Jesus Is My Treasure

Is Christianity about what we can get out of it?

I hope the preceding question is thought provoking for you. It is for me. Gospel presentations often focus on God blessing us, giving us an abundant life, helping our marriage, taking care of our problems, making our life better, etc. The prosperity “gospel” takes this to an entirely different level by making the gospel the means to divine health, wealth, being able to write your own ticket in life, etc. Is this what the gospel is? Is this what Christianity is about? My answer would be a qualified no. None of these things are the gospel. Some of them can be by-products of the gospel. God is a good God. He is gracious and does bless us. However, a gospel presentation that only focuses on what we can get out of being saved is not a true gospel presentation. There is a lot more to Christianity than what we can get out of it. The gospel is that we have rebelled against our Creator, who is a holy God. Despite our sin, He still loves us unconditionally and came to die for us in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus lived the perfect life we failed to live and died the death we deserve to die. He paid the price for our sins on the cross in order to satisfy the righteous wrath of God. He rose again three days later to give us new life. When we repent of sin and trust Jesus, the great exchange of our sin for Jesus’ righteousness takes place and God justifies us and makes us His children. That is the gospel.

The Good News is the person and work of Jesus. He is so much better than outward blessings. He gives things that money cannot buy. Outward things do not last, but Jesus is always there for us.

Philippians 3:7-10 says, “7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Louie Giglio’s Passion ministry has written something called the 268 Declaration that is basically a vision statement for the ministry. The first declaration is, “Because I was created by God and for His glory, I will magnify Him as I respond to His great love. My desire is to make knowing and enjoying God the passionate pursuit of my life.”

I reject the prosperity gospel, but I (and probably all of us) need to focus more consistently on simply enjoying Jesus instead of trying to do something for Him or getting something from Him. He is enough. He is my great treasure, and I need to live like it.

Already/Not Yet

We are talking about the prosperity gospel, which is the belief system that says that health, wealth, and prosperity are included in salvation as divine rights for us in this world. God may give us those things right now, but He may not. He will give them to us in heaven though. Whether He does or He does not, that is not the point of salvation. The point of salvation is ultimately the glory of God through the grace of Jesus forgiving us of sin and adopting us as His children. The purpose of salvation is not using God to fulfill the American Dream. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Notice that he says “spiritual blessing(s)” and these blessings are “in the heavenly places in Christ.”

This is where a proper understanding of a Christian worldview is very useful and where the title of this blog comes into play. We already possess all of God’s blessings in Christ, but we do not yet fully experience them. We will not fully experience them until we get to heaven. The kingdom of God is in our hearts now, but we will not literally be in the Kingdom until Jesus comes back. It is important to understand that we no longer live in a Genesis 1-2 world (which was paradise before sin), and we do not yet live in a Revelation 21-22 world (which is a new heaven and a new earth, restored to paradise and perfection), but we currently live in a Genesis 3 fallen world (this world is under a curse, everything is decaying, and nothing is as it should be). We must keep this reality in our minds in order to correctly understand the world and our lives. I am redeemed, but I live in a fallen world, which creates difficulties. Christ has removed my curse spiritually, but I still live in a world that is under the curse. I am spiritually restored, but my body is decaying because I am a fallen creature living in a fallen world. Sure, I should take care of my body, and God certainly gives physical healing (I will blog about this later in the series, but I have witnessed God do miracles of physical healing), but my guarantee in this world is not perfect, divine health. Instead, I am guaranteed death unless I am alive when Jesus returns for His bride. That does not mean something is wrong with me (or you) spiritually, but it is the reality of life in a fallen world. At some point in the future, I will have perpetually perfect health, but that will not happen until I am in heaven. Every Christian has every spiritual blessing in Christ, but God blesses us differently when it comes to material blessings. Ultimately, He wants us to love Him, trust Him, thank Him, and be content with what we have (or don’t have). A relationship with the Lord is about the Giver more than it is about the gifts.

Romans 8:18-30 says,
18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us[a] with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

In closing, let me give you three observations from this text that directly apply to the subject at hand:
1. Suffering is a reality in this present age, but it will pale in comparison to the glory we experience in the age to come when we transition from a Genesis 3 world to a Revelation 21-22 world (v. 18).
2. The creation itself is waiting for God to redeem it (v. 19-22). That fact shows that creation is not what it was intended to be. However, it also demonstrates that God will someday remake it into what He designed it to be.
3. Those who have a relationship with God can take comfort not only in this future hope but also in the fact that God is working all things together for good for us even in the midst of this fallen, crazy world (v. 28). That truth gives real hope!

“It’s Not About Me”

I am going to be doing a series of blogs, starting with this one, dealing with the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel that I touched on in the last message of “The Cross” series when we talked about Jesus’ example in suffering. I intended to do this sooner and have had some delays, but I intend to crank these out over the next week or two.

The title of this blog, “It’s Not About Me,” is the starting point for any discussion on the prosperity gospel. By the prosperity gospel, I mean the theology that teaches that health, wealth, prosperity, and power are included in salvation as divine rights for us in this world. I think the prosperity gospel is guilty of missing the forest for the trees, so to speak. There is some truth in it, but the over aching premise seems to be that God exists to fulfill our needs while the actual premise of the Bible is that we exist to bring God glory. God does bless us, but that is not the main point of everything. Isaiah 43:7 says, “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” Therefore, be cautious with any teaching that focuses on:

1. Our glory instead of the glory of God.
2. Getting from God instead of giving our lives to God because of His worthiness.
3. Trying to get God to accomplish our desires instead of surrendering our wills to Him so we can receive His best.
4. The fulfillment of human potential instead of the cross of Jesus Christ.

“It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, But It’s Not Okay To Stay That Way”

Robin and I celebrated our 24th anniversary on Monday. We saw the movie, “Mom’s Night Out” (and I know you are not reading this for the second coming of Siskel and Ebert but we think that if you are a parent you will relate to and enjoy this film), and the idea for this blog hit me while watching the closing credits. The title is similar to a sermon title from a few years ago, and it really expresses the heart of our ministry at True Life. It is another way of stating our mission statement, “Meeting people where they are and helping them become fully devoted followers of Christ.” Real ministry is meeting people where they are and being used by God to help people become who He wants them to be in Christ. We are all messed up, and True Life is a place where it is okay to be honest about that. However, it is also a place to be transformed by the grace of God instead of staying where we are and just being authentic about our dysfunction. I want to apply this to our current series, “Modern Family.”

This series will be a challenging series, as I think was evident from the first message. It will be challenging for some people because of sin that will be called out. It will be challenging for some of us though because we know what the Bible teaches about these things, and we are tempted to adopt an us vs. them mentality and condemn everybody who is wrong.

Here is the key, and His name is Jesus. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” I used to teach that this means that Jesus perfectly balanced grace and truth, which is true but does not tell the whole story. He perfectly balances grace and truth because He is 100% grace and 100% truth. We are called to follow His example. Our tendency is to focus on one of these areas to the exclusion of the other. When we do that, we end up with neither of them because you cannot separate grace and truth from each other. It would be dividing Jesus. Some people tend toward a misunderstanding of grace that allows people to do just about anything. They think we are being unloving when we call out sin. Others go to the opposite extreme and are black and white about the truth but have little room for grace and forgiveness. Some also make the mistake of expecting non-Christians to act like Christians before they actually trust Jesus.

Jesus always told the truth and confronted sin, but He always loved people and offered them grace. He met people where they were and brought them to where they needed to be. That is what we are called to do. We are called to extend His grace by proclaiming His truth. That is what we are going to do in this series. We are going to share God’s truth about family and offer His grace to those who will receive the truth, repent of sin, and trust Jesus. Grace cannot be received without repentance. If you and/or your family are not okay, it is okay to be honest about it, and we will do whatever we can to help you by the grace of God so you don’t stay that way. As a church, we will continue to strive to meet people wherever they are with the life-transforming grace and truth of Jesus.

Modern Family

This is the title of the new sermon series we are starting at True Life on Sunday. Family really is the foundational institution of human society, and it is under attack at the national level. The very definitions of what makes a family are being challenged and redefined. For example, Charles Colson wrote the following about marriage several years ago, and his words have turned out to be prophetic, “Many Americans no longer treat marriage as a moral commitment with its own definition and nature, a commitment that makes objective demands of us, regardless of what we might prefer. Instead, marriage is regarded as a social construction, as something one can define according to one’s own preferences.” However, families are being challenged at the individual level as well. Families struggle financially. Many marriages are ending in divorce. Many people don’t even make the commitment of marriage any more but just live together. Huge numbers of kids don’t know one or more of their parents. This is not how God designed things, and life does not work unless we function according to God’s design.

That is why we are doing this series. We want to share God’s design clearly and practically in hopes of helping families. We are going to deal with the national issues facing families in our society today and share God’s truth in love regarding them. We are also going to deal with the issues facing individual families and shine the light of God’s truth on them. We are going to begin this Sunday by looking at God’s definition of marriage (and this will be a whole lot more than a rant about same-sex marriage).

The late Adrian Rogers used to say, “I would rather have the truth that cuts and then heals than a lie that comforts and then kills.” We are going to spend most of the summer on this series. We think it is that important. We encourage you to be here as much as you can, invite others to come with you, and encourage people to listen online.

You can catch up on “The Cross” series that we just finished on thetruelifechurch.com if you missed any of it. I am also planning on doing some blogging in the upcoming days regarding some issues about suffering and the theology of glory vs. the theology of the cross that I raised in the last message.

What Did Jesus Accomplish On The Cross?

As we come to the end of “The Cross” series, I wanted you to have in writing a summary of the varying aspects of what Jesus accomplished on the cross that we covered in this series plus some others that we did not cover. Much of this is based on, “Cross: God Dies,” in Gerry Breshears and Mark Driscoll’s book, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. In fact, any unattributed quote is taken from that work.

The primary theme of the cross is substitutionary atonement. Jesus died in our place for our sins. What does Scripture teach us that He accomplished through His substitutionary atonement?

1. New-covenant Sacrifice: Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” Hebrews 9:22 says, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Of course, this is also pictured in Genesis 3 when God killed an innocent animal to provide a covering for Adam and Eve, in the Passover, and in the sacrificial system. Driscoll and Breshears write, “In the Bible the word covenant appears more than three hundred times and is therefore essential to our rightly understanding how God relates to us. Both the Old and New Testaments speak of the new covenant. The Bible tells us that a new epoch in human history has arrived with the coming of God into human history as the man Jesus Christ. In the new covenant, all of the prophecies, promises, foreshadowing, and longing of the old covenant are fulfilled. In the new covenant it is Jesus Christ who serves as our covenant head. Jesus went to the cross to shed his blood in our place for our sins so that we can have a new covenant relationship with him. Today, in the new covenant, we no longer need a priest because we have Jesus, who is our Great High Priest. We no longer need to offer blood sacrifices because Jesus is our sacrifice for sin. We no longer need to visit the temple to be near to God because Jesus is our temple. We no longer need to celebrate the Passover because Jesus is our Passover. Finally, we no longer need to live in habitual sin because through Jesus we have been made holy and have been given new life.”

2. Propitiation: Scripture repeatedly tells us that God hates sin and is righteously angry with sinners on whom He pours out His wrath. John MacArthur explains the various aspects of God’s wrath in this way:

A. Eternal wrath-hell
B. Eschatological wrath-final Day of the Lord
C. Cataclysmic wrath-flood, Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
D. Consequential wrath-principal of sowing and reaping
E. The wrath of abandonment-removing restraint and letting people go in their sins

Propitiation is the fact that the wrath of God was diverted from us to Jesus when He died as our sacrifice on the cross (Romans 3:23-25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10). Driscoll and Breshears say, “At the cross, justice and mercy kiss; Jesus substituted himself for sinners and suffered and died in their place to forgive them, love them, and embrace them, not in spite of their sins, but because their sins were propitiated and diverted from them to Jesus. Jesus did this not by demanding our blood but rather by giving his own.”

3. Justification: Romans 3:26 says, “To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” God is totally just and cannot overlook sin. Sin must be punished, and the punishment for sin is death. Thankfully, God is also patient, merciful, gracious, and forgiving. How can these realities of His nature be reconciled? “The answer is the doctrine of justification: guilty sinners can be declared righteous before God by grace alone through faith alone because of the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.” “Additionally, not only did Jesus take all our sins (past, present, and future) on the cross, but he also gave to us his perfect righteousness as a faultless and sinless person.”

4. Gift Righteousness: “On the cross what Martin Luther liked to call the ‘great exchange’ occurred. Jesus took our sin and gave us his righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, ‘For our sakes he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’ Unlike the self-righteousness of religion, gift-righteousness is passive; it is not something we do, but rather something Jesus does, and we receive as a gift by personal faith in him alone. The gifted righteousness of Jesus is imparted to us at the time of faith, simultaneous with our justification. Not only does God give us family status, but he also gives us new power and a new heart through the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is what theologians call regeneration. Therefore, we not only have a new status by virtue of being justified, but we also have a new heart from which new desires for holiness flow and a new power through God the Holy Spirit to live like, for, and with Jesus.”

5. Ransom: “God made us to love, honor, and obey him in thought, word, and deed. Every time we fail to do that perfectly, we accrue a debt to God. Every person has sinned against God, and hell is the eternal prison for spiritual debtors who have stolen from God by living sinful lives.” Therefore, we need a ransom that is sufficient to erase the debt we owe our Heavenly Father. We are incapable of paying that debt, however. Therefore, Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He paid the debt that we are incapable of paying.

6. Redemption: We are enslaved to sin, but Jesus died to buy us back and bring us back to God (Galatians 4:1-7). Through redemption, we become adopted children of God with all the privileges and blessings that accompany Him being our Father.

7. Victory: Colossians 2:13-15 says, “You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

8. Expiation: This is pictured by the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement. It is the reality that God not only forgives our sins, but He also cleanses us from the defilement of our sins and the sins which are committed against us.

9. Example: “Jesus died for our sins, thereby enabling us to experience new life. Jesus lived as our example showing us what it means to live a truly holy human life. Throughout Jesus’ life he repeatedly stated that the purpose of his life on earth was to glorify God the Father, or to make the Father’s character visible. Jesus’ glorifying God the Father included dying on the cross. Practically, this means that there is joy not only in our comfort and success, but also in our suffering and hardship, just as there was for Jesus.”

10. Revelation of God’s love: John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” “The cross is something done by you. You murdered God incarnate. The cross is something done for you. God loves you and died to forgive you.”

11. Reconciliation: Romans 5:10 says, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Reconciliation basically means to bring two separated parties back together again. Spiritually, we have separated ourselves from God through sin, but God acted in Christ to bring us back to Him. We are no longer enemies of God, and He is no longer angry with us. We are now in a Father-child relationship.

Is Easter Over?

I did a blog last week where I wrote about Easter being my favorite day of the year. What do we do now though? Is Easter over until next year? Do we forget about it until it is time to get new outfits, eggs, and chocolate bunnies, and plan the family get togethers next spring? Absolutely not! Easter is not really just a day but a reminder of the great reality that Jesus is alive and that changes everything. He has changed my life. The resurrection gives us a hope in facing death and a purpose in living our lives every day (see 1 Corinthians 15). Jesus’ first disciples were changed by seeing Him alive. My son, Jay, a student at Carson Newman University, just wrote a paper about this for his New Testament class. I decided to include in a blog because I think it can be useful in encouraging believers and helping those who are not yet followers of Jesus to consider His claims. This is longer than a normal blog, but it is fairly simple, and I think it would be well worth your time to read it (even though I am sure I biased as his dad).

The Metamorphosis of Jesus’ Followers

     An honest analysis of the first four books of the New Testament yields an interesting situation: a man named Jesus has come on the scene in the Roman world, claiming to be the Son of God. He calls twelve men to follow Him and be His disciples. Along the way, Jesus does numerous miracles and many people believe in His teachings. Just as many more, though, believe Jesus is a lunatic, a liar. His own disciples can’t seem decide what they think about Jesus at many points. They don’t understand the reason for His coming and their role in it. As Jesus’ purpose on earth comes to fruition and He is sent to die on a cross, His disciples scatter in fear for their lives, believing that the person they had devoted their lives to was dead, and that He would stay that way like any other mortal man.

     Everything changed when they saw Jesus alive, though. Jesus was in fact the Son of God as He claimed. He had power over death and had made a way for mankind to be reconciled to God. How else can the metamorphosis of Jesus’ early followers be explained? Only the witness of such a radical and supernatural occurrence could turn the cowardly followers of Jesus Christ into the catalyst for the spread of the gospel to the ends of earth. The following pages will explore this metamorphosis in detail.

Jesus’ time with His disciples was a central part of His earthly ministry. His disciples were “students of Christian doctrine, and occasional fellow-laborers in the work of the kingdom, and eventually Christ’s chosen trained agents for propagating the faith after He Himself had left the earth” (Bruce 30). Jesus called twelve ordinary men to leave their lives behind and follow Him.

• Jesus calls Simon and his brother Andrew in Mark 1:17-18. Being commercial fishermen, Jesus invites the brothers to leave their nets and become a “fishers of men” (Leavell 11). Jesus also gives Simon the name “Peter,” which means “rock,” an important detail to note for later (Barclay 16).
• Jesus calls James and John, also fishermen and brothers to Peter and Andrew, in Mark 1:19-20 (Culpepper 19).
• The Gospel of John contains several mentions of Thomas, the disciple who has come to be known as “Doubting Thomas” in popular culture.
• In John 1:43-51, Jesus calls Phillip and Nathanael.
• Matthew (Levi) is called by Jesus in Luke 5:27-28 (Leavell 68). Matthew was a tax collector (Goodspeed 60).
• Simon the Zealot is mentioned as one of the twelve in Matthew 10:4, and James (son of Alphaeus) and Judas (son of James) is listed in Luke 6:15-16 (Leavell 79, 88, 108).
• Finally, Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would ultimately betray Jesus, is mentioned throughout the Gospels, often in reference to being a traitor.

These twelve men were as ordinary as they could be. They were fishermen, tax collectors, and the like. There was nothing about them that was special or world changing in the beginning; they were the polar opposite of those things. Most of the time, the disciples didn’t understand the things Jesus said. The argued and fought over little things. They really did not have anything to contribute to Jesus. Simply put, this was a dysfunctional group of men. The Scriptures have no shortage of examples of this dysfunction, many of them almost laughable to consider. One of these examples comes from Matthew chapter twenty:

Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. “What is your request?” He asked. She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” (NLT Study Bible, Matthew 20:20-22).

The situation described here is really quite pathetic. Two grown men literally have their mother pleading to Jesus for seats of honor in His kingdom, as if they are little boys. Their question also exemplifies their complete lack of understanding of Jesus’ previous teachings. They were clueless to the fact that Jesus’ Kingdom, in the sense of powerful rule upon a throne, was not at hand. Rather, they were all going to suffer for following Jesus, just as Jesus was to suffer on the cross.

The story gets even better when the other disciples learn about what has happened. Peterson paraphrases, “When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down” (The Message, Matthew 20:24-28). What starts as an embarrassing attempt to gain a seat of honor beside Jesus quickly escalates into twelve grown men angry and jealous with each other. Jesus takes this as an opportunity to explain that being a leader means leading in serving others. As usual, the disciples won’t fully comprehend what Jesus means until after the Resurrection.

It’s hard to even understand why Jesus would use men like these as the eventual means to spread the gospel to the known world. Their mission was crucial and only they could carry it out. MacArthur writes,

Christ’s strategy for advancing His kingdom hinged on those twelve men rather than on the clamoring multitudes. He chose to work through the instrumentality of those few fallible individuals rather than advance His agenda through mob force, military might, personal popularity, or a public-relations campaign. From a human perspective, the future of the church and the long-term success of the gospel depended entirely on the faithfulness of that handful of disciples. There was no plan B if they failed. (2)

Ultimately, the disciples are a testimony of the grace Jesus offers through the gospel. Jesus Christ chose and used ordinary men to accomplish the most important task in the history of the world. If He could use them, with all of their shortcomings, ignorance, and unbelief, surely He could use anyone to do great things.

None of the disciples better illustrate this idea than Peter. Peter was like the other disciples at the time of Jesus’ death, weak and afraid. Matthew 26 tells the story:

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly. (NLT Study Bible, Matthew 26:69-75)

Peter did what he thought he could never do, deny Jesus. In his own power, before seeing the risen Lord and being filled the Holy Spirit, Peter was simply a coward. His companions were no different.

The Oxford American Dictionary defines metamorphosis as “a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means” (Oxford Dictionaries). The connotation of this word is important, as it implies metamorphosis is a supernatural occurrence. This is most definitely the case in the New Testament. By Jesus’ supernatural resurrection from the grave, the disciples and other close followers of Jesus experienced a supernatural change in their dedication to Jesus. These followers were literally hiding in fear and uncertainty during Jesus’ death; once He appeared to them alive, though, the world would never be the same.

So what exactly did happen after Jesus’ resurrection? Simply put, Jesus’ followers were emboldened by the appearance of Jesus as their risen Savior. Once again, no other disciple better illustrates this than Peter. John chapter twenty-one describes the exchange between Peter and the risen Jesus:

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” (NLT Study Bible, John 21:15-17)

     It’s likely not a coincidence that Jesus asks the man who had denied Him three times if he loves Him…three times. See, Judas denied Jesus and soon realized how horrible his actions were (Nicole 77). He felt terrible about what he had done, but he never truly repented of it and instead chose to hang himself. Peter, on the other hand, was genuinely repentant for what he had done. In his conversation with Jesus after breakfast that day, he is reassured that he is forgiven, and Jesus sets Peter up to truly be the “rock” of the church that He had said he would be. Sure enough, fifty days after denying Jesus, a transformed Peter preaches a powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost, and 3,000 people are saved. This is just the beginning of Acts, the story of the early church. Within a couple decades, Peter and the other disciples, Paul, and the early church spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to every corner of the earth.

It should also be noted that the disciples’ faith cost them all (except John) their lives. They were tortured, beaten, and imprisoned while they were alive in an effort by various rulers to shut them up. Eventually, each of the disciples were martyred by crucifixion, burning, stoning, stabbing, etc. (MacArthur). They shared the gospel unapologetically, even if it cost them their lives.

At the end of the day, why does this metamorphosis really matter? It seems obvious the answer would be that the gospel would not have spread to the whole world and Christianity would not have taken root were it not for the passion Jesus’ early followers had after they saw Him alive. Look closely at the preceding sentence, though. Obviously, the value of this historically documented metamorphosis is that it is one of the most exemplary pieces of evidence for the factual resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. If Jesus never really rose from the dead, His followers would have abandoned Him, and then of course the gospel would not have spread!

Pastor Mark Driscoll makes a compelling point about some of Jesus’ other close followers, His own family:

     What I need you to see is that we don’t just believe this (the resurrection of Jesus) because we find it interesting or compelling or a curious story, but because there are reasons, evidences, historically, that are very compelling when accumulated together into a case.
And one of those is…Jesus’ mother Mary and his brothers are gathered together in the early church worshiping Jesus, her Son, their big Brother, as Creator, Lord, God, Savior, sinless King, and Christ. These are devout Jewish people, who know if you worship the wrong God you go to hell. So you’ve got to get this right. During his earthly life, Jesus’ family thought that he had lost his mind…And then Mary and Jesus’ brothers decided, “Oh my goodness, he’s God. He conquered death. We saw him die. We saw him rise. He is who he says he is.” Why is Mary, this wonderful woman, why are these brothers, these devout men—why are they worshiping Jesus as God? He’s God. And He rose from death to prove it.
Charles Colson, former White House Counsel to President Nixon and one of the “Watergate Seven,” makes an interesting point based on his experiences: I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because twelve men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for forty years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled twelve of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me twelve apostles could keep a lie for forty years? Absolutely impossible. (Goodreads)

     Colson said elsewhere, “Only an encounter with the living God could have kept those men steadfast. Otherwise, the apostle Peter would have been just like John Dean, running to the prosecutors to save his own skin. He had already done it three times” (Bayly). Yes, people may suffer or die a “martyr” for something they firmly believe to be true (Jimmy Inman). But in the case of Jesus’ disciples, they either saw Him alive or they didn’t. There wasn’t anything to believe. Either Jesus’ resurrection was a historical fact that they witnessed, or it wasn’t. Considering the metamorphosis in Jesus’ followers, it can only be concluded that they did in fact see Jesus risen from the grave.
In closing, consider this quote from Andy Stanley:

In the beginning, the church was a gloriously messy movement with a laser-focused message and a global mission. It was led by men and women who were fueled not by what they believed, but by what they had seen. That simple fact sets the church apart from every other religious movement in the history of the world. After all, it wasn’t the teaching of Jesus that sent his followers to the streets. It was His resurrection. The men and women who made up the nucleus of the church weren’t simply believers in an abstract philosophy or even faithful followers of a great leader; they were eyewitnesses of an event.

Works Cited

“a quote by Charles Colson.” Goodreads. N.p., 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. http:// www.goodreads.com/quotes/555921-i-know-the-resurrection-is-a-fact-andwatergate- proved.
Barclay, William. The Master’s Men. New York: Abingdon Press, 1959. Print.
Bayly, David, and Tim Bayly. “Chuck Colson on the Resurrection.” BaylyBlog. N.p., 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. http://baylyblog.com/blog/2012/04/chuck-colsonresurrection.
Bruce, Alexander Balmain. Training of the Twelve. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Harper & Brothers Publishers. Print.
Culpepper, R. Alan. John, the Son of Zebedee; The Life of a Legend. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1994. Print. “Definition of metamorphosis in Oxford dictionary.” Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/ definition/american_english/metamorphosis?q=metamorphosis.
Driscoll, Mark. “Scripture Empowered by the Spirit.” Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Washington. 2 June 2013. Address.
Goodspeed, Edgar J. Matthew: Apostle and Evangelist. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Winston, 1959. Print.
Inman, Jimmy. “The Church – The Church’s Foundation.” True Life Church, Jefferson City, TN. 12 Jan. 2014. Address.
Leavell, Landrum P. Twelve Who Followed Jesus. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1975. Print.
MacArthur, John. Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He wants to do With You. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2002. Print.
Nicole, Albert. Judas, The Betrayer. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1957. Print.
NLT Study Bible. Personal size ed., 2nd ed. Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008. Print.
Peterson, Eugene H. The Message. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004. Print.
Stanley, Andy. Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2012. Print.

“My Favorite Day Of The Year”

Easter may be my favorite day of the year, and it is definitely my favorite holiday. It is not my favorite holiday because of family lunch at mom’s (although that is awesome), chocolate (also awesome), the Easter bunny, Easter eggs, or Peeps (an invention of the devil, ranking only slightly above cats). It is my favorite day because we focus on and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which (in conjunction with His death on the cross) is the greatest and most important event in the history of the world. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith. It settled my faith in a time of doubt. It gives us life and hope. It guarantees us victory over death. It gives us a purpose for living. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is just a giant lie. Josh McDowell has written, “I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, or it is the most fantastic fact of history.” Why do I believe it is “most fantastic fact of history?” Here are a few of the reasons for you to consider:

1. The fact that Scripture and the early church creeds were written so close to the time of the resurrection (which means there wasn’t time for legends to arise), and they claim the tomb was empty and Jesus appeared to His followers.
2. Many of His followers gave their lives not for what they believed but what they saw.
3. Peter preaching Jesus in Jerusalem less than two months after he denied Jesus, and the religious leaders opposing the church but not being able to produce a body to shut it up.
4. James worshipping his brother as God.
5. The conversion of Saul the persecutor to Paul the follower and preacher of Jesus.
6. The claim that the women discovered the tomb and were the first eyewitnesses to the risen Lord when a woman’s testimony was not accepted in that society in that day and time.
7. The non-biblical, non-Christian historical evidence.
8. Jews who were strictly monotheistic and revered Yahweh now worshipping Jesus as God.
9. The changes in their religion made by these Jews such as going from synagogue to church, worshipping on Saturday to worshipping on Sunday, abolishing the sacrificial system in favor of the ordinances of baptism and communion, law to grace, and a political Messiah to a spiritual Messiah
10. The lack of a compelling explanation that fits the facts other than the resurrection

What do you believe about Jesus and His resurrection? Will you consider the evidence for the resurrection? Will you personally trust Him as your Lord and Savior? When we are trusting Jesus, everyday is Easter because we are living in the hope and power of His resurrection. Let’s rejoice, celebrate, and worship Him like He’s alive this Easter and every day.

A Burden

I want to share about something that burdens my heart as a pastor. It is the tendency that people have to walk away from the church and from Jesus. To be clear, I am not talking about people changing churches. That is an action that is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. I am talking about people who make a profession of faith in Christ, seem to be growing in their faith, and then depart from it. Some of these people just seem to drift away from the Lord. Some stop going to church but say they still believe in Jesus (and maybe they do, but I would just caution all of us to remember that you cannot really love Jesus without loving His bride). Others rebel against the Lord and are living in open sin. They have been captured by the allure of the world. Some people are led astray by false teaching. Others still believe but are being overwhelmed by circumstances and trying to handle life on their own instead of in Christian community. Some of the people I am referring to are still attending church regularly but are just floating along spiritually instead of really walking with Jesus.

Why is this such a burden to me? First, it greatly concerns me for the people who walk away because one of two things is true. Either they are not truly saved or they are Christians who will reap what they sow and experience the discipline of God. Second, it concerns me for the church because it hurts the church’s witness and it leaves people on the sidelines instead of using their gifts to serve the Lord.

In having this concern, I am not saying it is easy to stay faithful to the Lord. In fact, it is impossible in our strength. When I see people walk away and especially when I see pastors fall, it scares me. I know that it could very easily be me. Some of Paul’s final words in 2 Timothy 4:6-7 speak to me. He wrote, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Those words amaze me because of what he seemed to count as success. He wasn’t recounting all of his triumphs and great ways the Lord had used him. He wasn’t writing about people who had gotten saved through his preaching, churches he had planted, or books of the Bible that he had written. His final testimony was that he had “fought the good fight… finished the race…kept the faith.” May the same thing be said of us.

How can this be true of us? How can we stay faithful and finish well? I think Colossians 2:6-7 is key. Paul says, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Here are a few key takeaways from these verses:

1. We received Jesus by faith so we are to walk by faith.

2. Christianity is not a one-time decision, but it is a life with Jesus that begins when we trust Him.

3. He is the object and focus of our faith. We walk with Him. The purpose of our spiritual disciplines is to know Him better.

4. The references here to “the faith” and “teaching” show us that it is crucial to know the Bible. Solid, strong Christians know biblical doctrine and how it applies to their lives. You cannot be a strong Christian without knowing Scripture.

5. We need to be rooted in Jesus. Going deep is the only way to be strong and last long in the Christian life. Shallow, superficial believers will eventually be swept away