Category: Salvation

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Not As Expected

Image result for disrupted images

The sermon series for this Advent season at my church is aptly titled, “A Disrupted Christmas.” If you can’t relate to that this year, then you’ve missed a good chance! It seems this global pandemic has turned everyone’s life upside down in one way or another. Nothing is as expected in 2020.

Disrupted Plans

It seems we may have something in common with Mary & Joseph. It wasn’t a pandemic, but rather a couple of angels who disrupted their plans, hopes, and dreams. After Mary and Joseph were engaged, they were busy making wedding plans and dreaming of their future as husband and wife when God sent the angel Gabriel to give Mary a message:

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”  

Luke 1:31-33 NLT

When Mary questioned how that was possible for a virgin,

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:35 NIV

Gabriel left Mary with one final message:

“For no word from God will ever fail.”

Luke 1:37 NIV

As you can imagine, the news of Mary’s pregnancy didn’t sit well with Joseph. He had decided to break their engagement quietly when he, too, had an encounter with an angel.

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21 NLT

Upon waking from his dream, Joseph did as the angel directed and married Mary.

Not As Expected

I have a feeling that this wasn’t quite how Mary & Joseph drew it up when they got engaged. But God had far bigger plans for them than they could have ever imagined. These angelic disruptions, coupled with Mary and Joseph’s obedience, changed not only the course of Mary & Joseph’s life, but also the course of eternity for all who have placed their faith in the Son of God. From the womb to the tomb, Jesus fulfilled His Father’s purpose and saved his people from their sins. Furthermore, His resurrection conquers death. Believers everywhere can look forward to everlasting life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NIV

Because of love, He came for us;

Because of grace, He died;

Because of hope, He gave us life—a living sacrifice.

Jesus truly is the Ultimate Gift—believe and receive.

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The Rest of the Story

“After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and died.”

John 19:30 NIRV

Finished. Dead. The End.

Think of the disappointment Jesus’ followers felt at that moment. The man who once stood among them performing countless miracles and wonders, often leaving them speechless, was dead. Jesus’ body was removed from the cross, wrapped in linen, and placed in a tomb. All hope was lost. Or was it? Read on for the rest of the story.

The Tomb Was Empty

On the third day, once the Sabbath had ended, three women from Galilee headed to the tomb where Jesus was buried to anoint His body. This took place early on Sunday morning. When they arrived at the tomb, they saw that the stone had been rolled away from its entrance. My daughter would say they were shook!

“but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.”

Mark 16:6 NLT

Double-Takes Abound

In the days to come, Jesus would appear to His disciples and select others. They were shook too! They thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. Before His death, Jesus had given the disciples advance notice of His death and resurrection, but it was beyond their comprehension. They heard the rest of the story, but couldn’t grasp it.

“because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.””

Mark 9:31 NIV

Death Has Been Defeated

Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin, but the story of our redemption wasn’t yet complete. Death did not have the last word. God raised Jesus from the dead and He is now seated at the right hand of His Father in Heaven. He lives! And because He lives, we, too, can look forward to spending eternity with our Heavenly Father. The redemption story is penned in a love that knows no bounds.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16-17 NLT

Victory is ours, if we choose to believe.

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT

That, in a nutshell, is the rest of the story.

Right now, I can just hear my father-in-law singing his favorite hymn. Care to sing along? Let these words speak to your heart.

Victory in Jesus

1. I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from Glory

How He gave His life on Calvary, to save a wretch like me.

I heard about his groaning, of his precious blood’s atoning,

Then I repented of my sins, and won the Victory.

CHORUS

Oh, Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever

He sought me and he bought me with His redeeming blood

He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him

He plunged me to Victory, beneath the cleansing flood.

2. I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing.

How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit.”,

And some how Jesus came and brought to me the Victory.

CHORUS

3. I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,

And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;

About the angels singing, and the old redemption story,

And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of Victory!

CHORUS

Sports may have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus, but Easter certainly hasn’t been. If you haven’t already, taste the victory that comes with a personal relationship with Jesus. It’ll be the sweetest one you’ve ever experienced!

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Where Dreams Come True…and More

Disney World—-it’s a magical place! As the sign at the entrance states, it’s “where dreams come true.” As a part-time Florida resident and annual pass holder, I had the opportunity to spend my fair share of time there during the winter months. The place has an uncanny ability to make everything right with the world. As amazing as Disney World is, it still doesn’t hold a candle to the place God has prepared for His children to inhabit one day.

Here’s a little snapshot of what it will be like according to Scripture:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Revelation 21:4 NLT

“They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.”

Isaiah 65:23 NIV

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”

Isaiah 35:5-6 NIV

Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? My dreams aren’t THAT good. Are yours? It’s better than anything we can wrap our minds around.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT

The best part—-God will be there! I look forward to spending eternity with Him in such a place. My reservation has been made. Has yours? If not, it’s not too late. There’s room for you. I hear you can contact the Front Desk 24/7!

These are some of Jesus’ words to His disciples the night before He was betrayed:

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:2-6 NIV

The only way to secure a room in our Father’s house is through Jesus. He is there right now at God’s right hand. As I sit here writing this on Good Friday, I am very mindful of what Jesus went through to get there. The sinless Son of God died a criminal’s death on a cross for you and for me to pay the penalty for our sins. He did this out of love to restore us to a right relationship with the Father. But death did NOT have the last word. As I’ve heard it said so many times, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’!”

“They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.”

Acts 10:39-40 NIV

The resurrected Christ walked the earth for 40 days before ascending to His heavenly home. Because He defeated death, we too have the opportunity to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father…if we just believe.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NIV

I got a chuckle at Disney World one day when I overheard a dad say to his young son, “Now, (insert child’s name here), we need to have fun.” God’s children won’t need such direction in our eternal home because, unlike Disney World, everything will be perfect. Our dreams and so much more will come true!

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Now THAT’S Love

Love is in the air, especially this week, right? I find it fitting that my first shift as a Bradenton Booster Club Spring Training Volunteer lands on Valentine’s Day. If you know me, you are aware that I LOVE the Pittsburgh Pirates…even when they don’t deserve it! In a twist of fate that only God could have orchestrated, I was able to connect with a Booster Club member from back home and he invited me to get involved. I am very excited to be an official member of the club and part of the Pirate family. As my daughter often says, “I’m living my best life!”

Another thing I’ve gotten involved with during my time in FL is the Women’s Bible Study at the church we’ve been attending down here. We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit. One of the characteristics of that fruit is LOVE. We learned about different types of love last week, one of which is agape. It is described well in a familiar passage often read at weddings—1 Corinthians 13.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”     

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT      

I can’t speak for you, but those four verses point out how terribly short I fall from demonstrating agape love. There’s a reason—only God is capable of that kind of love! The Holy Spirit working in me and through me is the only reason that I ever get it right. I guess that’s why it’s called the “Fruit of the Spirit”—the source of our “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” is God in the form of the Holy Spirit living inside each of his children.

Agape at its best is in another familiar Bible verse:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NLT

Now THAT’S love! God went to the greatest of lengths to give us the privilege and honor of being part of His family. I certainly don’t deserve such love. That’s called grace!

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.”

1 John 5:1 NLT

As excited as I am about the opportunity to be part of the Pittsburgh Pirates family, it pales in comparison to being a child of God and part of His family. The Pirates sacrificed next to nothing to invite me into their family; however, God made the ultimate sacrifice—His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. He doesn’t discriminate—the invitation is there for ALL of us. Have you accepted it? If you haven’t and you’re reading this, it’s not too late. Come, be part of the family. You won’t regret it!