Monthly Archives: April 2011

What Jesus Didn’t Promise Us

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Jesus promised us a lot in scripture.

He promised that He would never leave nor forsake us.  He promised that He would produce fruit in us as we stayed within Him.  He promised He would hear our prayers.  He promised when two or more of us gather together in His name, He would be with us.  He promised that He would give us power and strength.  He promised that even the gates of hell would not triumph over the church.

Jesus promised us a lot of things. And He will be true to His word and true to what He has promised us.

There is, though, one thing that He didn’t promise us.  He talks about it today in John 15:

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

Jesus never promised us it’d be easy.  Jesus never promised us that we wouldn’t have problems.  Jesus never promised us that we wouldn’t have opposition.

In fact, when we look at scripture, we see the exact opposite. We see Him promise that there would be problems, there were be trials, there would people who wouldn’t like us, there would be many things that would be difficult.

Jesus didn’t promise us that it’d always be easy.  He did promise us that there would be hard days, that there would be trials.

And, He did promise us that He’d never leave us.  He did promise us that He’d always be with us.  He did promise us that even though the world may hate us, He would always love us.

So don’t let the trials and the tough time distract you from His truth.  He is here.  He loves you.  He will not forsake  you.  He will not leave you.

He never promised us the path would be easy.  He did promise us, through, that He’d never leave us alone on that path.

What to Do?

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Being faithful is not about what we do.  It’s about who we are.  It’s about how we are planted. It’s about where the roots are.

CS Lewis once said “No man nows how very evil he is until he has tried very hard to be good.”  There’s a lot of truth to that statement.  All of us that follow Christ want to be good. We want to do right. We want to grow. We want to be faithful. We want to see good things happen.

And, so, we try to be good.

And, we find ourselves failing. We find ourselves falling. We find that it’s not working.

So, we try harder.

And it still doesn’t work.

What do we do?

Today, Jesus tells us the one thing that we must do.  Listen to what Jesus says in John 15:

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

It’s not about what we do. It’s about who we are.  He is the vine. We are the branches.  Our job, our task, it is to stay rooted in Him.  If we stay in Him, He is in us, and He does the work.

He bares the fruit.  He grows us.  He produces fruit.  He makes it all possible.

It’s not about what we “do.”  It’s about who we “are.”  He IS the vine.  We ARE the  branches.

What are we do to?  Stay faithful. Stay close to Him.  Remain in Him.

And, if we remain in Him, He will bear fruit in us.  That’s what vines do.  That’s what we do.  Stay in Him.  He will bare fruit in you.

Which Way to Go?

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One of the things we hear a lot with faith is this – we don’t know which way to go.

We don’t know what decision to make. We we don’t know how to proceed, what to choose, what to do.

And, we don’t just hear that, do we? We experience it. Everyone one of us today, reading these thoughts, we’ve experienced that feeling. We’ve experienced that struggle. We’ve experienced that moment of looking up to the heavens and shouting – God what do I do!?!

We are not alone. One of the reasons why I love the Bible is that it contains every emotion, every thought, every feeling we go through. You and I are not the only folks in the history of creation to not know which way to go or to understand where God is taking us.

Many, many, many Christians through history have felt that and experienced that.  We are not alone.

And, this problem will not stay forever.  Today, if you are struggling through a decision, through a problem, through a choice,listen to what God says this morning through Isaiah:

He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

God will tell you.  God will speak.  God will show you.

He will.  It will happen.  You can trust.  You will know what to do.

So, today, if you are trying to make a decision, if you have a choice to make, perhaps the thing you need to worry about isn’t that choice.  Perhaps the thing you need worry about it is listening.

Are you listening to God?  I’m not asking are you telling God what you’d “like” to do.  But, are you making yourself quiet?  Are you blocking out all other noises and voices?  Are you making yourself still?

And listening for the voice of God?

He will speak.  He will lead.  He will show.

Today, if you are in the midst of a choice, listen.  Listen. God will speak.  God will lead.

Easter 2011 Podcast – An Easter World

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The sermon podcast for Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website. It’s entitled “An Easter World” and the text is John 20: 1-18.  Also, as a special treat, a skit/song performed by Nicolete Hopper and Holly Stoddard is attached at the end of the sermon.  You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

Easter is Over, Right?

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Since my granny passed away in 1998, my mama has always been the one that has been the cook for the big family meals. She cooks at Christmas, she cooks at Thanksgiving, she cooks at Easter.

Everyone comes over to her house and eats, talks, and just hangs out.

It’s a great time, and everyone loves it.

But, there’s a part of my mama, a part of anyone that’s ever hosted something big, that just says, man, I’m glad that’s over!  I’m glad the work, the effort was successful, but I’m just glad that’s over!

Yesterday was Easter. It is THE day for Christians. It’s what it is all about it.  It’s why we worship on Sundays instead of Saturdays.  It is the point of our faith for Christians.

But, now it’s over. And we don’t worry about it again for another year, right?  The baskets are hung, the eggs are put up, and now we are done with Easter.

Easter is over, right?

No. It is not. Easter is not a day. Easter is who we are.  As I talked about yesterday in my sermon at Asbury, we are an Easter people.  We are a people of light and of victory and or Resurrection. Easter changed everything. Sin, death, and the grave no longer hold any power over us.  He is risen, and we rise with Him.

And, when we realize that Easter is not just a one day thing, but a way of life, we see Easter everywhere.

Listen to what Jonah said today in Jonah 2:

I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!

That’s Easter!

That’s resurrection! That’s life! God is a God that is always bringing forth life. He brought His Son back to life at Easter. He restored Jonah in the passage.  He is breathing new life into broken souls all over the world today.

Easter is not over.

Easter is a way of life.  We are an Easter people.  We live a new life. We will not be defeated by sin, death, and the grave.  He is victorious. And we are alive.

Yesterday was Easter, yes. But it’s not over.  He is alive.  And so are we.

How They Know We Are His

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Today is a day that is called Maundy Thursday. This is a day set aside to remember the betrayal of Jesus and to remember the night when He gave us the gift of Holy Communion. It begins the darkness that is Good Friday.

Before the dawn and light of Easter Sunday, we must go through the darkness of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

And, if you happen to be in the Petal, MS area tonight, and you’ve never experienced a Maundy Thursday service, I hope you’ll be able to come out and be with us tonight at Asbury.

Before Jesus is betrayed, He left this disciples, and us, with some words to remember. Before He was handed over, He wanted them, and us, to know what was most important.  Listen to what He tells them, and us, in John today:

As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

They will know you are my disciples not by your theology.  Or by your denomination.  Or by your beliefs.  Or by what you wear.  Or by what you listen to.  Or any of these things.

We try to make Christianity about so many different things that is not about.

Before Jesus was handed over, He told us what was most important.  He told us what mattered the most.  He told us what we must do to prove to the world that we are His disciples.

They will know you are my disciples by your love.

Today, do “they” – your friends, your family, your co workers, your neighbors, the people in your life – do they know you are His disciple?

Are you living a life of love in front of them?

Before He was handed over, he told us what is most important.  He told us what matters most.  Love.

They will know you are my disciples by your love. Today, may all the world know that we are His disciples.

Into the Night

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I tell folks when they read the Bible to read it slowly. Don’t rush through. It’s not a race.

Read slowly.  Listen.  Pay attention.  See what God may be saying to you through the words you are reading.  Something will jump out to you. Something will grab you. Something will say – look there!  That’s important!

I was reading this morning in John on this Wednesday of Holy Week went something jumped out to me.  I was reading the text where Judas left to betray, when I saw something I’d never really noticed before. Listen to John’s Gospel:

Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. So Judas left at once, going out into the night.

Lots of stuff there, but what got me was that last sentence – “Judas left at once, going into the night.”

In John’s Gospel, light and darkness are big deals.  Jesus is the light.  He is the light of the world.  He is called light over and over and over again.  He is the light that has come forth into the world to shine God’s goodness and mercy and salvation.

And, likewise, where there is no light, there is darkness. And darkness is where we don’t want to be.  Darkness is apart from Jesus.  Darkness is sin and evil and destruction. Listen to what John says in chapter 3:19, “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”

Light has come.  But people loved the dark more than the light. They loved their sin more than His life. They loved their way more than His way.

So, today, what did Judas do – He left Jesus and went into the night.  Into the darkness.  To betray.

Today, you will have choices to make. Will you leave Jesus and go into the darkness?  Into the darkness of sin?  Of lust?  Hate?  Pride?  Greed?  Anger?  Judgement?  Rage?  Will you leave the side of your savior and walk into the night?

We are called to be the children of light, not of darkness.  May we not go chasing after the dark places.  May we stick by Jesus’ side. May we not wander into the night.

Will You Follow?

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Today is the Tuesday of Holy Week, this week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. In this week Jesus remains in Jerusalem teaching the people about what is to come.  He teaches them about what is coming later this week; about His suffering, His death, and even His resurrection.

And these teachings are not always easy to hear.

When someone is drawing close to the end of their life, I’ve heard it said that they talk and speak with a clarity of purpose. I don’t know if that’s true in the same way for Jesus – His words always rang true.  His teaching always had authority.  He was always clear.  He always spoke the truth.

But, there is something about what He tells this crowd on this Tuesday in light what He knows will be happening to Him on Thursday and Friday. Listen to these words:

Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me.

And that sounds nice, doesn’t it?  That sounds nice and sweet. But here’s the problem.  Jesus doesn’t always lead us into easy places.

Jesus doesn’t always lead us to the places that we’d go on our own.

I mean, look at where He willing went this week – the cross. But He went, knowing that through the cross, our salvation and victory over sin, death, and the grave would be achieved.

And honestly, that victory makes it possible to follow Him.  He will call you into places you don’t want to go.  He will call you to people who you don’t like.  He will take you to places you don’t want to go.

The question is this.  Will you follow?

You can follow for two reasons.  First, if He calls you somewhere or to something you don’t like/want, know that in the end, it’s for your good. The tears you cry are not in vain. The hurts you feel are not without a purpose.  The tough times serve a purpose. They will draw you close to Him.

Sometimes it take a tough time to realize Jesus is all we need.

Second, when He calls you to those places, know that through the cross and the empty grave, you’ve already got the victory.  Sin, death, and the grave have been defeated.  You can trust that.  You can live that.

Jesus calls us to follow Him.  Into places we might not want to go.  Know though, where He calls us to, He will go with us.  He will not leave or forsake us. Today, or ever.

Today, will you follow?

Nothing Compares to Him

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This week between Palm Sunday and Easter is called Holy Week. Each day of this week, Jesus was drawn closer to the cross, closer that day that won our redemption and our victory. But each day is a day closer to the emotional and spiritual pain of His betrayal, and closer to physical pain and death of cross.

Each day is one day closer.

And each day this week, we will remember what He went through. I was talking yesterday at Asbury, to truly understand how amazing the empty grave of Sunday is, we must stop and remember the pain and hurt of the bloody cross.

Today on this Monday of Holy Week, John 12 tells us what happened to Jesus:

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

There are lots of different thoughts at to the significance of the perfume Mary used. Some say could have been part of the dowry for marriage.  Some say it could have been part of a family tradition.  I’ve heard lots of stories and sermons about what all the perfume represented, and I don’t know the answer to it.

But I do know this.  This perfume was the most valuable thing Mary owned. This was worth more than anything she owned or could have owned.

And she willing laid it at the foot of Jesus. Literally.  This perfume of great worth only found in its true worth in being used to anoint Jesus.

Today, what is that thing of great worth in your life?  What is that prized possession?  Is it of more worth to you than Jesus?  Or course, publicly, we’d all say “Of course not!” But what about privately?  What about when no one is looking? What about when’s it just us and our thoughts?

Today, Mary showed us an example.  Nothing was worth more than Jesus to her. Nothing.

May we see that example, and may we follow.  Jesus laid everything down for our sake and for our salvation.  May we lay it all down for His glory.

He is our greatest prize and possession.  And nothing compares to Him.