Christian's Response to the Resurrection

1 Pet 1:1-4

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

At the time of Jesus, many believed He died because they saw it. Some believed in the value of His death. Both thieves crucified with Him that day believed He died. But only one was saved because he believed in the value of the act. Belief in the story won’t save the soul. Faith in believing Jesus died in your place will save you.

Many people saw Him gone from the tome. Some knew He was gone because He was resurrected. Because He lives, we who set our hope in Him live! We must believe in the resurrection (Rom 10:9-10).

Let’s look at the Christian’s appropriate response to the resurrection;

Praise the Father
Ø We are to praise the Father. Why the Father and not the Son? While the Son died for us, Jesus was obedient to His Father. God was the One that gave His one and only perfect Son for us.
Ø Vs 3 Blessed be God – the word translated “bless” is from the Greek word “eulogy”, which means to adore/praise. It is made up of “eu” which means well, and “logy” which means speak.
Ø The only time “bless” is used in the Bible is in reference to the Father.
Ø See also Lk 1:68;2 Cor 1:3;11:31;Eph 1:3
Ø Vs 3 we also see it was God’s abundant mercy that gave us the resurrection. Mercy is the outward expression of compassion; it is always preceded by compassion. (see 2 Cor 1:3;Eph 2:4)
Ø The resurrection was the practical expression of God’s mercy.

Hope
Ø Hope is a desired anticipation or expectation. We might anticipate or expect something to happen, but when we hope for something, it is an expectation of something desired.
Ø The believer’s hope isn’t calculated by Las Vegas odds-makers but rather is made certain through faith (Heb 11:1).
Ø James “Buster” Douglas fought Mike Tyson on February 11, 1990 in Japan. The odds in favor of Mike Tyson (who was famous and had a record of 37-1) to win over unknown “Buster” (29-4-1 record) was 45 – 1. It was a sure thing as far as the odds-makers were concerned. However, they were wrong! Buster won the match. We can’t hope in the world, because worldly things are uncertain.
Ø Other references to our hope Acts 2:26;24:15;Rom 15:13;Tit 2:13;1 Cor 15:19

Heavenly Blessings
Ø Vs 4 assures us we have an inheritance, begotten by the resurrection.
Ø Rom 8:17 we are joint-heirs with Jesus. See also 1 Cor 3:21-22;Heb 10:34
Ø Our inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, and permanent. It is reserved for us!
Ø Jesus said our heavenly treasures can not be destroyed Matt 6:19-20.
Ø How can our treasure be immune from destruction? Because it is sin that corrupts and in glory there will be no sin!

~RSBC

Do I Have A Witness?

John 12:1-19

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
“ Hosanna!
‘ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”
14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
15 “ Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt."
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”

Today is Palm Sunday. Over 2,000 years ago, when Jesus entered Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, riding on a donkey, the people called out “Hosanna” (which means save now) and placed palm branches in His path (see Matt 21:9;Mark 11:9;John 12:13).

According to Josephus, a historian at the time, there were 256,000 lambs sacrificed and over 2.7 million Jews gathered for this holy celebration. Jesus entry was the fulfillment of Zech 9:9 and Isa 53.

As was the tradition of the day, as people entered the gates of the Holy City, they chanted Psalm 118:25-26 to each other. The townspeople would shout out “Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity” and the entering pilgrims would respond “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.”

The Jews were looking for their Messiah, expecting a military deliverer, someone to save them from the oppression of the Romans. They were not looking for someone to save their souls. They were looking for someone to come riding in on a white horse (signifying military victory), not riding on a donkey (which signifies peace). Even though the people chanted about salvation, they did not see Jesus as their savior. They had the right words, but not the right heart.

The Skeptics – there were skeptics present as Jesus entered Jerusalem
Ø Vs 4 Judas Iscariot – money was his god
Ø Vs 10 Chief Priests – their popularity was everything
Ø Vs 19 Pharisees – these were the teachers, who also highly valued their popularity, who did not Jesus’ teachings to be more popular than theirs.
Ø Note: there are 2 billion people who “profess” Christianity. 5 billion “profess” another faith. 5/7 of the world’s population are skeptics when it comes to Who Jesus was and is.

The Believers – there were believers present as Jesus entered Jerusalem
Ø Vs 3-7 Mary – she knew Jesus was going to die, evidenced by her actions. She demonstrated her faith.
Ø Vs 11 Jews – many Jews went away and believed in Jesus
Ø Vs 12-13 Great multitude
Ø Vs 16 His disciples
Ø Vs 18 The people
Ø Vs 19 The world

The Evidence – there was evidence that Jesus was Who He said He was.
Ø Lazarus was raised from the dead - vs 1,9-11,17-18 He was dead 4 days (see John 11 – he was 3 days in the grave when Jesus raised him from the dead). Clearly, he was dead. Other examples of people being raised from the dead, they were not dead long (Luke 7:14,15;Matt 9:18-19).
..o People heard of the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. They saw the action and they saw the changed life of Lazarus.
..o The effect of raising Lazarus from the dead
--->§ the Chief Priests plotted to kill him (vs 10)
--->§ many Jews went away believing on Him (vs 11).
..o NOTE: in Acts 3:6,8,10,14,16 we see the lame man made whole. Everyone could see the change. The people bore witness to this change. Our changed life should be evident for all to see, and point people to Jesus. Some Christians cause people to walk away from Jesus, not to. Let that not be you!
..o Rom 6:4 as Jesus was raised from the dead, we should walk as raised from the dead! Acts 1:8 we should be witnesses of Jesus.
Ø Scriptures – vs 13,16 Over 400 prophecies in reference to Jesus can be found in Scripture, most have been fulfilled in His first coming. The authority of truth was and is scripture (see Acts 17:11;John 17:17; John 5:9).
..o The odds of just 8 of the prophecies in the Bible referring to Jesus that have been fulfilled, according to a mathematician, are 1 in 100 trillion. 100 trillion quarters would fill the state of Texas 2 feet deep. The odds of a blind man finding the one quarter in all that with a red dot on it represents the odds of Jesus fulfilling just 8 of the Biblical prophecies about Him.

~RSBC

Lessons From A Leader

2 Chr 26:1-23

1 Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.
6 Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. 8 Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.
9 And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them. 10 Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.
11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. 12 The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. 13 And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.
16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD—valiant men. 18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God.”
19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him.
21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz wrote. 23 So Uzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

The Bible tells us we are to conform to Christlikeness (Rom 8:29). To help us in that end, we need to study the whole Word. The Old Testament was given for our example (2 Tim 3:16). We should learn from the lessons taught.

Look at 2 Chr 26 vs 4, then look at vs 20. Compare King Uzziah’s journey from being “right in the eyes of the Lord” to “the Lord struck him”. Let’s look at the example of what not to do, a kind of “preventative maintenance” so we won’t fall as this Old Testament king did.

King Uzziah’s Rise to Power

Received Approval By the People
 Vs 1 King Uzziah was approved by the people who made him king.
 Acts 6:3-5 we see in the New Testament the people choosing Deacons.
 Being approved by people is not always a good thing (see I Sam 8:4,19). In this instance, the people wanted a king, but it was not God’s will.

Received Approval By God vs 4,5

Cause of God’s Approval
 King Uzziah’s humility
->o Evidenced in his obedience vs 4
 Obedience pleases God.
 See also 1 Chr 24:2 where King Joash was obedient by doing right in the eyes of God.
->o Evidenced in his dependence vs 5. He sought God.
 You may have God’s approval but don’t feel it because you fail to apply it.
 How do you know that which you seek is God? Matt 7:7 God promises when we seek Him, we will find Him.

Confirmation of God’s Approval
 Vs 5 God made him prosper. See also Joshua 1:8
 Vs 7 God helped him.
 Prosperity is in God’s eyes, not the world’s. An example can be seen in Matt 20:1-15, where the laborers were all paid the same, those that worked one hour as well as those who worked all day. The man that worked for one hour got more than he deserved in the world’s eyes.
 The desired measure of prosperity is Christlikeness. It is more valuable than anything of this world.
 King Uzziah had God’s approval when he followed his father’s Godly example. (2 Chr 25:2)
 Other examples of God’s approval when men followed God’s father’s examples can be found in 1 Kings 9:4;2 Chr 17:3;I Tim 4:12.
 Note there are also examples of the opposite; God’s disapproval when men followed the example of ungodly fathers Lev 20:23.
 NOTE: Remember you are always an example, whether for good or bad. The Bible has examples of both. What kind of example are you?

Zealous for Accomplishments
 King Uzziah was a go-getter. Vs 6-10
->o He made war
->o He built cities
->o He built towers
 The Apostle Paul was zealous as well. Phil 3:14 we see he pressed toward the mark of the call of God. He sought to do God’s will zealously. He took the position God gave him and pressed onward.
 Remember God will always enable (equip) you to do that which He calls you to do.

Big Army vs 11-13
 King Uzziah’s army was well equipped vs 14.
 NOTE: Remember God will call us, and equip us, but we have to do our part.
 King Uzziah’s army had advanced weapons.
 King Uzziah was feared.
 He had it all, yet his flesh got in the way.

King Uzziah’s Fall

Pride
 Vs 16 we see King Uzziah’s heart was lifted up. He became haughty.
 In the New Testament, we see in Gal 6:3 that the minute you think you are something, when you are nothing, you are deceiving yourself. Remember all we are, and all we have, comes from the Lord.
->o An illustration. A flea once journeyed on the back of an elephant. On the way, the elephant crossed a bridge and the bridge creaked and swayed, and almost gave way under the power of the elephant. On the other side, the flea said, “Look what I did! Look at the power I have!”
 King Uzziah forgot it was God that made him prosper (vs 5), that God helped him (vs 7).
 Another example of a leader being overcome by pride is Dan 4:30.
 The first sin recorded in the Bible (chronologically) is found by Lucifer in Isa 14:13-14. Pride was the sin.

Destruction
 The result of his pride was destruction vs 16 when God struck him with leprosy vs 20
 See also Prov 16:18;Dan 4:31-32;5:23,30

Disobedience
 Vs 16 we see King Uzziah transgressing against God by offering incense before the Lord.
 Incense was a symbol of that which was acceptable to the Lord. It also represents prayer (Lk 1:10;Rev 8:3,4). Only priests in the Old Testament were to offer incense.
 King Uzziah knew the law but saw himself as worthy to come before the Lord his way.

Shame
 As a result of his disobedience, he had no honor before the Lord (vs 18).
 A leper was considered unclean and was assumed to be afflicted as the result of sin (Lev 14:12,19).
 King Uzziah was cut off from the Lord (vs 21).
 Prov 11:2 when pride comes, then comes shame
 We as Christians suffer a separation from sweet fellowship with Jesus due to our unrepentant sin, but never are we separated from our relationship with God.
 We receive God’s loving discipline (Heb 12:6) but never condemnation (Rom 8:1).
 Remember when you confess your sins, God is faithful to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

~RSBC

Love Thy Neighbor

Gal 5:13-16

13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

The phrase “Love Thy Neighbor” is found in Old Testament (Leviticus) and New Testament (Matt, Mark, Rom, Gal, James) Books of the Bible. Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith (Eph 2:20) and love is the pillar.

In the Greek, there are 3 words translated “love”; phileo (brotherly love), aros (intimate love) and agape (God’s kind of love). The “love” mentioned in this text is agape love.

Agape love defined: sacrificial, unconditional, and eternal. Remember God is love (1 Jn 4:8).
Neighbor defined: fellow creature (someone just like you), associate, comrade

Luke 10:29,36 The Jews in the days of Jesus thought of a neighbor as someone who was near.

The Expected of Loving Your Neighbor
Ø Vs 13 “brethren” literally means “of the same womb” (as in a brother).
Ø Gal 1:2 we can see this letter was written to the Churches of Galatia
Ø Note: the “Church” is those who are saved (Acts 2:27;20:28)

The Extent of Loving Your Neighbor
Ø Vs 13 “as thy self” see also Lev 19:18;Matt 19:19;Mk 12:31;Rom 13:9;Gal 5:14;Js 2:8
Ø Note: in Luke 10, we see the lawyer interpreting a neighbor as one is close or near. Notice the priest and the Levite purposefully passed by on the other side of the road (vs 31,32), thus in their eyes, they would not be “near” and therefore not obligated to help. But the Samaritan “came to where he was”, thus obligating himself to love.
Ø The lawyer emphasized geography as defining who was his neighbor whereas Jesus emphasized goodness.
Ø The Samaritan loved the wounded man as he would “thy self” in four ways;
..1. Compassion vs 33
..2. Convenience vs 34,35
..3. Care vs 34
..4. Cash vs 35

The Expression of Loving Your Neighbor
Ø Vs 13 “serve”- choosing to serve someone takes humility, unselfishness, and love.
Ø This is what the Samaritan did in Luke 10:29-37. He showed mercy, which is an outward expression of compassion or love.
Ø Jesus said He came to serve (Lk 22:27)
Ø The apostle Paul remarked that Jesus took upon Himself the form of a servant (Phil 2:7)

The Elimination of Loving Your Neighbor – vs 15
Ø Bite – refers to causing harm to
Ø Devour – a compound word that means to figuratively eat down
Ø Consumed – to destroy.
Ø These three words speak of a progression. When we are not loving others as we should, are we first biting, then devouring, then consuming them instead? And what are they doing back to us?
Ø Lev 19:18 – We are not to avenge or bear a grudge against others. Instead, edify them!

The Enabler of Loving Your Neighbor
Ø Vs 16 “walk in the Spirit”. Note also in Gal 2:22 that the fruit of the Spirit is love.
Ø We are either flesh controlled or Spirit controlled.
Ø When flesh controlled, we hold grudges and want to take revenge
Ø When Spirit controlled, we love and edify one another.

~RSBC

Concepts of Praise to God

Heb 13:15,16

15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Last week we learned the house of worship is our heart, if Jesus is Lord there. Once saved, we are never without Jesus. We are to worship in spirit (with our will, mind, and emotion) and in truth. The Father is seeking us to worship Him.

Worship is recognizing Who God is. Praise is the result of worship. Worship is reverence, subordination, awe, and service to someone. We see in Isa 43:7 that we are created for God’s praise.

The Definition of Praise – vs 15
There are several Greek words translated “praise” in the New Testament.
Ø A tale, narration
->o Matt 21:16 “…'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"
->o Luke 18:43 “…And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”
Ø Approbation, commendation
->o Eph 1:12,14 “that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory…who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Ø Sacrificial offering
->o Heb 13:15 “…by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God…”
->o Lev 1:11-14 The peace offering was to be given with thanksgiving

Our Praise is Because of Jesus – vs 15 “by Him”
Ø His Mercy
->o Rom 15:8,9,11 Mercy is an outward expression of compassion (or love). These scriptures tell us Jesus became a servant to the Jews that the Gentiles (that’s us; non-Jews) might glorify God for His mercy and praise the Lord.
Ø His Grace
->o Eph 1:6,7 Grace is God’s undeserved favor, expressed in redemption and forgiveness. These scriptures tell us we have redemption through Jesus’ blood and the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God’s grace.
->o An illustration: When you redeem your soda bottles, you give back something (the bottles) that belonged to someone else, and receive a reward (the $.05). Our redemption is like that. We were made by God and therefore are His. We were “sold” to someone else (the devil, thru Adam’s sin) and Jesus redeemed us, thus bringing us back into right belonging to the Father.

Our Praise is Sacrificial – vs 15 “sacrifice of praise”
Ø To sacrifice is to kill, slaughter, victimize someone or something.
Ø The Book of Hebrews was written to the Jews and Hebrew believers understood about the sacrifices they were to make according to the Old Testament. These sacrifices atoned for (covered up) their sin.
Ø 1 Cor 5:7 “… for even Jesus our Passover is sacrificed for us”
Ø Heb 10:12 “…[Jesus] offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.” This sacrifice was final, not a “cover up”.
Ø Payment for sin was/is the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. We as Christians are to bring to God a new sacrifice [not the lambs, doves, etc., of the OT], not seeking to be forgiven but because we are forgiven!
Ø God seeks the sacrifice of praise. When you give praise to God, it costs you praising yourself. Remember sacrifice is presenting a victim. When we praise God, we become a victim in that we praise Him and not ourselves! We die to self. (Gal 2:20)

Our Praise is to be Spoken – vs 15 “the fruit of our lips”
Ø Ps 43:5;Ps35:28;Ps 51:15;Ps109:30
Ø “Is praise the glib singing of a chorus, or is it hours spend in God’s presence with heart uplifted in awe and worship at the wonders of His person and His works? Is praise the thoughtless line or two of a hymn sung with others at worship service, or is it the voice of testimony raised among people in glory to God at home, at work, at play?” – John Phillips, Bible commentator/Scholar
Ø Heb 13:15 “…giving thanks to His name” Thanks comes from the Greek word homologeos; which means to speak the same as, to confess. When we give thanks to His Name, we agree with what God says. His Name is Jehovah, “the one who causes to become”, the creator, the sovereign.

Our Praise is to be Constant – vs 15 “let us continually”
Ø We should constantly praise because we are constantly redeemed. We are forever His and no one can take us from His hand.
Ø Isa 62:6;Ps 34:1 We constantly praise because He is our constant provider of all our needs; physically and spiritually.

Our Praise is Sincere When Accompanied With Godliness – vs 16 “do good and share”
Ø “Good” means moral excellence
Ø Ps 73:1 “Truly, God is good…”
Ø Gal 6:10 “do good to all men…”
Ø Rom 12:13 “..distributing to all the saints…” – to share conveys sacrifice. See also Rom 15:26.
Ø “Praise, …and thanksgiving go God, with works of charity and mercy to men, are the sacrifices which every genuine follower of Christ must offer: and they are the proofs that a man belongs to Christ; and he who does not bear these fruits gives full evidence, whatever his creed may be, that he is no Christian.” – Adam Clarke
Ø Ps 33:1 “rejoice in the Lord…praise is fitting from the upright”

Praise should not be work for a Christian. It is a natural outpouring of Who God is to us.

~RSBC