hope

April 7, 2015

He Is Risen!

Matthew 28.1-17

Both the women and the guards are witnesses to the miraculous events of that first Easter morning. But two wildly different conclusions…Jesus is alive…fear and joy, resurgence of faith and hope reborn, eternal life, reconciliation of heaven and earth… or Jesus is dead…fear and trembling, deception and despair, death…

Resurrection proves…Jesus was the Hero (Messiah) He claimed to be…Jesus resurrection set him apart from other religious leaders, viz. Muhammad, Gandhi, Buddha, Moses…, His death did in fact satisfy God’s just punishment/the penalty for sin, Jesus is able to raise us to spiritual life, Jesus will give us eternal life. And as He promised, He will be with us always, even unto the end of the age. Do you know this Jesus? Who are you in the story? The women or the guards?

Friday I told the story of three trees that each had aspirations of greatness…one to be a box holding great treasure, one a mighty ship sailing the seas and one to be the tallest of trees pointing to the Creator. But when the woodsmen came, their hopes and dreams were dashed. The first tree had been made into a feeding trough, the second into a flimsy boat and the third into lumber.

Just like the trees, the disciples despaired. Hope was gone. Jesus hung lifeless on the cross. But just as the cross was not the end of Jesus’ story, so the story of the trees continues.

“Many, many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. “I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. “This manger is beautiful,” she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew she was carrying the King of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel.

But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.

That was better than being the tallest tree in the world. – The Tale of Three Trees”

The resurrection changes everything! The disciples went from despair to radically changing the world. Jesus makes all the difference. He brings purpose and meaning, real hope and change. Eternal life that starts today and never ends.

If you find yourself in the place of the women in the story…you believe that Jesus is alive then your job is to proclaim that good news (that the long-awaited Hero has come) to those in your circle of influence who don’t know the hope of the gospel. If you find yourself in the place of the guards in the story…I would invite you to reconsider. Today could be the day that you pass from death to life.

So with new meaning…Jesus is risen, He is risen indeed!

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

March 30, 2015

Who Is This?

Matthew 21.1-17

So the King enters triumphantly into the city, but not on a warhorse as the crowds might have expected…but on a donkey (picture of humility…coming to die). In the ancient world  when a king rode a horse it symbolized war, but when he rode a donkey it symbolized peace…a strong statement of why Jesus is here.

Jesus wanted the crowds to recognize the peace He came to establish on the earth…peace with God and peace among men. And that peace could only be accomplished through His death and resurrection, which would occur a few days later.

The people had no category for suffering and arrest … they had no use for a King who would die. The people expected rebellion against Rome, but when that didn’t happen then “Hosanna!” turned to “Crucify Him

What false expectations or misconceptions have you had of Jesus? We all like to be on the winning side, but what about when winning doesn’t look like winning, but losing. In other words, what happens when the path God has you on brings unexpected suffering or hardship? Do you still shout “Hosanna!”? Do you still want the kingdom brings?

Those in Jerusalem ask, “Who is this?” A pivotal question in this episode and an indication that Jerusalem does not know Jesus…just the Prophet from Nazareth or the Son of David?

There are two responses to Jesus’ actions in cleansing the Temple and healing the blind and lame…the children say “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They accept Jesus as Messiah. The Jewish leaders however become indignant…they reject Him.

Who is this? Both crowds coming to Jerusalem and children answer…Son of David, the Messianic King

Jesus has a way of upsetting the proud and self-righteous, the entitled. He welcomes the outcast and the broken, the humble who recognize their need for Him. Which are you? And how would you answer, “Who is this Jesus?” Is He your King who has authority over your life? Or is He just that Trouble-maker from Nazareth?

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

March 23, 2015

A Journey’s End

Genesis Wrap-up

Genesis begins with a man in a garden enjoying perfect fellowship with God…it ends with a man in a coffin…a haunting picture of the terrible consequences of sin introduced when we revolted against our Maker. Death has invaded our world and taken us all captive. Yet hope remains alive because of the faith of the man in the coffin. God would one day send a Hero to rescue us and provide a way back to the garden and perfect fellowship with Him. The amazing news today is…the Hero has come.

Jesus, God’s only Son, came and lived a perfect life…a life totally in tune and dependent on His Father. He died a bloody, horrible, sacrificial death. Was raised the third day proving that He had conquered both sin and death and ascended to the right hand of the Father. By faith in Him, the Bible says that we like Adam and Noah, Abraham and Joseph, can be declared righteous…not because of anything that we have done, but because of what Jesus did. He is the Genesis 3.15 Head-crushing Seed of the woman…the innocent dying for the guilty so that the guilty could be declared innocent.

The God of Genesis is a God who loves deeply, who creates and restores, who rescues and guides, who redeems evil. He is the Bringer of hope. He is the God who blesses…bless and blessing mentioned more in Genesis than anywhere else in the Bible. He is gracious and merciful…but He is also just and He will punish those who reject Him.

Like the ancient Hebrews, we need to be reminded that we are God’s image-bearers. Although that image was marred through the fall, we are still of infinite value. You are of infinite value to Him. You are no accident. Do you believe that? I think if we truly did, we would behave differently. The proof of your value is the price paid to redeem you…the eternal Son of God. Only by trusting in Jesus can the image truly be restored and your purpose truly be realized. Make today the day.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

March 16, 2015

The End?

Genesis 50

A good death is a fitting end to a good life. This passage about two good deaths…about dying well, in faith, knowing that physical death is not the end of the story…a reminder that as believers we are sojourners looking for the heavenly city. Sandwiched in between these two good deaths is a reminder that living well is also a challenge…

Genesis begins with a man in a garden enjoying God’s presence…it ends with a man in a coffin anticipating a restoration of that presence. The devastating effects of sin are painfully clear…death has invaded this world through sin and holds us all captive…yet the faith of the man in the coffin speaks equally clear of God’s purpose to break the power of sin through a people that He has chosen to carry forward the plan of redemption, that ultimately the promised Head-crushing Seed of the woman, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Conquering King, the Hero of our story who would come to rescue us, destroying both sin and death, leading us back to the garden and restoring our relationship with our Creator God.

Though death is a very real and painful experience this side of the garden, death is not the last word, it’s not the end, in the lives of believers. We, like Joseph, die in hope. I love what John Donne, the 17th century poet and churchman wrote…

Death, be not proud, though some have called you

Mighty and dreadful, for you are not so;

For those whom you think you overthrow,

Die not, poor Death, nor yet can you kill me.

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; Death, you shall die.

—John Donne

C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series concludes with these words from Farewell to Shadowlands, The Last Battle “And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion…And for us this is the end…But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

March 9, 2015

Last Words

Genesis 49

These blessings show the ongoing reality and consequences of sin in the lives of God’s people…but where sin abounds, grace superabounds (Levi) – God is able to redeem evil and bring good from it. All the brothers are incorporated into the line of promise. The twelve tribes of Israel are not necessarily made up of the best and brightest…only one Joseph. And we are reminded that God doesn’t often call the best and the brightest…no offense. He calls the broken, the discarded, the mess-ups, the failures… Jesus said, “I came to seek and save the lost.” It’s all of God from start to finish…the faithfulness of God in redeeming evil circumstances.

Last week I mentioned the power of a father’s words…words that can bless or curse, words that can uplift or squash down. And while that is especially true for father’s, it is also true for all of us who are influencers in another’s life. What kind of words are you speaking? It’s ok to speak words of warning…we are all on a trajectory…but what is the motivation behind your words? Is it to bless? Is it the other’s good? Or is it reactionary and mean-spirited?

For some of us, we long for words of blessing from our earthly fathers…but those words don’t come. But we have a heavenly Father who has and who longs to speak blessing over us (that’s why we have an event like Father’s Eyes). A God who wants to sing and dance over us, to rescue us and restore us, to take us in His arms. God speaks words of blessing over His creation in Genesis 1, blessing over the people He created, a blessing lost through the fall. The story of Genesis and Jacob’s blessing on his sons pictures the promise of God’s blessing being restored and partially received, the picture of a Conquering King who would crush His enemies, destroying sin and death, trampling the serpent under His feet, leading us back to the garden and restoring our relationship with our Heavenly Father, Creator God. Blessing is about hope. And we as believers in Jesus are beneficiaries of that blessing.

But maybe you don’t know this God who blesses today…the God who wants to redeem your evil, the Shepherd, the ever-present God…Today could be the day.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

February 9, 2015

Reunited

Genesis 46

A powerful moment in the life of the chosen family. The next chapter in the life of the family will open in Egypt. Jacob’s faith has been reignited. He has been reunited with Joseph who is back from the dead. It’s a powerful reminder of the love between a father and a son. It’s a picture of the love that the Father has for His Son Jesus…and the love that He has for you and me.

The long-awaited reunion between Jacob and Joseph is the climax of this episode. And for some of us it’s a reminder of a reunion that we’ve been longing for. Maybe you are like Joseph and time and/or circumstances have created distance in a relationship, and the reunion you long for is with a family member or close friend. I want to invite you to make a phone call or send a text. Maybe you are like Jacob and tragedy has caused you to disconnect from your relationship with God and from others in your life, and the reunion you long for is with your heavenly Father. Maybe you’ve disconnected from Him and are longing to come back. I encourage you to follow Jacob’s example…return to the altar, that place of spiritual reconnection and cry out to Him. You will find Him waiting for you and the reminder that His presence is with you. For some us, the reunion we’ve been longing for won’t happen this side of heaven. Maybe it’s a spouse, a sibling, a parent or child, or close friend that has already gone to be with the Lord. My mom died when I was two…and I long to see her. Take some time to process that as well. Praise God that physical death is not the end of our story, but is a transition to eternity with the Father. One day there will be a magnificent reunion, both with our Savior and with those who have gone before.

I love God’s promise to Jacob… “I will be with you.” That promise wasn’t just to Jacob as the patriarch…it was a promise to Israel, the people of God who were on their way to Egypt, a scandalous people that included both a Canaanite and an Egyptian. Praise God that He is still pursuing folks on the fringes, amen?

May you know the love of the Father and the constancy of His presence today.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

February 2, 2015

The Big Reveal

Genesis 45

Both the boys and Jacob are stunned when they learn that Joseph is alive. But maybe even more stunning is the revelation of God’s work in the events of Joseph’s life. Seeing his circumstances from God’s perspective allows Joseph to properly interpret events and forgive his brothers. Looking back it’s easy to see God’s hand, but what about in the midst of his circumstances…as he was being beaten by his brothers or when he was in the bottom of the pit or when he was sold to the Ishmaelites or to Potiphar, what about when he was falsely accused and spends years in prison, what about when he was forgotten for two years…God’s plans for our good are not always simple and transparent. Often we are tempted to ask, why me? It’s easy to discern God’s will through miracles, signs & wonders, but not so much through ordinary events. As believers we can trust in God to bring about His good purpose despite what others intend. It was true for Joseph, and it’s true in our lives as well. There have been many times in my life that I’ve wondered at the path that God had me on, but looking back I see His fingerprints, guiding and directing my steps. Even in the seeming detours, the wilderness experiences, those were times of preparation for the next phase on the journey.

But what about you? Can you see God’s hand at work in your life? Do you believe that He can bring about His good purposes for you even in the midst of your current trial? It was important for the Israelites to understand that as they marched through the wilderness. It’s important for us to understand as well. Instead of chalking it up to luck or happenstance, we need to seek clarity on what God is up to. His plan often takes us through suffering…Romans 5…but it’s the fastest route to spiritual maturity. It’s the furnace of God’s love that purifies, tests and strengthens our faith, so that we begin to look for like Jesus. Suffering aligns us to Jesus more than anything else.

It struck me that there are two different paths taken to suffering in Joseph’s story. Joseph sees God’s fingerprints all over his circumstances and comes to the incredible conclusion that God is working good in spite of the evil intention of others. Jacob on the other hand, exclaims, “Everything is against me!” For Joseph, his suffering is making him more like Jesus. For Jacob, his suffering puts a pause on his spiritual progress…and it’s over twenty years before he’s back in the game. Don’t let that be you.

I love the picture that Joseph paints of God…He’s not only sovereign over the events of history, He’s also personally involved in the lives of His people. He is gracious and compassionate, a God of mercy. “God sent me ahead to preserve many lives…” It’s a word of life, not death. God in sovereign grace has guided Israel’s history. And God in sovereign grace is guiding our history as well.

My prayer for us…that we would continually be stunned by God’s work in our lives and that we would see clearly the evidences of His handiwork even in the most mundane and ordinary of circumstances.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

 

January 19, 2015

Back to Egypt

Genesis 43

The healing process has begun for this fractured family. Jacob is praying, and maybe hoping again for the first time in twenty years. The brothers are acknowledging their sin. Joseph has a front row seat. Good news because the plan of redemption rests with this motley crew. Through them all the families of the earth will be blessed, because from their descendants and more particularly through the line of Judah the Head-crushing Seed of the woman will come, a guy we know as Jesus. God could have chose any other way…He could have entrusted the mission to angels, He could have caused the rocks to cry out…yet He allows the plan to rest on this family. There is no plan B. Very risky proposition considering their track record. Sound familiar? His plan of redemption now continues with us, the church. A ragtag, motley crew…and considering our track record… Yet He has no plan B. We carry forward the plan of redemption.

Through this story we see both the mercy and the grace of God, working through circumstances and people to bring about restoration and healing. Jacob’s prayer. The steward’s consoling words. Joseph’s blessing. The compassion and mercy that we see reflected in Joseph is but a foreshadowing of the compassion and mercy, the grace of his distant Nephew, Jesus. Jesus, the One whose compassion and mercy drove Him to a cross to rescue you and me, who like Judah became Himself the guarantee so that we might be reconciled/returned to the Father. The One who like the Father, is waiting with open arms for His prodigal child to come home.

So whatever the weight of sorrow or guilt you may be carrying…tragedy that you have engineered or that has befallen you, may you experience His grace and mercy today.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster

January 15, 2015

Our God Reigns

Thoughts About What We’re Reading!

This week, our reading plan takes us to the book of Daniel. When reading this book I suggest you stay focused on the central theme of the book – God’s sovereignty. You will see this throughout the book.

We read the book of Daniel in two parts. The first half contains narratives concerning the lives of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

The second half of Daniel, contains apocalyptic visions, designed to reassure God’s people that in spite of persecution and suffering, God is in control and will ultimately be victorious.

In the first half of the book, Daniel and his friends are taken as captives from Israel to Babylon and are introduced into a new culture. We see how their belief in God enables them to endure, and even succeed, in an alien culture.

We see the mighty hand of God rescue them time after time. When reading the narrative portion however we should not miss the big picture – Daniel and his friends trusted in God throughout the ordeals, and were willing to live or die according to His will and purpose. 

The sobering thought in the last six chapters of Daniel is that God calls all nations, all kingdoms that oppose Him into judgment and destroys them.  There are times when God uses them to fulfill His purposes for a span of time, something we can find hard to understand.

But scripture teaches us that God remains sovereign over all the events of world history. It is also comforting to know, even when we do not feel or see it, His greatest concern remains with His people.

God is sovereign over all of the kingdoms of this world, the book of Daniel teaches us that all the kingdoms of this world will come to an end and be replaced by the Lord’s Kingdom.

Much like Daniel and his friends, we too are aliens and strangers in a land not our own. We are citizens of heaven. 

At times, when we read about the market, the terrorist attacks in Paris, Ebola and other global events that impact all of us, when we feel the pain of death of our loved ones, divorce and other issues that strike our hearts, we think the time must be near, the end must be coming.

We do not know the day or hour but we know where our hope lies – and it causes us to raise our eyes toward Jesus.

Someday the end of the world will indeed come. Jesus will return to draw history to its conclusion and to usher in a new heavens and earth.

Indeed, our God Reigns.

Until next time… Keep reading!

Jim

Sources used: ESV Study Bible, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Daniel by Philip Ryken

January 12, 2015

A Close Encounter

Genesis 42

Twenty years of Joseph’s life had been spent in a series of seemingly unfortunate events. A roller-coaster of emotions and experiences…beloved son, despised and hated brother, prisoner, slave, prisoner again, dream interpreter, husband, father, a big deal in Egypt. Success and seeming failure. Unfair treatment. Misunderstood. Hopeful. God’s providence…now we see that the path that Joseph was on was leading him to the realization of his dreams. In every circumstance…every hardship, every sorrow, every joy, every pain, every moment…God meant it for good.

God is sovereign over the affairs of men, but man is still responsible for his actions. It’s a divine mystery…God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Joseph’s brothers are responsible for their actions and must face the consequences of what they have done. But God uses their actions to bring about His purposes. In this story we see God’s severe mercy. He uses a famine to force the chosen family to look at themselves and at each other, to face their sin and in repentance seek forgiveness. The plan of redemption depended on these guys…as heirs of the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel, through them all the families of the earth were to be blessed. This is a story in process. We haven’t seen yet how it all plays out. But the seeds are planted, and the harvest is not far off.

Joseph is a model of forgiveness in this episode, evidencing an incredibly mature faith. He foreshadows Jesus, picturing the Redeemer to come. And although Joseph is still the main character, the brothers, as a group become a major player, finally acknowledging their sin, godly sorrow as Paul calls it, they will be led to repentance. And the great news is…they serve a loving heavenly Father who delights to forgive and be reconciled to His children.

So whether you’re a Joseph who is in a position to exact punishment but is called to forgive, or the brothers who are being awakened to need for repentance, or a Jacob who so desperately needs to be reminded of the hope that we have in Jesus, my prayer for you today is that you would have a close encounter with Jesus, that you would experience an ever increasing measure of contentment, joy and confidence in your everyday life with Him.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on our Genesis series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on twitter: @ccclancaster