More thoughts on Good Friday

Some people don’t get Good Friday.  Admittedly, on the surface, it would seem strangely morbid to celebrate that someone died.  But Jesus Christ – the One we celebrate on Good Friday – accomplished something noteworthy when He died on that cross.  As a pastor once put it “Good” Friday is an understatement; it’s more like something amazing, incredible, and superb.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

As I said last time, the Bible declares that we are all sinners, both by inherent nature, and by personal choice.  Make no mistake: sin may look appealing, enticing, and thrilling, but ultimately it won’t lead us anywhere except for death.  Not just physical death, but things like the death of purity, innocence, and decency in a life.  As a result of sin, humanity is estranged from God. 

But Jesus Christ the spotless Lamb of God, out of love, gave His life for us.  Alistair Begg writes, “At the heart of the Christian faith is a real Savior who suffered and died for our sins at a real time in history, [and] in a real place.” Billy Graham once said, “The blood that was shed on the cross when Christ died, has the power, 2000 years later, to wash all your sins away.”  This is what Good Friday is all about.

Last time, I quoted the first part of Romans 6:23; the verse in its entirety reads, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  No matter what you’ve done, God’s gift for you is eternal life in Christ.  Notice also that it is a “free” gift.  You don’t have to strive for it; you simply have to accept it, by faith.  If you’ve never commenced your personal relationship with the Lord, I urge you to do it today.  The Bible says, “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”   Ask Him to forgive, cleanse, and wash you from your sin; and to be your Savior, friend, and Lord.  Tell Him that you want Him in your heart and life.

 

I began by saying that a pastor commented that “good” is an understatement when it comes to all that Jesus accomplished on that Friday.  Psalm 32:1-2 says, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit.”  What an unbelievable gift to have all your sins forgiven, and to have a friendship and fellowship with Jesus!  I can tell you from personal experience there is nothing quite as exciting as living a life with the God of the universe.  Charles Spurgeon was so right when he wrote, “There is a bottomless well of delight for every Christian who fellowships with God.”  My prayer is that you will experience this joy for yourself.

Kevin

Jesus took my place

I know Good Friday isn’t for a few days, but I decided to write something today.  I recently had the thought that someone wants to find out exactly what the holiday called Good Friday is all about.  If that’s you, stick with me.

We have to start at the beginning.  The Bible declares that we have a fundamental, inbred problem: sin.  Just a quick look at the 10 commandments shows us this is undeniable.  We worship gods other than the One True God.  We lie.  We steal.  We commit adultery (in our hearts at the very least; check out Matthew 5:27-29).  Romans 3:23 sums it up: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Furthermore, sin has a very high price tag attached to it.  In Romans 6 we read, “For the wages of sin is death.”  The Bible also declares, “The soul that sins shall die.”

But on Good Friday, over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ, the unique, holy, perfect God-man, died a torturous death on a cross.  The One who knew no sin paid the penalty of your sin and mine.  He chose to take our place.  A song from the Oak Ridge Boys puts it this way: “I was guilty with nothing to say, and they were coming to take me away.  When a voice from Heaven was heard that said, ‘Let him go.  Take me instead.’  Oh, I should been crucified, and I should have suffered and died…but Jesus, God’s Son, took my place.”

Let me attempt to illustrate this.  I have been a fan of the TV show “The Flash” since its premiere in 2014.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every season; the show seems to just get better and better.  But there is a special place in my heart for a particular story in season 3.  In an attempt to stop the formidable villain, Savitar, Barry Allen, A.K.A. “The Flash” was inadvertently propelled several months into the future.  He witnessed a horrific moment: he saw Iris, the love of his life, murdered by Savitar.  He returned to his time desperate to do whatever he could to prevent that tragic development from occurring.  But could he save her?  Was it inevitable that he was going to lose her?  That’s the main story arc for multiple episodes in that epic third season.

When the ominous day finally dawned, there was an amazing development that no one – including Savitar – saw coming.  A friend of Barry’s (or a member of “Team Flash” as they like to dub the group) had orchestrated an ingenious plan.  I don’t want to reveal the details of this plan, or the character’s name, just in case you’ve never seen these episodes.  But it is sufficient to say that, in the end, this person saved Iris’ life.  But the price for doing so was a high one: this character died.  This noble person chose to die so that Iris could live.  This person took Iris’ place.  This time, Barry Allen – The Flash – wasn’t the hero; it was this member from “Team Flash” who performed a noble, heroic, and Christ-like act.

Kevin

My thoughts on Billy Graham's remembrance service

Billy Graham’s ‘remembrance service’ was a little over a week ago now (I don’t care for the word ‘funeral’).  I confess I was moved to tears several times as I viewed it on You Tube.  For one reason, it was a beautiful service.  For another reason, I know what it feels like for a family to have to go to such a bittersweet event; I have walked that path and it is not easy.

I could go on and on about this service.  I could mention the beautiful music (Michael W. Smith and Bill Gaither both sang); I could bring up the touching comments from his children (Billy would have been proud at how powerfully his son, Franklin, declared the gospel); I could mention this and several other things.  But I want to underscore two things in particular.

#1: Billy had specifically chosen that Ephesians 2:4-9 be read at his service.  The verses leading up to verse 4 essentially state that at one time we were living our lives in rebellion and disobedience to God, and we didn’t know or even care.  Verse 4: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”  As a pastor once put it, the only reason we are in right relationship with God is because He illuminated our spiritual eyes.  Verse 8 and 9 reads: “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

It’s so powerful that Dr. Graham chose this section of Scripture for his service. As he himself once said in a sermon at one of his crusades, “If my salvation depended on one percent of my works, I’d be scared to death.  I wouldn’t want to leave this building for fear that I’d be in an automobile crash and die.  My salvation does not depend on even one percent of what I do or am; it depends entirely on the work of Jesus Christ at the cross, and the fact that I’ve received Him as my Lord and my Savior.”  This doesn’t mean that works aren’t important; works are crucial (see Ephesians 2:10).  Dr. Graham went on to make that abundantly clear in the message I’ve cited from.  But we can’t get confused on the sequence, or we will be miserable trying in vain to procure salvation by good works, which can’t be done.

The second thing I want to underscore in the service was arguably the highlight of the whole event for me.  One of Billy’s daughters, Ruth, shared a powerful story.  She began by stating that everybody seemed to have a Billy Graham story, and she had one of her own that she had shared many times, but thought it was worth repeating because it spoke to, in her words, “the essence of who my father was, and is.”  She said her twenty-one year marriage ended in divorce.  She was so devastated by this development that, in her pain, she chose to do things that she shouldn’t have done.  She was soon introduced to a widower in a church.  They had a worldview courtship.  Her children didn’t like the man; and her parents warned her to slow things down.  But she didn’t listen.  She married this man and she knew within twenty-four hours that she had made a terrible mistake.  After just five weeks, she left him.

After all this unfolded, she decided to go to her parent’s house.  As she drove, her mind was plagued with what they might say.  She had been so foolish in her choices.  She says, “As I approached, my father was waiting for me.  As I got out of the car, he wrapped his arms around me and said, 'Welcome home!'  There was no shame, no blame, no condemnation; just unconditional love.  My father was not God, but he showed me what God was like that day.  When we come to God with our sin, our brokenness, our failure, our pain, and our hurt, God says, ‘Welcome home!’  And that invitation is for you.”

To conclude, in the days after Dr. Graham passed away, someone said the greatest way you could honor Billy Graham is to give your life to the God he proclaimed for so many decades.  No matter who you are, or what you have done, God loves you and wants to have a friendship and fellowship with you.  If you’ve never received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, do it today.  If you’ve strayed away, stop running and come home.  The Lord will embrace you with open arms.

Kevin

A momentous birthday (part 2)

In celebration of my mother’s birthday, I have been sharing some of the quotes that I presented her in a composition I wrote.  Here now is part 2 of the project:

Mark D. White in his book “The Virtues of Captain America” has a section on courage.  He writes, “Captain America also realizes that courage does not mean lacking or denying one’s fear, but rather overcoming it.  Soon after the Scarlet Witch joined the Avengers with her brother Quicksilver, she asked Cap, “do you never know fear?” to which he replied, “only a fool is never afraid.”  When trying to inspire a young soldier in Afghanistan to find his own strength and courage, Cap told him, “everyday I felt afraid…The fear never stops.”  At its essence, “courage can’t exist without fear,” because a person with no fear does not need courage.”  I wrote these words to Mom because, it seems to me that it is a world drenched in fear.  We all need courage these days; Mom displays this.

The next quote is from Ulysses Grant; he once said, “Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your hearts and practice them your lives.”  What a profound statement!  This one is worth chewing on for a while.  Someone referred to the Bible as God’s love letter to us; I like that description!  I put it into my composition for my mom because she has an obvious love and cherishing of the Bible.  Furthermore, she has a fervent desire to obey what it says.  For the glory of the Lord.

The third quote I want to share is from Elisabeth Elliot.  I deeply resonate with her words: “The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be.  It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.”  When I look at my own life, I marvel at how different my life is than what I envisioned for myself.  But God is the writer of the chapters of my life; I submit to Him and His will for my life.  So does my mom.

The last quotation I have is from Pastor Rick Ferguson.  In his last sermon on Earth, before he went to be with the Lord at the age of 46, he preached on John 15 and abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ.  I have been riveted with this concept of late.  I should probably even write a separate blog about this, but this is what I have for today:

“Look at the vine/branch illustration Jesus is giving: branches don’t labor to remain in the vine; they simply rest in the vine.  This is significant.  At least, for me it has been.  For a large portion of my Christian life, I missed it.  If you’d asked me in my early Christian life to give a one-word summary of the Christian life, I likely would have given you the word activity.  Get busy and active serving God!  But if you were to ask Jesus, I think He would say the one-word summary of the Christian life is abiding.  That’s not to say that we shouldn’t serve Him.  We should be selfless and generous in our giving and serving.  But it’s to say before anything good can be produced in our lives, we must first of all, be connected to Him, Christ the vine.”  Because Mom abides in the vine of Jesus Christ, she displays lush, abundant, edible fruit.

In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to read my words of tribute to my mom on this special day.  I wanted to do something different in the blog for this event.  The Bible says to honor your father and mother.  I am happy to honor my mother today.

Kevin

A momentous birthday (part 1)

Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday.  It is a significant, momentous birthday; she is turning 60 (yes, I did get her permission to share her age with you)!  In celebration of this event, I wanted to share some of the content from a composition that I wrote to her as one of her gifts.  It was a collection of quotes that correlate to some aspect of Mom’s life.  I have 8 that I want to share.  I will give 4 today, and the next 4 tomorrow.

The first quote was from Rebecca St. James.  In context, she was speaking of hardship and suffering.  She said, “No one asks for fire.  I don’t necessarily want fire in my life, but I’ve seen God use that in my family and in my life to shape me into who I am…and I thank God for that.”  My mom knows about fire, heartache, and suffering.  Someone said that suffering can either make you better or bitter.  I submit that the fire of suffering has made Mom better.

At one point in my composition, I quoted from A.W. Tozer.  In his book “The Pursuit of God” he writes, “Among the famous sayings of the Church fathers none is better than Augustine’s “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”… God made us for Himself: that is the only explanation that satisfies the heart of a thinking man.”  For some, this might be a hard statement; admittedly, it may take years to realize the truth of Tozer’s words.  But my mother understands this sentiment.  She models that nothing beats the glorious opportunity to actually have fellowship with God.

The next quote is from Barry Allen, alias the Flash.  He once said, “Everyone secretly thinks they have figured out what their life is going to be like. But what no one ever considers is that life has its own plans for you, whether you like them or not. And so you’re left with a choice: you can either embrace the change and move forward; or fight it and be left behind.”  I included this one because God, in His sovereign will, knew that life was going to be turned upside-down in 2015.  Mom misses my dad even to this day (and, incidentally, so do I), but she knows that ultimately, to quote a sitcom title from yesteryear, “Father knows best”.

The last quote I want to share today is from Billy Graham.  I have been watching a lot of You Tube videos featuring Mr. Graham of late.  One of them was from 2011.  On September 14th, 2011, America was in mourning over the horrors of 9/11.  Billy Graham was asked to speak at the Washington National Cathedral.  He spoke words of healing and hope.  At one point, he said, “My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around us; and that as we trust in Him, we will know in our hearts that He will never forsake us.”  This is healing balm for the hurting heart; something Mom knows about all too well.

To be continued!