Matthew 28

Matthew 28:15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.

Just about from the moment the resurrection happened, people doubted. People tried to look for ways to call Jesus a fraud…even though the evidence was overwhelming. Whether or not you believe in the resurrection is the single most important issue when it comes to accepting Jesus as Lord… or rejecting him as fraud. Today this question still divides and changes people.

If this event didn’t happen, Paul said we are to be pitied above all men. I can remember “believing” as a kid. Much different thing than I do now. Back then I believed that ghosts were lurking around every corner, eating pez for every meal would be amazing and if I could just get my hands on some radioactive green ooze, I could get some ninja turtles up in this place.

Today, in a cynical world where almost everything is proven to be fraudulent, I believe in Jesus. When nothing else makes sense, I cling to the resurrection. I try to always carry around the death of Jesus in my body, so that I can reveal the power of his resurrection to the world (2 Cor. 4).

Thanks for blogging with me this month Zach and Andy! Love you guys. Hope you had fun! God bless.

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Matthew 27

Matthew 27:46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

It is a terrible thing to be alone. It is worse to be betrayed and alone. I’ve often thought of the horrible feelings that Jesus experienced at his death… the pain in his side, the bruises, the many cuts… I can’t imagine.

But one thing I haven’ though much about was how terrible it was for Jesus to feel alone- completely, bitterly alone. Never since the beginning of time had Jesus been disconnected from his Father. I’ve heard it said that at this exact moment, Jesus was feeling the crushing weight of sin… past, present, future.

Other people have been tortured in horrible ways, but only Jesus felt the impact of all of our sin upon him at this moment. Only Jesus knew what it was like to be separated from his Father for the first time ever. Only Jesus knew what it was like to hear all of Satan and his demons cry out in premature victory.

The fact that he did all of this…because of me… is almost too much.

Currently A Beautiful Lie By 30 Seconds to Mars The Battle of One see related

Bonus blog...

Sammy asked me to guest blog for him. I've deicded to give my blog to my two loyal readers before anyone else gets their hands on it! Here ya go boys....

Hey kids, Luke here. I am a buddy of Sammy and a fellow pastor. When he decided to blog an entire week on sex, the first person he thought of to ask for help was me. Okay, that’s not really true but I’ve got two kids so that means I’m a self proclaimed "sexpert" (that’s a real word).

I once read that “sex is like nitroglycerin, it can be used either to blow up bridges or heal hearts.”

Have you ever heard the story of Alfred Nobel? He was a Swedish chemist and inventor who patented dynamite. Because of this invention and others, he became absurdly wealthy. In 1888 his brother Ludvig died while visiting Cannes and a French newspaper erroneously published an obituary on Alfred. It said (among other things) “The merchant of death is dead.” Not wanting to be remembered primarily for a tool that killed thousands, Alfred invested the modern day equivalent of 250 million dollars to a society that would recognize achievements in science, chemistry, and medicine towards peace.

The main ingredient in dynamite, which has indeed killed thousands, is nitroglycerin. Much like Alfred Nobel, nitroglycerin has something of an image problem. But did you know that the same stuff is used every day in hospitals across America to help heal hearts? It belongs to a group of medicines called nitrates, which help to regulate oxygen and blood flow to the heart. I know this not just because I am a sexpert (joke) but because I failed out of nursing school (no joke).

Sex is amazing. Sex is not a sin. Sex is designed by God. Sex is dangerous. Sex is taboo. Sex is everywhere. Sex is more than making babies. Sex can destroy families. Sex feels spectacular. Sex can kill. Is there a more polarizing topic in our world today? You can’t talk about it with your mom, yet it is plastered all over billboards.

God wired us as sexual creatures. True, he did this so we would have kids and get married. But God also created sex for our enjoyment… as a reward to us. Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve had sex and felt no shame. Sex wasn’t dirty at all. Then the fall happened and one of the first things the first couple did was cover their nakedness and hide.

The scriptures tell us that when a man and woman come together sexually, they become one flesh. So what happens when we join ourselves to someone else and then sever the relationship? Like licking a frozen pole during arctic temperatures, we can’t yank ourselves free without leaving bits of flesh and blood behind. Sex is not just a physical act… it is emotional and spiritual… or at least it should be. As a culture, we are over-sexed… and at the same time we have no idea how to be intimate with each other.

I could write for ten pages, exegeting all the passages in the Bible about sex… but I don’t have the time and actually want you to read to the end of this post... so here is what the Bible says in a nutshell:

Single? Don’t have sex… even if you have screwed up in the past. God can make you clean right now. He has forgiven you and loves you too much to want you to destroy yourself with bad or improper sex. Control your urges and temptations… unlike the animals, you can find self control through Christ.

Married? Have sex with your spouse. Become one flesh so that you won’t be tempted and Satan won’t get a foothold. Men, be respectful of your wives and don’t force yourself on her. Give her a reason to want you physically. Take her on dates and give her lots of non-sexual touch. Women, be respectful of your husband as a sexual creature. Desiring your body is a gift from God… it is how God has wired him. If your husband is thinking about you naked, he is being as pure as a choir boy.

Single or married? Guard your heart. Guard your thought life. Guard what you take in with your eyes. Guard your internet usage. Don’t settle for a cheap imitation of God’s plan for sexual satisfaction (pornography, homosexuality, sex outside of marriage). If we go outside of God’s plan for sex we hurt ourselves and others… every single time.

Sex is powerful. Will you let it destroy you or heal your heart?

(If you’d like to check out some dudes a whole lot smarter than me, read Sheet Music by Dr. Kevin Leman, Going all the Way by Craig Groshel, and anything from the guys at xxxchurch.com)

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Matthew 26

Matthew 26:7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

I love this verse for a few reasons.
#1 The symbolism of Jesus being anointed. In the Old Testament new kings were anointed by God’s prophets with oil, to show them as a set apart to service to God. This was part of their coronation. Jesus is anointed with perfume… which would have been part of dressing up a corpse so that it could be preserved during the mourning/funeral. Jesus was indeed a king… the king of all kings!

#2 The fact that it was a woman who did the anointing. Instead of a powerful prophet or prominent religious figure, it is an unnamed woman. Women did not hold much status in this culture… and were forbidden from touching Rabbis. This woman did not become famous because of this act… but that is the nature of a true servant. It was not about what she could gain from this… it was about the one she was serving!

#3 the perceived “waste of money” by this disciples. This gift was extravagant. The woman could have sold it and kept the money for herself… I’ve heard it theorized that the woman could have been a prostitute who needed the perfume to lure male customers to her bed. Not sure… but regardless, it was indulgent for her to use it this way.

This money could have been used to feed the hungry… to clothe the poor… but it was well spent on Jesus because he is worth it. The same way Jesus has lavished extravagant riches on us (eternal life), the woman lavished Christ with an expensive gift. Contrast this with Judas who was selling Jesus out for 30 miserable pieces of silver… both of their actions reveal the state of their heart.

I can’t say that the love of money has been a huge struggle in my life… but it has been a struggle at times. Especially when it comes to my salary and being paid what I believe I am “worth.” In reality, all that I have belongs to God and I admire the heart of the woman, giving it all back to her savior.

Currently Any Port in a Storm By Dirty Heads Antelope see related

Matthew 25

Matthew 25:45-46 And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

This is an interesting passage… and honestly a troubling one. Is God’s greatest command for us hospitality? And if we wiff on this one, do we get sent to hell?

Instead of a monologue on who gets in and who gets out, I think this section is more about what type of person is pleasing to God. Are you someone who offers the love and peace of Christ to those around you… the people who deserve it and the people who don’t? Or are you someone who is selfish and self absorbed?

If I looked at this passage alone, I might be led to believe in a legalistic… holier than thou theology. But the truth is, none of us can obtain righteousness by following the law… including the principles described here. We refuse to help people all the time… and by all means should be considered unrighteous. It is only by the blood of Jesus that we can be seen as clean.

This weekend I pulled up to a car accident, right after it had occurred. I was about to get out of my car to see if I could help, when a punky kid kicked his way out of the car and went storming up to the truck that had just hit him. Just as he was about to start going crazy a really big dude got out of the truck and the kid shut up. I was trying to figure out if anyone was hurt…and thought about calling the cops, but the big guy pulled out a phone so I just pulled away.

I’m not saying that I would do anything differently if I came upon the scene again… but I can honestly say I haven’t thought much about it since then. It is so easy to pull away… so easy to go on with our day and get wrapped up into “me.”

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