Category Archives: Jesus

Apr 23

This Changes Everything

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There are moments in our lives that cause everything to change: graduation, marriage, promotion, children, diagnosis or death. But what about the resurrection of Jesus? Has it had a profound impact on your life? Are you any different? Has the death and resurrection of Jesus truly changed your life or has it just changed your day? This was the question we considered this past Sunday morning at Karns in our study of God’s Word. Take a few minutes and watch this video and if you feel it is beneficial please share it with others also.

Dec 23

What a Strange Way to Save the World

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Photo Credit: Graceway Media

Back a couple of weeks ago, toward the very end of the CMA Country Christmas on ABC, Rascal Flatts performed a song I had never heard before. The song was called, “Strange Way to Save the World.” I have to be honest, as I listened to that song I couldn’t help but be moved. Think about it for a minute. What if Jesus, the King of Kings, would have entered the world in the manner He deserved? Consider how different His birth might have been.

  1. He might have come from a different place (Lk. 2:1-4). Jerusalem was the holy city; it was the epicenter of Christianity and definitely the kind of place from which a king might come. Nazareth was an obscure, insignificant village, which did not have a good reputation (Jn. 1:46).
  2. He might have had different parents (Lk. 2:4-6). There was nothing special about Joseph or Mary. They were common, ordinary people from a common, ordinary place. Neither was from a royal family.
  3. He might not have been placed in a manger (Lk. 2:7). Jesus, when He was born, was placed in a manger because there was no room in the inn. A manger is the feeding trough of animals. I would suspect most future kings would not be placed in mangers but in fancy royal cribs within the walls of the palace.
  4. He might have had many more people waiting for his birth (Lk. 2:8-16). When royal babies are born everyone is watching and anxiously awaiting the arrival. Remember when the British royal family had their baby earlier this year? When the shepherds arrived they found Mary, Joseph and the baby. There was no media craze. Just a quiet little family.

Yes, it was a strange way to save the world, but it was also the only way. Most kings don’t live anything like the people. Jesus did. Jesus, the King of Kings, entered the world in a humble, ordinary way to show us He understands. That’s why Jesus is able to identify with our struggles (Heb. 4:15). He understands. When you think of it like that, it’s not such a strange way to save the world after all.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Dec 19

The Most Unlikely People Pt. 2: The Shepherds Were Overlooked

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Pen, Diary and Glasses                                              Photo Credit: Generationbass.com via Compfight cc

Yesterday, I asked the question, “Why would He pick them? Of all the people in the world, why would God pick some of the most unlikely to be a part of some of the most amazing news?” If you did not have an opportunity to read that article, click here.

One of the reasons I believe God picked the shepherds was because they were overlooked. I know this may sound like an oxymoron, but consider this with me for a moment. The shepherds were overlooked because of who they were…shepherds. I know there have been many respectable shepherds throughout Jewish history, but at the time of the birth of Jesus, shepherds were anything but respectable. They were looked down upon because of their occupation. Shepherds were considered simple, uneducated and most often poor. They were definitely not the kind of people one would expect God to use to reveal such amazing news.

Not only were they overlooked because of who they were, the shepherd were overlooked because of what they did not have. Remember, a lot of shepherds were poor. Think about a lot of the nativity scenes you see this time of year. Most of them do not even have the shepherds present at the manger. Instead, most nativity scenes have the wise men present with their gifts. The problem with this is the wise men never went to the manger. They went to see Jesus in a house at a later time (Matt. 2:11). If this is the case, then why would a lot of nativity scenes have the wise men at the manger instead of the shepherds? Perhaps the reason is because unlike the wise men, the shepherds had nothing to offer. Jesus was the King of Kings, the expected one who was to come. He deserved the very best people had to offer. Sadly, for those shepherds, they probably had nothing to offer to the great King of Kings.

You see, the shepherds were overlooked because of who they were and what they did not have. And yet, God chose them anyway. Why? Why not choose people of greater importance?

By picking the shepherds God was demonstrating the importance of such people in his plan.

Remember what the angel told the shepherds? “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

God chose the shepherds to teach us a valuable lesson. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35). We are all the work of His hands (Job. 34:19).

Like the shepherds, there is nothing special about most of us. We are just common, ordinary people who have nothing to offer the King of Kings. And still, we have a place in God’s story. No matter who we are, what we do, or what we have or do not have, we all have a place in the story of the savior. The savior came to bring good news of great joy for ALL people, including people like you and me.

Praise be to God for His decision to choose such unlikely people!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

 

Apr 24

It Is Finished…

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When people find themselves nearing the end of their lives, they sometimes say things that are deemed important and remembered for years to come. Sometimes the things remembered are of great importance, while other times they are more sad or even funny.

I find the last sayings of people to be interesting because they can give us insight into what the person was like. For example, Charles Darwin is quoted as having said, “I am not the least afraid to die” (April 19, 1882). Former President of the United States, James K. Polk said, “I love you Sarah. For all eternity, I love you” (spoken to his wife in 1849).

Perhaps some of the most remembered last words come from Jesus, although they aren’t really His last words since He rose from the dead and talked with others again. While Jesus was hanging on the cross He cried for all to hear, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). At first these words seem sad, they sound like words of defeat. It appeared the enemies of Jesus had won. Jesus was hanging on a cross with no means of coming down. His enemies were standing around the cross mocking Him. By all accounts it seemed His cry of “It is finished” was out of defeat.

But praise be to God this was not the case. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished” it was NOT a cry of defeat, but a SHOUT of victory. The words “It is finished” mean, “It stands finished,” “It will always be finished.” These words specify not the end of Jesus’s life, but the completion of His task. Jesus shouted in victory because His mission on earth was done. Consider what these words mean for us today.

1) We no longer live under the Old Law (Col. 2:14).
2) We no longer have to remain separated from God (Rom. 5:8-10).
3) We no longer have to live in fear of death (I Cor. 15:55-57).
4) We no longer have to wonder about our eternal destiny (Jn. 3:16).

When Jesus cried out “It is finished” He was crying out in triumph not defeat. He was the victor. And thanks to Jesus dying on the cross and completing His mission, you and I can overcome our enemy and gain the victory. Praise the Lord, “It is finished.”

Nov 20

Keep on Keepin’ On

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Have you ever experienced rejection? I’m sure you probably have at one point or another. Rejection is a terrible feeling most of us try to avoid. Unfortunately, many times we neglect doing something we know we should do because we are afraid of being rejected.

After Jesus had finished a long discourse through the means of parables, He entered Nazareth and taught in the synagogue. To everyone’s amazement, Jesus seemed very wise and special because of His teaching and miraculous powers. Since Jesus was from Nazareth, he should have been a town hero for the people of this city.  You would have expected the people of Nazareth to stand up and cheer in happiness for Jesus, because Nazareth was considered a lowly town.

Sadly, instead of praising Jesus and parading Him around all of Nazareth, the people responded by saying, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at Him” (Matt. 13:55-57a).

Even though the people of Nazareth were amazed at the teachings of Jesus, they couldn’t get past His family background. He was simply known as the carpenter’s son, ordinary and like everyone else in town. In spite of all He preached and all the miracles He performed, the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus because of His family.

Jesus, the perfect and sinless son of God (Heb. 4:15), was rejected by the very people who should have been the most proud of Him. Now Jesus could have lost hope in His mission and simply refused to preach ever again. He could have allowed this rejection to bring the purpose of God to a halt, but He didn’t. Jesus marveled at their unbelief but then went on fulfilling His purpose on earth.

How many times have you been rejected by others in your service to God? Have you allowed those times of rejection to keep you from continuing with the mission of God? As children of God, we have a responsibility to preach and share the good news of Jesus Christ, even in the midst of rejection (Matt. 28:19-20). I challenge you to follow the example of Jesus when dealing with rejection and to keep on keepin’ on!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

In what ways have you experienced rejection in your service to God?