The PASSION Blog

One of the things I love about King David is it seems God was always on his mind. In the good times and the bad times, he cried out to God. We are so blessed to have a lot of David’s thoughts recorded in the Psalms.

As I reflected on this today and old saying came to mind, “There is no ‘I’ in team”. It is usually said by a sporting coach trying to motivate their team. After thinking about this for a while, another thought came to mind, “There are two ‘I’s in relationship”.

Real relationships are two way and include a deep commitment on both sides. Both sides need to declare their hearts to the other and back it up with commitment. Much like in the wedding ceremony.

Today as I read Psalm 63:1-8 I saw David’s commitment to and faith in God. He used his words so beautifully to declare his heart to God. I have highlighted some of the words that jumped out at me…

Psalm 63:1-8 NLT
[1] O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. [2] I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. [3] Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! [4] I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. [5] You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. [6] I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. [7] Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. [8] I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.

David knew how to pour out his heart to God. He used words like “I will praise..”, “I earnestly seek…” and “I cling to..” to express his feelings towards God. He was hungry for God and God was the only one who could satisfy him.

There may be no ‘I’ in team, but there certainly are two ‘I’s in relationship. King David knew how to express his heart to God, even in a dry and weary land. And we know from Scripture God’s thoughts towards David, He said he was a man after His own heart.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4,6-7 – I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. [4] He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. [6] After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. [7] Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

The resurrection of Jesus is one of the pillars of our faith as Christians. We believe He died for our sins and on the third day He rose to life.

The above passage tells us that Jesus that Jesus was seen by over 500 of His followers after His resurrection. This includes His 12 disciples.

The Bible and other historical writings tell us that most of the 12 disciples, later called Apostles, died at the hands of others because of their faith in Christ.

They were so convinced that Christ died and was raised to life that they were prepared to die for what they believed about Jesus.

For me the evidence keeps building that prove Jesus was who He said He was…

1. He claimed multiple times to be the Son of God and the Messiah.

2. God the Father spoke from heaven three times to confirm He was His Son.

3. He performed many miracles including raising people from the dead.

4. He was raised to life that was seen by more than 500 people.

5. Most of the Apostles died for their faith at the hands of others.

I believe Jesus is the Messiah. I believe He died on the cross for our sins. I believe He was raised to life on the third day. I believe we all need to put our faith, trust and hope in Him. I believe that He is coming back and He will take us to be with Him forever.

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Two new sermons

I have added two new shorter homily style sermons to our website. You can click on from the links below.

• Jesus surrendered three times
• God has always wanted to be our God
  

We see in a number of places in the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Zecheriah 11 is one place that talks about this.

In the Hebrew culture, thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money. In fact, it was the exact price paid to the master of a slave if and when his slave was gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32). In order to compensate for a slave’s death and burial, it was written into law that 30 pieces of silver would account for the cost.

The Son of God, the King of kings, the Lord of all lords, the Saviour of the world was purchased for 30 pieces of silver. The death price of a slave.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. 

I find it useful to read them together to get a clearer picture of a teaching, a command or something Jesus did. As an example, today I read Matthew 10 about the sending out of the disciples. In Matthew it simply says what happened…

Matthew 10:1 NLT
[1] Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.

In Mark we see that he called them Apostles, He went up the mountain, He told them to preach and He gave them authority to caste out demons…

Mark 3:13-15 NLT
[13] Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. [14] Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, [15] giving them authority to cast out demons.

In Luke we see that he emphasised Jesus going up the mountain to pray all night before choosing the Apostles…

Luke 6:12-13 NLT
[12] One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. [13] At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.

This is all the same story, but the different writers record a different perspective. Bible scholars tell us that Matthew was writing mainly for Jews, Mark for Romans and Luke for Greeks.

Each of these groups of people have a different focus or things they admire. Matthew wanted to show the Jews Jesus was the Messiah they were waiting for. Mark knew Romans were people of achievement so he included the things Jesus did. Luke knew the Greeks appreciated things like prayer so he included that.

For us today the synoptic gospels give us a clearer picture by including the same stories from a different perspective. The same thing happened each time, but having three examples from different writers helps us to understand it more clearly.

I find it interesting that in ancient times having two witnesses was sufficient to prove something was true. In the Bible, God chose to have three witnesses record many of the happenings.

When I came to Jesus back in 1989 I was conscious that I was not just asking Jesus to save me from my sin, but I was asking Him to be my Lord as well.

The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10 that, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

In these verses it talks about believing in our hearts that Jesus died and rose again for us. He paid the price for our sin in dying for us on the cross.

A key part of the salvation message is also the Lordship of Jesus. He needs to be Lord of our lives. We are under new ownership and submitted to His authority.

For me this means Jesus is my King. He is my ruler.  I bow my heart to Him and I bow my knee before Him. He controls my life and He is the one who gives the orders. My job is to yield and obey.

In a world were we are told we are number one and the most important person in the world, we need to reassess this thought and bow our lives afresh. Jesus is number one. He always has been and He will be always be.

Yes Jesus is my Saviour for which I am eternally grateful, but He is also my Lord, my Master and my King. As a result, every part of my life needs to be completely submitted to Him.

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What did the Father say about Jesus from heaven?

I once heard it said that the rear view mirror is tiny compared to the windscreen of your car, this is because we need to look where we are going, more than where we have been.

That resonated with me when I heard it. It just made sense because I cannot change the past. Because of this I tend to review things I have done and then move on. I like to quickly think over what I did during the day, learn from it and then file it away.

I guess as a Christ follower this sits well with my faith too. The Apostle Paul talked about the past in his “pressing on” passage in Philippians 3:12-14 NLT…

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Paul was more interested in knowing Christ, growing in his faith and fulfilling God’s purposes in his life. If that was the Apostle Paul’s focus, it is good enough for me too. I want to know Christ, grow and fulfill my purpose too.

Does this mean I do not look back at all? Definitely not. We all need to reflect on the things we have done. Maybe we can learn something, grow, and maybe do things differently next time.

Ultimately for me though, it goes back to the size of the rear view mirror compared to size of our car windscreens. Looking forward is way more important.

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Jesus send out His disciples

In Matthew chapter 10 we see that Jesus sent out His disciples in to the world. Verses 5-6 tells us that He sent them to the people of Israel first. But what did Jesus send them out to do? In verses 1, 7 & 8 we see Jesus gave them authority to do a number of things…

1. Preach the Good News that the Kingdom of God is near

2. Heal the sick

3. Raise the dead

4. Cure those with leprosy

5. Caste out demons

This is a pretty amazing list of things that He asked them to do. But if we think about it, these are the things Jesus did Himself and as His followers they would have seen Him do them first hand.

Right from the start of His ministry we read in Matthew 4:23 that “Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”

In Matthew chapters 5-7 we see that Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount which is all about the Kingdom life. Then in Matthew chapters 8-9 He healed all types of diseases, raised the dead, calmed the storm and drove out demons.

So before sending the disciples out Jesus had taught and demonstrated what He wanted His new Kingdom to look like. The disciples were in a sense Jesus’ apprentices and now they were being sent out to put into practice all they had seen and heard.

I could not imagine what it would be like to be chosen as one of Jesus’ early followers? It would have been amazing, scary, confusing and world changing all in one.

One thing I know for sure is how amazing it would have been to see Jesus perform incredible miracles and then do the same thing yourself by God’s power. To actually see with your own eyes God’s Kingdom expanding each day!

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Let God recycle your pain

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Forgiveness and unforgiveness

Matthew 16:24-27 NLT – Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [25] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. [26] And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? [27] For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.”

When Jesus called His first followers He simply said, “Come, follow Me” (Mark 1:17-18). It was a few simple words, but a big call to leave everything behind to commit to a new way of life. History tells us that those fishermen did answer the call and left everything behind.

In the above passage Jesus offers the same call to His followers today. But He adds to be a true follower we have to give up our own way and take on His way and His direction. To be a true follower of Jesus we give up our worldly hopes, dreams, plans and wisdom and take on His goals, plans and dreams for us. We need to take up our cross and follow Him.

I believe this is about changing kingdoms – from the worldly kingdom and it’s ways to God’s Kingdom and His eternal ways. It also means not being king or ruler of our own lives and handing complete and total control to Jesus. We need to accept His Lordship.

I know from my own experience it is easier to accept Jesus as our Saviour, than our Lord. To accept that He died on the cross for our sins and to accept Him as the only way to salvation happens when we understand who He is and what He has done. But Lordship is another matter. Giving up control of our lives is much harder.

The passage above tells us that if we do give up our lives for Jesus and service in His Kingdom, we actually find true life. We find true life because this is how it is meant to be. God made us all for His purpose. We all have a divine call, purpose and destiny. When we come in to line with this, we find our true place in this world and in God’s Kingdom.

How about you? Have you accepted Jesus as your saviour? Have you handed your life over to Him to be Your Lord? It is my hope and prayer that you have done both.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You that You died on the cross for my sin. Right now I confess all the wrong things I have done in my life and ask for Your forgiveness. I accept You as my Saviour. Jesus, I also want to accept You as my Lord. I want You to be the ruler of my life. I lay down my life to You. Please use me in the way You created me to be. Please use me for Your Kingdom purposes. Help me to take up my cross each day and truly follow You. I ask this in Your name, Amen.

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We do not lose heart

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT says, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. [17] For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! [18] So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” For more blog posts like this, please visit our blog at https://passionaustralia.blog.