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The Journey of Life Can be Hard

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It’s Nice When Somebody Goes with Us

During this time of Lent, we’ve been going through Christ’s journey to the cross. Two weeks ago, we talked about knowing where our treasure is and Mary’s anointing of Jesus with the expensive oil. She knew where her treasure was. Last week we discussed Jesus’ riding into Jerusalem and many of the people missed out on who Jesus was. They were expecting a different kind of king.

This week we’ve made it to the first Last Supper.

Jesus got up from supper, took a towel, poured water into a bowl, and began washing His disciples’ feet. He explained that this act of service was an example of how we should treat others. He even washed the feet of Judas who was going to betray Him.

This act of washing feet was done by the lowest of servants. Jesus told them that He—as their Lord and Teacher having done this—was an example of what we should do for others. There are a lot of ways that we can wash people’s feet.

Be willing to “wash people’s feet”.

At this last supper that Jesus shared with His disciples, he knew that one was going to betray him. At this point it wasn’t too late for Judas to turn back and ask for forgiveness … but he didn’t. If we’re still living we have the same opportunity. We can repent and ask for forgiveness.

Don’t wait too long to repent and ask for forgiveness.

This meal was a Passover meal. It commemorates death passing over the homes with lambs’ blood on the door posts in Egypt. Jesus held up the bread, representing His body broken for us. Then He held up the cup. Reminding us of His sacrifice He made for us. Without eating and drinking we will perish.

Accept the gift of His body and blood so you don’t perish.

We need to remember these acts and the promise that comes with them.

There are hundreds of words in the English language that use the prefix re-, which mean “back” or “again.” Some examples are reject, recede, reduce, reflect. returning, revert, rearrange, rejuvenate, regenerate, and recapitulate.

For instance, when you reject a plan, you throw it “back.” When a man’s hair recedes, his hairline continues to move “back” as he loses hair. When you reduce the amount of money you spend, you lead it “back” to a smaller amount. When light reflects off a surface, it bends “back.” When you are returning home from an outing, you are turning “back” home. And when a criminal reverts to being good again, he turns “back” to morally upright behavior.

Another primary meaning of the prefix re- is “again.” For instance, when you rearrange the furniture in a room, you arrange it “again” into a different configuration. A marathon runner can become rejuvenated or etymologically made young “again” by sleeping and eating after a long race. Some newts regenerate limbs once they’ve lost them; that is, they grow them “again.” When a teacher recapitulates something she’s just taught, she goes over it “again” by summarizing it.

If we remember the covenant that Jesus made, we become a member of His followers again.

Remember this covenant He made with us.

Another thing to remember is that He is with us on the journey of life. Even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Jeff gave an example of the importance of remembering in the children’s message. He shared a story of when he was in his mid-teens and his uncle, who was five years older and like a brother to him, died at twenty. In his loneliness and missing his uncle, Jeff asked God how He could let something like this happen. He did not hear any answers. In the silence, Jeff ran away from God for a few years.

Over time he figured some things out. One of those things was that…

The teacher is silent during the test.

Tests are a part of life, and we need to be willing to take them. Just because we can’t hear the teacher when we’re taking tests, doesn’t mean they’re not there looking over us.

In James 1:12 it says, “A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”

There are some hard lessons in life. But if we use the things the Teacher has taught us and remember that even in His silence He is with us, we will pass the test.

Don’t Get Caught Up in the World

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There’s so Much More Out There

It makes sense that we get caught up in the world. It’s where we live and what we know. Every day we take part in it. If we’re not careful, it’s where our awareness stops. It becomes all we focus on.

I’m not saying we should abandon the world. What I am saying is that we need to balance the physical world we live in daily, and the Spiritual world of God and eternity.

This morning on Albert Mohler’s, The Briefing, he talked about how humans make decisions. Either by rational thinking or intuition and sometimes the answer isn’t as rational as you might think.

This podcast was focused on the Nobel Prize winning economist and author of the 2011 book, Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman’s assisted suicide. Mohler’s question was why would someone so intelligent make such a decision? He concluded that it was due to Kahneman’s belief that this world is all that there is, and he wanted control over his death.

This kind of thinking is worldly.

In Matthew 21:1-11, Jesus sends two of His disciples to a village to get a donkey. He tells them where they will find a donkey and her colt. If anyone asks, the disciples are to say, “The Lord needs him,” and they will be okay with it.

The disciples went and did as Jesus instructed them.

Jesus knew there would be a donkey and where it would be. He knew that anyone who asked would be okay with them taking the donkeys. He also knew that people would celebrate His arrival when He rode the donkey into Jerusalem.

They thought He was a king that was going to come in and take over. If they were His followers they would be rewarded in a worldly way.

The problem is that the people were looking at this from a worldly perspective.

They missed the point.

Too often, we do the same thing. We get focused on our daily routines and lives and neglect the eternal.

It shouldn’t be all one or the other. There should be a balance of both. In John 17:16-26, we are told to live in the world, not get caught up with it. The world shouldn’t be our focus. God and the eternal should be.

What’s Your Greatest Treasure?

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It’ll Be Best If It Isn’t Monetary

What is most important to you? Is it money, your job, family, social status, recognition from your peers? Not any of these things are bad or unimportant. We need to be clear on what our priorities are.

In the children’s message, Jim Miller shared a math problem that puts things into perspective. GOOD minus the letters G O D leaves a big fat zero.

Life without GOD leaves us with nothing.

In John 12:1-8, Mary got it. She poured a whole bottle of expensive oil on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. When she did this Judas was mad. He thought this was a waste. We’re talking about an amount equal to a year’s wages. In today’s dollars, this would have been a bottle of oil, worth almost $60,000.

This helps us see where Judas’ heart was and where Mary’s was.

Last week we talked about how the disciples were blind to how Jesus was going to rule. They were looking at things from a worldly perspective … not a Spiritual one.

The actions of Mary in today’s Scripture would have been scandalous then. A woman would not be out in public with her hair down, would not approach a man, let alone touch one. Mary did all these things.

Mary was focused on Jesus. She understood who Jesus is. This is the third time she was at His feet. She didn’t pour out a few drops of oil.

She poured out all that she had.

We need to pour out all that we have on Jesus. As we pour over Jesus, He will pour over us.

Mary gave her greatest treasure to the Greatest Treasure.

We need to do the same thing. We need to give all that we have and all that we are to God.

Perspective is Up to Us

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It’s Important to Have the Right One 

We can be blind even when things are staring us in the face. 

This is what happened with Jesus’ followers. Even those closest to Him. Those who knew Him better than anyone else on earth. They saw Him give sight to the blind, heal the lame, cast out demons, even bring people back to life. He had been teaching them and explaining what was going to happen. They still weren’t seeing things clearly. 

They were looking at things from a worldly perspective. 

A perspective is a particular way of looking at something. Too often when we have a perspective about something it is hard to change the way we see it.  

The Jews in the Old Testament were looking for relief from the Roman oppression and tyranny. They were convinced that Jesus was going to overthrow the persecution and oppression they had been experiencing and become their king. 

Even after Peter, James, and John shared in Jesus’ Transfiguration on the mountaintop … they still weren’t getting it.  

And we’re talking about a pretty amazing, out-of-this-world, experience.   

“He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:1-8) His face was as bright as the sun! This is bright—really bright!  

Yet even after this experience, the disciples still missed the magnitude of what they were witnessing. They were still looking at things from a worldly perspective. They were looking at what was in it for them. 

There was bickering amongst them. Jesus told them they lacked faith. Judas betrayed Jesus to the church authorities. They all ran away when Jesus was arrested. They watched Jesus be whipped and beaten. Peter even denied knowing Jesus. Then He was crucified on a cross. This is not what they had envisioned.  

It wasn’t until after Jesus came back to life that they finally began to understand. 

Just like Jesus died to the world … we need to die to the world. 

Like Jesus’, we can have life after death. We need to nail our worldly perspective to the cross. We need to ask ourselves: what do I need to nail to the cross and leave behind? 

Having the right perspective is up to us and it will make an eternal difference. 

Don’t Build Your Life on Sand

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Build on a Solid Foundation

The past several weeks we’ve been going through the Sermon on the Mount. We discussed the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), being salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), the importance of listening to God (Matthew 5:17-20), doing things for the right reason (Matthew 6:5-15), choosing the right treasures (Matthew 6:19-24), and focusing on the right thing first (Matthew 7:1-12).

This week’s message is about the difference between wise and foolish builders.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-29)

From a builder’s perspective, I can really connect with this week’s message. It’s important to know the benefits of building things well and the cost of building poorly. The Scripture above explains this well.

When things are built well they are damaged less in storms.

This doesn’t mean there won’t be storms. It doesn’t mean there won’t be any damage. It’s about coming through the storm with something to repair. In verse 25, it says, “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall…” It can be repaired.

Jesus is the foundation we should build our lives on. He is the solid rock. If we build our lives on Jesus, we can make it through whatever storms life throws at us.

Don’t be foolish and build your life on the sand. Be wise and build your life on the solid foundation of Jesus.

Focus on Your Plank First

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It’s More Important Than Someone Else’s Sawdust

In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus tells us that we will be judged the way we judge others. He says that we should focus on our own mistakes and shortcomings first, not others’.

When it comes right down to it, we have no control over what others do. We can only control ourselves. Pointing out other people’s mistakes and failures is often done as a way of taking our attention off our own weaknesses.

Our focus should be on our own planks.

This doesn’t mean that we should turn a blind eye to someone doing something wrong. It means we should be clear on what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we do it.

To help us with this Jesus goes on in Matthew 7:7-12 to tell us what to do.

He says to, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

This is how we get our priorities in the right order. It’s about aligning our thoughts and desires with His. It’s about going to God first and asking for His guidance and direction.

We are to help others, not judge them. This can only happen when we are focused on God first.

Judgement is for God … not us.

We need to focus on God and our own planks, not other people’s sawdust.

Do You Feel Blessed?

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If Not, Here’s What You Do

With the snow that we’ve had there has been a lot of shoveling to make paths through the snow. This gives a clear direction and makes our journey easier.

Jesus makes a path for us.

We can follow this path, or we can go tromp through the snow on our own.

Jesus lays out some instructions that will help us on the journey in the Sermon on the Mount. These are known as The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Beatitudes are “blessed sayings” delivered by Jesus. In the beatitudes, Jesus stated several blessings, each beginning with the phrase, “Blessed are …” Each saying speaks of a blessing God will bestow on a person who exhibits these qualities.

The beatitudes introduce and set the tone for Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount by emphasizing humans’ humble state and God’s righteousness. Each beatitude depicts the ideal heart condition of a citizen of God’s kingdom. In this idyllic state, the believer experiences abundant spiritual blessings.

These declarations given to us by Jesus are like ‘If this, then that’.

They are conditional statements that set up a condition and then describe what happens if that condition is met. For instance, ‘If it rains, then the ground gets wet.’

The list of ‘if this, then thats’ given to us by Jesus are as follows:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(This is not about being sad or discouraged. It’s about being humble and realizing that we need God. We would have nothing and be nothing without Him.)


Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

(This is mourning over our sinfulness and repenting of those sins.)


Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

(This is being meek and submitting to God’s authority. The world wants us to believe nice guys finish last. It’s being like Jesus and showing gentleness and self-control.)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

(Hunger and thirst speak to the deep need and driving passion for what is right to God, not to our worldly wants. Righteousness is the quality of being right in God’s eyes.)


Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

(We reap what we sow. We show mercy through forgiveness, kindness, and compassion toward others.)


Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

(Being pure of heart is being cleansed from within. It’s not an outward display of righteousness that others can see. It’s an inward holiness that only God can see.)


Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

(This is an inward peace. It’s a peace through Jesus. It’s not a worldly peace. There will always be conflict as long as Satan is here on earth.)


Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Just as Jesus faced persecution, so will his followers. Those daring enough to openly live for Christ rather than hide their faith are genuine followers of Christ.)

Beatitude is supreme blessedness.

This is extreme happiness. A state of great joy. I don’t know about you, but I want extreme happiness.

Living out these declarations will lead to a blessed life. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. But it is worth it.

Wise Ones Still Seek Him

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Are You Going to be Wise?

Epiphany is an “aha” moment. A sudden revelation. When you become aware of something important. The appearance or manifestation of something.

Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 6, twelve days after Christmas. Many countries refer to it as “Three Kings Day”. On this day, Western Christianity recognizes Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were represented when the Magi visited Jesus. It showed how God’s gift of the Good News is for everyone. Epiphany celebrates God revealing himself to the world

Because the church celebrates Epiphany on the first Sunday in January, this past Sunday was Epiphany. Pastor Lisa pointed out that –

The song We Three Kings is a fitting message for Epiphany.

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

The men in the song weren’t really kings, they were Wise Men or Magi. They were astronomers or stargazers. This is told to us in Matthew 2:1-12 where they follow a star to go visit Jesus as a child.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (verses 1-2)

These wise men had been looking for the fulfillment of prophesies for generations. They were paying attention and ready.

When God sent them the star they acted and went to find and follow Jesus.

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

The Magi brought gifts to Jesus that showed that they had been paying attention and knew who He was. They gave Him gold. Gold was a gift given to kings.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

They gave Him frankincense. This represents divinity. Frankincense is a fragrant resin that was poured out in worship. It was something given to gods. They knew who Jesus was.

Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

They gave Him myrrh. Myrrh was used for embalming. These wise men knew what was coming.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

The wise men paid attention. God spoke to them through dreams and a star. God told them to not tell Herod and to go home a different way.

God told them what to do and they listened. Then they acted.

The last verse of the song tells the story going forward.

Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav’n replies

We need to be like the wise men. We need to read Scripture. We need to seek Jesus. We need to discern and obey God. We need to act.

At the end of Matthew, Jesus tells us what we’re supposed to do.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The wise men were seeking Jesus. They found Him and shared that with others. They wouldn’t have found Him if they hadn’t acted on what they knew.

We need to be wise and do the same thing.

Do We Really Know What We Think We Know?

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Our View of Things is Pretty Small

We get pretty comfortable in our own perspectives. Even when we see amazing miracles we tend to not give them their full worth.

In Luke 2:25-35 Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be consecrated as per the Law of Moses.

Simeon was a good man who loved God. God’s Spirit had come to him and told him that he would not die until he had seen Christ the Lord.

When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, the Spirit told Simeon to go into the temple. Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God,

29 “Lord, I am your servant,
    and now I can die in peace,
because you have kept
    your promise to me.
30 With my own eyes I have seen
what you have done
    to save your people,
31 and foreign nations
    will also see this.
32 Your mighty power is a light
    for all nations,
and it will bring honor
    to your people Israel.”

33 Jesus’ parents were surprised at what Simeon had said.

How is it that what Simeon said surprised them? Hadn’t they both been visited by angels? Didn’t they experience Mary giving birth to God?

We think we know so much, until we realize we don’t. If we believe the Bible we shouldn’t be surprised…yet we are.

Mary knew she was giving birth to the baby Jesus. So why was she surprised by what Simeon said?

Part of our discussion in Sunday School was about the song, Mary Did You Know? I don’t think there is any doubt that Mary knew. Yet she was surprised by Simeon.

I think we tend to limit our perspectives and understanding.

I think this is what the song is saying. Yes she knew that she was giving birth to Jesus, but at His birth she didn’t know what was coming.

I think this is the point of the song –

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has come to make you new?

This child that you’ve delivered

Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will calm a storm with His hand?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has walked where angels trod?

When you kissed your little baby

You’ve kissed the face of God

The blind will see, the deaf will hear

And the dead will live again

The lame will leap, the dumb will speak

The praises of the Lamb

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy

Is Heaven’s perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you’re holding

Is the great ‘I Am’

We think we know so much, yet we are constantly being surprised. We need to be open to the surprises and not limit what God can and will do.

Here’s an interview with the two men who wrote Mary Did You Know?

Make Room for Healing and Joy

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Don’t Hold on to Things You Shouldn’t

We’ve all found ourselves in unpleasant situations. Places where we feel trapped. Sometimes it’s because of things we’ve done. Sometimes we’re there due to no fault of our own.

The Israelites found themselves in bad situations repeatedly. They would go through times when they would be captives of other countries. Most of the time this was because they would be doing things they shouldn’t.

There was a lot of guilt and judgement.

God would give them chances to change. These opportunities would come to them through prophets of God.

One of these messages of hope came in Isaiah 6:1-7. Isaiah received a message from God and he felt doomed because he was a sinful man. A Seraphim that was attending to God touched Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal and said, “This coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.

The year of Jubilee was a time for the Israelites to dedicate a year of rest to God, acknowledging that God would provide for their needs.

The Year of Jubilee, which came every 50th year, was full of releasing people from their debts, releasing all slaves, and returning property to those who owned it. During this time, the Israelites were not supposed to reap or harvest; it was a time for people to return to their families and loved ones.

The Year of Jubilee was a time of Restoration.

So, after seven years of Sabbaths, we reach the 50th year. A year dedicated to rest, the restoration of property, and freeing people from debts, servitude, and slavery.

Because everyone was released from their debts and slavery, everyone got to rest and could start the next year with a clean slate. 

It’s important to note that God owns everything. Anything He’s given to us, such as resources, crops, etc., belongs to him. Therefore, the Israelites would dedicate this year of rest to him, acknowledging that God would provide for their needs.

The Israelites went into captivity because they didn’t observe these resting years (Leviticus 26). Because they didn’t trust that God would provide and dedicate time to resting, they reaped the consequences.

God also instituted the Year of Jubilee as a foreshadowing for his future work on the cross. Jesus relieves us of all spiritual debts and our slavery to sin by His death and Resurrection.

In Matthew 1:18-25, Joseph learned of the coming of Jesus when an Angel came to him in a dream. He was told what would happen and what he was supposed to do. And he did it.

Our ultimate forgiveness is through Jesus. But we have to accept this gift.

Jubilee was a release from the past. A restoring. It brought hope for the future.

The Israelites held on to things and wouldn’t let them go. They neglected to take advantage of Jubilee, and they suffered unnecessarily because of this.

Too often we do the same thing. We’ve been hurt by someone, and we don’t let go. Then we’re the ones who suffer. We tend to hold on to things as a way of protecting ourselves. Even when we’ve let go of something, it has a way of creeping back.

We have the power of choice. We can forgive. We can release the past. This makes room for healing and joy.

Jesus is our Jubilee.