July 04, 2012
Independence Day! For our country—fought for and won by man. For our lives—a gift freely given with the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Jesus rises from the dead. The efforts of man to prevent it could not keep God's will from prevailing. God's will WILL be done. The stone wasn't rolled away so Jesus could escape. It was rolled away so the women could see in and see for themselves that Jesus' body was no longer there. I love how God gives us little signs of "proof" all the time. These signs are meant to encourage, embolden, provide hope, give peace, strengthen, etc. These signs come as we go about our lives doing the "right" things.
The women were on their way to do the "right" thing—prepare Jesus' body for burial. Because they were doing what is right, they got to see with their own eyes that the stone was removed and Jesus was gone. An angel came to them, "Don't be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here. He has risen from the dead. Come and see the place where his body was. Go... tell..." (Matthew 28:6–7) When we are on the right path and doing God's will, we are rewarded with God revealing Himself (come...see) and we cannot keep what we have seen to ourselves (go...tell).
The women obeyed and left to tell the others. They were still a little fearful, but mostly, they were filled with complete joy. They were on the right path doing the right things and they were privileged to see truth revealed. They obeyed the instructions they were given and they received the honor of seeing Jesus—THE Christ and Risen Savior—face to face. Jesus said to them, "Greetings." They fell down and worshiped Him and Jesus said, "Don't be afraid. Go and tell..." Don't be afraid. Go. Tell. Worship first (what Jane taught us), then don't keep what you have been given to yourself. GO. TELL. The blessings we receive from God are never intended just for us. We must GO. We must TELL. But before going or telling, we must WORSHIP.
The soldiers (who had been guarding the sealed tomb), went to the city to tell the leaders and priests what had happened. So what did the leaders and priests do? Did they recognize truth? Did they repent? No. They got together, strategized, and (NIV) "devised a plan." (Psalm 140:1–2 - "Rescue me O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.") Their plan? Pay a lot of money and lie about what happened.
They were just determined (fueled by jealousy and envy – Matthew 27:18), to bring everything Jesus said, did, and/or prophesied down. They were obsessed with "getting" Him and would stop at nothing. They were threatened by His ability. They were threatened by WHO He was. They were threatened by God. They wanted to be in charge of their own lives, do their own thing, obey the laws they wanted to obey, and set their own rules. To come face to face with God would mean they would have to obey Ezekiel 18:30–32 and "Change your hearts... stop your sinning... get for yourselves a hew heart... a new way of thinking." They didn't want to submit to God's authority, so they denied God's authority, and paid a large sum of money to perpetuate a lie and deny truth.
Amazing how today's sins are the exact same as the sins recorded in the Bible. There are no "new" sins. It all goes back to one thing—SELF. Wanting to be in control and refusing to submit to God's authority. So, they devised a plan; paid a large sum of money to implement it; knew it was wrong but promised to do whatever necessary to make their plan work; and the wheels were put into motion. And to this day, some have chosen to believe the lie.
Jesus meets with His followers and gives them the great commission found in Matthew 28:18–20.
Next Entry: Mark 1:1–45
Independence Day! For our country—fought for and won by man. For our lives—a gift freely given with the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Jesus rises from the dead. The efforts of man to prevent it could not keep God's will from prevailing. God's will WILL be done. The stone wasn't rolled away so Jesus could escape. It was rolled away so the women could see in and see for themselves that Jesus' body was no longer there. I love how God gives us little signs of "proof" all the time. These signs are meant to encourage, embolden, provide hope, give peace, strengthen, etc. These signs come as we go about our lives doing the "right" things.
The women were on their way to do the "right" thing—prepare Jesus' body for burial. Because they were doing what is right, they got to see with their own eyes that the stone was removed and Jesus was gone. An angel came to them, "Don't be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here. He has risen from the dead. Come and see the place where his body was. Go... tell..." (Matthew 28:6–7) When we are on the right path and doing God's will, we are rewarded with God revealing Himself (come...see) and we cannot keep what we have seen to ourselves (go...tell).
The women obeyed and left to tell the others. They were still a little fearful, but mostly, they were filled with complete joy. They were on the right path doing the right things and they were privileged to see truth revealed. They obeyed the instructions they were given and they received the honor of seeing Jesus—THE Christ and Risen Savior—face to face. Jesus said to them, "Greetings." They fell down and worshiped Him and Jesus said, "Don't be afraid. Go and tell..." Don't be afraid. Go. Tell. Worship first (what Jane taught us), then don't keep what you have been given to yourself. GO. TELL. The blessings we receive from God are never intended just for us. We must GO. We must TELL. But before going or telling, we must WORSHIP.
The soldiers (who had been guarding the sealed tomb), went to the city to tell the leaders and priests what had happened. So what did the leaders and priests do? Did they recognize truth? Did they repent? No. They got together, strategized, and (NIV) "devised a plan." (Psalm 140:1–2 - "Rescue me O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.") Their plan? Pay a lot of money and lie about what happened.
They were just determined (fueled by jealousy and envy – Matthew 27:18), to bring everything Jesus said, did, and/or prophesied down. They were obsessed with "getting" Him and would stop at nothing. They were threatened by His ability. They were threatened by WHO He was. They were threatened by God. They wanted to be in charge of their own lives, do their own thing, obey the laws they wanted to obey, and set their own rules. To come face to face with God would mean they would have to obey Ezekiel 18:30–32 and "Change your hearts... stop your sinning... get for yourselves a hew heart... a new way of thinking." They didn't want to submit to God's authority, so they denied God's authority, and paid a large sum of money to perpetuate a lie and deny truth.
Amazing how today's sins are the exact same as the sins recorded in the Bible. There are no "new" sins. It all goes back to one thing—SELF. Wanting to be in control and refusing to submit to God's authority. So, they devised a plan; paid a large sum of money to implement it; knew it was wrong but promised to do whatever necessary to make their plan work; and the wheels were put into motion. And to this day, some have chosen to believe the lie.
Jesus meets with His followers and gives them the great commission found in Matthew 28:18–20.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of this age." (emphasis mine)Go. Make. Teach. I will be with you always. But! Before the great commission was given by Jesus to His followers there was something that happened FIRST—worship. Matthew 28:17 - "On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshiped him." Worship—the act of acknowledging the attributes of who God is. After worship comes blessings.
"Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with the tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD." Psalm 150Life Lesson for Matthew 28:
The lesson? Three words. Don't give up.
Is the trail dark? Don't sit.
Is the road long? Don't stop.
Is the night black? Don't quit.
God is watching. For all you know right at this moment he may be telling the angel to move the stone.
The check may be in the mail.
The apology may be in the making.
The job contract may be on the desk.
Don't quit. For if you do, you may miss the answer to your prayers.
God still sends angels. And God still moves stones.
From ~ He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado
Next Entry: Mark 1:1–45
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