April 4, 2015

"It is finished!" - John 19:30

As established in the previous post, finishing well is crucial. 

In the NCAA Final Four games today it will be important for the teams to get off to a good start in the opening minutes of the semi-final games, but the two teams leading at the end of the game will move on to the National Championship game.

Being ahead at halftime is nice but having the lead when the game is finished is what matters!

When God says, "It is finished" it IS finished! Those who are right with Him will win!

I find three times when God says, in effect, "it is finished".

The first is in Genesis 1 when God had finished Creation and he pronounced, "It is very good!"

After spending six days speaking the vast and majestic universe into creation, God looked over what He had produced at His will by just His word He gave His approval! Saying, "It is very good" is the equivalent of saying "it is perfect!" or "it is the best I can do!" or "IT IS FINISHED!"

Everything  that needed to be created He created! Nothing more was needed to sustain life on Earth until His plan for this planet is fulfilled!

What would you add to creation, if you could?

I didn't think so......

Here in John 19 is the second statement of, "It is finished"! This time it is Jesus declaring it and it is equally significant!

Just as Creation was completed and perfect, so God's plan for the New Creation in Christ - salvation - was complete! Nothing more is necessary for salvation! 

The power of sin is finished! No longer do you have to be held hostage to your sinful nature! Jesus finished the power of sin on the Cross!

The penalty of sin has been satisfied! He was declared guilty and you have been justified!

The price of redemption has been paid! 

The plan of salvation has been made available by His grace through faith!

The personal relationship with God is now possible through the Cross of Jesus!

The power of disease has been broken for "by His stripes we can be healed"!

Creation is finished and it is good!

The new creation is finished and it is great!

There will be one more time when God will announce, "It is finished!"

That announcement will be marked by the appearance of Jesus in clouds of glory in the eastern sky!

At the third declaration of, :It is finished" time will end and eternity will begin! Your opportunity to respond to His grace will be finished.

Those who have believed in the Creation and who have received the New Creation in Christ anxiously await this finish line for their faith!

Those who still have unfinished business with God will dread this day for they will be undone by their unfinished business.

Don't let unfinished business with God keep you from finishing well!

Easter Season is a wonderful opportunity to look to the Cross and the Tomb and receive the joy of salvation through the Risen Christ!

April 3, 2015

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit." John 19:30

Max Lucado states that, "Our human tendency is to quit too soon. Our human tendency is to stop before we get to the finish-line. Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things like: a partly finished lawn, a half read book, a letter began but never completed, and abandoned diet, a car up on blocks or it shows up in more destructive and painful areas: like an abandoned child, a nominal faith, a job hopper, a wrecked marriage and an unevangelized world."

Perhaps your life has been made more difficult by something you quit on and failed to finish. Possibly you have been hurt by someone else's failure to follow through on a commitment. Either way, you know the importance of finishing and the pain of failing to finish.

Jesus finished! That is one of the best parts of Good Friday!

If you think about it all the great heroes of the Bible finished what God called them to do. You will also remember that none of them reached the finish line without some blemishes on their records. Each of them fumbled a few times on the way to the end zone but each of them went in standing up!

Enoch finished very well! Abraham finished! Isaac finished! Joseph finished well! Moses made it! Joshua made it! King David stumbled a few times but he finished well! Elijah finished with a flair! Samson failed at just about every point but at the end he finished well! Eleven of the disciples finished as winners! Paul faithfully finished!

Perhaps you have stumbled along the way. Maybe you are struggling to get back up. Possibly you have fallen so often you are wondering if it is worth getting back up. Let Good Friday remind you that what matters most is how you finish! 

What is the key to finishing?

We know that running perfectly is not a requirement for finishing well. Finishing well requires running faithfully not perfectly. The most important requirement for finishing faithfully is being finished with the habits, the attitudes, the strongholds, the besetting sins, or the secret sins that keep you from finishing.

The main thing that will keep you from finishing is unfinished business. On the night Jesus suffered He took care of unfinished business so He could finish well.

He finished His business with His disciples in the upper room and with His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Is there something in your life that needs to be finished in order for you to finish well?

Do you need to be finished with a habit?

Do you need to be finished with a relationship?

Do you need to be finished with a prejudice?

Do you need to be finished with a vice?

Do you need to confess a secret sin and let God deliver you?

Do you need to stop projecting an image and be finished with your pride and self-righteousness?

On this Good Friday, what do you need to be finished with in order to finish like Christ?

Will you confess to God, repent and declare by faith, "It is finished!"

Will I see you at the finish line?

April 2, 2015

"And we know that in all these things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Jesus was arrested, mocked, slapped around, spat upon, crowned with thorns, cursed, falsely accused, savagely scourged, unjustly sentenced to be crucified, forced to carry His cross through town and up to Golgotha where He was stripped naked and nailed to a cross. As He hung on the cross they continued to mock and curse Him. And they call that "Good Friday"? Are you kidding me?

Knowing all you know about that fateful day, have you ever wondered why they call it "Good Friday"?

To understand why they call it Good Friday you need to grasp the significance of our text verse.

Jesus had a Father Who is bigger than bad things. When in His sovereign power He allows something bad to happen it is for the purpose of accomplishing His perfect will. In His wisdom He permits short-term pain for eternal gain.

By one tragic, unjust and horrendous crucifixion the power of sin was broken. In God's economy one temporary death in order to gain eternity for countless souls is a good thing! In God's plan, humbling Himself to death in order to demonstrate His power over sin is a good thing! 

Who doesn't love a freshly baked chocolate cake? But to get a good cake you must mix in all the ingredients and bake it in the hot oven. If you taste any of the ingredients individually or if you stick your hand in the oven it would not be good!

So, cake is real good but the process of mixing and baking isn't! In the same way, God's plans and His process for developing you may involve some not so good things that will work out for your long-term good if you remain committed to Him and His purpose.

Jesus' very bad Friday became a Good Friday for you because His Father, your God, is bigger and better than any bad that will ever come your way! The same God Who permitted Friday to happen also caused Sunday to happen! So, for every cross you suffer there will be a resurrection to celebrate!

That is good!

April 1, 2015

^"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  I Corinthians 11:22-24

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend?

You probably have but in case you haven't, trust me, it hurts!

Being betrayed is something you don't easily forget, neither the act nor the hurt. That is why I find it interesting St. Paul refers to the night of the Last Supper as "the night Jesus was betrayed". There were other very significant things that happened that evening but Paul marks the event by the betrayal.

In fact, there were two betrayals during that night. Judas betrayed Him with a kiss and Peter betrayed Him with a curse(s). Judas sold Him out for personal profit and Peter denied Him for personal protection.

Let me ask you, have you betrayed Jesus?

Have you denied Him? 

Have you sold Him out?

What did you do to the person who betrayed you?

How did you handle that pain?

Here's what Jesus did, He died for them AND for you! 

He took your pain, your shame, your sin and your failure - on the day AFTER He was betrayed.

What should you do?

March 31, 2015

"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our  preaching is useless and so is your faith.  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep."  I Corinthians 15:13-20

Here are a few of my favorite promises from the Bible:

^"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." I Corinthians 10:13

^"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:7-9

^"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." I John 5:14-15

You probably love these promises, too! No doubt you have some of them memorized. And for a good reason - there is tremendous power in those promises!

But here is the point of this thought this morning, all of these promises are true and reliable for one reason - THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST!

He promised to rise again on the third day after His death and He did! Had He not kept that promise none of the others would be believable. The very power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that fulfills His promises!

Easter is a promise kept that assures all the others will be too!

He promised!

March 30, 2015

"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep"..........."When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? "Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Cor. 15:14-20 & 54-58

Life is about figuring out what matters and what doesn't. The sooner you figure that out the better your life will be. Some never figure it out.

Usually, you figure out what matters through being told what matters by someone who matters a lot to you. Most often you are taught what matters by your parents because they matter most to you and you learn to value what they value. Over time, as you mature, you begin to develop your own value system to determine what matters most to you.

If you are a Christian you must ultimately develop your value system according to the truths and people who are recorded in the Bible. When you decide that Biblical values will matter more to you than material or temporal or cultural values you will begin to experience some push-back and that pressure forces you to regularly examine and evaluate what matters to you. That can be a healthy process! Perhaps you are in that process right now.

So, what matters most to you? What should matter to you is what matters to God since pleasing Him should matter most to you. In this message to the Christians at Corinth, Paul states clearly and confidently that what matters most is the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

That is why Easter is such a big deal! Easter is a big deal because the resurrection IS THE DEAL! Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He was a liar, because He promised His disciples that He would return from the dead. Without the resurrection, God is a failure, because His plan for redeeming the human race depended on His Son dying and then rising from the grave. And, as Paul says his preaching is useless, as is your faith, and we are fools or liars, we are trapped in our sins, and we have no hope in life or at death if Jesus did not die for you and me and if He did not arise from the dead.

Without the resurrection of Jesus, nothing matters. With the resurrection, every promise in the Bible matters! Without the resurrection the Bible is a fable and the Old Testament Prophets are fools. With the resurrection, God has proven He has power over sin and death! His power matters! With the resurrection we have the hope of our own resurrection! That matters! God made sure the resurrection matters because He wants you to know how much you matter to Him!

Jesus' resurrection matters because it is the heart of the matter!

Will you bow before the Father and thank Him for the Resurrection of Jesus? Will you stand up and rejoice that you serve a Risen Savior? Will you go to your church Sunday and worship for all you're worth? Will you worship like it matters? Worship matters because He matters. And He matters because of His resurrection!

HE'S ALIVE! HE HAS RISEN AS HE SAID!

March 29, 2015

When you want to express the inexpressible, look to a poet. It doesn’t take you long to run out of adjectives when you begin trying to describe the amazing infinite love of God. Nearly 100 years ago, a gentleman by the name of Frederick Martin Lehman penned this poem that was later put to music in a hymn called appropriately – “The Love of God”.

I think he captures it pretty well! See what you think.

The love of God is greater far, Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure  The saints' and angels' song.

When age and time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;

When men who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call;

God's love, so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam's race — The saints' and angels' song.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure  The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure  The saints' and angels' song.

WOW! What incredible love!

It takes an amazing God to love like this!

It took amazing grace for God to demonstrate His love through Christ!

And it to know this love you must run the bases according to His pattern. That is the blessing of the Home Run life!