Blessings and Curses

This post is based on the readings for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost... Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 12:12-20; and Luke 6:17-26. (Selections printed or from the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible.) Prepared for worship on February 16, 2025.

Message:   Blessings and Curses

Blessings and peace be with you from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

I am pretty sure that we all want to be on the blessings list of God and not on that other list of people who are being warned by Jesus in His “WOE to you…”  statements. My favorite Psalm is Psalm 1. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” 

At one time I had this Psalm memorized, now it is just familiar, but I could not recite it without assistance. Our Old Testament reading from Jeremiah is a parallel verse, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 

How we long to be like this man… never worried, never shaken, rooted in the Word of God, … the life giving, living water of God’s Word, that sustains in season and out, through dry spells, heat, storm, tempest, and harvest… always productive, bearing good fruit, prospering. 

But the flip side of these verses tell a different story…  From Jeremiah “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.” And again, from Psalm 1… “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” 

Who wants to be that guy?  Living a miserable life like a shrub bush in the desert or the chaff that is discarded when the grain is harvested, …non-productive, worthless, empty, … when I was farming the straw and chaff were used for bedding stalls in a barn and then discarded with the animal waste… while the seed was used for feed and to produce more seed. No one really wants to be like the wicked, but we are… we were born in sin and cannot free ourselves from it… human nature listens to the advice of men, schemes to get rich, and is self-centered. It is so much easier to seek satisfaction through our own means and merits, but these are short-sighted and short-lived. True satisfaction come from trusting in God. Satan would have us trust in ourselves, denying God the opportunity to help us or save us. 

God has a better way, He wants us to trust in Him, even when the way appears to be difficult, when storms come, or times get hard, … in times of drought, sickness, despair… God tells us to stay the course and trust in Him. There is a man whose way is pure, one man, who remains faithful in spite of the trials and suffering in life, this man is Jesus… He is the tree of life… planted by the streams of living water… whose leaf never fades… who is always bearing fruit, even out of season. The Psalmist and also Jeremiah were both speaking of this man… the blessed ONE, the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God. Jesus lived in perfect obedience to His Father, and remained connected to Him through the Word and prayer. When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God filled Him with power, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. Throughout His ministry taught His disciples about Himself and about His fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. He succeeded where we always fail. He remained committed to and faithful to obeying the LAW of God. Jesus fed on the Word of God, it sustained Him throughout His ministry,… it sustained Him in His suffering for our sin… it sustained Him as He went to the cross… it sustained Him even as He died for our sake… and by the power of the Word of God, …Jesus rose again giving us the freedom to also live for God. 

We cannot live for God on our own, but we can live for God by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us… the Spirit of God brings us to faith, sustains us in the faith, and gives us the nourishment needed to be productive for God in His mission of bringing the message of salvation to others. In a humble way, Jesus blessed His disciples and encouraged them to remain faithful to the faith in which the Spirit of God had called them. … the poor in spirit are those who trust in God to provide for their spiritual needs, not assuming they can earn it by some human ritual or sacrifice… He told them to look beyond human hunger and find satisfaction in the Word of God… He told them that grief and suffering will be turned to joy and rejoicing in heaven… He told them that they would suffer for His sake… for their faith… for trusting in Him… but it would be worth it… because a greater reward is waiting for those who place their trust in Him. Then Jesus warned those who thought of themselves as holy and righteous, and told them that their joy, their earthly rewards, their earthly power, their earthly acclaim, their statis in their society would be the end of their reward… and when we refer back to Psalm 1 or Jeremiah … we could add … “in the end they will perish!” 

It is not easy living for God in today’s world. Corruption is everywhere. Church leaders, government officials, people in high places have fallen into sin… people that you would never expect to fall, have become entangled in sin of every kind, and have brought shame to the name of “Christ.” God warns us to be careful, to be humble, to be always watching out for Satan’s attacks, … because Satan is always looking for a way to trip us up. We are in a spiritual war… the battle is front of us and behind us and on our side… we cannot fully trust ourselves, or even our best friends, sin is always present, our thoughts and desires betray us… we must be ever watching and praying and rooted in the Word of God… And yet, Jesus has promised that He will never leave us not forsake us… so we battle on… knowing that He is fighting for us, protecting us, and forgiving us when we fall into sin, washing us off, and equipping us for the next fight, and the one after that and so on and so on… 

Confess your sin… receive God’s forgiveness… take and eat the body of Christ given for you… take and drink the blood of Christ shed for you… it will strengthen you in your walk of faith until you are called home to life everlasting with Jesus Christ. Take comfort in the words of Jesus, “Blessed are you who are poor… for yours is the kingdom of God.” While we may be poor… He is rich, in grace and mercy, and He pours out His grace and mercy upon us, … giving us entrance into His kingdom of everlasting life. 

Now may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your heart and your mind in faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

God's Gift to Us... the Ability to Speak

This message is based on the texts for the forth Sunday after the Epiphany. Jeremiah 1:4-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, and Luke 4:31-41. (Printed references are from the EVS version of the Bible.)

Message:  Spoken Words…

Consider for a moment the gift of speaking… God created us (humans) to speak. We use our teeth to chew our food, to break down larger pieces of food so it can be swallowed without choking, and to help us chew our food we use our cheeks, lips, and tongue to move the food within our mouths into position for our teeth to grind, diminish and swallow. We are much like created animals in that regard, for they do the same. However, we are different, in that, God also gave us the ability to use these instruments; our tongue, lips, teeth, mouth, and vocal cords to form words. While animals make sounds, we make sentences. Some animals make more sounds than others; bleating, howling, barking, whining, grunting, clucking, etc. I am not aware of any that even come close to the range of sounds that humans make. 

Even birds have limitations, most species of birds make specific calls that help us to identify who they are, with the exception of one small bird that I affectionately have named, “The bird of a thousand calls,” because I don’t know what it is. Yet, even that bird, doesn’t come close to the vocabulary of a typical human being. God created us uniquely to speak… to communicate… with words, using our forementioned instruments to make sounds that others can understand to convey our thoughts, desires, expectations, directives, and the like… that we call verbal communication. No one sounds exactly the same… similar maybe, but everyone has their own personal distinct sound. And given the sheer number of languages, dialects, and accents, the ability to speak and be understood is quite amazing. 

The BBC states that there are 7,100 spoken and signed languages around the world. 

The top eight languages by number of speakers are as follows…

• English (1,456,448,320) just under 1.5 billion
• Mandarin Chinese (1,138,222,350) just over 1.1 billion
• Hindi (609,454,770) around 600 million
• Spanish (559,078,890) just under 600 million
• French (309,804,220) around 300 million
• Modern Arabic (273,989,700) just under 300 million
• Bengali (272,828,760) about the same
• Russian (254,997,130) and just over 250 million

I am not bilingual. I only know a few words in other non-English languages. My son, Nathan, lived in Norway for a year, and understands some Norwegian, understands and speaks some limited Hmong (of which there are many dialects), and speaks and understands Tai as a second language, however English is his first language. His wife, Mai, understands and speaks some Hmong (from northern Thailand, the home of her grandparents), understands and speaks English as a second language, and speaks fluent Tai as that is her first language.  Our grandchildren are truly bilingual as both English and Tai are spoken with them in the home. Most of their language skills began in the first three years of their lives, even before they were aware that they were learning language or how to form words and speak. 

There is also a second kind of language that they have learned in both Tai and English, a spiritual language, the language of the faith, belief in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I was taught this language by my mother when I was just a little boy. It was reinforced by attending a Christian Day School and later in life in Confirmation and Bible Study groups. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t know about Jesus Christ or have faith in Him, even though there were times when I acted as if He weren’t important and neglected to feed my faith. 

The focus of our meditation today is GOD’S WORD.
Literally, God said He would place His WORD within Jeremiah’s mouth. “…for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.” When I prepare my messages, I ask God to help me write the message He would have me give for those who will be present on that particular Sunday. I also ask that He would open the hearts and the minds of the people present, so that they would be blessed, and be encouraged by whatever words I have spoken to grow in their faith, and have a stronger relationship with Him. Sometimes, I wonder if the words spoken have touched the lives of the people or have helped them to draw closer to God. I can only pray, and leave the spiritual aspect of that in God’s own hands, taking into account, that it is the work of the Holy Spirit using the word of God that draws us closer to Him. 

I, however am not Jeremiah, far from it. God placed His word within him and he was compelled to speak words of warnings and destruction, of repentance and salvation, even when everyone around him mocked him and persecuted him, even when he tried to keep his mouth shut, he could not, he was the carrier of God’s Word, and when he opened his mouth, the WORD OF THE LORD came out. 

In our gospel reading, there is another example of the Word of God being spoken, but not by prophets, by demons. “And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.” Jesus started His ministry by casting demons out of people who had become possessed, we aren’t told how that happened. However, history tells us that the Romans practiced various forms of cult worship, as did many of the conquered people that made up the Roman empire, and the Romans were tolerant of the many faiths of their subjects. Cult worship opens the door for demons to enter and to take possession of the heart and soul and physical bodies of people. 

These demons recognized Jesus! They had known Him before their rebellion and they knew their fate was in His hands. They had been cast out of heaven, and now they were on earth creating havoc with God’s creation, and taking possession of God’s people. Theirs is not a proclamation of faith, but a recognition of the presence of God, maybe even a defiance of God. Because Jesus had lowered Himself to become one with us, lower than the angels of heaven, lower than these former angels of heaven, who as demons still had power over people, yet, Jesus Christ was able to exercise His power over them, by a simple verbal command, “Come Out!” And Jesus would not allow them to speak… He gets the glory. They are just noise. 

Our third verse that deals with speaking relates to the ability to speak in the tongues of the angels… or languages of others not native to our upbringing… a second language, or third or fourth. We think in our first language, we translate those thoughts into the second our third, but the emotional connection remains in the first. That is why it takes years to make the connection between leaning a language and truly communicating and expressing ourselves in that language. Paul wrote, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, … I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (No better off than those cast out demons.)
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 

This is the part of the message that gets hard. It is hard to always show love and compassion and concern for others. Our wants, desires, needs, and expectations get in the way. We assume that we know what is best for us and for others. We act in self-preservation mode, making lip service to the care and concern for others, while holding on to a safety-net for our own financial security. We act with compassion, but only up to a point, provided we don’t put ourselves in harms way. Few people truly sacrifice themselves for the sake of others without reservation, and even then, Paul says, it must be done out of “LOVE.” 

We might try, but we will fail, because there is only ONE person who LOVED that deeply. Jesus Christ! He loved even those who were ponding nails into His arms, those who were shouting at Him to come down from the cross, who were so sure they were right in their unbelief that they challenged Him to show them He was God by using His power to come down from the cross…. Yet, out of love for them, He showed them His power by staying on the cross… when He had the power to come down… He chose to stay! 

He denied Himself to save us. His was a life of LOVE lived for our sake, of Life given in exchange for ours.... The embodiment of God’s WORD made flesh … a life of LOVE.

This WORD of God transcends all other words, thoughts, emotions, and communication, … more than just words on a page… more than the spoken word, Jesus is the living, breathing, WORD OF GOD, that compels us to rejoice and proclaim the glory of God. To Him be all honor, praise, and glory. Amen.

Our HOPE is in the LORD... remembering my brother Joe.

 I prepared this message for January 12, the first Sunday after Epiphany, which traditionally is celebrated as the Baptism of our Lord. (The scriptures posted are from the ESV.)

The Readings for the day were - Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 45, Romans 6:1-11, Luke 3:15-22.

Message:   Our HOPE is in the LORD… He is our Salvation!

Grace mercy and peace be with you today from God the Father who said, “I have called you by name, you are mine.” Amen.

The words for our meditation today come from these readings…  “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

“John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

There are events in life that can rock your world… one minute you have certain plans and the next everything is changed… the plans you have made don’t seem to be all that important… priorities are rearranged, and in all of that, you are faced with the discovery of what truly matters most in this journey we call life. Tuesday evening Marci was watching the news reports of the fires in California around LA. Horrible destruction … entire city blocks consumed by fire.. just a few stones and a few pieces of metal left behind. The fires were whipped along by 100 mile an hour winds. Embers and ash blew down the street consuming everything in their path.

Just a few days earlier, these people were just living out their lives, going about their work or play, doing what busy people do, sowing and reaping, some with the assurance of salvation, others without, but just living for today… paying bills, remodeling homes, planning for their future on earth. And in a matter of a few hours everything they owned was consumed by fire… house after house… entire neighborhoods…GONE… reduced to ash. Thousands displaced… without a home… and with nothing to salvage… it is just gone!  Amazingly, only a few people lost their lives. Certainly, everyone in those communities has and will suffer some loss. It will never be the same as it once was. It will take years to recover, or rebuild, but it will never be the same.
 

Jesus once said, “Store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy.” For those who have faith, the future will be hard, but they will endure because they know that there is more to life than what we acquire here on earth. They have faith in the promises of God, and have peace in the assurance of salvation, because they know that Jesus has paid the price for their sin, and when they die they will be with Him in His glory. My heart breaks for the loss that these people are suffering. My sister lives in Apple Valley on the other side of the mountains to the east of the fires. I sent her a text asking if any of her friends were affected by the fires. She replied that only people she knew were some fire fighters from her area who had been called up to fight.
 
Wednesday morning, we got a text message. My brother Joe had died in the night, unexpectedly. He is the one we have been praying for, who has been getting infusions to treat cancer. I hadn’t talked to him for a few weeks but was planning to give him a call this week, but I was too late. It is hard to process the fact that I will never see him again. He was planning to come out again to help me get more rewiring done in our home… (he was a very good electrician) … Last year in May, he had helped me get the wiring done between my house and the shed.  We had more projects that I had planned to have him help me get done. We were close and I enjoyed our conversations and he enjoyed helping people…  He would use his vacations to go on restorations after disasters with my cousin Larry and others from his church once or twice every year. He had been making time to do these things for several years. I had always thought of joining him but didn’t make it a priority, claiming I didn’t have time.
 
There is an old saying, “You will never find time… you have to make time… to do the things you want to do… and you will, if it’s important to you.” I could have found time or taken the time to join them, but didn’t, now I wish I had.
 
I have this comfort… I know with certainty that my brother is with Jesus Christ.
It is NOT because he was a great guy, or kind, or caring, even though he was all of those things, it is because he had FAITH. He was a baptized child of God. He believed that his sins were forgiven because of the death and resurrection of God’s very own Son, Jesus Christ.
That is what makes a person a child of God… FAITH. If you believe the promises of God for you … then you will receive the promise of God for you. Out of love for us God gives us the gift of FAITH, through the power of the Holy Spirit. And it is by faith that we are saved, NOT by our works, no matter how great they might be. Our works are a result of our faith. We show love to others because God first showed love to us.

Joe knew that God loved him and he shared that love with others. He used his talents to serve the Lord. On weekends he would help my cousin Larry rebuild old trailer homes for people who were homeless, so that they would have affordable housing. It wasn’t glorious work, but it was kingdom work. It was a way that they were able to share the message of salvation with those who might otherwise not know about Jesus.
 
Today we are celebrating the Baptism of Jesus. Jesus was baptized to sanctify baptism for us. Whereas John was baptizing people in a symbolic washing, for the forgiveness of sin. (He called on the people to repent, and as a sign of their repentance, John would baptize them in the Jordan River, urging them to leave their sinful lifestyles behind, and to strive to live their lives for the glory of God.) But Jesus was without sin. His baptism was for our benefit. When He was baptized, God the Father spoke, claiming Jesus as His Son, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on Him. Then He began His earthly ministry and His fulfillment of the plan of salvation, for which He had come into our world as a human being, which included His death and resurrection, by which He destroyed sin, death and the power of the devil.
 

As a means of grace, baptism now connects us to Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” We are unable to free ourselves from sin. Even those who were baptized by John were unable to become free of the burden of their sin. Sinful human beings are always sinning in thought, word, and deed. Good intentions aren’t enough. Our sins had to be destroyed and buried by the death and burial of Jesus Christ.
 
It is only through Him, by faith, which is given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we are declared righteous in the eyes of God. The same Spirit who filled Jesus with His power at His baptism, fills us with His power at our baptism, to live for God, with the assurance of salvation.
This is the faith which guided my parents, my brother, and many others that I know, who are now living with God in His kingdom, in His glory, free from the cares of this life, free from sickness, or suffering, or pain. They are those who are enjoying the fruits of eternal life.
 
As I watched the reports from California, I have heard two different responses. Some are devastated, they have lost everything that they have worked for, they are without hope, they are broken, they are lost, they don’t know what to do, or what the future holds for them. And then there are others, who live by faith, who recognize that there is more to life than the stuff we accumulate in our lifetime on earth. They are grateful to be alive. They are trusting in God to provide for them and see them through this time of difficulty, but ultimately, their eyes are fixed on Jesus, and their end goal is to be with Him in heaven. They don’t hold on anything in this world very tightly, for they know that faith in Jesus is the only thing that they can take with them when they die.
 
Today we pray for the people of California, (and the other places throughout the world) that are experiencing suffering and loss as a result of fire, wind, rain, or even war. We are living in a world that is groaning under the penalty of sin.

Lord, we pray, that You would use these disasters, this destruction, this disruption of life that is a direct result of sin in our world to draw all people to seek You, to be filled with Your Spirit, to have saving faith in Jesus Christ, and the assurance of salvation and life everlasting with You in heaven. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.      

…
   

HOLY WEEK SABBATH - A DAY LIKE NO OTHER

THE EASTER VIGIL – A TIME OF WAITING

I listen to a song yesterday called "God Rested" by Andrew Peterson.
It made me think about this night in a different light... here we are celebrating Good Friday and waiting to celebrate Easter... but what really happened on the first Sabbath, that 'High Sabbath' when Jesus lay in the tomb? These are my thoughts of what that night might have been like. ....

Why am I anxious tonight?
Another Holy Week is coming to an end.
On Easter Sunday morning we will sing songs of praise, but right now I not feeling the joy.
 
What was it like on that first Sabbath for the followers of Jesus?
What was going through their minds?

    

Jesus, our leader has been crucified. How could we have let this happen?

    Our hope for Him to be the king now was crushed.

    Yet, the words He spoke at the Passover meal still lingers in our minds like a smoky haze.

    In a little while you won’t see me and then in a little while you will see me again.

It happened so fast.

    And Judas… how could he sell Jesus out? He was one of us. 

    For three years, we were all together, he was one of us...

        although he was strange at times, and really hated the Romans.

    But deep down inside, didn’t we all?

    

There may have been a few decent Roman soldiers, but very few…
    They mostly treat us Jews like their slaves.
    Every day they take what they want, or kill those who fight back.

The religious leaders hated Jesus. We knew it would be dangerous for Jesus to be here. 

    Ever since he threw the merchants out of the temple three years ago during the Passover.

    It has been risky to be here, but Jesus was determined to come. 

He even talked about being put to death. 

    When Peter told him not to talk that way, Jesus called him the Devil.

     

He said “I am the way.”
     “Follow me.”
     “Do as I have commanded you.”
     “Love your enemies.”
     “Do good to those who hate you.”
                

And now our religious leaders, our elected officials, have had him put to death.
      God’s chosen leaders…  The high priest and his family…
      Why couldn’t they see that he was God’s anointed one?
      Will they be coming after us next?

Jesus talked about the kingdom of God coming. Now Jesus is dead.

    How will God save us now?

    What will become of us?

    We believed in him. 

    How can this be God’s will?

    How can this be a part of God’s plan?

Confusion abounds, the disciples sit quietly in a state of shock trying to make sense of it all.

    O darkest night. O dread and fear.
    We followed the Lord, who is no longer here.
    He’s dead. It is not fair.
    Our righteous Lord; slaughtered on that cross over there.
    Nothing makes sense. Our minds cannot see.
    But He seemed to know that this is how it would be………………..
 
I know the outcome because it was recorded in the Gospels,

….but what was it like for them on that Passover Day?
    Waiting… worrying… overcome by doubt and fear…
    Truly the darkest night and day of their lives….
    The unknowing of what would happen next was the hardest part….
    Sitting, waiting…praying…bewildered…hoping…(a strange mix of emotions)…
    Shock and anger and shame and hopelessness
    Maybe even some stupid memories that brought nervous laughter.
    Satan was having a field day with these disciples.
    But not for long…
 
The resurrection was the last thing on their minds… (even though Jesus had talked about it)

So, I believe that on this Passover they sat in utter despair trying to sort it all out….
But totally blind to the truth of what was about to happen.

Peter Keyes … written 2015-04-04 edit-2024-03-30

BOLD Christian Outreach Reflections from Psalm 41

 Subtitle: Seeing the Easter Story in Psalm 41

Psalm 41:5–13 (ESV) 

5My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?” 

6And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 

7All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 

8They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.” 

9Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 

10But you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! 

11By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. 

12But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. 

13Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen. 

        (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016)

For those who walked with Jesus and were taught by Him for three years who witnessed Him hanging for life on the cross, there seemed to be no hope. Their dreams were crushed… all those plans of living in glory in Jesus’ new kingdom… were now nothing more than a foggy mist… how could this be happening? 

The Master, the Teacher, the most powerful person they had ever seen… had let Himself be beaten and nailed to a cross… surely, He could have done something to prevent this from happening… He had the power… why didn’t He use it? 

He had healed lame and blind and even raised up a girl who had died, and a young man who was about to buried, and even Lazarus who had been dead for over four days, whose body was starting to decompose. If He was able to do these things, surely, He would have been able to prevent the soldiers from arresting Him. He could have stopped this sham of a trial… but He let it happen.

The religious leaders gloated over their victory… They had accomplished what they had set out to do. They had plotted for a long time asking when, …”when will he die, and his name perish?” Finally, they had succeeded, for them it was accomplished. Jesus their enemy, was dying. He would be buried and His name would be forgotten and their lives would go on... having eliminated this threat to their livelihoods.

But God had a different plan! Jesus would raise again. His death was part of a greater plan! He died to pay a price, the price of sin, and rose to repay us for our sin against Him, but instead of revenge, we are repaid with forgiveness, mercy, kindness, and the love of God. Even those religious leaders were given the opportunity for forgiveness.

This battle wasn’t against us, but it was spiritual battle pitting Jesus the Son of God against Satan, the true enemy of God. Satan wanted to destroy the creation of God and turn every one of us against God. In the Garden of Eden, Satan succeeded in leading Adam and Eve into rebellion against God and as a result, we all were born as slaves to sin, unable to free ourselves from its bondage and the penalty of eternal death. 

To free us from this judgement of death, a righteous sacrifice had to be made, a sinless man had to die a sinner’s death. And that was God plan. By Jesus’ death, Satan’s accusations and hold over God’s creation was satisfied. Sin and death lost their grip and power over us. And on the third day, Jesus Christ was raised and Satan couldn't do anything to stop it. Satan’s power was destroyed. 

The scales of judgement were tipped in favor of Jesus Christ. His righteousness and death outweighed the penalty of the sins of all people in the world.

By faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are forgiven of our sin. We can now BOLDly proclaim that those who believe this promise receive this promise and their sin is forgiven, but those who reject this promise remain under the curse and punishment of their sin.

The last two verses tell us that Jesus would be and is raised to glory. Yes, the righteous Son of God will reign as our King in glory forevermore. Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen.

Written by Peter Keyes - March 29, 2024

IN THE FACE OF DEATH & GOOD FRIDAY

 
WHERE IS MY HOPE?      (a reflection on Good Friday)

Where is my hope when sorry comes,
    When grief, heartbreak, and loss become too much to bear,
        When words cannot express my pain,
            When the wind is knocked out of my lungs,
In gasps and sighs too deep for tears to fall?
 
A gasp…………………..then silence.
 

The shadow of death draws nigh,
    And the reality of life’s fragile existence becomes

        Eminently closer than I care to admit.
            There is no stopping its march

Death is but a breath away.

 
Another gasp….then silence.
 
Waiting for the next breath to be taken.

    Hoping it will come for we are not ready to let go.
 
Another gasp…………then silence.
 
Was this for our sake? An answer to prayer?
    Or an inward struggle to cling to this world?
        

Another gasp…………………..then silence.
 

The involuntary muscles are fighting for oxygen but are losing the battle.
    The breath given by God is leaving with the spirit
        And only the material corpse will be left behind.
 
Another gasp…………………..then silence.
 
Was this the last?
    Are there more to follow?

Another gasp…………………..then silence.

  
Christ our Lord came to this hour,
    But not just to die, but to die a sinners death.

        He was rejected, scorned, beaten, bruised, tortured, and humiliated.

Another gasp…………………..then silence.
 

Satan threw everything he could at Him.
    And He bore it willingly for our sake.

Another gasp…………………..then silence.
  
God loved us so much and desired to have us with Him
    That He sent His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ)
        Into the world to pay the price for our sin, 

Another gasp…………………..then silence.

 

Jesus came to set us free from our slavery to sin.
    His death on the cross paid the price and the debt we owed. 

        

Another gasp…………………..then silence.

   
For two days Jesus Christ clung to life,
    Enduring floggings and punishment, humiliation and abuse. 
        And then… at just the right time…

Another gasp…………………..then silence..................
 
            He bowed His head and let go of life.
 
At that very moment when Satan started to cheer,
    The earth shook and Jesus turned the tables on him.
        Satan’s powerful hold on God’s creation had been destroyed.

What a foolish being, ..."Satan did you not know?"

    Death cannot hold a righteous God.

 
“Oh death, where is your sting?”
    “Oh grave, where is your victory?”

God has led us through the shadow of death

    And taken away our fear of it.
 
The breathing has stopped….  My friend is gone.
 
I will not see him again on this side of heaven.
    Will I carry on without him?
        Will my pain turn into joy?
            Will the void be filled?
 
His pain is gone.
    He is with the Lord.
        Someday I will join him there.

In the presence of Jesus Christ,
    Who gave up His life
        That we might have life eternal with Him.
 
My hope is in the Lord!
 
He replaces my mourning with peace,
    My sin with His righteousness, and fills me with His love.  
 
By Peter Keyes    -  2011