Fri 26th June - #71. Great Expectations?

When you were younger did you have plans? I don’t know what they were but I’m sure they were full of many lovely things. Maybe you pictured yourself living in the country with 2.6 children, 1.3 husbands/wives (after all we all put weight on), a holiday each year in Mauritius. But things haven’t turned out like this maybe?

Peter had great plans and it was all to do with what Jesus would become and Peter's part in Jesus' Kingdom. Imagine Peter’s shock and distaste when he’s told that Jesus’ plans are very different to Peters. Let’s read today’s scripture -

Mark 8

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke Him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ He said. ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’

Peter’s problem was that he was so focused on his agenda which was based on his experiences, hopes and dreams that Jesus’ agenda seemed absurd.

Do you ever pray the Lord’s prayer and when you get to the bit that says “your will be done” you secretly hope that His will is the same as yours? We often think our way is better than God’s and that God’s way will be second best or not as good as our way.

C S Lewis said this ‘“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

There is much of Peter in all of us and so watching Peter’s interaction with the Lord during His life is an interesting exercise to take. We see the best and worst in Peter and we see how the Lord responds to him.

This morning

thank God that Jesus followed His Father’s will and not Peter’s will.
Remind your self that your heavenly Father “works all things together for good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Play this song on you tube - What a Good God by Paul Baloche - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6b5KbE320c

Have a good weekend praising our good God who’s ways are best.

Much love

Tim

Thurs 25th June - #70. Good News for Bad Company

Today, just a simple reminder of the good news we have to share: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.* (John 3v16)

When John uses the word “world” he is not usually talking about the “bigness” of the world, but the “badness” of the world. The world that has gone bad by rebelling against God and going its own way and falling deep into sin.

God loved that world – a world full of bad company.

But God didn’t just love the world… he “so” loved the world. The adverb shows how great God’s love is for bad people. It is almost unimaginable that the Holy God, surrounded by holy angels, loves such sinful people! This must mean that God’s love, unlike our love doesn’t depend on its object. God doesn’t love people because they are lovely! The reason why God loves is because of who God is: God is love!

And God’s love for bad, sinful people is sacrificial love: He “gave His one and only Son…” God gave Jesus to sinful, bad people. God gave His Son to actually die a horrendous death on a cross so as to save bad people! I hope we haven’t gotten used to that stunning fact?

And God’s love is a saving love. Anyone who believes in Jesus avoids perishing and is saved to eternal life!

And God’s love takes in all kinds of bad, sinful people! An adulterer in Samaria; a prostitute in Magdala; a cheat in Jericho; a religious snob in Jerusalem; a murderer from Tarsus; a thief on the cross… and you wherever you are from and whatever you have done wrong: For God so loved … (INSERT YOUR NAME) that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

We have good news for bad people.

Love from Paul

Wed 24th June - #69. Who do you say I am?

Do you know who you are? Part of who you are is linked to your upbringing, experiences, the people you keep company with and the place you live. But, most importantly, our identity is connected to how we respond to Jesus each day.

This morning Jesus asks a question about His identity -

Mark 8

27 Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.

It’s easy to share other people’s views on Jesus, this is what the disciples did. But on this occasion Jesus wants to know who they think He is.

We seem today to have a lightbulb moment - Peter rightfully sees who Jesus is, he is the Messiah.

However, we will see that Jesus’ idea of who the Messiah is, will be different to Peters.

Jesus must clarify that the Messiah of God is to be humbled (v. 31; 10:45) and exalted (8:38) for the sake of His people. This goes against popular expectations.(ESV Study Bible)

Also, it is worth noting - Peter’s confession is God-given (Matt. 16:17) but incomplete (Mark 8:31–33), for the messianic Son of Man is both divine (Ps. 110:1, 5; Dan. 7:13–14; Mark 8:38; 12:35–37) and destined to suffer (Isa. 53:1–12; Mark 8:31; 10:45). This is why Jesus charges His disciples to not to tell anyone about him.

This morning, consider Jesus’ true identity and praise Him using the words from Philippians 2.5-11

5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself. 6 He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7 Not at all. When the time came, He set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, He stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, He lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.
9 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honoured him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, 10 so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, 11 and call out in praise that He is the Master of all, to the glorious honour of God the Father.
(The Message)

Much love

Tim

Tues 23rd June - #68. Dancing Queen

People dance for different reasons. To enjoy themselves, to get close to someone they love, to exercise, for fun, to portray a story or express a deep meaning, or for a prize, or for the Glitterball Trophy!

How about dancing for joy because the Lord has done great things?

Miriam

“Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing”(Ex 15v20). Miriam was overjoyed at what the Lord had done in delivering the people of God from slavery and bringing them to safety on the other side of the Red Sea. She just had to dance! Oh, and she wasn’t only 17… she was around 90 years old.

King David

“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might” (2 Sam 6v14). He was just so happy. He was so excited that the ark of the covenant was coming into Jerusalem that he did a hop, skip and a jump before it! He had to give expression to his joy! Sadly his wife, Michal, didn’t like him doing this at all and she despised him for it. He should have said to her “shut up and dance with me!”

Charles Wesley

Now you may not want to actually move your feet or bend those knees, or sway those arms…. fair enough. But why not let you heart dance for joy at what God has done for you? This is what Charles Wesley the great hymn writer did:

MY FATHER DIVINE,

by your loving design

I am yours, and I know that my Jesus is mine;

in the sacrificed Lamb

full of comfort I am

and my heart it will dance to the sound of your name.

All these people danced because they had the joy of the Lord in them as they considered how much God had done for them. So here is a reminder of what God has done for you. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn 3v1,2).

Well, do you, do you, do you, do you wanna dance?

Love from Paul

Mon 22nd June - #67. I can see clearly now…

How good is your vision? Do you have 2020 vision? Do you wear glasses? This morning we meet a man who is blind and he is desperate to see. Jesus could heal him and He does, but it’s not immediate.

Mark 8:22-26

22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When He had spat on the man’s eyes and put His hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’

24 He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don’t even go into the village.’

Have you ever thought why this healing didn’t happen immediately? Listen to how one commentator has put it -

Of course, Jesus didn’t fail the first time He laid hands on the blind man. This wasn’t a case of second time lucky. The clue to understanding this two-stage miracle is found by looking at where Mark has placed it. Before this passage, Peter and the other disciples are blind to who Jesus is and why He has come (8 v 17-18). After this passage, Peter sees who Jesus is, but not why He has come (8 v 27-33).

Mark has described this episode here so that we know where Peter’s insight came from, and so that we understand that he still doesn’t see Jesus clearly yet. Jesus opens the eyes of the physically blind man in two stages. And Jesus opens the eyes of the spiritually blind man, Peter, in two stages as well.

It shouldn’t surprise us when we talk about Jesus that people can’t see Him for who He really is. Paul the apostle tells us that this world and all this world has to offer can blind people as he says

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4.4)

Pray today that as you talk about Jesus with friends, family, colleagues that God would make them see the light (the gospel) and see the wonder and glory of Jesus.