Hold On to What You Have, Thyatira

 Scripture: Revelation 2:18-29, Jeremiah 14:11-16

 We have all heard others say, or at least imply, that because they are good people, that this will be enough.  They come to church fairly often, and even put some money in the collection plate when they can.  And just because they have never made a commitment to discipleship in Jesus, is that any reason for them to miss out on eternity?  After all, aren’t there many ways to get to heaven?

 In today’s message that God offers to the church in Thyatira, the people are initially praised for all that they continue to do in the church, and yet, we will also discover that they are still missing out in so many other ways.  In Matthew 16:23, Jesus tells us that Satan is a stumbling block, even to Him, and that the Devil only has human issues in mind, and never considers those that are of God!

 But does the Lord mean that we are never to be concerned about human things?  There will always be certain human issues that we will need, such as food, shelter, clothing, employment, and so on.  But I believe that the point Jesus is making is that when we trust in God’s providential love, that we will never be lacking in anything that we truly need in this life. 

 And in that trust, we are called to believe that all that God commands, and all that Jesus has taught, are also issues that we are desperately in need of, and faith involves acceptance of the word that comes from our Lord, and not that which reflects worldly ways and attitudes.

 So what did Thyatira do to please the Lord, and where did they go wrong and lose out on God’s joy?

 Read Revelation 2:18-19

 It would appear, from first glance, that the church is on the right track, and that their faith is growing stronger, and the words that come directly from the Son of God are truly words of encouragement for the church.  But why might an increase in their deeds, their love and faith, their service and perseverance, all that the church in Thyatira is showing must still be falling short of what God expects from His people?  Shouldn’t this be sufficient?

 At the end of this passage, we read that they are “doing more than they did at first.”  But what might that lead reference to the eyes and feet of Christ tell us about the church?  The reference to “blazing eyes” might almost be seen as a “piercing gaze”, one that sees everything within the lives of the people, and will sort it all out in judgment of all that they, and we, do.  As for the feet that were like “burnished bronze”, this description seems to reflect the quality of many of the furnishings that were placed in the temple of Solomon’s time (1 Kings7:13-47).  So together, these two descriptives tell us that God’s vision is not only perfect, but it is holy and worthy of our obedience.

 God knows all that our lives are about, whether good and right, or lacking in any goodness whatsoever, and He sees the difference between those good and faithful acts and those that are not.  And what will He do about these differences?  If we have repented of those things that are not of Him, He will forgive, but if we have yet to confess our failure to follow His way, it will be as though there is no goodness at all.

 God is never one to compromise on His truth – it is what it is, and will never change! 

 Read Revelation 2:20-29

 This is one more example of what false prophets and teachers, can do to a church, and it all revolves around worldly deception!  Satan has always been in competition with God, never satisfied with being obedient, never satisfied with submission to the Father’s will and way, never willing to admit that he can never win.  So he has chosen to be second best, convincing as many of God’s people as he possibly can that listening to, and being accepting of, God’s truth will never be as enjoyable as what he can offer.  The truth is that those who teach must be very careful in what they proclaim (James 3:1).

 And for Satan, that will be good enough!  He knows that he has already lost, and will be condemned for the evil that he has brought upon the people of Earth, but if he can’t be God, he will be satisfied if he can deceive God’s created order sufficiently to make them turn against the Lord, just as he has been doing since creation was completed.

 And whether the reference to Jezebel is actually a real woman’s name, or if it is simply a descriptive reference to the queen of Israel that we read about in 1 Kings 18, it is just as appropriate, either way.  Queen Jezebel and her 850 priests of Baal and Asherah were, without a doubt, servants of Satan and his lies, and we can only surmise as to the extent of their fraud against the people of Israel. 

 But isn’t this the purpose behind scripture?  It not only reveals the love and mercy that God has for all people, as well as for His Church, but it also exposes the hatred and treachery behind those who have taken a stand in direct opposition to the truth of God.  And as we know all too well, their wicked efforts have been quite successful throughout the centuries.  Even today, the Jezebel’s of this world continue to thrive within the society and culture where we live.  It makes you wonder, though, that if Satan’s lies can generate such a great following through false hope, why can’t the Church garner an even greater interest in the truth of Jesus?

 The reason may very well be that Satan’s indoctrination has been able to worm its evil way even into the Church!  And because some in the Church have caused others to lose their desire to stand strong and faithful in the teachings of Jesus Christ, courage in the Lord has waned, and fears of ridicule and hatred have grown. 

 And yet, there is one more important issue in this message - that there is still hope for those “who overcome and do [God’s] will to the end.”.  It is important that followers of Jesus Christ are involved in performing good works in the Lord’s name, but just as important is the faith that enables us to follow Him in all of His teachings.  As critical as each of these individual avenues are in our walk with the Lord, we must be diligent that neither one becomes more urgent than the other, or has a greater focus in our relationship with God.  Both are vital in our living a life of love and truth for God and others.

 Read Jeremiah 14:11-16

 And one more issue that we must be alert to in the teachings of false prophets - those “Jezebels”, if you will.  Jeremiah reminds us that these false teachings will not only be calls to see those things that scripture calls sin, as normal and even holy ways of life, but that we are to also to be aware of their lies regarding the source of these false words.  Remember Jesus’ words in John 16:12-14, where we are told that the Spirit will, first of all, only proclaim the truth of God, and secondly, that each and every proclamation that comes from the Spirit has been sent directly from Jesus Himself. 

 This gives us the opportunity to test every word that is questionable and doesn’t seem to fit with the Lord’s teaching. And when they don’t, challenge them for being the deceitful lies that they are.  God tells us to not even try to pray for blessings on these people, as He won’t be listening.  The only prayer that we should be lifting up for them is that they would understand the truth of what they are doing, and repent of their evil and errant ways.

 Our God is a good, and loving, and merciful Lord, unless, that is, the words that have been spoken, and have come to His “ears” are ones of insult, and denigration, and denial of His way.  And when it does, “He will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.” 

Remember the admonition that the church in Ephesus received - never forsake your first love (Revelation 2:4).  Hold tightly to the faith that first inspired you to come to Jesus, and never let it go.

Never let that first hope, that first inspiration, that first love that you found in Christ Jesus, ever be destroyed by the Jezebel's who Satan sends to steal you away!

"Repent and Overcome - Pergamum"

 Scripture:   Revelation 2:12-17,  Romans 2:1-8

Today we will be considering God’s message to the church at Pergamum, and it will be a message that every church and every Christian should hear very clearly.  The Lord’s desire is, simply, that all would look to Him for guidance in their life, that they would trust in His wisdom, His truth, His divine way, and His hope.  Unfortunately, many want to have their own way, and don’t like the idea that they should have to follow God’s directions regarding how to live a true and faithful life. 

 For some strange reason, those who choose to adhere to a worldly vision of life, think that the Lord should be willing to accept them as they are, without surrender, without submission, without conforming to the word of God that is found in scripture.  But the truth is that God’s creation, whether that of heaven or earth, is His to define and His to establish the way of access in any way He desires.  And just because we may disagree with His purposes and ways, is no reason to think that we have the right to change the Lord’s commandments.  Isaiah 55:6-9 tells us that even though we may not understand or agree with the ways of the Lord, that is no excuse for thinking that our way is better!  Because it isn’t!

 The only way out of the mess that we create is first of all, repentance, and secondly, through obedience to God’s will and word.

 Read Revelation 2:12-17

 God’s message to the church in Pergamum begins with a compliment, that most of the people have managed to remain faithful, in spite of the presence of evil within the city.  But from a human viewpoint, it always seems easier to follow the loudest voice, regardless of the message that it carries!  Volume can be intimidating and even threatening at times.  But unfortunately, the “hearing impaired”, those who only pay attention to that which is loudest, aren’t interested in the truth – only in the safest, the most common, and the logical way.  But we must never believe that this could ever be the voice of God.

 In 1 Kings 19:1-14, we read that familiar passage in which Elijah has fled in fear from Queen Jezebel, and is trying to hide inside a cave on Mount Horeb.  The Lord came to the prophet and told him that he was about to receive God’s response to the fear that had been driving his life.  First, though, there would be three very “loud and powerful” events that would shake the very foundations of the land, but God’s word wouldn’t be in any of them – not in the violent wind, not in the earthquake, and not in the fire.  So where was the divine message that had been promised?  It was in the fourth and final event of that day – it was in the Lord’s “gentle whisper”.  God will always come to us in a gentle and loving way, while the ways of earth come violently, dangerously, harshly and destructively. 

 “Loud” will never be the Lord’s way, but it will be the means that evil uses to frighten us into submission to its way.  The world uses persecution, and threats, and embarrassment, and fear to make us abandon faith and trust in Christ, and accept Satan’s evil in its place.  But the Lord will always have a word of encouragement for us that is anything but loud, abrupt, or scary!  But we have to be ready to hear those loving and caring words that remind us that God’s desire is to always be part of our lives.

 We must always keep our hearing in focus with God’s “whisper”, otherwise the noise of this world will drown out the true words that will be our best and eternal hope.  That was Pergamum’s problem.  Some were focused on the evil noise that came from the world’s voice, and the church never called them to account for the sin that they were living and teaching.  It appears that with God, there no such thing as “good enough”!  For the Lord, it must be complete.

 Luke 17:1 – “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. “  and in Matthew 15:14  “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”  When the church and its leadership know that false teaching is being offered within its bounds, whether they are responsible for it or not, and they do nothing to oppose it, or fail to call the false teaching to account, the sin is just as much theirs as it is in those who are living it.

 Read Romans 2:1-8

 This passage, at face value, is about our judgment of others.  But in the context of God’s message to the church at Pergamum, it is also a judgment on those who know God’s word but fail to proclaim it to those who walking in a totally different direction!  We don’t do the judging of what is right or wrong, but we are to be decerning of what the Lord has given as His word for our lives.

 Verse 4 in this passage reminds us just what God’s grace and mercy is all about – that it isn’t so much about the end result of our reconciliation to God’s presence, but rather the first step – that of repentance!  But along with repentance, there is also the issue of superiority, or the attitude that anyone is better, or worse, than anyone else – Romans 3:22-24, “we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God”!  No one is better than anyone else!  This also fits into our condemnation through personal judgment toward others.  Judgment is for God alone.  No one is superior, except God.  No one is perfect, except God.  No one restores us to glory, except God.  And it all comes to us through the loving kindness of our precious, eternal, and Almighty God.

 And the next verse, verse 5, confirms what Jesus told us in John 3:16-17 – that Jesus came into this plane of existence as Savior, not as Condemner.  The first and primary condemnation that becomes ours is through our own actions, attitudes and lives, and not by divine judgment.  So how do we find our way home to glory if we have already been condemned, with practically nothing that we can do to make it right?  The only option we have available is to confess our sin, to make a personal acknowledgement of those acts we have committed against God, and repent of those ways through our commitment to strive to put those attitudes and actions completely out of our life. 

 So where was the church in Pergamum falling short?  First, they were failing to follow Jesus’ 3^rd aspect of discipleship – “teach others to obey everything that I have commanded” (Matthew28:18-20).  Second, church leaders (the angel(s) who these words were addressed to), weren’t making any effort to hold others accountable to true faith.  And third, because of the failures that had become so obvious in items 1 and 2, false teaching was growing stronger and more common within the church.  And there was no one left to bring them back from the precipice of no return – not even the limited expressions of faith that the Lord already knew existed would help them one tiny bit!

 That’s what will come our way, when we try to give others room to do whatever they wish to do.  In Judges 2:1-3, Israel was chastised for making covenants with other peoples, even after the Lord told them to only be true to Him.  God knows that when we develop a relationship with others who follow diverse ways, that it won’t be long before we begin to see their ways as being acceptable for our own lives.  The point is that we must always make the way of Jesus Christ our first priority, as we reach out into the world to share the word of God with those who have yet to come to Christ for their salvation.

 When we stay true to the teachings and commands of Jesus, and repent of those things that aren’t of His way, it is then, and only then, that the truth of the Lord will prevail within and through us, and the condemnation of sin will be overthrown. 

 May the Christ be glorified through all that we give for the lives of others.

"You've Forsaken Your First Love - Ephesus"

 Scripture:   Revelation2:1-7, 1 John 4:19-21

As we begin this new series of messages, we will be focusing on the lessons that come to us from the word that God gave to the 7 churches of Revelation.  Each one has, generally, something good that God wishes to commend them for, as well as some shortcomings that are named in no uncertain terms.  There are two exceptions though – there is one church that only receives praises and no corrections, as well as one that only receives rebukes, and no praises.  But more on each of these in later messages.

 But the one word that every one of the seven has in common is this – if you have an ear to hear, then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.  At first glance, you might think that the divine observations that are handed down in these initial chapters of Revelation are for the seven churches alone, but the truth is that they are actually Godly advice for all churches, both then, as well as now and beyond! 

 We will notice that each message is addressed to “the angel” of each specific church.  But since God’s heavenly host wouldn’t need to be informed this way (they would already know!), I believe that each reference to “the angel of the church” is being directed toward the leadership of each congregation.

 And why the churches, and not to the people directly?  It is the church’s responsibility to be discerning of the difference between the one who is teaching the truth of God, and the one who is a false prophet, the “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, if you will. 

 In the gospels, Jesus, over and over again, speaks a warning against false teachings and for those who are involved in heretical instruction.  In Matthew24:10-12, we read these words from Jesus - “¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…”

 The Church must always be on the alert for any teaching that falls short of that which Jesus offered, as well as the truth of God that the prophets and the epistle writers shared throughout scripture.  And as we venture into the messages behind God’s word to these seven churches, we will consider what the words for each say to the Church of today.

 Read Revelation 2:1-7

 Paul had spent several years in Ephesus, and held an affection for the church that he had founded there.  He may have even used that city as a home base as he reached out to other communities in that region of Asia Minor, which today is the nation of Turkey.  As we read through Paul’s letter to that church, that which we now know as the book of Ephesians, we see a message of strengthening and faith for this church.  Paul, very likely, wrote that letter while in a Roman prison awaiting his execution, and while still under his tutelage, Ephesus may have been growing and gaining in grace and faith.  But what happened to them after Paul’s encouragement and support ended? 

 In the book of Judges, we see that while each of the Judges were alive and actively leading the people, faith was, typically, strong and true, but what happened as soon as the Judge died, and before a new leader was raised up?  “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (Judges 6:1a, as an example)  Its very possible that this is exactly what happened in Ephesus.

 Revelation seems to indicate that faith had been strong in Ephesus, at least for a portion of the 30 to 40 years after Paul wrote his letter to that church!  They had been discerning of what was faithful teaching and what was not.  They were diligent in their work on behalf of the kingdom of God.  They even “endured hardships” during those times of persecution that came at them from the world’s hatred of Jesus Christ.  Grace had seen them through some very trying times, and yet, without a continuing true faith and strength within the church’s leadership, even the most faithful would be susceptible to the world’s lies!

 And when we fall away from the faith that sustains the church in times of Godly service, the Lord describes this separation as forsaking our first love.  The truth is that whether in our human relationships, or in our commitment to God in Christ, love requires dedication and continuous renewal if it is to survive the “storms” of this world.  While this constant call to renewal must be a major responsibility of the church’s senior leaders, leadership is far more than that which is upon just one person – it will be the charge that many have been given. 

 So how do we get back into the good graces of God when we have fallen so far?  The Lord tells us all to “Repent and do the things you did at first.”  When we give our lives to Christ, and begin to learn and follow the ways that He has lived and professed, we need to strive to remain on that track.  Unfortunately, over confidence, self-assurance, personal pride, and worldly influence will always be at work within us, to overcome and replace the love that we once had for our Lord and Savior with sinful thoughts and false faith.

 Repentance for our sins, and a return to truly loving God and His ways, is the only way for the wayward traveler, and when we rededicate our lives to the Lord Jesus, we are told that we will, once again, be granted the “right to eat from the tree of life”. 

 And this will always be our hope!

 Read 1 John 4:19-21

 This passage fits so very well with Jesus’ response to the question that the Pharisees asked Him in Matthew22:34-40 - which was, what is the greatest commandment within the law?  Basically, Jesus’ answer is to live our life in the same way that He did – first, love God, and then through that love, to love others!  If either one of those loves is weak, if either of these loves is missing, then there is no true love within us.  And when John speaks about “hating” another, it isn’t actually describing the emotion of hatred, but rather simply the lack of love for any other person.  

 The love that we feel and share with others originates with God, as His love is the example that helps each of us to love in His way!  Unfortunately, the world’s version of love is so worn and weary, that unbelievers are unable to understand the difference between pure Godly love and the human form that is so far removed from the way of the Lord that His is nearly always rejected as a falsehood!

 The problem that humanity has with loving in the way that Jesus loved, is that it is so vast, so diverse, so inclusive, so multi-faceted, so perfect that there is no human way to duplicate it, let alone understand it.  Our only hope of loving God as deeply as He has loved us, is through our love for His Son Jesus – for all that He has done, in all that He has taught, in ways that He has called us to live and love, in as powerful a way as we possibly can.  And when we don’t, whether intentionally or not, we have denied the love that the Lord has first showed to each and every person on the face of the Earth.

 This is the first true love that we will ever know, and it is our responsibility to never love in any other way as long as we live in this lifetime and beyond. 

 

“The First Testimony”

 Scripture:   John 20:1-18  

Easter!

Easter is a time of glorious amazement, but for the earliest believers, they weren’t quite sure as to what they should do about it!  That first Easter Sunday morning had dawned in a way that was so far beyond what they had always known and trusted, that they didn’t know what to think!  The previous week had taken them on so many emotional ups and downs that they didn’t have any idea as to what they should do next.  So they just went into hiding.

 But truthfully, this day should have been a time to begin reflecting on what their Lord and Teacher had been revealing to them during the past three years.  It didn’t make much sense when they first heard those words, but now, Jesus’ words would begin to ring true within all of them. And as time went on, and as the power of God’s Spirit began working within and through their lives, their memories of those days, and the truth that was in all that Jesus had taught them began to grow and fill their lives.

 And it all began to come together on that Resurrection Sunday.  And who would be the first to understand and begin to spread the word that it was all coming true?

 Read John 20:1-18

 It would have been so easy for the Christ to leave Earth and go directly back to heaven, but during the next several weeks, He received the opportunity to bring the last three years into sharper focus for His followers.  In 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, we read that His subsequent appearings blessed over five hundred of His closest followers, preparing each one for the specific call that would soon be placed upon each of their faithful lives.

 But even this wouldn’t be the beginning of their faithful service – a woman, Mary Magdalene, the one who Jesus had freed from the power of seven demons (Luke 8:1-3), would be the first to meet the Risen Christ in the garden where the empty tomb had awaited her.  Mary would be the perfect example of all that God would do to strengthen those who loved His Son.  And what would He do for her?

 When she gazed into the tomb, did she see Jesus’ body?  No.  He was Risen!  Was the emptiness overpowering for her?  Not exactly.  But it certainly had a very powerful impact on her heart! The angels would care for her sorrow through word and deed.  They would be the first to let the woman know that a power beyond anything that she had ever known, including that day when she was released from satan’s grasp, was at work in her life, even in that very trying moment. 

 She had been at the cross of Christ two days before with the other women, and had seen the way that He so lovingly had given up His life.  But her discovery on Sunday, that the Lord’s body was nowhere to be seen, just added an even greater burden to this life that was already broken in spirit.  But everything was about to change for this faithful woman.

 Her initial, unbearable report, that Christ’s body had been stolen, was about to change from one of heart-break and despair, to one of overwhelming joy. And it was then that she met the man, who, at first, she thought was the garden’s caretaker, until He called her by name, that is.  And it was then that Mary knew why there was no dead body in the tomb – it was because that place was no place for the living – her Lord and Savior was alive!

 And when the woman called back to her Lord by name – “Rabboni” - it was a way of acknowledging, without a doubt, that Jesus was alive and standing right in front of her, more real and more alive than even she was.  As for the Lord’s admonition to “not hold on to me”, His next thought was that instead of remaining so totally focused on the miracle of His new existence and the carrying out of all that Jesus had taught them, that she should be telling as many others as she could that she had just seen the Living Lord!  Some folks believe that by “holding on” to Him, that Mary might, in some unspecified way, be preventing Jesus from returning to the Father, which He wouldn’t finally do until shortly before Pentecost.  And regardless, no human being could ever have prevented Christ from following the divine Plan that was already in motion, no matter what they did.

 So Mary would hurry to the place where the disciples were hiding, and she offers the first testimony of all time to Christ’s resurrection from the dead, with the words “I have seen the Lord!”  At her first announcement that His body was missing, John and Peter rushed to the tomb to see for themselves, but all that they saw was emptiness, and they couldn’t understand the significance that lay right before their eyes.  But now, everything was beginning to make sense, and started to revive their struggling hearts.

 But Jesus had only just begun His proving to the faithful that He really was alive, and not just missing.  As He came to each person, He not only revealed Himself to them, but He also charged each one with the words that they needed to hear.  When He appeared to the disciples later that evening, they were told “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  They were to leave their hiding place, and go to reach out to all who had yet to come to know the Lord and His ways. 

 A week or so later, when Thomas had returned to the group, Jesus came to him, and told him “Stop doubting and believe.”  The group as a whole needed to understand that they were to be carrying on with the ministry that the Father had given to His Son, and that the Son was now passing that task on to His followers.  When He spoke to Thomas with different words, the man would come to realize that faith didn’t always involve physical proof, and yet that would be exactly what Jesus would give him. 

 And from that time on, believers have been called with the very words that each have needed to hear.  In my case, the Lord knew that I needed to hear “Trust Me” – words that made all the difference in my walk with Him.  And from Christ’s individual commands for each of us, we not only receive our own word of encouragement, but we also receive the command that He gave to the disciples - that we, too, are being sent out into the world to proclaim the hope, the promise, and the way of Jesus Christ. 

 Mary may have been the first to testify as to who the Lord Jesus had become for her, and later, the disciples would begin to offer the same thing in their own personal ways.  But the call never stopped with them.  Believers have responded in the same way ever since the day of Christ’s resurrection, and have been living out the call that Christ has placed on the lives that have been offered to Him in faith.

 We are all being “sent” out by Christ to witness to the people of Earth, that they, too, might come to understand what God may be saying to them.  In our testimonies to each other during Sunday morning worship, we are preparing each other to follow the word that Jesus has for each one of us individually.  And all that we need to do is to claim His call, and to follow His lead.  And just as Jesus has always done, He will provide everything else that our service in His name requires.

 It's all about faith, and yes, Jesus always calls the most unusual of people to fulfill His needs. And yes again, He is always right in calling both you and me, whether we think so or not!  And all that He asks of us, is to go where He is, and to share the word that He has placed in our lives with those who are still seeking His grace and way for themselves.

 After all, that’s not such a difficult thing to do, is it!

 

"Out of Nothing, Everything Else"

 Scripture:   Philippians 2:5-11, Mark 14:53-62, Isaiah 50:7-9  

 On that first Palm Sunday, the people may have been rejoicing, but I seriously doubt that Jesus was focused on the praises that they were offering Him!  He knew very well what was awaiting Him within the next few short days.  There would be arrest and false charges brought against Him; there would be lies told about Him in Sanhedrin court; one of His own disciples would betray Him, and another would deny ever knowing Him, and many others would hide in abject fear for their lives; there would be indescribable pain from an agonizing beating; then a humiliating and excruciating crucifixion on Calvary’s Tree; and a human death that God had never experienced before.

 And Jesus knew that it all was planned and necessary since the beginning of time, that His suffering would become the hope and redemption for creation’s people.  He also knew that many of them would also have to suffer in the same way that He would soon have to, but that the Father’s love and glory was waiting, not only for Him, but for all who would trust in the way that He had been proclaiming and living during the past few years.

 But through it all, He knew that it had to be done, for the Father was counting on Him to be Redeemer and Savior for those who had no other way open to them - even though they would struggle and doubt and hesitate to love and trust in what He was about to do for them.  And it would be the love that He, too, would show to the world, that strengthened and heartened Him to carry out the plan of salvation for those who would simply believe and trust in all that would come to be in those next few days.

 Read Philippians 2:5-11

 Jesus, Son of God and glory of heaven, left it all behind in order to become nothing in Himself, and everything for you and me.  What kind of God would do that – to diminish Himself in order that He could become more for His creation?  The gods that we create in our lives are nothing like this, and never can be!  But the One and Only true God, the One who gives glory to heaven and earth, is that kind! 

 And what is there about Him that makes Him so different?  It is the perfect love that fills and inspires our eternal God, it is the creative desire within Him that has become the driving force behind all that He is about.  And this is reflected in the Godly longing to be with us and to encourage us to be with Him.  We see Him talking with Man in the garden (Genesis 1:28-29), and later, trying to find that being when they had sinned and had hidden themselves from God’s sight (Genesis 3:8-10).  So Jesus humbled Himself and became “nothing”, as well as a “servant”, for the sinful and unworthy likes of us!

 Paul writes that we should take on the same mantle of humility in our walk with Christ, that Jesus did when He came to walk with us.  But when we, too, become a servant for others, the Father will grant us His pleasure, just as He did for His Son.  For when Jesus had fulfilled His responsibilities here on earth, He returned to take His rightful place with the Father. 

 And on that Day of Jesus’ return to this place, and when He reveals Himself to ALL of humanity, EVERY knee shall bow, and EVERY tongue shall proclaim that He is truly Lord and God, for all.  But for those who had never given their life to Him in His Right, it will be too late to make amends on that day.

 Read Mark 14:53-62

 Why did Jesus open Himself up to this barrage of lies and insults?  After all, He could have done away with this entire rabble of thieves and liars with just a word, but He never did.  Because the ordeal that He was about to undertake was for the salvation of those people, too – IF they would come repentant to His gift of forgiveness!

 And condemnation of those who denied and denigrated Him would never be His in any possible way (John 3:16-17).  Godly love is so great that He would gladly forgive the worst of people, if they would just give up their prideful way and accept the better way of humility through Jesus.  And even in this passage from Mark’s gospel, Jesus offers no justification or rebuttal to the lies that were spoken against Him.  The only comment that He makes that night is to affirm His right and true identity.

 No arguing, no justifying testimony, no counter charges, nothing that even had the remote possibility of releasing Him from the task that lay before Him.  In His darkest hours, the Lord Jesus never backed away from creating the way for our salvation.  Never even a thought of hatred for those who were telling such heinous lies about Him – only the possible thought that if even one of them would come to His way, it would be worth it – and that one would be Nicodemus (John 19:38-40).

 Read Isaiah 50:7-9

 This passage is a sign that Isaiah was struggling in much the same way that Jesus would be many years later.  But considering the peace that seems to be sustaining the prophet, we need to know that he has received a promise from his Jehovah God that He will be with him through whatever comes against his way (Isaiah 50:4).  Jesus had that assurance, too, that His Father never leaves anything undone, and never leaves His obedient servant alone during anything that would try Him in heart and soul.

 And perhaps our lesson is contained within these words, too!  Jesus knew, and the prophet proclaims, that no one can ever do what God has denied – they can only do those things that the Lord has need of.  Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, who, in the glory of this Palm Sunday and in the agony that He knew awaited Him, was confident that the Father would help Him through this ordeal, and that the mission that had led Him to Jerusalem this day, would be completed – not in death and failure – but in life and victory, and that word is also given to each one of us. (John 14:12-13). 

 Who can stand against us when the Lord is on our side (Psalm 124)?  No one!  This promise from Psalm 124 is essentially the same one that Jesus knew so very well.  He was not only the “suffering servant”, but the obedient one as well.  And in our obedient following and trusting in what the Lord is asking of us, we, too, will know the love and joy of God firsthand.

 In our humble submission to the way of God, regardless of what that may require of us, our acceptance of the world’s “nothing” will bring us the joy and pleasure of Almighty God.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that we will be asked to go through the same trials that Jesus did, but it does mean that we must see the world’s accolades in the same light that our Lord did – that they are “Nothing” when compared to the “Everything” that Our Almighty and Gracious God has already prepared for each and every one of us.

 May our eyes be fixed on Jesus, and the way that He has already lived on our behalf.