Easter Sunrise
So this is actually Pastor Wrinkle’s (that’s me!) Palm Sunday message. Sorry it’s late but the link to it was a bit broken…that is to say totally broken. Well our great and grand media tech Jason has fixed it at last (I call him the great and powerful OZ when he does things like this for me). So I trust that though it is late by my standards, yet it has arrived at just the right time in God’s providence.
http://cornerstoneag.net/2013/03/24/journey/
God has had me in the Gospel of Mark since Good Friday. It was on my third time through the book that I got stuck on the number of times the author used the word immediately in the first chapter. If you missed yesterday’s post you can check it out for yourself here: http://wp.me/p39vIx-kI
Mark uses the word “immediately” 9 times and the term “at once” 1 time in 45 verses. As I said yesterday, that’s a whole lot of immediately in one chapter. In fact if Mark were going into writing class with this chapter the first thing his teacher would probably ask him to change would be the use of this one word. But I have to think that God must have had a reason for telling Mark to use the word over and over again. He must be trying to make some point.
The actual word used 10 times in Mark 1 is the word euthys- straightway, immediately, forthwith.
As I was meditating on the chapter, I noticed that the action behind the “immediatelys” were coming from different sources. Sometimes the “immediately” was done by God the Father or Holy Spirit as in verses 9 (the Holy Spirit descended),12 (The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness), 28 (Jesus’ fame spread throughout the land), and 42 (the leprosy was healed)
Then other times the “immediately” was done out of obedience by Jesus, or his disciples. Once the “immediately” was even perpetrated by a demon.
Now I have to say that we all love the immediate action of God. We love it when the disease is instantly, miraculously healed. We love it when God moves His plan for our lives forward quickly. We love it when God instantly shows up in answer to our prayers.
I can only speak for myself here but when the immediate action is mine I am not necessarily so keen on that. When God gives me a command sometimes I am not so quick to jump on the immediate bandwagon. I have to “think it through”, look at all the angles. I want to figure out just exactly what obedience to God in this instance means. I justify it by calling it counting the cost, but I know it’s really just an attack of fear and unbelief.
As I looked at this passage I realized that the immediate action of God usually followed the immediate act of obedience from Jesus or his disciples. The Holy Spirit descended immediately and drove Jesus into the wilderness as soon as Jesus obeyed the Father in baptism. Jesus fame immediately spread throughout the land because Jesus disciples immediately obeyed God and followed Jesus into Capernaum. Peter’s mother-in-law was healed immediately because the disciples didn’t wait to tell Jesus about the need.
This has me wondering how many of God’s “immediatelys” are hung up in waiting because my “immediatelys” have been put on the back burner. I know that sometimes we are required to wait for God but I am just wondering if there aren’t times where I’m not waiting for God but He is actually waiting for me.
What’s your immediately from God today? How is it effecting God’s immediately?
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[a]
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,[b]
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare[c] the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[d] with you I am well pleased.”
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”[e] 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
29 And immediately he[f] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
40 And a leper[g] came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus[h] sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
That’s a whole lot of immediately for one chapter. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.
Easter Sunrise
The season of hope is upon us! Here is the first of today’s messages concerning Holy Week!
http://cornerstoneag.net/2013/03/31/journey-from-darkness-to-light/
Enjoy!
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” John 13:1-9
Today is the day within Holy Week on which we remember the last supper of Jesus. I can easily find three sermons just in this passage alone and Maundy Thursday takes us all the way through the Olivet Discourse in John 16. This is one of the richest passages in all of Scripture; So I won’t even try in 300 words to take you into the deeps of Maundy Thursday teaching. Allow me to just leave you with a question.
Jesus’ washing of the disciples feet was His act of service to His disciples. Peter wanted to refuse because he thought himself unworthy to receive Jesus’ service. Is there any area in your life where you are not allowing Jesus to come with His power to serve you because you feel you don’t deserve it?
“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the
Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Tim. 1:14
It’s the last day of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week! We made it!
As I sought God this morning He sent me off with this warning from 2 Timothy. Every lesson, every experience is an opportunity for increased authority. Not every experience is good but if we love God and follow His purposes for our lives, He will work everything for our good. As we walk with God and as our authority increases we have to be careful not to lose that authority through careless living or careless relationships.
I have learned much on this journey. I know there is an enemy out to steal what I have gained. There is an enemy out to steal what you have gained to. Let’s agree today to guard this grace we have been given.
I am finally sitting down to do some writing tonight. It’s 10:30 P.M. and my day has been marvelously full! It started with two prayer meetings and a pastoral care team meeting. Tonight I returned to the church for rehearsal and a leadership development meeting. The opportunities to serve God are growing and the time of answered prayer is coming quickly. Walking in the healings of this season is a must for me and for our church. It is so exciting to see the healing which has taken place in our corporate lives since the beginning of the year. Yet I know God has so much more.
Here is a review of some of the lessons He has begun to work into our lives.
Lent Day 25- On this day I wrote, “The grace of God is here with us right now. That grace is the power of God to do that which we could not do for ourselves. As we open ourselves to it grace trains us, schools us in how to live godly lives and those godly lives are for the here and now. You don’t have to wait until you get to Heaven to have victory over addictions or deep-seated wounds that cause bad behavior. The grace of God is present now to help you in this age. If grace can change me it can change you. Do not give up let His grace work on you a little while longer and you will see a change. You may have been born with a bent to sin but if you let Jesus in He will turn you around so that you have a bent towards righteousness. No one is beyond His reach. No one!”
Lent Day 26- On this day I wrote, ”
The question is not, “Will trouble or evil reports come?” The question is “What will we do with them when they arrive?”
We have some choices. We can:
1. Receive the evil report and give up. This choice leads us to fatalism…doing nothing because we believe that the evil thing is inevitable.
2. Receive the evil report and worry. This choice leads us to fear. With this choice we help the evil report to grow into a monster that consumes all of our life and feeds on our hope until we are nothing more than burned out shells. In this scenario we become paranoid self-fulfilling prophecies of the terrible things we fear.
3. Hear the evil report but refuse to accept it on the basis of God’s promises. This choice leads us to radical faith that wrestles with God until He grants us a blessing.”
What are you doing with life’s evil reports?
Lent Day 27- On this day I wrote, “All of our hearts, plagued by sin, lead us astray and away from God’s intended purpose; So God weaves a story, a plan, around us that is large enough and tough enough for us to come to life in. We are forced either to run from God or submit to “God’s fierce intention to use both crippling and blessing to redeem us from our self-redemptive and purgatorial stories.” The Sacred Romance P. 66 ”
Have you ever struggled with God’s plan? How did you work through it?
Lent Day 28- This day’s question was, “What area of life if better disciplined will bring you closer to your goal(s)?”
What here stands out for you?
Yesterday we finished by saying…
There is a day of healing and forward advance coming to you. When that day comes will it find you ready to embrace the work of God or will it find you calling out “sour grapes because you have not prepared for the fourth step to being happy in the heart attack which is…
Commit to serving God no matter what the cost.
In the gospel of John Jesus basically asks Peter if he is willing to commit no matter what the cost.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him,“Follow me!”
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return,what is that to you? You must follow me.” John 21:15-22
How about you? Are you willing to commit to Jesus no matter what the cost? What if it costs you your job? Your family? Your life?
Thomas Merton said, “A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.”
So what is your life like today? Is it spiritual or un- spiritual? Are you sold out for God or sold out to the world? Has your heart attack pushed you closer to Jesus or has it pushed you away from him?
What must you do in light of these answers?
If you missed any of our conversations from “Happy In the Heart Attack”, you can find them here.
We have been talking about steps to take in order to survive and thrive through life’s heart attacks. Yesterday we made the point that we must be ready to embrace God when He shows up.
If you have missed any of our conversations you can catch up here:
Jesus told this parable about being ready for God’s move…
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
There is a day of healing and forward advance coming to you. When that day comes will it find you ready to embrace the work of God or will it find you calling out “sour grapes
because you have not prepared for the fourth step to being happy in the heart attack? That step is… See you tomorrow!
The Word of God is a bridge that connects Earth with Heaven and Heaven with Earth.- Joseph Elon Lillie
King Solomon was a builder. While David spent his entire reign fighting and establishing the kingdom, Solomon turned his considerable wealth towards the pursuit of building up what his father had won through warfare.
Here’s what I see in today’s chapters:
I Kings chapter 6 sermon topics/ titles:
1. God’s Golden Cottage: I Kings 6:1-3
2. The “If…then” Of God: I Kings 6: 12,13
3. Gentiles In the Doorway: I Kings 6: 31-33
I Kings chapter 7 sermon topics/ titles:
1. Of Forests, Pillars and Justice: I Kings 7: 1-7
2. Half the Time For God: I Kings 7:1
3. God’s Swimming Pool: I Kings 7: 23-26
Now tell me what you see! 🙂
Lillie-Put 