Jesus Christ Is Lord
 
Spiritual Buffet Table
 
When I was in seminary, I had the opportunity to take a course on The Sermon on the Mount. I loved that class and learned a great deal from it. One of the big ideas I learned early in the course related to the first 12 verses of Matthew 5, which we call, The Beatitudes.
 
The professor said we often read the Beatitudes this way: We approach them as though they were a buffet table, in which we pick and choose the one or two verses we like and disregard the ones we don’t, as if we’re selecting a meal. We tend to do the same with the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
 
The big idea the teacher taught me was this: These so-called “lists” are really meant to be looked at as composite portraits of what each Christian is to look like. Each of these characteristics or attributes is to describe each and every Christian. Each and every Christian is to be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, and so on. Of course, none of us exhibits each of these in our lives to the same degree, but that is still the goal Jesus set before us.
 
But again, we tend to gravitate toward the ones we like or the ones we think we’re good at, don’t we?
 
Spiritual Life Checkup
 
The church I serve recently used a spiritual inventory called, The Spiritual Life Checkup. Its purpose is to focus on the various areas of a Christian’s life to discern how the person is doing in the areas assessed, much like bloodwork focuses on the different components of a person’s physical health. One of the things I learned as I talked with folks about their checkups was that it’s easy to have a “buffet table” approach with this as well.
 
For example, the first three chapters of the Checkup focus on our vertical relationship with God - our devotional life, intellectual life, and our struggles and temptations with sin. For some of us, reflecting on God and looking inwardly are two areas we love thinking about and where we want to spend our time.
 
The following chapter of the Checkup takes a look at our outer life – our horizontal relationships with others. And for some of us, this is our sweet spot and we would be very happy to focus only on how God is calling us to interact with others.
 
Here’s the point: While there are some aspects of the Checkup we like more than others, that we’re better at than others, each part is for each Christian. And if we focus on only one part of it, we will find ourselves living compartmentalized lives.
 
Compartmentalized vs God-Centered Living
 
The third question of Part 1 of the Checkup asks this: Do you have a God-Centered life? Perhaps you are wondering what that means.
 
Many of us live compartmentalized lives. Think of a compartmentalized life this way: Imagine you are looking at a large office building. As you look at it you observe many different windows representing many different offices. Each of those office windows represents a different part of a person’s life. For example, one office window may represent God, while another might represent your family, or job, health, friendships, private time, and so on.
 
Here is the problem: While there are many parts of your life represented by the office building, none of them is directly connected to another. Your faith may be in the top left corner of the building while your family-life might be in the bottom right. They are simply compartments of your life, seemingly unrelated to one another and therefore, without the power to influence one another. God may be one part of the structure, but in a compartmentalized life, he is not connected to, or impacting, the other areas of your life.
 
Rather, God is calling us to live God-Centered lives.
 
Instead of an office building, now think of a bicycle wheel. The hub, where all the spokes meet together, represents God. Each of the spokes represents the various spheres of a person’s life: faith, family, work, community, health, politics, etc. Each sphere of a person’s life finds its stability and integrity in the hub, which again, represents God.
 
When God is at the center of who you are, your life will become more holistic because each part of who you are is grounded and centered in the same Person, the One who gives your life meaning, purpose, and value.
 
The take-away from this is not that we are either living a compartmentalized life or a God-centered life. None of us is doing this perfectly. The point really comes in the form of a question: Is a God-centered life the direction you desire to move in, and if so, are you making progress in that direction? Direction, not perfection, is what is in view here.
 
The Foundation of God-Centered Living
 
Our Scripture from Philippians gives us the foundation for God-centered living. The Apostle Paul was writing from a prison cell to a church he was very fond of. As he moved through his letter, he told the Philippians he wanted them to be of one mind, that is, to be unified in who they were.
And Paul, understanding the human condition so well, knew the key ingredient to unity was humility. That is why he wrote in Philippians 2:3-4,
 
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
 
It is hard to have unity if everyone is putting themselves first. That usually brings about division.
Paul then made a move to help them understand what this humble, other-centeredness ought to look like. He wrote in verses 5-8,
 
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death--
        even death on a cross!
 
If anyone could have held on to his own position, glory, comfort, and power - it was Jesus. He did not owe us anything. We did nothing to deserve his love. And yet…
 
And yet, though he was truly God, he did not hold onto that privilege, or the glory, comfort, and power that went along with it. He took on human nature. He became a servant, not to a fan club of folks who already loved him, but to those whose sins would ultimately nail him to a Roman cross. And he did this voluntarily. He did not have to do this. His love, mercy, and grace compelled him to choose to do this.
 
Renewed Thinking
 
When you work through the first three parts of the Spiritual Life Checkup, one of the discoveries you make is that you must humbly submit yourself to the Spirit’s direction, encouragement, and even correction in your thinking. That can be hard to accept.
 
But when you do, you cannot help but be humbled. Your thinking takes on a God-centeredness, and as Paul declared in verse 5, you begin to take on the same mind or mindset as Christ himself.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul wrote, “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” That renewal in our thinking begins to show up in our living (Rom. 12:2). Our attitudes toward others, the things we value in this world, and the way in which we live our lives - it all begins to change.
 
We discover God is doing a great work in us from the inside out. We cannot help but put the interests of others before our own, because that is what Christ has done for us.
 
The Name
 
In verse 9, we get the all-important, Therefore.
 
Paul was teaching that because of all the Lord Jesus voluntarily did on our behalf, this blessed suffering-Servant was given something special. Paul declared,
 
God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
 
What did God give Jesus? He gave him a name. And not just any name, but “the name that is above every name.”
 
It is not the name Jesus. It is the name Lord. In Old Testament times, the name for God was so holy and sacred, the Jews would not even speak or write it. Instead of writing God’s holy name, YHWH, they wrote the name, LORD - in all-caps – to represent God’s most holy name and position.
 
Paul was saying Jesus was given the name Lord, to acknowledge who he was. He was no mere teacher, philosopher, apocalyptic prophet, or revolutionary. He was God in the flesh. And because Jesus is Lord, Paul said,
 
…every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.
 
Matthew 28 puts the same idea this way,
 
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
 
In Colossians 1, Paul says this of our Lord,
 
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
 
John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:1-3 and Ephesians 1 all teach the same thing. Jesus Christ is Lord over heaven and earth. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth.
 
St. Augustine supposedly once said, “If Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all.
The Dutch theologian and statesman, Abraham Kuyper declared,
 
“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
 
It all belongs to Christ. Jesus Christ is Lord over every sphere of life.
 
Therefore
 
Therefore, we are called to submit every aspect or who we are to his Lordship. And this submission produces the God-centered life I was addressing earlier.
 
Jesus is Lord over our private lives, relationships, workplaces, finances, ethics, politics, values and priorities, doctrinal beliefs - everything about us - Every Sphere of Life. This is not a call for all Christians to look the exact same. There is still much room for variety of personalities, interests, callings, and gifts. However, submission to Jesus Christ as Lord is still the command and standard for every person.
 
And yet, we cannot simply will this to happen. We are powerless to submit to his Lordship, to grow in his likeness, and to love and serve others if we are not first empowered by his Spirit. And so, in the name of Jesus, I pray each of us would turn in trusting-dependence upon Christ as our Savior and all-sufficient treasure, for it is only then that his Spirit will enable us to bow our knees before him and confess with our tongues that Jesus Christ is Lord.
 
Walking Points
 

• What areas of your life are centered in God and your relationship with him? Describe what that looks like.
• What areas are not centered in God? Why do you think that is?
• Talk with two or three Christian friends about helping you make God the center of all the areas of your life.
• List the different areas of your life and write down what you think each should look like when Jesus Christ is the Lord over that area.

 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
 
Dr. Craddock
 
One of the highlights of attending seminary in Atlanta was sitting under the teaching of Dr. Fred Craddock. Dr. Craddock was a gifted and world-renowned preacher and preaching instructor. It was a privilege and blessing to take a preaching class taught by him.
 
One of the things Dr. Craddock taught us, something that has always stayed with me, came from a story he told us. He shared with our class a snippet of a conversation he had with one of his former students who had graduated and was serving a little rural church.
 
The former student told Dr. Craddock he was going to wake that little country church up. He was going to bring them into the present. He was going to be new and fresh. As an example of this, he wasn’t going to preach the same old tired stuff during Christmas, stuff they all knew. He was going to hit them with something new.
 
Dr. Craddock lovingly, and I’m sure, convincingly, shared with this eager new preacher that what those people needed, what we all need, especially during the seasons of Advent and Lent, is the old, old story of what God has done in Christ.
 
The Old, Old Story
 
It’s not that a preacher shouldn’t seek to know the needs of the congregation and connect with them in their context. The preacher should not seek to be irrelevant. However, the truth is, a clear and honest telling of the old, old story is the most relevant subject there is. Many hymns remind us the “old, old story” is the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
Here’s how the hymn, “Victory in Jesus,” communicates the old, old story,
 
I heard an old, old story,
how a Savior came from glory,
how he gave his life on Calvary
to save a wretch like me;
I heard about his groaning,
of his precious blood’s atoning,
then I repented of my sins
and won the victory.
O victory in Jesus, my Savior forever!
he sought me and bought me with his redeeming blood;
he loved me ere I knew him, and all my love is due him;
he plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.
 
That’s the old, old story.
 
When we think about the Gospel of Jesus Christ – the Good News of what God has done in and through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, we usually go back 2,000 years. But the story is older than that. In one sense, it goes all the way back into eternity, into the mind of God who has always existed.
 
Look for Jesus
 
We won’t go back quite that far in this chapter, but I do want to show the Good News fulfilled in Jesus was predicted and anticipated in the Old Testament. God didn’t “make it up” on the fly.
 
When I used to teach Disciple Bible Study, a very detailed and comprehensive study of both the Old and New Testaments, people would often tell me how bogged down they were getting in the Old Testament. They would even tell me they thought it was boring and irrelevant.
 
In response to this, one of the things I used to encourage them to do to stick with it, was to start looking for Jesus in the pages of the Old Testament. Because he’s there! In fact, he’s all over the place in the Old Testament.
 
The Testimony of the Apostles
 
Below are a few Scriptures from the New Testament that help make the case.
 
Romans 1:1-4 – Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God– [2] the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures [3] regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, [4] and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
1 Corinthians 15:1-3 – Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. [2] By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. [3] For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,…
 
Galatians 3:6-9 – Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” [7] Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. [8] The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” [9] So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
 
Acts 13:26-39 – “Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. [27] The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. [28] Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. [29] When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. [30] But God raised him from the dead, [31] and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. [32] “We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers [33] he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus… (Emphases added)
 
Peter and Stephen, in the book of Acts, declare the same truths: all that was accomplished in and through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ was anticipated and prophesied in the Old Testament.
 
The Testimony of Jesus
 
Maybe at this point you are saying, “Well, that sounds good, but that’s just Paul and Peter and Stephen. They’re just men. First, let me remind you Paul’s writings and Peter’s preaching in Acts are just as inspired of God as anything written in the Gospels. However, just for emphasis, let me quote a little of what our Lord himself said, or what was said about him, in the Gospels.
 
Luke 18:31 – Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
 
Luke 24:27 – And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
 
Luke 24:44 – He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
 
John 1:45 – Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
 
John 5:45-46 – “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. [46] If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.
 
 John 8:56 – Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” (Emphases added)
 
The “Scriptures” Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, Philip, Nathanael, and Stephen spoke of were, of course, the Old Testament. That’s what I mean when I say we ought to look for Jesus and his Gospel in the Old Testament. It’s far from silent on the subject. That’s why we read so much from the Old Testament during the Advent and Lenten seasons. It points to our Lord. Thanks be to God.
 
What is the Gospel?
 
Thus far we’ve seen the old, old story is much older than we usually think. But what is the old story about? What is the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ?
 
The shortest and easiest answer is given to us by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:16,
 
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
 
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation. It’s God’s answer, his response, to our sin and sinfulness, fallenness, brokenness, rebellion, foolishness, hurts and pain, suffering, and lostness.
 
God isn’t an aloof deity who sits in heaven, detached from his creation. Even though he created us in his image and declared his creation was good, very good in fact, we, along with our first parents Adam and Eve, have gone our own way. We’ve rebelled against God. We’ve declared ourselves in charge and have resisted him.
 
And even though God in his perfect holiness and righteousness would have been justified in pouring out his wrath upon us, in his grace he poured out his love instead.
 
As the Scriptures we’ve already seen tell us, God sent his deeply beloved, one and only Son to live, die, and be raised from the dead for us. Here’s how Paul makes this point.
 
Romans 3:21-26 – But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. [22] This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. [25] God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished– [26] he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Emphasis added)
 
Our sinfulness, rebellion, foolishness, and willfulness, were paid for (atoned for) on the Cross by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture says Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us. He received the punishment we deserved.
 
Your Choice
 
Because of that great expression of love, we can know God. We can enter into a personal, deep, and abiding relationship with God. We can actually start becoming more and more like Christ in our daily lives. We can be made holy and whole. We can receive both abundant and everlasting life.
 
But it’s not automatic.
 
This is where we must choose to enter into the old, old story. We must respond. We must not listen to the story of God’s good news and simply smile and say, “Well, that’s a nice story.” There’s no place for indifference to this story. We must believe the story.
 
We must place our faith, our trust, in Christ - in who he is, the very Son of God – Son, Savior, and Lord. We must trust in his Work on our behalf – his death upon the Cross for our sin and his resurrection from the dead for our salvation.
 
We must repent, which means to turn away from our sinfulness, selfishness, and rebellion, and turn instead toward God, in love for him and faithfulness to him. Turning away from sin and toward God doesn’t earn us our salvation. Our salvation is a free gift from God, just as Jesus is a gift to us. But it is a gift we must open, so to speak. We must respond to it. We must receive it in trusting faith.
 
When we do, not only are we declared righteous before a holy God, but our lives will begin to bear fruit. We’ll show we really love and trust God and his Son Jesus Christ by seeking to live for him, desiring him, obeying him, and by loving our neighbors.
 
Faith and repentance are not two separate things. They are two aspects of the same thing. They are, if you will, two sides of the same coin.
 
That’s why Jesus says in Mark 1:15, “Repent and believe the good news!” Friends, this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and there is no other.
 
Enter the Story Yourself
 
The United Methodist liturgy for Holy Communion describes all this in a beautiful way. It invites us to enter into the story – to become a part of it.
 
In the United Methodist Church we believe that, through his Holy Spirit, we meet the main character of the old, old story, the Lord Jesus Christ. As we gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ and bow before him, Christ gathers with us in our midst. He is with us in and through his Spirit as we receive his body and blood he so lovingly and freely gave on our behalf.
 
However, you must enter into this story by faith. United Methodists believe this sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. In other words, we don’t receive this grace simply by going through the motions. Instead, it’s with joyful, thankful, love-filled hearts, we receive the bread and cup in faith, trust, and repentance. Our liturgy, based in Scripture, reminds us,
 
Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him,
     who earnestly repent of their sin 
     and seek to live in peace with one another.
 
A few pages further in the hymnal, another order of Communion says this,
 
Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, 
     and are in love and charity with your neighbors, 
     and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, 
     and walking henceforth in his holy ways:
Draw near with faith, and take this Holy Sacrament to your comfort, 
     and make your humble confession to almighty God.
 
If you’ve never genuinely and consciously repented of your sin and placed your trust in Christ as your Savior and Lord, then let today be the day of salvation. 
 
Walking Points
 

• Did you know the Gospel was anticipated in the Old Testament, or did you think it was something entirely new in the New Testament? Go back over the Scriptures listed in this chapter and meditate upon them, giving thanks to God for his wonderful plan of redemption.
• Have you ever asked God for forgiveness, repented of your sins, and trusted in Christ alone for your salvation? If not, do so right now. Don’t let another minute pass without reaching out in trust to the God who has already reached out to you in love.
• If you already have trusted in Christ and repented of your sins, prayerfully consider one or two friends with whom you can share this good news. Write down their names on an index card and begin to pray for them daily. Pray also that the Lord will provide you with an opportunity to share his old, old story with them.

 
This devotion is from my book, Foundations: Key Principles for Godly Manhood. Click here to purchase it.

Don’t Rush to Easter Just Yet
A Maundy Thursday Reflection
 
John 12:20-23 - 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
 
His Time Had Not Yet Come
 
Throughout the whole of John’s Gospel, which represents the whole of the public ministry of Jesus, our Lord says over and over again, things like, “my time has not yet come.” Or John himself, as he narrates his Gospel, reports that crowds were not able to capture Jesus because his time “had not yet come.”
 
Therefore, in our Scripture, we learn that Greeks (probably God-fearers, but Gentiles nonetheless) came looking for Jesus. They wanted to see him.
 
The fact that these non-Jews came to see the Lord gives us a glimpse of the scope of why Jesus came. His death would not be for the atonement of Jews only, but for Gentiles as well. Clearly this is what John wanted us to understand.
 
His Hour Had Come
 
Several years ago, I watched the movie, “The Gospel of John,” which captured this scene beautifully. When Jesus was told that Greeks desired to see him, the actor poignantly portrayed Jesus responding in a somber and reflective manner. Of course, his acting decision was speculative, but some speculations are closer than others. I believe his expressions would have been very close to how Jesus must have responded when he realized, “his hour had come.”
 
Jesus’ words of response in John 12 seem fitting in light of his experience later at Gethsemane, found in Matthew 26:26-44.
 
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
 
Big Deal
 
I sometimes think we suffer the consequences of an “over-familiarity” of a text in Scripture. We are so used to hearing or reading it that it can lose its powerful punch. We often fast forward through the details to get to the “good parts,” which usually means the parts we like or make us feel comfortable. This scene from Gethsemane is an example of what I am talking about.
 
Perhaps we think to ourselves, “since Jesus knew he was going to be raised from the dead on the third day, his journey to the Cross was not that big a deal for him. Afterall, he’s God incarnate, and he knows how the story ends.
 
Yet you cannot read this text from Matthew’s Gospel and come away with that perspective. Reread it and take in the significance of these verses again,
 
He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (emphasis mine)
 
Man of Sorrow
 
He wanted his friends with him, praying for him. He was sorrowful. Overwhelmed. Troubled. He was sweating drops of blood. This was no walk in the park.
 
And then, moving through the story, Matthew tells us that our Lord fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”
 
“May this cup be taken from me.”
 
Let’s not move too quickly past that part of the verse. Let’s absorb it for a moment.
 
In 29 years of ministry, I have cried only a small handful of times while preaching a sermon. Two or three incidents were during funerals, as you can imagine. But the time that was not related to a funeral was when I preached from this verse. Why? It is hard to know for sure, but I think it was how this moment in the life of our Lord really hit me, perhaps for the first time.
 
Would the mocking, beatings, betrayal, nails, and all the rest be painful, even devastating? Absolutely! I do not want to minimize any of that. I am sure it must have been excruciating in ways that none of us will ever really comprehend, despite all the medical reports describing it.
 
But to have the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom Jesus had had an eternity of inseparable, uninterrupted, joyful, intimate union and fellowship, now “turning his back” on his Son, must have eclipsed any of the physical pain Jesus was experiencing.
 
And Yet
 
For Jesus to bear the filth of our disgusting and overwhelming sin, fallenness, and brokenness must have been truly overwhelming to the One who knew no sin, yet became sin for us.
 
The realization of all he was going to face must have led our Lord to feel and experience all that Matthew reported to us and more. In the quiet of the garden, who wouldn’t have cried out for another way to complete the mission? Was Jesus really going to have to endure the agony of the Cross and all that went with it? There was no other way. And ultimately Jesus knew this was his Father’s will, as his prayerful response indicated. By God’s grace, our Lord was faithful to his Father, to his mission, and to us.
 
Our Lord will be arrested tonight.
 
He will be crucified tomorrow.
 
Let’s not rush to Easter just yet.
 
Walking Points
 

• Have you ever found yourself rushing through Holy Week to get to Easter? Why do you think we sometimes are inclined to do that?
• Can you think of some hard and uncomfortable verses in the Bible that you skim over to get to verses that are a bit more pleasant to you? Which ones are they? What is it about the hard verses that make it difficult for you to read and meditate upon?
• Reread the Scripture above from Matthew 26, and meditate on it for a while. Spend some time asking the Lord to direct your prayers as well as what you need to learn, in light of our Lord’s experience in the garden.

Born for This
Matthew 1:21
 
A Christmas Baby
 
On a Christmas day, 55 years ago, I was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Two nuns cleaned me up and brought me to my mom and dad in a Christmas stocking.
 
My birth meant a lot to my mom and dad (or so they have led me to believe). But our country didn’t rejoice at my birth. The state of North Carolina didn’t rejoice at my birth. In fact, the city of Asheville didn’t rejoice at my birth. My birth didn’t make the national papers. It didn’t even make the local paper. There were no geopolitical implications that came from my being born into this world. 
 
Royal Pardons
 
But there were huge implications when Princess Lalla Salma gave birth to a daughter named, Lalla Khadija. Her husband, King Mohammed the 6th of Morocco, was so excited when his daughter was born, he wanted to celebrate in a big way. Instead of giving out cigars, he pardoned 8,836 prisoners and reduced the sentences of 24,218 others. The Justice Ministry said the pardons were a humanitarian gesture. (from the Preaching Today website).
 
Talk about setting the captives free.
 
What the Birth of Jesus Did Not Mean
 
Well, the birth of Jesus also had a few implications. A few major implications, in fact. The problem was, it just wasn’t what the people were expecting.
 
The first part of the beautiful words from Isaiah 9:6 reminds us,
 
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
 
You see, the promised Messiah was supposed to ride in on a mighty horse, bearing a sword, to overturn the political and military structures and put Israel back on top. At least that’s how many first century Jews understood that text and others like it.
 
What the Birth of Jesus Did Mean
 
Let’s take a look at one verse in Matthew’s Gospel to see what it says about why Jesus was born. Matthew 1:21 says,
 
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (emphases mine)
 
Joseph’s Marching Orders

The Gospel of Luke records the angel’s announcement and conversation with Mary about giving birth to Jesus. But in Matthew, the angel is addressing Joseph. This is important because it was prophesied in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be a descendent of King David. 

Luke gives us Mary’s genealogy to show us she was a biological descendant of David. But there’s something a little different going on in Matthew’s Gospel. In that Gospel, Joseph is never called Jesus’ father. Joseph is his adoptive father, so to speak. Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus was a great miracle of the Holy Spirit. And so, God was the Father of Jesus.
 
But the key to this part of verse 21 is this - by giving Jesus his name, Joseph was accepting responsibility for raising Jesus as his own. “YOU shall call his name Jesus…” In that culture, the act of naming a baby gave the child legal status in the family. And so, Jesus was biologically linked to King David through Mary and legally related to David through Joseph.
 
Name Him “Jesus”

Now here’s what didn’t happen: God didn’t say to Mary and Joseph, “Go down to the Bethlehem Barnes and Noble and pick up a baby name book. The couple didn’t consult Great Baby Names of Hebrew History, 3rd Edition. 

God, through the angel said, You shall, you will, you must, you are to call this baby boy, “Jesus.” And so, God told Mary and Joseph what to name their son.
 
Something About That Name
 
In a recent children’s Christmas Eve service at the church I serve, the service featured a story called, “Operation: No More Tears!” It began with Isaiah foretelling God’s “rescue plan” to save his people. Well, we find the fulfillment of that prophecy in the birth and naming of Jesus.
 
The name, “Jesus,” was the Greek form of the name, “Joshua.” It was a common name in Israel. It literally means, “Jehovah is salvation” or “God saves.” The angel told Joseph the baby boy was to be named “Jesus” because he would save his people from their sins.
 
Again, however, the salvation most of the first century Jews had in mind was a national liberation. They wanted to be freed from those who oppressed them. In this case, it was the Romans. They wanted a kingly figure in the style of King David to ride into town, with sword drawn, and take out their enemies.
 
But the prophecy that best points to the kind of salvation Jesus would bring is found in Psalm 130:8, which says,
 
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

The salvation Jesus would bring would primarily be spiritual, though it would certainly have implications for every sphere of life. As the words to an old hymn remind us, there is something powerful indeed about the name of Jesus.
 
The name, “Jesus” represents our deliverance from sin and our reconciliation with God. Acts 4:12 says this about the name of Jesus,
 
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
 
The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:10, puts it this way,
 
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (emphasis mine)

His People

And who did Jesus come to save? “His people.” “His people” certainly meant Israel. We know he came first to “his own” as John 1:11 puts it. “His own” meant the Jews. 

But we also know there’s a wider context. Undoubtedly Matthew, the same Gospel writer who gave us the Great Commission, which commands us to go into all the world to make disciples of every nation, understood it was not only Israel Jesus came to save.
 
The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that Jesus came for Jew and Gentile. Paul writes this in Romans 1:16,
 
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
 
For a Jew, the word “Gentile” or “Greek” simply meant everyone else… everyone who’s not Jewish. In other words, Jesus came to save everyone who would believe… Jew and Gentile alike.
 
Now think about that - Jesus came to save his people from their sins. “His people” would have included a lot of very, so-called, “religious” people, not just those who were described as “sinners.” Jesus came to say that no one can be delivered from their sin by their own religious works, no matter how good. We’re all born in sin and our sins can never be atoned for by our religious works, whether they’re Jewish or Gentile good works. 
​
The Question
 
So, here’s the question for us. Maybe you’ve asked this yourself. Why couldn’t Jesus just parachute out of heaven as an adult and go straight to the Cross. The answer: because he had to be truly God and truly human. 
As God, he would be able to atone for the infinite transgression of sin and bridge the infinite gulf between God and us. As human, he would live a life, be tempted just like the rest of us, yet remain without sin.
 
And as a sinless human, a lamb without blemish, as John the Baptist called him, he could die in our place and take the punishment we deserved. You see, his life of perfect righteousness was just as important as his sacrificial death. Because if he were a sinner like the rest of us, then his death would not have even saved his life, much less ours.
 
By taking on human flesh and living among us, God revealed just how much he loves those he came to save. In one of my favorite hymns, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” Charles Wesley reminds us of this piercing truth,
 
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
 
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
 
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that we may no more may die,
 
Born to raise us from the earth,
Born to give us second birth.
 
Read Matthew 1:21 again,
 
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
 
Jesus was born for this. Talk about implications!
 
The birth of Jesus has eternal implications. It has temporal implications. It has implications for every sphere of your life.
 
Have you called out to Jesus to save you from your sins? And have you entrusted your life – given your whole existence to him? If not, let today be the day.
 
Thanks be to God for his holy and sacrificial love.
 
Walking Points

• What are some of the eternal implications of the birth of Jesus? How have those implications impacted your life, personally?
• What are some of the temporal implications of the birth of Jesus? How have those implications impacted your life, personally?
• What parts of your life are you still holding back from God? Why you think that is?
• What one thing will you do this week to turn those areas over to God so you can experience his transforming power in them?
• Spend some time this week praising and thanking God for the coming of Jesus. Find some hymns in a hymnal or online and sing or read them to celebrate what the birth of Jesus has meant for our world and for you personally.

God with Us
Luke 1:26-38
 
Magnificat

46 “My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me--
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.” (Luke 1:46-55)
 
That is how Mary responded a few days after she learned she would miraculously become pregnant and give birth to the Savior of the world.
 
Troubled
 
But her impulse was to be troubled and perplexed by her encounter with an angel. In Luke 1:28 we read,
 
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
 
How would you respond to an angelic visitation? Terrified? Bewildered? Break into a cold sweat? Faint? I think Mary being “troubled about the angel’s words and wondering about this divine greeting” is pretty rational and normal.
 
The angel clearly recognized this and quickly added,
 
“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
 
Mary Would…
 
The angel then proceeded to tell her the following…
 

• You will conceive and give birth to a son
• You are to call him Jesus.
• He will be great
• He will be called the Son of the Most High
• The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David
• He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever
• His kingdom will never end.

 
Oh, and this will all happen by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. And this baby you will carry for nine months and give birth to… he will be the Son of God.
 
Mary’s Immediate Reply
 
Well, we heard Mary’s response after a few days of reflection. But what was her immediate reply to this startling announcement? She said,
 
I am the Lord’s servant,” “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
 
Humility. Submission. Faith. Obedience.
 
Out of the millennia of human history and all the billions of people who have ever lived, God chose this young girl to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. And even at her young age and compromised situation (she was an unmarried virgin after all), she was able to say,
 
I am the Lord’s servant,” “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
 
How About You?
 
Would you be able to answer in the same way? If an angel appeared to you and said you would be part of something that was, humanly speaking, impossible – and would likely cost you your reputation and possibly your life – would you be able to say,
 
I am the Lord’s servant,” “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
 
Yet the truth is, Mary’s experience is not hers alone. One author put it this way,
 
For although her role is in one way unique, in that she alone physically nurtures and brings into the world the body and person of Jesus Christ, in another way Mary is the archetype of every Christian soul, and the whole church. (Malcolm Guite)
 
God desires each of us to answer his call in our lives with Mary’s words,
 
I am the Lord’s servant,” “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
 
Now, we will not be called to bear the Lord Jesus, but each of us is called to “treasure his words and the gift of his Spirit in our hearts and… in our daily lives.” (Malcolm Guite)
 
In this way Mary is our example and encouragement, especially during this Advent season, when we prepare for the arrival of our Savior.
 
The Secret
 
The secret to Mary’s success as well as ours, can be found in the words of the angel, for they are just as true for us as they were for Mary.
 
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (v. 28)
 
Think about that… “The Lord is with you.”
 
Do you believe that? In the deepest places in your heart, mind, and soul, do you really believe that? What difference would it make in your life if you really, truly believed that God was with you? That, like Mary, you were highly favored?
 
The Difference
 
I reflected on that question and brainstormed a few answers that blessed me. Knowing God is with me gives me…
 

• Hope
• Joy
• Comfort
• Strength
• Perseverance
• Confidence
• Humility
• Holiness

 
What would you add to that list? Each of those words and ideas could be sermon unto itself, couldn’t it? What would you add?
 
When I visit a hospital or hospice room, one of the things I always pray for is for God to be present in that person’s life at that moment. In truth, I am really reminding them that God is already present – fully present – right there, right then, and he has promised to never leave them nor forsake them.
 
But that is not a comforting word for hospital and hospice rooms only. That is a truth which should impact every single day of each of our lives.
 
The angel tells Mary she is highly “favored.” The Greek word for “favored” is “charis,” from which we get our word “grace.” Mary was an ordinary girl, whom God favored in a unique and spectacular way.
 
God Is with You Too
 
Yet that same favor – that same grace – is offered to each of us. It is available for the taking. Beloved, the good news is that God would not have you walk through the journey of this life alone.
 
God is with you. During the most turbulent times of your life, God is with you. During the most mundane and boring times in your life, God is with you. When you feel you are at your lowest, God is with you. When you feel most in despair, God is with you. When you are sick and struggling physically, God is with you. When you have lost a loved one and do not know how to face the future, God is with you. When you are confused and do not know which way to turn, God is with you. You too are highly favored by God.
 
In Matthew 1:23 we read these words,
 
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
 
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s many promises made hundreds of years before his arrival. God is the God who makes and keeps all his promises. And one of those promises is Jesus – Immanuel – God with us.
 
John Wesley
 
The founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, was on his deathbed being comforted by those who knew and loved him. And before he died, he “gathered his strength” one last time and “cried out, ‘The best of all, God is with us!’” He died soon after. (Kenneth Collins)
 
None of us need to wait until our deathbeds to be comforted or strengthened by the truth that God is with us. It can and should be a living reality for each us.
 
Yet for that good news to impact our lives we must believe it is true. We must place our trust in God and the good news of his Son. We must give our very lives to God and this precious gospel-truth.
 
A Year with Jesus
 
This coming new year, which cannot get here fast enough, I am going to provide a weekly biblical title or description of Jesus, accompanied by some Scripture and a question or two for reflection.
 
It is not homework. Instead, think of it as an opportunity for you to spend time with the God who is with you and to learn more about the Savior he sent into to the world for you.
 
The reality is, through God’s Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus Christ is with us each and every day. And I think spending a year reflecting on the many facets of the person and work of Jesus will do us all much and lasting good.
 
Joy of Every Longing Heart
 
Charles Wesley wrote these beautiful words,
 
Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
 
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (v. 28)
 
Thanks be to God.
 
Walking Points
 

• How would you respond to the news that God was going to do a truly miraculous work in and through your life?
• What words or ideas would you add to the list I started in response to the question: What difference would it make in your life if you really believed God was with you? Why did you choose those words or ideas?
• Join me in 2021 to reflect upon the person and work of Jesus Christ by looking at the titles and descriptions attributed to him in Scripture.

Freedom in Christ
 
 
Galatians 5:1 - It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
 
Memorial Day
 
Memorial Day is a special day in the life of our country, a day in which we remember those who died while serving in our armed forces. We can’t imagine all we the freedoms we now enjoy because of the ultimate sacrifice so many made on our behalf.
 
The sacrament of Holy Communion celebrates freedom of a different kind, one more significant, for no sacrifice was as great and all-encompassing as Christ’s atoning death for us.
 
Gospel Picture
 
I love celebrating the sacrament of Holy Communion, because in it, we get a beautiful picture of the Gospel.
 
We enjoy precious freedoms as Americans because of the sacrifices of men and women through the centuries. And we have precious freedom as Christians because of the work of Christ. And in Galatians 5:1, Paul highlights that freedom.
 
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Emphasis mine)
 
Freed to be Free
 
The freedom Paul’s talking about is our freedom from the burden or oppression of legalism, which Paul calls “slavery.” You see, it’s not the Law that Paul says is bad. When we understand God’s Law correctly, it’s good, even beautiful. That’s because God’s Law…
 

• Feeds us,
• Guides us,
• Draws us near to God,
• And encourages us.

 
But the way it was being used by the Legalists in Paul’s day was enslaving the Christians in Galatia. It was like a giant weight lying on top of a person, crushing them bit by bit by bit. And because of this oppressive legalism, the Galatian Christians could not enjoy their freedom in Christ. They couldn’t enjoy being liberated from their sin because they couldn’t keep the Law well enough for the Legalists.
 
Instead of flourishing and appreciating their new life in Christ, they were suffocating under the weight of the Law, wrongly understood, and the condemnation of sin that came from that false teaching.
 
They were in a bad way.
 
And so, Paul wrote to them and declared from the rooftop: Enough! The Law of God should never be used as an enslaving and oppressive weapon!
 
Furthermore, in addition to the wonderful things the Law does for us, that I listed above, it does something more.
 
It leads us to Christ. Like a school teacher, the Law teaches us, it shows us our need, it leads us to Christ, and Christ leads us to freedom. That’s why Paul said “it’s for freedom that Christ set us free. That sounds like he’s being redundant, but he’s saying something very important here.
 
He’s saying, “Christ didn’t set you free so you could remain a slave to sin. He didn’t set you free so you could become a legalist.” Through his work on the Cross, he set you free to become all you were created and called to be in Christ. Therefore, Paul wrote, “Don’t go back to a life of slavery to sin or legalism.
 
It’s that wonderful, freeing work of Christ on the Cross that we celebrate in Holy Communion.
 
So, what does that freeing work look like? I want to point out how the Cross frees us in our past, present, and future.
 
Freed from Our Past
 
First of all, the Cross of Christ frees us from our past. Here’s what I mean: We no longer need to live under the penalty of sin. We’ve been liberated from the condemnation our sin deserves.
 
Romans 8:1 says,
 
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
 
And that’s true because the work of Jesus paid for,  atoned for, our sinful and fallen condition. God no longer counts our sin against us. We no longer have to walk through life like poor Pilgrim in Pilgrim’s Progress did, with a giant bag of guilt and condemnation and sin weighing him down.
 
And so, when we read the liturgy for Holy Communion, and then receive the Bread and Cup, we ought do so with hearts full of gratitude for Christ’s work on the Cross.
 
Freed for Our Present
 
Second, the Cross of Christ frees us for our present. Just as Jesus freed us from the penalty of sin, his Cross also frees from the power of sin in our present.
 
Now, this doesn’t mean sin no longer has any power over us at all. It still has the power to influence our lives. Unfortunately, we’re not free from temptation. That’s still alive and all-to-well. However, we’re now free from the dominion of sin. In other words, before we were in Christ, we couldn’t help but sin. We had no real power to resist it. But now,  because of the work of Jesus, that dominion of sin in our lives has been defeated. We’ve been freed from it.
 
Not only that, but when we receive the Bread and Cup, we’re actually meeting with our Lord at his Table, in the present. Through his Holy Spirit we’re filled with his grace. That’s why John Wesley called Communion a “means of grace.” It’s a way in which we put ourselves in the way of God’s grace. You see, Holy Communion is a time when we’re strengthened by God’s Spirit and grace to live the life he’s called us to live.
 
Furthermore, Holy Communion reminds us we’re in this together. It’s not an expression of a Lone Ranger faith. Instead, we gather with all our brothers and sisters in our church family as well the Great Cloud of Witnesses of Hebrews 12.
 
Thus, in and through Holy Communion we remember the freedom we have from God to become all he created and called us to be, in the present, and in community.
 
Freed in the Future
 
Finally, the work of Jesus on the Cross, which includes his resurrection, reminds us that one day we’ll be free from the presence of sin in our lives. Holy Communion helps us to remember forward. It reminds us of a future where our Lord will dine with us at the Heavenly Banquet. The precious meal of the Bread and Cup is a foretaste of the Great Banquet that awaits us.
 
No longer will we be entangled with sin at all. It will be once and for all done away with. And as we move from this life to the life-to-come, we’ll live in the unveiled presence of our loving Savior. But we don’t have to wait for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom because we’re living in it right here and right now. That’s why Paul could write, “don’t let yourselves be burdened any longer by a yoke of slavery.
 
Therefore
 
Therefore, because of the love and work of Jesus for you…
 

1. You’re free from the bondage of legalism and the penalty of sin. So give thanks.

 

1. You’re free from the irresistible power of sin in your life. So pursue being all God created you to be in Christ.

 

1. And one day you’ll be completely free from the presence of sin. So live every day in joyful obedience to Christ our Lord with the living hope of those who love him.

 
And the good news we declare during Holy Communion becomes good news for you when you trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, when you repent of your sin and leave your sin at the altar, and when you go in his grace to live in joyful obedience for his glory.
 
Walking Points
 

• What sins from your past are still carrying with you? Why is that? Have you sought forgiveness from God? If so, why haven’t you accepted God’s forgiveness and relinquished your hold on your past sin?
• Are you enjoying the freedom from the dominion of sin in your life in your present? Why or why not? If not, what area(s) is tripping your up? Why is that the case? What can you do to start walking in victory in that area?
• Do you look forward to the day when you will be free from the presence of sin in your life? What do you think it will be like to live in the sinless presence of God? Do you believe you can start enjoying a life with less sin here and now? Why or why not? What will have to change in your life to do so?