As the Easter Season draws near, don’t forget the cross. Let us not forget that Christ took upon Himself our sin and shame while he dwelt upon the cross. He didn’t deserve to be there, yet, He willingly gave His life for the redemption of our sin.
This Easter Season, look deeply at the cross. Jesus endured the shame and disgrace that was rightly ours. Let us never forget the remarkable love that Christ revealed to sinners as He died for the sins of all.
When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died;
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
“And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.” (Matthew 27:36) This verse is tucked in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is a verse we are tempted to miss if we are read the Scriptures carelessly. Yet, this verse relates something about the nature of humanity to all who pay attention.
Jesus is dying and they are watching. They seem to be wondering what is going to happen. Jesus always had a way of surprising people. Perhaps they were watching for the unexpected or maybe the religious leaders at the cross simply wanted to be sure that Jesus would die. For whatever reason, they watched Him.
Folks had watched Christ throughout the entirety of His ministry. They watched with wonder at times and they watched with disdain at times. Some believed and some would reject Jesus, but, they couldn’t ignore Him.
The same thought is true today. People are still watching Jesus. But how do they “watch Jesus” today? They watch Him by observing the lives of His followers. Jesus is no longer here and you and I have been given the command to be His witness (Acts 1:8) and His ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20). They watch Jesus by watching us.
How do we represent Jesus best? We exalt Jesus best by being people of grace and truth (John 1:14). Loving people and sharing the good news of the Gospel are good ways to start. Seeing folks the way Jesus saw them is also an important thought to keep in mind.
When people look to us as Christians, what are they seeing? What are our lives revealing about our Lord whom we follow? Are we giving an accurate representation of Jesus to those who observe our daily lives? These are sober and haunting questions. These are questions we should consider carefully during this Holy Week and every week of the year.
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Mathew 6:22-24
In this passage of Scripture, it seems to best to understand v. 22-23 from a spiritual perspective. Jesus words are best understood by thinking of the “spiritual eyes” of our hearts rather than the physical eyes in our heads. Therefore, we learn here that the condition of our spiritual eyes is very important.
When our spiritual eyes are clouded by greed and the love of money, it affects the totality of our relationship with God. The love of money will lead to eyes which are unable to see from a spiritual or heavenly perspective. This can lead to a disastrous downward spiral. We have often observed people who commit crimes or abandon their families as a result of greed and vice. The Christian is not invulnerable to sin of greed and must avoid it at all costs.
No wonder Paul said that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10) Jesus implores us here to serve God and not money. He simply states that we cannot serve both. So, who are you serving, God or money?
In the lives of Believers, God’s great redemption…………………
**Free us to live for Christ
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:22-24
**Helps us by saving us when we couldn’t save ourselves
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14
**Transforms us day by day
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21
The Savior contrasts earthly riches and heavenly riches in this passage. And the contrast is very stark indeed.
Earthly riches are temporary. They only last for a season. Earthly riches are susceptible to decay and can be stolen. Earthly treasures may have a place in our lives but they are terrible foundations on which to build one’s life.
Heavenly riches, by contrast, are eternal and lasting. They cannot be touched by earthly sin, greed, or power. We lay up riches in heaven by serving God, trusting Him, giving to His church, loving others, and through many other acts of worship and service.
Where is your treasure? It is it in heaven or on earth? Remember Jesus Words—“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:7
**Deliverance
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
**Security
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.29 My Father,who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.30 I and My Father are one.”
Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Matthew 6:16-18
Fasting is the practice of denying oneself food for a particular time. It was practiced by Godly Jews in Jesus’ day and by other ancient religion groups of that time. It is still encouraged by religious sects in our day and some are quite radical in their observance of fasting.
Christ’s lesson is similar to His other teaching in this chapter. His disciples were not to make a show of fasting as others did. They were to be quiet and humble in their fasting. And God would reward them for trusting in Him as they sought to serve Him.
What is the purpose of fasting? Let us examine a few reasons for this practice.
To Seek God
We fast in order to seek after God. We deny ourselves the pleasure of eating for a time so that we may hear from God through His Word, His People, and His Spirit.
To Focus on God
Fasting allows us to focus our hearts more fully upon our relationship with God. Getting away from the earthly for a season is often a good way to get in touch with the heavenly.
To Pray to God
This reason may be obvious, but, we need to see it as well. Taking the time to pray when we would be eating is important for Christians. Prayer and the study of the Bible, while fasting, are two ways that God reveals Himself to us.
Fasting does not guarantee that we will receive everything we want. We will not always have all the answers we desire after fasting. But, the goal of fasting is to deepen our relationship with Christ. Our aim is to know Him better and fasting will help accomplish that goal.
“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.
Numbers 32:23
Sin has great power. Because of that power, humans face tragic outcomes due to their disobedience to God. Since Genesis 3, men and women have struggled with sin and its consequences. And even today the battle rages on in the lives of human beings.
Sin dominates our lives every day. There is not a day that goes by where we are not tempted to sin. Satan, the prince of this world, tempts us and seeks to draw us away from God. Even Christians are not immune from the temptations of this world.
Sin devastates everyone in its wake. Sin not only has consequences for the sinner, transgression also affects those who are not directly involved. The great lie of Satan is this—“my sin is private and it will only impact me.” That statement is wrongheaded and fallacious on its face. Our transgressions affect those in our lives as well as us.
Sin ultimately destroys through death. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are told that death would be the great consequence of disobedience to God’s Word. Every generation since has dealt with the destruction and inevitability of death.
What is the solution to sin? Jesus! Trust in Christ as your Savior today. Jesus died for our sin (Romans 5:8), He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), and He offers us the gift of salvation as we trust the Lord by faith. (Romans 6:23) Christians are then empowered to live for Christ and not for sin.
Sin will be a struggle until we get to heaven. Christian, let us fight against disobedience every day. The struggle is real and lives are at stake.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14-15
Jesus amplifies the need for forgiveness in these verses. Christians are to forgive on the basis of how the Father has forgiven us. We honor God as Kingdom citizens when we extend forgiveness to others.
Jesus also warns that when we withhold pardon from others our Father will not forgive us. Let us interject that Jesus is not speaking of forgiveness as it pertains to salvation. He is speaking of forgiveness as it projects to sanctification and spiritual growth. We will never grow and mature in our Christian faith as long as we hold on to un-forgiveness. It’s just not possible.
To put it succinctly, forgiveness is not optional for the Believer in Christ. Learn to forgive. It’s not always easy, but, you will never regret extending forgiveness.
We should pray according to the pattern Jesus has given us in order to deepen our relationship with the Father. Believer, pray daily, regularly, concisely, and faithfully. What a mighty God we serve!
What is sin? That’s a good question to ask in this age of confusion. The Scriptures describe sin in several different ways. Let’s examine three of those ways for this post. **Sin is missing the mark. Romans 3:23 tells us for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because of their sinfulness, humans fall short of God’s intentions for His creation which he designed for His glory. Therefore, the sinfulness of people masks the glory of God in humanity. **Sin is breaking God’s law. We are told in 1 John 3:4 that whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. Disobedience to God’s laws and commands is a capital offense in the Heavenly courts. Lawbreakers deserve judgment. **Finally, sin is failing to do good when the opportunity arises. The apostle James teaches therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17) Christians don’t always think of failing to do good as sinfulness. Nonetheless, the Scriptures teach this principle. I am thankful that Jesus paid the price for our sin. Through His sacrifice and resurrection, sins can be forgiven and atoned. Praise to the Lord, great things He has done. Tony French
mrtonyfrench 