Joy to the World! He is Risen!

 

I know we don't usually say Joy to the World on Resurrection Sunday, but that is truly when the joy happened!  My favorite song for this morning is "Easter Song" written by Annie Herring and recorded with her brother and sister in the group Second Chapter of Acts (listen here).  Keith Green does a fabulous job with it, too, you can hear his version here. Turn up the volume and sing along!

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah!

Joy to the World!

I know we don't usually say Joy to the World on Resurrection Sunday, but that is truly when the joy happened!  My favorite song for this morning is "Easter Song" written by Keith Green.  You can hear his version here.  Second Chapter of Acts does a fabulous job with it, too (listen here).  Turn up the volume and sing along!

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah!

Repost: When Satan Runs Amok in the Streets

I received an email yesterday from a modest clothing company called Kosher Casual.  According to their website: "The Kosher Casual mission is to make high-quality clothing basics that are modest, affordable and comfortable - to not only look good, but to live in."  The email said, "Happy Purim!"  This reminded me of a Sunday school lesson that Les taught.  I blogged about it in 2015, but wanted to re-post it today as Purim begins at sundown.

 

Our adult Sunday school class has been studying Feasts and Celebrations this quarter.  This past Sunday, Les taught a fabulous lesson about the Festival of Purim.  This is the celebration that was instituted after the Jews were delivered from Haman's wicked plot in the book of Esther.

This feast is still celebrated each year in March. It covers two days, the first being the Fast of Esther, followed by the Festival of Purim. This particular fast has one purpose - to remember God’s deliverance of the Jews from Haman’s attempt at extermination.  We don't usually fast to remember, but to ask God for something.  I know I have never fasted in remembrance of what God has done for me.  The next day, during the Festival of Purim, is a time of joyful celebration.

Les concluded the lesson by sharing a story of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.  400,000 Jews were rounded up and 300,000 were eventually killed.  It was a dark time.  There was nothing to celebrate, but Rabbi Kalonymos Kalman said:

"In the Zohar it is written that Yom Kippurim means Yom ke Purim, ‘a day just like Purim’. That is to say, just as on yom Kippur – whether you like it or not – you must fast on orders of the Holy One, blessed be He; so you must rejoice on Purim. Even if Satan runs amok in the streets, you have to be happy, it is the will of God."

If anyone had a reason not to celebrate, it was these Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.  It is said that young Gerer Hasidim courageously emerged from their bunkers in the Warsaw Ghetto on the festival of Purim in 1943 and danced in the spirit of this joyous festival.

It often seems like Satan runs amok in the streets of America, but we must rejoice, it is the will of God.  We serve the God of deliverance and He will come through for us! 

Sliced Bread

Most of us have heard the saying,“That’s the best thing since sliced bread!” What do you think is actually the best thing since sliced bread?

 

Earlier this week I had an idea about how I wanted this post to go.  My answer was simple and straight forward:  Jesus is the best thing ever, not just since sliced bread!  I thought the words to "If Heaven Never was Promised to Me" or "Jesus is the Best Thing" would fit nicely.  But I just couldn't seem to get the post written.

I headed out for a run this morning.  It rained most of yesterday, so the air was fresh, about 37 degrees, no wind.  Just like I like it!  I turned on my music and about the fifth song was a new one by Jordan Feliz - "Jesus is Coming Back."  If you haven't heard it yet, go find it on your favorite music site, it's awesome!  I listened to it on repeat this morning and knew that was the answer - having Jesus in my life is wonderful, but when He comes back, that is going to be the best!

Jesus said in Luke 21:28, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."  In that chapter, Jesus answered the questions, "Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?"

 

The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19, " If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."  I love the second line of the first verse of this song, "Crazy as it seems, yeah, I know it's gonna be okay."  It's going to be okay!  My hope isn't in Washington, D.C. It doesn't scare me, it's temporary!  No executive order is going to change the day that is appointed.

 

Jesus Is Coming Back

 

We know, He's coming back (we know, we know)
We know, He's coming back (we know, we know)
We know, He's coming back (we know, we know)
We know, He's coming back

 

Have you ever thought that the world has kinda lost its way?
Crazy as it seems, yeah, I know it's gonna be okay, oh, yeah
It doesn't scare me, it's temporary
There's something better, we got forever
And it won't be long, 'cause we know our help is on the way, the way

 

So, keep your head up
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back
No don't you give up, hey
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back
And when the world gets complicated
We gonna keep on celebrating, 'cause we know (yeah, we know)
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back

 

Gotta stay awake 'cause nobody knows the day or time, no
The trumpet's gonna blow, and the skies are gonna open wide, oh, yeah
He's coming for us, just like He told us
It's been a long wait, but there's a new day
And we're gonna sing hallelujah when the King arrives

 

Oh, you know you gotta keep your head up
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back
No, don't you give up, no, no
'Cause Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back
And when the world gets complicated
We gonna keep on celebrating, 'cause we know
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back

 

Are you ready?   

Are you ready?
People get ready  

People get ready
Are you ready?
Are you ready?
People get ready
People get ready
Are you ready?
Are you ready?
People get ready
Yeah, let's get ready

 

Oh, He's coming back
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back
No don't you give up
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back
And when the world gets complicated
We gonna keep on celebrating, 'cause we know (yeah, we know)
Jesus is coming back, Jesus is coming back

Now isn't that so much greater than sliced bread?

Fear Not! He Is Risen!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!  I hope you take the time to rejoice that we have a risen Savior!

The greatest "Fear Not" in the Bible happened at dawn on the first day of the week.  Once again, an angel was dispatched with news.  Matthew chapter 28 records:

1) In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2)  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3)  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4)  And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5)  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6)  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7)  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8)  And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
9)  And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
10)  Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

Several commentaries pointed out the word "ye" in verse 5.  The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary put it this way, "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye — The “ye” here is emphatic, to contrast their case with that of the guards. “Let those puny creatures, sent to keep the Living One among the dead, for fear of Me shake and become as dead men; but ye that have come hither on another errand, fear not ye."

The Biblical Illustrator by Joseph S. Exell, M.A. said this:
Fears dispelled
Why should not the seekers of Jesus fear?
I. Because in seeking Him, they have an evidence that He has sought them, and found them, and touched their hearts.
II. They that seek Christ should rejoice; for in seeking they shall certainly find.
III. In finding Christ, they find everything suited to banish their fears. Christ has magnified the law. Sin taken away that troubles the conscience; death disarmed of his sting; the grave of its terrors; the dominion of Satan destroyed.
IV. Nothing shall finally separate them who have sought and found Christ

I know I posted this song earlier this month, but here it is again.  My favorite song for this morning is "Easter Song" written by Keith Green.  You can hear his version here.  Second Chapter of Acts does a fabulous job with it, too (listen here).  Turn up the volume and sing along!  You can't have fear and joy at the same time.

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah!

Fear Not, Daughter of Zion

I saved this post especially for today - Palm Sunday.  Most of the time we would be at church, waving our palms.  For some that would be actual palm branches, for some it would the palms of our hands.  We celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  John 12:12-16 says, "On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.  And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,  Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him."

This is one of many prophecy that Jesus fulfilled.  Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

Poor Man's Commentary by Robert Hawker says:
It is worthy remark, that the four Evangelists all notice this triumphal entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, five days before his death as if to testify the prophecy concerning it. (Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9.) And it is worthy of still further remark, that none but Christ ever made such a public entry, and therefore the conclusion is undeniable. Behold! how distinguished from every other king, is Zion’s king. No trumpets, no gorgeous apparel, no courtly attendants, but as the Lord himself was meek and lowly, every accommodation corresponded to the humble appearance! Such was, and is, Jesus!

We are not gathering in our churches today, but we can still rejoice.  We can raise our hands in worship in our homes because our King came.  We have no need to fear, Jesus fulfilled every prophecy concerning Him.  I'm borrowing some notes that Les has used in our Adult Sunday school class.  This table shows the odds of one man fulfilling just one of the Old Testament prophecies:

Old Testament Prophecy	New Testament Fulfillment	Probability
Christ to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)	And Herod asked where Christ had been born ... they answered Bethlehem (Matt 2:4-6)	2.8 x 105 or 1 in 280,000
Forerunner of Christ (Malachi 3:1)	John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ (Mark 1:2-8)	1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
Christ to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zech 9:9)	Christ enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Matt 21:4-11)	1 x 102 or 1 in 100
Christ to be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9)	Judas betrayed Jesus (Luke 22:21)	1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
Christ to be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12)	Judas sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matt 26:15)	1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
30 pieces of silver casted down and used to buy a potter's field (Zech 11:13)	30 pieces of silver used to buy a potter's field (Matt 27:3-10)	1 x 105 or 1 in 100,000
Although innocent, Christ kept silent when on trial (Isaiah 53:7)	Jesus kept silent when questioned (Mark 14:60-61)	1 x 103 or 1 in 1,000
Christ crucified (Psalm 22:16)	Jesus was crucified (John 19:17, 18)	1 x 104 or 1 in 10,000

The odds of one man fulfilling ALL of the prophecies listed are

1 in 1 x 10²⁸

Or:
1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000  (I don't even know what that number is called!)

Or:
If you covered the state of California in quarters over 5 feet deep and painted just ONE of them red.  The odds of finding that quarter on your first try are the same as Jesus fulfilling all these prophecies.

Add the virgin birth, and the odds go from improbable to truly impossible.

Fear not!  He did it!  Rejoice!  He did it!  We don't have to be in a church house to celebrate our King.  He came, He died, He was buried, and He rose again.  Fear not!

Joy to the World! It's Not a Hoax

I posted this on Resurrection Sunday 2017, but I think we all need to turn our hearts to the only real reason to have joy.  He is Risen!  There is no doubt in my mind and because He lives, well that is enough for me.

I know we don't usually say Joy to the World on Resurrection Sunday, but that is truly when the joy happened!  My favorite song for this morning is "Easter Song" written by Keith Green.  You can hear his version here.  Second Chapter of Acts does a fabulous job with it, too (listen here).  Turn up the volume and sing along!

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah!

Update:
After posting this, I realized that today is April 1st.  Good old April Fool's day.  Many through the ages have called the resurrection of Jesus a hoax.  It started with the chief priests in Matthew 28:11-15:
Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Acts 1:3 says, "To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."  If the resurrection had been a hoax, at least one of the disciples would have recanted.  They were eye witnesses and never changed their story. If Jesus had been a fraud, they would not have endured the torture they each endured:

1. Judas hung himself because he knew he had betrayed innocent blood.
2. James (son of Zebedee, AKA James the Greater): Acts 12:1-19 says that James was beheaded with a sword.
3. Simon, AKA Peter: Peter asked to be crucified upside down, so that his death would not be the equal of Jesus and the Romans supposedly obliged.
4. Andrew: According to 15th Century religious historian Dorman Newman, Andrew—the brother of Peter—went to Patras in western Greece in 69 AD, where the Roman proconsul Aegeates debated religion with him. Aegeates tried to convince Andrew to forsake Christianity, so that he would not have to torture and execute him. But when that didn’t work, apparently he decided to give Andrew the full treatment. Andrew was scourged, and then tied rather than nailed to a cross, so that he would suffer for a longer time before dying. Andrew lived for two days, during which he preached to passersby.
5. Philip: Philip, became a missionary in Asia. Eventually, he traveled to the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, where he was scourged, thrown into prison, and crucified in 54 AD.
6. Bartholomew: Bartholomew supposedly preached in several countries, including India. In one account, “impatient idolaters” beat Bartholomew and then crucified him, while in another, he was skinned alive and then beheaded.
7. Thomas: Apparently Thomas preached the gospel in Greece and India, where he angered local religious authorities, who martyred him by running him through with a spear.
8. Matthew: According to legend, the former tax collector turned missionary was martyred in Ethiopia, where he was supposedly stabbed in the back by an swordsman sent by King Hertacus, after he criticized the king’s morals.
9. James (son of Alphaeus, AKA James the Less): According to Foxe, James, who was elected by his fellow believers to head the churches of Jerusalem, was one of the longest-lived apostles, perhaps exceeded only by John. At the age of 94, he was beaten and stoned by persecutors, and then they killed him by hitting him in the head with a club.
10. Thaddaeus, AKA Judas or Jude: According to several stories, he was crucified at Edessa (the name of cities in both Turkey and Greece) in 72 AD. * more than 40 years after Jesus’ resurrection.
11. Simon the Canaanite AKA the Zealot: Simon preached in Mauritania on the west coast of Africa, and then went to England, where he was crucified in 74 AD.
12. John: John was the only one of the original disciples not to die a violent death. Instead, he passed away peacefully in Patmos in his old age, sometime around 100 AD.

2 Peter 1:16 says, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."  Joy to the world indeed!

Joy to the World!

I know we don't usually say Joy to the World on Resurrection Sunday, but that is truly when the joy happened!  My favorite song for this morning is "Easter Song" written by Keith Green.  You can hear his version here.  Second Chapter of Acts does a fabulous job with it, too (listen here).  Turn up the volume and sing along!

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah!

Our God Is Risen!

Rejoice! Today is the day we celebrate the single event that had the power to split time!

By His stripes we are healed
By His nail-pierced hands we’re free
By His blood, we’re washed clean
Now we have the victory.

The power of sin is broken,
Jesus overcame it all,
He has won our freedom,
Jesus has won it all.

Hallelujah!
You have won the victory.
Hallelujah!
You have won it all for me.

Death could not hold You down
You are the risen king
Seated in Majesty
You are the risen king

Our God is risen, He is alive
He won the victory, He reigns on high!

Have a blessed day!

When Satan Runs Amok in the Streets

Our adult Sunday school class has been studying Feasts and Celebrations this quarter.  This past Sunday, Les taught a fabulous lesson about the Festival of Purim.  This is the celebration that was instituted after the Jews were delivered from Haman's wicked plot in the book of Esther.

This feast is still celebrated each year in March. It covers two days, the first being the Fast of Esther, followed by the Festival of Purim. This particular fast has one purpose - to remember God’s deliverance of the Jews from Haman’s attempt at extermination.  We don't usually fast to remember, but to ask God for something.  I know I have never fasted in remembrance of what God has done for me.  The next day, during the Festival of Purim, is a time of joyful celebration.

Les concluded the lesson by sharing a story of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.  400,000 Jews were rounded up and 300,000 were eventually killed.  It was a dark time.  There was nothing to celebrate, but Rabbi Kalonymos Kalman said:

"In the Zohar it is written that Yom Kippurim means Yom ke Purim, ‘a day just like Purim’. That is to say, just as on yom Kippur – whether you like it or not – you must fast on orders of the Holy One, blessed be He; so you must rejoice on Purim. Even if Satan runs amok in the streets, you have to be happy, it is the will of God."

If anyone had a reason not to celebrate, it was these Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.  It is said that young Gerer Hasidim courageously emerged from their bunkers in the Warsaw Ghetto on the festival of Purim in 1943 and danced in the spirit of this joyous festival.

It often seems like Satan runs amok in the streets of America, but we must rejoice, it is the will of God.  We serve the God of deliverance and He will come through for us!