Tag: Jesus

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We Need a Shepherd

The Bible and the ancient world continually compared leaders to shepherd and the their followers to a shepherd and his sheep. Why? Because this was something that most people would see in their daily lives. When people wanted a visual of leadership, they would think of a shepherd and his sheep.

This teaches us something very profound about human existence. First, we are people who need a shepherd. We come into this world needing guidance and leadership. We do not know where we came from, how we got here, what to do while we are here, or where we are going. We need guidance and help.

Second, we often to tend to look to the wrong shepherd. While people and things can give us help in this world, they cannot really serve as the shepherd. They make mistakes. They are limited. Yet we keep looking for that shepherd. We look for it in our parents, our family, our spouse, our children, our church, our business, our nation, our political group, or whatever else. These things become the leading force in our lives, our shepherd.

Third, some of this is self-conscious but much of it is not. How do we decide who will be our shepherd? We often just do what everybody else is doing. We move forward with the herd. We go where the herd leads us. This can be helpful sometime, but it also limits us and can lead us in a completely wrong direction. We are like sheep, so we need a shepherd.

The psalmist had no problem recognizing his sheep-like nature. He knew He needed guidance and leadership. He knew he needed a help and a refuge in times of trouble. And where did he find it? “The Lord is my shepherd.”

This meant that in spite of the trials of life, which are evident in this Psalm, He had a reference point that gave Him an unfailing hope. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” That’s the confident expression of hope that we can have when we have the Lord God as our shepherd. He is the right shepherd. He is the one who will lead us.

One amazing thing about this is that a man came into this world who claimed to be that type of shepherd. He claimed to be God Himself. “I and the Father are one.” He said. He made this claim on the heels of saying, “I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (John 10). Now, if anyone else claimed this, it would seem crazy or dangerous. Yet, in Jesus, who had such an exalted character that even His enemies admitted it, it does not seem crazy or dangerous. It seems right. And those are really the only two options. He was either crazy or right. He certainly wasn’t the former, so He must be the latter. He is the good shepherd. From now on, we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He is the shepherd that we must follow to find the way of true blessedness in this life and a life that is everlasting and defeats death.

So, who are you following today? What is the driving force of your life? Who is your shepherd? Have you even thought about it? If you have said “yes” to this shepherd, can you renew your resolution? “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

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Jesus Ascended (Luke 24:13-53)

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Is there any hope for a renewed and revitalized world? When we see so many who have turned from God, is there any hope? When we see nations devastated by war, is there any hope? When we see children taken advantage of and families broken apart, is there any hope? When we see the world racked by drugs and all the dirty business of getting it here, is there any hope?

The answer of this passage is a big “yes.” There is hope because Jesus is risen. He has overcome death, sin, and hell and come out on the other side. So, there is hope. The question is, how does it come about? How does God bring hope to this world? The answer is what we have in our text.

Knowing the Fact of the Resurrection
Before we continue in Luke 24:13, let’s review what we have seen so far. The women encountered the empty tomb and did not know what to think. They were not expecting Jesus to rise. They had to have an angelic explanation before they understood what was happening. They then went to the other disciples and told them what had happened. They did not believe the angelic message. They thought that what they were saying was nonsense. The disciples were not looking for Jesus to rise from the dead either. They thought that their hopes were dashed. This helps us understand the conversation on the road to Emmaus.

On the road to Emmaus, there were two of Jesus’ disciples walking. Of course, they were talking about all that had happened, all the things that we have read and considered in Luke 22 and 23. As they were doing this, Jesus appeared alongside of them. God kept them from recognizing Jesus immediately so that they might better discern the fact and the meaning of the resurrection. Here God closed their eyes so that later He might open their eyes to a fuller light.

Jesus joined them and asked them what they were talking about. They gave a general answer, all the things that had happened in Jerusalem. He then asked, “What things?”

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Jesus Dead and Buried (Luke 23:44–56)

[Listen to an audio version of this sermon here]

For some reason, the death of my Grandmother, Dorothy Basham, in November of 2022, has been particularly sobering for me. I have one Grandparent left, my Grandfather David Keith. Once he is gone, that entire generation of grandparents will be gone. For some reason, my Grandmother’s death made me think on this more deeply. Perhaps it’s because I have often thought of saying something or mentioning something to her or asking her something, and then I remember that she’s gone. All this reminds me of the fact that I am headed to the grave, and one day I will join them.

Death is not the way it is supposed to be. God did not create humans to experience death but to live in joy forever. Nowhere is this more poignant than the death of a child. We always expect that our children will outlive us. I was with a woman recently who experienced a joyful occasion where everyone was happy and rejoicing. But . . . it reminded her of the death of her son. She was weeping uncontrollably and had to leave. My heart went out to her both because I saw that everyone was happy and yet I realized that this reminded her of that which hurt her more than anything else in the world could.

We need to think about this. It is part of life, and it has extreme significance. Here, in this passage we encounter a death. It is the death of Jesus, the Son of God. What does this event tell us about death? Does it help us in any way as we process our own death and the death of those we love? That’s what we want to consider here. There are two aspects to this story that will be our two points, the death of Jesus and the burial of Jesus. Then, I will conclude by making some points about the suffering of Christ in general.

The Death of Jesus
There are two things that happen in our text which indicate opposite things, the darkness and the rending of the temple veil. Let me explain.

First, consider the darkness. Think about what it must have been like to see the crucifixion. Jesus had already been crucified, and then thick darkness comes over the land. The sun stopped shining. Here is a scene where Jesus was crucified and the movements of the weather cause it to be black and dark. The weather, which is under the control of God, demonstrated the blackness of the whole event, the reign of darkness, as Jesus said.

However, there is something more. In the Bible, the darkness and clouds represent the judgment of God. Joel, for example, describes the day of judgment as a “day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (Joel 2:2). However, this day of darkness and gloom was always coming upon people because of their sin. As Zephaniah the prophet said when he was speaking of another such day, it was “because they have sinned against the Lord” (Zeph. 1:16).

The question here is, why would the judgment of God come against Jesus? He was the beloved Son in whom the Father, just a short time ago had said, “He was well pleased.” Jesus had not done any wrong. He was so sure of this that He said that none of them could show where He had sinned. This may seem prideful, but it is not. Humility is an accurate estimation of what we are and that is almost all there is to it.

So, again, why would the black clouds of judgment come against Him? Because He was there as the representative of sinful humanity. He was there as their substitute. He died because “they have sinned against the Lord,” and He was experiencing judgment on their behalf so that they would not have to. His death in place of ours.

That leads us to the second image here. The veil of the temple was torn in two. It was a thick heavy curtain, and, miraculously, it was ripped in two from top to bottom. Now the veil guarded the way to the holiest place in the temple. Only the high priest could enter there where the ark of the covenant was, and that only once a year! It was a symbol of God’s grace and the sacrifice of atonement that Jesus would make, but it was also a reminder that the way had not yet been opened. They were still shut out from the presence of God unless the true sacrifice took place.

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Jesus Crucified (Luke 23:26–43)

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When you consider the future, do you think of good things? Do you think that there will be blessing? Or do you expect things to turn out badly, a curse? What about for your children?

The blessing and the curse. There are many reasons why we might expect a curse. After all, we all have to die. The time of death is often not very pleasant. If it extends itself out a long time, it can be worse. I was praying for someone’s mother last week who is having an awful time as she continues to decline in health. It’s the sort of thing I don’t really even want to share the details of. It just breaks my heart. It is things like that which make us think that future will bring a curse and not a blessing.

Last week, I talked about God’s purposes to do us good, to bless us. One person said that cancer and Ukraine make me wonder. This was person was right. It does make us wonder. It rightly makes us wonder if God’s purpose for us is good, if it is blessing.

Beyond this, we have to ask, what do we really deserve? Have we really treated people as the image of God? Have we given God the honor He deserves? Have we really loved Him? Have we made a good use of the things He has given us? The answer is often, “no.” The wages of sin is death. It is a curse. So, why would we expect blessing?

Well, our passage today gives us reason to expect that the future will bring blessing rather than a curse. This hope, ironically, is founded on the terrible punishment of crucifixion, an excruciatingly painful way to die. How in the world could the cross, the crucifixion, give us hope of blessing? That’s what I want you to see in this text.

The Way to the Crucifixion
The place where they would crucify Jesus is called “The Skull.” It’s interesting that I hear a lot of people around here saying “Calvary’s cross.” I’m not sure that really communicates to us what the Bible is talking about. The word Calvary comes from the Latin word calvaria. Calvaria means “skull.” So, it might be better for us to say, “Skull’s cross,” if we are going to say it. It’s called “skull” because it is a place of death. The skull is the symbol of death. It is the place of execution.

Now, Jesus was in Pilate’s court, but he had to walk to The Skull, to Calvary. Our text describes for us to the way to The Skull, the way to the crucifixion. It does this through three different foci on various people. These three foci are on Simon, the women of Jerusalem, and the two criminals.

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Jesus Condemned (Luke 22:66–23:25)

Gabbatha: possible location of Jesus’ Trial in Jerusalem

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There’s no question that the problems we face in Eastern Europe present a big problem for our nation and the nations of the world. A large military force has invaded a smaller country and threatens several others. It’s just these sorts of situations that the prophets of the Old Testament faced. Much of their message is given in the context of an imperial power threating to invade and then actually invading the smaller and less powerful countries around them.

What the prophets saw was that God was not going to let this go on forever. He would come in power and glory to judge the nations. The problem, though, was that when God called the world to account, how could anyone survive? Yes, Assyria, the predatory imperial power of the day was going to face judgment, but, when Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord, he said, “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips and live amongst a people of unclean lips” (Is. 6:5).

Our own conscience bears witness that we must give an account to God. We will have to answer the question, have we done all that God has asked of us? Have we done what God has forbidden us? In this world, we may compare ourselves to others and feel good about ourselves, but when we come before the throne of God all our games will be put aside, and we will deal with the absolutely holy God whose glory fills the universe.

Then, we will have to admit, “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!” How can I survive the judgment of God and not be condemned and punished?

That is the key question of our existence, and that is the question to which our text gives the answer.

Jesus Before the Priests of His People
Jesus was going to be judged. The first people to judge Him, though, were not the civil authorities. They would be the religious leaders of His people. “The chief priest and the teachers of the law” oversaw certain aspects of life in Israel. They were the ones who had arrested Jesus, and they were the ones who would judge His people now.

Do you like to be judged? People can get very sensitive about this. Often, people feel judged in church. If you have never experienced court, it’s judgment on a whole different level. It’s serious and stern. It’s not something that you want to experience. Yet this is what Jesus was going to experience throughout this whole day. He was going to be set in front of everyone and judged for what He had done.

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Jesus Arrested (Luke 22:39–65)

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I remember a few years ago, a friend called me. Their spouse had been put in jail. They thought that they had taken care of some minor traffic incident, but they had not. The next time they got in contact with law enforcement, this was on the record and this person was arrested. When I got the call, they were distraught. It was totally unexpected. Now, their spouse was locked up in jail.

That’s scary. To be taken against your will and arrested is very hard. This is what Jesus experienced. We now turn in this sermon series to consider the suffering of our Savior on our behalf. We should remember two things here. First, how great his suffering was. Second, that it was all done out of love for the human race, to bring us back to God so that we could be freed from suffering and given eternal life.

In this passage, we will consider three things here: the prelude to the arrest, the arrest, and the loneliness of the arrest.

The Prelude to the Arrest
After the celebration of the Passover, the disciples and Jesus went to a place they had gone often. They went to the Mount of Olives to pray.

When Jesus arrived, He told His disciples to pray. He had a concern for them. He said, you should pray so that you may not fall into temptation. They were about to enter into a great trial, and they needed help to be delivered from this trial. When we have a great trial, it is an important time for us to begin to pray.

After that, Jesus went off to pray by Himself. There, we have a record of what He prayed. He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Alfred Edersheim writes in his amazing work, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah:

We are here in the full view of the deepest mystery of our faith: the two Natures in One Person. . . . Was there, then, any thought or view of a ‘a possibility,’ that Christ’s work could be accomplished without that hour and Cup? Or did it only mark the utmost limit of His endurance and submission? We dare not answer; we only reverently follow what is recorded (846).

Wonder seems to be the best response here. It is an astonishing moment. It is the deepest wrestling of Jesus with the great suffering that He will undergo.

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The Sacrifice of the Passover Lamb

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Last year for the 4th of July, I decided that I would work. I would drive Uber. My first ride took me from Sevierville to Knoxville, so I decided I would just stay in Knoxville instead of driving back. I drove all over the city of Knoxville. I went down all sorts of side streets. What was amazing there was that even though fireworks were illegal in Knox County, everyone was doing fireworks. There were celebrations everywhere! I picked people up at large family gatherings, gatherings of friends, and city events. It was a great atmosphere, and I really enjoyed it.

One man, however, didn’t have a great time. He felt completely betrayed by his family. He cussed and swore about them for the 15 minute ride from his family gathering to his home. He explained to me over and over the wrongs that he perceived that his family had committed. Now, this man was no Jesus, and I don’t know what his family did or didn’t do, but it still illustrates this point: betrayal really hurts. When we feel that those whom we are close to are turning on us, it is extremely painful.

In this passage, we have a sort of July 4th of Israel. It was a celebration of their national liberation. But how does this story begin? With a betrayal!

The Betrayal that led to the Sacrifice
If we are to understand the Passover, then we should understand Israel would have seen it as a sort of July 4th, an Independence Day. Egypt had enslaved the people of Israel and even put to death their male children. But God had liberated them from this slavery and brought them to the land of Canaan. It was a day to remember.

Many of the Jews would celebrate this day by going up to the temple in Jerusalem. That’s where the big celebration would take place. People would gather from all over the world to enjoy their day of national independence. But when they got there, they had a problem. Celebrating their independence, they would see the signs of their lack of independence. They would see the evidence of the tyranny of Rome like the Roman governor and the Roman soldiers. So, you can imagine that this might be a volatile situation. The Roman authorities probably would not like this celebration very much.

What is interesting is that even the chief priests and the elders of Israel were afraid of the people. They wanted to get rid of Jesus. The people regarded Him as a prophet or more, and they were afraid to act because of the people. That’s what they were thinking about as the Passover approached. They knew Jesus would come and wanted to get rid of Him. So, what were they to do?

When we hear the name Judas, we cannot think of anything but evil. However, remember that this was one of Jesus’ close companions. They had spent day and night together for 3 years. They were close.

Satan entered Judas, but I imagine that Satan used some feelings of bitterness that were already there. Other parts of the account of Jesus indicate this. I wonder if Judas was looking for someone to liberate them from Rome and restore their independence. That’s what most of the people were looking for. Over time, Judas may have begun to think that this was not going to happen through Jesus and given up on Him.

So, he went to the chief priests in order to discuss with them how he might betray Jesus and hand them over to them without the people seeing it, “when no crowd was present” (v. 6), as our text says. The leaders even agreed to give Judas money in order to do this, and so he became the greatest traitor in the history of the world, betraying the best human being who had ever lived for a few pieces of silver. But, let’s not forget that Jesus washed his feet.

The Passover Lamb to be Sacrificed
The next verse takes us back to the Passover. It says, “Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed” (Luke 22:7). Luke draws our attention to a key but easily forgotten part of the Passover. It was the sacrifice of the Passover lamb.

The sacrifice of the Passover lamb is extremely instructive and has everything to do with what will occur in the rest of the book of Luke. The Passover lamb was sacrificed because of the 10th plague on Egypt. There were 10 plagues that devastated Egypt because they refused to let the people of Israel leave their land. The 10th plague was the death of the firstborn of the land. However, death was going to come not only on the Egyptians. It would come on the Israelites as well. The only way of escape was to slaughter a lamb and put the blood on the doorposts of their house. They would be saved by the blood of the lamb.

Now, this might have been a hard message to hear. Sometimes, in the conflict of the nations, it is difficult to know who is right and who is wrong. However, in the case of Egypt and Israel, this was not the case. Egypt was clearly the aggressor, and Israel was the victim. Egypt was unjust, and Israel did not deserve what they received from them. So, Egypt was in the wrong. However, the Passover lamb said that all have sinned, and all need forgiveness before God. That might have been hard to hear.

Think about the situation with Ukraine. Rarely has there been a war where one nation is so obviously in the wrong. Ukraine was trying to live as an independent nation, and Russia has tried to gobble it up in a brutal way. Russia is clearly in the wrong. However, this does not mean that Ukraine has no sin. The Passover lamb teaches us that all have sinned and are liable to God’s judgment. It is only by the blood of the lamb that they are saved. In the face of an unjust attack, this might be a hard message to hear.

That’s what Jesus was facing. Israel felt unjustly attacked and conquered by Rome. A message that all had sinned and were in need of God’s grace might not have been popular. Indeed, many of Jesus’ contemporaries didn’t like it at all. The idea that Rome could be forgiven and find grace was something they liked even less.

However, Jesus knew what the Passover was all about, and he was eager to partake of it with His disciples. He had arranged for a place for them, and through a series of signs, He was able to get to a place where he could eat the Passover with His disciples. So, like so many that night, Jesus gathered with His disciples to eat the meal. There, He told them what the Passover was really all about.

To understand what Jesus is doing, think about the fact that this is the last time of fellowship with the disciples before His death. I have observed many funerals and participated in many. One thing that is always powerful is when someone can talk about the last things that someone said. Many at the funeral might not have been able to hear those words. It was moving to me to hear from the woman who was with my Grandma when she died this past November. This woman sang hymns to my Grandma throughout the night. It was comforting to know that she was there. For me, I remember one of the last times we spoke. It had been a while since we talked. She said at the end of the conversation, “It’s amazing to me that even if you don’t talk for a while, how easily old friends can pick up where they left off.” That has stuck with me. It made an impression on me to see how she regarded our relationship, and it’s something that will stick with me as long as I live.

That’s what we see here with Jesus. What Jesus did was to take the bread and the cup of the Passover and to give them new meaning. Why didn’t He take the lamb? I think because He was making things easier for us. He wanted the new Passover, the Lord’s Supper, to be easy and transportable so it could easily go out into all the world. That’s why He took up the bread and the wine. He also didn’t want to use literal blood. Once the blood of Christ had been shed, there would be no longer any need for shedding of blood. The sacraments of the New Testament are bloodless.

So, He took the bread, and He said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). His body was given or handed over for you, so that you might never have to be given over for your sins. This bread will represent His body that would be the sacrifice.

Then, He took the cup that he had already poured out and handed to them. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20). His blood is going to establish a new covenant, a new arrangement between God and man. The cup and the fruit of the vine within it would represent that. Consider the wonderful significance of this. The first covenant of God and man was that man was to obey and live. If he did not, then he would face death. But all have sinned. So, how can we find life? There would be a new covenant. Jesus would suffer as a sacrifice for our sins. He would face the death that we had to face so that we could live. He would become a curse for us so that we might receive endless blessing. That’s the amazing new covenant. He gives everything, and we get everything, as we will see in a moment.

Let me stop, though, and talk about this sacrament for a minute. Jesus said to them that they were to do this in remembrance of Him. They were to keep doing it as a way of remembering Jesus. So, this should be very significant to us.

To understand this, just think of something that you have received that reminds you of someone else. When I was a young boy, there was exciting news in the family. My Grandpa had gotten a dog. He named it Winston. It was a bulldog. Now, the thing about Winston was that he never moved. He was a statue. However, I just remember all the family laughing about it and enjoying the fact that my Grandpa had gotten this dog. It captured my imagination, too. Now, thanks be to God, my Grandpa is still living and doing well. However, as he’s gotten older, he’s needed more help, so he went to live in a small apartment in my Uncle’s house. He had to downsize. My parents asked me if I wanted anything of his. I said, “I want Winston,” whom I had seen in the apartment he was moving from.

Now, I have heard people speaking of the Lord’s Supper as a memorial and saying, “It’s not just a memorial.” But, what we must remember is that a memorial is not just a memorial. It is powerful. Winston is sitting in a corner of my living room, and, in and of itself, he is not worth much. However, it has a certain power. Every time I see him, I think of all my family reunions and the joy of connection with my family and the legacy of my Grandfather and Grandmother. It’s not “just a memorial.” It has a power. That’s how we should think of the Lord’s Supper. It’s what Jesus has left for us to remember Him. If our human memorials have power, how much more this one with the power of the Holy Spirit behind it?

What an amazing moment! What an intimate and glorious time with the Savior! And what happens after this beautiful moment? A fight breaks out. Have you ever had that happen? You are having a beautiful moment with your friends or family. Then, someone says something that offends someone, and they all start fighting. Some join in. Others slowly back away or just shut their mouths, looking at the other people who are shutting their mouths with concern. It may give us some measure of assurance to know that even Jesus experienced such fighting at the table.

The Benefits of the Sacrifice
Now, we have to note that the fight is occasioned, not caused, by Jesus Himself. After telling them of the New Covenant, He said, “But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” This increases their anxiety dramatically. “They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this” (v. 23).

Then, as the anxiety increased, they all started to wonder about their place and position. “A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest” (Luke 22:24). Here Jesus is facing His greatest trial, and His disciples are fighting with one another.

Jesus used this occasion, however, to teach them something about what His sacrifice meant. Sometimes, Jesus brings us into situations in which our anxiety increases in order to teach us the true solution to anxiety, which is trust in the benefits that flow from His sacrifice.

In order to understand this, we need to think about why people dispute about who is the greatest. They do it because they are concerned about their position and situation. It’s just like us. When we perceive that others slight us or don’t give us attention, we worry about it. We worry about our reputation. We worry what others will think. We worry that others will take from us.

However, Jesus used this occasion to teach them about three benefits of His death. First, Jesus told them that He was conferring on them a kingdom. Jesus told them that, in a way, they don’t really need to worry about their position. He was giving them a kingdom! Their place and their honor was secure. Even if others don’t honor us, our honor is secure with God!

Jesus went on to explain. The people of the world want to be the people who are recognized as great. Jesus told them that He had come to serve. It’s not mentioned explicitly here, but Jesus had just washed their feet as a servant of the house would. That’s what they should focus on, too. Why? “I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29–30). In other words, don’t worry so much about what you will get from others. Don’t worry if you don’t get the houses or the vacations or the cars or the recognition or the place. You are getting a kingdom! You eat at the king’s table! That’s what the Lord’s Supper means. You don’t need to worry so much about your reputation, about your future, about your pleasures, about your dreams. They will all be fulfilled. “I confer on you a kingdom.” Jesus says. He was handed over for our sins, and we get a kingdom instead of a punishment! That’s the new covenant! Glory be to God!

The second benefit Jesus would give them was protection. They might wonder if they had the strength to stay with Jesus. Who was going to betray Him? They asked. Jesus wanted to assure them that those who had stuck by Him would remain with Him. If someone went out from them, it was because they were not of them. For those who were His, even if they failed, they would be brought back.

That’s the assurance that Peter was going to need because Jesus knew he was going to fail. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Peter, here called by his other name, Simon, would fail, but Jesus had prayed for him so that his faith would not fail.

What hope do we have that we will inherit the kingdom? Jesus has prayed for us so that our faith would not fail.

Third, Jesus would give them provision. “Then Jesus asked them, ‘When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?’

“‘Nothing,’ they answered” (Luke 22:35).

Jesus had provided for them. Now, though, He told them, that He wanted them to plan, being careful to take what they needed, even having self-protection in the form of a sword. In this way, Jesus would care for them as well. He would provide for them through their planning. In either case, He would take care of them.

Conclusion
So, as we face the world with all its injustices and challenges, what do we need to know? We have a new covenant with the Lord. We are receiving a kingdom. This is the foundation of our hope and our life.

I read something interesting this week that illustrates this point. Henri Nouwen was a Christian writer and speaker. He was widely recognized and appreciated for his insights. He wrote books, and he had recognition from prestigious schools like Yale and Notre Dame. In 1986, he went to work as pastor in a community for intellectually disabled adults. One thing that he found out right away is that none of them cared about his books or his intellectual attainments. They didn’t like him or dislike him based on any of that. It was a real challenge for Henri Nouwen. It is good to do things that are respected in the world, but what do you do when you are a part of a community who has no understanding of it or appreciation of it? Then, what do you base your self-image on? Nouwen felt like he had to start over and base his own feelings about himself on something better.

What that illustrates in a powerful way is that so many things that we base our value on are not a good foundation. We have to go back to the foundation, and it is the words of Jesus. “I bequeath to you a kingdom.” As we experience the Lord’s Supper each month, let us be a reminder that we are more valuable than we could imagine because of the amazing love and honor that the Lord gives us that we can sit at the table of His kingdom. Amen.

Benediction: When you feel disappointment this week, remember that these setbacks are just temporary. God is doing something marvelous. He is bestowing on you a kingdom and a place at the table of the Lord!

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.—Jude 24–25

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The Marvelous Works of Jesus, Part 6: The Lord of the Storm (Luke 8:22–39)

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When the Bible speaks of the world, it often uses the metaphor of a surging sea. The world is like a sea of rough, choppy water. Trying to sail in the world can be a very scary thing. For example, the world order that we have enjoyed since the fall of communism may be falling apart with the rise of an aggressive Russia and China. Things may become very difficult and challenging for our nation. How are we to deal with it?

The problems of the world are so big and so out of our control that it is easy to let anxiety control us or just to bury our head in the sand like the ostrich does and not want to deal with it. How do we maintain our sanity in the midst of it and still move forward in service? The passage that we are looking at provides an answer. It is faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Triune God, as Lord over all things.

We will see this as we look at the two stories. The first is of the storm. The second is of the demon army.

The Storm
Much of Jesus’ ministry takes place around the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful lake in the northern part of Israel. It is a source of life and blessing to the surrounding region. Several of Jesus’ disciples had made their livelihood from this sea in the form of fishing. They had access to boats and knew how to navigate the lake.

As they were on the sea, there was a great storm. These storms are common there. The Sea of Galilee is like the bottom of a bowl, and the storms sweep down from the surrounding hills. Our text tells us, “A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger” (Luke 8:23). These experienced fishermen were afraid.

We need to remember that Jesus is great, and He also took upon Himself the weaknesses of humanity. In this story, He went to sleep in the boat as they went across. As a side note, this is the only time the Gospels ever mention that Jesus slept! The disciples were in a panic as the storm came on, and they saw that Jesus was still sleeping. “Master, Master, we are going to drown!” (Luke 8:24). They said.

At this point, Jesus “got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm” (Luke 8:24). Then, He rebuked them. “Where is your faith?” He asked them.

Now, this is an interesting question. We might wonder why Jesus would bring up faith here. After all, were they promised deliverance from the storm? How did they know that they would survive it?

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The Marvelous Works of Jesus, Part 5: Greater Than We Thought

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There are few things that can grip our hearts more than threats to the ones we love. We yearn for them. We worry about them. We weep for them. We are concerned about them.

In the amazing grace of God, He has given us a group of people around us who care for us and love us and to whom we can also give love and care. These people are the sources of some of our greatest joys on earth and also some of our greatest sorrows. What can hurt us more than the loss of a child? What is rougher than the loss of someone close such as a wife or a friend who has been with us for many years?

Into this great challenge, Jesus enters in and shows His love and care for those whom we love the most. He demonstrates His care in two stories where someone experiences sorrow over someone they love dearly. Even in this difficult area of our life, Jesus shows us that He is greater than we often think and able to care for those whom we love. In this story, we have two instances of the marvelous works of Jesus that were greater than any recorded thus far. This shows us how great Jesus is and with how much confidence we can put our loved ones in His hands. These are the stories of a centurion and a widow who experienced the marvelous works of Jesus.

The Centurion
A centurion was an army officer of the Roman Empire. This centurion or army officer lived in Capernaum, since the Roman Empire had soldiers stationed everywhere. This centurion had a servant whom he loved, and this servant was sick and about to die. Here was someone dear to this man, and he was on the point of death. It seemed like there was no hope. Then, he heard about Jesus. Jesus had been healing all sorts of people, and so he believed that there was hope.

Out of this hope, he sought out Jesus. What is striking here is that this man did not go to Jesus himself. Instead, he sent some of the elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they not only asked him, “they pleaded earnestly with him.” Now, why would they do this for a Gentile, Roman army officer? They gave Jesus the reason, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue” (7:5).

The Roman army officer was a man who cared about people. He loved his servant. He also loved the people where he lived. He showed this care for them by building them a synagogue.

The Roman army officer was a man who cared about God as well. He was probably pious and what the Jews of the time called “a God fearing man.” He showed his care for the people by building them a place for worship.

This centurion was just and pious. He represented the best of what Rome had to offer to the world. The Jews of Capernaum were so moved by his justice and his piety that they went to Jesus on his behalf.

The result was that Jesus went with them to heal the servant. However, when Jesus was not far from the house, the centurion sent out friends to say to him. “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you” (Luke 7:6b–7a). This is remarkable indeed. He saw his own unworthiness and the worthiness of Jesus. He saw Jesus as great.

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The King Who Welcomes All (Luke 5:12-32)

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Do I belong here? It’s a question we all face at one time or another. Our constitution says that all are created equal. So, if someone is human, they can be a full citizen here. They don’t need to be a particular race or ethnic group.

However, in spite of the principle, for most of our country’s history, we deliberately set up legal barriers that kept people from really belonging here and being full citizens. Thanks be to God for the work of men like Martin Luther King, Junior, who called us to live consistently with our ideals even when most did not want to hear it. Because of him, our country made significant progress in removing those legal barriers that kept people from belonging.

While we have made progress, people still get left behind. Even where people are welcomed legally, this does not always equate to a change in people’s hearts to welcome all. It’s easy for us to forget the struggle that has occurred in the past to make this nation a place where anyone can belong. That’s why it’s good to have Martin Luther King, Junior Day. It calls us to remember triumph over past injustice and to continue to strive for a more perfect one.

This struggle of belonging is something we can see on a limited scale all around us. It’s easy for us to build our own world where we feel accepted and never try to enter new places. Why? Because breaking into new places is hard. It takes time and effort. When you feel like you are on the inside, it’s easy to forget what it’s like for new people seeking to enter. That’s why it’s good to put yourself into situations where you will be on the outside. It reminds us of what it is like to enter into a new place.

When it comes to the kingdom of God, what should it be like? What does it say to people who feel that they don’t belong? Today, we want to look at what the King did to show people that they belong in the kingdom. In the three passages we have before us, we have three people who felt like they didn’t belong. In the King’s response to them, we see something remarkable. The King welcomes all. So, let’s look at how Jesus treats a leper, a paralytic, and a tax collector to see how Jesus shows that all people are welcome and can belong in His kingdom.

The Leper
In the first account, there is a man who is “covered with leprosy.” Leprosy may refer to a variety of skin diseases. When there is something wrong with our skin, it’s easy to feel awkward about it. Imagine this man who was covered with it. But it’s worse than that. In those days, a person who was a leper had to go into isolation. He had to warn people as they came near of his condition. He could not join with the community. He could not go up to worship the Lord in the temple.

If there is one thing that 2020 taught me, it was the joy of a crowd of people. For a couple of months, most of us stayed isolated. We did not even meet for worship. I have a large family, but many people were alone. What a joy it was to come back. This was only for a couple of months. For the leper, he had no idea if or when it would end.

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