Following God's Instructions

Acts 5:12, 17-29 

When we know we’re doing what we feel the Lord wants us to do, we might think that things should go smoothly.  We’re being obedient to His plans and will for us, so we should have a clear path.  We may think that, but sometimes that is not the case.  Sometimes when we are following the Lord’s clear instructions, we will still face opposition and problems.  This is the case with the early disciples in our Scripture today from the Book of Acts.  Let’s see what we can learn from this Scripture passage.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the apostles went throughout the city of Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel message of salvation, and performing various miracles of healing.  That is where we find ourselves as our passage opens.  One place that the disciples would often gather was Solomon’s Porch (vs. 12), which was a colonnade in the Temple’s Outer Court.  It was a large, open area where they could witness and teach the people about Jesus.

This was exactly what the Lord had instructed them to do right before He was taken back into heaven - preach the Gospel and bring others to a saving relationship with Jesus.  However, before too much time passed, the High Priest and other religious leaders became enraged about what they were doing.  They thought that once they had Jesus killed, that would have stopped all of His teachings.  Now His apostles were preaching that He rose again, and were continuing teaching His message.  People were flocking to them and getting saved.  This infuriated the High Priest and religious leaders, so they had them arrested and thrown in jail (vs. 17-18).

Most of us would probably find that very discouraging.  Here we are, doing what the Lord instructed, and being rather successful, and then the religious leaders throw us in jail.  However, God had plans, and they needed to trust Him to work this all out for His glory.  That very night God sent an angel to open the prison doors and set them free.  Their instructions were to continue to preach the salvation message of Jesus to the people (vs. 19-20).  They were not to alter their message to make it more pleasing to the High Priest and Jewish religious leaders.  They were not to placate them.  God instructed them to continue preaching “the words of this life”, the message that Jesus died for their sins, and only faith in Him will bring eternal life.  God did not break them out of prison so they could escape to safety.  He freed them so they could go right back to what they had been doing - preaching salvation.

The next morning the Sanhedrin planned on bringing these apostles to trial, and summoned them to be brought out of their cells and before them.  The whole counsel of the Sanhedrin was going to try them.  This was not going to be a little or minor trial.  They would stop at nothing to permanently silence the new Christians.  Imagine their shock when they found that the prisoners were not in their cells, yet the prison doors were still securely locked!  Minutes later they heard that the apostles were back outside preaching again (vs. 21-25).

Immediately the High Priest ordered the men quietly rearrested (vs. 26).  They didn’t want to look like they were making a big fuss in front of the crowds.  The Sanhedrin feared their reputation and standing in the eyes of the people, yet they did not fear God, whom they should have.  Once they had the apostles before them, the Sanhedrin commanded them to stop preaching in the Name of Jesus (vs. 27-28).  They did not want the crowds to hold them guilty of the Blood of Jesus, whom they had crucified.  Yet at His trial before Pontius Pilate a few months earlier, they had cried that His Blood should be on them and their children (Matthew 27:25).  Now, though, many people were turning to this new faith, and the council didn’t want to be held responsible.

Peter responded that they needed to obey God rather than man (vs. 29).  Peter was not sanctioning civil disobedience, as he made that very clear in his first epistle in I Peter 2:13-17.  Paul also stated that in Romans 13:1-7.  We are to obey civil government.  But when it goes contrary to the explicit commands of God, we must obey God first, and be ready to suffer the consequences.

The apostles and early disciples of Jesus were not afraid to spread the message of salvation, even if it meant persecution from others.  When we are convinced of the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, and have experienced the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, we can have the confidence they did to speak the Gospel of salvation in Jesus.

Where We Should Set Our Mind

Colossians 3:1-4

Young people who are getting close to graduation from high school or college are often asked what their goals in life are.  What are they looking for or seeking in life?  What is their mind set on?  Such questions are not bad, as it is good to have some focus or goals in life.  In our brief Scripture passage today from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he gives some instructions to believers of what things we should be seeking and setting our mind on, things that should be different from the rest of the world.

As we open our passage, it should be noted that the word “if” at the beginning of the first verse would be better translated in English with the word “since”.  That is because the Colossians that Paul was writing to were believers, and believers are risen with Christ.  There isn’t a question whether those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus are risen with Him.  In Paul’s letters he is speaking to believers, not the lost, and believers are risen with Christ.

That being said, Paul urges believers that we should set our mind on things that are where Jesus is, in His heavenly kingdom, and not be focused on earthly or worldly things.  We need to strive to put heaven’s priorities into our daily practice. Paul instructed believers that we should be concentrating on things that are eternal, rather than wasting energy on what is temporal.  We should have as little desire for this world as a dead person would have.

As we learn here, and in other passages of the New Testament, those who have accepted Jesus as Savior have died with Him to sin, and are risen with Him to new life.  We have been united with Jesus in His death, where the penalty of our sins were paid.  When Jesus rose from the dead, we too rose with Him to new life.  Because of the believer's union with Jesus Christ, we have spiritually entered His death and resurrection at the moment we were saved.  We are now alive in Him, spiritually resurrected with Him.

Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, the position of honor and majesty for the exalted Son of God.  Because of that, our goals, our focus, our mind and thoughts should be there as well, not dwelling here on worldly matters.  Paul urges us to set our mind on things above, to look at life from God’s perspective.  We shouldn’t become too attached to what is only temporary, but instead seek what God desires.  Just as a compass points north, the Christian’s inner disposition should point to things of heaven.

In light of these truths, what is the focus of our thoughts and goals in life?  Are they heavenly or worldly?  What we think about forms the type of person we are today, and who we become tomorrow.  We should focus our thoughts on things that honor the Lord (Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8-9).  This isn’t a struggle that we have to face on our own.  Our Scripture says that our life is hidden with Christ in God (vs. 3).  What does that mean?  Just as something valuable is hid for safety, we are hid in Jesus Christ.  We are eternally secure in Jesus.  We are protected from all spiritual enemies, and have access to all of God’s blessings.  As we allow Jesus to live within us, He can shape us into what we should be.

We may wonder how, in the midst of the many problems we face every day, we can shift our focus off of those and on to things of the Lord.  Our difficult circumstances can seem to surround us, almost like a fog.  However, the Lord can enable us to rise above those circumstances when we set our mind on Him, and then we will find courage and calmness.  We can climb out of our misery and gloom, and have a mind full of heavenly joy.  Too many Christians are living as if Jesus had not risen from the dead.  They are going through life without joy or peace. The resurrection of Jesus is not just something that happened in the past.  It affects us today.  Claim the power of the risen Savior every day.

Sharing And Seeking

Psalm 105:1-8

When someone falls in love with another person, often they will try and find out all that they can about that one they love.  What are his favorite foods?  What are her favorite flowers?  They seek to know all about them.  Another thing one often does is to talk all about the one they love.  As believers who claim to love the Lord, do we ever talk about Him to others, and are we seeking to know more about Him?  Let’s look into the first several verses of Psalm 105, and see what we can learn.

As our psalm opens, the author calls upon each of us to tell others what the Lord has done for us (vs. 1-2).  Many of us can recall hearing someone say that people should keep their religion to themselves, and that talking about God, including any personal testimonies, should be discouraged.  This is not what the Word of God tells us to do.  Despite many that say we should keep quiet about the Lord, and not upset the unbelievers, in our passage today we are urged to share with others the Good News about Him.

When a friend or relative helps you out in a significant way, perhaps they helped you with a big project you needed to get done, or maybe gave you a very nice and special gift, we often tell others about their kindness.  We even do that about a new restaurant, store, or vacation park we go to.  We tell others about it.  We don’t keep quiet.  Why should that be different when it comes to the many blessings we receive all the time from the Lord?  I’m sure that each of us can name many things the Lord has done for us in the last week, things that if they came from someone else we’d certainly be telling others about it.

Many of us have unsaved friends and family members which we would love to see come to faith in the Lord Jesus.  The Holy Spirit can use those times we share with them about how the Lord answered certain prayers, or when we tell of the blessings that He favored us with, and draw in them a desire to have God in their lives, too.  But that can’t happen if we never speak up.

Talking with others about God and what He has done for us will also help to build our own faith.  As the hymn writer said, we need to count our blessings, especially when things might be looking dark, and we are going through a difficult time.  That will help to renew a spirit of thankfulness in us.  Being thankful will transform us, and remembering what God has done for us shows us that He is near.

Our psalmist also urges us to seek the Lord (vs. 4).  Seeking the Lord about every problem is the only answer to any dilemma we face.  We need to learn more and more about Him.  God promises that all those who seek Him with all of their heart will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  He also rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  Jesus promised that if we seek, we will find (Matthew 7:7).

Seeking God will bring joy into our lives, and who can’t use more joy today?  This happens because we see all that He has done on our behalf.  One valuable way is to recount how He has helped us and others in the past.  In order to remember God’s works and wonders we must read and study His Word (vs. 5).

One thing that we will discover as we read Scripture is that when God makes a covenant or a binding agreement in the Bible with His people, He has always kept His part, even though the people repeatedly broke their part (vs. 8).  God now has a New Covenant with His people, the seed of Abraham (vs. 6).  Every believer, whether Jew or Gentile, is the “seed of Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-9).  This New Covenant is through His Son, Jesus Christ, which the Old Covenant always pointed to.   The New Covenant is the everlasting covenant.  It will never be suspended or changed (Hebrews 13:20).

As we go out into our day today, let’s be sure we share with our friends and relatives all that the Lord has done for us, and to seek Him with all of our heart!

A Cause To Rejoice

Isaiah 51:9-16

Looking at the news headlines lately there wouldn’t seem to be much that one could be happy about.  There seems to be little cause for rejoicing, singing, or joy.  Our Old Testament passage for this first week following Resurrection Sunday reminds us that as believers, we always have a reason to rejoice.  Let’s take a look.

Our Scripture passage from the prophet Isaiah can be divided into two portions.  The first, from verse 9 - 10, are spoken from the people’s perspective.  The second, from verse 12 - 16, is spoken from God’s perspective.  As we begin, the people are crying out to God, remembering some of the great and mighty deeds that He had done in the past.  Things are not going so great in their lives, and that of their nation.  Where is God?  Why are these things happening?  It seems as if God is asleep.  Maybe we need to wake God up!  So they cry out to Him to awaken and show the power and strength He had done in the past (vs. 9).

The people sought to remind God that He had shown power and victory over Rahab.  This is not referring to the woman who had assisted the people of Israel in Jericho.  Instead, this is a term in the Bible referring to a mythical type of sea monster that wreaks havoc to mankind, and also is symbolic of Egypt in its pride and arrogance against the Lord God.  They recalled how the Lord was victorious over Rahab.  He was the One who dried up the Red Sea when the people of Israel fled Egypt and Pharaoh’s army.  As they remembered, God made a path, a road for the people to cross over on dry ground (vs. 10).

The people were afraid of enemies, both personal ones and also national ones, who were coming against them.  They wanted God to rouse Himself and come to their aid, just as He had done for their ancestors.  Today we might also have similar fears.  We might be facing literal enemies who are coming against us.  Or perhaps our fears are of other challenges, whether with our health, finances, or within our family.  Wake up, God!  Come and help us, we cry out.

In the second part of our Scripture the Lord God speaks to the people.  He tells them that they do not need to be afraid of any enemies.  He reminds them, and us, that we do not need to be afraid of any man, as they will all eventually die (vs. 12).  The people feared other men and human powers, but had not shown any true and godly fear of the Lord through the years (vs. 13).  We need to be sure not to misplace who we should fear and love.  We need to fear God’s power, and love His mercy.  Believers can either truly trust the Lord or fear man.  We can’t do both.

The Lord reminded the people that He, and He alone, was the one who made both heaven and earth (vs. 13).  With the power and glory to do that, do we, His Blood-bought children, really need to fear anyone or anything else?  No!  We do not need to be afraid of any type of oppressor that might come against us.

God has promised all throughout Scriptures that He will not leave comfortless those who have put their faith and trust in Him.  He always comes to us through His Word with words of hope and mercy.  His goal in allowing trying circumstances, and even hurt into our lives, is not to break us, but to teach us to draw closer to Him.  Our God is the same God who made a road in the depths of the sea.  His methods may change, but His love and care do not.

The Lord promises His redeemed children, those who have put their trust in Him, that they will return to Zion with singing and everlasting joy (vs. 11).  They will obtain joy and gladness, and all sorrow and sighing will flee away.  This is a promise the Lord gives only to the ransomed, those who have been redeemed through the Blood of His Son, Jesus.  The unsaved will not know this joy.

With so much sorrow, sadness, and grief in this world today, don’t you want to be one who will obtain joy and gladness?  The Lord Jesus purchased your salvation through His Blood.  Call upon Him today, and become one of the ransomed and redeemed, then you, too, will be able to obtain everlasting joy and gladness.

 

The Women At The Tomb

Luke 24:1-10

Resurrection Sunday!  The greatest, most victorious, and triumphant day in all of history! As we read in our Scripture for today, Luke’s account of the Resurrection, the day wasn’t seeming to begin as a good day for the followers of Jesus.  The remaining 11 apostles, and the other disciples were all in hiding from the Jewish religious leaders who had crucified their Lord.  They were in fear for their lives.  It did not seem like a great or triumphant day for them.

In addition to the numerous men who faithfully followed Jesus during His years of ministry, there were several women who were also faithful believers.  Many of these women provided for the material needs of Jesus and the twelve (Luke 8:2-3).  They had followed Jesus, and they were present there when He was crucified (Matthew 27:55-56).  When His dead Body was removed from the cross, these women, along with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, brought it to the grave.  Because it was almost sunset, and the beginning of the Sabbath, the women were not able to fully anoint the Body for burial according to the customs of the day.  All they could do was a quick, superficial anointing, and then they wrapped the Body with linen.  Jesus was then laid in the tomb.  These women loved their Lord, and wanted to perform a respectful and proper anointing and burial, so they waited for the Sabbath to conclude, and then they would finish the proper ceremonies.

Very early that Sunday morning, before the sun was even beginning to peek over the horizon, several of these women went to the tomb to finish the anointing.  Among them was Mary Magdalene.  Jesus had cast seven demons from her.  There is no mention anywhere in the Bible of her being a prostitute, though unfairly that rumor persists even to this day.  She was the very first to see the risen Savior (John 20:11-18).  Another woman mentioned was Joanna.  She was the wife of Chuza, who was Herod’s chief steward, the one in charge of managing his household.

When these women arrived at the tomb, instead of finding the Body of Jesus, they found two angels who questioned why they were looking for the living among the dead.  They reminded the women of the words of Jesus, and how He would rise from the dead on the third day (vs. 4-7).  Jesus had told His disciples several times what would happen to Him - His betrayal, crucifixion, and also His resurrection.  We see that recorded in Luke 9:22; 17:25; and 18:31-33.  The other Gospels give similar accounts.  Yet not one of the disciples comprehended or believed.  This all took them by surprise.

After word got out about the resurrection of Jesus, the religious leaders accused the disciples of stealing the Body of Jesus while the Roman soldiers slept (Matthew 28:11-15).  For years that was the Jewish belief as to what they said happened to Jesus.  However, not one single person in the several years after the resurrection was ever found who stated they had seen Jesus’ dead body in some other location.  Jesus had many enemies, especially among the Pharisees and Sanhedrin, yet none of them were ever able to produce a body, or even someone who could say they had seen the body, and thus truly refute the claim of the resurrection.

Other religions have some type of ethical system and religious writings, and some type of concept of an after-life.  Only Christianity, though, has a God who became human, literally died for His people, and was raised again in power and glory to rule forever!

Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we know that death has been conquered, and all believers will be raised from the dead to live forever with Him.  No matter what may happen to us in life, the resurrection of Jesus gives us hope for the future.  It also assures us that He is alive and ruling His kingdom.  Jesus is not a legend like Robin Hood or Hercules.  He is alive and real!

 

A Man Named Malchus

Luke 22:47-51 

Every person mentioned in the Bible has been put there by God for a reason.  Nobody is insignificant in God’s eyes, and if He put someone in His Holy Word, they are there for a reason.  As we finish up Holy Week, I would like to take a closer look at a very minor person mentioned in the Bible, and that is the man Malchus.  What happened to him is mentioned in each of the Gospel accounts, though his name is only given in the Gospel of John.  Let’s take a look at this person that most people have probably not taken much note of, and see how God’s immense love, mercy, and compassion is shown forth through him.

As our Scripture begins today, Jesus and His disciples are in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Several hours earlier He had held the Last Supper, and has now just concluded a time of prayer to the Father.  As we read in the Gospel, Judas arrived with a band of Temple soldiers sent by the Sanhedrin to arrest Jesus (vs. 47-48).  When the soldiers began to apprehend Jesus, a rather serious scuffle broke out between the disciples and the soldiers and those with them.  One of the disciples grabbed a sword and started swinging it, and he struck one of the servants of the high priest, who had come along.  This blow with the sword was to his head, and managed to cut the man’s ear off (vs. 49-50).

We see here that the disciples were acting in a violent way to stop their Master from getting arrested.  Jesus put an end to that right away, reminding them that if He asked, God would have sent Him legions of angels to defend Him (Matthew 26:53).  Then Jesus reached over and touched that man, bringing healing to his ear (vs. 51).

Over the last several years Jesus had healed numerous people.  What made this one something to look into?  For one, at this moment Jesus was facing arrest, a mockery of a trial, scourging, beatings, carrying a heavy cross, and then crucifixion.  Knowing, as He did, that this was what He would shortly have to endure, why would He think about someone else and their needs at that moment?  How many of us, when we are in the midst of a problem of our own, take time to care for others and their problems?  Yet that is exactly what Jesus did.

In John’s Gospel we read that this servant’s name was Malchus, and that it was Peter who wielded the sword that cut his ear off (John 18:10).  Malchus was an enemy of Jesus right then.  Though we don’t know anything about him, it is fairly safe to assume that he didn’t mind being there, where the action was that night, and that he was no follower of Jesus.  The fact that Peter struck Malchus’ head indicated that Peter wasn’t intending to just wound him, but likely was trying to kill him.  Yet here we see Jesus healing Malchus, healing His enemy.

Imagine a possible scenario later that night.  Malchus returns home from that arrest at Gethsemane.  His wife and family ask him how his shift at work went, and then they see a lot of blood all over his robe.  They ask him what happened, and Malchus proceeds to tell them that there had been a scuffle at the time of the arrest of Jesus, and that his ear was cut off.  But wait!  They look at him, and both ears are on his head!  Yes, he tells them, Jesus touched him and healed his ear!  He took the time, right in the middle of His arrest, and healed him!  Jesus healed Malchus, one of the group trying to arrest him!

Before coming to Him for salvation we were all enemies of Jesus (Romans 5:8-10).  Yet God loved each of us so much that He sent His Son to die for us.  While we were still His enemies, Jesus died to make us whole.  He reached out with compassion and dealt with our sin-wounds, just as He did with Malchus.  For all who accept Jesus as Savior, He changes us from enemies to children.

What became of Malchus?  Did he become a follower of Jesus?  The Scriptures do not say what happened to him.  It is very likely that a few days later he heard the rumors that Jesus rose from the dead.  Perhaps, every time he touched his ear, every time he saw those blood-stained clothes of his, he sought out to find more about this One many claimed was risen again.  The fact that John knew his name many decades later when he wrote his Gospel, might indicate that Malchus became a Christian.  We don’t know for sure.  However, the important thing to see in this account is the deep love, compassion, and mercy of Jesus, that He would take the time to heal someone who was coming against Him, and that He had the love to die for us while we, too, were His enemies.

The Veil Of The Temple

Hebrews 10:19-23

Outside of family, only a limited number of people have direct access to a world leader, such as a president, the Queen, or the Pope.  Common, everyday folks, such as you and I, cannot just walk into the Oval Office or Windsor Castle to sit down and talk with the President or the Queen.  There is an invisible, but very real, barrier between them and us.  It is the same with other celebrities, such as movie, theater, and music stars.  They often hire security guards to keep the crowds away from them, and only a select few are ever allowed backstage to see them.  With the movie star, it is usually just curiosity or excitement that draws us to get close and see them.  However, sometimes we might feel that we have a real or pressing need to want to see a politician or religious leader, yet because of our status, it is usually not possible.  What about with God?  He, of course, is far greater and more powerful than the greatest of leaders we will ever have.  Can we ever have access to Him?  In our Scripture today we will find an answer.

Throughout the time of the Old Testament, and on into the days of the New Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was kept within a special place or room within the Temple called the Holy of Holies.  The Ark of the Covenant was an important symbol of faith and of God’s Presence.  It was so sacred, that only the High Priest could come into its presence within the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement.  In order to keep people away from the Ark of the Covenant, a thick veil was hung, separating everyone from its presence (Exodus 26:33).  This symbolized the holiness and sacredness of God.  He was not a God to be treated lightly or casually.

That veil kept everyone away from God’s presence because of our sins and sinful nature (Isaiah 59:1-2).  The only exception was the High Priest, and he couldn’t come near except on the Day of Atonement.  Then, and only then, could he approach God’s presence with the sacrificial blood to make atonement for the sins of the people.  That all changed, though, one Friday afternoon in springtime, on a small hill outside of Jerusalem.

On Good Friday, as we know, the Lord Jesus was crucified on the hill of Calvary, or sometimes called Golgotha, just outside of Jerusalem.  Jesus hung on the cross from approximately 9 am to 3 pm.  At 3 pm, when Jesus died, the veil in the Temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:50-51).  This was not just some accidental occurrence.  It had special significance.  First, this was not just some ordinary curtain.  It was quite tall, and very thick, not something any ordinary person could tear.  Most importantly, though, the miraculous tearing of the veil showed that the sacrifice that Jesus had just made, the shedding of His precious Blood, was sufficient atonement for our sins, once and for all.

Another important thing that the tearing of the veil in the Temple signified, was that the way into the Holy of Holies, into the presence of God, was opened.  Instead of being separated from God, all those who come into His presence through the Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, can come boldly, without fear, into His presence.  We now have personal access to God through Jesus Christ, and we can draw near to Him without any elaborate and restrictive system.

God is holy and perfect, and on our own we could never stand before Him.  But because of the death of Jesus upon the Cross, He opened the way for us to be forgiven, and have a new life with God.  Jesus made it possible for us to have a direct connection with God through Himself.  There is no longer any separation to keep us from God.  Jesus has completely eliminated any barriers that might hinder anyone seeking access to God, including our sin.  Jesus’ crucified Body has torn away all obstructions to God’s presence.  There is nothing that can separate a believer from experiencing the glory and love of God.

God delivers all who come to Jesus for salvation from a verdict of guilt, and removes our garments of shame.  We can now approach God’s throne with boldness, not shame.  We can come to God, through His Son Jesus, at any and all time, day or night, for whatever reason.  For anyone who has taken Jesus as their personal Savior, God is now our Father, and we are His children.