August 11, 2013

 Jesus Cried

Luke 19: 41 - 44

Luke

But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to cry.

"I wish that even today you would find the way of peace.  But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you.  Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you.  They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you.  Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."    

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Thoughts.....

When I read the first sentence, I stopped and contemplated the inner struggle and pain Jesus must be going through knowing he was going to die for people that didn't accept him, some who didn't even like him....and some who loved them with their whole heart.  But then I read the rest of the text and it changed my understanding of why he was crying.  Jesus wasn't crying for himself.  He was crying for those who would suffer as a result of not accepting him as Messiah....for those not choosing political peace.  He could foresee, he knew, he prophesied, what was to come.

He says, "I wish that even today you would find the way of peace."  To you and me, that meant/means accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord.  To their world, it would also come to mean political peace.  As a result of not accepting him as Messiah, knowing true peace....and coming together as one in Jesus Christ, there would be political unrest.  Much like there is unrest in our souls, when we do not follow the way of peace....true peace....fellowship with Christ Jesus. 

He goes on to say, "But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you."  Is it too late for you and me?  Have you asked God to forgive you?  Have you even chosen to believe in God, Jesus, Holy Spirit?  Have you asked them into your heart?  Have you at least attempted to obey them?  Have you thanked them, praised them, worshiped them?  Answered their call to go forth in their name?   

Peace for the Jews was inner and political.  Many could not accept him as the Messiah.  There would be a political uprising such as they had not experienced in their lifetime.  A reprimand.  A saddened God. 

Jesus continued speaking, "Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you.  They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you.  Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."

"Because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you."  Have you rejected an opportunity God has offered you?  Have you heard his voice and, with decisive choice and certainly, rebelliously chosen not to accept, receive, walk forth in the opportunity God has given you, clearly and emphatically disobeyed him?  Or have you timidly walked, fearfully sat still, not sure you were hearing from God....perhaps even used that as an excuse, considered the options, waited to implement hoping for other options, believing that no matter what happens, God will have your back?  Expecting daisies....planting thorn bushes?  Will it help now to ask forgiveness?  Is now maybe the time to try?  Will God receive you....or is it too late for you....now? 

Jesus said it was too late for the Jews....that peace would be hidden from them.  I pray it is not too late for you and I.  That everything I've been told about God being forgiving and loving is true.  That I don't, and you don't, have a reprobate mind.  That we can still harbor hope for a better future with God, Jesus, Holy Spirit. 

For the Jews, it wasn't so.  Read here the footnotes from the Life Application Bible NIV:

The Jewish leaders had rejected their King [Jesus].  They had gone too far.   They had refused God's offer of salvation in Jesus Christ when they were visited by God himself ("the time of God's coming"), and soon their nation would suffer.  God did not turn away from the Jewish people who obeyed him, however.  He continues to offer salvation to the people he loves, both Jews and Gentiles.  Eternal life is with your reach - accept it while the opportunity is still offered. (v 41-44) 

Reading further in the footnotes:  About 40 years after Jesus said these words, they came true.  In A.D. 66, the Jews revolted against Roman control.  Three years later, Titus, son of the [Roman] Emperor Vespasian, was sent to crush the rebellion.  Roman soldiers attacked Jerusalem and broke through the northern wall but still couldn't take the city.  Finally they laid siege to it, and in A.D. 70 they were able to enter the severely weakened city and burn it.  Six hundred thousand Jews were killed during Titus' onslaught.  (v 43,44)

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 'jury' spoke.  There are many still today, who do not understand and cannot comprehend the population at the time of Jesus.  They skip over the numbers of 'five thousand', and 'vast numbers', as it relates to those who were saved when Jesus spoke.  Yet just approximately 33-37 years after Jesus died, 600,000 Jews were killed during the onslaught led by Titus, the Roman leader.  It appears God was not happy. 

In the 1970's there was a phrase in the Christian Fundamentalist circles that went like this, "Jesus said it, I believe it, that's that."  Well, folks, Jesus had a good reason for crying.  His people would die because they did not accept him as Messiah, Savior, Lord.  Nor did they obey God.  Jesus told them who he was, to turn to him, to accept salvation offered by God.  He proved time and again what he could do for folks....who he was.  He didn't say, I'll do this for you if you come to me first.  He healed first and offered them his open arms second.  And yet still some folks didn't believe....wouldn't turn to him....wouldn't accept salvation and the embrace he offered.  And so they died. 

Are you ready?  Are you ready to die?  If not, perhaps today is the day, now is the moment, to beg God's forgiveness for your rebellion.  Your confusion.  Your complacency.  Your refusal.  Whatever it is that keeps you from running to the arms of Love and believing that Jesus IS Lord, that he can save you....and obeying God.  Maybe it is too late.  Maybe you, and I, have a reprobate mind....a person that knows better and does different anyway in opposition to God, God's ways, God's commands, God's will.

Is Jesus crying over you?  For what will happen?  Pray that it's not too late.  Pray that your future can be one of joy, not sorrow.  Life, not death.  Pray to dry Jesus' tears....reopen God's heart.  Accept all they have to give you....accept Jesus as your Savior and make him Lord of your life.  Thank him and God for all they've given you, done for you up til now.  Thank Holy Spirit for holding you near....awaiting your words....to hear you say, "I believe you, and, I believe in you.  I accept you God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, please come into my life."

If you've already prayed these words in the past, but have found yourself not as close as you once were, perhaps you are in crisis, in the midst of life's troubles, and are unsure if they are still with you, pray these words again.  Pray with hope in your heart that it isn't too late.  And then go forth doing and saying what they will have you say and do. 

The Apostle Paul struggled with sin....disobedience, unbelief, distrust, etc.  In Romans 7:14-8:2 we read:

"The law is good, then.  The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master.  I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it.  Instead, I do the very thing I hate.  I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good.  But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.   

"I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned.  No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right.  I want to, but I can't.  When I want to do good, I don't.  And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.

"It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God's law with all my heart.  But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind.  This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?  Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  So you see how it is:  In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.//

Romans 8:9 reads:  "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if [SAY IF] you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember [SAY REMEMBER] that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.)"//  Please continue reading in Romans.

In Romans 10:9-10 the Apostle Paul tells us:  "For 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."//  

Let's talk about 'another law'....'sin'.... that Paul refers to.  The ruler of such sin?  His name is Satan.  In Charles Stanley's 'The In Touch Study Series' entitled 'Overcoming The Enemy' [excellent 104 page Bible study by the way], he tells us in the Conclusion to 'Enjoin The Battle'.  Engage, if you will, to eliminate the enemy.  Here is what he says:

"The very mention of the devil's name evokes fear in many people.  For others, the devil seems to be a joke.

"As Christians, we are to take the devil seriously, but we are not to be overwhelmed by him or give in to his temptations.  We are not to ignore him or dismiss him lightly, but rather, we are to face him, resist him, and use our faith to overcome him. 

"We can take this stance only if we remain close to Christ Jesus, turn to the Holy Spirit daily for wisdom, courage, and direction, and above all, choose to believe what Christ has said to us:  we are God's forgiven children and the devil has no claim on our eternal spirits.

"Others may pray for us, believe with us, and encourage us in our battle against the enemy - all to our benefit - but in the end, we cannot hide behind the faith of others.  Facing the devil is something each of us must do if [SAY IF] we are to grow in our relationship with God.  Facing [SAY FACING] the devil exercises our personal faith.  It is an act of personal obedience to God.  We must be willing to face the enemy of our souls if [SAY IF] we are to be in a position to receive all [SAY ALL] the blessings and rewards that God has for us.

"In [SAY IN] Christ Jesus, you can and will overcome the enemy.  Engage in the battle. [!!!!]  Trust [SAY TRUST] God today for a victorious life!"//  Thank you, Charles Stanley.  Thank you God, Jesus and Holy Spirit!

Today, will you stop Jesus' tears, open God's heart even further, and bring more joy to Holy Spirit?  Run to them!  You can do this!

Guess I should go organize my office....

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Let Us Pray   

God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, please forgive me for hurting your heart so badly as to make you cry.  You saw the future for the Jews.  I pray that I, and others, may be given the opportunity today, yet again, to make a better choice....the best choice....really the only choice....to accept you as Savior, make you Lord, and obey you, God, and Holy Spirit.  There are days when I give my all, and other days, I think I am giving my all in the things I do everyday.  Some days that is just putting one foot in front of the other.  I guess that is true in any relationship.  It is expected the other will know, read a mind.  And yet it is by my actions that you know the depth of my allegiance, my love, my commitment, my devotion.  And....you will know the heights I will attain as I live in and with you....obeying....you.  Obeying not out of some negative slave/master relationship, but from my heart of thanksgiving for all you have done for me, are doing for me now, and may choose to do for me in my future.  Yet you are my master, and master for all.  A loving, life-giving, caring, nurturing master who embraces in love, as well as reprimands, but with kindness, so I am pruned to grow into the person you need me to be, to do all you need me to do, for you and for the Kingdom of God.  Help me to fight off Satan as he chooses to attack in the battle for my life.  Surround me to protect me.  Help me put on the armor you have for me God to fight this battle which you outline in Eph 6:10-18.  Help me be reminded what Charles Stanley said, that I cannot defeat the devil with my intellect, my clever reasoning, or my hatred for him.  That I can defeat the devil only by relying totally and completely on you, Jesus, to work in me and through me, and on my behalf....that there is no successful warfare against the devil apart from you, Jesus.  He said you authorize my war against the devil, even as you empower me to win it, and that you give me courage to engage in it.  Jesus, would you mind giving me a little more courage?  I'm feeling a little weak in that area right now.  Thanks.  Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I do not want to do anything apart from your will, but I do find myself doing it anyway, like the Apostle Paul spoke about.  So please help me to be strengthened in my conviction to listen more closely to your voice, and once heard, engage my behind....err....spirit....to do what I am told.  I want you to know I love you with my whole heart, this known by my actions, not just my word....which may or may not be found credible as the result of the lack of my actions.  Help me Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, please keep me, and my family safe.  I need you now more than ever.  Please don't let me go.  Thank you. I love you....really.  Amen.                              

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Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'.

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    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

   Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided.  I encourage you to pray your own prayers as well.

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  Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

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