Easter 2016 - "Empty"

"The usefulness of the cup is in its emptiness." -- Bruce Lee

Long before Bruce Lee stated this axiom, Jesus lived it. Colossians 1:17 tells us "Jesus made all things and is in all things." Think about that: Jesus is in all of the known created universe! He was connected to the stars and galaxies, and trees, and sunlight, and wind. Jesus did not hold onto this position, but was willing to empty himself so that he could be like us. Fragile. Alone. Limited to just one body, one mind, and all our human feelings.

1. Jesus Knows What It is Like To Be Empty

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB) 

Sometimes in life we face the day feeling empty. We fall short at home, work, school, in relationships, and projects, finances, etc. Jesus knows this feeling. He emptied himself to be like us.
King Edward VIII of England gave up his throne in 1936 so that he could marry American Wallis Simpson. Why would he relinquish the throne for one woman? He was motivated by love. If an imperfect flawed man can make such great decisions based on his conviction of love, then imagine how strong was the love that motivated Jesus to empty himself and die on the Cross!

This process led him to live a life as man, and die as a man on the cross. This is what Easter is all about: Jesus pouring himself out as payment for our sins. He was emptied on our behalf! Read the account of his persecution, crucifixion, and resurrection in Mark chapters 15 and 16.

2. His Death Empties Us Of Fear

We can be afraid of the dark, afraid to lose a friend, lose a job, and a list of hundreds of other earthly fears. But we can turn on a light to dispel darkness, find new friends, jobs, and replace most stuff in life. But death is the one experience that does not offer a second chance. This fear leaves us in slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that through the death of Jesus we are freed from the slavery of our fear of death! We were mastered by this fear and it enslaved us, but now that Jesus has conquered death we have nothing to fear!

3. We Are Emptied So We Can Be Filled

How can we be filled with the things God has planned in our life if we have everything already filled in our life? Our time, our hearts, our homes...all filled to the max by things we want, places we want to be, people we want to associate with. Where is there room for Jesus? Having a job, a career, a spouse, kids, a home, 401K is not a bad thing. Those are good things in life! But when they have already filled every available space we miss out on God's plan.

Jesus told his disciples in John 10:10 that he came so that we "may have life and have it to the full." What does a "full life" look like with God? I believe Paul gives us a description in Galatians 5:22-23 when he describes a life filled with the Spirit of God as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control". Imagine a life that reflected those qualities!

But even if we live a life here on this earth that is filled with such wonderful qualities, we will someday pass from this world into the next. What then? On this Easter Sunday we celebrate one of the greatest gifts ever given! The gift of eternal life. We read it simply stated in John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." WOW! when we leave his earth we do not have to face the destruction of our souls, but are allowed to live for all eternity. It is the life of Jesus that we share, not our flawed life, but his perfect one! This is the amazing story of Easter! His death, burial, and resurrection provides a way for us to share in the amazing righteous life of Jesus, the creator sustainer God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!

Takeaway From Today's Teachings

Today's takeaway is two questions:

1. Are you emptied of yourself?
2. Are you filled with Jesus?

You discover how to answer YES to both questions by watching the video below.

Palm Sunday 2016 - Praise To The King

Praise To The King! Hosanna! The Christ, the Messiah, our Savior has come! These were the cheers which greeted Jesus upon his arrival into Jerusalem that special day over two thousand years ago. He had been ministering in the area for nearly three years, and had often asked not to be worshiped or praised publicly, but on this day, this day of destiny which began his last stretch leading to the cross a few days later, he welcomed the praise and presented himself as King of the Jews! You can read the biblical account HERE in Matthew's record of the triumphal entry.

There is much happening in this entry. There is prophecy being fulfilled; Jesus openly accepting adoration from the people;  the crowds being stirred up in front of their Roman oppressors that here is their true King: Jesus; and the plot to kill Jesus is activated by those that hated him. But it is the praise we are going to consider today.

1. Praise Helps Generate Interest In Jesus

In Matthew 21:10 we read that the whole city was stirred by the praise. They wanted to know who this man was. The Passover was happening this week and thousands of non-Palestinian Jews were in the city for the festival. They had not heard about this amazing healer and teacher from Nazareth.

2. Praise Helps To Silence Objectors

In Luke's account of the entry, the Pharisees in the crowd were asking Jesus to have his followers be silent (Luke 19:39-40). Jesus does not quiet his followers and tells the spiritual leaders that if these people were quiet, then the very stones around them would cry out. There is nothing the Pharisees can say. The King is worthy of praise and he will be praised. In Psalm 149 we read that praise can help to inflict punishment on the wicked. Those who oppose us and our God will be silenced by the praise of our LORD.

3. Praise Helps Us Understand God's Plan

John 12:16 tells us that his disciples did not understand all that had happend the day of the triumphal entry. It was only after Jesus had been glorified that they realized the significance of this special day. Jesus had been very clear with the disciples as to what was going to happen. He told them three times that he would be going to Jerusalem to be handed over to the rulers and killed (Matthew 16:21; 17:22; 20:19). Still they were not ready to accept the plan God had laid out.

A.W. Tozer writes, "The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work in us." We are too much like the disciples sometime, making our own plans for what Jesus should be doing instead of discovering and accepting God's plan. Praise places us in perspective relationship with God: He is LORD and creator of everything; I am not. If he has a plan, then I will assume it is better than mine and follow it.

Takeaway From These Teachings

When we praise the entry of Jesus in our life, we refocus our attention on Him, silence our objectors, and create an opportunity for understanding God's plan for us.

Good News - At The End Of TIme

3.13.16

In Matthew chapter 24 the disciples of Jesus ask him to tell them about the End of Days - the end of time. "How does this all end?" you can hear them asking. Jesus gives them some signs and indicators that the time is almost over when there are terrible wars and famine and things look their worst. You can imagine that the disciples may have been shaken by these descriptions. Following up this revelation of end time disaster, Jesus gives three parables to give better understanding of what to expect. He gives them, and us, Good News. There will be trials and tribulation, but with Jesus on their side and them on the side of Jesus, there is a way to make it through to the end.

#1) Be prepared. 
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." 

In Matthew 25 verses 1 to 13 we read the story of ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five were prepared and had plenty of oil for their lamps, five were not prepared. When the time came for the groom to arrive, the five with enough oil followed the groom and his party into the wedding hall. The five without the extra oil were left out.

So what is this oil and where do we get it? Beginning in the Old Testament oil has been used to symbolize the Holy Spirit. In Exodus 30 we read about the anointing of Aaron as the first high priest of Israel. Oil was set aside for a special purpose: to pour over him and the other priests to set them apart as being "righteous", holy and ready to intercede between man and God. Acts 10:38 tells us that God anointed Jesus in preparation of his ministry as high priest when he sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove following the baptism of Jesus. Finally, we read in 1 John 2:20 that we are anointed by the Holy Spirit with truth. The oil we seek and require is the Holy Spirit, and he is a gift to those who believe in Jesus Christ.

#2) There will be an accounting of our blessings. 
"For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."

The second parable Jesus shares is about a king who gave three men a varied amount of gold based on their ability before he goes on a journey. The first man receives five bags of gold (five talents in some translations); the second man receives two bags of gold; and the third man receives one. When the king returns he asks for an accounting of what the men had been given. The man with five made wise investment and returned ten. The man with two also did well and returned four. The man with one was afraid and he buried the gold and returned only what was given to him. The king praises the first two and condemns the third. In fact, he calls this last man a "wicked, lazy servant". He gives the one bag of gold from the lazy man and gives it to the man with ten. Thus the principle "Too much is given, much is expected" is born.

If you are like me, God has not given you a literal bag of gold. There are three biblical "bags of gold"
we all have been blessed with. First, there is the Word of God. The bible. Psalm 12:6 tells us that God's Word is like gold refined seven times. it is very pure and valuable. In today's world of online bibles, bible apps, and many other forms of his word (even the old print version), we have no excuse not to invest this bag of gold! Second, people are refined like gold (Zechariah 13:9). People are precious. They are way more precious that gold and most of us have been blessed with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors who are treasures to be invested into. Third, the term bag of gold is another way of saying "wages" from the original language. They represent payment or wages for a person's work. Proverbs 10:16 tells us that the wages of righteousness is life, and the wages of the wicked is sin and death." If you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, then you have received these wages of righteousness. If we received no other treasure than salvation, then we are truly rich!

#3) There will be an accounting of our actions.
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The third and final story Jesus tells is the separation of the sheep from the goats. He tells how he (the Son of Man) will separate those who were true followers and those who were not. His criteria? How did you treat others? Did you help those who needed food, shelter, clothing, visiting when sick or isolated in prison? If so, then welcome, the paradise prepared for you before the foundation of the earth is waiting. If  not, then those will be condemned to outer darkness with gnashing of teeth and the punishment of regret for all eternity.  It is important to remember that works do not achieve salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast." So we are saved by grace through faith, but that faith must be an active living faith. In James 2 we read that "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Our faith must take action. Jesus said it like this in John 13:35 - " By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." The test is simple: love one another.

If we are filled by the Holy Spirit, investing the blessings we have been given by God, and showing our love one for another, then we will face the End of Time without fear! And that is Good News!

www.nhcc4all.com

The Good News - Miracles Of Good News

3.6.16

A man walks up to your car and asks to look in the trunk. No way, right? But what if that man is in a blue or brown uniform and shows you a badge with photo ID matching his face which identifies him as a officer of the law? Different story, right? It is his credentials that changes things. They give us confidence in him and instill trust. Jesus was asked one day by followers of John the Baptist to provide his credentials. He answered them like this:

When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised." (Luke 7:20-22)

Jesus answered the question about credentials by citing the miracles that followed his ministry. These miracles can be summarized into four categories.

1. Healing. 

He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, voice to the mute, and strength to the cripple. In all of these he varied his styles and approaches to how and when he would heal. He gave no specific pattern so that we would not form an ATM expectation for healing in our lives. Also, as the example of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, he did not heal everyone. It is in his plan and at his discretion when or if someone is healed.

2. Manipulation of the physical world. 

Whether it is turning water into wine, feeding the crowds, or walking on water, Jesus demonstrates his power over the physical world through these miracles. He is according to Colossians 1:16 the creator of all things, and in the following verse (Colossians 1:17) he is listed as the sustainer of all things. He holds everything together, so it is his prerogative to change things if he wishes. Chemical manipulation of H2O...no problem. Converting the molecules of the ocean into a walkway...easy. Telling a storm to stop and dissipate...no sweat. As the creator and maintainer of all these things, he is able to rearrange the world to his will.

3. Demonstrates his spiritual authority. 

Ephesians chapter 1 tells us that all earthly and spiritual authority is given to Jesus. This authority allowed him to command demons, cast out evil, and restore spiritual wholeness. In the case of the boy who was possessed and whom the disciples could not help, Jesus gives us the insight that he is perpetually prepared and able to do these things because he was in charge.

4. Resurrection - life after death. 

During his time on earth Jesus returned life to no less than three people. In the case of the widow's son, Jairus' daughter, and Lazarus, he returned them to their old life. A life still corrupted by this earth and existence. His resurrection marked a significant change - his resurrection marked the beginning of new life. His new life, available to us, is an eternal and perfected life!

Takeaway From These Teachings

The focus of the miracles were and are Jesus - not the miracle. In Romans 1 we read a warning not to be like heathen who worship the creation and not the creator. IF our worship and desire are miracles and not the miracle maker, then we missed the point. Jesus gave testimony of this in John 10:24-26.

The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me."

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