John 13 is just tough to deal with! Think about it...as Christ sat down with His disciples, He had fulfilled everything outside of going to the cross. Eat the bread. Drink the wine...everybody having a good time (sorry, another U2 quote). But Jesus is not about to relax. He is not about to take it easy and wait for Judas to do his thing.
Jesus decides to go beyond the call and give us an example to follow. He gets up and washes the feet of the disciples. Have you ever washed someone's feet? Not your kid's feet, but a non-relative. I did it once...it is a very humbling experience. Not only humbling for the foot washer but also the recipient. It is just uncomfortable altogether.
Now think of God Himself washing the feet of His disciples. Think about waiting your turn. Think about the fact that Jesus stopped and took the time to wash each foot...including Judas. He didn't "have" to. This wasn't prophesied about. This was a choice made by God Himself...true to His character, He went beyond the call.
How should we respond? Read Peter's words in John 13...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A Living Witness
It is Passion Week! On Sunday I asked everyone to read John 11-21 to prepare for Easter. This week I will blog on my reflections as I read through the chapters. Today, it is John 11-12...
I have preached on John 11 several times. It is one of my favorite chapters (John is my favorite book in the Bible...chapter 13 is pretty good too!) in Scripture. What sticks out to me reading through it this time is not chapter 11, but chapter 12!
In John 11, we see so many crucial and important things...Jesus waiting for Lazarus to die before going to see him. Christ's interactions with Martha and Mary. Jesus breaking down in a painful, sorrowful sobbing as He confronts death. Of course, the resurrection of Lazarus. What about the fallout?
We see the leaders determine then, because of what happened, that they have to rid themselves of Jesus. The witness of Lazarus' LIFE is the catalyst of Christ's DEATH. I want to you to think about Lazarus. Lazarus is a threat. He is a WITNESS of Christ's power and deity. His very life is a witness. Wherever he goes, he is a reminder to everyone of Christ and what happened.
A physical resurrection will do that. Watching Lazarus eat, sleep, walk, and talk...his breathing points everyone to Jesus. That resurrection wasn't about the physical as much as it was an illustration of the spiritual. If you know Jesus. If you believe in Him, then you are just like Lazarus. You have been spiritually resurrected!! Pretty cool!
Now, in chapter 12 we see the fallout of that. At the end of chapter 11 and in chapter 12, it says that the crowds came to see Jesus and Lazarus! It says they were talking about it. The challenge is that we also are all living witnesses. We were all dead in our trespasses and sins. We have all been resurrected. What do people see in you? Do they see a transformation? Does your presence point people to Christ? A challenging thought...with more to come!
I have preached on John 11 several times. It is one of my favorite chapters (John is my favorite book in the Bible...chapter 13 is pretty good too!) in Scripture. What sticks out to me reading through it this time is not chapter 11, but chapter 12!
In John 11, we see so many crucial and important things...Jesus waiting for Lazarus to die before going to see him. Christ's interactions with Martha and Mary. Jesus breaking down in a painful, sorrowful sobbing as He confronts death. Of course, the resurrection of Lazarus. What about the fallout?
We see the leaders determine then, because of what happened, that they have to rid themselves of Jesus. The witness of Lazarus' LIFE is the catalyst of Christ's DEATH. I want to you to think about Lazarus. Lazarus is a threat. He is a WITNESS of Christ's power and deity. His very life is a witness. Wherever he goes, he is a reminder to everyone of Christ and what happened.
A physical resurrection will do that. Watching Lazarus eat, sleep, walk, and talk...his breathing points everyone to Jesus. That resurrection wasn't about the physical as much as it was an illustration of the spiritual. If you know Jesus. If you believe in Him, then you are just like Lazarus. You have been spiritually resurrected!! Pretty cool!
Now, in chapter 12 we see the fallout of that. At the end of chapter 11 and in chapter 12, it says that the crowds came to see Jesus and Lazarus! It says they were talking about it. The challenge is that we also are all living witnesses. We were all dead in our trespasses and sins. We have all been resurrected. What do people see in you? Do they see a transformation? Does your presence point people to Christ? A challenging thought...with more to come!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Making enemies on both sides of the aisle
Earlier this week, our "beloved" U.S. Representative Parker Griffith brought in a Democrat to help him raise money for his REPUBLICAN campaign. Needless to say, Griffith has made more new enemies since his party change than friends. This post is not to be critical or make a political stand, so to speak, against my former neighbor (Griffith lived next door to me for the first 16 years of my life). My point is that it is tough to make EVERYONE hate you!! Most public figures have supporters, no matter what you do.
Anyway, to tie this back to Following Christ, we as Christians sometimes need to be reminded at how offensive Christ was to the people around Him. In fact, we need to expect, if we are following Him closely, to sometimes get caught in His wake. The Gospel message is difficult to fully accept. As I said last Sunday, unconditional love is hard to believe in. So, with that, I wanted to share with you a blog by my good friend and PCA pastor Josh Reitano, who crystalizes these thoughts below by fleshing out Mark 3:6, which says...
The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Josh writes...
Nothing unites like a common enemy. The Herodians and the Pharisees would have nothing to do with one another, and yet, they both were deeply offended by the gospel (though in very different ways).
The Herodians were thoroughly secular - the party of Herod (who was notoriously immoral and irreligious - see Mark 6). They couldn't stand the bad news of the gospel - the call to repentance because of brokenness and sin. This is what John the Baptist proclaimed to Herod, and it got John killed. Here the Herodians are plotting to do the same to Jesus.
The Pharisees would have applauded Jesus (and John) calling the Herodians to repentance. They were quite good at calling people immoral. But their prescription for sin was different. The Pharisees could never get over Jesus' notion of grace. Not only did Jesus hang out with sinners, but He actually told them they could be right with God. And not by following the law with Pharisaical precision (that was a lost cause) - but by receiving Jesus by faith.
The bad news of the gospel offended the Herodians. The good news of the gospel offended the Pharisees. Then, as today, Jesus makes enemies on both sides of the aisle.
Some of us grew up as Pharisees and now want to get as far away from that as possible - and so we run from rules and religion and believe our concept of "open-mindedness" will save us. Others of us had wild patches and so we run toward religion, believing that a moral life will ultimately give us value and save us.
And in strides Jesus and says we're both wrong. Rather than running to and from religion (and rules), we must run instead toward Jesus. Or perhaps better, we need to stop running altogether, and rest in the work Jesus has done on the cross.
Thanks to Josh for these words!
Anyway, to tie this back to Following Christ, we as Christians sometimes need to be reminded at how offensive Christ was to the people around Him. In fact, we need to expect, if we are following Him closely, to sometimes get caught in His wake. The Gospel message is difficult to fully accept. As I said last Sunday, unconditional love is hard to believe in. So, with that, I wanted to share with you a blog by my good friend and PCA pastor Josh Reitano, who crystalizes these thoughts below by fleshing out Mark 3:6, which says...
The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Josh writes...
Nothing unites like a common enemy. The Herodians and the Pharisees would have nothing to do with one another, and yet, they both were deeply offended by the gospel (though in very different ways).
The Herodians were thoroughly secular - the party of Herod (who was notoriously immoral and irreligious - see Mark 6). They couldn't stand the bad news of the gospel - the call to repentance because of brokenness and sin. This is what John the Baptist proclaimed to Herod, and it got John killed. Here the Herodians are plotting to do the same to Jesus.
The Pharisees would have applauded Jesus (and John) calling the Herodians to repentance. They were quite good at calling people immoral. But their prescription for sin was different. The Pharisees could never get over Jesus' notion of grace. Not only did Jesus hang out with sinners, but He actually told them they could be right with God. And not by following the law with Pharisaical precision (that was a lost cause) - but by receiving Jesus by faith.
The bad news of the gospel offended the Herodians. The good news of the gospel offended the Pharisees. Then, as today, Jesus makes enemies on both sides of the aisle.
Some of us grew up as Pharisees and now want to get as far away from that as possible - and so we run from rules and religion and believe our concept of "open-mindedness" will save us. Others of us had wild patches and so we run toward religion, believing that a moral life will ultimately give us value and save us.
And in strides Jesus and says we're both wrong. Rather than running to and from religion (and rules), we must run instead toward Jesus. Or perhaps better, we need to stop running altogether, and rest in the work Jesus has done on the cross.
Thanks to Josh for these words!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
A Good Tired
I must admit, I feel like a worn out puppy! On Saturday, we spent about 5 hours out in the cold at a baseball game. The Sunday morning service is always a physical drain. Of course, we had an Inquirers' class Sunday afternoon. Sunday night, I was ready for my usual day off on Monday.
BUT...a quirk in my normal schedule didn't allow a restful day on Monday. Early in the morning I headed to physical therapy on my back, then to Birmingham for a church planters gathering, and finally to Athens for another 5 hours out in the cold for Hunter's baseball double header. Worn out? Yes. Sleepy? Absolutely! But it is a "good tired" and let me share why...
On Monday I arrived in Birmingham around 9:45 in the morning. Normally, I might be laying in bed with ESPN on and reading a newspaper...relaxing and resting. But yesterday, I was able to be reminded of some great Gospel truths as I listened to my former Homiletics (preaching) professor, Bryan Chapell, speak to our group of Church planters in Alabama.
His topic was Christ-centered preaching. That is Dr. Chapell's area of expertise. He literally wrote the "textbook" on preaching. I had heard it all before, so to speak, in class at Covenant Serminary. In a lot of ways, it was nothing new. But, with six years of preaching behind me, what Dr. Chapell said yesterday didn't just resonate "behind the pulpit". It was reminders on how to live as a believer.
Providentially, his words will have direct impact on our upcoming texts in Ephesians. Let me give you a brief preview...
If you are a follower of Christ, your nature has changed. You are fundamentally different. You have a new freedom in your ABILITY to please and honor God...to love Christ. It is something you didn't have before. With that begins a true battle all believers must wrestle with. We all have different reasons to behave a certain way. We are all motivated by different things. Fear is a motivator. Guilt is a motivator. Gain is a motivator. So, as a believer, what motivates YOU to follow Christ? Why do you NOT sin? What compels you to seek to please God?
We are going to dig into this question as we continue digging into God-honoring relationships in Ephesians. Now, if I could only squeeze in a nap while I try to work!
BUT...a quirk in my normal schedule didn't allow a restful day on Monday. Early in the morning I headed to physical therapy on my back, then to Birmingham for a church planters gathering, and finally to Athens for another 5 hours out in the cold for Hunter's baseball double header. Worn out? Yes. Sleepy? Absolutely! But it is a "good tired" and let me share why...
On Monday I arrived in Birmingham around 9:45 in the morning. Normally, I might be laying in bed with ESPN on and reading a newspaper...relaxing and resting. But yesterday, I was able to be reminded of some great Gospel truths as I listened to my former Homiletics (preaching) professor, Bryan Chapell, speak to our group of Church planters in Alabama.
His topic was Christ-centered preaching. That is Dr. Chapell's area of expertise. He literally wrote the "textbook" on preaching. I had heard it all before, so to speak, in class at Covenant Serminary. In a lot of ways, it was nothing new. But, with six years of preaching behind me, what Dr. Chapell said yesterday didn't just resonate "behind the pulpit". It was reminders on how to live as a believer.
Providentially, his words will have direct impact on our upcoming texts in Ephesians. Let me give you a brief preview...
If you are a follower of Christ, your nature has changed. You are fundamentally different. You have a new freedom in your ABILITY to please and honor God...to love Christ. It is something you didn't have before. With that begins a true battle all believers must wrestle with. We all have different reasons to behave a certain way. We are all motivated by different things. Fear is a motivator. Guilt is a motivator. Gain is a motivator. So, as a believer, what motivates YOU to follow Christ? Why do you NOT sin? What compels you to seek to please God?
We are going to dig into this question as we continue digging into God-honoring relationships in Ephesians. Now, if I could only squeeze in a nap while I try to work!
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