that this year is the 2018th year of our Lord.  We have churches on many street corners.  We have Christian music, Bibles and hymn books.  All because of a risen Savior.  More than all of these things, we as believers have hope that this life is not all that there is.  Something greater, something bigger, something better is coming and it is all because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise God today because of the words, "He is risen as He said."

No Coincidences

         Is anything coincidental?  Is it a coincidence that I wake up at 3:00 AM?  Is it a coincidence that I go to a certain place or take a certain route or come up to a certain person during my travels of the day?   Is it a mere coincidence when a person comes to mind and you feel a pressure to pray for that person even when you don't know why?   Can there be anything that is coincidental when you think of the sovereignty of God?  God does not choose to speak to you just between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.    John 19:34-37 says,  "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.   And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced." 
       The whole life of Christ is a filling of prophecy after prophecy.  There were no coincidences in His life.  Every step and every action had a purpose as it moved from the cradle to the cross and then to the empty tomb.  John records some of the events of the day of the crucifixion as does Matthew, Mark and Luke.  Every now and then you read words like, "should be fulfilled" or "another Scripture saith"  and realize that prophecy after prophecy had been fulfilled and many of them took place on the Day of the Cross.  Many have been amazed at the robe that Jesus wore and how it was made as recorded by the Apostle John.  Being one solid piece, it was not going to be easy to divide it so the best solution was to cast lots for it.  We might thrown dice, cut cards, flip a coin or some other way to determine who wins the prize.  The soldiers at Calvary chose to cast lots and the winner would take the robe.  No bone was broken during the crucifixion even though a spear was thrust through His side.  His legs were not broken as those of the other two hanging nearby.  Another prophecy was fulfilled.  Soon, Joseph of Arimathea would come to ask permission to take the body and place it in his own personal tomb that had never been occupied.  It would be the borrowed tomb of a rich man of Isaiah 53.  We might stand back and say, "What a coincidence."  That would not be the case but the fact would emerge that it was all part of God's plan.  So, we look at our own lives and suddenly see purpose in that which goes on.  We suddenly realize that the words of a friend to you give you hope and that they are necessary and part of God's plan.  We also see that our plans and actions the urgings that come upon us are not mere coincidences, but that they are the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your life.  No, it is not a coincidence.  Praise God that He is speaking today and guiding each and every one of His family.

Paid in Full

          Many times, people remember the final words that someone said.  When General Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines, he said those famous words, "I shall return."  We remember saying like that as they portray some characteristic of the individual who said them.  People can make promises or statements and for many, they probably can't keep them no matter how profound they might be.  Even we can make statements, like, "I'll see you tomorrow." and not know for certain if we will be able to keep those words or not.  The casual "I'll see you later." may never come to pass.  We are in what is called "Holy Week." where the events of the last 7 days of Christ on earth before the resurrection take place.  I would call your attention to one of the final sayings the Christ spoke as recorded in the Gospels.  John 19:29-30 says, " Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put i upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."  
     The Scriptures record these words as being the final words of Christ on the cross.  They of course, were not His final words since He is eternal, but during the crucifixion, these were His final words.  As He hung in agony on the cross and paying the price for our sins , He finally came to the point where every single sin was paid for.  How massive the sin, probably was not the importance, but the amount was important.  The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ became the application for the payment of our sins.  Then, there was that point in time when He uttered the words in regard to every sin that had ever been committed from the farthest point in history to the most future point.  Countless sins were committed that we could not fathom.  The number kept growing faster and faster and it would seem impossible to keep up,  That, however, was not the case for the Lord Jesus Christ,  That point in history finally arrived when every sin had the Sacred blood had been applied to it.  As the Lord Jesus Christ hung on that cross, He uttered the words, "It is finished."     We have heard so often what those words mean.  A single word is translated, "Paid in Full."  Every sin you and I have ever committed were now paid for by His act on the cross.  This great salvation was completed that day on the cross and then guaranteed by the resurrection.  No one either before or after has been able to say those words in the context in which they were given in regard to the payment for sin.  So, praise God today that Jesus Paid it All.

Two Flakes

        The weather seem to dominate our lives by dictating what we are going to do simply based upon the weather.  I was standing next to a man recently who said, "Nothing scares a Baptist more than 2 flakes of snow."     When it snows on a Tuesday evening or a Saturday evening, right away the thought is that we are not going to be able to attend church.  I know that in my later years, snow is frightening especially when you are thinking about falls and broken bones.  So, we are more careful about it.  In my earlier years, I took a lot of tumbles in the snow and ice but just got up and walked away.  I also recall driving an old Pontiac and having to take the fender skirts off to put on the chains when things got really bad.  Nothing, stopped us from going to the grocery store to get our supply of milk, bread and toilet paper to last through the storm.   Psalm 122:1 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD."
       The weather wasn't a factor years ago.  We went to church even when you had to drive on hard packed snow from November to April.  The little word "glad" that is in the above verse is the clue.  The person who loves to worship God in a group isn't going to be stopped by a few flakes of snow.  I know of one pastor who lived close to the church and who made the statement, "We will never close even if it means that I will be the only one here."   Offering worship to God is important but it isn't the snow flakes that stop so many from coming to church.  It could be, basketball, football, a headache, relatives and the list goes on because in today's culture, church is quite a few notches down on the list.  We say that we can worship God in a Laz-y-Boy with a peanut butter sandwixh, chips, a drink and Charles Stanley.  They might be good but the experience of coming together as a group of believers with one purpose in mind is far better.  You may feel like you just can't make it to church but when you go, it is amazing to have a feeling of joy replace that of despair when you leave the worship service.  It is true that Satan doesn't want anyone to go to church.  He would rather that all of us stay home.  Victory comes when we find ourselves singing and praying together and offering praise to God for what He has done for all of us in the past 24 hours or more.  So, praise God today that we have an opportunity to gather together to offer praise and worship to Him.  Will you be there at the next appointed time?

The Value of a Soul

 

    There are some things in this life that I feel I cannot do without.  Most of them are small things such as printer ink.  You always need to have a spare cartridge of printer ink.  Oh, and there are the numerous little coffee cans that are filled with countless washers, nuts, bolts and other things that don't reveal from where they came.  Then, we can start adding up all of the material possessions that we have such as houses, cars, boats lawn mowers and don't forget, cordless screwdrivers.  You never have too many of those.  When you think about it, what things are there that you could do without?    Matthew 16:26 says,   "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"   

     It must have been an age old question that the Lord Jesus Christ asked that day.  We could get personal and ask ourselves the same question and most would not hesitate to say that the most important thing of all is our own soul.  The Philippian Jailer asked Paul an important question when he asked, "What must I do to be saved?"   This question, the one asked by the Lord Jesus Christ on that day is just as important especially to us in this country, in this place.  Christ asked the question, "What if you have everything in the world and in the end, lose your own soul and then spend an eternity without Christ, totally separated from God and totally separated from any other being.  Jude describes it as a "wandering star"  in total blackness forever.  There are those in the world who had to make that choice but who rejoice in that they chose Christ instead of the pleasures of the world.  It can go back a long time to such men as Polycarp who could have lived a peaceful life simply by offering a pinch of incense to the Roman gods and saying, "Caesar is Lord."  The early Christians, however, made the choice to follow the One Who has power over our souls instead of the Romans.  The suffered, were martyred, but still rejoiced.  They would rather suffer at the hands of the government than deny the Lord Jesus Christ.  We can say that Christ has never failed us in all of our years, so why should we fail Him now.  May we say with Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  Praise God today for His faithfulness.