THE PROFILE OF A LEADER – II Timothy 2:1-7

Bible sermon, Bible sermons, equipping others to teach, God, Jesus, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

William Sangster, a popular preacher and writer of the 1950’s, said this: “The church is painfully in need of leaders.” In the Scriptures God is frequently described as searching for a man of a certain type; not “men”, but “a man”; not a group, but an individual. I Samuel 13:14 says, “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart.” In Ezekiel 22:30 God says, “I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap . . . but I found no one.” Are you such a person? What kind of a person is it that God is looking for? In II Timothy 2:1-7, the apostle Paul, after telling Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”, describes such a person by using four images:

I. A TEACHER (verse 2)

In verse 2, the first image Paul uses to describe the Christian leader is that of a teacher. A college student was having difficulty with his studies so he finally decided to talk to his professor. He complained, “I’m studying hard. I’m doing my best, but I just can’t retain what I read or try to memorize. Do you think it would help if I hired a tutor?”

Clearly understanding the young man’s problem, the instructor replied, “No, I wouldn’t recommend that at all. You don’t need a teacher, you need a pupil!” He knew that learning is increased when we share our knowledge with others.

This professor’s advice reminds us of believers who know many Bible facts but still have a poor understanding of scriptural truths. They attend church every Sunday, listen faithfully to religious broadcasts, and study the Scriptures personally; yet they seem to lack a working knowledge of the Bible. What’s the problem? They never do anything with that information! They don”t need to be taught more; they need to tell others what they have learned. As they put it into practice, they will begin to understand it more fully. That is what Paul said to Timothy in verse 2. The things Paul said were confirmed by many witnesses as being the truth of God. There are many teachers today who compromise the Scriptures so that they are acceptable to the mentality of this age in which we live. Paul is telling Timothy to “entrust” the things he’s learned from him to faithful men. The word “entrust” gives the picture of a precious treasure being placed in the safekeeping of another person. We each have things that we treasure, either because they are expensive or because they have sentimental value. If you were going on a trip, would you hand these items over to a total stranger? No! You would give them to a trusted friend with information on how to care for and protect them. The Gospel is a precious treasure and should be given to “faithful men” who won’t misuse it or abandon it.

The teacher is described in verse 2 as equipping others to teach, not satisfied with just communicating the message. The nature of the Gospel message demands that it be propagated or reproduced in the lives of others. The ultimate goal of the teacher is to see God’s Word passed on to others, and through them to still others. That is the key to reaching this world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

II. A SOLDIER (verses 3-4)

The second image that Paul uses is that of a soldier. You could say that if any apostle was an authority on soldiers, it was the apostle Paul. He had been in prison and chained to soldiers during much of his Christian life. What comes to your minds when you think of a soldier’s life? In verse 3, Paul describes a soldier as one who is willing to suffer hardship. The apostle Paul was a good soldier of Jesus Christ because he suffered for the cause of Christ, and had the scars to prove it. There was a popular saying during World War II: people would often say to each other, “there’s a war on!” It was a reminder to them that hardships were to be expected and accepted.

Fellow Christians, there IS a war on! We, as Christians, are in a war against the world, against our own sinful flesh, and against Satan. Are we willing to accept all the hardship that comes as a result of identifying with the cause of Christ? As modern-day believers, we may not all experience great persecution for our faith, but we do face hardships and trials. Our faith in Christ is not an escape from them, but it does give us the strength to endure them.

In verse 4, Paul says that a soldier is obedient and loyal. The words “on active duty” describe the life of a soldier of Christ as a constant battle. There are no “furloughs” or “vacations” from the Christian life. Constant and complete dedication is needed. A soldier also does not “entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life”. A Roman soldier was forbidden to engage in civilian occupations and was told to avoid becoming overly involved in the affairs of the market-place. He was a soldier first and his loyalty was to be to his commander.

The Christian is also to be single-minded. This may mean laying aside certain habits, amusements, pursuits, and maybe even certain relationships, not necessarily because they may be wrong in themselves, but because they may be an entanglement, keeping us from performing our primary responsibilities as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

III. AN ATHLETE (verse 5)

In verse 5, Paul uses the image of an athlete to describe the Christian. The word “competes” comes from two Greek words which were used together to describe a “professional” as opposed to an “amateur” athlete. It was a full-time dedication of one’s life to excellence in the athletic event or events he had chosen. Paul says that the goal of the athlete is to win the prize by “competing according to the rules”. Several athletes in the 1976 olympic games were discovered to have taken prohibited drugs. Their medals were taken away from them. All those years of preparation and hard work were for nothing!

As a Christian leader, the standard is God’s Word, and we have several umpires observing what we do and how we do it. We have the divine umpire, and He doesn’t miss a thing. But we also have the Christians and non-Christians around us. I’ve personally found that some non-Christians will tempt you, test you, argue with you, and antagonize you, but inwardly many of them want you to succeed, to pass their tests, because they want something worth believing, and worth giving themselves to. God is looking for faithful Christians, faithful to Him and to His Word, whatever the cost. And some day we will win the prize when God rewards our faithfulness to Him.

IV. THE FARMER (verses 6 and 7)

The fourth image that Paul uses to describe the Christian leader is that of the farmer. In verse 6, he describes the farmer as being “hardworking”. The word means working to the point of weariness and exhaustion. As a kid, I remember spending a week with a friend on his parents’ farm. We went to bed early every night and got up really early every morning. His mother made the biggest breakfasts that I have ever seen! There were eggs, pancakes, potatoes, meat, rolls, fruit, and hot cereal. I soon found out why there was so much food. We worked hard after breakfast gathering the eggs, feeding the chickens, cows, horses, and pigs, spraying the weeds, and picking the ripe fruit and vegetables. By lunch time, and also at supper time, I was famished and ate lots of food. After the week was over, I can remember coming home exhausted. Now I knew why their son liked to spend a week with us once in a while!

The farmer must be content to keep working hard, and also to keep waiting. More than any other worker, the farmer has to learn that there is no such thing as quick results. It takes months after the seed is sown and the ground is continually watered and cultivated, that the fruit, vegetables, and grain finally begin to ripen and can be harvested. But all that hard work will finally pay off.

The Christian life is also hard work The Christian too must learn to work hard and also to wait. Often he will sow the seed of God’s Word into the hearts of others and see no immediate results. Sometimes it takes years of sowing and watering before some people respond to the Gospel message and are saved. But we must, like the farmer, keep on working and waiting. The pastor and author, John R.W. Stott, said: “This notion that Christian service is hard work is so unpopular in some happy-go-lucky Christian circles today.”

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

Let me summarize the qualities of a good Chrtistian leader. As a teacher, he should be characterized by faithfulness to uphold the truth of God’s Word, and a zeal to see it reproduced in the lives of faithful people, and then passed on to others. As a soldier, he is to be undistracted from his calling and willing to endure anything for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. As an athlete, he is to be above reproach in his actions, attitudes, and methods, both before the eyes of the world and the eyes of God. And as a farmer, he is to work long and hard, trusting God for the harvest to come.

Will you be such a person: the kind of person that God and His church seeks after; the kind of person that this world needs? Will you be able to say confidently to those you are teaching and helping to grow spiritually, what the apostle Paul said in verse 7: “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything”?

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM – John 12:9-19

Bible sermons, palm branches, Palm Sunday, Palm Sunday message, Palm Sunday sermon, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

I imagine that most of us are familiar with the song, “The King Is Coming”. We know that the king spoken about in that song is Jesus Christ. When you think of Christ as King, what image or picture do you see in your mind? Do you see Christ seated on a great throne ruling the universe? Do you see Him on a white horse as He is described in the book of Revelation, leading the armies of heaven? Those are probably the most common mental images. In this passage of Scripture, John 12:9-19, we find a different description of Christ as King; one that is equally true and especially important for us today.

I. THE BACKGROUND AND SETTING (verses 9-12)

Lazarus was now a walking miracle ever since Jesus raised him from the dead, and this put Lazarus in a place of danger. Now the Jewish leaders wanted to kill both him and Jesus. They wanted to put Lazarus back into the tomb because he was leading people to faith in Christ. Since they weren’t willing to accept the evidence, they were going to try to get rid of the evidence.

The next day was Sunday, the Feast of Tabernacles, remembering the period of time when the people of Israel lived in tents as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land, and God dwelt with them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The time was ripe for Jesus to make a public appearance.

Picture this, if you will. The word is getting around that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and a large crowd of people is following Jesus and wanting to see Lazarus. Meanwhile, over two million Jews are arriving in Jerusalem to make preparations for celebrating the Passover.

II. THEIR RESPONSE (verse 13)

The response of the people was a greeting fit a king. It says that they “took palm branches” and went out to meet Jesus. Palm branches had nothing to do with the feast of Passover. It was on the feast of Tabernacles that the people were commanded to rejoice before the Lord for seven days with “branches of palm trees.” This command is found in Leviticus 23:40. However, history shows that over 150 years before the birth of Christ, palm trees and palm branches became the symbol of the Jewish nation. So the use of palm branches during Christ’s entry into Jerusalem symbolized the people’s hope that their nation would soon be set free by Jesus, and this is supported by the words which they used to greet Jesus. In verse 13 the people cry out: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”. They were quoting from Psalm 118:25-26. The crowd was expecting Jesus to lead them in triumph over the Romans. The word “hosanna” literally means “save us, we pray thee”.

III. JESUS’ RESPONSE (verses 14-15)

In the midst of all this celebration, Jesus finds a young donkey, sits on it, and has His disciples lead Him in a procession. A donkey is a symbol of humility and peace, and the kings and judges of Israel rode on donkeys when they were on a mission of peace. Jesus was a King on a mission of peace: peace with God through His shed blood on the cross just a few days later.

Jesus was also obeying God’s Word and fulfilling the prophecy written about Him in Zechariah 9:9, which says, “Fear not, Daughter of Zion: behold your King is coming seated on a donkey’s colt.” Jesus knew that prophesy and knew that it would need to be fulfilled. I think Jesus made arrangements for that colt to be ready for Him when He came into the city. He knew exactly what day this would be, for the book of Daniel gives us that information. Almost five hundred years earlier an angel had appeared to the prophet Daniel and told him that a certain amount of time has been marked out by God for the fulfillment of certain climactic events that concerned the people of Israel. And the time this was to begin was clearly given. It would be when the Persian king, Artaxerxes, issued an edict for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. You will find that edict recorded in chapter 2 of the book of Nehemiah. And when this heathen king issued the edict, he unknowingly set in motion God’s clock for the Jewish nation. Daniel was told that 490 years must pass before all of God’s events would be fulfilled, and the passage of 483 of those years would be marked off by the arrival in Jerusalem of Messiah the Prince.

Many years ago there was a brilliant lawyer who served for a long time as the director of England’s famed Scotland Yard. His name as Sir Robert Anderson. He was also an avid and devout Bible student. Sir Robert Anderson, with his precise mind and his training in logic, analyzed the book of Daniel and determined the exact date when that decree of Artaxerxes was issued: March 28, 445 B.C. Counting from that date and making the necessary corrections for calendar errors, he determined that on April 6, 32 A.D. Jesus rode into Jerusalem – exactly 483 years later.

Now, if a man in the 19th century could take these Scriptures and figure out the very date on which this event took place, surely the Son of God also knew it very well, and He made arrangements to enter the city and come riding down the slopes of the Mount of Olives on a donkey, on a colt on which no one had ever sat, in the fulfillment of the predictions of Zechariah and Daniel. And it was as they were about to enter the city of Jerusalem and the people were cheering, that Luke 19:41-44 says that Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem because of what was going to happen to it because the rejected their Messiah.

IV. THE RESULT (verses 15-19)

After the procession, there was a lack of understanding of what Jesus came into this world to do. His disciples were confused. The Jewish leaders were angry and said, “look, the world has gone after Him.” The crowds had a wrong understanding of Jesus. They didn’t realize that before Jesus Christ could enter into His power and glory, He had to suffer and die for the sins of the world. It may well have been that many of those who were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David”, later changed their cry to “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

APPLICATION:

Let’s ask ourselves this question: “Why do you and I follow Jesus? Do we have expectations we want Him to meet? Do we think He’ll deliver us from life’s hardships? Are we just following the crowd? Or have we accepted Jesus Christ as King and Lord of our lives and serve Him out of gratitude and worship? As we think about this day in Jesus’ life, and His death and resurrection that will happen just a few days later, let’s remind ourselves of these words of the apostle Paul in II Corinthians 5:15 and put them into practice in our lives: “And He (Jesus) died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.”

LOVE – TRUE LOVE

anger, attitudes, Bible sermons, kindness, listening, love, love is kind, love is patient, sermon for you today, sermon with illustrations, the tongue, true love, Valentine's Day message

How is your love-life? Do you want to be a better lover? Do you want to show your love in ways that will be more greatly appreciated, and more fulfilling to you as well? Then two words, when correctly understood and properly applied to your relationships, will make all the difference in the world!

The first word is “patience” . True love isn’t in a hurry. It doesn’t put the other person on a timetable, but gives the person space to make decisions and adjustments. True love lets relationships go at their own pace. It never gets tired of waiting, and demonstrates this attitude by the absence of griping, complaining, grumbling, or any other outward signs of irritation and impatience.

True love doesn’t lose heart, but perseveres through difficult and troublesome times. It keeps on hoping and believing. True love is also forgiving. Remember: nobody is perfect. If you’re looking for the perfect person to love, you’re in for a very long wait, and hopefully you’ll learn patience in the process!

A true lover is a good listener, and knows how to ask the right questions to keep the conversation going. A true lover seeks to understand, and shows respect for the loved one’s opinions. A patient person also excercises self-control and knows how to hold his or her tongue to avoid hurting the other person by a hasty or thoughtless word. A billboard had these words written on it: “A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a thousand moments of regret”. Do you want to be a more patient person? You will be loved for it, and you won’t regret it.

The other word is “kindness”. A true lover is kind, and a kind person is a joy to be around because he or she lifts the spirits of others. A kind person is also merciful, showing kindness even when it isn’t deserved. A true lover is kind and doesn’t take advantage of others. A little child was heard saying these words in a prayer: “God, make all the bad people good, and make all the good people nice”. This child saw a difference between being “good” and being “nice”. I think we can notice that difference also. Kind people don’t look down on others or make fun of others. True lovers focus on lifting up their loved ones, not bringing them down.

Kindness is something we all long for. We experience joy when we receive it from others, and even greater joy when we show it to others. An act of kindness leaves an indelible impression on the receiver and the giver, as well as on all who witness it. On the New York subway, a young man, his head covered by a hooded sweatshirt, fell asleep on the shoulder of an older passenger. When someone else offered to wake the young rider, the older man quietly said, “He must have had a long day. Let him sleep. We’ve all been there.”

We all need someone to lean on sometimes, don’t we? Do you want kindness to be more evident in your life? Do you want your loved ones to experience it more often from you?

These two qualities, patience and kindness, are at the top of the list, and that list is given in the Bible, in I Corinthians 13:4-7:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

May our love for one another be characterized by these virtues.

A New Year’s Committment

Bible sermon, Bible sermons, discipline, God, habits, Jesus Christ, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve

INTRODUCTION:

If you were to make a list of everything throughout your life that you decided you were going to do but didn’t do it, how long would your list be? Just deciding to do something doesn’t necessarily get it done, does it? There is another necessary ingredient, and that ingredient is mentioned in the Bible in I Timothy 4:7 and other Scripture passages.

I. DISCIPLINE

In I Timothy 4:7-8 the apostle Paul says these words to Timothy: “. . . discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness: for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.” The word “discipline” is the Greek word “gymnazo” or “gymnasia”. We get our English word “gymnasium” from that Greek word. The word means “sustained daily effort”. It was a term often used in athletics to refer to a training program or exercise program.

I’m sure most of us, if not all of us, have watched parts of the Olympic games on T.V. We admired those athletes and marveled at their ability to stick to a rigorous training program for years in the hope of winning a medal. Paul is saying here that God wants each of us to apply that same dedication and daily discipline to the goal of “spiritual fitness” or “godliness”. God wants our schedules and our whole lives to be organized around and focused toward the goal of godliness, that is, becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, that’s a tall order, but whenever God gives a command He also provides the means necessary for us to accomplish it.

II. THE PRACTICE OF DISCIPLINE

So how can we discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness? Two other verses that use the term “gymnazo” give us the key. The first verse uses it in a negative sense, and the second in a positive sense. II Peter 2:14 speaks of a “heart trained in greed”, and Hebrews 5:14 talks about “having your senses trained to discern good and evil”. What do these two passages have in common? They are both talking about habits, the first bad, and the second good. God gave us an amazing capacity that we call a habit. Whenever we do something long enough it becomes a part of us. For example, when you buttoned your shirt or blouse this morning, did you button it from the bottom up or from the top down? Did it take you a moment to remember? Maybe you still don’t remember. That’s because you don’t consciously think about where to begin anymore. It has become a habit. Can you imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have this capacity to form habits? If we had to consciously think through every step of putting on our clothes, eating our food, brushing our teeth, and combing our hair, we would be mentally exhausted before the morning was over!

The bad habits are easy, aren’t they? But good habits take time and consistent effort. Too many people give up because they want change to occur too soon. We live in an age that has instant coffee, instant pudding, instant breakfast, instant messages, and instant just about everything. But there is no such thing as “instant godliness”. Studies have found that it normally takes at least three weeks of daily repetition before a person feels comfortable performing a new task. But many of us don’t continue for even three days. If we don’t receive instant success we often get discouraged and quit. There seem to be two basic philosophies of religion or morality in the world today. One says, “I will live according to my feelings. I will do what I feel like doing”. And the other philosophy says, “I will live as God says”.

III. THE EXAMPLE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

That was the apostle Paul’s goal in life. Would you like to be able to honestly say, at the end of your life, what Paul says in II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith”? Well, God provides another means necessary for godliness, and I’ve saved it for last so that, hopefully, we’ll remember it if we remember nothing else from this message. It’s found in Philippians 2:12-13. Verse 12 says, “work out your own salvation in fear and trembling”. It doesn’t say, “work for your salvation”, but “live out that daily process of sanctification, becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ”. Verse 13 is the key: “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”. The principle here is this: God must work in us before He can work through us. God wants us to obey His command to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness, but at the same time, we must realize that God will increase our desire to become more godly, and He will enable us to accomplish our spiritual growth objectives if we rely on His power.

CONCLUSION: Do you want to be a godly person? Do you want God to use you to accomplish the work He has for you this new year? There are no shortcuts. It comes down to this: the daily prayerful study of God’s Word and consistent obedience to it, applying its principles to all the situations and decisions of our daily lives, and growing in the knowledge of God. May the Lord be with you this new year.

Pi Sermon for Pi Approximation Day

7/22, Bible sermon, Bible sermons, circle, geometry, God, how many decimal points is significant?, I Kings 7:23-26, July 22, math, mathematics, pi, pi - I may know some things you might not know, pi - it's in the Bible, pi day article, pi message, pi's approximation, Psalm 19:1, rainbow, rainbow's arc, sea of cast metal, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

I’m betraying my age, but when I was in high school, pi was 22/7 or 3.1416, and the answers to the geometry problems were to be rounded off to two decimal places. We had our slide rules, but most of the problems had to be done “the long way”. Calculators were not allowed to be used on tests or exams. I can think of two good reasons: most of us students couldn’t afford the expensive calculators, and the teacher wanted to make sure that we knew how to “do the math”.

A lot of new technology has been invented since my high school days, but circles will always be an important part of mathematics and its application to our lives. God must like circles because He sure made a lot of them! Psalm 19:1 in the Bible says: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God”. I invite you to go to a nearby park or even take a close look at your own backyard (if you have one). I’ll bet you run out of time or give up before you count everything that is circular or spherical in its shape. Look inside your house and you will find man-made circular objects galore. Why? Symmetry, beauty, efficiency, and order, to name a few reasons.

I believe I’m correct when I say that pi is a real, irrational, transcendental, infinite, non-repeating, constant, prime number. It’s the only one of its kind. Correct me if I’m wrong.

National Geographic did an article with pictures of “almost” perfect circles in nature and in the universe. Such examples as the rings of Saturn, the pupil of the human eye, the arc of a rainbow, tissues in the cross-section of a plant stem, a ripple, “fairy circles” in the desert grasslands. I believe they show eight pictures and descriptions in all. Type “almost perfect circles in nature” in your web browser and it will direct you to the site. You’ll be amazed!

A question that is often asked: Is Pi in the Bible? Yes, it is! In the Old Testament, in First Kings chapter 7, and verses 23-26, where God gave to king Solomon the instructions for constructing the sea of cast metal. If we divide the circumference of the cast metal sea (“thirty cubits”) by its diameter (“ten cubits from brim to brim”), pi is 3. It may be pi to the “zeroeth” decimal place, but it’s still pi. Solomon’s craftsmen weren’t building a spaceship to the moon so they didn’t need “pinpoint accuracy”. Also, their measuring devices were the “cubit” (the distance from the elbow to the middle finger) and the “span” (the distance from the thumb to the little finger of a wide-open hand). So a pi of 3 was all that was needed to get the job done. I’m not a mathematician, but Roy A. Reinhold gives a picture and description of this huge sea of water and does some mathematical calculations that result in a more accurate approximation of pi. Please check it out. It’s a short and easy-to-read article. If you type “biblical math mystery solution for pi” into your web browser, it will take you directly to that site.

By the way, isn’t pi always an approximation? You can calculate pi to a million decimal places, but you still haven’t come to the exact number. There is more calculation to be done, isn’t there? Frustrating, but amazing! Recently pi was calculated to 33 trillion decimal places and there is still no end in sight!

I hope this short message has given you an opportunity to think about the myriad of applications of pi in nature, how these shapes came into being, and the One who put it all together. I hope it has also caused you to think for a moment about infinity/eternity.

Happy Pi Day [March 14] or Pi Approximation Day [July 22] to you this year, and may all your approximations be sufficient for their applications!

THE REMOVAL AND BURIAL OF JESUS – John 19:31-42

Bible sermon, Bible sermons, burial of Jesus, crucifixion, death, Jesus' birth, New Testament sermon, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

When the Lord Jesus came into this world as an infant, there were also miraculous signs that accompanied His birth. Luke 2 tells us of the angel who suddenly appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. After the angel made the announcement of the Savior’s birth, a whole multitude of angels appeared in the sky singing, “Glory to God in the highest . . . “. Then there was a star that pointed the way for the Magi from the East to find Jesus.

Jesus’ death was also followed by some amazing events. Matthew 27 tells us that immediately after Jesus said “It is finished!”, the earth shook and the rocks were split apart. Also, tombs opened up and bodies of the saints were raised and entered the holy city of Jerusalem. When the centurion who was guarding Jesus saw these things happening, he said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”. The Lord Jesus revealed His deity to a few people both at His birth and at His death.

I. REMOVAL FROM THE CROSS (verses 31-37)

As we read in verse 31, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate that the legs of those crucified should be broken so that they would soon die, and then could be taken off their crosses before the Passover Sabbath began. Breaking their legs would result in a quick death because the crucified person would no longer be able to lift himself up to exhale, and would soon die from asphyxiation.

Pilate granted their request, and the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves, but they didn’t break Jesus’ legs because they could see that He was already dead. So in verse 34 it says that “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear”. The middle of the spear’s head was a hand-breadth wide. Out of Jesus’ side flowed blood and water. It’s believed that the sword pierced the membrane surrounded the heart, and the serum with clots of blood in it was proof that Jesus had already died.

These events fulfilled two Old Testament prophesies. The first was the instructions for cooking and eating the Passover lamb. Exodus, chapter 12, says that as you eat the lamb, you are not to break any bone of it. This command not to break any of the bones of the Passover lamb is repeated in Numbers 9:12 as they celebrate this feast day each year. Secondly, the piercing of Jesus’ side fulfills the prophesy in Zechariah 12:10, which is quoted here in verse 37: “They shall look on Him whom they pierced”.

II. THE BURIAL (verses 38-42)

The Romans had made an exception by taking Jesus and the two thieves down from the cross. Normally the Romans left those who were crucified on their crosses until their flesh was eaten by birds of prey. Guards kept watch over the bodies in order to keep friends and family members from taking them away. But Pilate made an exception in this case.

Up until now, Joseph of Arimathea had been a secret believer for fear of the Jews. Now, in verse 38, he boldly comes forward to claim the Lord’s body for burial. Why did Pilate hand over the body of Jesus to Joseph? Joseph wasn’t even related to Jesus, and that was against Roman law. Perhaps it was because Pilate was convinced that Jesus wasn’t guilty.

In verse 39 Nicodemus joins Joseph, bringing with him a hundred pounds of spices. Why so great an amount of spices to prepare one man’s body for burial? That’s’ enough spices for a king’s burial! That’s exactly what they wanted to do for Jesus – give Him a king’s burial! The spices were probably in a powdered form, or a paste. They put some of the spices directly on Jesus’ body, wound strips of linen cloth around His body from His feet to His shoulders, and put more spices between each layer of cloth.

Verse 41 says that “in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb.” Matthew 27 tells us that it was Joseph’s new tomb, which he had hewn in a rock. This hill called “Golgotha”, on the edge of town was considered a God-forsaken place. No expensive tombs were constructed by the Jews in this area. Most wealthy Jews had burial places on the property where they lived. It’s very possible that when Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death, Joseph of Arimathea hurriedly bought that piece of land in the garden and hired a crew of laborers to cut that tomb in the rock so that Jesus could be buried there. There wasn’t time to take the body of Jesus very far because it was almost time to prepare for the Passover meal. Matthew 27 tells us that they rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb after they put Jesus inside, and the chief priests and Pharisees put a guard there. They didn’t believe Jesus’ prophesy that He would rise from the dead in three days, but they wanted to make sure no one could steal the body and start a rumor that Jesus rose from the dead.

As you’ve read this sermon, have the events surrounding the death and burial of Christ made an impression on you? The centurion who observed these events was amazed and afraid, and his attitude toward Jesus Christ changed.

ILLUSTRATION: One day two non-Christians were riding along on a railroad train discussing Christ’s wonderful life. One of them said, “I think an interesting romance could be written about Him”. The other man replied, “Yes, and you are just the man to do it, setting forth the correct views of His life and character. I advise you to tear down the idea of His divine nature, and paint Him and He was – just a man living among men.” The recommendation was acted upon and the novel was written. The man who made the suggestion was Colonel Ingersoll, and the author was General Lew Wallace. The book was entitled “Ben Hur”. I imagine that many of you have read the book or seen the movie.

In the process of writing that book, Wallace learned some amazing truths. The more he studied Jesus’ life and character, the more he become convinced that Jesus was more than just a great teacher. Like the centurion in Matthew’s Gospel, he became persuaded that “Truly, this was the Son of God”! I pray that you might also reach that conclusion, act upon it, and enjoy the privileges of being a “child of God”.

EVIDENCE FOR CHRIST’S RESURRECTION – I Corinthians 15:1-11

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INTRODUCTION:

Throughout the centuries, men have tried to honor their heroes by building large and beautiful monuments. The great pyramids of Egypt were built as resting places for the Egyptian Pharaohs. The glistening Taj Mahal in India is the tomb of an Indian emperor and his favorite wife. There is Lenin’s tomb in Russia’s Red Square, and Mount Vernon is the site of President George Washington’s body. Jesus’ simple grave can’t compare with these costly tombs, but the grave of Jesus Christ excels all of these in the most important respect. It lies empty! He is not there! At the very heart of the Christian faith is the claim that Jesus Christ, on the third day, rose from the dead and is alive forevermore. No other world religion has dared to make such a claim about its founder.

Dr. Seamands, who was a missionary to India, tells of a Muslim who became a Christian in Africa. Some of his friends asked him, “Why have you become a Christian?” He answered, “Well, it’s like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn’t know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and the other one alive. Which one would you ask which way to go?” The answer to that question is obvious, isn’t it?

The most extensive treatment of the doctrine of the resurrection in all of Scripture is found here in I Corinthians 15. Verse 1 tells us that the doctrinal problem in the church at Corinth was not their disbelief in the resurrection of Christ. Their confusion was concerning their own resurrection from the dead. In verses 1-11 Paul reviews the evidence for Christ’s resurrection so that he could later show how their own hope for resurrection is tied to the fact of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Paul gives us five evidences here for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I. THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH (verses 1-2)

Paul’s first evidence for the resurrection of Christ is the Corinthian Church, the recipients of this letter. The fact that these Corinthian Christians had received the Gospel message, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and were living changed lives, is a strong evidence for the resurrection of Christ. Every group of believers across the face of the earth that meets together for worship is evidence that Jesus Christ is alive and is building His church.

Dr. George Sweeting, the former president and chancellor of the Moody Bible Institute, tells of an incident in the early 1920s when Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address an anti-God rally. For an hour he abused and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed as if the whole structure of belief was in ruins. Then questions were invited. An orthodox priest rose and asked to speak. He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting: “He is risen!” Instantly, the assembly rose to its feet and the reply came back loud and clear. “He is risen indeed!” All that ridicule and abusive language by the Communist party leader didn’t change the people’s faith in the risen Christ one bit, did it?

II. THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES (verses 3-4)

The second evidence for the resurrection of Christ is the Old Testament Scriptures. In verses 3-4, Paul says, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He rose on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” What Scriptures? The Old Testament Scriptures, right? They clearly predicted Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 24, Jesus used the Old Testament Scriptures to identify Himself as their risen Lord. For example, Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He [Jesus] explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures”. That must have taken quite a while! Psalm 22:16-18 is one of the Scripture passages that prophesies Christ’s crucifixion, and Psalm 16:10 prophesies His resurrection. The prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death for all time.” We also have the testimony of the patriarch Job who said, in Job 19:25, “I know that my redeemer lives.”

III. THE TESTIMONY OF EYE-WITNESSES (verses 5-7)

The third evidence for the resurrection of Christ is the testimony of eye-witnesses of the resurrected Christ. The list given in verses 5-7 is not exhaustive, but includes those who were most prominent in the Church at that time. Peter is mentioned, as well as the twelve apostles, more than 500 brethren at one time and place, James, and all the apostles over a period of 40 days. None of these people were expecting a resurrection. The sheer number of these witnesses and the moral integrity of these witnesses validate their testimonies. To doubt the resurrection of Jesus, you would have to say that all of these witnesses were deceived or were deceivers. A prominent lawyer, Sir Edward Clarke, did a prolonged study of the resurrection of Christ. He said, “To me, the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court, I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly as compelling.”

IV. THE APOSTLE PAUL (verses 8-10)

The fourth evidence for the resurrection of Christ is the testimony of the writer himself: the apostle Paul. He refers to himself as “one untimely born”. He was too late to be one of the 12 apostles, and yet he was called by Christ to be the apostle to the Gentiles. What a turn-around in his life! What a testimony to the truth and power of Christ’s resurrection!

V. THE TESTIMONY OF A COMMON MESSAGE (verse 11)

The fifth evidence for the resurrection of Christ is found in verse 11. It’s the testimony of a common message. Without exception, the teaching and preaching of the New Testament church has been centered around the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This message was declared as objective facts based on the testimony of eye-witnesses, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Millions of people in every century and every culture have testified to the life-changing power of the risen Christ.

As Vice President, George Bush represented the United States at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev’s wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed. She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband’s chest. There in the citadel of atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again, might have mercy on her husband.

CONCLUSION:

But there is a sixth evidence that isn’t mentioned specifically in this passage of Scripture. That evidence is our own lives. Have you repented of your sins, turned your life over to Jesus Christ, and invited Him to be your Savior and Lord? If so, is your joy, your peace of mind and heart, and the power of the resurrected Christ obvious to those around you? If the answer is “yes”, then you are a living, visible evidence of the resurrection of Christ to the world around you. At the end of 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul closes with an exhortation to the Corinthian Church and to us today. He says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Let me close with a modern-day, true story that communicates the meaning of Easter. Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully.

The Sunday after Easter, the teacher brought L’eggs pantyhose containers, the ones that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol of new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new life symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running about the Church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether it was a flower, a butterfly, or a leaf, the class would ooh and ahh.

Then one was opened revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, “That’s stupid! That’s not fair! Somebody didn’t do their assignment!”

Philip spoke up. “That’s mine.”

“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!”, a student exclaimed. “There’s nothing there!”

“I did so do it.” Philip insisted. “I did do it. It’s empty! The tomb is empty!”

Silence followed. From then on, Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral, the class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar, not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.

CHRIST’S RESURRECTION AND FIRST APPEARANCE – John 20:1-18

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I. INTRODUCTION:

Christians meet together for worship and fellowship on Sunday morning because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, and Christians have been worshiping on Sunday ever since. Throughout the centuries men have tried to honor their heroes by erecting lavish monuments. The massive pyramids of Egypt were built as resting places for the Egyptian Pharaohs; the glistening Taj Mahal in India is the tomb of an Indian emperor and his favorite wife. Lenin’s tomb in Russia’s Red Square is where the body of the Marxist leader is preserved by some mysterious process, and the burial vault at Mt. Vernon is the site of George Washington’s’ body. Jesus’ simple grave can’t compare with these costly burial places. But the tomb of Jesus excels all of these in the most important respect. It’s empty! He is not there! At the heart of the Christian faith is the claim that Jesus Christ, on the third day after His death on the cross, rose from the dead and is alive forevermore. No other world religion has dared to make such a claim about its leader.

I. MARY AT THE TOMB (verses 1-2)

Let’s look at what happened in John’s Gospel on the third day after Jesus’ death on the cross. In Verse l, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb very early on the first day of the week. Luke’s Gospel tells us that Mary was bringing spices to prepare His body for burial. She must not have known that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had already done so. Why did Mary wait until the third day after Jesus’ burial? The Jewish traditions taught that the soul hovered over the body of a dead person until the third day when it finally left. Friends and family were often in the habit of going to the grave up to the third day, when corruption was supposed to begin, in order to make sure that the person was really dead. The first thing Mary sees is the stone that had been rolled away from the tomb. The stone was a large disc-shaped stone that had been rolled down against the entrance to the tomb. It would have taken many men to move such a heavy stone away from that tomb. Mary must have been in a state of shock as she ran to tell Peter and John what she had seen. She tells them in verse 2 that “they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid Him”. Notice that Mary says, “WE do not know”. Luke tells us in his Gospel that Mary was accompanied by Joanna and Mary the mother of James, as well as other women when she went to the tomb.

II. PETER AND JOHN (vs. 3-10)

After listening to Mary’s words, Peter and John have a foot race to the tomb in verses 3 and 4, and John wins. It’s interesting to see the differences between these two men. Verse 5 says that John looks inside the tomb, sees the linen wrappings, but does not go in. Peter, however, is bolder. He goes into the tomb, sees the linen wrappings lying there, and also sees the face-cloth rolled up in another place. In verse 8, John also enters the tomb, sees the linen wrappings, and believes. What did John believe and why did he believe it? John believed Jesus’ promise that He would rise from the dead, and he believed when he saw the linen wrappings. The wrappings were strips of linen cloth. The spices placed between the wrappings were like glue, and they held the strips of cloth together. It was like a cocoon around Jesus’ body from His shoulders to His feet. Jesus’ glorified body somehow passed through those wrappings, leaving them flattened but still wound together. A little boy once said sadly to his mother. “I’m so disappointed! You told me that something beautiful would come out of that brown thing I picked up the other day, but when I just now looked at it, I found a hole in it and only an empty skin was left!” The mother said, “My child, you have looked in the wrong place for what I have promised. Come with me.” The mother took the boy back into the other room, and there, not too far from the empty cocoon, was a beautiful butterfly. It had perched on the window sill so that it could dry its wings in the warmth of the noonday sun. Jesus’ disciples did not understand that Jesus must rise from the dead in fulfillment of Scripture, so verse 10 says that they went away to their own homes, to go back to their old way of life. In much the same way these friends and followers of Jesus looked in the wrong place when they looked for the Savior.

III. MARY AND THE ANGELS (verses 11-14)

In verse 11 we find Mary Magdalene remaining at the tomb weeping, and then, when she looked inside the tomb again, she saw two angels sitting one at the head and one at the feet of Jesus’ empty wrappings. However, Mary did not realize that they were angels. In verse 13 they ask her, “woman, why are you weeping”, and Mary gives her reason. She says, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid Him.” Mark’s Gospel tells us that the angel on the right tells Mary: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; He is risen; He is not here.”

IV. MARY AND JESUS (verses 15-18)

You can imagine Mary’s confusion in verse 15 when she turns around and Jesus is standing there. But Mary didn’t recognize Jesus, nor did anyone recognize Him. He now had a glorified body and His physical appearance was changed. Jesus asks her basically the same question that the angel asked her. Mary didn’t recognize Him until verse 16 when Jesus said her name. Then she recognized His voice and the way He always said her name. She calls Him “Rabboni”, which means Teacher. Jesus is not chiding Mary in verse 17 when He says to her, “Stop clinging to me . . . “. He is actually gently letting her know that the time is short and there is much to be done. Then, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives her a commission when He says, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me.” Mary does so in verse 18.

CONCLUSION:

If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, He would not be God. Our faith would be in vain and we would still be condemned for our sins. But Jesus did rise from the dead just as He said. J. Sidlow Baxter tells of a rumor which spread across Asia that the bones of Buddha had been discovered. These bones were paraded through the streets of India where millions gave homage. A Christian missionary watched the people prostrate themselves before the bones. Then he said to a friend: “If one bone of Jesus Christ were found, Christianity would fall to pieces. He was right. We serve a risen Savior, don’t we? The resurrection of Christ is mentioned 108 times in the New Testament, and it is the greatest miracle in the New Testament. For the believer, the cross of Jesus Christ closes the door to hell, and the empty tomb opens the gates of heaven. Andrew Blackwood makes this observation: “There is not a single pessimistic note anywhere in the New Testament after Christ’s resurrection.”

How does the Lord Jesus want us to respond to Him as a result of what He has done for us? How can we express our joy to our risen Lord? Colossians 3:1-2 says, “If then you have been raised up with Christ keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

Near the end of Jesus’ public ministry, He said to His disciples in John 17:11 that it was His desire that “My joy might be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Even when He told them of His approaching death, He added in John 16:22, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Are you experiencing the joy of the resurrected Christ? Is He living and reigning in your life? May we experience that joy and peace every day of our lives. Let’s not let a day go by, or a waking hour go by without thinking about and thanking God for the death and resurrection of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and sharing that good news with others.

MAKING ROOM FOR JESUS AT CHRISTMAS

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The real joy of Christmas comes when we discover and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas can only be found by asking and answering this question: “Why did Jesus come to earth?” Why did Jesus come to earth? Was it to give us an additional opportunity to “make merry”? Was it to give people an occasion to spend money on presents, greeting cards, and Christmas decorations? The purpose of this question is not to condemn these activities, but to cause us to think about the real meaning of Christmas.

Why did Jesus come to earth? Let’s let Jesus answer that question Himself. In Matthew 20:28 Jesus says, “. . . the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus was born on this earth in order to die for our sins, as a perfect sacrifice to a holy God. He didn’t have to come as a helpless infant. He didn’t have to come and die for our sins, but He chose to do so out of love for each of us.

In John 10:10 Jesus states another reason for His coming to earth. Jesus said, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus came to give us the kind of life that neither money nor anything else on this earth can buy.

Do you and I have the true joy of Christmas this year? In the midst of wrapping presents and making preparations, is there room in our lives for Jesus? Today, over 2000 years after that glorious event, millions of people have no room for Jesus. Although they participate enthusiastically in the festivities of the Christmas season, the Lord Jesus is kept out of their lives. How about you? Is there room in your life for Jesus the Messiah? What better time than during this season to rededicate your life to Him, or to receive Him into your life as your personal Savior and Lord!

Just prior to World War II, in the country of India, there existed a Christian school for the children of the lowest class of society, called the “untouchables”. Every year these students received Christmas presents from children in England. The girls received a doll and the boys received a toy. On one occasion the doctor from a nearby mission hospital was asked to hand out the gifts. While he was there, he told the youngsters about a village where the boys and girls had never heard of Jesus. He suggested that maybe they would like to give them some of their old toys as presents. The children liked the idea and agreed to do so. A week later the doctor returned to collect the gifts. One by one the children filed by and handed the doctor a doll or a toy. To his great surprise, they all gave the new present they had just received a week earlier. When he asked “why”, a girl spoke up and said, “Think what God did by giving us His only Son. Could we give Him less than our best?”

What’s it going to be like for you on the day after Christmas – when Christmas is over? Let’s go back to the original Christmas. On the day following Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph were faced with the ordinary tasks of caring for a new baby. The shepherds would be back on the hillside tending their sheep. All the elements were present for an emotional letdown, which often follows an emotional high. But I don’t believe they experienced any “after-Christmas blues”. Mary and Joseph didn’t quickly forget all that happened, and the shepherds couldn’t easily forget what they had seen and heard. The angelic message had proven to be true, and their lives were filled with new hope and anticipation.

Two thousand years later, we have the full story. Jesus came into this world to die for our sins. He then conquered death by rising from the grave. We have more truth to ponder and more reasons to glorify God than did Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. We need not experience an “after-Christmas letdown”. As we remind ourselves of the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, may each day of our lives be filled with joy.

May you have a joyous Christmas season, and “after-Christmas” season!

HOW TO OBTAIN WISDOM – James 1:5-8

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INTRODUCTION: Someone has said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, while wisdom is the ability to put them together and make sense of them. The people to whom James wrote this letter had problems with their praying. When we are going through difficulties, what should we pray about? James gives the answer: ask God for wisdom.

I. ASK FOR WISDOM (verse 5)

Why do we need wisdom when we are going through trials? Why not ask for strength, or grace, or even deliverance? We should pray for wisdom for this reason: we need wisdom so that we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature in our Christian lives. Wisdom helps us understand how to use these difficult circumstances for our good and for God’s glory. This kind of wisdom comes from God. It is a gift from God. God’s wisdom enables a person to make decisions as God would make them, and solve problems the way God would solve them. In his search of the source of true wisdom, Job cries out, “But where can wisdom be found?” His answer is that wisdom is not found among the living on this earth; it is not found in the depths of the sea, and it cannot be purchased with precious stones. Finally, Job declares, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.” True wisdom has its source in the true and living God. We all have a natural tendency to be selfish in our prayers. Some of us recall how we were tempted to ask God for special help when facing a difficult examination during our school days, but in our hearts, we knew He would not bring to our minds material that we had not studied. Prayer is not a magical formula enabling believers to escape self-discipline and hard work. However, it isn’t selfish to pray for spiritual wisdom – the ability to meet life’s problems and to make decisions that will please God. King Solomon, with all his knowledge, realized that unless the Lord gave him spiritual wisdom to direct his actions, all his human skill and learning would be of little value. President Abraham Lincoln was impressed with this truth during America’s Civil War. A personal friend of his once wrote, “I had been spending three weeks at the White House as the guest of the President. One night – it was just before the Battle of Bull Run, I was restless and could not sleep. From Lincoln’s bedroom, I heard the low tones of his voice. Looking in the door that was slightly ajar, I saw a sight which I have never forgotten. The tall Chief Executive was kneeling before an open Bible. He did not know that I could overhear his agonizing prayers as he pleaded, ‘O Thou great God that heard Solomon in the night when he prayed and cried for wisdom, hear me. I cannot lead these people. I cannot guide the affairs of this country without Thy help. O Lord, hear me and save this nation.’ ” The answer he received is now history, for the Union was preserved. Lincoln found that James 1:5 was not an idle promise.

II. ASK IN FAITH (verses 6-8)

James not only explained what to ask for, but he also described how to ask. We are to ask in faith. The greatest enemy to answered prayer is unbelief. The story is told of a small town in which there were no liquor stores. Eventually, however, a nightclub was built right on Main Street. Members of one of the churches in the area were so disturbed that they conducted several all-night prayer meetings, and asked the Lord to burn down that den of iniquity. Lightning struck the tavern a short time later, and it was completely destroyed by fire. The owner, knowing how the church people had prayed, sued them for the damages. His attorney claimed that their prayers had caused the loss. The congregation, on the other hand, hired a lawyer and fought the charges. After much deliberation, the judge declared, “It’s the opinion of this court that wherever the guilt may lie, the tavern keeper is the one who really believes in prayer, while the church members do not!” We smile at this story, but it suggests how faithless we sometimes are when we offer our prayers to God. Even the first-century Christians were guilty of such unbelief. Acts 12 tells us that after Peter escaped from prison, he went to the house of Mary, where many were praying for his release. When he knocked, Rhoda came to the door. Hearing his voice, she ran back to the “prayer meeting crowd” and announced that the apostle Peter was outside. “You are out of your mind!”, they said. But when she insisted, they kept saying, “It is his angel”. Well, Peter kept on knocking at the door, and when they finally let him in, “they were astonished” at the way God had answered their request. May our attitude be different when we pray! Let’s believe God and expect the answer! God loves to honor the prayers of those who earnestly seek His wisdom and want His will for their lives. Verse 8 talks about a double-minded person. A double-minded person is a person who has a civil war going on inside him continually. Two heads may be better than one, but a double-minded person is no good at all. There is a smooth, shiny lizard called a skink. This little animal wouldn’t attract any crowds at a zoo, but if one of these lizards showed up with two heads, one on each end of its body, that would be quite a spectacle. A newspaper had a picture and a story about the two-headed skink I just described to you. It was found by a homeowner in Jacksonville, Florida, and it was an illustration of absolute frustration. When it tried to run, its two legs moved in opposite directions. It was running like mad but going nowhere! That’s the fate of a Christian who is trying to go his own way, and trying to serve the Lord at the same time. This is also true of the Christian who is more concerned about pleasing others than he is about standing up for the truth. There was once a preacher who was approached by some members of his congregation concerning a disagreement in the church. After stating their grievances, they said some vicious things about the people they disagreed with. Responding to their complaints, the preacher said, “You’re right; you’re absolutely right!” The next day, the other group came to his home and told their side of the story. The preacher listened quietly, and when they had finished, said, “You’re right; you’re absolutely right!” His wife, working in the kitchen, overheard everything. As soon as the parishioners left, she rushed into the living room and said, “You’re just about the most wishy-washy individual I’ve ever seen.” To that, he immediately replied, “You’re right; you’re absolutely right!” There are so many Christians who are unwilling to take a stand on issues. Some are afraid; others just don’t like to make decisions. But God wants us to know His Word, to pray for His wisdom, and to take a stand for what we believe. Then we’ll feel secure in the Lord’s strength, and then our prayers will not be hindered. But when we do take a stand for what we believe, let’s do it with the wisdom and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.