Mary and Mary Magdalene had witnessed both the death and burial of Jesus. Nothing could have prepared these two devastated women for what they would now witness as they returned to the tomb. The empty tomb and the angel’s news of Christ’s resurrection fill them with “fear and great joy.” (Matt. 28:8) From the beginning, the news of the resurrection has been opposed by the enemies of Jesus. Though the soldiers had personally witnessed the angel who rolled the stone away from the tomb, the Jewish leaders paid them to fabricate an explanation for the missing body. To encourage unbelief, many have circulated the soldiers’ story, but the truth of Christ’s resurrection will not be silenced. Because of this great truth, we are commanded to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”. (Matt 28:19-20) Those who are truly the disciples of Jesus will joyfully do what He has commanded as a result of the transformation God has produced in their hearts through the proclamation of the Gospel.
Questions for further thought: 1. In what ways have I contributed to the call of Jesus in the Great Commission “to go and make disciples of all nations”? 2. What forces are at play in your life to prevent you from doing that? How should the resurrection change your focus on this? Challenge: Read Matthew 28 again and determine what Christ may be asking you to do in light of His merciful death and resurrection.
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4/14/2022 0 Comments Son of ManThis is the name Jesus used for Himself more than any other. It is used 83 times in the Gospels and always by Jesus Himself. It is a messianic title (Dan, 7:13-14) with an obvious reference to the humanity and the humility of Christ, yet, it also speaks of His everlasting glory. As the unique God-man, Jesus would be the ladder between heaven and earth. This term would give spiritual insight into Jesus’ nature and His purpose for coming. (John 14:6)
Questions for further thought: 1. What is my reaction or feeling when I think of Jesus as the “Son of Man”? 2. What are some other names that Jesus is referred to in the Gospels? Challenge: Do a search for “Son of Man” on Biblegateway.com. You will be amazed at what you find. 4/13/2022 0 Comments Evangelism without PrejudiceWe see the heart of God as the God-man Jesus Christ calls Matthew, a “sinner,” to follow Him. Jesus not only calls Matthew but enters Matthew’s house to dine with “tax collectors and sinners.” God’s heart is always for the sick and downtrodden, who know they are sick. He has never been overly concerned with pursuing those that think themselves well by their own efforts. It turns out our God is extremely merciful to the sinner who turns away from sin and embraces the salvation that only Jesus can offer. (Luke 5:32, 19:5-10)
Questions for further thought: 1. How have you been tricked into thinking God’s love is conditional and is dependent on your own efforts? 2. Which of these “religions” would most closely characterize your world view and why? (1) The religion of human achievement or (2) The religion of Divine accomplishment? Challenge: Commit today to following Jesus Christ more closely and to “walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1) Today we celebrate what is known as the “Triumphal Entry” or Palm Sunday where Jesus enters Jerusalem being celebrated as the “Son of David” who comes “in the name of the Lord.” In other words, the crowds are praising Jesus as Israel’s long awaited Messiah, the Savior-King that God had promised to His people. Verse 8 is one of the few places where the Gospels record that Jesus’ glory is recognized on earth. Jesus bodily rode as the King of Peace, and the crowd gladly joined Him. But soon, these same people would bow to political pressure and sanction the crucifixion of their King. This day should caution us to guard against superficial acclaim for Christ.
Questions for further thought: 1. In what ways have you been persuaded to hide your affection for Jesus? 2. In what ways have you resisted this and openly proclaimed your faith in Jesus Christ no matter what the cost? Challenge: Read & meditate on 1 Timothy 6:11-16 (especially v.12) 4/11/2022 0 Comments The Resurrection of ChristTo begin his teachings about the resurrection of believers, Paul reviewed the evidences for Jesus’ resurrection: (1) the Church, (2) the Scriptures, (3) the eyewitnesses, (4) the apostle himself, and (5) the common message. He then summarizes the content of the Gospel in terms of Christ’s death for our sins and his burial, resurrection, and subsequent post-resurrection appearances. Everything in Scripture ultimately points us to the grace of God in Christ. Jesus’ burial confirms that He really was human and that He really died and His appearances to eyewitnesses confirm He truly did rise from the dead. Therefore, we are not building our lives on a myth or legend when we look to Him for grace to forgive and strengthen us. Case closed!
Questions for further thought: 1. In what ways have I been swayed by the culture to hold back my proclamation of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection? 2. Why do you think this is so offensive to those who don’t believe in Jesus? Challenge: Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 15 to get a fuller picture of the resurrection and why it matters. 4/8/2022 0 Comments Judgement and PromiseIf we are truthful, as Christians, we are challenged by the idea of God’s justice and judgment that condemned the entirety of humanity at the time of the flood. While each of us in our hearts know we are guilty and in need of God’s saving grace and mercy, it can be difficult to accept that people were so wicked at that time that God wiped them out. At the same time, it is comforting to know that He promised never to clear out all creation in the same way.
Questions for further thought: 1. Why do you think God decided to send the flood in the first place? 2. Why do you think God promised never to send such a catastrophe again? Challenge: Ask God for clarity about his acts in the Old Testament that challenge our New Testament perspective and for faith in the face of things we can’t entirely understand. 4/7/2022 0 Comments WorkmanshipA challenge about believing Noah built such a big boat is that the events all happened before the Iron Age, when stronger nails were available. One fascinating theory talks about “sewn boats” that are still used today (https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/31/3/4) and could even hold up to 200 tons. This idea matches pretty well with the description of how to build the ark in the Bible.
Questions for further thought: 1. Does it help bring the story of building the ark to life to imagine realistic ways to build such a big boat with the tools of the time? 2. What other challenges do you find in believing Old Testament stories? Challenge: What in your life would be the equivalent of building an ark? Pray and prepare to be willing to take on big tasks for God. 4/6/2022 0 Comments ScienceWhile there are critics of some scientific explanations for the flood, there is evidence of a massive flow of water from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea thousands of years ago. Proponents of the idea say that flood could have been heard 100 miles away (https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/evidence-suggests-biblical-great-flood-noahs-time-happened/story?id=17884533). This matches the idea that “underground waters erupted from the earth.”
Questions for further thought: 1. Would it challenge your perception of the veracity of Noah’s story to imagine the flood being local to the Mediterranean world where the Bible takes place? 2. How do physical explanations of biblical events strengthen our faith? Challenge: Read more about various discoveries surrounding Noah’s ark and ask God for insight about what we can learn from Noah’s story. 4/5/2022 0 Comments AnimalsIn the Ark Tablet (https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/the-animals-went-in-two-by-two-according-to-babylonian-ark-tablet/), a story similar to Genesis describes a round boat 20 feet high that saved animals. As kids, we were enchanted by the idea of God wanting to preserve the animals in the world.
Questions for further thought: 1. What does it tell us about God that he took care to save the animals, even spiders and mosquitoes and snakes? 2. Were the animals saved just for the sake of humans? Challenge: Tap into your inner child and imagine what it actually was like on that boat for months and months caring for animals. Unless God intervened, for example, by the end of that time, there were probably many more than two rabbits! 4/4/2022 0 Comments Worldwide FloodAccording to the Ark Encounter website (https://arkencounter.com/noahs-ark/), there are more than 200 stories around the world about a massive flood, from the Middle East to Hawaii to China to India to South America. Many of them mention a boat, and some mention judgment, rainbows and preserving animals.
Questions for further thought: 1. Does the existence of other flood narratives make you more likely or less likely to believe that the biblical story of Noah is true? 2. How important is it to your belief in the story of Noah to find “hard evidence” of a worldwide flood? Challenge: Read the famous Gilgamesh story of the flood and think about its similarities and differences from Noah’s story: https://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/sumerianflood.html |
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April 2024
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