(Prepared to compliment a sermon based on Acts 26:28.)

Life can be confusing. Sometimes we don’t know what to think about a particular situation. We hear something and we don’t know whether to believe it because we’re not sure if what we’ve been told is possible or not.

But there are some things about which we have no doubt at all. We know it for a fact and no one could possibly persuade us otherwise. For example, we know that the sun always rises in the east. There is no doubt about it. We would stake our lives on it. No one can persuade us that the sun rises from some other direction. Similarly, we know that water runs downhill. No one can persuade us otherwise. If we ever see a situation where it appears that water is running uphill, we know that it’s an optical illusion.

How can we be so sure? Why would we immediately dismiss anyone who tried to persuade us that the sun could rise from some other direction or that water runs uphill as either crazy or trying to scam us in some way? Because the assertion that the sun doesn’t rise in the east or that water runs uphill totally contradicts our experience. Never once have we ever seen the sun deviate from rising in the east. Never once have we known water to run uphill. Further, it’s never happened in all of recorded history.

This is why it was so hard for the the disciples to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. It totally contradicted everything in their experience. Sure, they had seen Jesus raise others from the dead, but not once in all of history had a dead person raised himself. Yes, Jesus had repeatedly told them He was going to do it, but they didn’t know what to make of what He said. Surely, He couldn’t mean it literally, could He? Nah! Dead people don’t rise!

I have a lot of sympathy for Thomas when the others told him that they’d encountered the risen Lord. Thomas knew how impossible that was. He knew Jesus had been crucified. How could anyone walk on those wounded feet even if the cross hadn’t killed him? Thomas knew about the spear thrust into Jesus’ side. After taking that kind of wound no one could be up and about even if being crucified hadn’t already killed him outright. Thomas didn’t know what was going on, but one thing he was sure of, Jesus wasn’t alive. In all of history nobody had ever come back like the other disciples were saying Jesus had. He didn’t know what they were up to but they must be trying to pull some kind of scam.

John tells us what happened. “Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”” (John 20:24-29 NIV)

To Thomas’ credit, when he saw the risen Christ, he believed. He allowed himself to be persuaded even though the facts flew in the face of everything he knew or had experienced. Church tradition says that Thomas was so convinced of the resurrection that he traveled as far as South India telling people about Jesus. He and all the Apostles, with the possible exception of John, were martyred for proclaiming the gospel. They were so convinced of the truth of the resurrection that they gave their lives for it.

In fact, one of the strongest evidences that Jesus really did rise from the dead is the change that took place in the disciples. When Jesus was crucified, they cowered in fear behind locked doors wondering if they would be next. Yet, just a few days later they boldly faced down the same authorities who had killed Jesus and openly accused them of murdering the Christ.

Thomas saw and believed. Jesus said that those who believed even though they hadn’t seen would be blessed. That includes us. We haven’t seen the risen Christ with our own eyes, but we we have been persuaded to believe because of the testimony of Thomas and the other Apostles.

We not only believe, each week we proclaim that Jesus died and rose again. That’s part of the reason we eat unleavened bread and drink grape-juice in Jesus’ memory. As Paul writes, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV)

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon points out that there are cycles or seasons, not only in nature, but also in our lives. One of the implications of cycles and seasons is that there is an appropriate time and place for every activity. If we take action outside the appropriate time, we cannot expect good results. To illustrate his point Solomon wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NIV)

If I were to paraphrase Solomon’s thought I could say that there’s a time to come and a time to go, a time to say ‘hello’ and a time to say ‘goodbye.’ To put it another way, departing or saying ‘goodbye’ is just as much a part of the natural order as arriving and saying ‘hello.’ When the time comes it is for our best to say ‘goodbye.’ And to over-stay one’s time when it is appropriate to leave will only lead to unfortunate consequences. This is a concept that Jesus’ disciples had a hard time understanding.

During the last meal Jesus ate with His disciples before the crucifixion Jesus told them, “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:5-7 NIV)

Some goodbyes are bitter-sweet. We’re sorry to see someone go, but we’re also happy for them because we know that their going is for their benefit. For example, I choked up when our daughter left for college. I knew I would miss her terribly. Yet, at the same time, I was happy for her. I knew that her going was the right thing for her.

Jesus’ goodbye filled the disciples with grief. They couldn’t understand Jesus’ longing for the glory He enjoyed with His Heavenly Father before coming into the world. They weren’t glad for Jesus that He was going back to the Father. They couldn’t share in His joy.

Jesus going away was not only for His own benefit, He said it was for the good of the disciples, too. Your translation may say that Jesus’ going was to the disciples’ advantage. I’m sure that in their minds the disciples were questioning what good or advantage there could possibly be in Jesus’ going away. But Jesus said there was a direct linkage between His going and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would not come unless Jesus left.

It was the Holy Spirit which would guide the disciples into all truth. It was the Spirit which would empower them not only to live righteous lives, but also to do the work Jesus left for them. It was the Spirit which would convict the world through the proclamation of the Gospel which Jesus commissioned the disciples to do.

Why wouldn’t the Spirit come unless Jesus left? Though the disciples didn’t understand until later, the Spirit couldn’t come until Jesus finished the work of redeeming mankind. It was His sacrifice on the cross which paid the debt for sin. Paying the debt opened the way for the Spirit to come.

There was another blessing in Jesus’ going. Earlier in the evening He told His disciples that He was going away to prepare a place for them. One day, He would come back and bring them to their new home.

Saying goodbye doesn’t mean forgetting. Often we will give each other a parting gift as a memento of the time we spent together. Through the years those keepsakes keep alive the memory of the one who gave them.

Jesus also gave His disciples a memento at His goodbye. That same evening He gave them some unleavened bread and called it His body. He gave them a cup of wine to drink and said it was His blood. He told the disciples to keep His memory alive by continuing to eat and and drink when they met together. In all the centuries since Jesus went away, His disciples have continued to do what He asked. Each week we bring out the mementos again. We remember His body which He sacrificed for us. We remember His blood which paid our debt.

The bread and juice also remind us of Jesus’ promise. He’s gone to prepare a home for us. One day He’s coming back to escort us to the home He’s prepared.

The bread and juice also remind us that Jesus didn’t leave us alone while He’s away. We have His Spirit living in us. His Spirit is the down payment on the inheritance He’s promised us. His Spirit gives us the power we need to live godly lives.

Today as we participate in this memorial again, let’s not be filled with grief like the disciples were. Instead let’s eat and drink with thanksgiving for the promises Jesus made. Let’s rejoice that one day He’s coming back!

(Given Christmas Eve)

Many of us approach this time of year with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we enjoy getting together with friends and family. We enjoy having a break from school or work. We enjoy the lights, the decorated trees and singing Christmas carols. We especially enjoy the feasts and the special snacks which seem to only come out this time of year.

On the other hand, we deplore the commercialization of Christmas. Somehow the joy we feel when we celebrate the birth of our Savior is a little tarnished by everyone trying to make a buck off of the celebration.

Of course, a lot of the money which changes hands at this time of the year goes for buying gifts. What is a gift, anyway? A gift is something we grant or bestow on someone else without any compensation. It is not something which is earned. It is not something the recipient has to pay for. It is not something provided out of a sense of duty. It is something we give, because we want to honor the other person or provide him or her a bit of pleasure. We give because we love – not expecting anything in return.

Why is it traditional to give gifts to one another at this time of year, when we celebrate Christ’s birth? We do it in memory of the greatest gift of all – the gift of salvation which God gave us through Jesus.

Now in our household we have a time-honored tradition of trying to guess what the gifts are before we undo the wrapping paper. We will shake the box. We try to smell the contents. We try to decipher the clues written on the tag. Sometimes we can figure out what we’re getting. Other times, we can’t – the gift is indescribable until we unwrap it. Even after we see what the gift is there are still things we don’t know about it. We often don’t know how much it cost or where it was bought. More importantly, we don’t know how much the one who gave it to us had to sacrifice in order to get it for us.

It’s the same way with the gift God has given us. We know in general terms what it is. Those of us who have devoted our lives to Christ experience the benefits of the gift in our daily lives. Yet, we really don’t know the full meaning of the gift. The Apostle Paul urged the Christians in the church at Corinth to give a monetary gift to the church in Jerusalem. After talking about the gift he wanted them to give he referred to the gift God has given us. He said, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV)

Even when we try to describe God’s gift to us, our words fall short. Writing to the Ephesians Paul said, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9 NIV)

Yes, we know in general that God has given us new life. But we really don’t know what that means. We won’t know until Christ comes again and He takes us to live in the new heavens and earth. Similarly, we really don’t understand the cost of the gift and the sacrifice God made in order to give it to us. Do we really comprehend what Jesus suffered when He cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34 NIV)

Though we really don’t understand, we do give thanks. We do remember the gift. Every Sunday we celebrate the gift as Jesus asked us to do. We eat some unleavened bread which reminds us of how He sacrificed His sinless body for us. We drink some juice which reminds us of His blood by which He bought our salvation.

Today as we eat and drink, let’s give thanks for God’s indescribable gift!

(Prepared for a sermon from Acts 16:6-11 on changes in plans.)

Have you ever planned a trip, only to have everything go wrong? You start out to go to a specific destination but, you take a wrong turn and end up somewhere you had no intention of going. Or perhaps you missed a plane connection and were forced to change your route. Or you got sick and couldn’t complete your journey. Or you found out after you started traveling that the reason for your trip no longer existed, so you decided to do something else.

My wife and I once experienced a very unexpected twist to a trip we planned. We decided to celebrate our first anniversary by camping on the beach. This was in the days before you could look everything up on the Internet. We opened up our road atlas and picked one of the campgrounds listed on the coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Much to our disgust, when we arrived, we found this so-called campground was nothing more than a paved parking lot for RVs. There were no trees or shade of any kind. There was nowhere to pitch our tent.

We felt we had no choice but to try some of the other campgrounds listed on the map. This was Labor Day weekend. By now it was late in the afternoon. Every camp was already full. Long after dark we finally found a spot to put up our tent. But it wasn’t on the beach. Instead it was in the middle of the rain forest. Needless to say, our vacation turned out very, very differently than we had intended.

Now that change in plans happened to turn out well. In fact, it became one of our fondest memories. But not all changes in plans have happy endings. Have you ever stopped to think what would have happened if something changed Jesus’ plans? Right after the incident where Peter identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus began to tell His disciples about His plans for the future. Matthew 16, verse 21 says, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (NIV)

The disciples didn’t understand. They even tried to prevent Jesus from carrying out His plan. But, fortunately for us, Jesus would not let anything distract Him or deter Him from going ahead with His plan. Luke tells us, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51 NIV) Other translations say that He “determined to go” (NASB) or that He “steadfastly set His face to go” (NKJ).

It wasn’t easy for Jesus to carry out His intentions. He had to overcome temptations to change the plan. He even pleaded with His heavenly Father to let Him do something else. He could have called on the help of 10,000 angels to avoid the cross. Yet, through it all, even though He wanted to do something else, Jesus stuck to the plan. He didn’t let anything shake His resolve. And, because Jesus stuck to the plan, He was able to buy eternal salvation for you and me.

Today we’re going to remember and celebrate Jesus’ resolve. The bread we eat calls to mind His body which died on the cross. The juice reminds us of His blood – the blood which bought our redemption.

Today as we eat and drink, let’s not only thank Jesus for His resolve, which took Him to the cross, let’s also strengthen our own resolve to stick with the plan God has laid out for us. The Apostle Paul writes, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel…” (Colossians 1:21-23 NIV)

We have a saying that “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch”. What we mean by it is that whether we have to personally pay for something or not, there is always a cost associated with it.

We see this illustrated all the time in our daily lives. For example, when someone gives you a gift, just because you did not pay for it does not mean that the gift cost nothing. No, the person who gave you the gift either had to put out some money for it, or he had to invest his own time and effort into making it for you. In fact, the gifts which we appreciate most are the ones which cost the giver the most. The ones in which the giver invested more of himself are the most valuable to us.

Gifts not only cost the giver, sometimes the recipient also has to expend some effort in order to receive the benefit of the gift. For example, these days it’s increasingly common to give gift cards – particularly when we don’t know what the person we wish to honor wants or needs. Now a gift card for a particular restaurant is absolutely no use to us at all if we merely stick it in our wallet. No, in order to receive the benefit of the gift which was made to us, we have to actually go to the restaurant and order a meal. In other words, we have to do something in order to receive the gift. This does not make the gift any less of a gift, it merely illustrates that there is a cost associated with it. If we are not willing to accept that we, as well as the giver, have to invest something of ourselves in it, we will not receive the benefit of the gift.

The same principle holds true in spiritual things. The Scriptures repeatedly speak of salvation as a gift. For example, we’re all familiar with what Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)

What makes eternal life a gift? It’s a gift because it is something which is given to us. In addition, it is not something which we can obtain on our own. Unless it is given to us, it will remain beyond our reach.

The gift of eternal life is also precious because it cost the giver everything He had. It cost Jesus Christ, His life. There can’t be a greater price than that. Based on the cost, we ought to value the gift higher than anything else we have.

But though salvation is a gift, it does not mean that there isn’t a cost to us as well as to the giver. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-33 NIV)

Yes, the gift of salvation is costly, not only for the giver – but also for the recipient. Jesus clearly told us to give thought to the cost before we decide to accept the gift. We must put a higher value on our relationship to Christ than our family, our own desires and even our life. To put it another way, we must die in order to live. The Apostle Peter puts it this way, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 NIV)

Each week we gather to remember the gift that God gave us in Jesus Christ. We gather to remember the cost of the gift and to give thanks to the giver. But as we eat the bread which reminds us of Christ’s body and the juice which reminds us of Christ’s blood, let’s also remember the cost which we must accept in order to gain the benefit of the gift. Have I been crucified with Christ, so that I might also live with Him?

The last couple of weeks the news has been dominated by hurricane Harvey. I’m sure we’ve all seen pictures of boats full of children being towed through the flooded streets of Houston. We’ve been inspired by stories of strangers cooperating together to help those more unfortunate than themselves. As divisive and cantankerous as our culture and public discourse has become, seeing all the volunteers, contributions and how people have come together in the face of disaster shows us that there still is hope for our society.

However, hurricane Harvey also highlighted another reality – and that is the incredible fragility of our lives. It reminds us that there are many things which are out of our control. A lot of people thought they were safe, only to be surprised by rapidly rising water which forced them to evacuate in the middle of the night. A lot of people thought they still had time only to discover their escape route was already cut off and they were trapped.

Some people ignored the warnings and tried to drive through the rising flood anyway. In some cases this led to tragedy – like the man who couldn’t get his children or his parents out of his stalled van in time.

Some climbed into their attics thinking that would raise them above the level of the water only to find out they were wrong. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in that situation? You’ve climbed into what you thought was a place of safety but the waters keep rising and you’re trapped. Unless you can somehow break through the roof there’s no way out and you will drown.

Spiritually speaking, that describes the situation all of us were in. None of us has lived up to the standards God expects. To put it another way, all of us are sinners. People do all sorts of things to try to avoid the disaster that is sweeping toward us because of our sin. For example, a lot of people have the idea that doing some extra good deeds will counteract the consequences of sin. Others go on pilgrimages or ask the so-called ‘saints’ to intercede for them. Unfortunately, neither these nor any of the other things people do to earn their salvation are effective. Just like the people who took refuge in their attics these folks find out that the things they depended on as a refuge are actually a trap. There’s no way out. By depending on their own efforts to save themselves, they’ve actually ensured their own destruction. They’re dead – it’s just a matter of time.

Now picture yourself in that attic, watching the waters rise higher than you thought possible. You’ve got nothing with which to break through the roof. As time passes it gets harder and harder to keep your head above water. Then, just when you’ve about lost all hope, you hear a sound from the outside. Someone has heard your cries for help and is chopping through the shingles and underlayment. Just before the waters overwhelm you, a hole appears and hands reach down to pull you out of your prison.

In a spiritual sense, this is exactly what God has done for us. In Ephesians, chapter two Paul writes, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:1-9 NIV)

What we couldn’t do for ourselves, God through Christ, did for us. Metaphorically, Christ chopped through the roof of our attic and lifted us out of the trap before we drowned in the rising flood.

In all the media coverage I haven’t heard of anyone complaining about their rescuer. What I have heard is a lot of gratitude that people put themselves at risk in order save others. In the same way, we ought to be grateful for what Jesus has done for us. He not only put Himself at risk to help us, He died for us.

Each week we gather to remember His sacrifice so that we can live. The bread we eat reminds us of His body. The juice reminds us of His blood. As we eat and drink let’s give thanks that He cared enough to rescue us from a hopeless situation.

(Prepared for a sermon based on Acts 8:1-8)

You don’t have to follow the news very closely to realize that persecution against Christians is on the rise. We used to think that persecution was something which happened only in distant lands. However, we’re seeing a rise of opposition to Christianity and Christians right here in our own country. Some of the things said on the Internet and on social media are vicious and cruel. People can even lose their jobs for not condoning socially accepted evils.

In response to the pressure we have a choice. Either we can keep quiet and try to fit in with the rest of our culture, or we can do what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy. In 1st Timothy 6, verses 11 through 14 he said, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Timothy 6:11-14 NIV)

What really caught my attention in this passage is the phrase, “the good confession.” What is this ‘good confession’ which Timothy made before many witnesses and Jesus made before Pilate? In John’s account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, in chapter 18, verse 37 it says, ““You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”” (NIV)

If I understand this correctly, the confession Jesus made was that He is a King and that He testifies to the truth. To put it another way, Jesus is the ruler or supreme authority and anything which does not agree with what He says or teaches is false. It is Jesus who sets the standards. Our society can say whatever it wants; our legislature and courts can pass whatever laws they want, however it is not they, but Jesus who decides what is right and wrong. Whenever we uphold Jesus’ authority and His standards we make the ‘good confession.’

By what means do we make the ‘good confession?’ Certainly one way we make the confession is with our words. Whenever we say that Jesus is Lord or Christ, we are acknowledging His status and our allegiance to Him. Another way we make the confession is through our lifestyle. As Paul indicated in the passage we read, one of the consequences of saying that Jesus is our Ruler is that we will live according to His standards and principles. As a result, the way we live will be radically different than those who do not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord. The Apostle Peter put it this way in 1st Peter 4, verses 3 and 4. “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” (NIV)

In addition to our words and our lifestyle, there is another way in which we make the ‘good confession.’ We make the ‘good confession’ each Sunday when we take part in the Lord’s Supper. “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26 NIV)

This bread which we eat and this juice which we drink is a declaration. Yes, Jesus died, but He triumphed over death! He not only lives, He’s coming back! By partaking of these reminders of what Jesus did for us we proclaim that we have made our choice. We will not bow to the demands of our culture. Jesus is our Lord. We will live by His standards and not by those of our society in spite of whatever pressure is brought to bear on us. As Paul put it, we will “fight the good fight of the faith.”

Please join with me in making the ‘good confession’ once again.

(Given on Father’s Day)

Today is a day our culture sets aside to honor fathers. All across this nation families will gather and do something special with or for Dad. This is right and good for Scriptures tells us that we ought to honor our parents.

Since this is a day to honor fathers perhaps it would be good to take a few moments and ask ourselves what the role of a father is. What are fathers supposed be? How are they supposed to interact with their children?

The Apostle Paul gives us some insight into a father’s role in one of his letters to the Christians at Thessalonica. He says, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NIV)

The first role of fathers which Paul mentions is that of encouraging. There are times when a child’s self-confidence needs bolstering. There are times when a child feels timid and needs help facing his own fears. There are times when things look hopeless. A father is there to help his child overcome his doubts, his fears and disappointments.

Another role Paul mentions is giving comfort. The world can be cruel. There are times when we all suffer hurt. There are times of loss. A father is there to dry our tears, to give us the hug we need when we’re lonely.

A third role of a father is to urge his child to be godly. From time to time we all need someone in our lives who won’t settle for second best; to push us on to live up to our potential; to cheer us on when we’ve stumbled; to help us see what the Lord’s will is for us.

Perhaps you’re saying to yourself, “I never had a father like that who encouraged, comforted and spurred me on. Instead, he discouraged me and caused me pain. He surely didn’t urge me to live a godly life!” In fact, some of you may have grown up without a father figure in your life at all.

The good news is that whether we had a good or a bad father, or whether our father was totally absent, God wishes to become a father to us. For example, Psalm 68, verses 4 through 5 says, “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds – his name is the LORD – and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” (NIV)

We won’t take the time to look them up, but the Scriptures confirm over and over that God encourages, He comforts and He urges us to live holy and righteous lives. He truly does act as a father to us.

There is also another role of fathers which Paul did not mention in the passage we read. And this attribute of fathers is the greatest and most important of all. A father loves his children. The Apostle John writes, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!…” (1 John 3:1 NIV)

It’s trite to say that a father loves his children. The word ‘love’ is thrown about so often that it loses it’s meaning. What is love? What does love look like in action? How does a father show his children that he loves them?

The kind of love the Bible talks about is a love which gives. A father who loves his children does whatever is best for them regardless of the cost to himself. And this is exactly what God does for us. He shows His love by doing what is in our best interests. He loved us so much that He gave what was most precious to Him. At little further in the same letter John writes, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10 NIV)

Paul wrote that one of the roles of a father is to urge his children to live godly lives. God did His utmost to make it possible for us to become godly. Our heavenly Father loved us so much that He gave us Jesus.

Every week we gather to remember the love our heavenly Father has for us. To put it another way, every Sunday is Father’s Day when we remember the atoning sacrifice He made for our sins.

The bread we eat reminds us of Jesus’ body, sacrificed for us. The juice we drink reminds us of Jesus’ blood which cleanses us from sin.

As we eat and drink let’s honor our heavenly Father for loving us so much. Those of us who are fathers, let’s determine to be more like our heavenly Father.

(Given on Easter Sunday)

He Is Risen! Today, all over the world, people are celebrating Christ’s resurrection from the grave. They are rejoicing because Jesus is alive. He lives forever. Even in places like Pakistan where radical Islam is on the rise, I find it interesting that a large segment of society acknowledges Easter.

But this raises a question. How do we know that Jesus rose from the grave? There are a lot of reasons to believe that Jesus rose. I’ll just briefly mention two proofs of the resurrection which the Apostle Paul gives in 1st Corinthians, chapter 15. He writes in verse 4 that the resurrection was “according to the scriptures.” What he means is that the resurrection is a fulfillment of prophecy. In the Old Testament there are promises that a Savior would come, He would suffer and die, and He would rise again. If the Bible really is God’s word, as it claims to be, then the resurrection had to take place because God does not lie.

The second proof of the resurrection Paul mentions is that of eyewitness testimony. Too many people saw Jesus after He rose for it to have been some sort of mistaken identity or a hoax. The Apostle John put it this way, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1 NIV)

It is not my place to judge, but I find these and the other proofs of the resurrection so persuasive that I find myself questioning the honesty of those who question whether it happened. To my mind the real question is not whether the resurrection took place, but what the meaning of it is.

In short, the importance of the resurrection is that Christ broke the power of death. Since Jesus rose, it gives us the assurance that death is not the end. There is life beyond the grave.

However, this morning I want to point out something obvious, but something we don’t give a whole lot of thought to: In order for there to be a resurrection, there first has to be a death. Jesus could not have risen from the dead without dying. Yes, we are here to celebrate the resurrection but our celebration implies that Jesus died. In fact, it is His death which Jesus asked us to remember. Why? Because it is Jesus’ death which paid our debt. It is His sacrifice which ushered in the New Covenant through which our relationship to God can be restored. It is by His suffering that we are healed.

There is another corollary to Christ rising from the dead. If we want to rise, we also must die. In Romans 6, starting in verse 4 Paul writes, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” (Romans 6:4-13 NIV)

In this passage Paul makes it very plain that our rising to live a new life is conditional upon our dying. If we haven’t died with Christ, we won’t live with Him either. If we want a new life in Christ, we have to die to the old one. We can’t have it both ways. We can’t have the new life Jesus offers us while still holding on to the sins which put Jesus on the cross. No, we must die to those things, we must crucify self, if we are going to rise with Christ. We will never be free from sins while we still hold on to them.

Jesus asked us to remember His death by eating bread which represents His body which He sacrificed for us. He asked us to drink of the cup which represents His blood which cleanses us from sin. Today as we eat and drink let’s ask ourselves the question, “Have I died with Christ, so that I might live with Him.? Have I died to sin so that I can be freed from it?”

(Written to go along with a sermon on Philippians 3:17-21)

Have you ever had the experience of not recognizing someone you know very well because you saw him in a place you didn’t expect to see him, or she had her hair styled differently or was dressed differently than normal? It can be embarrassing when you act toward someone as if he were a stranger only to discover that he’s a friend.

It can be even more embarrassing to mistake a stranger for someone you know. Our family once had a good laugh at my father. One Sunday he came into the church service a little late. He was concentrating on the speaker as he walked to a pew and sat down. Still looking at the preacher, he put his arm around the lady next to him and was startled by her reaction. From the back he had mistaken her for my mother. It took a while for him to live that one down!

Luke records perhaps one of the oddest cases of mistaken identity. In chapter 24, starting in verse 13 he writes, “Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:13-16 NIV)

I’ve often wondered what it was which kept these men from recognizing Jesus. No doubt, part of it was that they were not expecting Jesus to appear. They knew He’d been crucified. They knew He had died. They knew He’d been buried. You simply don’t expect a dead man to start walking down the road with you.

No doubt part of their confusion was that they didn’t know what to think. They’d heard the reports of the empty tomb but still hadn’t processed what that meant.

However, I think the main reason they didn’t recognize Jesus is that He was different. His post-resurrection body didn’t look the same. He had been transformed.

Why is that significant? Why is it important that Jesus was transformed? It’s important because just as Jesus was transformed, we who follow Him are also in the process of being transformed. We are becoming someone different than who we once were. In speaking about the difference between those under the Law of Moses and Christians, Paul writes, “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:15-18 NIV)

I think that all of us who have been Christians for a while recognize the truth of what Paul wrote. We aren’t the same as we used to be. The Spirit is in the process of transforming us to become like Christ.

The transformation that we’re going through is the first stage of another transformation we’re looking forward to. In 1st Corinthians 15, starting in verse 50, Paul writes, “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54 NIV)

Jesus gave us bread and wine to remember Him. Specifically, they represent His body and blood which He sacrificed on our behalf. However, the death of Christ is not some static event which took place in the distant past. No, the death, burial and resurrection are what make our spiritual transformation possible. Because Christ was transformed, we have a living hope that our bodies will one day be transformed as well.

Today, as we remember the cross, let’s give thanks not only for Jesus but, also, for our transformation.