Tag: Jesus

Passion Week Tuesday Reflection

On By BrianIn Holidays

Tuesday: Predictions – Take Up Your Cross

Read Luke 9:18-27, 18:31-34

Prayer: Father, your Son knew what was coming, yet he willingly gave himself up for me. He was rejected, mocked, shamefully treated, spit upon, flogged, and killed for my sins. Let me give myself for him. Help me deny myself – stop living for myself, and take up my cross – be willing to suffer for Christ, and follow him wherever he leads. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: What are some practical daily examples of what it might look like to deny yourself for Christ?

Praise: Sing “Am I A Soldier of the Cross”

Passion Week Monday Reflection

On By BrianIn Holidays

Monday: Preaching – Give all to Him

Read Luke 19:45-21:4

Prayer: Father, they dragged buying and selling even into your house. How easy it is for me to get caught up in the buying and selling of our culture. Help me be like the widow who willingly gave all to you. All that I have is from you; it is yours – do with it as you please. Even my life is from you, and you made me in your likeness, so help me give myself to you – even as your Son gave himself for me. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: What would it look like to live according to this prayer?

Praise: Sing “Take My Life”

Passion Week Palm Sunday Reflection

On By BrianIn Holidays

Palm Sunday: Praise – Rejoice in the Messiah

Read Luke 19:28-40

Prayer: Father, before the rocks cry out, let me lift up my voice and praise you. Thank you for your mighty works – your beautiful creation, your sustaining hand, your great salvation. Thank you for saving me. Awaken my soul to give you the glory and praise that is due you today. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: For what mighty works can you praise the Lord?

Praise: Sing some of your favorite songs of praise to the Lord.

Good News!

On By BrianIn Book of Luke2 Comments

Of all the people God could have announced the birth of Jesus to, he chose to announce it to shepherds.  Shepherds watching sheep that would probably be used as sacrifices at the temple.  Even as Jesus would one day offer himself as a sacrifice.

The angel appears and announces good news of great joy.  What is this good news?  A Savior has been born!  We sin and sin and sin and sin, and Jesus was born to save us from our sins.  Again and again, the people would sacrifice the shepherd’s lambs for their sins, but Jesus came to save us from our sins once for all.  A Savior has been born.  Indeed this is good news of great joy!

Notice the response of the shepherds.  First they went to investigate.  They wanted to see this Savior.  Do we have the same desire?  To see our Savior.  To know him better?  To investigate further and deeper the glorious good news of great joy?

Second, they went about proclaiming the good news that they had heard and seen for themselves.  Do we have that same tendency?  No one told the shepherds to witness.  They just naturally did.  Are we so excited about our Savior that we just naturally tell others?

Third, they went home praising God for the good news they had heard and seen and proclaimed.  The good news of great joy filled them with joy.  Do we have the praises of God on our hearts and in our mouths?

Father, thank you for the good news of a Savior.  Grant us the desire to investigate, the passion to proclaim, and the joy to praise you.  Amen.

(Taken from Luke 2:1-20)

Promise of Christ

On By BrianIn Book of Luke1 Comment

After John is born, Zechariah breaks forth into praise (Luke 1).  What is the content of his praise?  The Promise of Christ.

First, there is the promise of hope in Christ (v68-75).  Zechariah speaks of salvation from enemies.  He speaks of the house of David – a reference to the kingship.  All of this was foretold by the prophets.  And so Christ is coming again to reign as king, to put every enemy under his feet, to bring about the paradise the prophets foretold.  What a glorious promise of hope we have in Christ.

Second, there is the promise of forgiveness in Christ (v76-78).  John will prepare the way for Jesus, making known the salvation and forgiveness of sins found in Jesus.  Through Christ’s death, all of our sins can be forgiven.  We can be clean and pure.  This is the glorious promise of forgiveness we have in Christ.

Third, there is the promise of light in Christ (v78-79).  Jesus is a light in the midst of our dark world.  Instead of blundering around in the darkness, we can come to the light.  In the darkness of our trials, we can look to the light.  This is the glorious promise of light we have in Christ.

Finally, there is the promise of peace in Christ (v79).  In the midst of a chaotic world filled with trials and hurts and losses and troubles, we need a source of peace.  In Christ, the Prince of Peace, we can find peace.  And one day he will usher in perfect peace over the entire world.  This is the glorious promise of peace we have in Christ.

May we remember the promises we have in Jesus!

Now Marriage Is A Picture

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life, Sermon Songs1 Comment

Now Marriage Is A Picture

The Church’s one foundation, is Jesus Christ her Lord
She is His new creation, by water and the Word
From heaven He came and sought her, to be His holy bride
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.

Now marriage is a picture, of Jesus and his bride
May our vows remain secure, may we in love abide
For Christ will never leave us, forsake us never he
As he is faithful to us, so faithful we must be

May sacrificial giving, be in our homes today
And true humble forgiving, and grace in all we say
For Jesus died to save us, forgive those gone astray
He pours his grace upon us, with more grace every day

Each husband love his own wife, and leading for her best
As Jesus gave his own life, to give us hope and rest
Each wife respect her husband, and joyfully submit
As we before the Lord stand, and gladly do commit

May each and every marriage, shaped by the gospel be
Forsake the gods of this age, worship the Lord only
All praises we would give you, for all that you have done
Forever we’ll adore you, Great God the Three in One

(First verse by Samuel J. Stone from the hymn The Church’s One Foundation, to the same tune by Samuel S. Wesley, Public Domain.  I wrote verses 2-5 to go with the Gospel Shaped Marriage sermon which I just blogged.  All rights reserved.  Copyright 2010.)

Hope Is Dawning

On By BrianIn Book of Luke1 Comment

For 400 years the people of Israel had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah.  The prophets had foretold his coming, and the people waited, longing for his coming.  Would he come in their lifetime?  In their children’s?  Grandchildren’s?  How long?

Finally, the fist glimmers of light appear.  Their hope dawns as an angel appears to Zechariah.  Zechariah and his wife will have a son in their old age.  Their son will prepare the way for the Messiah.

The Messiah came, lived, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven.  Now we wait for the Messiah to come again as foretold by the prophets, and the apostles, and the Messiah himself.  Are we longing for his coming?  Might he come in our lifetime?  In our children’s?  Grandchildren’s?

And as we wait for our hope to dawn, are we as his church preparing the way for his coming?  Are we a proclaiming the good news of Jesus, preparing people for his return?

(From Luke 1)

Accomplished Among Us

On By BrianIn Book of Luke

“…the things that have been accomplished among us….”

Luke begins his gospel by recognizing that others have compiled accounts of what had been accomplished among them, and that after careful research he too had written of that which had been accomplished among them.

His gospel begins with the gospel – the good news.  It is not about what we accomplish, but about what has been accomplished among us.  It is not about what we do, but about what has been done for us.  It is about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and because of what he has accomplished for us, we can know salvation in him.

(Luke 1:1-4)

Sick Church

On By BrianIn Revival1 Comment

In Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus addresses a sick church.  The Creator of the world gives a certain and true diagnosis, and faithful counsel for needed healing.  His words were originally directed at the church of Laodicea.  Might his words describe our churches?  Might his words describe us?

The church is sick because they are lukewarm.  A nearby city was known for its cold water, another for its hot springs.  Laodicea was known for its lukewarm water.  Unwary visitors were known to take a drink only to spit it back out.  Their water was a picture of their spiritual condition.  They had not coldly rejected Christ.  Nor were they fervently serving Christ.  They were lukewarm, indifferent, apathetic, comfortable.  And Christ wants to spew them out.  How well does that describe our churches?  How well does it describe us?

The church is sick because they have a faulty perception of themselves.  Laodicea was a wealthy city and relatively self-sufficient.  The church thought they were rich and needed nothing – but they were deluded.  Christ says they are wretched and pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  Do we see ourselves as rich, or as sinners saved by grace?  Do we think we can manage the Christian life on our own, or do we recognize our need of help?

Christ’s counsel first addresses the second problem.  He calls them to look to him.  They need to acknowledge their spiritual poverty and give up their spiritual self-sufficiency.  Laodicea was a wealthy city, but the church needed to look to Christ for true spiritual wealth – for all the spiritual blessings that flow from Christ. Laodicea had a textile industry specializing in black wool, but the church needed to look to Christ that they might be clothed in white garments – good deeds flowing from God’s grace. Laodicea was known as a medical center with a focus on the eyes, but the church needed to look to Christ that they might see themselves as God sees them.  Are we looking to Christ?

Christ’s counsel continues – moving to the first problem.  They must repent of their lukewarmness.  Though Jesus gags on their lukewarm condition, he still loves them.  He will not allow them to continue living in sin; he will lovingly discipline them.  They must repent – turn from their apathy and be zealous for him.  How?  They cannot do it on their own, they must again look to Christ.  He is knocking at the door of their hearts.  He wants to come in and fellowship with them.  In that fellowship, their hearts will be warmed that they might be zealous for Christ.  Do we need to repent?  Has our relationship with Christ grown distant?  Do we need to open the door again and draw near that we might again be zealous for Christ?

To those who overcome, he promises that we will reign with him.  May we hear what the Spirit says to us in these verses.

Fellowship with my Wood Stove

On By BrianIn Revival

Winter is quickly coming and with it comes the cold.  Soon my wood stove will be full of burning wood to keep our home warm.  The wood stove is in the living room.  My office is the farthest room away.  While the living room stays nice and warm, my office is more lukewarm – even chilly.  After an hour or two in my office, I often go out to the living room to fellowship with the wood stove.  I’ll stand next to it and let its warmth warm me.

The Christian life is much like this.  On our own, away from Jesus, we grow chilly.  No longer hot, on fire for Christ, we grow lukewarm, indifferent, apathetic.  Our greatest need is to fellowship with Jesus.  As we spend time with the Lord, he makes us hot again.  He gives us a hunger and desire for him.  He makes us fervent in spirit.  He fills us with passion for God and compassion for people.

Have you grown a bit chilly, kind of lukewarm? Is it time to draw near again that he might make you hot?

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

“…you are lukewarm….Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:16-20)