Tag: teaching

Hope Restored

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(Luke 24:13-35)

When is the last time you were disappointed that something didn’t turn out the way you had hoped? Was it something you initiated or coordinated, an event or small get-together that took a good amount of planning and purchasing to pull off, but for one reason or another, it fell short? Was it something that didn’t involve you at all in terms of planning, but was something you were looking forward to attending or participating in and it just missed the mark?

We can also experience a sense of hopelessness in other areas of life. How do you know when you’ve lost hope, when your situation seems hopeless? A recent devotion pointed to the word “never” as an indicator. When “never” makes its way into our thinking and speaking in one area of life or another, that’s when we’ve lost hope. “I’m never going to … get a job / get better / get married / get out of debt / change / etc.” When we use the word never, it’s an expression of a loss of hope in being able to see how things will change for the better. 

How we got to that point of losing hope (two reasons will be explored in this post) matters less than what we do once we’re there. Where do we go from that point? How is hope restored? Let Jesus shows us as he restores hope to two hopeless disciples on the first Easter. 

Jesus joined the two disciples as they were heading toward a village outside of Jerusalem called Emmaus. Though Jesus kept them from initially recognizing him, he wasn’t kept from recognizing something about them: they had lost hope. They were discussing all the things that had just happened in Jerusalem, and when Jesus asked for more clarification, “They stood still, their faces downcast.” (v.17). They were visibly dejected and downhearted!

They explained why. “Jesus of Nazareth… was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (v.19-21). While they didn’t use the word “never,” they might as well have! The natural conclusion they had drawn was that Jesus could never redeem them now. They had hoped he was going to be the one to redeem Israel, but since he had been sentenced to death and crucified, that was obviously never going to happen. That was their thinking. They had lost hope. They were at a dead end. They couldn’t see how a dead Jesus could redeem Israel. 

Somewhat ironic, isn’t it, given that it was by his death that he did just that – redeemed Israel, and all people? “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’” (Galatians 3:13). The same event they presumed had kept Jesus from being able to redeem was the very act by which he carried out redemption. Jesus’ death was the payment he offered up to buy back – to redeem – souls otherwise condemned to hell because of sin.

The source of their hopelessness then – Jesus’ death – should in fact have been their source of hope! “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Nevertheless, rather than being filled with hope, their hearts were emptied of it.

The thinking of the Emmaus disciples illustrates two of the reasons we often lose hope. The first happens when we start with the wrong expectation on our end. Why were the disciples so disappointed? Why so let down? Why so hopeless? Because they started with a faulty expectation! Their expectation for redemption and God’s promise of deliverance was too narrow-focused and worldly.

Jewish history emphasized and celebrated how God had delivered – redeemed – his people from the earthly oppression of a worldly leader when God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh’s slavery in Egypt. The remembrance of that event was so woven into their culture that their expectation came to be a similar deliverance from earthly oppression. They anticipated Jesus would be the modern-day Moses who would deliver them from Roman rule. Of course the Emmaus disciples would be hopelessly disappointed if that was the expectation they had of why Jesus had come! They started with the wrong expectation.

Isn’t that often the cause of our own hopelessness? We start off with the wrong expectation. For example, when we begin with the expectation that God’s greatest concern in our lives is our happiness, then we are disappointed when God allows something on our plate that doesn’t make us happy at all. Or, we end up sidestepping Scripture in pursuit of personal happiness. But your happiness isn’t God’s greatest concern in this life; your holiness is, which is why he sent Jesus to secure it.

Another wrong expectation that we can hold is the expectation that God grants believers special dispensation from suffering or hardship in life. As believers, we expect that God must give us a pass on such things. When life unravels then, we feel hopelessly let down by God. But it was our faulty expectation that was the cause. 

The second reason we often lose hope? We give up because of too low an expectation on God’s end. The two disciples made a point of explaining two things: 1) it had been three days since Jesus had died, and 2) multiple visitors had confirmed that there was no body in the tomb.

To us in the present day, who have the full benefit of all of the revelation of Scripture, three days and no body are simply more proof of the Resurrection. But to the disciples, as we can sense from the tone of their words, these realities didn’t make them more optimistic, but instead deflated them even more. We can interpret their reference to three days as an expectation that surely if God was going to do something, it would have happened within that timeframe, but as each day passed, it only became more hopeless.

And no body in the tomb? Well, without anyone actually laying eyes on Jesus, there was still no reason (outside of Scripture and a fully-grasping faith along with it!) to equate an empty tomb with a risen and alive Jesus. Instead of providing more clarity, it just added to the confusion and hopelessness. The disciples were ready to give up because of too low an expectation on God’s end. 

Again, we can relate. While there’s a good reason your financial advisor will remind you that past performance of an investment is no guarantee of future results, we do not need the same caution when it comes to God’s promises. In other words, we don’t have any reason to conclude that simply because God chose not to act in one way in the past, he will do the same in the future.

“The last time a loved one battled cancer, I prayed persistently that God would heal them. Since he didn’t, why should I pray for the same thing this time around?” “We have a record of all of God’s divine interventions in the Bible, but since he doesn’t seem to intervene that way in the lives of believers today, why bother expecting that he will?” Even though our faith may acknowledge that God can do this or that, our faith doesn’t take the next step in bold confidence that God will do this or that. So we give up because of too low an expectation on God’s end.  

Now what does God do for those without hope? Whether hopelessness stems from starting with the wrong expectation on our end or because we give up due to too low an expectation on God’s end, God has the same solution. He does for us exactly what he did to the hopeless disciples heading to Emmaus: he comes right alongside us in the midst of our hopelessness.

He does not wait for us to generate some internal hope first, to work in ourselves some semblance of optimism or positive thinking. No, he walks right up alongside us in the midst of our hopelessness to restore our hope.

Here’s what I love about Jesus’ encounter with the disciples. When all was said and done, as they reflected on the direct divine intervention they had with Jesus, what was it that stood out most? “They said to each other, ‘Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?’” (v. 32). Their hearts were burning not just at being in Jesus’ presence, but in his “explaining the Scriptures” to them! That’s what fired them up! That was what churned a passion inside of them! It was a deeper understanding of the Word, as explained to them personally by the Word himself, Jesus!

The disciples eventually realized they were walking along the road with and in the presence of the risen Jesus! Jesus himself walked and talked with them, and they even ate a meal together with him, but what stood out most about their time with him was how much clearer he made the Bible for them! 

You know where I’m going with this, don’t you? We have the exact same Scriptures – and even more Scriptures than they had – accessible to us in more ways than anyone could ever have imagined it. Yet, when is the last time you’d describe your use of any of these opportunities to be in the Word as your heart burning within you? Has it been a while? Has it been… ever? What’s the deal? What’s wrong with us? What are we missing? Why are we consistently convincing ourselves that something else is a more valuable use of our time than being in the Word so that he can restore our hope through it?

After all, didn’t it seem like the Emmaus disciples’ hope was restored after Jesus opened the Scriptures to them? Luke tells us they got up and returned “at once” (v.33) to tell the others about their experience. They didn’t call it a night and decide to tell them in the morning. They couldn’t wait! Why? Their hope was restored.

Why shouldn’t you think God will do the same for you through his Word? The Bible is where the whole foundation of hope is laid out for us, one that is based on the assurance that our sins have been paid for and forgiven. We give Jesus every reason to address us as he did the Emmaus disciples: “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! (v.25).

But instead, he calls us heirs, children, chosen, treasured, beloved, saints, etc.! In the Bible, he lays out promise after promise that is about far more than just the heaven stuff waiting for us one day, but for the hopeless stuff we face on a daily basis in the meantime. When the world rips away our hope, the Word restores it. Jesus’ resurrection restores it. Hope isn’t dead because Jesus isn’t! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Our hope in Jesus is very much alive because Jesus is very much alive!

The Conquering King Lives! (Easter)

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(John 20:1-18)

It should not have come to this. From a human perspective, Jesus did nothing wrong. He deserved none of what he received last week. Knowing his enemies were plotting his demise, he should have at least been able to trust and count on his own disciples.

Yet it was one of his own disciples that set in motion the tragic events that unfolded on Thursday and Friday of the week he died! Well, at least he might be able to depend on his most assertive disciple to rally a small group to attempt a small-scale rescue… but instead even that disciple denied him.

Then, when standing trial before the religious leaders, someone ought to have stood up and pointed out the obvious corruption and unfairness with which Jesus was being treated. More than anyone else, they were supposed to be the moral compass of society. And then Pilate – of all people the one with the most power to put an end to the injustice being carried out, which he himself attested to – caved and catered to the crowds to crucify Jesus! None of it should have happened.

What is on your plate in life right now that should not have happened the way it did? I can imagine there are all sorts of responses to that question swimming around in your heads right now…

Whatever it is, why do you suppose it played out that way? What caused it? In some cases we are on the receiving end of tragedy or trauma that is completely outside of our control. Sometimes that can be completely accidental; other times completely intentional. Evil or wickedness took place and it was carried out against us. A natural disaster. A negligent driver. A malicious criminal. Such things are outside of our control, but can directly impact us, leaving us reeling unexpectedly from something that should never have happened to us.

Other times things happened that should not have… because of a role that we played. Perhaps a direct result of our own actions – or lack of action. Suddenly the spouse I saw myself spending the rest of my life with has become public enemy number one. And, as much as I might try to plead innocence – to myself even if no one else will listen! – I can’t deny that I played a part.

I feel like I’m merely the victim on the wrong side of office politics, but it’s clear to others how tangled up in all of it I actually was, even if I don’t see it myself.

I wonder why my kids’ lives are turning out to be such a mess, and I’m faced with the realization that their childhoods were too often littered with my leftovers and the lost “laters” of my misplaced priorities.

So here we are, dealing with whatever is on our plate that wasn’t supposed to happen the way that it did. 

Come with me to a place where a number of events also took place that never should have happened. You know what else should not have happened the way it did? Any of what is recorded for us in the opening verses of John 20. That shouldn’t have happened, either.

Not just because Jesus shouldn’t have died in the first place, but Jesus’ tomb should have had zero visitors that first Sunday morning. There shouldn’t have been any women showing up with spices expecting to carry on Jewish burial rites. There need not have been any sprinting back and forth between the tomb and disciples expressing shock and confusion over a missing body.

None of that should have happened either, between the Old Testament’s teachings about the Messiah’s reign never ending and Job’s confession that his Redeemer lived, and Jesus’ own words that promised he would rise again. None of it should have happened – from Jesus’ suffering and death to the initial disciples’ dismay over his empty tomb!

Look at Mary. Mary could relate to the devastation of things that shouldn’t have happened the way they did. She just wanted her Jesus, but was distraught over not even being able to honor her Lord properly in his burial because she was convinced someone else had done something with the body.

But at her lowest low, Jesus appeared to her, and he didn’t do so to shame her. He didn’t show up to take her to task for not knowing that he was going to rise from the dead. He didn’t angrily scold her with a questioning rebuke, “What on earth are you doing here at the tomb? Why didn’t any of you listen when I told you I wouldn’t stay dead but would rise again in three days? How could you be so dumb?”

None of that from gentle Jesus. Instead, Jesus tenderly revealed himself to her as much more than the gardener; as her Savior God who had come back to life. He softly spoke her name and God’s divine hand removed whatever veil it was keeping Jesus’ identity a mystery and she suddenly saw him – not just with her eyes but with a heart exploding in faith that had just what was needed at that time: her risen Savior.

Alive. With her. Caring for her. Of all the people on the earth to show himself to, at that moment so soon after his Resurrection, he came to Mary. And despite everything that shouldn’t have happened, everything was suddenly right. 

Jesus lives to give you the same confident hope. Hear the blessings attached to faith in the risen Jesus: “righteousness” (Ro. 4:23), “new life” (Ro. 6:4), “bear[ing] fruit for God” (Ro. 7:4), “be saved” (Ro. 10:9), “he will raise us also” (1 Co. 6:14). Jesus holds out these blessings to you and to all who believe he has left death in his dust, destroying its stranglehold on us. 

Do you get why Mary was so elated to see her risen Jesus? Though she didn’t have these Scriptures we do to spell out these realities of the Resurrection, she knew them by faith. She knew that death had not permanently claimed her Christ, so neither could it – or Satan – permanently claim her either. Her risen Jesus meant that whatever shouldn’t have happened or should have happened no longer mattered. All that mattered was the present reality of a very much alive Jesus.

“Should have” and “shouldn’t have” too often cloud our lives. We let past regret cause present regression. We thought we were over it. We thought we had moved past it. But then Satan, never one to see the need for being innovative or cutting edge when it comes to nagging God’s people, resorts to the tried and true. He whispers in our ears ever-so-softly, “Remember how you mishandled that in a way you shouldn’t have? I bet things wouldn’t be the way they are right now if you would have handled that differently.” And seemingly out of nowhere, this thing that perhaps hadn’t bothered us for years suddenly sidetracks us and whatever positive path of trajectory we were on has been hijacked and we start to backslide. 

When those moments hit you, notice something about the account from John 20. Look where Mary and the others did not go to. They didn’t return go to the cross. Why not? Duh, you say, because Jesus had already been crucified on Friday. He was no longer on the cross anymore. That’s why they went to the tomb.

Exactly. Jesus was no longer on the cross. He had already been crucified. That means your sin has already been paid for. That means every should have and shouldn’t have has already been paid for. On Easter Sunday, they didn’t find Jesus still at Calvary on the cross continuing to pay for their sins. He had already completed that sacrificial work, emphasizing it with finality through his “It is finished,” spoken from the cross. There was no more need to return to the cross. Just as there is no more need to revisit every should have and shouldn’t have from your past. They’ve already been paid for. 

But it gets better. Not only was Jesus not on the cross still suffering for sin; he wasn’t in the tomb, either! John’s narrative of what happened on that first morning seems to gradually crescendo our confidence bit by bit. Mary arrives to see the stone rolled away, but there is not any initial further inspection. 

What exactly did the empty tomb mean? He lived and lives, yes, but don’t let it be lost on you what that means! It means that his payment for your sin and mine was accepted by the Father! It meant there was no need for do-overs or for you to somehow complete what Jesus started on Good Friday with your own piled-on penance or some other satisfaction that you imagine God still needing. As it turns out, Jesus’ payment was sufficient – he wasn’t on the cross or in the tomb! And having assured her of his resurrection by personally appearing to her, he then sent her to spread the word. And she did just that.

Let’s do the same. Our Conquering King Lives! It shouldn’t have come to this, but your eternity is secure because it did. 

The Conquering King Dies (Good Friday)

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(John 19:17-30)

The Conquering King Arrived on the scene as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday of this Holy Week. The Conquering King Dined with his disciples on Thursday of Holy Week, the night he was betrayed, raising the bar on the Passover Meal by adding his very body and blood to the menu of Holy Communion for the forgiveness of sins. On the Holy Day we call Good Friday, the ultimate sacrifice was made to pay the necessary price for our sin as our Conquering King Dies.

It’s not like the movies. On the rare occasions when the hero dies, at least he does so in some glorious fashion to ensure a victory for the good guys. But as you read the verses of John’s accounting of our Savior’s death, there was nothing glorious about it, at least humanly speaking. There was nothing glorious about being crucified!

Note how many times the word “crucified” is mentioned by John in these verses. Lest anyone miss it, make no mistake, this was a death sentence being carried out. The cross served no other purpose. Crucifixion was no mere slap on the wrist to discourage future bad behavior. This was a death sentence. The Conquering King came to die and to leave no doubts whatsoever about his death by crucifixion, which was not only one of the most excruciating ways ever devised for a person to die but also one of the most humiliating and shameful. 

Nevertheless, as God’s divine wrath was being carried out against sin through this death, God’s divine hand was also weaving his will throughout the events of that day.

God used the same Pilate who had pandered to the crowds allowing Jesus’ crucifixion to finally dig in his heels and insist that the divine description of Jesus as King remain affixed to the cross. How little did he know how accurate it was!

God used the selfish soldiers to fulfill the Scriptures by caring more about Christ’s clothes than about his crucifixion. Then, after selflessly making sure to provide for his mother’s life while his own life slipped away, Jesus made sure every prophecy was carried out in full with his expression of thirst.

Finally, John records the gut-wrenching final details for us: “Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (v.30). 

Did you catch the subtle nuance that details the difference between victory and defeat for our Conquering King? John rightly described that Jesus’ life was not taken from him; rather, he gave up his spirit.

Yes, Jesus died, but not because the soldiers or even Satan himself had succeeded in killing him! Jesus’ death came because he gave up his life. Our Conquering King died willingly only when he was ready to die and only because he was willing to die. 

But let us also consider why Jesus was willing to die. On the one hand, it is the simplest explanation – so simple in fact that even a child can answer the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” “To pay for our sins,” they would answer.

And they would be right! It is unmistakably clear in Scripture that Jesus has to die to pay for our sins. Time and again, dating all the way back to the very first sin, through scores of slaughtered sheep, spelled out in the sacred psalms, and spoken by the Savior himself, sin required payment. Your sin. My sin. Every sin. And on Good Friday, Jesus died to make that payment. So yes, he died for our sins. 

But do we fully grasp the magnitude of that payment for our sins? Do we realize not just the eternal implications of that payment, but also the current implications, the “today” implications? Yes, Jesus died for our sins and this changes everything. But this changes everything right here and now in our lives.

Jesus dying to pay for my sins is just the beginning. Good Friday was just one day, but what happened on it changed my every day. Every. Single. Day. Here are the two things that have changed for us every day: 1) He died for us so that we live for him and 2) He died for us so that we live with him. 

He died for us so that we live for him. This is one way the Bible describes the impact of Jesus’ death on Good Friday: “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). I hope I didn’t ruin things there with a spoiler alert of what we celebrate three days after Good Friday on Easter Sunday, but yes, Jesus didn’t stay dead. That means we don’t need to stay dead either, living empty lives void of any meaning or purpose! We are spiritually alive, and that means we live not for self, but for the Savior.

Are you still living your life as if the pursuit of self-interest is really what it’s all about? Do you still imagine that living for self is the most fulfilling path you’ll ever find in this life? Do relationships and people merely serve to advance your own agenda so that if others do not provide any advantage to you, you have no interest in them? Is your career nothing more than the best thing going for you to make a name and reputation for yourself to win the attention of others? Do you get impatient when others try to infringe on the 24 hours of each day as if they belong to you alone and no one else? Are you still believing the lie that if you just remain dialed in enough on this path of self-interest, eventually there is a point up ahead where you’ll finally get what you were after?

Then, friend, you’re missing out on why the Conquering King died for you. He died to free you from that meaningless pursuit of self-interest so that you could serve a much deeper purpose: his. To live for him is to see how he has turned your life inside out. To live for him is to see relationships and people as opportunities to make a difference that matters, as people to love and help and serve and impact in ways that both benefit them and light a fire in you when you see the difference it makes. Your career is just another opportunity to do that very thing full-time, as you give your best for your boss and your company and your co-workers, not because of what’s in it for you, but because it’s just another way to live for Him. The hours of each day represent the time God has gifted to you to meet the needs of others for the greater good of your family, your community, and the world by not simply consuming like so many in the world do, but by contributing. By making a difference. By living for the One who died for you.

You are free to live for him because your eternity is backed by his promise that you will also live with him. See another way the Bible describes the impact of Jesus’ death on Good Friday: “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him” (1 Thes. 5:10). Which part of that strikes you more? The promise is all-encompassing, isn’t it? Yet we tend to see its application as only having bearing once we fall asleep – once we die as believers. But there’s more to it than that! Right now, because he died, we live with him. Right now he is with us. Right now we live with him – not just when we die. 

Do you know what it’s like to be in his presence? I mean really? When you think of being in God’s presence, is church the only thing that comes to mind? Is a building the only place, the only space that you imagine being in God’s presence? Paul didn’t write that Jesus died for us so that when we are “in church” we may live together with him, but no matter where we live and breathe. Yes, surely God is present in church, where Word and Sacrament are dispensed, but not only there. Far from it!

We live together with him as our hearts beat in rhythm with his steady promises of peace in him. We live together with him as his Spirit prompts our prayers of thanks and gratitude whenever we pause and stand in awe of how good he is to us. We live together with him when we rise up every morning and yearn for his presence as we start off the day listening to him speak to us through his Word. We live together with him when we connect the dots throughout the day between his powerful Word and the myriad applications of it in our own lives and the lives of others. We live together with him, not surprisingly, when we also live for him. 

So yes, your Conquering King died for you, but do not miss the implications of his death on your life. He died so that you might really live. He died so that forgiven means no longer forsaken. Forgiven means the freedom to live. Today. Tomorrow. For the rest of this month, this year, your life, to the full. Your Conquering King Died so that you can live for him and with him now and forever.

The Conquering King Dines (Holy Thursday)

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(1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

We rightfully make a big deal of “last” meals. When close friends move away, we cherish the opportunity to enjoy one last nice meal together until we meet again. Before we send the kid off to college, the last meal together is a special one.

Perhaps it isn’t so unordinary that we should find our Conquering King dining the night before his death. After all, even those sentenced to death today are generally offered a last meal request before they die. 

But this was no ordinary meal. This was yet one more opportunity for Jesus to play the host – always the one to serve others rather than be served. On Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday), we remember with gratitude our Savior’s final meal and how through it he still feeds us today. When our Conquering King Dines with his own, he provides the menu and the means to feed us exactly what we need.

We can be quite certain of the menu spread out on the table that evening, since we know the meal they were celebrating. It was the Passover. Ever since the time the Lord had delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, he had established a special meal that was intended to serve two purposes.

One, it would serve as a vivid memory of the first Passover, during which the angel of the Lord passed over every Israelite home with lamb’s blood brushed around its doorposts, sparing the firstborn child.

Two, it would serve to foreshadow the blood of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world, the promised Messiah, Jesus. The meal itself involved certain food and drink that held special symbolic meaning, as well as an established pattern of prayer and dialogue. Two of the items at that meal, which we are more familiar with than the others because of their present-day association with our Holy Communion, were unleavened bread (which simply means it didn’t have yeast in it) and wine.

But on that night Jesus forever improved the menu. Why? The primary reason was that the meaning and significance of the Passover itself was being amplified and fulfilled. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was itself a foreshadowing of the greater deliverance the Messiah came to bring: deliverance from hell.

How would Jesus secure this deliverance? Not by brushing lamb’s blood on any doorpost, but by shedding his own blood on the cross – blood that sufficiently paid the price for all sin. It is that very blood of Jesus he offers us in this special meal. And more than that – Jesus also offers his very body.

Why should it matter what one believes about this meal? For starters, Paul thought it was important enough to pass along to believers, given that he had received this instruction from the Lord himself. Paul, therefore, is not simply sharing his preferences or opinions on the matter, but the very guidance of God.

And let’s be clear on his method of instruction, which is the same manner by which Jesus first instructed his disciples. Neither Paul nor Jesus used fable nor parable nor illustration to teach and instruct, but rather plain, straightforward language, to be as clear as possible and to limit anyone missing the point. 

Paul, as Jesus was, is specific. First, he leaves no question as to when Jesus instituted this meal – “on the night he was betrayed” (v.23), which we know is the Thursday of Holy Week when the traitor Judas betrayed our Conquering King with a kiss. We also know also that Jesus instituted this meal as they were celebrating the Passover.

And Paul speaks of four substances being present for this special meal: bread, wine, body, and blood. No other substances are included in his instruction, neither are any of these four excluded in the Gospels and Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, which are the only sections of Scripture in which this instruction takes place. So there is a precision and unmistakable clarity with which Paul writes. In this sacrament, bread and wine are given and received, as are body and blood.

How can that be, we ask? Indeed, many are so quick to let their reason save the day and change the words of Jesus and Paul so that there is no body or blood present, but merely the bread and wine symbolizing Jesus’ body and blood.

But nowhere did Jesus say that. Nowhere did Paul say that. Friends, if we begin to allow reason to serve as the filter by which we vet the Scriptures, then how much else must we discard? All of Jesus’ miracles? The Lord God’s spectacular showings of strength against the world’s almighty armies and even nature itself?

If reason is required to make sense of this Sacrament, then the door has creaked open to sift all of the supernatural in Scripture. But if we can permit God to remain God and allow our reason to be subject to his very words, then we don’t need to make Jesus or Paul out to be liars. Then, we can actually receive the very things offered, the body and blood of Jesus, in, with, and under the bread and wine.

And when we have that on the menu, Jesus declares that we also have what he attached to it in Matthew 26: the forgiveness of sins. Talk about the greatest menu change in the history of any meal ever eaten! Sure, there was obviously deep spiritual significance attached to the Passover meal, otherwise the Lord would not have directed his people to celebrate it every year for generations. It was a meal of remembrance that helped to ensure God’s people would never forget that he is in the business of delivering. 

But now this meal, the one Jesus instituted, would offer so much more! Weary and worn-out sinners come to this meal and their souls receive rest and refreshment. Contrite consciences receive the very stuff the Savior sacrificed – his body and blood – so that nothing is lost in translation and no lingering doubts can keep those consciences from being cleansed. The penitent receive pardon and peace. The guilty are guaranteed forgiveness. 

The menu at this meal is the means by which a gracious and compassionate God wants to restore and sanctify his people. And he does. So it does not surprise me anymore to see tears shed by the homebound who are unable to gather for worship when they receive this meal. They know full well their Savior comes to them personally with his good gifts of grace and mercy, feeding their souls and freeing their consciences. 

So we return to the table again and again where our Conquering King Dines with us as often as we join him, giving us himself. And as we receive him, we remember his deliverance and we proclaim his death. Because Jesus’ Last Will and Testament in this Supper is also our will and testament as we remember and proclaim, we take seriously Paul’s directive to examine ourselves. We acknowledge and confess our sins and our need for the forgiveness Jesus feeds us. We trust that we have in this Supper exactly what Jesus offers and promises: bread and wine, body and blood, given for the forgiveness of sins. 

Then, in that newness of life, we are drawn into an even deeper relationship with our Savior, our Conquering King. He not only arrived at Jerusalem to offer the ultimate sacrifice – himself – on the cross, but he also dines with us in this Sacred Meal to confer on us the blessed food of forgiveness. 

The Conquering King Arrives

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(Matthew 21:1-11)

Sometimes we can be so focused on staying on top of all the details of having a guest arrive and stay with us that we forget to enjoy why they’re even visiting in the first place. Different guests can lead to different distractions or matters on which we focus. When in-laws visit, for example, we might be so fixated on making sure that nothing goes wrong so there is nothing to criticize. If it’s a friend that we’re excited about doing a bunch of activities with, then the focus is on making sure all of those activities are lined up and ready to go. In such cases, the time can come and go so quickly that after the fact we realize it was such a whirlwind that we didn’t really even get to enjoy their company or appreciate why they visited in the first place. 

Let’s be careful to avoid making that mistake during Holy Week as we reflect on Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Let’s be deliberate about taking the time to appreciate why he arrived in the first place.

As is the tradition in many of our congregations, during the season of Lent we have midweek services that typically draw out the events of Holy Week and spread out their focus over the five weeks after Ash Wednesday. Those five weeks generally cover what happens over the course of this one week, Holy Week, from Palm Sunday until Good Friday.

This week then, we take a very focused look at Jesus’ journey and how it changed from the cheers at his entry into Jerusalem to the jeers of the crowds and criminals at his cross. And as we follow Jesus once again, we see him as the prophet Zechariah did – as our King. More than that – he is our Conquering King, and on this day we celebrate the Arrival of our Conquering King.

Are you surprised to see our Conquering King be so concerned about the details of his entry into Jerusalem? Was this the standard operating procedure as Jesus entered a new city or town? Did he always send his disciples (always the same two?) ahead of him to make sure everything was just right before coming to town? Was Jesus like the celebrity or performer who has a very specific list of standard requirements for travel or accommodations? Did things have to be a certain way before he would arrive on the scene or did he ever just waltz into town quietly and unassumingly? 

This was different. Jerusalem was not just another stop on his tour of preaching his message and performing his miracles. This was the destination. This was where he came to die. It sounds so morbid to state it like that, doesn’t it? He came to Jerusalem to die. 

We don’t like to be faced with the blunt reality of death. We don’t like to know we’re at the point where death is so quickly approaching that we must make arrangements for it. We need to prepare for it as we anticipate death creeping and lurking nearer and nearer. And it’s one thing to have to handle such responsibilities for ourselves (which most of us are OK neglecting or putting off until “someday” that so often arrives finding us ill-prepared), but it is another thing to be the one tasked with carrying out those responsibilities on behalf of someone else.

Though they were unlikely aware of it, that was precisely what the two disciples Jesus sent were doing – making arrangements for his death. 

Given the circumstances then, it isn’t a surprise that Jesus made such detailed arrangements to enter Jerusalem to die. Much is made of the manner by which Jesus entered Jerusalem. We draw attention to the donkey and the humility it symbolizes (and a borrowed one, no less – Jesus didn’t even own his own ride!). This is certainly in keeping with Jesus, who is literally the perfect embodiment of humility, as described in Philippians 2.

It has also been pointed out that in those days when a king paraded on a donkey, as opposed to a decorated war horse, there was a good reason. It was to communicate that they were not at war with anyone, but were enjoying a time of peace. These are valid truths and considerations as we see our Conquering King Arrive.

But we don’t want to overlook the simplest explanation of all for Jesus entering Jerusalem atop a donkey: he had to. As Matthew explains, the prophet Zechariah foretold it would happen that way, and so it had to. “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘Say to Zion, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey’” (Mt. 21:4-5). With this prophecy, the prophet Zechariah added his own brushstroke to God’s Old Testament canvas whereby he was prophetically painting a picture so that believers awaiting the Messiah would know what to look for. So, since Zechariah described his Jerusalem entry this way, it had to be this way. 

What kind of king, after all, doesn’t deliver on his promises? A king or authority that makes promises while vying for a position or trying to get elected into power who then goes back on those promises or leaves them unkept is not likely to remain in that position very long. The confidence of his people will dwindle and along with it, so will his power. He must hold himself to what he claimed he would do. That is expected of anyone in a position of authority. 

As far as Jesus is concerned, consider the damage that would have been done if he had not carried out all that was foretold of him. What would that have done to the credibility of his message? Which of his words were to be trusted? To not do what the prophets and what he himself said he would do would have completely undermined his preaching. And if his message could not be trusted, then his actions would have been brought into question. The cross would have been emptied of its power and the empty tomb rendered insignificant. Jesus’ words had to be backed up by his actions so that his actions could give power to his words. So he arrived just as Zechariah said he would.

And when he did, as foggy as the crowds were on the implications of his arrival, they knew who he was. “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (v.9). The designation Son of David was not one thrown around lightly – it was a title reserved for the Messiah. “Hosanna” meant “save us!”, so the word was being spread around that the man riding atop the donkey was in fact the One God had promised to deliver his people. 

What appears to be quite clear over the course of this most holy of weeks in the church year is that the crowds were quite unaware of how God would deliver his people through this Messiah. The lack of a crown or scepter or any sort of armed guard or soldiers accompanying Jesus was not at this point a cause for concern. The people of Jerusalem were used to revolts and rebellions. Others had pushed back against Roman rule and oppression, so it wouldn’t have been strange at all to see Jesus follow that same path of uprising and opposition on his way to the throne.

But they most assuredly didn’t expect the remainder of the week after Jesus’ arrival to play out as it did. Throughout history, kingdoms and the kings who ruled over them asserted themselves by some show of force. They wielded weapons to shed the blood of all enemies in their path. They destroyed the opposition and eliminated any and all threats. They struck fear into those they defeated and ruled with might.

This Conquering King, however, came to establish an unparalleled kingdom that would never end. And he did it in a radically different way.

He wouldn’t do it by asserting himself, but rather by offering himself. He wouldn’t do it by a show of force, but through what appeared to be a disgraceful display of weakness. He wouldn’t do it by spilling the blood of his enemies, but by spilling his own blood. This Conquering King did not rise up to some elevated throne in a worthy palace, but was instead raised up on a cross flanked by criminals.

Apparently, those realities did not measure up to the expectations of many in the crowds as Jesus entered Jerusalem. By the end of the week, it was no longer a welcome party receiving Jesus, but a vicious mob calling for his head. Jesus did not fit the description of the kind of conquering king they anticipated and demanded. So instead of the week concluding with a grand coronation, it ended with a gruesome crucifixion.

It is a good time to reevaluate our relationship with this King this time of year. Is he the kind of Conquering King you want to rule over you? Or did you – do you – sometimes feel as if he is a letdown? Did you have higher hopes that he’d address and fix more of your first-world problems? Do you find yourself too busy for him because he doesn’t seem to be doing too much for you in the way of helping you become more successful in your work or relationships? Does the commitment of adoring this King in worship take you away from too many other far more “important” activities going on in your preoccupied life? 

That’s OK. He came anyway. Your Conquering King Arrived, not because he knew he’d find such a welcome place in your heart, but because he knew everything that was wrong with your heart, and mine, and everyone else’s.

So he came anyway. He came to do something about it. He came to allow his own heart to give out in death so that he could give us new hearts filled with life through his forgiveness and salvation. On Palm Sunday, the crowds shouted their hosannas and Jesus answered – he saved. Them. And you. And me. From hell.

May the Lord renew our appreciation this week of why our Conquering King Arrived: to meet our greatest need. He came to save us. 

Life for the Dead

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(2 Kings 4:17-37)

“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” So wrote Benjamin Franklin to the French Physicist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy in 1789. Although it does not appear that Franklin was the originator of the phrase pertaining to the certainty of death and taxes, it was very likely his use of it that made the phrase popular. And it is a rather timely phrase, not only because the deadline for filing taxes is right around the corner, but also because two of the three readings in worship this same Sunday reminded us of the certainty of death. 

In the Gospel of John (ch.11), we hear of Lazarus, whose resurrection from the dead is arguably the most well-known biblical account of a person being raised from the dead – outside of Jesus himself, of course. In 2 Kings, we find a much less familiar account of an unnamed boy of unnamed parents who was raised by the prophet Elisha. While the two accounts do relate to the Benjamin Franklin quote, Franklin’s words also demonstrate something else: man’s inability to provide any real hope or comfort in the face of death.

Admittedly, one could argue that offering comfort or hope is not the intent of the Franklin quote. True, but couldn’t that just as easily be because that’s all the world can offer regarding death – no hope or comfort – just the certainty that death will come to each of us one day? 

You’ve very likely experienced the world’s inability to offer any hope or comfort if you’ve wrestled with the death of a loved one. It is a different thing to hear a non-Christian make such attempts. “Sending condolences or positive thoughts your way”, being “sorry for your loss”, and any other number of people’s personal ideas of what happens to us when we die – they all have this in common: they miss the mark terribly. 

But God has plenty to say in the face of death. Better yet, God has something to show us when words can sometimes fall short: he shows us life in the face of death. God shows us that it isn’t only death and taxes that are certain, but so is life from death. So as we consider one of the ten occasions recorded in Scripture in which the dead are brought back to life, we want to be reminded that when we face death, God provides much more for us than some empty, fast-forgotten phrase: he provides life. Real life. 

Though perhaps not as familiar as the other resurrection accounts in the Bible, the one before us from 2 Kings hits differently, as do any such accounts that involve children. While old age and long-lived lives ready us somewhat for the arrival of death, the death of the young increases its sting even more. But not even dying young allows death to put up such a barrier that God cannot overcome.

If we back up a few years before where we pick up in 2 Kings 4, it will provide some background. The Shunammite woman was a believer with not only the desire to support the Lord’s work but also the financial means to do so. She took on a building project to provide a place for Elisha to rest and recover as the itinerant preacher frequently traveled through her area. It was a room constructed on the top of the flat roof of her home, perhaps with its own external set of stairs to allow the prophet access to and from his room as he needed. 

As an expression of gratitude, Elisha offered to put in a good word for her. After all, Elisha not only had the backing of God’s generous hand but he also held a measure of influence among some of the royal officials. After she declined his offer, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, pointed out that she had no son and the age of her husband seemed to rule out the possibility of her bearing a child in the future. So Elisha promised her that in a year’s time, she would be holding her own son in her arms. Sure enough, it happened just as Elisha said it would and the woman had a son, which is where our account picks up. 

After the boy was older, “one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. He said to his father, ‘My head! My head!’ His father told a servant, ‘Carry him to his mother’” (v.18-19). Although the cause of the boy’s suffering is not clearly revealed, it’s most commonly presumed that the boy was suffering from sunstroke – not at all uncommon in the region. While sunstroke could certainly be fatal, it didn’t appear that the boy’s father presumed it was that serious at this point. Thinking his situation was still treatable, the father directed a servant to take the boy inside to his mother to be cared for. Unfortunately, it was too late, as the boy died shortly thereafter on his mother’s lap. 

Mom didn’t waste any time. Placing the boy in Elisha’s bed in his room, possibly to keep avoid drawing attention to his death at this point, she made arrangements to visit the prophet Elisha. The timing surprised her husband, as there was no religious reason for her to be visiting the man of God. After the trip of between 15-20 miles, Elisha saw her arriving from a distance and sent Gehazi out to ask her if everything is alright. Determined to discuss the matter with the prophet himself and not his servant, she does what we still do today when we don’t wish to discuss our genuine feelings or concerns with someone by brushing aside any concerns with, “I’m fine.” 

But we already know that she wasn’t, and that became clear immediately as she came to Elisha. After reminding the prophet that she had never asked for a son in the first place, she fully trusted Elisha to do something about his death. She showed her persistence by insisting on remaining with Elisha even after he sent Gehazi ahead to try his hand at raising the boy by laying his staff on the boy’s face.

While we don’t know the significance of this action, it has been suggested that Elisha possibly knew the staff would not do anything and was setting the stage for superstition or other means to be ruled out so that it would be clear that the Lord alone would be responsible for this miracle. Regardless, after Gehazi returned to Elisha with word of his unsuccessful attempt, God’s prophet soon after arrived at the house.

What does Elisha do first? He models for us a great first step for every occasion: he prays. He knows that any miracle that would take place would only be the work of the Lord’s hand, so he rightly takes the matter to him first. Then, perhaps because it was the same manner used by his mentor, the prophet Elijah, in raising the widow at Zarapheth’s son from the dead, Elisha stretches his body on the boy. A dead body doesn’t take long to grow cold, and we’re told that the boy’s body started to become warm.

Yet this miracle wasn’t instantaneous (did God wish to stretch Elisha’s faith, too?). Elisha paced in the room, patiently allowing the Lord to work in his own time, and then persistently repeated the same action, stretching himself on the boy again. Finally, the sign of life, for dead people don’t sneeze! “The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes” (v.35). The Shunammite’s son lived! Elisha directed his servant to call for mom to come and hold her living son, which she did after falling to the ground at Elisha’s feet in humble gratitude for this miracle. 

The Lord’s hand in this account is evident. It was clearly a miracle that the boy was raised back to life in the manner he was, for there is no holistic reason or medical explanation for a life being restored by means of a living person stretching out on a dead person. No one who has died or is nearly dead is brought into a hospital’s ER so that the doctor can empty the room of all its medical equipment in favor of lying down on top of the person to save him. That’s not how it works! But, as we see in Scripture, it certainly can be how God chooses to work. 

Besides the miracle itself, which is always an amazing show of God’s power, what is the point? Why are the dead raised to life in the Bible? As I wrote earlier, including Jesus’ own resurrection, we have ten occasions in the Bible on which dead people are raised to life. But why?

Through these miracles, God tightens the connection between his physical and spiritual promises. What we see happen physically when God raises the dead solidifies for us the reality of what God also promises spiritually. 

We are all born dead in sin, but made alive only through faith in Christ (Eph. 2). As true as this spiritual truth is, it’s not always easy for us to grasp abstract spiritual truths. So what does God do? He shows us his power over physical death. He demonstrates what is possible by taking a lifeless corpse and making it alive.

What he has done physically he does for us spiritually. And because we believe he has brought us to life spiritually, we in turn have the confidence that he will do it for us physically. Do you see the relationship? 

God alone gives life to the dead – both spiritually and physically. We have the assurance of this because we believe. We have faith, the same faith in God as the Shunammite woman, very likely on the mind of the writer of Hebrews who wrote, “[By faith] Women received back their dead, raised to life again” (Heb. 11:35). Faith fills us with the doubly-blessed assurance of spiritual life and physical life forever. 

Outside of faith, there is no such guarantee. Outside of faith, a person may appear to be very much physically alive while at the same time remaining spiritually dead. If that person remains spiritually dead when he or she physically dies, the final result will be eternal death in hell. There will be no more opportunities for spiritual life after this physical life is over. This life, our “time of grace” as it is often called, is the time God has allotted for us to be made spiritually alive through faith. It is the time for us to see who Jesus is, what he has done, and to believe that as our Savior, he alone offers spiritual and eternal life to all who believe. 

At what cost? The events of Holy Week remind us, as the Holy Spirit takes us from the hosannas of Palm Sunday to the heartache of Good Friday. Jesus died so that there could be life for the dead. And in Jesus, that is what we have: life. And we aren’t just talking of spiritual life, but physical life. Real life. Eternal life. Through Jesus, death will not be your end, for he gives life for the dead. 

Sight for the Blind

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(John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39)

Often times when Jesus was questioned during his ministry – especially by the Pharisees – he provided the needed answer and not necessarily the desired answer to the question that was asked. But this is not one of those times. T,his time, when Jesus’ disciples ask him a question, Jesus answers their question plainly. But his answer to their question prompts us to wrestle with a follow-up question: Are you OK with the answer Jesus provides?

We have an opportunity here to learn a very powerful lesson from Scripture pertaining to the source of suffering. When suffering presents itself in our lives, whether it slips in subtly or crashes into our lives like a wall-size wave in the ocean, one of the first questions that we seek to untangle in our minds is “Why?” Why did this or why is this happening? Is this my fault? Is this from God? Is there some other reason for this suffering in this way at this time in my life? Why? 

And without being overly dramatic, how we answer that question can often serve as the strongest indicator of how well we’ll process and handle suffering in the future. 

Let’s go back to the beginning of the story that Jesus used to lay the foundation for the point he was making. Jesus and his disciples came across a man who evidently had been born blind. The disciples’ question reflected a sentiment that was very common in their day: they presumed the man’s suffering was directly tied to some sin. In other words, in its simplest form, the rationale goes like this: when something bad happens to a person, it’s because of something bad they did. In this particular case, the man’s blindness prompted the disciples to ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (v.2).  

Notice how strong their assumption was. They didn’t ask Jesus if it was possible that the man was born blind because of some sin he or his parents had committed. They had already concluded as much. The only help they needed from Jesus in their minds was to determine who was at fault – the man or his parents. It so permeated their thinking at that time that bad things happen to people because of the bad things they have done.

As flawed and flat-out wrong as this thinking is, it lingers in our minds today. Sometimes the suffering we experience might correlate with the sin very clearly in our mind. For example, “Because I trampled on God’s gift of sex for so long in my life, I’ll always suffer unhealthy relationships and never likely marry.” “Because I stole or was dishonest with financial arrangements in my past, my financial situation will always be a mess.” 

Other times there may be no connection whatsoever, but we nevertheless conclude that some bad thing from our past must be the cause of our suffering in the present. “That shameful thing from my childhood or teenage years with a group of kids that I was involved with is why I can’t get a job.” “My sickness or chronic pain is God’s way of getting back at me for neglecting him for so many years.” There are many other versions and varieties, but the thinking is the same: “My past sin is the cause of my present suffering.”

If I may interject momentarily to stress something important… do you see how destructive sin can be? It can be so easy for us to downplay it in the here and now because of our assurance of forgiveness, but don’t the examples just provided – as well as the unmentioned ones still lingering in your head and heart right now – demonstrate the gravity of sin?

Even though you know they’re forgiven, certain sins from our past cling to us and haunt us, refusing to be forgotten long after they’ve been forgiven. So it isn’t just that sin is an affront to God and separates us from him – which is its worst consequence, to be sure – but it’s also the long-lasting effect of collateral damage that sin does to us years after it has been committed. All of us have experienced this, yet we still so easily give sin a pass in our lives as if it’s no big deal – even as past sins are shouting a contrary message inside our minds! So sin’s lingering memory often contributes to our confusion over the source and intent of our suffering.

And we struggle with the “Why?” of suffering for another reason: On the one hand, your past sin is absolutely not the cause of your present suffering. On the other, it may very well be. Let me explain.

God is not in the business of punishing his people for sins that have already been suffered and paid for in full. Jesus already took the punishment of our sin and made full payment for every sin you’ve ever sinned. The writer to the Hebrews reflected it well. In referring to Jesus, he wrote, “Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself “ (Hebrews 7:26-27). Is God a liar? He is not. So if he says that our sin has been paid for once for all by Jesus, then there is no sin left unpunished. Your suffering is not punishment for your sin. 

On the other hand, your present suffering may have been caused by your past sin in the sense that it may be the consequence of it. Do you see the difference? Our society has laws in place that also include consequences for breaking those laws. For example, speeding, stealing, domestic violence, or drunk driving all carry legal repercussions from fines to jail time. While God isn’t punishing you for your sins in cases where you’ve been guilty of breaking the law, there are consequences.

And this doesn’t just apply to breaking the laws of government. There are other consequences. When God’s gift of sex is misappropriated outside the safety and security of marriage as he intended, unwanted children may end up being born to a single parent or tragically, even aborted. Disease may be spread or divorce may result. These are consequences.

When we fail to care for God’s gift of our body by neglecting any exercise or activity and eating garbage all the time, we are very likely to have health issues down the road. When we do, that isn’t God punishing us for our sin, but is rather a consequence of neglecting to take care of our body.

In all of these cases, God isn’t punishing us for our sins; rather, we are simply experiencing the consequences of our sinful choices. To be clear on all of these points, repentant hearts can be 100% sure that each and every one of those sins has been forgiven – but the consequences of some sinful choices may be ongoing. Sadly, sometimes those consequences can be so severe that Satan uses that to lead us to doubt or question our forgiveness. 

Being able to grasp the source of suffering allows us to then focus on God’s desired outcomes from suffering. Jesus clarified that in his answer to the disciples’ question: “this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (v.3). Just what was the work that God longed to display through this man? Jesus explained that further when he later encountered the man after the man had been badgered by the Pharisees.

“When [Jesus] found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’  ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him’  Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him. Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind’” (v.35-39). 

What is that key point from Jesus? He sums it up in that final verse. “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind’” (v.39). Jesus used this miraculous healing of a physical limitation to illustrate a deeper theological truth: only through faith in him can anyone see what matters more than anything that can be captured with physical sight; only through faith in him can anyone see the forgiveness and salvation he alone offers. Those who think they see the source of forgiveness, salvation – or for that matter righteousness or any other spiritual substance – in anyone or anything other than the Savior will remain in their blindness. Whether through eyes of faith we see salvation in Jesus or through the eyes of self-righteousness we are blind to it, on that basis alone will Jesus judge the world. In other words, Jesus came to provide sight to those who know they are blind on their own, and to blind those who in unbelief are convinced they can see just fine.

So, are you OK with the answer Jesus provides? For those of us with a genuine desire to see God use us in great ways for his kingdom purposes, it is quite natural that we’d prefer him to achieve that through our amazing accomplishments, along the lines of the famous evangelists or through a thriving ministry or via our financial backing of unforgettable building projects. But what if the greatest way he chooses to use us is to best display his glorious work through our suffering? Are you OK with that? 

The man whose eternity was changed for the better through Jesus this morning was OK with it. In fact, in hindsight, if we were able to interview that man from heaven right now and ask him if he had to choose one or the other – physical sight or spiritual sight, seeing his surroundings or seeing his Savior, which one do you suppose he’d choose?

There is no question. Undoubtedly the man would have willingly remained physically blind for the rest of his earthly life in favor of the spiritual sight Jesus provided for him. If God chooses to accomplish that eternal good through me, the act of leading souls to see Jesus as their Savior, then so be it – even if he uses my suffering to accomplish it. 

Hope for the Suffering

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(Romans 5:1-8)

Here we come across a verse that we would all do well to put into practice a little more often: “And we boast in the hope of the glory of God” (v.2). This is one of those Bible verses that certainly sounds spiritual and like one that we maybe ought to have displayed on some wall art in our home somewhere. But… sometimes we struggle to relate to what verses like this are actually saying.  

Paul doesn’t lack theological jargon in his letters. He uses words and terms that have deep spiritual significance. We have a hard time deciphering the spiritual verbiage and translating it into an understandable application for my life. So what is Paul saying here? I don’t think it’s twisting his words if we take them this way: we rejoice in the confidence of God’s “God-ness.” I know that last one is a made-up word, but we get it, don’t we? Paul is stating that we can find joy in knowing for certain that God is always going to show up, that he is always going to be doing the things that make him God. How do we know? That’s exactly what the “therefore” is there for in the first verse and following.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (v.1-2). Pardon a little more theological jargon from Paul, but let’s restate simply what he is saying here, too: we have been declared not guilty of our sins because of all that Jesus did for us, and because we believe that, we have the perfectly peaceful relationship with God and live every second of our lives as the recipients of his fiercely devoted and limitless love. That is your reality right now and tomorrow and until God’s glorious return on the Last Day.

And since that is our reality, we find in it an unparalleled spiritual swagger that more than qualifies us not just to “get through” life, but to maximize our lives, to live them to the full, at all times… even when faced with suffering. 

You knew it was coming, didn’t you? If you looked at the title of this post or paid attention as you read through this section from Romans, you couldn’t miss the word suffering. Let’s go ahead and just acknowledge that that word wouldn’t make the top ten list of everybody’s favorite topics to talk about. And that’s OK. Neither Paul nor God ever says that suffering has to be our favorite. It is never implied that if you don’t get warm fuzzy feelings at the thought of suffering, you are somehow less spiritual or there’s something wrong with you. No, we don’t have to like it, but here’s the thing: we can learn to embrace suffering because of what God will do through it. 

I don’t imagine too many professional athletes relish the grueling hours spent disciplining their bodies in training and practice in the preseason and throughout the regular season. But those who have had the privilege of holding up the championship trophy at the end of the season would – and do! – go through all of it again year after year in pursuit of that end result. 

So it is with suffering in our lives. God doesn’t say you have to look forward to it or love it, but neither does he want us to shy away from it or to loathe it, because he guarantees that he’s always going to do good things in and for us through suffering.

No, we don’t necessarily need God to remove any inconvenient or difficult suffering in our lives; what we need instead is hope to endure it. And God provides that hope in two ways: 1) Hope is ours because of Jesus’ suffering, and 2) Hope is ours because of our suffering.

I. Hope is ours because of Jesus’ suffering

I wrote a moment ago that God guarantees that he’s always going to do good things in and for us through suffering. Could there be any better proof of that than looking to the crucifixion of Christ? It was the single greatest act of undeserved suffering ever experienced in the world, and through it, God brought the greatest good ever in the world: salvation for all people.

Paul delves into it more in the last part of these verses. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (v. 6-8). Jesus’ suffering stands out so much not only because it was completely undeserved, but also because of those for whom he suffered, described in two ways in these verses: the “ungodly” and “sinners.”

Consider that the next time you try to smooth-talk your sin to someone else or give the “I’m not really sorry” apology. When we try to whitewash our sin, what are we really trying to convince ourselves and others of? Could it be that we’d like to pretend that maybe terms like “ungodly” and “sinners” ought to be reserved only for the really bad folks out there, but that they don’t really apply to us? 

We would like our sin to be like the one or two-day-old container of food in the fridge that may not smell 100% fresh, but it’s still good, still edible. Our sin isn’t like the stuff that got shoved to the back of the fridge for way too long that leaves no doubt about having spoiled once you take off the lid and the sight and smell trigger an instant gag reflex. Surely that’s not our sin. We want to think that our slightly less-than-fresh sin is not nearly as bad as the funky smell of other people’s sin. 

Realize that if we could hypothetically somehow make our sin appear less sinful, then there’s only one conclusion we could arrive at: Jesus didn’t come for us. We don’t need him. What a terrifying thought!

If Jesus didn’t come for us, then we are on our own, and if we’re on our own, though we might completely fool ourselves about our own perceived goodness, our fraud will be exposed for what it is on the last day when Satan eagerly presents his endless volumes of record books tracking our sins. God would have no choice at that point but to be the just God that he is and condemn any who thought they did nothing to deserve condemnation.

Because Jesus didn’t suffer for the slightly sinful. He didn’t die for the sometimes godly. He died for ungodly sinners.

And that alone is where the hope comes from which Paul refers to at the end of verse two. Hope because of Jesus’ suffering is only for the ungodly. It is only for sinners. We remind ourselves of that when we gather each week in worship by starting out the service confessing our sins – reminding ourselves of the ungodly sinners that we are on our own. 

But we do that for a purpose. Not to beat ourselves up or wallow in that guilt for an hour; rather, to set the tone for the hope that Jesus freely gives to ungodly sinners through the suffering of Jesus – hope that is applied to us as we are assured of the forgiveness of sins through the absolution. 

Now what does that hope have to do with your suffering? Everything, friends! Jesus’ suffering means that your suffering will come to an end, no matter what it is. Whether the cause of your suffering is financial, relational, health or work-related, or a direct consequence of your own sin – it doesn’t matter – it will end. But more importantly, the hope we have through Jesus’ suffering means always having something to look forward to. Always. Even chronic suffering is short-lived compared to the hope we have because of Jesus’ suffering, a hope that allows us to look forward to an eternity without any suffering. 

That’s well and good for the future, you might agree, but it may not seem to be all that helpful while we’re in the midst of the severe storms of suffering. That’s why Paul holds out even more hope to us. Hope isn’t just ours because of Jesus’ suffering, but 

II. Hope is ours because of our suffering

God wants to heap more hope on us. How does he do it? Through our suffering. Paul wrote, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (v.3-5). There’s that word glory again. What on earth does it mean for us to “glory” in our suffering? We might better understand what Paul is saying with the word “rejoice” instead of “glory.” In fact, a good number of very reliable Bible translations use the word “rejoice” here instead of “glory.” Although, you might still be wondering if Paul is off his rocker in encouraging us to rejoice in suffering!

But he is not, and he is not because he knows – from first-hand experience, mind you – that God masterfully makes suffering serve our greater good. Only God could do that! Only the God who brought the greatest good out of the greatest suffering of his Son could also use something like suffering to produce a better version of us. And that is exactly what he does. How? 

Look at Paul’s progression: suffering produces perseverance, which produces character, which results in even more hope. 

Let’s break that down, starting with perseverance. This one might be difficult for us to see, as we have a tendency to nostalgically remember our past as if we’re fondly remembering a greeting card, which allows us then to filter out a lot of the turmoil that actually we experienced. But if your memory wasn’t so dishonest with you, you’d actually recall some pretty significant seasons of suffering, some things that, when you were just starting to go through them, seemed insurmountable at the time. They appeared to be way too much for you as the suffering loomed, and you couldn’t see any way through them. 

But what happened? You got through it (or better, God got you through it!). I mean, here you are today. You (God!) persevered. And because you (God!) did, in your own mind, as more time goes by, you don’t even remember how dreadful it was at the time. God brought you through it and you persevered. And each time God does that, each time he pushes you to persevere, you grow. How do we know?

Character is the proof. Perhaps the best way to describe what Paul is pointing out here is that when you persevere through suffering, God changes you for the better. He uses it to shape you and chisel away the character flaws and faults and replace them with faithful fortitude and fearlessness. 

As a Christian, you are not the same Christian you used to be. God has changed you for the better and will keep doing so. Yes, he’ll continue to use suffering to accomplish that, but if he is ultimately building my character as a child of God through it, then bring it on! That will only serve me, serve others, and serve God’s kingdom better in the future. 

Realizing how God does all of that through our suffering adds even more hope. God doesn’t waste suffering. Read that again. God doesn’t waste suffering. He uses it to keep his promises and bring good out of every situation. When I have that confidence – and every one of us reading this can and should – then I have hope. 

You may think the answer to your suffering is for God to remove it. And sometimes that may very well be his solution since he also delights in doing that! But other times it won’t. Other times he will allow suffering to persist because he wants to fill you up with hope – hope that is yours through Jesus’ suffering and through the good that God will work in you through your own suffering. 

Entry for the Excluded

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(John 3:1-17)

Nicodemus was having his doubts. As a Pharisee – and member of the Jewish ruling council, no less! – confidence, not questioning, had been his hallmark. He was taught and trained that if any group of people could be confident of its salvation, it was them. They were in. And they even reinforced their self-confidence. They tacked on additional manageable rules for themselves to highlight their rigid adherence to the law and pointed out the numerous failures and shortcomings of others in doing so. This was his life – the Pharisees fueled their self-assurance by patting each other on the back and elevating each other on pedestals of comparison to others. 

But the normally self-assured Nicodemus was not so sure. Doubts were creeping in. At the very least, questioning replaced confidence. We aren’t even told what it was exactly that began to leave him unsettled – a new experience for a confident Pharisee, for sure! While he couldn’t place his finger on exactly what it was, he knew the source that was causing it: Jesus. So, to avoid being seen and ostracized by his fellow Pharisees for cozying up to the enemy, he felt more comfortable approaching Jesus under the cover of darkness. The key to regaining his confidence was to look for answers to his questions. Jesus was the place to start. 

Jesus is still the place to start. You have questions, questions you may or may not have ever verbalized to others, but questions that jumble around in your head, refusing to settle down quietly until they are eventually answered. Questions about Christianity. Questions about teachings. Questions about God. Questions about yourself and perhaps where you stand with God. That last one is the one question that demands an answer, and only Jesus can provide it: Am I in? Am I in with God? In other words, Can I be sure that I will be in heaven, and if so, how?

Sometimes things are backward. The least engaged among Christians are sometimes the most confident, while the most engaged are the least confident. There are those who make infrequent appearances in God’s house on a Sunday morning because they feel as if they have the Jesus thing down. They believe what they need to believe and are happy to call it good.

Others treat the church as their second home. This isn’t to impress others or because they are so confident of where they stand, but the exact opposite. They aren’t sure and so they internally cling to the hope that their above-and-beyond participation at church will help boost their credentials before God – as if that was how it really worked. 

But Jesus, and not worship attendance or church participation, is the place to start. Only in Jesus are questions replaced with confidence.

That was the experience of Nicodemus. As John records the conversation for us, we see Jesus take over. That’s what he does! When souls are at stake, Jesus takes control. In fact, Nicodemus may not even have really known precisely what question he had for Jesus, as he doesn’t even actually ask a question until after Jesus made his first point.

Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him” (v.2). It’s as if Nicodemus is talking himself through it, unsure exactly of how to articulate what it was that he needed to hear from Jesus. So what does Jesus do? He doesn’t just wait for Nicodemus to stumble through some incoherent, bumbling questions, but rather speaks up and starts down the path that takes Nicodemus to what he needs to hear. 

He started by taking some of the wind out of Nicodemus’ pharisaical sails. “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again’” (v.3). You better believe that the self-righteous ears of the Pharisee perked right up when Jesus started with the attention grabber: “no one can see the kingdom of God.” No one. Regardless of your religious status or titles. No matter the recognition or reputation. Disregard the achievements or accomplishments. No one. Everyone is excluded. That is, “… unless…

they are born again.” Now before we rush into judgment at how simple-minded Nicodemus’ response to Jesus was (he had questioned how someone could return back into the womb to be born a second time), realize that Nicodemus was unintentionally highlighting the very point Jesus was stressing about being “in” with God: it’s impossible for us to do. It’s not our work, any more than anyone of us can claim any stake in the hard, toiling work we did on the day we were born.

Regarding our birth, who of us has ever thought, “Oh man, that sure was a long day and a lot of work on my part when I was finally born. It involved a lot of planning and preparation. I had to train extensively. Then, when the time came, I put in the grueling effort and decided it was time to leave the womb for the world and be born. It wasn’t easy, but I did it.” Laughable foolishness! We take and we get zero credit for any participation on the day we were born. So Jesus uses that very picture to emphasize that we also take and get zero credit for any participation in entering into the kingdom of God, into a relationship with the Lord.

Next, Jesus places the focus where it always must be in man’s relationship with God: away from man and squarely on God. Specifically the Holy Spirit. “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit’” (v.5-8). Jesus essentially told Nicodemus how this all works by ruling out all of his works and leaving only room for God’s work through the Holy Spirit. 

Let’s not pretend that’s any easier for us to grasp today – even where faith is already present. We still fight, demanding some credit for this work, still reasoning that the two categories of “us” and “them,” of those who are in God’s kingdom and those who aren’t, has at least the slightest bit to do with me. It’s the real reason we struggle to forgive others or struggle to see grace extended to others.

We pretend it’s because of who they are, but really that struggle comes because of who we think we are. It’s our own perceived self-righteousness that demands at least a little bit of acknowledgment because “I would never do what that person did” or would at least make things right if I did, unlike that person. When we deceive ourselves into thinking this way, do we see how we’re really just right back there on the day of our birth demanding some amount of credit for our birth? Laughable foolishness! 

Our birth is entirely the Spirit’s work and only the Spirit’s work. Jesus made that much clear. “Flesh,” the Bible’s term to describe how utterly and sinfully corrupt mankind is on its own, cannot upgrade its status. No matter how much success parents might set up their kids for, the best they’re ever able to achieve before God is to present another generation of sinners. And we are powerless to do anything about it.

If anything of us or any part of us is going to be spiritual, it must come from the Spirit, Jesus said. And since that is God’s work, just as little as we can predict the direction, intensity, or frequency of the wind blowing, so little can we predict when God will do the work of changing a fallen-in-flesh sinner into a filled-with-faith saint. 

Understandably, Nicodemus still didn’t get it. So Jesus boiled it down to the simplest point. He gave him the gospel, which includes perhaps the most quoted, repeated, verse in all of Scripture in John 3:16. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (v.14-17).

Jesus referenced the historical account of the grumbling snake-bitten Israelites being healed and saved – not with some anti-venom or ointment, but simply by looking up at a bronze snake that was hoisted up on a pole. In the same way, Jesus would be hoisted up on a cross, and all who look to him in faith as their Savior would also be healed and saved. Through him alone there would be – and there is – entry for the excluded. 

Nicodemus’ doubts could be laid to rest. Your doubts can be laid to rest. This is not because you can become more confident in yourself or your own actions, but in the simple promise of God that his love has given us what was needed to be “in,” to be good with God. His love has given us Jesus, not just the best place to start, but the best place to stay. 

This clandestine conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus concludes with somewhat of a surprise ending: it doesn’t have one. We are not told what happened to Nicodemus after this. His name comes up on two more occasions in John’s Gospel, one of which pairs him with a believer named Joseph at Jesus’ burial. While it would seem that Nicodemus did become a believer, we aren’t told that directly. We’re left hanging. Perhaps that is on purpose. It may be so that rather than speculating on what is uncertain, we can instead focus on something that is certain: our own salvation, based solely and surely on Jesus. About that there is no doubt. Believe it.

A Champion for the Defeated

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(Matthew 4:1-11)

Hector vs. Achilles. David vs. Goliath. Superman vs. Lex Luther. History, both fiction and non-fiction, has seen its heroes and villains. One nation or civilization puts forth its best warrior against that of another nation. At times, rather than entire armies going into battle, the terms of agreement were determined by the winner of that duel. So the champion didn’t just earn bragging rights, but also the right to set any terms or demands of the defeated. 

In the wilderness, following his baptism, we witness the best heaven could put forward in Jesus, going head-to-head against the best hell could put forth in the devil. There was much more at stake in the outcome of their duel, however, than just one nation or civilization; they were fighting for mankind as a whole. The winner would have much more than just bragging rights; he would have the final say in the eternal status of every single soul. 

Prior to this account, Matthew had covered Jesus’ baptism. It was there that the heavens opened and the Father validated heaven’s champion with his voice of approval. Now hell opens up and puts forth its best challenger against heaven’s champion. The Father had claimed Jesus as his Son, and here Satan wants to challenge that status. He wants to put it to the test, so he sharpens his go-to weapons and attacks Jesus with the three temptations recorded for us. 

When Matthew writes, “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (v.1), he was pointing out that there was a very specific purpose behind Jesus’ temptation. This battle with Satan was one of the numerous events throughout Jesus’ life used to prove Jesus’ qualifications for serving as the Savior. Otherwise, how could he be the holiness and perfection we needed in our Savior if he never had the opportunity to demonstrate his obedience and ability to overcome temptation?

Our Savior in this showdown with Satan is not merely showing us how to overcome temptation, thereby giving us a standard operating procedure to follow; he’s doing much more – achieving for us the very perfection and obedience we could never attain on our own. He’s showing himself to be what we cannot and exactly the champion we needed: a holy one. The writer to the Hebrews provided his stamp of approval when he wrote that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin” (4:15). 

Realize why else this obedience matters. Without it, where we end up during the season of Lent, at the cross on Good Friday, April 7, would not matter. Jesus’ death was not all that was necessary for our salvation. His death paid for our sin, but his life was required for our perfection. His obedience in the face of temptation is credited to us by faith, but without that obedience, his death would have left our salvation incomplete.

Consider the new hire at a company. When his training is complete and he begins to tackle what he was hired for, people aren’t only paying attention to see that he doesn’t royally mess everything up, but also that he does the right things the right way. In other words, the basis for success after one month would not only be that he didn’t break the rules or do anything wrong, but also that he actually accomplished the work that he was hired to do!

So Jesus didn’t just die for our sins, paying for all of our wrongs; he also had to accomplish the requirements of heaven – doing the right thing all the time (holiness) in our place. And to prove that he was up to the task, he had to face temptation head-on. So see in these verses how our champion trounces the tempter and find the strength and confidence in your Champion, Christ, to imitate his success when Satan comes knocking at your door next!

Rest assured, it won’t be long. As a matter of fact, you’re more than likely well aware of how he’s bringing it right now. This applies to all of us – even those reading this who may not consider themselves followers of Jesus or ready to believe in things like hell, Satan, and temptation. Even if you’re not there on a spiritual level yet, surely you know firsthand the internal struggles that we all wrestle with between having a pretty firm handle on what the right thing to do is and our desire to do something else.

We know the right thing for our spouse, our family, and for the good of society, is to remain faithfully committed to our marriage promises. But then there is the coworker or acquaintance who has seemed to take an interest in us, and suddenly we discover this awakened curiosity that justifies spending more time together.

We know that being kind and loving to others is the right thing to do, but then I get into the comment section and come across some idiot making a boneheaded comment and I can’t just let it go unaddressed – it’s my responsibility to let everyone else reading the comments know what a childish moron this person is!

I know it’s not good for my kids to see me fly off the handle and cuss other drivers out when we’re in the car, but it’s not easy when the world is filled with so many inept drivers!

I’ve seen enough other lives fall apart from not being able to control their drinking, but that’s not me – I can still have just one more without it being a problem like it is for others.

When we find ourselves in those situations, we’re experiencing temptation, and though you may not believe in Satan, I can assure you those temptations aren’t coming from a loving and gracious God. 

Here’s what else you can expect. Satan will tailor his temptations specifically to you. He is not all-knowing or present everywhere – he is not God, after all! Yet he nonetheless has hordes of evil angels – demons – keeping tabs on when and where we are weak. He knows what you like to watch. He knows what you try to get away with. He knows what your go-tos are to cope when stress or anxiety hits. And he will turn all of that against you to get your world to crumble and come crashing down.

Should we expect anything less when that is exactly the approach he took against Jesus? Why tempt Jesus to turn stone to bread? Because he had just been fasting and was famished! Why tempt Jesus to jump off the temple and tease God to send his angels to the rescue? Because Jesus had just heard his Father express his love and approval at his baptism, and this would have been a great opportunity for Jesus to say, “Prove it, Father. Rescue me.” Why tempt Jesus with worldly power and prestige? Because Jesus knew that as the One who came to suffer and die, the path ahead for him did not at all include any worldly ideas of power and prestige, but poverty and punishment instead. Right here and right now, though, he could sample a little taste of worldly glory. Satan tailored temptation specifically to Jesus like a finely fitted suit. Expect he’ll do the same to you. 

And to be ready when he does, see how Jesus handled the temptation and take note of how different it is from how people tend to respond today. When we respond today, two of the most common phrases out of our mouths are “I think” or “I feel.” Then we proceed to explain what prompts us to think or feel that way. If that is our go-to response to fend ourselves against temptation – our own logic or emotions – is it any wonder why we either fail in the face of temptation or end up eagerly welcoming it? With no tried and true compass to guide us, we often end up using our own subjective logic or emotion to actually justify or give ourselves permission to give in! Satan salivates when our response in the heat of temptation is “I think” or “I feel,” because he knows how easy his job is from that point on!

But Jesus doesn’t use either of those words. He uses something else: just one word in greek that is simply translated, “It is written.” If Jesus was speaking the way we do today, he would have simply said, “the Bible says…” With the Word of God, we are no longer on the shaky ground of fleeting emotions or easily swayed logic. The Bible doesn’t change. God’s Word has always been God’s Word and always will be. And it will never misguide or misdirect anyone.

And understand why this whole account “was written” for us today. It was not merely as a “how to” on fighting temptation, but as assurance that we have a champion who thoroughly defeated the enemy and his temptation in our place. This account was written not to provide an example, but to show an explanation as to how heaven could be ours: we see our Savior earn it for us. That, at the end of the day, is why all of this is written. So it will not and cannot fail us.

You, though, are going to fail. But I want to assure you that not all is lost when you do. Because our relationship with God is not based on our record of successes vs. failures when faced with temptation. That is not the standard God uses. The only standard he sees is one: his Son’s. And he has an undefeated record in the face of temptation. He’s never lost. He’s never failed. He’s never given in. And through faith in this Savior, our Conqueror, that is the only record God sees in your life, too. Perfect. Undefeated.

Now let me ask if you think knowing that means you’re more or less likely to stand up and fight in the face of temptation. I think people often write off Christianity as being too good to be true because it’s so easy – all we have to believe is that Jesus did everything for us and we are free to live however we please. It’s true! We are free to live however we please!

But… does giving into temptation look nearly as appealing in light of a God who is filled with grace and forgiveness and unconditional love for me no matter how many times I fail? No. What starts to look more appealing – and bring far greater fulfillment than any temporary temptation ever will – is striving to live the God-pleasing life that Jesus has set me free to live. At the same time, that is going to serve others in the best way possible. It will contribute in the most meaningful, difference-making ways to improving society. 

I want to wrap this up by pointing out what happened after the temptation. Notice that angels come to attend our Champion. How awesome would that be!?! To have God’s special messengers provide direct care and support following a time of testing?

Guess what? God has promised to provide care and support for you following times of testing, too. Will it be directly through angels, as Jesus experienced? While it’s certainly possible, it’s less likely than another option: your church family. Remember, God doesn’t just gather his people together to show up on an occasional Sunday morning, but to minister to each other and the people God has placed into our lives. That includes providing care and support for each other when we’re struggling. No, we’re not angels, but just as God used angels to provide aid, care, and support to Jesus, so God can use us to provide the same to each other.

And this desire is not fake or disingenuous. Nor is it natural. It comes from the same Savior who stared down Satan to secure our salvation. The Jesus who loves us that much has freed us to love others. Our Champion won for us the freedom from selfishness that finds joy and delight in putting others first. On our own, we were and are easily defeated; Our Champion changed that. In Christ we are undefeated.