1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.” And just what is that Divine perspective on suffering: Don’t be surprised at your suffering…Jesus suffered greatly and He was PERFECT! Suffering has many faces:
God allows suffering not to punish, but to purify and perfect. Just be sure your sufferings and hardships are not being caused by your own wrong doings or bad decisions! Easter is coming up in a few weeks:
So much is often lost in the religious celebratory aspect of the Resurrection…but I want us to see something of the pattern…the word picture God gives us of suffering and persecution. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ gives us a framework:
The three-day pattern we see at His death and resurrection is for ALL of our trials… TRAGEDY—DARKNESS—TRIUMPH 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.” Don’t look at the hardships. Keep on keeping on…with Jesus – ‘Cuz this is NOT all there is! NOW GO LIVE IT!If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS
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Mark shared about Nehemiah last week and re-building the wall. It was a good work that garnered opposition from the enemy and abuse from his own people. In spite of all that…he completed the wall restoration in 52 days! Once the wall was completed and the people living within its safety…Nehemiah worked for YEARS not just days in reviving and reforming the people. The same thing is happening today…people come into the safety of Jesus and yet it is a long journey for our transformation The book of Nehemiah…it is an illustration of Jesus’ life too:
And…in spite of opposition from within and without, Nehemiah:
And YOU think you have it bad…what a work was accomplished through Nehemiah by God. Finally…one last observation about the wall…it had GATES. That meant ACCESS into the holy city of Jerusalem AND the Temple (the residence of God). What a word picture of our life in Christ today too. Gates – Nehemiah 3: Sheep Gate – Jesus is called the Lamb of God...you must enter into the safety, salvation and presence of the Lord through this gate Fish Gate – we must be fishers of men Old Gate – it leads to the new section of the city…just like the Old Testament leads to the New Testament [Broad Wall (not gate) is mentioned – Jerusalem was restored as far as this section – broad are the ways of the world! Then there was the Tower of Furnaces – that tells us there will be the heat of our trials] Valley Gate – symbolizes the journey (Tho I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil) Refuse Gate – exit only – throw out sin Fountain Gate – in Jesus is the water of life Water Gate – reminds us of the Water of the Word Horse Gate – the strength for the journey is not yours…it’s what you’re riding on (Jesus) East Gate – reminds us of worship…He tells us to look to the east for His coming Inspection Gate – keep inspecting your ways to assure they are God’s ways So… When you think you have it so bad, just remember all the examples of God’s people who’ve had it even worse. Remember… Enter through the “Sheep Gate” of Jesus into the holy presence of God…AND STAY THERE…it was built just for YOU. God bless you always. NOW GO LIVE IT!If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS. Today most of the world is celebrating the birth of Jesus. I’m not going to get into the theology of the most correct dates of His birth, nor the secular influences that have crept in over the years. Rather, I want to remind us of: His Birth – His Death – His Resurrection – His Eternal Life This is the word picture from Jesus for us! It is what our life is like, in Him. In looking over the names associated with Jesus, it gives us the picture of Him. They are too numerous to mention…listen in to the sermon to get the whole picture, and you can see…with a resume like that…He is COMPLETE!! Meditate on those names. This is the God that we serve. Don’t just think of Him as a babe in a manger…that was His gift to us…He humbled Himself to save us! His birth is our salvation! John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. He didn’t START as a baby…that was a planned event as part of His eternal existence John 1:4-5 In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. We must live it, show it, and teach it…that’s our part. Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority. It’s JESUS – JESUS – JESUS. So as you celebrate, for those who do, don’t lose sight of JESUS. For it’s not religion, traditions, or celebrations that are important…but that He has come that you may be restored to God the Father, once and for all. God bless you. (Listen to entire sermon below.) |
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