Faith vs. Sight

Category: Uncategorized

  • Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

    Let go of the flesh…

    John 20:11-18 (NIV)

    11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

    13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

    “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

    15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

    Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

    16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

    She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

    17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

    18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

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    At this time, Jesus had not yet ascended. His instructions were not to hold on to Him…yet. Once He ascends, we are then to hold tight to Him. That time is now!

    We are to hold on to Jesus with all of our sttength. A strength built through Faith in the Risen Son of Man. The risen Son of God. He was instructing us to not hold on to the flesh. Instead, the Holy Spirit is what we should hold on to. The Risen Son seated at the right hand of the Father. The great arbitrator for us. The great communicator to God as to who we are.

    It was Jesus that cane down from Heaven to rescue us from sin. That work was done when He gathered all of our sins and removed them from is forever. It is Jesus that commands us to let go of not only His flesh and bone, but our own. We are to release and surrender ourselves to Him. It is His great gift by which we are redeemed and made whole and pure through the belief in His death and resurrection.

    He knows it is hard. He sits with us as we wade through the long tangly weeds of sin. He understands our pkight. He went through the thickest of it and has come out the other side with wounds to prove it. This is not an easy life. It is a life filled with equal measures of pain and blessedness.

    Hold on to His instruction. Hold on to His gift. Hold on to our Savior Jesus Christ. His work is finished. Carry the burden as He did, forever knowing that His plan is perfect and tailored made for each of us. Believe that….#JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK

  • The Empty Tomb

    He is Risen…

    John 20:1-9 (NIV)

    Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

    3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

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    Running. Running to see what had happened at the tomb of Jesus. The questions must’ve been bouncing in their heads as they ran to where He was laid to rest. We cab be sure that doubt was accompanying them on their way.

    Jesus had told them, but was it true. As men, as mere humans, they doubted. They did love Jesus with all of their hearts, but could this actually be? Could Jesus truly have been the Messiah. All through their walk with Jesus they had questions and made mistakes. The Disciples had stumbled and fallen, tripped and fumbled, doubted and cried, yet could this have really happened?

    I can see them scratching their heads standing at the tomb, staring at each other in amazement or perhaps dumbfounded. Who knows truly what they felt. God does.

    The plan was being fulfilled right before their eye. The stone rolled away not for Jesus to get out, but for man to believe. Sight is a powerful thing for us you see. Sight can rule us, if we let it. You must know, however, that Jesus did not wok in the rational human world. Jesus was active in the strongest faith to ever exist. He was God on earth. Creator in the flesh. His plan is perfect. 

    Jesus is Risen! He lives now. He sits at the right hand of the Father, in preparation for His coming. He is coming. As this world edges closer and closer to His arrival, it will begin to fall apart. But do not be afraid and do not let your sight deceive you. The Son of Man returns for all who believe. #JesusSaves

    Amen
    Dk

  • The Burial of Jesus

    Are you ready to help?

    John 19:38-42 (NIV)

    38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[e] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

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    The special care and preparation of Jesus’ body for burial is amazing. Even more amazing, it was done and taken care of by two men who secretly loved and believed in Jesus. Two men strategically placed around Jesus at this very time to ensure that the Son of Man would be taken care of properly in accordance with prophecy.

    These two men, Joseph of Aramatheia and Nicodemus must have felt inadequate, unqualified, less than sure and pure believers in Jesus, and a bit wretched that they dizzy nothing to tey and stop what had just happened. Yet, they were chosen for one the most important jobs in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These two men, ordinary men who struggled with belief and faith in Christ. Men who questioned the motives and truth of Jesus, we’re chosen by God to be a part of the most amazing event ever recorded in history.

    So, let’s shift our attention to you and your job in the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Have you ever felt inadequate? Unqualified? Like a wretch? Join the club. We all have. But here is the beauty of that feeling. It means that Jesus has plans for you. That He is ready to use you to spread Kingdom Love. Ultimate and infinite forgiveness for all sin, provided you repent and believe in Him. It’s that easy. Joseph and Nicodemus did it, and they were under far more pressure than we could imagine. You ready?  #JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK

  • The Death of Jesus

    John 19:28-37 (NIV)

    28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

    31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”[c] 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”[d]

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    The scene is incredible. In order for us to truly believe, we have been given accounts. We have been given the testimonies of those that saw Jesus die in the cross. The testimonies come from all walks of life. Family, friends, and onlookers have played a part in this life saving act performed by Jesus Christ. Jesus is dead at this point. His body lifeless hangs on the cross.

    In order for prophecy to be fulfilled to the letter of the Word contained in the Old Testament, Jesus had to die. He knew exactly what would happen, and where it would happen. He knew how it all would start. He knew how it would end. What a great Finisher Jesus is. He went through with it. Temptation after temptation were thrown His way, and He prevailed. He prevailed for all of us.

    The only requirement…is our heart. We must love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. We must love ourselves, and we must profess that love for ourselves through the way that we love our neighbors. That is the requirement. Love.

    As we love and believe in Jesus, He takes us and leads us for the rest of our lives. He will bring people to help you and for you to help. You are to be a conduit of His love for you. You become a mighty link in the Christian chain of human existence. You then have real purpose. Begin today to walk with the love of the Father through Jesus Christ. He gave His perfect life for you and me. #JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK

  • The Crucifixion

    Love…like Jesus!

    John 19:16b-27

    So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

    19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

    22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

    23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

    24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

    This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

    “They divided my clothes among them
        and cast lots for my garment.”[a]
    So this is what the soldiers did.

    25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

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    Jesus, as God on earth, felt the love for His mother. So strong was this feeling, that He placed her in His most trusted man. A man that would care for her for the rest of her life. This feeling was strong. As strong as any longer He had felt. So strong that even as He was dying, He felt the need to have her taken care of.

    The lessons He continues to teach on His way to death are amazing. Without a his presence as man on earth, He would have never fully understood our plight. Through this visit to earth to save us, He was able to understand the feelings of man. And as He did, He shared with us what we must do. We must love beyond what we thought possible. We must love more than we can ever understand. We must love like Jesus loved.

    As He was sentenced to death He appointed someone to care for His mother. That is human. As human as it can get. The good news is that Jesus knows us, and as horrible as we were to Him, He saved us anyway. His love is our model. His love is our compass. His love should be our goal. Love like Jesus. Because…#JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK

  • Jesus Sentenced To Be Crucified

    Each of us is given the opportunity every day…

    John 19:1-16

    1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

    4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

    6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

    But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

    7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

    8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

    11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

    12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

    13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

    “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

    15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

    “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

    “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

    16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

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    Each and every man in these verses shows our need to hang on to the things of this world. Pilate, shows his inability to do what is right for fear that he would lose his job. The Jews in the crowd, which I am sure many of whom believed Jesus to be the Messiah, refused to speak up in fear of no being accepted. This world is full of these reasons.

    In order for us to truly act on behalf of the Father, we must be faith filled. It is a hard move to make sometimes, as that movement in Faith may seem to cost you something of this world. It could be a job, it could be money, it could be something you feel is greater than either of those, but we cannot allow our eyes to get in the way of our hearts.

    It seems for a moment that Pilate could see greatness in Jesus, that he was moved by the resolve of Jesus. We all at one point are moved by His life and the Gospel, but we fall short of the Faith needed to act on that belief. Why? My friends, the devil is good at what he does. His distractions are proven. Only one person existed that can move us to act in Truth, Faith, and Love…Jesus.

    His life speaks to us and tells us that there is more. That fear need not be the driving force behind our decisions to act. At the root of action towards what is Kingdom movement and what is right in the eyes of our Father is the belief that Jesus has already acted on our behalf. That the toughest decisions have already been made for us. We just need to walk with Him.

    We need not jump through hoops, or do anything amazing. We just have to Believe that if we ask Him for help, that the help will come. Jesus died on the cross so that we would live. Jesus made all the right moves to ensure that if we act in His name, that all that we do will result in the glorification of the Father through Jesus.

    Pilate knew it. Many, if not all, of the Jews knew it. You know it. Act in Faith. Step forward in Faith. Pray on your decision to act. It is promised that He will respond in the perfect manner. He always has. He always will. #JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK

  • Jesus Before Pilate

    The light of the Lord is upon you…

    John 18:28-40

    28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

    30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

    31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

    “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

    33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

    34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

    35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

    36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

    37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

    Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

    38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

    40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

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    Jesus and Pilate talking is an amazing happening, for it is Jesus once again speaking and teaching the world. My question is, “Why didn’t the Jews take care of the killing of Jesus themselves?”

    Here is my list:
    Fear…that He just might be King.
    Anger…that He had knowledge.
    Jealousy…that many loved Him.
    Laziness…they we complacent.

    For these reason, I would imagine they found it easier to kill Him than to change.

    As Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…He is also the Light. His light shines on the darkness in our lives. It exposes that sin that has held us in captivity for our entire lives. Once truth is exposed, we must pray for Him to forgive us and change us, and we must repent.

    I believe the main issue, in regard to the Jews wanting Jesus dead, deals with light having shone bright on the hearts of those Jews in positions of power. That light exposed Truth, which then forced the Jews to either realize they were horribly wrong, or accept Jesus and His Gospel. Ouch!

    We know what is coming. It is inevitable. Jesus will hang on the cross. He will die for us. For that we thank Him and love Him. So what about the Jews? Well…Jesus died for them to. All that’s left is to Believe. That is true for all of mankind. #JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK

  • Peter’s Second and Third Denials

    Jesus said he would…

    John 18:25-27

    25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

    He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

    26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

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    I have thought this before…how painful and wretched Peter must’ve felt as the denials came out of his mouth. What a total and complete failure of a man he must’ve thought he was. What a complete and total waste of flesh he must’ve thought about himself. At least I would have.

    I can say now that I wouldn’t ever deny Jesus, but so did Peter. I could say I would gladly lay down my life for Jesus, but so did Peter. I would attack anyone that would even dare lay a hand on my Shepard, but so did Peter. But Jesus saw more than the man Peter thought he was. He saw greatness in him. Jesus saw righteousness in him. Jesus saw ahead of what Peter could see, and was planning and preparing Peter through this very trial. The trial painstakingly geared to achieve the most of Peter for the Kingdom of God. Jesus saw more than just a man.

    We are to go through trials throughout our lives. Trials, that if handed over to God, become a galvanization process. Processes designed to make us more and more useful to God and to fulfill His plan for us.

    To ask Peter to embrace his failure as designed to expand and grow the Kingdom would be difficult for any man. But Jesus will return for all of us. He asks for Peter by name when He does. He asked for Peter. Jesus saw his heart, not his failure. Jesus sees your heart also, not your failures. He has a plan for you. Hand it to Him and He will use your failure to glorify God. Embrace the trial, for it is confirmation that He has a greater plan for you than could ever be imagined through our sight. #JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK

  • The High Priest Questions Jesus

    John 18:19-24

    19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

    20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”

    22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

    23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

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    If I say something wrong, tell me. Why hit me? Is is because I spoke truth to you?

    Jesus is still teaching. He was always teaching. Even as He was ridiculed and mocked and skapped, He still teaches. As a matter of fact, if the person that struck Him asked for forgiveness at that moment, Jesus would grant it. Of that, I am sure.

    To be completely transparent should be the goal of every human. To not have to backtrack, change stories, or lie, to cover up a wrongdoing is pretty high on the list of many I am sure. The ability to allow your walk be your talk. To be a walking testimony, is a daily goal of mine.

    I want to walk the way Jesus did. I want to be able to teach through service to others. I want others to see Him in me, rather than the person I am. I want people to know that I am forgive be a use of the blood of Jesus. I want people to know that cross is still actively taking care of sin daily. That the Finish Work Of The Cross is real.

    I hope that my walk reflects Jesus in me today. And I hope this for each and every day until I am called home. #JesusSaves

  • Peter’s First Denial

    Walk with Him in forgiveness of sins and sin…

    John 18:15-18

    15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

    17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

    He replied, “I am not.”

    18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

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    The picture of Peter standing near the fire to warm himself is a mighty powerful image. A man who is cold and seeking to warm himself at a fire is asked a question. Perhaps they would have asked him to leave the fire and be cold. Perhaps they would’ve beat him or stoned him, as many were not fond of those that followed Jesus at this time. The situation that Peter was in is no excuse for denial, but we have all been there. You will find yourself there again.

    To choose what is easy and comfortable is human nature. After all, when you are hot you seek cool water. When you are cold, you seek warmth. It is the way of this world. We are slaves to our flesh, and our flesh cries with it the mighty weight of sin. Not sons, as those have been fogiven. But rather our flesh carries sin. Sin as a state of being. I assimilate sin to being underwater…all the time. With sin being the water.

    So, how do we breathe? Jesus! Jesus is how we breathe. He has taken our sins away with His blood. Through the cross, we are reminded that sin can also be overcome through our carrying of the cross the way that Jesus did. To carry the burden of sin and bare the yoke the way that He did. We need to beat ourselves up over sin. Repent! Change! The rest is His responsibility. Do not let guilt and fear rule your life. That’s too heavy. Walk past the sin. Walk past the denial of Him. You are forgiven. #JesusSaves

    Amen
    DK