Rejoice...The King is here

Read Luke 23:46   Additional Scripture   Luke 24:13-35   2 corinthians 5:17

The Resurrection is not an event, it is a person.

When Jesus spoke His very last words in Luke 23:46, His life on Earth ended. But His eternal reign in our lives was just beginning.

Likewise, the end of this study is meant to be a new beginning in your relationship with Christ.

The seven sayings that Jesus cried out on the cross, when paralleled with the way Jesus appeared to His disciples on the road to Emmaus after His death, are designed to be a Seven-Mile Miracle. By focusing on the significance of each of Jesus' final words, you may gain unique perspective on who Jesus is, what He has done for you, and how He wants to reveal Himself to you every day.

Interestingly enough, the very people that knew Jesus the best-the disciples that followed Jesus over the course of His life-did not recognize Him as they walked with Him to Emmaus in Luke 24.

Still in shock from the events that unfolded just days earlier, the disciples likely saw the Passover meal they shared with Jesus in Luke 22 as their last meaningful time with Him.

However, Jesus wanted to break bread one final time with His disciples to share one more parting lesson.

Jesus wanted His disciples to see that His life and death were more than a series of events. In His resurrection, Jesus wanted to be remembered at a deeper level.

When Jesus broke bread with His disciples after He rose from the grave, they realized the Resurrection is not an event, it is a person.

The way Jesus revealed this to His disciples is indicative of the way Jesus wants to show Himself to you today.

When He sat down for the only meal He'd share with the disciples after His death, Jesus took the bread, blessed the bread, broke the bread, and gave the bread to His disciples.

Every step of this process parallels the way Jesus works in and through you.

Just as He took the bread in His hands, He takes you from a place of uncertainty and brings you into a life of faith, hope, and certainty.

Just as He blessed the bread, He blesses you and favors you with a new life found only in Him.

Just as He broke the bread, He breaks you not to discourage you, but to increase your dependency on Him.

And finally, just as He gave the bread to His disciples, He gives you to the world for the sake of His glory.

These stages can be painful, but remember that God doesn't want to hurt you; He wants to reunite with you.

When Jesus broke bread with His disciples, the bread never left His hands. And when He finally stretched forward to give the bread to His disciples, they saw His nail-scarred hands and their eyes were opened to see Jesus as the risen Lord.

Jesus wants to reunite with you today. Open your eyes to see Him as the resurrected Son of God.

PRAY:

Jesus, you are powerful, loving, and faithful. I surrender my life to the daily process of following your purposes. Take me from my old ways, bless me with your grace, break me of anything holding me back from you, and give me to the world so that I may glorify your name. You are the Resurrection, Jesus, and I am forever grateful for the life you have given me. I love you, Jesus. In your name, Amen.

APPLY:

As you reach the end of this study, we pray that God has changed your heart and your perspective to bring you closer to Him. If God has stretched your faith and changed your heart in any way during this series, we want to celebrate with you.We can't wait to celebrate God's work in your life!

Surrender

It's not what I can do; it's what He's already done.

With Jesus' dying words in John 19:30, He initiated the greatest sabotage in human history.

When Jesus said, "It is finished," the enemy was ready to celebrate the ultimate defeat of evil over good. But what the enemy intended to be a cry of defeat, Jesus used to speak eternal victory over death. Once and for all, Jesus used His final words to issue us the victory of saying, "It's not what I can do; It's what He's already done."

No longer would you have to get your act together to come into the presence of God.

No longer would you have to strive under your own effort to earn God's love.

No longer would you have to follow a detailed set of rules and regulations to achieve your spot in Heaven.

The triumph of the cross does not come by human effort. The victory of Jesus is received where your trying ends.

Jesus will never love you any more than He does right now. He's not waiting for perfection before He'll accept you.

Jesus has already done everything you need to experience Heaven. He's not waiting for you to achieve the goals you've set for your life. He's not waiting for you to feel sorry for the price He paid.

He's waiting for you to be changed. He's waiting for you to completely surrender your will to His.

Faith is not about a bad person becoming good; it's about a dead person becoming alive. The greatest triumph in the world-the victory of life over death-is available for you to receive today.

When you make this daily decision to surrender to God's greatest triumph, you enable yourself to experience His victory in every area of your life.

Surrender your unforgiveness. Resurrect love.

Surrender your disobedience. Resurrect the purpose God has for you.

Surrender your insecurities. Resurrect the security of your identity in Him.

Open your eyes today to the obedience and victory of surrender.

PRAY:

Jesus, I surrender to you. I know that you have overcome the world. The grave could not hold you down, Lord. You may have died on the cross, but you rose again. And today, Jesus, I receive the life you have made available to me through your victory over death. Change me, Lord, and shape me into the person you died for me to be. In Jesus' name, Amen.

APPLY:

When you receive the victory of surrender to Jesus, your life will never be the same. How have you changed since surrendering to Jesus? How has your outlook on life changed? How have your relationships changed? How has your purpose in life changed? Write down your life change story and share it with one person close to you this week. Pray that they will be inspired by the story of victory you have experienced through Jesus.

Thirst

Its Good Friday read John 19:28  Additional Scripture  John 4: 1-26   Philippians 4: 10-13

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus offers the only true solution to your distress: Himself.

While you cannot escape thirst in your life, you can choose how you will fulfill this thirst.

Throughout His life, Jesus lived in direct connection with God and had access to the source of all life. So when Jesus gasped, "I thirst," from the cross, His sense of need may have seemed contradictory to the limitless resources He could have tapped into as the Son of God.

Even in expressing His physical thirst, Jesus never spoke or acted without reason. While these words were uttered in distress, it was in His greatest distress that released His greatest purpose.

When Jesus declared His thirst in John 19:28, He was fulfilling the prophecies in Psalm 22:15 and 69:21. And while He spoke of His physical need that needed to be quenched, it brings to mind our spiritual thirst He knew would forever be unmet without Him.

Much like the Samaritan woman Jesus encountered in John 4, your soul will thirst for fulfillment every single day. But when you face moments of distress, the enemy will present an endless array of options for you to quench your thirst.

The enemy wants you to thirst for…

A better job that will pay you enough to relieve your financial insecurity.

A relationship that satisfies the physical desires of your flesh.

Newer, fancier material things that provide the joy you may be lacking.

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus offers the only true solution to your distress: Himself.

When Jesus died on the cross, His love fulfilled your every need once and for all.

He provides the peace your spirit needs to rest.

He provides the joy your spirit needs for strength.

He provides the purpose you need to make today matter.

Jesus' death doesn't guarantee a life free from distress. But it does make provision to get through the hard times. He invited each of us to place our faith in Him, who is stronger than any needs we may have.

One of the most powerful ways to develop your faith, even in your distress, is to speak God's word. By verbalizing His promises over your life, you create room for Him to fill you with the peace, joy, and purpose that only He can bring.

God's not waiting for you to find another way to fill a void in your life.

He's waiting for you to receive the fulfillment He's already made available to you.

Embrace the unending satisfaction of His love.

PRAY:

Jesus, I praise you for your unending love. Even in your greatest moment of distress, you fulfilled a purpose greater than anything I can ever imagine. Lord, I surrender every area of distress in my life to you. I receive the fulfillment that only your love can bring. Everywhere I go today, give me the peace of knowing that I am complete in you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

APPLY:

Memorize Philippians 4:10-13 as a picture of the peace, strength, and fulfillment that Jesus makes available to you on a daily basis.

Never alone

Read.  Matthew 27:46.  Additional Scripture: Luke 22: 39-44. Hebrews 12:1-3

He was forsaken so you wouldn't have to be.

Just after making sure two people He loved would not be alone, Jesus had to face being forsaken by His Heavenly Father.

Until that moment, Jesus had spent every waking moment of His life fully connected to God.

Every word His Father gave to Him, Jesus spoke. Everywhere Jesus went, His Father was there.

But when Jesus cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He felt the weight of separation from His Father. The greatest agony He could ever experience unlocked the greatest opportunity Jesus would have to show His love for you.

As Jesus neared death on the cross, He was forsaken so you wouldn't have to be.

We are not promised a life free from abandonment. People will abandon us, just as the disciples abandoned Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Occasionally, the pain of our circumstances can cause us to look around, wondering if God has abandoned us as well.

While there will be moments where you feel far from God, Jesus' death on the cross forever guaranteed that you will never be separated from Him. The moment Jesus felt apart from His father ensured that you would never have to spend a moment apart from Him.


The enemy can use moments of loneliness and pain to distract you from the potential and purpose God has for your life.

But even in your greatest agony, God is there. He isn't waiting for your strength to rise above your feelings of abandonment. He's waiting for your faith to rise as you acknowledge your dependency on Him.

Open your eyes today to the persistence of His presence.

PRAY:

Lord, I confess there are times in my life when I feel like everyone, even you, has abandoned me. Give me the faith to see that you have never left me. Help me to see that you were abandoned so I would never have to be. Let me focus on your presence today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

APPLY:

Even in your greatest moments of agony, God is there. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. What is one area of your life that feels empty and abandoned? What is one way that you can see God in this situation? As you face this struggle, seek ways to recognize God's presence.

Together

Read John 19:26-27. Additional Scriptures
James 4:7-10.   John 15:9-17


The relationship God wants to have with you is not based on anything He needs from you. It is based entirely on what you need from Him.

It's easy to establish and prioritize relationships based on what has been or can be done for us. The value we place on relationships is often contingent on what we think other people will contribute to the relationship.

That's what's so amazing about our relationship with God. In our sin and imperfection, it's difficult to say we provide much that could impress an already-perfect God.

The good news is, God doesn't measure His relationship with us based on what we have done or can do for Him. If we receive His grace, He has already accepted, forgiven, and saved us. Nothing can take away His love or relationship.

We see this at the cross, as Jesus hung before a tortuous, merciless crowd of hecklers. He was abandoned by nearly everyone that had once fellowshipped with Him. Though His love never left them, His people left Him.

Yet as Jesus looked down from the cross, He saw two familiar faces standing amongst the crowd-His mother, Mary, and His disciple, John. Upon seeing them, Jesus issued His final words to them.

When Jesus said, "Here is your son … Here is your mother," He showed His passion for relationship, particularly the kind He desires with His people: close, caring, intimate.

Many people hide from these type of tight-knit relationships because they may fear, "If people really knew me, they'd never accept me." But God really knows you, and He has already accepted you.

The relationship God wants to have with you is not based on anything God needs from you. It is based entirely on what you need from Him.

Jesus knew His mother needed someone to watch over her, protect her, and care for her. When He looked down and saw how close she had drawn to Him, even as He died a horrific death on the cross, Jesus took the time to make sure she would never be alone.

Jesus knows the state of your heart today. He knows if you are trying to push through any pain or insecurity. He knows if you feel like everyone else has left you. He knows exactly what you need, and He is with you, desiring to be in close, caring, intimate relationship with you.

Embrace the unconditional love Jesus wants to show you today.

In your every thought, every word, and every action, you are loved. Stay close to God, and He will stay close to you.

PRAY:

Jesus, thank you for acknowledging our need for care and relationship in your final moments on the cross. Thank you for always looking upon me with love and favor, no matter what my sins deserve. Give me the perspective to prioritize my relationship with you today, and guide me as I learn how to follow you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

APPLY:

Jesus died not to scowl at us for the price our sin forced Him to pay, but to smile at us in the joy of His eternal relationship with us. As you read Jesus' words and instructions today, imagine Him speaking to you with a smile on His face. How does this change the way you receive the relationship Jesus wants to have with you? Shift your perspective to see He delights in you.

REMEMBER:

Jesus just doesn't want to notice you from across a crowded room...HE wants to walk in with you...Be Blessed

Jesus chose to save us

Read key Scripture: Luke 23:39-43

Thought for Today: It was impossible for Jesus to save Himself if He was going to save us.

As Jesus hung between two criminals, one mocked Him, hurling insults upon Him. "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

Jesus could have escaped this scene of torment and humiliation, but in that moment, He chose to obey the purpose He came to fulfill. Jesus knew He wouldn't do the very thing the criminal asked of Him in Luke 23:39.

You see, it was impossible for Jesus to save Himself if He was going to save us.

In the pressure of everyday life, you may cry out for God to save you. However, Jesus longs to do more than rescue you from dire circumstances. He wants to save your soul first.

The other criminal hanging on a cross next to Jesus recognized Him as the Messiah, the saving King. And in his dying breaths, he made a simple request for salvation: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42).

Jesus did more than remember. He said in Luke 23:43, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." This was a firm promise that Jesus was guaranteeing the thief a place in heaven, with Him.

Consider today the wonder of salvation through Jesus. He offers remembrance and redemption.

When Jesus says, "I will remember you," He's working on our behalf.

He hung on the cross on behalf of our sins.

He endured the wrath of the cross so we would never have to stand before such judgment without a redeemer.

He gave His earthly life to invite us into eternal salvation.

Each day, we get to choose how we remember our salvation.

Will we recount the sin in our life?

Or remember the grace He makes available every day?

Will we regret the choices that put us where we are?

Or remember that Jesus saved us and will work through us as we humbly depend on Him?

No matter what you choose to remember, Jesus has already chosen to remember you, and has guaranteed a place in eternity with Him.

Additional Scriptures:
Genesis 40:9-23.    Lamentations 3: 19-23

PRAY:

Jesus, I praise you for the grace you showed to the man hanging next to you on the cross. Your mercies are greater than anything I can comprehend. Thank you for remembering me specifically, although I deserved the punishment you received. Open my eyes, Lord, to receive the mercy you make available to me so that I may remember you in everything I do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

APPLY:

While Jesus chooses not to remember our sin, they're often easy for us to recall. Write down several ways Jesus has changed you since you received His salvation. For each sin, write, "God delivered me from _____ so that I could receive ______." Celebrate this as a new way to remember the transformative power of your salvation.

Be Blessed...know you are

A blast from the past.

This was a magazine I published years ago. I thought you would find it neat to see and read some of the early ministry. Be Blessed

Christwalk Bible Study: Seeing What Heaven Sees

An example of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words:
I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine,
I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown,
I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak.
I try to imagine the person who etched those words. What hand could have cut such a conviction? What eyes could have seen good in such horror?
There is only one answer. Eyes that chose to see the unseen.

Seeing What Heaven Sees:

An example of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words:

I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine,

I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown,

I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak.

I try to imagine the person who etched those words. What hand could have cut such a conviction? What eyes could have seen good in such horror?

There is only one answer. Eyes that chose to see the unseen.

Questions to consider.

1.            Who has inspired you to believe in the unseen?

2.     Think of a time when you wanted something so much that you were willing to beg for it. Describe your feelings at that time.

3.      What are the complexities of “believing there is more to life than meets the eye”?

When Jesus went in the boat back to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him there. 22A leader of the synagogue, named Jairus, came there, saw Jesus, and fell at his feet. 23He begged Jesus, saying again and again, “My daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so she will be healed and will live.” 24So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed Jesus and pushed very close around him.

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of the synagogue leader. They said, “Your daughter is dead. There is no need to bother the teacher anymore.”

36But Jesus paid no attention to what they said. He told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

37Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James go with him. 38When they came to the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus found many people there making lots of noise and crying loudly. 39Jesus entered the house and said to them, “Why are you crying and making so much noise? The child is not dead, only asleep.” 40But they laughed at him. So, after throwing them out of the house, Jesus took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room where the child was. 41Taking hold of the girl’s hand, he said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means, “Young girl, I tell you to stand up!”) 42At once the girl stood right up and began walking. (She was twelve years old.) Everyone was completely amazed. 43Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell people about this. Then he told them to give the girl something to eat.

                Mark 5:21–24; 35–43

               

The Jairus we see in this story is not the clear-sighted, black-frocked, nicely groomed civic leader. He is instead a blind man begging for a gift. He fell at Jesus’ feet, “saying again and again, ‘My daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so she will be healed and will live.’ ” (Mark 5:23).

He doesn’t barter with Jesus. He doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t make excuses. He just pleads.

There are times in life when everything you have to offer is nothing compared to what you are asking to receive. Jairus is at such a point. What could a man offer in exchange for his child’s life? So there are no games. No haggling. No masquerades. The situation is starkly simple: Jairus is blind to the future and Jesus knows the future. So Jairus asks for his help.

And Jesus, who loves the honest heart, goes to give it.

Jesus compels Jairus to see the unseen. When Jesus says, “Just believe … ,” He is imploring, “Don’t limit your possibilities to the visible. Don’t listen only for the audible. Don’t be controlled by the logical. Believe there is more to life than meets the eye!”

4.     What lesson can you learn from Jairus’ example?

5.     When do the words “Don’t be afraid, just believe” seem like not enough?

6.     What would you say is the single most difficult thing about putting your faith in God?

16So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles. 18We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.

1We know that our body—the tent we live in here on earth—will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a house for us. It will not be a house made by human hands; instead, it will be a home in heaven that will last forever. 2But now we groan in this tent. We want God to give us our heavenly home, 3because it will clothe us so we will not be naked. 4While we live in this body, we have burdens, and we groan. We do not want to be naked, but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be fully covered with life. 5This is what God made us for, and he has given us the Spirit to be a guarantee for this new life.

6So we always have courage. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord. 7We live by what we believe, not by what we can see.

2 Corinthians 4:16–5:7

7.     How is your life different when you live by faith rather than sight?

8.     What evidence have you seen that there is a part of us that longs for heaven?

9.     In what ways does a heavenly perspective change the way we look at our earthly circumstances?

Jesus is asking Jairus to see the unseen. To make a choice. Either to live by the facts or to see by faith. When tragedy strikes we, too, are left to choose what we see. We can see either the hurt or the Healer.

The choice is ours.

Mark it down—God knows living by faith and not by sight doesn’t come naturally. And I think that’s one reason he raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead. Not for her sake—she was better off in heaven. But for our sake—to teach us that heaven sees when we trust.

How can I turn my eyes from the hurt in my life to the Healer?

For Further Study

To study more about faith, read Matthew 8:8–10; Matthew 9:20–22; Luke 17:5–6; Romans 1:17; Romans 4:4–6; 2 Cor. 5:7; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:14.

Additional Questions

10.     What are the unseen things that encourage your faith the most?

11.     How can believers help one another to live by faith?

12.     What practical steps can you take to strengthen your faith?

Feel free to print this out and share with you friends, family, small group, and Church. Share the link and discuss   You are welcome to message me of leave a question or comment. Be Blessed

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