Matthew _28

Scripture Matthew 28:8-10 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Observation    Jesus had been crucified and laid to rest in a tomb with a stone rolled in front. There were guards stationed in front of the tomb to ensure that the body was not removed. But… God had other plans :) Understanding  Matt. 28:5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Hear. Hear the good news, there is a savior that conquers death and redeems us from our sin. The women heard what the angel said to them, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 16:21,Mark 9:31).  Matt. 28:7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will SEE him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  See. Let your eyes be open to SEE Him! They had an encounter with Him. They experienced him for themselves. They knew he was real.  Matt. 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. GO and TELL my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Speak. GO and TELL the good news! Jesus is alive and because of him we are transformed! Do not be afraid to share with others what God has done for you. He saved you from the eternal grave, he calmed your anxiety, he saved your marriage, he healed your body, he protects your children, he provides for you!  And they too will have an encounter with Jesus!  Application Hear. See. Speak.  As Christmas is approaching we are reminded of the good news .  Mankind heard on the first Christmas, “Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” Luke 2:11 They saw Him lying in a manger.“And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 Then they told of the Messiah who was born to take away the sins of the world. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had  been told them about this child,” Luke 2:17 As we celebrate this season, let's take the opportunity to hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit to tell our family, friends, or neighbors about the Jesus we see in our lives everyday.  I implore you to encourage them to meet Jesus. Invite them to our Christmas Eve Celebration. Let them hear the beautiful story of the greatest Christmas gift, God’s love. 

Deborah Lee

Matthew__27

Scripture

Matthew 27:37

Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 

Understanding

What will be written on your wooden sign?

I don’t know why, but as I read the chapter this verse really struck me. It struck me for several reasons. One, Jesus had no clear charge against Him except “King of the Jews,” which served more as a term of mockery in this case. Two, reading this verse today revealed the sheer gravity of what Jesus did for us. On Sunday Pastor Gary talked about how Jesus became less for us. He sought us out by stooping to our level, He saw us fit for redemption. So, in His perfect love He was willing to die on the cross for our sins. It’s nice to hear, but when you stop and think about it, you may find that this perfect love is unmatched.

What hit me the hardest was the sign. It said: “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS,” when in reality it should have said THIS IS JESUS, HEIR TO THE THRONE/PRINCE OF THE WORLD.” I get that they were trying to keep the sign short and sweet, but they got it all wrong. If they thought that one tiny piece of the world was all Jesus was fit for then they really underestimated the maker of the universe. They really underestimated Jesus’ Father. Because “King of the Jews” really is not a fitting title whatsoever.

So here’s my point: what will be written on your sign? If your life was to be represented in a little wooden sign placed above your head, what would it say? Now hopefully you and I won’t be crucified like our main man Jesus, but I think the concept is one to think about. Don’t think about what you want written on your tombstone. You to some degree have a say in that, your loved ones get to write it for you. What do you want written on your wooden crucifixion sign? Because news flash: that’s written by the people who despise you. So if “King of the Jews” was the worst they could do… then they really need to sort out their priorities, and you and I should really start thinking about how we treat those who don’t necessarily like us.

 

Life Application

Here I am, a child of God. 

Today the story ended on a sad point, but don’t worry it’s not the end. I know that during Christmas we focus on Jesus’ life, but without His death and sacrifice there would be nothing to celebrate at all. So here’s to our forever “king of the Jews.” Here’s to our own little crucifixion sign. Here’s to being a loved work in progress. Here we are God, use us for Your Glory.

Heavenly Father,

Use us, mold us, and help us to live like You. May we be challenged to love everyone, including those who may not love us. Thank You for deeming us worth it, thank You for dying to save us. May we be recognizable as Your children

Amen.

-Allison Khan

Matthew__26

 

SCRIPTURE

 

Matthew 26:33-35 and 41

 

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same....41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

OBSERVATION-What does it say?

 

Jesus had just finished having his last dinner (supper) with His disciples and introduced the first communion. He also brought to light Judas’ future betrayal and Peter’s denial of Him. Peter profusely refused that he would ever disown Jesus. All the other disciples said the same thing (vs. 35). Jesus then asked them later to go to Gethsemane with Him and stay alert and awake in prayer so that they don’t fall into temptation. Although it was part of God’s bigger plan, they still fell into it.

 

UNDERSTANDING-What does it mean? 

 

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (verse 41).”

 

Jesus was tempted to leave the cup of death behind as evidenced in the couple of times He asked God to take the cup from Him; but because of prayer, He knew that He had to do God’s will instead of His own. Prayer gave Him the strength to move ahead with God’s will instead of leaving it behind.

 

If Jesus was tempted in this way, He knew His disciples would be struggling with the same thing, especially due to their overconfidence and pride that they would NEVER deny Him. He invited them to prayer with Him, but instead, they fell asleep and gave into the temptation of disowning Jesus, instead of overcoming it!

 

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

LIFE APPLICATION

 

Prayer keeps us humble.

 

Our faith is dependent on Him and His Spirit alone, not our own strength. Overconfidence, pride and being “sleepy/lazy” with our personal communication with Him is usually what’s at the root of rebellion.

 

Being raised in the church world and attending since I was in the womb, I can tell you that the reason why we need Jesus as the Head of the body is because the bride is not perfect. We even hear of stories of ministry leaders and people we trust have moral failures. Some of us can attest to our own. For those who know my 2nd testimony, I will be the first to personally admit that. 100% of the time, overconfidence and pride is at the root of the rebellion.

 

We need Jesus, His Word, prayer and worship EVERYDAY, not just on Sunday or on our Sabbath rest day. We can't just rely on the label of “Christian” or rely on church leaders to protect us. Our everyday relationship and having Him as Lord (aka giving Him the right to tell us what to do as Pastor says), is what will keep us standing firm in the faith. We have to stay alert and can’t get sleepy with it. The principalities and powers in the spiritual realm are the devil's A-team, but they don't stand a chance against our Mighty Warrior Jesus!  We must stay connected and plugged in to the Vine! We cannot do anything apart from Him (John 15:5).

 

“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.” -My favorite part of the hymn “Come Thou Fount” that can be read as a personal prayer too.

 

-Michelle Gaddi