The Ascension

Last week, we examined the Resurrection, and this week, we will examine Jesus's ascension.

Let’s read together:

Luke 24:36-53 (NLT2) 

36  And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37  But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38  “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39  Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40  As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41  Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43  and he ate it as they watched. 44  Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46  And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48  You are witnesses of all these things. 49  “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 50  Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52  So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53  And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, you made the decision to trust your life to Jesus at some point. If you surrendered your life to God, you understood that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, you asked him to forgive you, and you accepted him as your Savior.

That only happened because, as we see in verse 45…

GOD HAS OPENED YOUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE v. 45

The disciples had seen Jesus do some pretty amazing things. He healed people who were disfigured. He fixed the sight of people who were blind. He healed the deaf, and they could hear. Over and over, he healed people with diseases. 

Miracle. After Miracle. After Miracle.

Now, in order for his disciples to become fully convinced that Jesus was truly the Savior that the Old Testament prophets had prophesied about, Jesus opened their minds. These disciples had heard the Old Testament prophecy.  In fact, by the age of 10, boys had to have memorized the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy.  In the Jewish language, that was roughly 80,000 words! Most likely, these men had memorized these five books of the Bible, and they attended the synagogues each week to worship God and hear the teaching of God’s word on the Sabbath.

But even though they had memorized 80,000 words. Even though they attended the synagogue for worship every week of their lives. Even though they spent roughly three years with Jesus. They were still limited in their understanding of scripture. They knew God created them. They knew that Adam and Eve chose to sin, and sin entered the world. They knew that all descendants of Adam and Eve sinned. They knew THEY were sinners…and they knew they were separated from God…but they did not UNDERSTAND why JESUS died on the cross and rose from the dead.

They heard but did not understand. They HEARD but did not truly get it. Hey, parents, does that remind you of anybody? 

We spend half our time parenting, reminding our children of what we have already told them to do. But honestly, our kids get it from us! It is a common problem throughout the history of man.

Ezekiel 12:2 (NLT2) 

2  “Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people. 

I grew up Catholic. I understood that God created me. I understood Jesus paid the price for sin on the cross. I understood he rose from the dead. But nothing in me changed until God opened my mind to understand how to surrender my life to Jesus. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, it is only because a miracle has occurred. God has opened your mind to understand the hope found in the Bible, that means God loves you and has chosen to open your mind to HIS TRUTH about your life. You have been FORGIVEN.

And we also see in this passage…

FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH CHANGE v. 47

In verse 47, Jesus said,  “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”

REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS are two separate words that communicate one idea.  Some people need clarification about the word repentance. They live their lives thinking repentance means living a life filled with remorse, guilt, and shame from their past. They don’t allow themselves to become the person God has created them to be because they do not understand what repentance actually is. Repentance is simply a “change in direction.”  

Suppose you are in your car on the 501 headed to Conway. But instead of going west on the 501, you are driving east!  Instead of heading to Conway, you are driving to the Coast. You must change your direction to arrive in Conway. If you want to get to Conway before you drive into the Ocean, you make a UTURN and change your direction…

That is what it means to REPENT. When you repent and surrender your life to Jesus, you make a UTURN in life. If you have been forgiven, you will WANT to please God.  

You will show signs that you reject the sinful lifestyle you have been living, and you will stop doing those things. Some things you will stop doing immediately, and other sins may take some time, but the difference is…but there has been an inward change because you have been forgiven.

The word FORGIVEN is actually a mathematical term. 

In the days of Jesus, when an individual borrowed money from a lender, their name was written down in a book or ledger. As the person made payments on what he owed, the payment was subtracted, and a new balance would be recorded. But if the lender FORGAVE the debt, they would open the book, find the name, and completely blot out that individual's name and amount due. It was erased. It was as though it never existed in the first place. The person who owed that money was no longer bound to the lender. They were no longer loaded down with debt…they were free.

God has dealt with sin the same way. If you have surrendered your life to Christ and received Jesus as your Savior, it is now as though your sin had never existed in the first place. Your sin has been erased through the sacrifice of Jesus. Your sin has been removed from existence. You do not need to live like you are still loaded down with the guilt and the weight of your past lives.  You have been set free. So live like it. Embrace the freedom that God has given to you through Jesus.  Demonstrate the freedom of forgiveness through a visible change in your life.  

LIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT v.49

This is the fantastic part of what happens when you become a follower of Jesus. When you receive forgiveness for your sins, you also receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples he was sending the promise of his Father to the disciples and for them to…

Luke 24:49 (NLT2) 

49  “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 

We see this incredible promise fulfilled in Acts 2.  After Jesus ascended into heaven, these men and women gathered in a room. They were praying, then…

Acts 2:2-6 (NLT2) 

2  Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3  Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…

If you are new to following Jesus, please understand. The HOLY SPIRIT of God does not live inside a church building, a statue, or a painting on the wall.  The Holy Spirit of God lives inside YOU. Growing up, I was told the church building was God’s House.

I had to speak reverently and quietly. I had to dress nice. I couldn’t wear a hat. I was told to behave in God’s HOUSE. I now know that God does not live inside brick, steel, and drywall. The house of the Holy Spirit is reserved for God’s most incredible creation—you and me.  

What a blessing to know that we are not abandoned and left to figure out life on our own! You have been changed not through your decision but through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Lean into the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Let Him Guide you to be baptized, serve, or invite others to worship with you. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your generosity and your relationships.

So, since God opened your mind, you have been changed and now have the Holy Spirit. You can live under the influence of the Holy Spirit! That means…

JESUS BLESSED OTHERS, AND SO CAN YOU. v. 50

Luke 24:50 (NLT2) 

50  Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 

The word BLESSED can be hard to understand. I was an altar boy. I remember the Priest taking Holy Water and flicking it on people in the church – and they considered that a blessing.   

In the movie Rocky…right before his big fight, Rocky asks Father Carmine for a blessing. Father Carmine says a prayer in Italian and makes the sign of the cross. We say God Bless you when somebody sneezes. But what does it mean to bless others biblically?

A BLESSING means:  TO SPEAK WELL OF, TO THANK, OR TO ASK GOD’S FAVOR UPON AN INDIVIDUAL. 

So, as Jesus was leaving, he wasn’t telling his disciples that they better have their rooms clean when he got back home. He did not threaten to punish them if they did something wrong while he was gone. Before he ascended into Heaven, Jesus spoke well of his disciples, thanked them, and asked God’s favor upon them.   

He BLESSED them through ENCOURAGEMENT.  He Spoke words of LIFE over them. He didn’t point out all their flaws – and certainly could have – instead, he focused on using his words to cause their hearts to swell with joy…not just joy – GREAT JOY. Typically when somebody is saying goodbye to a loved one headed out for a long trip, moving away, or even passing from this life…most don’t waste their breath being critical. Some might.  But most people will not waste their being critical and talking about how much their loved ones have disappointed them. 

It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode in which Frank Costanza creates a holiday called Festivus, and at the Festivus dinner, he goes around the table and tells everybody why he is sick of them! The sad truth is that while many people may not have a Festivus tradition like that, many choose to live every day like that.

They use their words to criticize, tear down, and destroy others.   

They use their words and influence to hurt others…and who knows why?   

WORDS of BLESSING can bring great JOY to others. 

Don’t you feel good when others speak well of you?  

Don’t you feel good when somebody goes out of their way to say THANK YOU to you and appreciate and value you?   

So, let's model our lives after Jesus and bless others, encourage them, and say words that will help them, not destroy them.

Easter - 2024

Growing up, my family had a tradition in which the Easter Bunny had hidden our Easter Basket filled with candy around the house, and we had to find it.  Sometimes, the baskets were hidden so well that I was certain The Easter Bunny had forgotten about me.

Every Easter, Kristy hides Easter Eggs in the yard, and the girls search for plastic eggs filled with money, candies, and jellybeans.

Can you imagine explaining Easter egg hunts to someone who's never heard of them before? 'So, we celebrate the resurrection... by hiding chocolate eggs... laid by a bunny? Perspective can make our traditions seem a bit quirky. Have you ever noticed that we all respond differently to events?

For instance, if your wife gets a speeding ticket, some husbands will get mad, and some of you will laugh at her.  Wives, If your husband stubs his toe or steps on a Lego in the middle of the night, some wives will laugh, others will hide their giggle, and some won’t wake up. We have different responses to almost everything, including the most incredible event in history, the resurrection of Jesus. Some people respond with belief. Some people respond with disbelief. Some people may not care one way or another.

Today, we celebrate Easter, and I think people respond to the resurrection of Jesus the exact same way.  Some refuse to believe.  Some have doubts. Some fully believe. That is precisely how it was at the time of the resurrection. Many of the followers of Jesus did not believe he had risen from the dead. Even after they talked with him, they still struggled to believe he was actually alive. Today, we will examine Luke 24 and discover how those who did not believe Jesus had risen came to the conclusion that he was indeed alive. 

We will do that because you may relate to the people who could not believe that Jesus was alive, and I want to help you move from unbelief or ambivalence to belief and faith in Jesus. So, Let’s read about the events that happened three days after Jesus had been killed on the cross and buried in a tomb.

Luke 24:1-11 (NLT2) 

1  But very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2  They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3  So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4  As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5  The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6  He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7  that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” 8  Then they remembered that he had said this. 9  So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11  But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 

“Very early on Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb.” 

Now, I don’t know about you, but getting anywhere very early on a Sunday is miraculous in itself, especially if you have kids. It makes sense to me that if anybody ever wanted Jesus to be alive – it would have been the men who followed him for three years of their lives. When somebody you love dies tragically and suddenly, you miss them and want them to be alive. The disciples aren’t any different. This wasn’t a long, drawn-out battle with cancer or disease.  One moment, Jesus was healthy and enjoying dinner with his closest friends; the next moment, he was arrested and murdered. They saw him work miracles and change lives. They ate with him, learned from him, and saw the hope he brought to people. 

I am sure they wanted Jesus to be alive more than anybody.  Yet,

THE DISCIPLES REFUSED TO BELIEVE.

The word Luke used in verse 11 that describes where the friends of Jesus were on their journey to belief was:

Apisteo (aw pis tay o:) to have no belief, to disbelieve

The disciple's first response was not “Hurray! He is alive!”  

Their first response was, “No way! That’s not possible!”  

They thought the women were nuts! They refused to believe Jesus was alive. That may be where you are today.  

You believe Jesus existed, that he did good things, and that you may even appreciate what he taught about forgiving others, loving those who do not deserve it, and the kindness and compassion he showed. You believe that he was put to death by execution on the cross…but like the disciple’s early response, you refuse to believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

It is important to note that the disciples changed.  Their minds were changed. They went from “refusing to believe” to fully surrendering to Jesus.

How did they get there? 

Well, between verses 12 and 36, Jesus made a few special appearances.  

• Jesus appeared to a couple of men walking down a road and talked with them.

• Then he appeared to Peter.  

• Then he appeared to his disciples to show them the nails in his hands and feet.  

And the disciples got together, and they were talking about it.  Jesus appeared to me, me too! He showed us his hands and feet…We had an entire conversation with him…

Luke 24:36-41 shows us that the disciples moved from refusing to believe that Jesus was alive…they conceded a little ground…

And now…

THE DISCIPLES DESIRED TO BELIEVE (v. 38, 41)

Luke 24:36-41A (NLT2) 

36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder…

When Jesus said, “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” He used the word:

Dialogismos (dē-ä-lo-gē-smoss): the thinking of a man deliberating with himself.  A deliberating, questioning about what is true.  Hesitation, doubting, disputing, arguing.

They desired to believe. They made eye contact with Jesus. They saw the wounds on his hands and feet. They wanted to believe, but they were torn by what they saw happened to Jesus at the cross. Their resistance to embrace the TRUTH of Jesus being alive reinforces the suffering and brutality of the cross. Before Jesus was arrested in the Garden, he had been pleading with God to find another way to bring forgiveness to mankind rather than face the brutality of the cross.

Luke 22:42 (NLT2) 

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

We do not understand the phrase “cup of suffering” the way the Jewish people did back then. In the Old Testament, “the cup” is often used as a metaphor for the wrath of God. 

Isaiah 51:17 (NLT) 

17  Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem! You have drunk the cup of the LORD’s fury. You have drunk the cup of terror, tipping out its last drops.

Jeremiah 25:15 (NLT) 

15  This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. 

Habakkuk 2:16 (NLT) 

16  But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced. Come, drink, and be exposed! Drink from the cup of the LORD’s judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame. 

Isaiah called it a cup of terror.  Jeremiah called it a cup filled to the brim with God’s anger. Habakkuk called it a cup of the Lord’s Judgement. 

Throughout the Bible, we see glimpses of God’s Wrath:

• God’s Anger over sin is seen in the great flood that destroyed the earth…

• God’s wrath destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.

• God’s wrath is seen in the 10 Plagues upon Egypt.

It was not the physical agony of the beatings, the scourging, and the crucifixion that Jesus dreaded. It was the spiritual agony He would experience as he drank every last drop of God’s wrath that we deserved.
The Disciples watched the physical brutality of the cross. They watched the flesh ripped from his back through the scourging. They heard his final words and watched him breathe his final breath. They saw his dead body. They knew NO MAN was going to come back from that.

If you have heard the message that Jesus is ALIVE over and over yet walk away with doubt, understand that the very same men followed Jesus! Jesus stood in the same room.  They made eye contact with Jesus, yet they STILL had doubts!  They wanted to believe, but they just couldn't because of what they had already seen.

Is that you? Maybe you really would like to believe that Jesus is alive – but because of the troubles, difficulties, and emptiness you have experienced in this world, you struggle with accepting. If the disciples who walked and talked with Jesus after he was resurrected struggled with believing – it is understandable that 2,000 years later, men and women struggle with fully believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Let’s look one more time in Luke 24, and we will discover that…

THE DISCIPLES FULLY BELIEVED, AND THEIR LIVES WERE CHANGED

Luke 24:45-47 (NLT2) 

45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46  And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

What did it take for these men to have faith?  The same thing still required today. For us to believe in JESUS as SAVIOR – God must open our minds to believe. If you have repeatedly heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection yet still have doubts or think, “So what? That is not going to change anything about my life...” 

I want you to understand why you think that way. The Apostle Paul tells us why some people do not believe:

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT2) 

4  Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ... 

So, if you desire to believe, ask God to open your mind to believe. Ask God to remove the blindfold preventing you from becoming a follower of Jesus. You can ask him right now. 

“God, please remove the blindfold on my mind. If Jesus did rise from the dead, that changes everything. I would like to believe, but I need you to open my mind.”

Take a moment right now.  In your own words, say, “ God, open my mind to understand Jesus.”

Then, in verse 46, Jesus taught them that the Savior of the World would have to suffer and die.  God opened their minds, and they understood now that Jesus was the Savior who endured the “cup of suffering for all people” so that mankind might never have to experience God’s wrath again.

They understood the words that Jesus told them in John 3:16:

John 3:16 (NLT2) 

16  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Maybe at this moment, God has opened your mind to understand Jesus. Maybe something has clicked, and you understand how much God loves you. In verse 47, Jesus said, “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”

The word that Jesus used for “repent” communicates a shift or change in thinking. The Disciples SHIFTED their thoughts about Jesus. This was the moment they put their DISBELIEF behind them—they chose to believe that Jesus was alive and that he had died for their sins, and they fully believed by surrendering their lives to him through repentance.

To repent – you, too, must have that SHIFT in your thinking. If you would like to repent, be forgiven for your sins, and become a follower of Jesus today, pray this with me:

God, 

I believe that Jesus suffered for my disobedience on the cross and died.

I believe he rose from the dead; he is now with you in Heaven 

and will return to earth one day. 

I surrender my life to you as my Savior.

Thank you for forgiving my sin and changing my life.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Meeting Jesus - Expanding Comfort Zones

When I was in Middle School “paddling’s” were used as a way to discipline the knucklehead students so teachers could maintain control in the classroom.  

At least once a month, the sound of one of our peers getting their bottom warmed up by a flat piece of wood would fill the halls and float into the classroom. I was paddled by every one of my homeroom teachers at least twice during 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.  The Principal and Vice Principal even got a little of the action.

I was paddled for fighting. I was paddled for cussing. I was paddled for telling my teacher to shut up. I was paddled for spitting spit wads, running in the hall, passing notes, and chewing gum. I was even paddled for peeing on the floor in the boy’s bathroom.

I was an idiot!

Man, in my school, the teachers could paddle until you stopped laughing.  If the first “three licks” didn’t wipe the smile off my face, a second teacher would step up to the plate for their turn. Culture was different. Teachers were not only educators, but they were well trained punishment machines. So…I wanted nothing to do with my teachers outside of school. 

Because of their occupations, and the age difference, teachers were the outsiders to my middle school world. In today’s passage of scripture, we encounter a man who was an outsider to the Jewish faith. Like my teacher’s in Middle School, he really was a well trained killing machine that served to keep the Jewish people in check. Because of  his occupation and race, the Jewish people really wanted nothing to do with him…but as we will read, he was a little different: 

Let’s read together:

Luke 7:1-10 (NLT2)

1  When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. 2  At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. 3  When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. 4  So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5  “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” 6  So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. 7  I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8  I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” 9  When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” 10  And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed. 

Let’s make sure we fully understand the context.

The Jewish people wanted nothing to do with the occupying force of the Roman Government. They resented Rome. 

They hated that Rome occupied Jerusalem. 

The Roman government served to remind the Jewish people of their enslavement and bondage in Egypt and Babylon. 

Yet – Rome was organized. They had political leaders, soldiers, and power. So the Jewish people reluctantly lived with the occupation of the Roman guard. Because of the tension and anger, a Jewish man would never be seen inside the home, under the roof, or at the dinner table with a Roman soldier – especially one in charge of over 100 soldiers.

But Jesus knew that:

HATE BASED VALUES CANNOT PRODUCE LIFE-CHANGE

Until this miracle, Jesus had never healed anybody outside the Jewish world.  Every leper, diseased, blind, lame, or deaf person that Jesus had healed had all been Jewish. Jesus was not a racist.  Jesus didn’t hate people of other cultures or backgrounds…but until this moment, nobody from outside the Jewish faith had approached Jesus to ask for healing.  

It wasn’t because Jesus was unwilling to cross religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds…it was simply because no one outside the Jewish culture had the FAITH to believe that Jesus could heal and transform. Jesus was willing to go against his culture because he knew that hate based values could not produce life-change.  

Hating people because of the color of their skin, culture, religious views  - even if that was the way you were raised – is wrong.

The white culture is different

The black culture is different 

The Hispanic culture is different

Here in Myrtle Beach – we have a wonderful variety of people from different cultures.  It’s beautiful and amazing. But different cultures often create confusion, misunderstandings, and division. We see evidence of this almost nightly on the news.

Can I be honest? I do not understand the cultural norms of other cultures instinctively. Nobody does. And because we do not automatically understand the cultural values and differences of others, it can lead to unintended bias and prejudice. I am grateful that Jesus lived differently and without prejudice or bias.

Jesus was not going to limit God’s love and grace to only the people who looked like him, voted like him, or prayed like him. And in this instance, Jesus wasn’t the only one who refused to allow hate, intimidation, or fear to control his life.

THE CENTURION AND JESUS DEMONSTRATE ETHNIC COOPERATION

Note some of the things that the Jewish leaders said about the Centurion.  

The Jewish leaders told Jesus that he should heal his servant because the Centurion…

• was worthy

• He loved the Jewish nation

• And he even used his own resources to build a synagogue for the Jewish people.

The Centurion was in charge of 100 Roman soldiers.  He was wealthy enough to pay for a synagogue to be built.  This was a man who could have been FEARED by the Jewish community because of his wealth, power and influence. This Centurion was a tough man, but instead of using his influence to bully others and force his will upon others instead of using his influence to get his way, he used his influence to bless the Jewish people.

He crossed ethnic boundaries and unwritten code-of-conduct, he crossed lines of racism and hate, to bless people not like him.

He was a tough man, with a tender heart for the community he lived. He looked around at the Jewish people and he made a decision to improve the community he lived.  He used his wealth and power to make the lives of the Jewish people better.

You and I can do the same.

Rather than shrugging our shoulders and giving up – what if YOU chose to make a difference?

What if we chose a better path.

What if Beach Church became a place that helped launch churches that served different ethnicities in our community?

It would be amazing if God used our church facility as a place of worship for other ethnicities in our community. Or what if the cultural divide for you isn’t ethnic diversity – what if it is because of the age gap? 

What if Senior Adults began to brainstorm ways they can use their wisdom and knowledge to bless younger generations?  What if teenagers began brainstorming ways they can connect with senior adults? It could be through getting involved in our children’s ministry and student Ministry here at Beach. Or Senior adults developing relationships with Young Married couples to provide advice, wisdom, prayer, and mentoring. If we want to impact the culture around us, we have to be willing to lead conversations that begin with “What if we…” That’s when following Jesus gets crazy, messy, and fun!

We also see from the Centurions example that…

TRUE FAITH IS MARKED BY HUMILITY AND AUTHORITY

When the Centurion asked Jesus for help, he did not tell Jesus the good that he had personally done in the community. He could have. He didn’t negotiate. He didn’t tell Jesus if he healed his servant, he would build another temple.

Instead, the Centurion humbly respected the process. 

After he had heard about the need of his servant, he humbly reached out to Jesus through the proper Jewish channels. He did not go directly to Jesus (he could have.)  He understood that the Jewish people did not like him. He respected the lines that the Jewish people had created.

He sent a messenger to speak to the Jewish leaders. They made the decision to ask Jesus for help for the man. So they did…they sent word to Jesus that this man was unlike the other Roman’s occupying their land.  He was trying to help. He was making a difference.

And they probably thought it even more respectful that he did not show up at the Synagogue one morning when Jesus was teaching.  Instead, he demonstrated humility by going through the proper channels.

When the Pastor Search team was searching for a senior pastor, I had to go through the right channels.  Rather than just simply sending them a link with my name and information, I had to apply through a website, answer questions, go through several interviews…

At any point I could have shrugged my shoulders and said, “If they really were interested in me – they would do it my way.”

If you have a desire to make a difference in our church, in our community, and engage the culture around us, you must be willing to demonstrate humility. Jump through the hoops to serve.

And, be confident in the AUTHORITY God has given you while you are serving.  

The Centurion had so much faith Jesus was able to heal, he said Jesus didn’t even need to be present. He said, “just say the word and he will be healed.” If you serve in our community, on the mission field, on a mission trip, or serve in our kids and student ministry, believe that God has given you the authority to change lives. And if the idea of serving children and students makes you uncomfortable…make your “comfort zone” bigger.

EXPANDING YOUR COMFORT ZONE CAN BRING HOPE TO OTHERS

His servant needed help, so the centurion had to get outside his comfort zone to bring hope to him. Younger generations have changed. They are different. You will feel uncomfortable and feel a little intimidated by them.  You will not understand them…

So, if you want to serve…make your comfort zone bigger. 

When you step out of the areas you are most comfortable in, and begin connecting with people not like you, you are forced to lean into the Holy Spirit and trust him for guidance.

You can’t trust your gut.

You can’t trust your intuition

You have never been there before!

One way my family is going to expand our comfort zone is by traveling to Chan-Chen Mexico this summer with our church on July 26.  Kristy and I have served on mission trips – but not yet with our kids! Serving on foreign mission trips helps us get out of our comfort zone in our own neighborhoods. It forces us to see beyond what we have known.

Be comfortable living at the edge of your faith. 

Choose to serve with the strength God provides.

Meeting Jesus - Jesus restores

If you are grieving over a lost relationship, a lost job, a lost friendship, or a loss of anything, this message is for you. And I want to ask you to do me a favor: If you have a moment in today’s message that I call, “A Jesus Moment” come back next week and invite a friend to worship with you to experience a “Jesus Moment” as well. In this passage – you are going to see Jesus heart for the hurting, the broken, and the crushed. The man that Jesus encounters was not looking for life-change. He wasn’t asking for a miracle. Rather, he was simply there to listen to the teachings of Jesus. When you and I continue to LISTEN to Jesus – through biblical worship songs, through biblical teaching and preaching, through reading our bibles – even though we may not ask to have our lives change – Jesus may just show up and change our lives. We are able to understand more about God’s compassion and restoring work He desires to do in our lives.

Luke 6:6-11 (NLT2) 

6  On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. 7  The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. 8  But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. 9  Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” 10  He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 11  At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him. 

The first thing we can gather from this passage is this:

BROKEN PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO JESUS

Wherever Jesus went, broken people went to meet him. The people with leprosy went to find him. The adulterous woman found him. The blind, the paralyzed, the crippled, the deaf found him. Those who were broken over the potential death of a daughter, a son, or a loved one found him. There is something about the heart of our compassionate Savior that draws people to him. It really is fascinating that Jesus never really had to search for people who were broken. He made himself available, and the broken people were drawn to him.

In this passage, Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath – and this broken man – simply went to listen to Jesus teach.  He does not appear to ask for a miracle – but he is there because he is drawn in, he is pulled in, by the presence of HOLINESS and GOODNESS in a dark world. So he slips into the back of the room and listens to Jesus.

Something is going on in your life.  Not everybody knows about it, but you are hurting. Maybe you came to church today to find an answer for some difficulty you are facing. Some problems are fixed immediately, and some take time.  I hope Jesus restores what is broken in your life today, and if he doesn’t, I hope he gives you a glimmer of hope of what a restored life could look like. I invite you to keep coming back, keep brining a friend, and lean in to the worship and the teachings.

Like me, this man had something wrong with him. When we do a careful reading of this text in the original language, we can see that he once had the use of both of his hands, but now one was “withered.” 

We see that because the word Luke used to describe this man’s right hand is:

Xeros:  (xsay-ros): members of the body deprived of their natural juices, shrunk, wasted, withered

The author of Hebrews used that very same word in Hebrews 11:29 to describe the land of the Red Sea the Israelites crossed over upon…

They didn’t cross through muddy, mucky water. They crossed the red sea on DRY LAND. The ground that had been saturated and filled with the water of the Red Sea, became so dry the Israelites could ride across without getting any mud on their feet or wagon wheels. Because Luke used this word, we are to understand that this man’s hand had not always been withered!

He once had the use of his hand – but it had been damaged, maimed, mutilated.  It was useless, drawn up, dried up, and shrunk. It was once a strong arm – and now it was lifeless and good for nothing.  He knew what it was like to go through life with BOTH hands – and now only one. He was MISSING something he once had. His arm just hung there, muscles had atrophied, and it was useless.

Jesus KNEW that this man was struggling. He was hurting. The life that he once enjoyed was gone, and his new normal was this dangling, useless limb that people stared at and kids tried to touch. But the man wasn’t the only person there with Jesus. Those pesky religious leaders were watching Jesus – If Jesus healed the man, they were going to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath. Religious people always try to point out people who break customs and traditions. Religious people always strive to point out the flaws of others, but have a difficult time examining their own hearts. I love what we read in verse 8: “Jesus KNEW their thoughts.”

No wonder the Religious Leaders always had a hard time tricking Jesus.  He knew their thoughts.  He knew what they were thinking. He knew they were thinking about pointing out to people that Jesus was breaking religious rules about working on the Sabbath.

I want you to accept the truth today that…

OUR STRUGGLES ARE NOT HIDDEN FROM GOD

Psalm 139:1-4 (NLT2)

1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2  You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3  You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. 

God knows you COMPLETELY.  He knows our thoughts and our actions. With over 7 billion people on the planet, it seems crazy but it is true. Just like Jesus stood up in the temple that day and knew the thoughts of the religious leaders, God understands your thoughts and your struggles right now. In the Old Testament, Job was experiencing some great misery and said to his friends:

Job 31:4 (NLT)

4  Doesn’t (God) see everything I do and every step I take? 

Hagar was the name of a women who had a conversation with God in the Old Testament.  After she had that conversation with God and realized God cared for her, she said:

Genesis 16:13 (NLT2)

13  Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”

When I was a younger follower of Jesus, I used to think that God knowing all my thoughts, actions, and motives was a little unsettling, but my perspective has changed.  I have been a follower of Jesus since 1991, and I now find this truth that God knows my thoughts and actions COMFORTING.

Think about it! 

God knows my thoughts, and my actions.

He knows my fear, my worry, my doubts, my insecurities. 

He knows my actions the good and the bad.  

He knows my motives.  He knows everything about me.

If you are a follower of Jesus, that means you trust that he died on the cross and paid the penalty for your sin, he rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and you have received Jesus as your Savior by committing your life to Him.

This TRUTH that He KNOWS you and SEES you can be VERY comforting! 

It is comforting because GOD knows precisely how to counsel us when we mess up. 

He knows exactly what we need to hear, to motivate us and to comfort us.

He knows the people to put in your path, to encourage you and challenge you.

He knows how to help you and get you back on track.

He knows your thoughts and actions YET HE LOVES you ANYWAY!  

If we all were capable of knowing each others thoughts and seeing everybody’s actions, I do not think we would like each other very much.  BUT GOD not only likes us – he loves us! 

He loves you

God is filled with COMPASSION and MERCY.  He knows we are not perfect. He knows we fail. He knows all about us and chooses to LOVE you and I with a love that is indescribable and incomprehensible. And because Jesus understands us so completely…

JESUS CAN RESTORE YOUR LIFE, TOO!

Luke 6:8b (NLT) 

...He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. 

I imagine that this man could have been a little embarrassed about being called to come to the front of the room.  He had slipped into the back of the room. He didn’t want more people staring at his arm. The Religious Leaders were already staring at him.

In Elementary School, one of the kids that rode our bus had an arm that never developed.  He always tried to hide it, and everybody always stared at it. Yet, Jesus brought this man up from the back of the room to stand in front of everybody before he worked the miracle. This man may have felt the stares – but all eyes were on Jesus. Now – watch what happens:

Luke 6:9-10 (NLT) 

9  Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” 10  He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 

Jesus restored this man’s hand! Right in front of everybody. He said, “Hold out your hand” The man stretched out his shame right in front of everybody – and then a miracle took place. The bones grew. The skin stretched. The fingers, fingernails, fingerprints, all miraculously grew right in front of everybody.

He now had the full use of his arm and hand back. Jesus didn’t merely give this man back his hand – he gave him HOPE.

As unbelievable as that moment was, understand JESUS CAN RESTORE YOUR LIFE TOO! Jesus is calling you to stretch out your hand.

Expose your hurt to somebody.

Expose your brokenness to somebody.

Expose your shame to somebody.

That friendship you lost? If you are willing to admit you were wrong, apologize to the person, God can restore your friendship. That distant relationship with a family member? If you are willing to be humble – God can restore it.  

God can RESTORE your life to what it should have been from the beginning.  

Our prayer team would love to pray with you and for you. If you need somebody to help you seek restoration, begin with the prayer team. Be honest with them and ask them to pray with you and for you.

God sees you right now.

God knows your thoughts.

God knows what you have done.

And he loves you anyway. I am so grateful for our loving Heavenly Father that loves us so.

Meeting Jesus - The ascension

Luke 24:36-53 (NLT2)

36  And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37  But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38  “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39  Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40  As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41  Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43  and he ate it as they watched. 44  Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46  And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48  You are witnesses of all these things. 49  “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 50  Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52  So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53  And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, meaning at some point you made the decision to trust your life to Jesus. If you surrendered your life to God, you understood that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, you asked him to forgive you and your accepted him as your Savior.

That only happened because, like we see in verse 45…

GOD HAS OPENED YOUR MIND TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

The disciples had seen Jesus do some pretty amazing things. 

He healed people who were disfigured. 

He fixed the sight of people who were blind. 

He healed the deaf and they could hear. Over and over, he healed people with diseases. 

Miracle. After Miracle. After Miracle.

Now, in order for his disciples to become fully convinced that Jesus was truly the Savior that the Old Testament prophets had prophesied about, Jesus opened their minds. These disciples had heard the Old Testament prophecy.  In fact, by the age of 10, boys had to have memorized the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy.  In the Jewish language, that was roughly 80,000 words! Most likely, these men had these five books of the bible memorized…and they attended the synagogues each week to worship God and hear the teaching of God’s word on the Sabbath.

But even though they had memorized 80,000 words. Even though they attended the synagogue for worship every week of their lives. Even though they spent roughly three years with Jesus. They were still limited in their understanding of scripture. They knew God created them. They knew that Adam and Eve chose to sin, and sin entered the world. They knew that all descendants of Adam and Eve sinned. They knew THEY were sinners…and they knew they were separated from God, BUT they did not UNDERSTAND why JESUS died on the cross and rose from the dead.

They HEARD but did not truly get it.

But honestly, our kids get it from us! It is a common problem throughout the history of man.

Ezekiel 12:2 (NLT2)

2  “Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people. 

I grew up Catholic. I understood that God created me. I understood Jesus paid the price for sin on the cross. I understood he rose from the dead. But nothing in me changed until God opened my mind to understand how to surrender my life to Jesus. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, it is only because a miracle has taken place. God has opened your mind to understand the hope found in the Bible. Be encouraged! He Loves you, he chose to open your mind and showed you how to apply HIS TRUTH to your life. You have been FORGIVEN.

And we also see in this passage…

FORGIVENESS IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH CHANGE

In verse 47, Jesus said “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”

REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS are two separate words that communicate one idea.  Some people get confused about the word repentance. 

They live their lives thinking repentance is living a life filled with remorse and guilt and shame from their past. They don’t allow themselves to become the person God has created them to be, because they do not understand what repentance actually is. Repentance is simply a “change in direction.” When you repent and surrender your life to Jesus, you make a UTURN in life.

If you have been forgiven, you will WANT to please God. You will show signs that you reject the sinful lifestyle you have been living, and you will stop doing those things. Some things you will immediately stop doing, and other sins it may take some time, but the difference is…

There has been an inward change because you have been forgiven.

The word FORGIVEN is actually a mathematical term. When an individual borrowed money from a lender, their name was written down in a book or ledger. As the person made payments on what he owed, the payment was subtracted and a new balance would be recorded. But if the lender FORGAVE the debt, they would open the book find the name and completely blot out that individuals name and amount due. It was erased. It was as though it never existed in the first place. The person that owed that money was no longer in bondage to the lender. They were no longer loaded down with debt…

They were free.

God has dealt with sin the same way. If you have surrendered your life to Christ and received Jesus as your Savior, it is now as though your sin had never existed in the first place. Your sin has been erased through the sacrifice of Jesus. Your sin has been removed from existence. You do not need to live like you are still loaded down with the guilt and the weight of your past lives.  You have been set free. So live like it. Embrace the freedom that God has given to you through Jesus.  Demonstrate the freedom of forgiveness through a visible change in your life.  

LOWER THIRDS:

LIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

This is the amazing part of Christianity.  When you received forgiveness for your sin, you also received the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24:49 (NLT2)

49  “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 

We see this incredible promise fulfilled in Acts 2.  After Jesus ascended into heaven, these men and women gathered together in a room. They were praying, then…

Acts 2:2-6 (NLT2)

2  Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3  Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit…

If you are new to following Jesus, please understand, The HOLY SPIRIT of God does not live inside a church building, a statue, or a painting on the wall.  The Holy Spirit of God lives inside YOU. When I grew up I was told the church building was God’s House. I had to speak reverently and quietly. I had to dress nice. I couldn’t wear a hat. I was told to behave in God’s HOUSE. I now know that God does not live inside of brick, steel, and drywall.  The house of the Holy Spirit is reserved for God’s most incredible creation – you and I. What a blessing to know that we are not abandoned and left to figure out life on our own! You have been changed not through a decision that you made, but through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

Lean into the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Let Him Guide you to be baptized, or to serve, or to invite others to worship with you. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your generosity and in your relationships. So, since God has opened your mind, since you have been changed, and since you now have the Holy Spirit. You can live under the influence of the Holy Spirit! That means…

JESUS BLESSED OTHERS, AND SO CAN YOU

Luke 24:50 (NLT2)

50  Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 

That word BLESSED can be hard to understand.  I was an altar boy. I remember the Priest taking Holy Water and flicking it on people in the church – and they considered that a blessing.   

In the movie ROCKY…right before his big fight, Rocky asks Father Carmine for a BLESSING. And Father Carmine said a prayer in Italian and made the sign of the cross. We say God Bless you when somebody sneezes. BUT what does it mean to biblically bless others? I want to encourage you to write this down.   

A BLESSING means:  

TO SPEAK WELL OF, TO THANK, OR TO ASK GOD’S FAVOR UPON AN INDIVIDUAL 

So as Jesus was leaving, he wasn’t telling his disciples that they better have their rooms clean when he gets back home.  He did not threaten to punish them if they did something wrong while he was gone. Before he ascended into Heaven – Jesus spoke well of his disciples.  He thanked them. He asked God’s favor upon them.    

He BLESSED them through ENCOURAGEMENT.  He Spoke words of LIFE over them.  

He didn’t point out all their flaws – and he certainly could have – instead he focused on using his words to cause their hearts to swell with joy…not just joy – GREAT JOY. Typically is somebody is saying goodbye to a loved one…because they are headed out for a long trip, moving away, or even passing from this life…most don’t waste their breath being critical.  

Some might.  But most people will not waste their being critical and talking about how much their loved ones have disappointed them. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode which Frank Costanza creates a holiday called Festivus and at the Festivus dinner he goes around the table and tells everybody why he is sick of them!

The sad truth is, while many people may not have a Festivus tradition like that, many choose to live every day like that. They use their words to criticize, tear down, and destroy other people. They use their words and influence to hurt others…and who knows why?   

WORDS of BLESSING can bring great JOY to others. 

Don’t you feel good when others speak well of you?  Don’t you feel good when somebody goes out of their way to say THANK YOU to you and appreciate and value you? Anybody can be a critic, anybody can point out things about others that they feel are wrong – but followers of Jesus can see the positive about people and love others with the love of Jesus and speak well of them. 

Meeting Jesus - The RESURRECTION

We have different responses to almost everything, including the most incredible event in history, the resurrection of Jesus. 

Some people respond with belief.

Some people respond in disbelief.

Some may not care one way or another.

Today, we celebrate Easter, and I think people respond to the resurrection of Jesus the exact same way.  Some refuse to believe.  Some have doubts. Some fully believe. That is exactly how it was at the time of the resurrection. We are going to look at the journey to belief that the friends of Jesus had. So, Let’s read about the events that happened three days after Jesus had been killed on the cross and buried in a tomb.

Luke 24:1-12 (NLT2)

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2  They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3  So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4  As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. 5  The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6  He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7  that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.” 8  Then they remembered that he had said this. 9  So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11  But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 

It makes sense to me that if anybody ever wanted Jesus to be alive – it would have been the men that followed him for three years of their lives. When somebody you loves dies tragically and suddenly, you miss them and want them to be alive. The disciples aren’t any different. This wasn’t a long drawn out battle with cancer or disease.  One moment, Jesus was healthy and enjoying dinner with his closest friends, the next moment, he was arrested and murdered.

They saw him work miracles and change lives. They ate with him, learned from him, and saw the hope he brought to people.

I am certain they wanted Jesus to be alive more than anybody.  Yet,

THE DISCIPLES REFUSED TO BELIEVE.

The word Luke used in verse 11 that describes where the friends of Jesus were on their journey to belief was:

Apisteo (aw pis tay o:)

to have no belief, to disbelieve

The disciples first response was not “Hurray! He is alive!”  

Their first response was “No way! That’s not possible!”  

They thought the women were nuts! They refused to believe Jesus was alive. That may be where you are today. You believe Jesus existed. You believe he did good things. You may even appreciate what he taught about forgiving others, loving those who do not deserve it, and the kindness and compassion he showed.

You believe that he was put to death by execution on the cross…

But like the disciple’s early response, you refuse to believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

But seriously, it does demonstrate that you love them, appreciate them, and value them, so thank you for putting them first today and honoring their invitation.

It is important to note, that the disciples changed.  Their minds were changed. They went from “refusing to believe” to fully surrendering to Jesus.

How did they get there? 

Well, in between verses 12 and 36, Jesus made a few special appearances.  

• Jesus appeared to a couple of men walking down a road and talked with them.

• Then he appeared to Peter.  

• Then he appeared to his disciples, to show them the nails in his hands and feet.  

The disciples got together, and they were talking about it. 

Jesus appeared to me, me too! 

He showed us his hands and feet…

We had an entire conversation with him…

Luke 24:36-41 shows us that the disciples moved from refusing to believe that Jesus was alive…they conceded a little ground…

And now…

THE DISCIPLES DESIRED TO BELIEVE

Luke 24:36-41A (NLT2)

36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder…

When Jesus said, “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?” He used the word:

Dialogismos (dē-ä-lo-gē-smoss):

the thinking of a man deliberating with himself.  A deliberating, questioning about what is true.  Hesitation, doubting, disputing, arguing.

They desired to believe. They made eye contact with Jesus. They saw the wounds on his hands and feet. They wanted to believe, but they were torn with what they saw happened to Jesus at the cross. Their resistance to embrace the TRUTH of Jesus being alive, reinforces the suffering and brutality of the cross. Before Jesus was arrested in the Garden, he had been pleading with God to find another way to bring forgiveness to mankind rather than face the brutality of the cross.

Luke 22:42 (NLT2)

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

We do not understand the phrase “cup of suffering” the way the Jewish people did back then. In the Old Testament “the cup” is often used as a metaphor for the wrath of God. 

Isaiah called it a cup of terror. Jeremiah called it a cup filled to the brim with God’s anger. Habakkuk called it a cup of the Lord’s Judgement 

…And throughout the Bible we see glimpses of God’s Wrath:

• God’s Anger over sin is seen in the great flood that destroyed the earth…

• God’s wrath destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.

• God’s wrath is seen in the 10 Plagues upon Egypt.

It was not the physical agony of the beatings, the scourging and the crucifixion that Jesus dreaded.  It was the spiritual agony He would experience as he drank every last drop of God’s wrath that we deserved. The Disciples watched the physical brutality of the cross. They watched the flesh ripped from his back through the scourging. They heard his final words and watched him breathe his final breath. They saw his dead body.

They knew NO MAN was going to come back from that.

If you are somebody that has heard the message that JESUS is ALIVE over and over again yet walk away with doubt, understand so did the very same men that followed Jesus!  

Jesus stood in the same room.  He looked these men eyeball to eyeball…yet they STILL had their doubts!  

They wanted to believe – but because of what they had already seen, they just couldn’t.

Is that you? Maybe you really would like to believe that Jesus is alive – but because of troubles, difficulties, and emptiness you have experienced in this world, you struggle with believing. If the disciples who walked and talked with Jesus after he resurrected struggled with believing – it is understandable that 2,000 years later men and women struggle with fully believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Let’s look one more time in Luke 24 and we will discover that…

THE DISCIPLES FULLY BELIEVED AND THEIR LIVES WERE CHANGED

Luke 24:45-47 (NLT2)

45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46  And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’

What did it take for these men to have the faith to believe?  The same thing still required today. In order for us to believe in JESUS as SAVIOR – it requires God opening our minds to believe. If you have heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection over and over again, yet still have your doubts, or think “So what? That is not going to change anything about my life...” 

I want you to understand why you think that way.

The Apostle Paul tells us why some people do not believe:

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT2)

4  Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ... 

So, if you desire to believe, ask God to open your mind to believe. Ask God to remove the blindfold that is preventing you from becoming a follower of Jesus. You can ask him right now. 

“God, please remove the blindfold on my mind. If Jesus did rise from the dead, that changes everything. I would like to believe, but I need you to open my mind.”

Take a moment right now.  In your own words, simply say, “ God, open my mind to understand Jesus.”

Then, in verse 46 Jesus taught them that the Savior of the World would have to suffer and die.  God opened their minds and they understood now that Jesus was the Savior endured the “cup of suffering for all people” so that that mankind might never have to experience God’s wrath again.

They understood the words that Jesus told them in John 3:16:

John 3:16 (NLT2)

16  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Maybe  in this this moment, God has opened your mind to understand Jesus. Maybe something has clicked and you understand how much God loves you.

In verse 47, Jesus said, “There is forgiveness of sin for all who repent.”

The word that Jesus used for “repent” communicates a journey or shift or change in thinking.

The Disciples SHIFTED their thoughts about Jesus.  In this moment, they put their DISBELIEF behind them – they chose to believe that Jesus was alive, that he had died for their sins, and they fully believed by surrendering their lives to him through repentance. In order to repent – you too, must have that SHIFT in your thinking.

If you would like to repent, be forgiven for your sins, and become a follower of Jesus today, pray this with me:

“God, I have asked you to open my mind. I have heard the words of Jesus. 

I BELIEVE that Jesus endured my penalty for disobedience on the cross.

I BELIEVE he died and rose from the dead. 

I BELIEVE he is now with you in Heaven and one day he will return. 

I REPENT and COMMIT my life to you as MY SAVIOR… 

THANK YOU for giving me forgiveness and changing my life.

In Jesus name, AMEN.”

If you just surrendered your life to Jesus today, would you fill out the connect card and indicate that you gave your life to Jesus today? You can complete the Beach Church app connect card, or you can complete the card you were given when you entered the worship center. Let’s keep loving God with all our heart, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Our world needs followers of Jesus to prove he has resurrected by living out lives filled with His love for them.

Meeting Jesus - The Crucifixion

Last week, we took a look at the prayer Jesus prayed in the Mount of Olives. Then, Judas led the Religious Leaders and the Roman soldiers into the Garden, betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus was led to three separate trials, beaten, scourged, and condemned to die a criminal’s death on the cross. 

Today, we take a look at the Crucifixion of Jesus. 

Luke 23:26-47

26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ 31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 44 By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. 47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” 

If you are a follower of Jesus, this sermon is going to be a little uncomfortable. 

The first thing I want us all to understand is that… 

THE CRUCIFIXION WAS THE CUP OF SUFFERING FOR SIN

As we looked at last week, when Jesus was in the Garden and was crying out to God, he said… 

Luke 22:42 (NLT2)

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

We do not understand the phrase “cup of suffering” the way the Jewish people did back then. In the Old Testament “the cup” is often used as a metaphor for the wrath of God. 

Isaiah called it a cup of terror. 

Jeremiah called it a cup filled to the brim with God’s anger. 

Habakkuk called it a cup of the Lord’s Judgement 

In the New Testament, the Apostle John writes about what it will be like in the end days for people who are facing God’s Wrath because they never surrendered their lives to Jesus. He writes: 

Revelation 6:15-17 (NLT)

15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?” 

People without Jesus would rather be crushed to death by rocks than to face God’s wrath over sin and throughout the Bible we see glimpses of God’s Wrath: 

God’s Anger over sin is seen in the great flood that destroyed the earth… 

God’s wrath destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone. 

God’s wrath is seen in the 10 Plagues upon Egypt. 

In Romans 2:8 we read that CUP was filled with the ANGER and WRATH of GOD toward sin. 

Romans 2:8 (NLT)

8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 

It was not the physical agony of the beatings, the scourging and the crucifixion that Jesus so dreaded. It was the spiritual agony He would experience as he drank every last drop of God’s wrath that we deserved. The Crucifixion was the CUP of SUFFERING that Jesus prayed he would not have to endure. 

When he prayed, ‘Father take this cup of suffering away from me” He was staring at this moment, when he was crucified, that he would experience God’s anger, wrath, and fury of our sin. 

When the Apostle Mark described Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, he described it like this: 

Mark 14:33-36 (NLT2)

He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

In the original language it reads: 

“And having gone a little farther, he was falling on the ground and he was praying…” 

This is a picture of Jesus staggering and stumbling under the fear of the CUP OF WRATH until he finally collapses to the ground the whole time praying in agony. 

Crushed by agony of GOD’s coming WRATH. 

Crushed by fear of God’s coming TERROR. 

Crushed by grief of God’s coming JUDGEMENT. 

The Wrath of God would be released on Jesus at the Cross! 

The FEAR and the AGONY were so great he could not stand up…and he CRIES out “DADDY!”  Crushed to the GROUND, yet still PRAYING, he addressed his prayer to His ABBA Father. 

JESUS knew that WITH GOD anything was possible. Therefore, he cries out to his DADDY in heaven – PLEASE IF THERE IS any OTHER WAY – do it! Let this cup pass! 

Jesus asked that GOD would allow the CUP of WRATH to PASS. And then, as he lay on the ground in the Garden – he uttered the words – nevertheless – NOT MY WILL but YOURS be DONE. 

He said – Daddy – Don’t do this! Find another way… but if this is the only way – let YOUR WILL BE DONE. 

And at the cross… 

Jesus drank every last drop of the FURY of GOD for our sin. 

Jesus drank every DROP of GOD’s WRATH of for our sin. 

Jesus DRANK every drop of GOD’S ANGER for our sin. 

HE TOOK IT ALL! All of GOD’s WRATH was poured out on his SON JESUS. 

That means, 

THE CRUCIFIXION PROVES GOD’S LOVE

The Crucifixion of Jesus is God PROCLAIMING to the world with a VOICE that reaches into the past, speaks into the present, and shouts into the FUTURE. GOD LOVES the human race. All people. Everywhere. 

When you read about the crucifixion… 

When you think about the crucifixion… 

When you watch movie scenes depicting the crucifixion… 

I hope you understand how much God Loves you. Listen to the Word of God proclaim his love: 

1 John 4:10 (NLT2)

10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 

This is love. 

God loves you. I know you may not FEEL God’s love. Sometimes we even doubt God’s love. But just because we doubt something, it doesn’t mean that it is not true. 

He knows you. 

He knows your strengths. 

He knows your weaknesses. 

He knows your sin. 

And HE LOVES you in spite of the mess you may have made in your life. And before you can say PROVE it…he already has. 

Romans 5:8 (NLT2)

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 

The Crucifixion proves God’s Love for us, and… 

THE CRUCIFIXION PROVIDES FORGIVENESS (2 Cor. 5:21) 

Jesus was fully God and fully man. He never sinned. He lived a perfect life on this earth which is why he was able to pay the price for our sin. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

What happened in that moment on the cross, was an EXCHANGE. Jesus the innocent, BECAME sin and WE the sinner became RIGHTEOUS. 

When the full wrath and anger of God over sin was poured out on Jesus – Jesus became the full, twisted, ugly, corpse of sin. 

And – if you place your faith in Jesus and you surrender your life to Jesus, you put on the INNOCENCE of Jesus. You are forgiven. 

Because the Cup of Suffering was poured out on Jesus at the Crucifixion – if you surrender your life to Jesus, you are forgiven! 

The Crucifixion PROVES that God loves us. 

The Crucifixion PROVIDES forgiveness to us… 

And… 

THE CRUCIFIXION PROMISES HOPE

From the cross, Jesus declared “It is finished” the victory is won. 

On that cross, Jesus defeated sin, death and hell. 

His death and resurrection means that everyone who believes in Jesus has eternal life – the promise of heaven. 

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus followers of Jesus do not have to fear death, or what comes next. We can live faithfully & courageously because Jesus won the victory. 

If you’re living defeated, depressed, in pain & sorrow - we want you to know Jesus offers hope. 

If you feel like a failure, insignificant or unwanted – Jesus offers hope. 

Our Savior can change anyone – including you. 

John 5:24 (NLT)

24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 

Romans 10:9 (NLT)

9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Meeting Jesus - The Garden and Temptation

So I’ve been involved in ministry here at beachCHURCH for a little over 22 years…and in that time, I have participated in a lot of church-wide projects, led several mission trips, and my wife Marlene and I have had the blessing of leading the Celebrate Recovery ministry for the past 19 years.  And over that time, I have seen people experience some really incredible spiritual highs in their lives-they’ve had those “mountain top experiences” and I have seen those same people walk through some really tough spiritual lows, through some really deep and dark valleys. That’s not necessarily been by fault of anything they’ve done and it’s not an uncommon thing in ministry…even Jesus experienced those moments in His life as well. 

After Jesus left His hometown of Nazareth, He has been traveling around Judah and Galilee teaching the Gospel in the towns and villages along the way. But now He’s arrived in Jerusalem. And when He first got there, He was celebrated. In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John-they refer to His arrival as a triumphant entry because He was basically celebrated as a king. 

The people loved Him, they cheered for Him and laid their garments and palm branches on the ground before Him as He rode into town. But things change pretty quickly for Him because the things He was teaching and the views He was expressing about the religious establishment of the time upset the people in power-because they considered themselves the religious authorities.

Because Jesus was being proclaimed as the Messiah and the Savior, the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him-because He was a threat to their authority.

This was during Passover, a festival where the Jewish people celebrated their freedom from slavery in Egypt. And on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered up His disciples for their Passover meal-which we refer to as the Last Supper.

After Jesus had this really significant moment with His disciples in the Upper Room, Jesus went from a Spiritual High, to a Spiritual Low... 

At the Last Supper, everything was amazing.

Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Passover

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper

He washed his disciples feet

But now – in Luke 22, they would leave the intimacy and joy in Upper Room, and Jesus would experience such an incredible degree of temptation and internal agony, that blood would begin to drop out of his body like sweat.  

Luke 22:39-46

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him. He prayed more fervently, and He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

At last He stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” He asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

So there in verse 44 we see that Jesus was “in agony” And right before that, in verse 43, we see that an angel appeared to Him from heaven and “strengthened Him.” In these passages we get a clear glimpse of Jesus’ humanity…

Over the course of history, there have been a lot of twisted and distorted views of Jesus. Some people or groups have tried to minimize Jesus’ humanity, claiming that He was only spirit and His body was merely a shell or not even real at all. But look at Jesus in these verses. He is extremely troubled. Again, there in verse 44 we see that “He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”

Jesus is troubled to the point that He sweat blood. This is actually a very rare condition that is called hematidrosis and this condition has been observed by doctors on occasion when people face extreme distress. It’s a real condition, you can look it up on WebMD.

So just why was Jesus so troubled? 

It was because He knows the sheer amount of pain and suffering He is going to face. In the Garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus facing the consequences of choosing to become a human. In Philippians 2 it describes how Jesus gave up His divine rights and willingly became a human, even when He knew it would lead to death on a cross. Jesus becoming a human was always leading to this very point in time when He would take on the suffering and sin of the world. He knew this very clearly. But even though He had this knowledge-it didn’t make it any easier. In fact, this knowledge made it that much more difficult.

We’re all familiar with the old saying that, “ignorance is bliss”-but sometimes ignorance is a whole lot easier... If Jesus hadn’t known in detail what was going to happen to Him, He would not have been so troubled. 

But He knew. He knew every scourge of the whip, every hit with the rod, every prick of the crown of thorns, every hateful insult they would throw at Him, every hammer of the nails, every bruise, every cut, and worst of all, He knew the weight of the world’s sin and sorrow was going to fall on His shoulders. Jesus knew exactly what He was going to experience. And that’s what made it so much harder for Him.

So this wasn’t your ordinary religious, churchy kind of prayer…this was Jesus pleading with God that He would not have to suffer the things that were to come.

If I asked you if you would be willing to die for your faith, some of you would probably say, “yes.”  But if we as Christians started being persecuted and we actually faced torture and death right in front of us, that decision would be much harder to follow through with, wouldn’t it. 

Would we finish the fight? 

Would we keep the faith? 

At that moment, facing real persecution, actually doing it is harder than just saying “yes”.

That is the decision Jesus faced now. He could see in crystal clear detail exactly what He would face. Imagine again if you could view a large high definition screen of your own suffering and death ahead of time. That would be terrible-wouldn’t it?!?

And to Jesus His own death and suffering was seen and understood even more clearly than watching it here on this big screen. He knew every detail…

So it’s important for us to see Jesus’ humanity here. And the reason is this: 

JESUS’ VICTORY AS A PERSON GIVES US HOPE.

Jesus was not an alien. He wasn’t some kind of super human being or something like that... 

He had feelings as we do. He experienced pain as we do. He experienced temptation as we do. 

So just what was the temptation that Jesus was so concerned about?

It wasn’t that His disciples were spending too much time on their cell phones on TikTok or Facebook or Twitter getting all wrapped up in the drama. 

Or that they were struggling with porn addiction or lust issues, because they were looking at inappropriate websites on their tablets and computers…

They hadn’t taken Kevin Hart up on his $200 offer on Draft Kings and gambled away all the money they had made off of the big haul of  fish that Jesus had blessed them with that one day…

Yes, they struggled with pride and their egos-wondering which one of them was going to be most important and seated next to Jesus in heaven; but it wasn’t like they were fighting with each other or gossiping and bashing each other on social media (I mean, they weren’t politicians…!).

No, the temptation that Jesus worried about, that He was was cautioning His friends to not give in to was the very same temptation that He was in agony over.  

There in the Garden…in that period of humanity-Jesus faced the temptation to do what HE wanted to do, rather than follow through with what God wanted Him to do.

Jesus was in agony to the point that He was experiencing hematidrosis. Blood was seeping out of His pores, like sweat- because He wanted to be obedient to God; but He didn’t want to have to walk out what lied ahead of Him…

He was in agony because He wanted to obey God, but He didn’t want to have to bear His cross. 

He wanted to obey God, but He didn’t want to be arrested, beaten , and tortured.  He wanted to free us from our sins, but He didn’t want to be crucified.

That is why Jesus sweat blood.

He was torn between what He wanted and what He knew that He had to do...

JESUS FACED TEMPTATION WITHOUT HIS FRIENDS.

The only thing that Jesus asked of His friends was that they would stay awake and pray.  And you know, these guys were more than just friends, they were the group that He had “done life” with for the past three years.

He had poured into them.

Jesus had healed Peter’s mother in law.

He laughed with them, spent time with them, and He invested in them even when nobody else would have thought twice about them.

He gave them hope and He showed them God’s love.

And now, when Jesus just simply asked His friends to pray, they couldn’t even stay awake.

So, Jesus faced the worst time of His life without His friends…

Maybe you know what it is like to face challenges, temptation, losses, and fears all alone. Maybe you don’t have any friends that will come alongside of you and pray with you as you walk through struggles in this life. 

For whatever reason, you’re in this place of isolation; having walked the road of recovery for over 25 years now, I know that’s not a good place to be in. I have seen people overcome the worst of situations when they are connected. 

I’ve watched homeless addicts put their lives back together…

I have seen families that have been torn apart by adultery or other addictions restored…

I’ve seen so many people overcome the brokenness that brought them to their knees and into recovery-because they got connected and they walked out their recovery journey together in a community of people who loved them and came alongside of them in that brokenness and poured into those people the very same experience, strength and hope that had been poured into them, by someone else…

God has a circle of friends waiting for you.  People who will help you learn to trust in God during those challenging seasons and times of change.

And you need to understand that if you are serious about following Jesus, you need to realize that…

TEMPTATION OVERTAKES ALL BELIEVERS

But in spite of that, sometimes we convince ourselves that other believers have it all together and that WE are the only ones who struggle with sin.  

We know everyone struggles with the temptation to sin – but we’re sure  that they don’t struggle like WE DO.  

We think, “They read their bibles all the time, they go to church every Sunday, they’ve got their act together-they don’t struggle like me…So something must be wrong with me…”

I’ve seen some of those same people that have had incredible recovery experiences lose it all-because they got complacent and they disconnected. They became isolated and when they faced new challenges and temptations, they did it without friends…they went into those dark places all alone…

And when temptation overtakes them and they give into that  temptation and choose to sin rather than to obey God’s will..They find themselves thinking:

I was on such a good run…

Things were going so well…

I had my family back…

My marriage was back on track…

I can’t believe I did this….

How did I wind up back here all over again…? 

Why am I at this bottom AGAIN…?

I think that a lot of it has to do with the memories of our past. 

Our MEMORIES can stir up our desires and temptation to sin.

Think about it. Jesus was and always will be God. Jesus existed long before He became a human.  He knew what it was like to EXIST as LORD over all. Before He became a human, He could do all He wanted to do.  

But when He became a human, He gave up His rights as God…He experienced and felt things, just like we do and there in the Garden…Jesus was tempted to TAKE UP His rights once again.

His MEMORIES of His LIFE AS GOD stirred up this DESIRE He faced now,  to take control of His own life and do what He wanted to do. Not what God wanted Him to do…

And you and I need to understand that…with certainty:

MEMORIES OF SIN CAN STIR UP TEMPTATION 

Memories of sin can stir up temptation in our hearts…

Memories of those “good times” can stir up temptation in our hearts…

God doesn’t cause us to be tempted, we’re reminded in 

James 1:13-14

“God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” 

We are only going to be tempted to do something that we find pleasure in. I’m never tempted to go to the opera…but I love a good Christian Concert. I’m never tempted to walk around with club in my hand and chase after a little white ball…but put a gun in my hands and send me out in the woods and I’ll chase after an animal all day long! I promise you that I have never in my life been tempted to eat broccoli or cauliflower, I think I could probably do a 40 day fast and still not be tempted…but Ice Cream or French Fries, I’m all in on that one-Father forgive me, for I have sinned!!! 

A DESIRE to sin occurs only because we have EXPERIENCED it or something SIMILAR to it before…and we liked it! It made us feel good…

Maybe the experience came through people, places, or your past.  

Trust me, there are things I don’t do and there are places in Myrtle Beach from my past, that I need to stay away from and guard against.  Places and things that I used to find pleasure in-before I found my way back to Christ…I have to stay on guard against those old memories…

Memories of experiences or places that appealed to us in the past, can stir up temptation in our present and future. If we liked it in the past, our flesh tells us we will like it again. Put up guardrails to help you stay away from those kind of temptations.

WITH PRAYER AND FRIENDS EVERY TEMPTATION CAN BE OVERCOME.

If you feel like you have been walking blindly and stumbling into temptation after temptation…strengthen your prayer life. Pray more, and pray harder!

Begin to pray on a regular basis what Jesus prayed in the Garden – not my will, but your will be done.  

Ask God for His will to be done in your marriage, with your children and how you parent them, at your work…Ask God to help you be content and trust in His plan for you. You’ll be amazed at just how much better His plan is-than anything that you ever could have planned or imagined...God’s not trying to tease you.

God’s desire is to BLESS you not to MESS with you.

The brother of Jesus writes in

James 4:7-8 (NLT) 

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” 

This passage is what we see Jesus demonstrate there in the Garden…

He humbled himself before God. He bared his soul. He resisted temptation and God strengthened Him. 

God gave Him the willingness and courage to face what laid ahead of Him…

Jesus walked away from His prayer differently. He was no longer distressed and troubled. He walked away as a man on a mission!

He was resolved. He was assured. He was confident. 

His prayer didn’t change the outcome, He still was tortured and crucified; but He knew His Father had a plan and He knew it was a perfect plan.

Jesus will strengthen you today.

-Whatever it is that you are facing.

If you surround yourself with friends. If you begin to pray like never before and humble yourself to God…Every temptation you face in life CAN be overcome.  You have Jesus on your side fighting for you…

Since He himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested. (HEBREWS 2:18)

He has given us friends, He promises to help us himself.

God does not promise to deliver us out of our difficulty. He may not save you out of your trial. But if you come to Him in prayer, He will give you what you need to get through it and to be victorious.

Meeting Jesus - Triumphal Entry

Well. It is spring time – that means Spring Breakers are here – and it means my girls are playing softball. Naomi has made the Softball team at Carolina Forest, and Jessica is playing rec league. For the last couple of seasons, I was able to help coach one of my daughter’s teams, but this year, I get to help out the team by simply serving as the Announcer at the Home Ball games. So – I am not coaching, just practicing embarrassing my daughter by using my “Announcer Voice.”

I like to watch the kids step up to the plate with their bat, and face the pitcher.  For one brief moment, each kid is standing alone at the plate, and all parents and players are watching them. When I was the girls age, I played Little League.  Whenever a good hitter went to bat, the coach of the opposing team would yell to his outfielders to “back up.” If they were a great hitter, the coach would tell them to back up to the fence. Whenever I stood up to bat, they always yelled, “Everybody move in!” Everybody would shift in.

The players and coaches responded differently based on who was at Bat. I wasn’t allowed to wear my glasses – and I had terrible eyesight. I couldn’t see the ball…

I could never tell if the pitcher threw the ball or was waving at his family…but I always swung the bat.

And the coaches and players knew it and responded appropriately.  Since I couldn’t hit the ball, there was no need playing defense deep. They knew I would always swing. They knew I would never connect and whether we realize it or not, people have an internal response whenever they see you and I today.  

When you walk enter a room. People have an internal response to you.

When you enter your home. When you arrive at work. When you walk into an office people will react and respond to you, based on what they know about you. 

I know that because, you and I respond and react to the people around us based on what we know about them…

• When you see an old friend, you might run up, grab them and give them a hug.

• When you see a friend you see every day, you might barely acknowledge them.

• If you see somebody you do not like, you might avoid eye contact with them…

That’s why it is so remarkable to see how people responded and reacted to Jesus when he entered Jerusalem.  

He had been changing lives. 

Working miracles. 

Teaching about forgiveness. 

Hope and second chances. 

For three years, he had been telling people about God’s love and care for them. He had been reconnecting people with God.  And, for three years, he had ticked a lot of the Religious Leaders off. As we have seen so far in our “Meeting Jesus” series, Jesus always seemed to rub religious leaders the wrong way. He got under their skin. He ruffled their feathers. He ticked them off.

The core of Jesus teaching was one way to a relationship with God…

The core of the religious teachers was hundreds of rules to get to God…

So, the Religious leaders had had enough of Jesus. 

In John 11:57 – the Religious bullies had made a public order that every Jew that saw Jesus must report where and when they saw him, so they could arrest him.

John 11:57

Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him. 

They had placed the highest level of a Jewish arrest warrant out on Jesus, and they made every Jewish person accountable to give the information to them. Jesus responded – by walking right into the Religious Leaders playground! They issued an arrest warrant – and instead of hiding and running – Jesus did something he had not been accustomed to doing – he made himself the center of attention.

We will begin reading in Luke 19.

Luke 19:28-40

28  After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29  As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30  “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31  If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32  So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33  And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34  And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35  So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36  As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37  When they reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. 38  “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39  But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40  He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” 

I love how the disciples and the crowd treated and honored Jesus. They didn’t know that in less than a week he would be betrayed, beaten, humiliated and paraded through town naked carrying a cross. They didn’t know he would suffer and die on a cross and pay the price for sin.

All they knew was that Jesus wanted to ride into town on a colt or a donkey – and they made it happen.  They borrowed a donkey.  They put their cloaks on it for Jesus to sit on. 

The crowd spread out their cloaks on the ground…and they called Jesus, KING.

They didn’t treat him like a King because he had told them to, they treated him like a King, because for three years, Jesus had treated each of them like they were a King. He talked with the tax collectors, prostitutes and notorious sinners not just because he loved them, but because they were important and had value. He healed the lepers, the blind, the sick, and brought hope to the brokenhearted because he loved them and they mattered to him.

Now, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, his followers had a chance to treat Jesus the same. 

Like ROYALTY.

During this time, a KING would enter into a town in two different ways. 

During wartime, King would ride into town on a horse. This symbolized to the town that King brough conflict. He entered the town on a horse, because he was going to defeat it. During peacetime, a King would ride into town on a Donkey or a Colt.  This symbolized the Kings intention were to bring peace, or continue the peace.  

If there were any rumors flying that the King was going to invade the land, the entering King put all fears and worries aside by entering the town on a donkey, and the people would rejoice.

Jesus desires to BRING you and I PEACE

This entrance stands out to me as one of the most incredible examples of courage in history. 

When Jesus entered Jerusalem…

JESUS DEMONSTRATED COURAGE AND DEFIANCE TOWARD RELIGIOUS BULLIES (John 11:57)

When I think about defining moments of courage, I think about TANK MAN. The man that stood in front of the line of invading tanks in Tiananmen Square and refused to move. I think about the United States Marine Memorial with Marines holding up the American Flag during WW2 at the battle of Iwo Jima.

I think about the men and women who rushed into the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001, to save the lives of strangers.

And, I think about Jesus entering Jerusalem. 

He knew there was an arrest warrant out for him. 

He knew what the religious bullies were planning.  

He knew one of his followers would betray him.

But, Jesus didn’t slip into Jerusalem at night in the shadows. He didn’t hide in a cart filled with supplies.  

He entered Jerusalem with the highest level of visibility possible. 

But…he did not enter Jerusalem as the Conquering King that brings war.

He entered Jerusalem as the King who brings peace.

Crowds of people gathered around him. Other gospel writers tell us that they waved palm branches in the air as they shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”.

The religious bullies that tried to control people’s behavior had a “hero of the people” to contend with.  The people cheered. They hugged one another. 

They celebrated the CHAMPION who had celebrated them. 

They cheered for the one who had cheered them on. 

They socially elevated the status of the one who had elevated them. 

They BLESSED the one who had BLESSED them.

They brought words of peace to the one who had brought them peace.

So,

LIKE JESUS, BRING AND LEAVE PEACE.

Do you bring peace to others when you enter a room? 

Do you leave peace when you exit a room?

We have the ability to bring comfort, peace, hope and encouragement to those around us. We can use our words to help or hinder others.  We can use our body language to help or hinder others. 

Are you a peace bringer? 

Or, do you leave rooms in conflict?

Do you help make people better through words of encouragement or do you enhance conflict with words of division? 

Does your opinion matter more than others?

Does your opinion always need to be expressed?

Are you always right?

These questions are difficult for all of us.  As a parent, sometimes I feel like I make matters worse when I jump into disagreements with the girls at the house. Instead of making things better, sometimes I feel like I make things worse. 

I am going to ask a series of questions – and I want you to let the answers linger in your mind for a little bit:

• If you are married, when your spouse sees you, do they brace themselves for conflict or are they relaxed and relieved? 

• Children, when your brother or sister see you coming, do they hold their breath and wait for the insults to begin, or do they light up when they see you coming?

• Employers, are you harsh with the people who work for you and “rule with an iron fist” or are they motivated to work hard for you because they know you work hard for them?

• Parents, do you constantly criticize and overwhelm your children with their failures or are you searching for areas to encourage them and are you building in them a healthy biblical self-image?

The reason I ask these difficult questions is because:

PEOPLE RESPOND TO PRESENCE BASED ON PATTERNS

As people lined up that day to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, they were celebrating, waving palm branches, cheering, and elevating his social status based on the pattern of life he had been living. Look at v. 37

Luke 19:37

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen…

People responded to the presence of Jesus based on the pattern of his life. Crowds of people did not gather around Jesus because he was rude, selfish, and always had to have his way. People responded to Jesus based on the pattern of peace he had already demonstrated. So how do we establish a PATTERN of PEACE in our lives?  It will only happen when we:

CHOOSE JOY BECAUSE OF JESUS

He entered Jerusalem thinking about what he would soon endure. 

The betrayal.

The beatings.

The scourging.

The nails.

The cross.

He knew what he was going to have to endure, but he did not limit his attention to the pain.

Hebrews 12:2B

Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Although Jesus knew he was about to experience UNBVELIEVABLE pain and suffering, he focused on what he would experience AFTER the cross.

AFTER the hostility.

AFTER the embarrassment.

AFTER the public humiliation.

AFTER the shame.

His suffering would bring you and I forgiveness of sin.

His suffering would reunite the Creator with His Creation.

His suffering would bring forgiveness of sin.

His suffering would bring joy.

And that is what he focused on! He didn’t not focus on the pain, he focused on the joy. That is so hard to do.

When we walk through the hard of life. When we walk through the pain in life. When we walk through confusion, betrayal, and loss…its difficult to not see it. Its difficult to not see the hopelessness, the loneliness, the confusion and the pain. So see it – but also see what is beyond it.

Look beyond the hard to focus on the joy!

We can do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

If we want to be joyful when we walk through the hard, we keep our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus is the one who brings hope.

Jesus is the one who brings peace.

Jesus is the one who brings healing.

Jesus is the one who forgives.

Jesus is the one who gives second chances.

And third chances…

And fourth chances…

Jesus is the one who is the great life changer.

If you want peace, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want healing, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want forgiveness, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want another chance, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want to be triumphant, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Will I really get all that by fixing my eyes on Jesus?

I do not know for sure, but I know it is the only place to start.