Pondering Passover

Yesterday I found myself thinking about Passo ver, which we are a couple of days into at this point. Not being from a Jewish family, the significance of Passover is somewhat lost on me from a cultural perspective.

However, several years ago Lisa and I sat down with a group of friends and a former Jewish Rabbi walked us through a traditional passover meal, explaining each element as we went. The symbolism that is tied to each and every item on the table is quite meaningful. If you have the time, the video below from Jews For Jesus is similar to what we experienced.

It is important that I remember my spiritual heritage.
It is important to remember what I have been rescued from. 
I challenge you to pause and reflect on either your current spiritual state of bondage or freedom.
I pray that you will accept the freedom and deliverance found in Christ.

Below are two songs from Andrew Peterson that move me to remember all these things.

Passover Us


Lyrics for "Passover Us" by Andrew Peterson
Well, we all remember Moses on the banks of the river
He said "Pharaoh, you've got to let my people go.
You don't want me to have to tell you this ten times over--
Denial ain't just a river, you know"

So we all remember Pharaoh, he just wouldn't do it
So the plagues came upon Egypt one by one
His heart was hard and the other nine just couldn't move it
So the last was the worst: the death of the firstborn son

Oh but the Lord, he gave to Moses a word for the people
He said their firstborn sons would live to see another day
"Put the blood of a lamb on the doorway and death will pass right over"
That night all the children of Israel prayed,
They prayed,

"Lord, let your judgment passover us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don't let your sweet mercy passover us
Let this blood cover over us here"

So the years went by and the people they whined and they wandered
And only sacrifice atoned for the sins of the land
So you see the priest he placed upon the holy altar
The body of a spotless lamb
And he prayed,

"Lord, let your judgment passover us
Lord, let your love hover near
Don't let your sweet mercy passover us
Let this blood cover over us here"


Deliver Us

Lyrics for "Deliver Us " by Andrew Peterson
Our enemy, our captor is no pharaoh on the Nile
Our toil is neither mud nor brick nor sand
Our ankles bear no calluses from chains, yet Lord, we're bound
Imprisoned here, we dwell in our own land

Deliver us, deliver us
Oh Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight

Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay
These shackles they were made with our own hands
Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give
So Yahweh, break your silence if you can

Deliver us, deliver us
Oh Yahweh, hear our cry
And gather us beneath your wings tonight

'Jerusalem, Jerusalem
How often I have longed
To gather you beneath my gentle wings'

The Fall and God's Love

Lydia's preschool teacher has a blog that she updates every day with lots of photos and updates on what they are learning and doing. This was how today's blog began:

Proud.
Humbled.
Blessed beyond measure.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

The Mystery of Mercy

This song has been playing in my head all morning, as I reflect on what Christ endured for me.

Lyrics for "Mystery Of Mercy " written by Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame, performed by Caedmon's Call:

I am the woman at the well, I am the harlot
I am the scattered seed that fell along the path
I am the son that ran away
And I am the bitter son that stayed

My God, my God why hast thou accepted me
When all my love was vinegar to a thirsty King?

My God, my God why hast thou accepted me
It's a mystery of mercy and the song, the song I sing

I am the angry man who came to stone the lover
I am the woman there ashamed before the crowd
I am the leper that gave thanks
But I am the nine that never came

My God, my God why hast thou accepted me
When all my love was vinegar to a thirsty King?

My God, my God why hast thou accepted me
It's a mystery of mercy and the song, the song I sing

You made the seed that made the tree
That made the cross that saved me
You gave me hope when there was none
You gave me your only Son

My God, Lord you are
My God, my God, Lord you are
My God

Prayer for Belief in All Aspects of God's Work

"Give me the grace to believe that you really do know what is best for me and that I do not. May I cling to Your character and rejoice in Your pursuit of me." - Kenneth Boa

The G.O.S.P.E.L.

There is so much about this video that I love.
I have spent the past 2 weeks watching and listening to it numerous times.
Below I have captured just a few of the lines that struck me I have decided to include the entire text.

(HT: Zach Nielsen)

Here is my transcript from the video "G.O.S.P.E.L.":

It’s the full story of life crushed into four minutes.
The entirety of humanity in the palm of your hand.
And crushed into one sentence.
Listen, it’s intense, right?
God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.
The greatest story ever told that’s hardly ever told.
God. Yes. God.
The Maker and Giver of life – and by life, I mean any and all manner and substance.
Seen and Unseen.  
What can and can’t be touched:
Thoughts. Image. Emotion. Love. Atoms and Oceans.
God.
All of it His handiwork. 
One of which His masterpiece.   
Made so uniquely that angels looked curiously. 
The one thing in creation that was made with His imagery. 
The concept so cold, it’s the reason I stay bold.
How God breathed into man and he became a living soul. 
Formed with the intent of being infinitely, intimately fond
Creator and creation held in eternal bond.
And it was placed in perfect paradise until something went wrong. 
The species got deceived and started lusting for His job.  
An odd list of complaints, as if the system ain’t working    
And used that same breath He graciously gave us to curse Him.  
And that sin seed spread through our soul’s genome  
And by nature, your nature, your species, you participated in the mutiny of
Our, yes, our sins.  
It’s nature inherited. Black in the human heart.
It was over before it started
Deceived from day one and led away by our own lusts
There’s not a religion in the world that doesn’t agree that something’s wrong with us.
The question is “What is it?” and “How do we fix it?”
Are we eternally separated from a God that may or may not have existed?
But that’s another subject
Let’s keep grinding
Besides, trying to prove God is like defending a lion, homey – He don’t need your help.
Just unlock the cage.
Let’s move on how our debt can be paid.
Short and sweet: The problem is Sin. Yes. Sin.
It’s a cancer. An asthma.
Choking out our life force.
Forcing separation from a perfect and Holy God
And the only way to get back is to get back to perfection.
But silly us, trying to pass the course of life without referring to a syllabus.
This is us: “Keep up your good deeds”. Chant. Pray. Meditate.
But all of that, of course, is spraying cologne on a corpse.
Oh you can choose to ignore it, as if something don’t stink
It’s like stepping in dog poop and refusing to wipe your shoe
But all of that ends with how good is good enough?
Take your silly list of good deeds and line them up against perfection:
Good luck!
That’s life past your pay grade.
The cost of your soul. You ain’t got a big enough piggy bank.
But you can give it a shot.
But I suggest you throw away the list.
‘Cause even your good acts are an extension of your selfishness.
But here’s where it gets interesting:
I hope you’re closely listening, please don’t get it twisted, it’s what makes our faith unique.
Here’s what God says is Part A of the Gospel.
You can’t fix yourself, quit trying. It’s impossible.
Sin brings death.
Give God His breath back – you owe Him!
Eternally separated. And the only way to fix it is someone die in your place.
And that Someone got to be perfect or the payment ain’t permanent.
So if, and when, you find a perfect person, get him or her to willingly trade their perfection for your sin and debt
Clearly since the only one that can meet God’s criteria is God
God sent Himself as Jesus to pay the cost for us.
His righteousness, His death functions as Payment. Yes. Payment.
Wrote a check with His life but at the Resurrection we all cheered because that means the check cleared.
Pierce feet. Pierced hands. Blood stained Son of Man.
Fullness. Forgiveness. Free passage into the Promised Land.
That same breath that God breathed into us, God gave up to redeem us.
And anyone and everyone, and by everyone I mean everyone, who puts their faith and trust in Him
And Him alone can stand in full confidence of God’s forgiveness.
And here’s what the promise is:
That you are guaranteed full access to return to perfect unity by simply believing in Christ and Christ alone you are receiving life. Yes. Life.
This is the GOSPEL:
God. Our.Sins.Paying.Everyone.Life.

Redeeming the Culture For Christ

One our pastors and a friend of mine, Freddie Williams, posted the following on Twitter a few days ago:

"Reminded we are invited to redeem ALL parts of life/culture for His glory. Praying God raises up a generation who will embrace this invitation."

This is something that I whole-heartedly agree with.
Today, I saw the following video and I felt like sharing it as a challenge to be on the lookout for ways to redeem our culture and world for Christ. I know this is an ad for a conference, but I liked the content of it and thought it worth sharing.

(HT: Joshua Harris)

The Cost of Redemption

"... one of the key truths about redemption: There is always a price to be paid. And it's expensive. However, when it comes to our personal redemption, which the New Testament describes, we aren't the ones left to cover the cost. In God's economy, He took care of the pricefor our redemption with one huge payment. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, we're bought back from the slavery of sin and death."

- p. 75 "Holy Vocabulary" by Michael Kelley

The Cross Takes Us Beyond Forgiveness

I think sometimes we look at the cross and think of it exclusively in terms of forgiveness. We should do that, because that's where our forgiveness for sin has it's basis. Without the cross, we would still be cursed for our sinful nature and sinful acts that come from it. But the cross takes us beyond forgiveness. We aren't just forgiven. We're righteous, free from the sinful nature that once bound us and the guilt that accompanied it. Because of Jesus' work on the cross, when God looks at us He sees the righteousness of Christ. The cross is the place where sin is exchanged for righteousness.

- pp 65-66 "Holy Vocabulary" by Michael Kelley

The Gospel Song

Lyrics:
Holy God in love became
Perfect man to bear my blame
On the cross he took my sin
By his death I live again.
 
(HT: Bob Kauflin)

A Crutch For the Weak?

Christianity isn't a crutch for the weak; it's a stretcher for the dead. We are so spiritually dead that we aren't even aware that we need to be saved. We need God to step into that deadness to make us aware of the peril.

- p. 49 Holy Vocabulary" by Michael Kelley

Repentance is Valuing Jesus Above All Else

But we can only walk away from something for so long. Eventually, just walking away wears us out. We get tired. We get bitter. We get angry. A moment must come when we aren't just walking away from something. At some point, we have to catch a vision, a breath, a taste of something that turns our attention and focus in a new direction. Only then can we truly leave things in the past and get excited about the future.

In order for repentance to hold, for it to "stick", we must be convinced that we're choosing something better than what we're leaving behind. Our motivation has to be turning toward something rather than just walking away from something else.

And this wraps it up:

Repentance is about choosing life with Christ over life with anything else. So repentance isn't about stopping what we're doing; it's about valuing Jesus more than what we're doing. That's why we turn; not just because our old ways are self-destructive, wrong, or immoral, but because of how much we value Christ. And how much we believe He's better than anything else.

- pp 45-46 "Holy Vocabulary" by Michael Kelley

It's About a Change in Being

That's why the Gospel is so much more than an attempt to change our behavior. The Gospel is about a change in being. In condition. In who we are. Because sin runs so deeply into the very core of who we are, the solution for sin can be nothing less than an absolute change of that same core.

- p. 38 "Holy Vocabulary" by Michael Kelley

It All Adds Up

According to Psalm 19:7-9, the following statements are true:

Law of the Lord = Perfect
Statutes of the Lord = Trustworthy
Precepts of the Lord = Right
Commands of the Lord = Radiant
Fear of the Lord = Pure
Ordinances of the Lord = Sure

All too often I try to substitute "the Lord" for "the world" or "the United States" or "Jeremy".
The math never adds up correctly and it takes me a long time to erase the error from my mind.

God's forgiveness is complete, immediate and permanent.
My ability to forgive myself is not.

It all works out better when we stick to what we know is True.
The above statements provide a solid foundation to build our faith upon.
What math are you using?

An Emotional Hell

"I was shocked the other day to read at the current rate, one in three American women will have at least one abortion by the time they reach age 45. Interestingly, 78% of these women report having a religious affiliation.

Anyway you spin the stats here’s the reality, our churches are full of women who are carrying a tremendous amount of guilt regarding an abortion they’ve had."

(HT: Pete Wilson)

The Prodigal

I found this video and song incredibly moving:


Lyrics to "The Prodigal" from the album "Sons and Daughters":

You held out Your arms, I walked away
Insolent I spurned Your face
Squandering the gifts You gave to me
Holding close forbidden things
Destitute a rebel still, a fool in all my pride
The world I once enjoyed is death to me
No joy, no hope, no life

Where now are the friends, that I had bought
Gone with every penny lost
What hope could there be for such as I
Sold out to a world of lies
Oh, to see Your face again, it seems so distant now
Could it be that You would take me back
A servant in Your house

You held out Your arms, I see them still
You never left, You never will
Running to embrace me, now I know
Your cords of love will always hold
Mercy’s robe, a ring of grace
Such favor undeserved
You sing over me and celebrate
The rebel now Your child

© 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

(HT: Bob Kauflin)

Divine Interruption #2 (Redemption) - REALMnotes

These are notes that I used for last week's college talk.

Traditions, a Tree, Presents and More
When you hear the word Christmas, we think of many things:
Some are family traditions, some are cultural traditions and some are memories of the past.

Tonight we are going to begin at a place that is very familiar to most (if not all) of us. It’s a familiar story. Some of us could recite it. Most of us could tell it. But tonight we are going to take the next step and dive a little deeper into why Christmas is important.

Last week, JTosh talked about the prophecies that were fulfilled by the birth of Christ. He spoke of how Christ’s arrival on Earth was the original Divine Interruption in the timeline of humanity. Tonight we are going to dwell on why the birth of Christ matters from an eternal perspective. To do that, we must take a look at His life and see what makes Him so unique, so worth celebrating.

Obviously, we cannot retell everything about Jesus’ life, so I thought maybe we could start right where Linus left off in the “Christmas story” and work our way through some of the events of Christ’s life.

There are certain moments in Jesus' life that are directly tied to the Temple. As a Jew, there were certain activities that the Law demanded during His life on Earth.

7 Days Old – Luke 2:21
Christ was circumsized.

40 Days Old - Luke 2:25-40 (references Exodus 13:2,12 ; Leviticus 12:8)
Christ was first proclaimed by a man to be God's Promised Salvation and as a Light to the Gentiles. The first pronunciation of how God intended for Salvation to reach all men.

29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

12 Years Old - Luke 2:41-52
Christ is "Lost" at the Temple
Christ first publicly proclaims who He is - God.

48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

33 Years Old – One Week Before His Death - Luke 19:45-48
Jesus Drive the Money Changers out of the Temple

---

Small Group Questions
Read Luke 19:10. What did Jesus say was His purpose for being alive?

Romans 3:23 & Roman 6:23 make it clear that all are lost.
Read carefully through John 3:14-21 and answer the following:
• Does Christ reveal how He will die?
• What was God’s purpose for sending Christ?

Romans 5:17-21 speaks of two men.
• Who is the disobedient man mentioned in this passage?
• What is the result of the actions of the second man?
• What is the importance of Christ’s being fully human, yet fully God?

Galatians 4:4-5
• Why was Christ born according to this passage?
• What do we as Christians get out of His birth?

When we think about these verses, do they increase the importance of what we are celebrating at Christmas? How so?

Does thinking about Christmas as the day God began your adoption process change your perspective at all?

Bonus Question - Does Jesus care if we say Merry Christmas or not?

---

We’ve established why Jesus came to live on the earth for 33 years.
Now let’s look at what He accomplished for all eternity.

At the Moment of His Death - Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38
The Temple curtain is torn in two
- This had separated the Israelites from God.
- Only the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifice on Israel's behalf.
- Without the curtain, there was no way for a proper sacrifice to be offered.
- Without the curtain, there was no way separate the world from God.
- The curtain was ripped apart from top to bottom, something no man could do.

Hebrews 9:22
- The Law demands blood to cover and eliminate sin

Hebrews 9:27
- Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people

Hebrews 10:5-10
- Jesus took on human for for this purpose

Hebrews 10:11-24
- Jesus offered one sacrifice (Himself) and then sat down because the atonement was complete
- Jesus is the High Priest
- Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice, Himself

Hebrews 12:2-3
- Jesus is the cornerstaone of our faith and finisher of our faith

Take-Aways
1. Christ was born in order to fulfill Old Testament prophecies about His birth and death.
2. Christ knew His purpose and lived purposefully.
3. Christ accomplished His life’s mission.
4. We have been adopted into his family and given new life.

It is impossible to celebrate Christmas without the Cross.
Tell the birth story.
Remember the baby.
Study the Man.
Repent at the Cross.
Live as a redeemed child of God.