He Prayed

This graphic isn’t too different from many others showing Christ praying in Gethsemane – He’s alone and/or the disciples are sleeping. But have you read the scriptures of the time He spent in prayer there?

Let’s start in Matthew, chapter 26, verse 36 and following. Here’s what strikes me:

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. (Matthew 26:36-38 KJV)

Peter, James and John – the three in the graphic above, asleep. But Jesus didn’t pray with them, He went off by Himself as He asked His Father:

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39 KJV)

Three times He prayed this prayer, three times the disciples slept. But when we read Mark from 14:32, there’s a bit more information. James and John are named, Jesus’ sorrow is said to be sorrowful unto death, and He bade them tarry while He went apart to pray:

And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (Mark 14:35-36 KJV)

I don’t remember ever seeing a painting of Jesus prostrate on the ground praying not to die on the cross. Luke adds to this scene:

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:44 KJV)

In John 17 we read of Christ’s prayer for those who follow Him, in chapter 18 we read of the betrayal by Judas, but nothing about the loneliness of praying alone a prayer that He knew God would not answer as a positive. For the plan made before the creation required that Christ would die. But only God knew that was the end of the beginning (that’s a great song, too!) and the best was yet to come.
The final part of Jesus’ prayer is where we should be when we are asking anything of God:

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42 KJV)

As it was in the example He gave earlier, just as we should pray today,

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10b KJV)

Jesus told us why God’s will should be done – it is the very best of everything for us:

. . . for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. (Matthew 6:8 KJV)
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13 KJV)

So, why did Jesus accept what God planned for mankind’s salvation:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 KJV)

No, as a man Jesus did not want the humiliation of a trial where the verdict was predetermined. No, He did not want to go through the beatings that were coming. No, as a man, He could not abide the knowledge that the sins of the world required His blood.  No, He did not want to go through the torture of crucifixion.

For us, each and every one of us, He endured the cross, despised the shame, because of the joy He shares with angels:

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7 KJV)

I am a sinner, and I repented, thus creating joy in heaven. One day, through faith in God’s grace, I’ll be among those lifting my voice in joyful praise – not because Jesus died, but because of resurrection and the joyous reality that we serve a risen savior.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV)

The First Taste

Pastor’s sermon last Sunday mentioned that he has been the first to give each of his grandchildren their first taste of ice cream. Perhaps such bribery does make a difference, but I want Christians reading this to think of their first taste of fulfilled scripture. The one where you realized that John 3:16-18 and Acts 16:30-33 included you.

How did you feel when you knew you brought joy to heaven:

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7 KJV)

When I read of a person’s acceptance of Christ as savior, that’s the verse that comes to my mind. I know that person could do as Paul did before Agrippa – give a personal witness to God’s plan of salvation. In Acts 26, Paul told Agrippa what he probably already knew of Paul’s background. The he closed with the prophesies, Christ’s suffering death, and the culmination in the resurrection – proof of which changed Paul from a killer of Christians to a missionary for Christ:

Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. (Acts 26:22-23 KJV)

Agrippa missed this opportunity:

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. (Acts 26:28 KJV)

That wasn’t your answer – at least once in your life – was it Christian? You believed! Then you made that belief public in a congregation of Christians. After that you followed His example in baptism, and continued on with your life. At least I did. I forgot about the joy of our salvation. But over the years, I’ve been reminded and revived. It’s easy when we recognize we need to pray with David:

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. (Psalms 51:12 KJV)

David had lost joy through the sins of adultery, concealment, and murder – culminating in the death of his new baby son. Our sins may not appear to be as “bad”, but sinfulness is being disobedient to God. I don’t think there are categories of sinfulness, just a separation in our relationship with God when we keep our sins to ourselves.

Psalm 50 begins with David’s confession of his sinfulness:

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. (Psalms 51:1-4 KJV)

Wasn’t that first taste of joy filled with the knowledge that our sins were gone? But we have an adversary that reminds us that we did not remain sin free. That’s not enough to keep us from God. We can accept his forgiveness as we regret and leave our sin. We can pray for restoration of the joy of God’s salvation and taste again the joy spoken of so often in the Bible.

Once again we can sing with fervor “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”, not only meaning it, but taking joy in our ability to sing it and share it with others.

That’s what Christians are supposed to do:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20 KJV)

As Easy As A B C . . .

Our newer generations may not remember wooden blocks, but many of us actually teethed on these. They were fun to play with as well as being an introduction to education as our moms used them to spell words for us. Simple words for new learners.

Pastor used A, B, and C, as examples in his sermon Sunday – the ABCs for how to become a Christian. It is truly as easy as in the following:

A – admit our sinfulness.
B – believe on Jesus as Savior.
C – confess that openly.

All of that is confirmed through scripture. Although Jesus didn’t put the concept in specific words, He often spoke of sins and that sins were forgiven by His words. We all have them, as Paul put into words:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23 KJV)

Yes, I have. You have, too. We probably will again – sooner than we want to and probably unplanned. God knew that from creation. That knowledge was included from the beginning:

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (2 Timothy 1:9 KJV)

The bolding is mine – you won’t find that verse in bold font in the Bible. I want it to stand out as part of learning about God. It’s hard for us to relate to the fact that God exists outside of what we know as “time.” For us, this world – and universe – has a beginning and an end. Science spends a lot of time attempting to explain that. Until Einstein, the concept that time was relative was only a concept in a few minds. As a Christian, it should not be considered a limitation for God.

Believing in God, and Jesus as savior, is a necessity for a Christian:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 KJV)

Yes, without this belief, please do not call yourself a Christian. Those without believing fall into verse 18. Not my words, but specific to the Bible.

Confessing our belief is next:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9 KJV)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13 KJV)

As easy as A B C . . . but that is very limiting if that’s all you know about Christianity. Christ himself asks us to learn more:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)

We can’t simply stop after we admit, believe, and confess. We’ve only learned a small part from a few verses. There is much more and He asks that we “learn of me”, get to know God’s word and see the plans He has for mankind threaded through, from Genesis through Revelation.

What I write has no meaning without studying each verse in context for understanding. Studying with a purpose, even if it is to prove me – or God – without merit. I always welcome the opportunity to follow Peter’s admonition to Christians:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Peter 3:15 KJV)

They, Me, and Thee?

http://Bible.com/app

Feel free to click on the graphic to reach YouVersion.com, which will explain their products, planning, or click on Bible.com to see sign in (or create an account) to learn much, much more.

I belong to a variety of groups that pray, and a couple of them read Bible lessons in the YouVersion app. There are literally hundreds of subjects, most include a devotional, specific verses that apply to the devotional, and some that allows notes shared with other readers.

That’s one of the things I’ve come to enjoy – reading the same things the same day as a number of other people, then reading their thoughts on the theme and verses they’ve just finished.  Nope – I won’t share what we did with you now. But, if you wish to become friends in the YouVersion app, I’d be happy to share thoughts with you and read yours.

Right now, I have more than one reading plan I’m doing daily. One is long term, 89 days looking at doctrines specific to Christianity and where they are found in the Bible. It’s a good study and we have Jesus as our example:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. (Luke 4:16-21 KJV) (Bolding is my way of calling attention)

Jesus was accustomed to being in the synagogue hearing scripture read on the sabbath. He was also accustomed to reading the scriptures before the congregation. He closed the book after reading, took His seat – then told them what was read was prophecy and it was fulfilled right then. Wow, wouldn’t it have been wonderful to hear that? Guess not so much, for the neighbors.

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. (Luke 4:22-24 KJV)

They were no more interested in hearing Scripture than they were to hear it was fulfilled. What they wanted were the miracles that were done in Capernaum, not listening to scriptures. How did the people in Capernaum feel about this:

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. (Matthew 11:23-24 KJV)

Yep – they wanted the miracles, too, not the scriptures, not the fulfillment of prophecy. So what does that have to do with how I started this blog? The same thing – are we willing to read the scriptures, learn about Jesus, see what God has in mind – or are we looking for the miracles without reading God’s word about the Word of God?

We have the ability to share the scriptures with friends – literally – around the world. Within a short period of time, people I know in America, Britain, China, Demark, Ecuador – anywhere – can read exactly the same scripture I’m reading and we can all share a comment on what we’ve read.

They – my friends on YouVersion – and me – since I’ve opened a link to them – do this on a regular basis. Will Thee join us?

I Have Found . . .

Joy Unspeakable

I hope you’ve enjoyed singing this hymn – I sure do, especially the chorus. But, don’t skip over the four verses which begin “I have found . . .”

I have found His grace is all complete,
He supplieth every need;
While I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet,
I am free, yes, free indeed.

Refrain:
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Oh, the half has never yet been told.

I have found the pleasure I once craved,
It is joy and peace within;
What a wondrous blessing, I am saved
From the awful gulf of sin.

I have found that hope so bright and clear,
Living in the realm of grace;
Oh, the Savior’s presence is so near,
I can see His smiling face.

I have found the joy no tongue can tell,
How its waves of glory roll;
It is like a great o’erflowing well,
Springing up within my soul.

A Christian’s life follows the path of those “founds” – grace, pleasure, hope, joy. Only the faith is within our control, all else comes from Him. It begins with believing:

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:15-18 KJV)

Without believing, there is no studying or listening to the word of God, thus there is no faith:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  (Romans 10:17 KJV)

Once we combine believing and faith, we obtain God’s grace:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8 KJV)

That’s one verse I urge you to take time to read in context. It sounds so easy, but it comes with responsibilities, as the next two verses show. Never leave out the following two, for they prove that Christians will do good works, but good works do not bring salvation – they are the result of believing, faith, and grace:

Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:9-10 KJV)

God’s saving grace gives us the pleasure we find in doing good works in His name, not to gain His favor, but to show we appreciate His gift.

Now we’ve looked at finding grace and pleasure, how about the next thing we find – hope:

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV)

Yep – our hope can be misplaced. Take this one verse and it will appear that Christians are miserably hopeless. Remember, context! Read the surrounding verses – better yet, read the chapter – but one verse changes the picture of hopelessness:

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (1 Corinthians 15:20 KJV)

The resurrection changes everything. Our hope is born through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not simply His teachings or that of His disciples. That’s where we find joy:

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:7-9 KJV)

There we are, back to the chorus of that beautiful hymn, sing aloud (even if not in tune) that we have found grace given by our Lord, pleasure in the work set before us, hope through the resurrection of Jesus and joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Can you understand why we want to share that with our loved ones? Not to constrain their lives in any way. Not to keep them from having fun. Not to wrap them in laws that must be kept for their salvation.

Christ said there were two basic laws upon which all others – from the Exodus until now – are built:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40 KJV)

Is that really too much to accept – in exchange for joy unspeakable?

Job's Gold

Job - by Leon Bonnat (1880)

If you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, or a well-read non-religious person, you’ve heard of Job – and the first three see him as an example to generations who followed him, including our own and those coming after us. Perhaps best of all when he cries out:

Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! (Job 23:3 KJV)

At this point in his book, he has lost everything he owned, his ten children have been killed, his body is broken out in boils, his wife is berating him, and his three friends are demanding he confess to the horrible sin that has brought all of this on him. He cries out that he wants to go to God’s throne to confirm his innocence.

The first part of the book tells us that Satan is the source of all the evil that has befallen, and God allowed it. Since all the Bible is about God, how does that compute with:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)

It computes very well when we understand that we are not reading “all things are good to them that love God,” but understand that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” Even the horror of losing his children did work together with the whole story to be good.

When all is for His glory, and we remain faithful before Him, we shall come forth as Job knew he would:

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (Job 23:10-12 KJV)

I wonder if Peter had Job in mind when he wrote:

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1:7 KJV)


Do we feel as certain – should we stand before God – that we would come forth as gold, our feet having held steady in His steps, that we have kept His way and His commandments? Have we esteemed God’s word?

Job prayed for his children – do we? (Let me answer only for myself – yes. I pray for my children, their children, and their children’s children. I cannot answer for their errors, but I can and do pray that they hear God’s word with open hearts to seek Him and His leadership. I am blessed by their fruit of His spirit and their hearts open to His word. I pray here that you are able to see that in yourself, too.) And that faithfulness paid off for Job just as it will for us, even if we see it only in heaven:

So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. (Job 42:12-13 KJV)

What an end to the story – his holdings doubled – except for his children. You think? Think again. Job was given twenty children. Since we’ve read the remaining books, we believe there is a heaven and a heavenly reunion where Job’s twenty children rejoiced with their parents that all things faithfully did work together for good, through all the bad, to rejoice together with God.

You might want to note that Job even sacrificed and prayed for his friends who had not believed him, even though they believed God. In the end we see absolute proof that bad things can happen to good people who love God. And, we were told who caused those bad things. He does still work evil in our world today, all designed to turn people against God.

We read of those who are faithful, and their (and my) why:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5 KJV)

Authority

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7:28-29 KJV)

What is this “authority”?

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. (Matthew 8:9 KJV)

The centurion knew his authority, and responded to being under authority. He also knew Jesus had the authority and the ability to heal, so he requested Jesus heal his servant.

Once, a large group of religious leaders asked by what authority Jesus acted:

And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. (Matthew 21:23-27 KJV)

Nope – he didn’t give them a clear answer. They were not seeking truth, but to entrap Jesus, who fully understood why the question. So, He turned the question to them. Which ever answer they gave Him, the true authority would be evident. They were not seeking God, and Paul had not written:

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (Acts 17:27 KJV)

God stood in front of those men, in an unexpected human form, not far from them at all – and they did not believe. Jesus gave a comparison:

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. (Matthew 11:21-24 KJV)

Why do I quote the Bible? I wrote the reason in “What I Believe” in my blog:

I believe the Bible is Holy, the divinely inspired and preserved Word of God, the final authority for all faith and life. I place this belief first, not because it is the most important, but because it explains and provides answers for so much of the following. Without the Bible, there is not a foundation for believing ...

Remove the Bible and we would not have the scriptures that were written across ages, studied for centuries, cursed as error, and accepted on faith. Remove the Bible and we wouldn’t have Genesis 1:1 nor John 1:1 telling us God created and that Jesus was God. No, there are not two or three gods that we believe – as Israel proclaimed and still proclaims - the Lord our God is one and the same. It is His authority, none of ours.

What if His authority is questioned? Well, it was, wasn’t it? In the very books that speak of Him across the time of man, His authority has been questioned. And, the Bible has been questioned, revised, reinterpreted, as well as reviled. Several years back wrote a blog quoting a Canadian pastor who determined in her own way that the church needed to get rid of the Bible if it was to grow. That is taught as error in the very Bible she wished to toss.

A recent web article summarized an essay, How to Subtly Abandon Your Bible’s Authority. The headings are:

On the danger of appealing to selective evidence
On the avoidance of embarrassing passages and issues
On misappropriating Scripture to legitimize an unorthodox position
On the failure of too little reading, especially of older works
On losing awe before the Word of God

Check yourself against the full explanations of these headings. The easiest for us to fall into (from my own experience!) are the last two. I need to read more, and by not reading I show my lack of respect and awe for God’s words to His people. Where do you stand?