The Resurrection:God’s Truth,Our Hope:Part 3

June 24, 2009 in faith, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry | Tags: | Leave a comment

   42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;  the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall  also bear the image of the man of heaven.

-  1 Corinthians 15:42-49

    As we continue our study of the resurrection I pray you have been encouraged so far. This is part 3 of a 4 part lesson on the resurrection. Today we are looking at the question “What kind of body will the dead have when they rise?” I’ll pray and then we can get to work.

Prayer:

Father, I thank you for the grace that is coming in the resurrection. One day our bodies which is marked by sickness,pain, and even disability will be changed forever to your glory. I long for that day when we leave all this behind and enter into everlasting life. As I teach today, please help me make clear the truths of Scripture. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

    Does God heal today? Yes, but not always. In his love and great wisdom he chooses to not heal or heal for his glory and our good. In my case, God has chose not to heal me from my cerebral palsy. As I walk trough life and people see the joy I have in Jesus no matter my circumstances he gets glory in that and my joy is increased because more people are attracted to my savior. I don’t the full picture why He allowed me to have cp, but I do know that one day soon I’ll be with Jesus in a body free from death,pain, sin, and even my cerebral palsy. The resurrection is our ultimate hope when it comes to healing. Deep down we crave this. Any person saying they don’t want this is blind to the truth or is filled with pride. If healing in this life was our only hope we should be pitied, but  hear Paul in Romans:

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.-Romans 8:23

Focus back on the key scripture today now:

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; [5] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall  also bear the image of the man of heaven.

  There is coming a day when the dead are raised imperishable. We will bear the image of Christ who is from heaven. Our natural body that is filled with death, pain,sin, and sickness will be raised a spiritual body free from all of these things. When the Bible means here about spiritual body is not that we will be ghost, but have a body similar to Christ’s resurrected, glorified body. For more on this, see  part 1 of “The Resurrection:God’s Truth, Our Hope”.  We will not be fat angel babies floating on clouds playing harps. I will remain Michael Matthews, but my body will be glorified like Jesus after his resurrection. We do not become all powerful or all knowing. He is still God and we remain human. Let’s now look at the remaining verses of chapter 15.

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
 O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

      We all must die, but we don’t lose hope.  One day I will die and my body will be put in the grave or Jesus will come back and I will be changed without death. But either way I will be raised free from death, sin, pain, and my cp. Our hope is not in this life, it’s in the life to come. So we press on knowing that this is not it! Whatever circumstances we are in, they will not last forever even if they never change in this lifetime.We were made to live with God forever. It will be better then we can imagine.

5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on [1] we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.- 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

I want to wrap this up by saying that when we die, our spirit does go to be with Lord. Don’t think we will be in some type of soul sleep in the grave. We will of an experience with the Lord, but won’t be a complete one till our spirits and bodies are reunited in the resurrection. We will eat, play, serve,worship,learn, all to the glory to God through Jesus. It’s awesome to know that my God will be the first person to see me without cerebral palsy. I pray you have enjoy these lessons. Next week in part 4 I will talk about how this all applies to the disability community. God bless.

Love Gives Up Childish Ways

June 19, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: , | Leave a comment

13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; [2] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

       It’s one thing to teach others about loving God and people but to walk the walk is another. We who are in ministry get so caught up in doing ministry that we forget to check our hearts. I realized this during the past week that i lost focus of God and my identity in Him. It does not matter how much I know about God if I’m not trusting him and loving him. A man of God must give up all his selfish childish ways if he is going to fulfill the life God is calling him to.  He has to be kind,patient, not cocky,not rude, not irritable, not resentful, and don’t delight in wrongdoing but rejoice with the truth.When things get hard he bears it. He believes in all things will turn out good. He has hope and endures. Like love he never stops living out the marks of love found in the bible.  God does not care what gifts and talents you have if your heart does not love him or others. God is love, and will help his men carry out the call of love. I don’t have this down yet, and know I won’t till heaven but I’m asking Jesus to help me kill my childish ways and step up to the challenge of Love. I pray this for all men

120:When People are Against You

June 18, 2009 in faith, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Psalm 120

A song of ascents.

    1 I call on the LORD in my distress,
       and he answers me.

    2 Save me, O LORD, from lying lips
       and from deceitful tongues.

    3 What will he do to you,
       and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

    4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,
       with burning coals of the broom tree.

    5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,
       that I live among the tents of Kedar!

    6 Too long have I lived
       among those who hate peace.

    7 I am a man of peace;
       but when I speak, they are for war.

    I was studying last night about how God promises us that He’ll equip us with the Spiritual weapons and Armor that we need to fight the good fight of faith. Psalm 120 was my key scripture in my study and it blessed me so much. I learned from that scripture that the Father will deliver me from every lie that is said about me. He gives me the weapons for war and stands in the battle with me.No foe has a chance for victory when I stand in the will of God. I gained so much last night about God as my Father and how any good father might respond to someone who is messing with their kids. It brought me peace that any enemy that faces me, even the devil, must face my Father. I also learned alot about the times I fall short and sin. I fall because I don’t have my focus on the Lord and I don’t listen to His Word. When I’m digging in the Word for truth and letting the Spirit lead me I can spot the devil’s schemes a mile away. It’s the times I try doing this life on my own that I start losing battles. Everyday, every moment and every breath we take, we have a choice to trust God with our lives or allow Satan to get us to doubt God. I think every sin starts with doubting the goodness of God. Does God really love me? Is His way really best for my life? Is God better than this sin? Is God good?  I can go on and on, but I think you get the picture, As Christians, we need to know that we are His children and he knows what’s best for us. That He fights for us, and prepares us to also fight. We have victory in Jesus. Verse 7 is my favorite in this Psalm:

7 I am a man of peace;
       but when I speak, they are for war.

    “I’m not looking for a fight”, the psalmist is saying, “but if fight I must, the warrior in me will rise with the power of the Word and release a deadly arsenal”. The Christian life is not a passive life, we must, with God’s help ,be involved in the fight for our faith. If we don’t we’ll be lukewarm at best and be worthless for the Kingdom. Whatever you are facing, Never give up! Never Stop Fighting!

The Resurrection:God’s Truth,Our Hope:Part 2

June 17, 2009 in faith, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

the This week, we will continue to look at what the Bible says about the promise of the resurrection. Last week we looked at the awesome reality of the Resurrection of Jesus. He lives, and because he lives we will live with him forever. The grave will not have the last word. I’ll pray and we can get started.

Prayer:

“Father, we praise you that you are the God of the Living.We pray that by your Holy Spirit that our eyes would be open to see the joy that we have in the resurrection. May I teach with clarity and that by what i say, hearts will be open to see the greatness of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

1 Corinthians 15:12-19: What If Jesus is not Alive?

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.19 If in Christ we have hope  in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

   Everything about the Christian faith depends on rather Jesus rose or not for if he didn’t Paul points out the following:

v.12: If Christ is proclaimed as raised, why are some saying there is no resurrection of the dead.

v.13: if there is no resurrection then not even Jesus is raised.

       So what’s the impact on our life and faith if this was true? Paul continues to break it down for us:

v.14: Preaching Christ is in vain. Our faith in him is in vain.

v.15: if its true that Jesus raised, but we say he is then Paul says we are misrepresenting God.

v.17: If Jesus is not raised, our faith means nothing and we are still in our sins. Wrap your heart around this. Last week we learned that Jesus died for our sins and was raised for our justification. But if he is dead we are still in our sin and God’s wrath remains on us.

v.18: those who died believing in Christ has perished. They will never live again. we will never see them again.

v.19: we should be pitied if only in this life we have hope in Christ. If there is no grace, no forgiveness of sins, no new creation, and no eternal life then we have been fools to believe in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:20-33: Great News, Jesus is Alive!

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God  has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

       Yes! Yes! Yes! Praise God, Jesus is alive. We are not fools. Our faith is not dead because our God and Savior is not dead. We are free from our sins.Dig in and see for yourself:

v.20: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first from those who have fallen asleep. Because he lives, by a living hope, we know that we will live.

v.21: Through Adam came death but through Jesus comes the resurrection to life. Eternal life is only in a risen Lord Jesus.

v.23: At his second coming all those who have died in Christ will be raised to life everlasting.

v.26: Our enemy Death will be destroyed forever.

v.29: People can’t be baptized for those who have already died, but Paul is asking the Corinthians why people are doing that if they didn’t believe in the resurrection. The fact that they were baptizing for the dead showed that they believed in the resurrection.

v.30,32: Paul is saying why is he risking his life for the Gospel if Jesus is not alive. That would make no sense. But like Paul we know that whatever we face for Christ and his Gospel because even if we die Jesus is coming with his reward. Life with Him.I think he even is using sarcasm in verse 32 when he quotes the false teachers who were saying “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” That would be true if our God is not alive but because he lives we should aim to live a life that honors God for the grace he has showered us with.Read 2Corinthians 5:6-10:

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

  To wrap it up, Jesus is living today as our Advocate with the Father and as our King. This truth should bring you joy as you live your life for Jesus by the power of His Spirit. If you believe this your not going to be careless about how you live. We who believe this will live with God forever. I’ll end with one of my favorite scriptures. Revelation 21:1-8

21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place  of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,  and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Amen! No more cerebral palsy, no more cancer, no more fathers leaving their families. No more tears caused by pain. No more depression. No more little girls being raped. All so we can enjoy living with Jesus more to his glory. In your heart you know you want this, i pray you desire this. I pray you desire him. People with disabilities should take hope in this. This truth does not take away from your current life like some in the disability movement are falsey saying. It adds to it. It makes sense of your life with a disability. I long for the day I don’t have CP,and the first person to see me without it will be My Jesus. With My new body I’ll raise my hands high in worship. With a perfect mouth I’ll sing with the angels praising my king. With perfect eyes I’ll see the reward of my long battle with my Cp.:Jesus! It’s Jesus! Oh how I want that day to come. But till then I’ll press on as Jesus uses my life and circumstances to bring him glory. Be encouraged by this. Don’t have a hard heart and run from this. Because He lives we can face tomorrow.

Next 2 weeks:

Part 3:The resurrection body: how will it look like? Will people know us?

Part 4: Jesus and the Disability movement

At The Crossroads

June 13, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

 So, I’m writing this post after the second day of the ADAPT youth summitt, and I have to be honest, I’m feeling torn right now. I been involved in ADAPT for almost six years now, but I think it’s time I step back  and take a break from ADAPT for a season. Robin and I are becoming foster parents and we are trying to start a family. I want to be the best husband and daddy that I can be, and latey ADAPT has been bringing out the worst in me. I been a hot-tempered person since I was a teen, and been working on it,praying,and trusting God to help me be kind, peaceful, loving,merciful,and graceful. He has used these last few days to show me things that are in my heart that i need to kill. I have had my buttons pushed by the trainers and there’s been times when i was quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger(James 1:19) but there’s been times that my temper got  the best of me. I let my circumstances of flying alone to Chicago, finding a cab, and getting lost looking for my room steal my joy. But I prayed and got my heart refuled in scripture and no matter what my joy needs to be in my God and not my circumstances. He’s with me no matter what. He’s my peace! I need not to be afraid.

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, [1] a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

No matter what happens for the rest of the weekend, I got Jesus. And He’s enough for me. People here can like me or hate me but he’ll never leave me or forsake me.

6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper;
 I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”- Hebrews 13:6

No matter what decision I make about ADAPT right now, the Lord is with me and will help me do the right thing. God Bless.

Tell Your Wife She’s Beautiful!

June 11, 2009 in faith, marriage, Youth Ministry | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

6 How beautiful and pleasant you are,
O loved one, with all your delights!- SOS 7:6

I want to encourage married couples to read Song of Solomon together. God is not silent about sex in the Bible, and SOS protrays the awesome love between a husband and a wife who are free to enjoy eachother’s body. When you read this book you’ll realize how much they love one another. They only have eyes for their spouse and they don’t have a boring sex life. Today’s culture of hook up, shack up, and then break up will never understand this love.  This verse in chapter 7 is part of a section where the husband is describing all his wife’s beautiful features, and I’m not talking about some g-rated hallmark card kind of way. He is in complete love with this women. There is no time he compares her to another women. She is his only standard of beauty. In chapter 8, the bride’s friends ask her what advice to give her friend who feels like they are not beautiful. Here is what the bride says in bold:

We have a little sister,
 and she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build on her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

She

10 I was a wall,
and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds peace.

 

To her, it didn’t matter what others thought of her, because her husband made her feel beautiful, told her she was beautiful. Here is how you apply this as a husband, if your wife is tall and skinny, then she is your standard of beauty.If your wife is shorter or more curvy, then that is what your idea of sexy is. Lust after your wife right now! Do It! Romance her and make her feel like the bride in the book of Song of Solomon.

     I love my wife, and we enjoy eachother to the glory of God. In  my eyes she’s my standard. My idea of beauty is Robin at 30,40,50, and whatever age stage we are in. There is no time that it is right to trade your wife in on a “newer version” Men need to start stepping up. This is my offical Christian advice on this matter:

Be Faithful

Tell her she’s beautiful

Lust after her

Romance her

And have lots and lots of sex(nothing that will shame either partner,but enjoy each other, try new things, God is glorified when husband and wife enjoy each other)

Don’t get mad at me, Read the book, and see how married sex can be the best sex. God is awesome!

Asking God To Search Our Hearts

June 8, 2009 in faith, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts! 
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! 

    We all sin, We all have negative thoughts at times, and there are times that we are blind to the things that are in are hearts. Life can weigh us down and we can lose focus on God. That’s why we need to be like David, and ask God to search our hearts. He knows us better then we know ourselves. There is nothing about our lives that is hidden  from him.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.- Psalm 139:1-3

 The Good, the bad,and the ugly of our heart  are laid out before him. He is acquainted with all my ways verse three says. Who else is best equipped to tell us what’s going on in our hearts? This should be a joy to us, and not lead us to dread. If your following Christ, you want to please him, but there will be times when you’ll get into sin, or the danger of falling into it, and God as a faithful friend and Father will come beside you to lift your heart to the things of God. Just ask him for help. I pray all the time for him to point out what may be hinding in my heart that could keep me from having joy in Christ. As of Late  I have not had the right perspective about  my job. I have not enjoy the circumstances surrounding my job, and my attitude at work reflected those feelings. I prayed, Asking God to shed light on the situation. He reminded me, that no matter what situation I’m in, I’m really serving him by doing my work to his glory, even in the worst enviroments. This brought me joy, and I been happier at work. Circumstances have not changed but my focus did ,because God help me see my heart. We who love God will echo David’s prayer “Lead me in the way everlasting!”  We want a heart after God’s own heart and this takes us to be humble asking God to prune us. It hurts like hell, but it’s worth it. Jesus is worth it.

Prayer:

“Father, We believe,Heal our unbelief. Search our hearts and show us if there is stuff in our heart that offends you, and is keeping us from treasuring you above all things. In Jesus’s Name . Amen.”

The Resurrection: God’s Truth,Our Hope: Part 1

June 8, 2009 in faith, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The Resurrection of Christ

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.-1 Corinthians 15:1-8

        In 1 Corinthians 15, we find the great hope of our faith. The resurrection is addressed here by Paul. First, The Resurrection of Jesus, then the resurrection of the dead, and third  he speaks of the resurrection body. But like Paul, I want to focus on the Lord’s resurrection, because if he is not alive today then are faith is in  the teachings of a man who died over 2000 years ago on a cross, not the God-man who conquered the grave and is reigning today. How you view Jesus effects how you live for him. I pray, this post and the three to come will bring you great joy in the risen King. Let’s dig in to the Scriptures:

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.- 1 Cor 15:1-2

In the opening verses of chapter 15, Paul is reminding the Corinthians of the good news they have belived. False teachers were spreading lies in the church that Jesus did not rise, and that there is no resurrection from the dead. This lie is still being proclaimed in our day, and like Paul we need to encourage people with the truth.  And in verses 3 and 4 Paul exalts the gospel again. These verses sum of the message of Christ cleary, leaving no doubt what Christians believe:

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,- 1 Cor 15:3-4

      We must believe the whole Gospel, not just that he died for our sins, because our justfication(being made righteous by God) depends on the death and resurrection of Christ. Romans 4:24- 25 says :

24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

“This means that by his death he paid the penalty for our sins and purchased our acquittal, our justification, our forgiveness. And since the achievement of the cross was so complete and the work of our justification so decisive, God raised Jesus from the dead to validate our forgiveness and to vindicate his Son’s righteousness and to celebrate the work of justification.”

- John Piper

          Jesus being alive validates all the claims about him as our Savior. It proves that he had the power to die for our sins and he truly is the Son of God. He lives not in our imagination or in spirit form, people saw him in a resurrected body. Focus your heart on verses 5 through 8:

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

This proof is overwhelming and brings me great joy. He appeared to Peter,James, and Paul. But also to over 500 people. At this point you may be thinking, yeah but only as a ghost. No, It was in the flesh and bone. Here is what scripture says:

Jesus and Thomas (John 20:24-29)

24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin,  was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus appears to the disciples and Eats (Luke24:36-43)

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,  43 and he took it and ate before them.

Even these disciples thought they were seeing a spirit, but Jesus assured them he was not merely a spirit but flesh and bones, and even ate with them.That is awesome news for us. It should bring you great joy that we worship and serve a LIVING GOD in Jesus Christ. This means:

We are not still in our sins(More on this next week)

He hears us when we pray

He loves and cares for us.

He is the source of eternal life!

He is God!

If  Your a Christian be strengthen by the truth that He Lives. If you read this and had questions about if christianity can be trusted, I pray that you have been moved to desire the forgiveness that only a risen Christ can offer. To my friends in the disability community who have  a hard time believing  the idea of the “new body”, please stay tuned. I’ll adress those concerns in the next blog posts. But I want to encourage you to take your questions to Jesus. It’s in him where you’ll get answers. God Bless.

I want Jesus to have the Last Word:

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.-Revelation 1:17-18

The Resurrection:God’s Truth, Our Hope

June 4, 2009 in faith, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry | Tags: | Leave a comment

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

This past weekend I had an conversation with a co-worker who also has cerebral palsy about God and heaven. There is so many lies and misconceptions about God going around in the disability community that I will deal with these and  a four part blog series. This post  is the introduction to the upcoming series titled “The Resurrection:God’s Truth,Our Hope”. I Pray you are encouraged and challenged by theses post. God bless and stay tuned.

Act Like Men!(Be Faithful to Your Wife)

May 20, 2009 in faith, marriage, Youth Ministry | Tags: , , | 2 comments

13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

This verse can apply to all Christians to keep watch to not fall into temptation, stand strong in faith, and to not give up on God when life gets hard. But I want husbands to focus on this verse today. I want them to act like men and be faithful to God and their wives. Next to your relationship to Jesus Christ, the relationship with your wife is the most important one you will have in this life,so honor it, love it,and protect it. Sexual sin is running wild in the church today, and most churches are turning a blind eye to it. In particular, porn addiction seems to be the devil’s weapon of choice in keeping men enslaved to their sin. So many men are missing their calling to greatness because they can’t put porn to death. It’s time! If your a man and your letting porn rule you, trust God to help you act like a man and kill it before it kills you. you will lose everything if you don’t. Stop justifying your sin by saying I’m not really cheating on my wife by watching porn, because Jesus says:

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.-Matthew 5:27-28

So many Christians have said that porn is bad but it’s not really cheating, but their most likely saying this because their looking at porn, and don’t want to stop. It’s childish sneaking around on the computer looking at porn or watching late night tv. That’s not being a man, little boys do that.  Are you a boy, a man, or a man of God? Stop playing games with Jesus.

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.- 2 Timothy 2:22

  But stopping the behavior is not enough. You must deal with the root of the problem. Your problem is a heart problem. You need to dig deep down into the core of who you are and check your heart. Check out what Jesus said about the heart in Mark 7:20-23:

20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

    So what can you do about your heart? That’s not the question to ask. The question to ask is  what does God do about man’s heart problem? He gives us a new heart and new desires with a new life that can be lived free from sin, and to live for him and with him forever.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules-Ezekiel 36:26-27

  This is the beautiful doctrine of regeneration that happens when one comes to faith in Jesus Christ. Once where a hard heart beat for sin and folly now sits a new heart which longs to worship Jesus, pray to Jesus, serve Jesus and others, witness to others about what God has worked in you, and with the Spirit’s help the power to kill sin in your life. This is why Jesus proclaims we must be born again. We need a new heart to ever see Jesus as worthy of our devotion. When you are a Christian you are given a new heart, new desires, and a new life. The very core of  who you are is changed forever. Your desires are about Jesus Christ. You love him, you want to worship him, pray to him, serve others, read your bibles, and go to church. Being a Christian is not about what you don’t get to do, but what you get to do. Which are the things I just mention. We see them as a joy not a duty. In Christ, we are new creations(2 corinthians 5:17). A Christian deepest desires will be all about God, but because of our sin nature we will have conflicting desires, these lesser desires we call temptations, but the more we focus on the True desires of our hearts, the lesser desires will lose power over us.  This fact should bring you great joy. You can have victory over porn. Check out these verses from Scripture:

 5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.- Proverbs 20:5

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.- Psalm 37:4

What are your Deepest Desires?

Are they for Jesus or something else?

Your God, your wife, your children, and the body of Christ is counting on you to step up and start acting like a man. Be Strong, Be Faithful, for God is with you.

14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?  And what was the one God  seeking?  Godly offspring. So guard yourselves  in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,  says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers  his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”- Malachi 2:14-16

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