Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Monday, March 11, 2013

Afraid, Yet Joyful


Monday, March 11, 2013, 7:30 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Servant of the Lord” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Matthew 26-28, most of which I will summarize.

Rise and Go

After Jesus prayed at Gethsemane, he went back to his disciples, chided them for still being asleep, and then he called them to rise and to go, because the time was near and his betrayer was now coming.

I believe Jesus Christ is giving much the same message to his apathetic, comfortable, lazy, socially acceptable and culturally relevant church of today. He is telling them to rise from their spiritual slumber, to realize the nearness of the time of his return, and that our betrayer (Satan and his antichrist) is on the way. We need to stop being consumed with the things of this world and we need to be about the Master’s business.

Judas arrived with a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Judas gave the kiss of betrayal, signaling that Jesus was the one to be arrested. Then the men seized Jesus and arrested him.

Some of our greatest enemies may be from among our own people, from our closest friends and companions, and/or from our own church and government leadership. So, we need to be spiritually awake and discerning so that we are not caught up in a lie, and so we don’t fall prey to the great deceiver. We need to daily be in God’s word, seeking his face, repenting of any known sin, asking for guidance and wisdom from above, and willing to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience and surrender to his will for our lives.

Divine Providence

Everything that happened to Jesus was a fulfillment of scripture, for the prophets of old had prophesied that these things would take place (ex: Is. 53). It was God’s will that Jesus should be taken away to be crucified on a cross, because this was his plan of redemption for the people of the world.

God has a purpose and a will for each one of our lives, too, that he had planned for us even before he formed us in the wombs of our mothers (see Ps. 139). Most of what he has planned for us can be found in scripture. He has planned that we should all be given the opportunity to accept his Son, to die to our old ways of living for self and sin, and that we should live holy lives pleasing to God. And, in seeking his face and in being willing to obey what he shows us, he will also reveal his specific will for each one of our lives, too.

When Jesus was crucified, he took upon himself the sins of the entire world. When he died, our sins died with him, and when he was raised from the dead, he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin, triumphing over them by the cross. He went through all of this so that you and I would no longer be slaves to sin, but so we would be alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Go Quickly!

After Jesus had risen from the dead, Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary” went to look at the tomb. An angel of the Lord spoke to them. He told them that they were to not be afraid, and that Jesus had risen from the dead. He invited them to look inside the empty tomb, and then he instructed them to go quickly and tell Jesus’ disciples that he had risen from the dead. So, the women “hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Jesus met them on their way. He told them: “Do not be afraid. Go, and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

I believe these messages to these women are still relevant to our lives and witness today. First of all, we should not be afraid, but we should trust the Lord Jesus. But, even if we should feel fear, which they did, we should go in faith and do what the Lord Jesus commands us to do, and believe he will take away our fear. I read a book a few years back called “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.” That says it!

The next thing I see in these messages is that the women, even trembling in their boots, so to speak, did what the angel of the Lord and what the Lord Jesus told them to do. Not only did they obey, but they obeyed immediately and quickly (they hurried), enthusiastically (they ran to tell) and joyfully, even though they felt fear in their hearts.

Lastly, what I get out of this section of scripture is that they were instructed not only to not fear, to go quickly, and to tell the good news, but they were instructed to tell where the disciples could go to meet with or to see Jesus. What stood out to me about this is that not only are we to tell others the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but we are to tell them how they can meet Jesus.

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must disallow or negate his self-life, he must daily forsake (die to) sin and self, and he must follow the Lord Jesus in obedience (see Luke 9:23-25). This is how we find Jesus. God, speaking through Paul, said that the way in which we come to know Christ is through dying to (forsaking; putting off) our old lives of living for sin and self, by being transformed in heart and mind (the working of the Spirit), and by putting on our new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Eph. 4:17-24). So, faith in Jesus Christ involves both repentance (dying to sin and self) and obedience (following Jesus Christ in holiness).

Opposition

While the women were on their way to tell the disciples, some of the guards reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. The chief priests and the elders met together and they concocted a lie saying that Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole him away while the guards were asleep.

Satan is always working against us in opposing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he will devise all kinds of lies in order to lead people astray and to try to convince them that the true gospel of Jesus Christ is a lie. And, he often works through religious leaders, who are and who can be some of the strongest opponents and adversaries to the true gospel of Christ. And, we have to know that as we step out in obedience to our Lord (while we are on our way), that opposition is going to come, yet we should allow it to strengthen us in our resolve to keep moving forward, and not allow it to discourage and to defeat us.

All Authority

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We don’t have to ever be afraid to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, because we have the authority of Jesus Christ and his word behind us if we are teaching the true gospel. So, on the basis of the authority of Jesus Christ – the Word – we are to “go.” Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ has to be a conscious decision on our part to do so, and we have to purposefully plan for this as a part of our daily lives. We have to actively be involved in purposeful evangelism, in other words.

Not only are we to go, and are we to share the good news, and are we to do so immediately, enthusiastically and joyfully, but we are not to just stop with sharing how people can come to know Jesus Christ, but we are to teach them how to obey his commands. This is called discipleship. And, this is what we are commanded to do, so we should all be doing it if we are true followers of Jesus Christ ourselves. In other words, we have a responsibility not just to evangelize, but to help new believers to grow in their faith until they can become mature disciples of Jesus Christ. So, let’s be about the Master’s work.

Servant of the Lord / An Original Work / July 26, 2012

Based off Romans 1:1-17 NIV

Servant of the Lord;
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.
Through Him, and for His name alone,
We receive His grace
To call people, Him to obey;
Coming from their faith.
Servant of the Lord,
For the gospel you’re set apart.
Promised through the prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.

You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ;
Always praying for others’ needs;
Helping hand to lend;
Giving courage to others’ faith,
For the praise of God.
You belong to Christ;
Loved by God, and called to be saints;
Serving God with whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus Christ.

Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.
In the gospel find righteousness:
Being right with God.
Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.
By faith, live in Him.
Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;
For salvation, power of God
To those who have faith.

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