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Retired pastor

Daily Bible thoughts 1169: Thursday 23rd June 2016: Luke 24: 13-32: Burning hearts.

Luke 24: 13-35: Burning hearts.(Please click for todays passage)

This is just a great story, isn’t it? It is full of irony. It makes you smile to yourself at various points:

‘Are you the only one living in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days’ (17).

‘And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place’ (21b).

‘…but him they did not see’ (24c).

That’s all quite amusing really. And are we not laughing at ourselves, for we can be ‘So thick-headed! So slow-hearted!’ (25, The Message)?

When we get to today’s reading, we find that the disciples had a deeper problem than not remembering. It was that they did not believe the Word they had in their possession (25-27). They didn’t remember because they did not believe. Like a surgeon, with a deft use of His scalpel, Jesus cut to the root of the problem.

If you want to experience the presence of Jesus and have a burning heart, talk about Him and His work. As you do so, He will surely come and join you in the conversation (15) and make it richer and fuller with His gracious revelation. He can clarify, bring understanding and expel confusion. But it is inappropriate for followers of Jesus to look ‘downcast’ (17); to just stand there ‘long-faced, like’ we have ‘lost’ our ‘best friend’ (The Message). However, only with appropriate understanding of truth can there be fullness of joy. The truth sets free.

One further thing: Jesus responds to earnest prayer (28,29). The Lord heard their urgent plea and acceded to their request. How good that they ‘prayed’, for they got more than they asked or thought. Christ not only ‘stayed’ with them, but revealed Himself to them (30-32; 35). When they returned to Jerusalem they found that Jesus had already been at work, in advance of their arrival (33, 34).

‘Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?’ (32, The Message).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to think about you and talk about you. Come alongside me in your grace and mercy, please. Show me more of you and let me feel your fire burning in my heart.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1168: Wednesday 22nd June 2016: Luke 24: 1-12: Remember and tell.

 Luke 24: 1-12: Remember and tell.(please click here for todays passage )

Here are two vital principles for living the Christian life. These two responsibilities will always be applicable to followers of Christ:

  1. Remember God’s Word (7, 8). In the recent past, Jesus had clearly, and repeatedly, spoken about His forthcoming rejection and resurrection. The confusion they experienced now was because they had forgotten – or failed to understand. It was the same for the apostles (11). They had been the recipients of Jesus’ words, but they did not remember. We need to ensure that we don’t settle for a casual and superficial relationship with Scripture. Learn to ‘hide’ God’s Word in your heart. Seek to abide in Christ and have His words abide in you.
  2. Tell others that Jesus is alive (9-12). And you may take heart that those who first heard the ladies’ Easter sermon were not impressed: ‘their words seemed to them like nonsense’ (11) – ‘thought they were making it all up’ (The Message). (It may be pertinent that In those days, women could not be witnesses in a law court. Their testimony was not regarded as being reliable. Yet Jesus called women to be the first witnesses of His resurrection.) There may well be the idea that the women ‘kept telling these things’ (The Message). Eventually there was a glimmer of light with Peter (12), but even though his heart was stirring into a response, it took time for him to understand. Those who first heard the women’s words pooh pooh’d the idea that Jesus was alive. But later on they preached it themselves. So don’t be disheartened by an initially negative response. It doesn’t have to be the final word.

  

Remember and tell!

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Daily Bible thoughts 1167: Tuesday 21st June 2016: Luke 24:1-6a: Prepared spices (see also 23:55,56).

 Luke 24:1-6a: Prepared spices (see also 23:55,56).(please click for todays passage )

The women prepared their spices to anoint the body of a dead Jesus (or so they thought). But on the first day of each new week, the church gathers to meet with the risen Lord Jesus. What a privilege! But here’s my question: do we ‘prepare’ our ‘spices’; our perfumery of praise and worship? Or do we just roll out of bed, down the aisle and into a pew?! What we do at ‘home’ (23:56) can have a significant impact on the public worship of the gathered church.

We say we believe in every member ministry (‘the priesthood of all believers’, as it is sometimes called). We have a conviction that every member of the church is a minister.

Now if I expect the service leader to prepare…

…and if I expect the musicians to prepare…

…and if I expect that the preacher will be prepared…

Why would I then exempt myself from the need for heart preparation? Because I, too, am a minister of the church.

When we gather to meet with the living Lord Jesus we bring something. Our emphasis is not on getting but on giving. What will we bring? It can only be what we have (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Prayer: Lord, I pray that the public worship of the church will be enriched because of the contribution I bring. Help me to prepare my heart in private.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1166: Monday 20th June 2016: Luke 23:50-56: A model disciple?

 Luke 23:50-56: A model disciple?(please click for todays passage)

How should we respond to Christ crucified? Perhaps Joseph of Arimathea shows the way. To some degree he is a model disciple:

He had courage: Joseph had the bravery to identify with Jesus at a time when it was no doubt tempting to maintain a low profile. The atmosphere must have felt full of danger and menace, but by Joseph lifted his head above the parapet;

He was prepared to sacrifice: Joseph gave his own prepared tomb to Jesus. We should not miss the loving generosity behind his action;

He demonstrated practicality: he used what he had to serve. Do we?

‘Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.’ 

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for dying in my place. May my whole life be a cross-shaped response to you and all you have done for me.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1165: Friday 17th June 2016: Luke 23:44-49: ‘…the sun stopped shining.’

 Luke 23:44-49: ‘…the sun stopped shining.'(please click for todays passage)

‘The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.’ (John 1:5).

What was occurring in nature, to some degree reflected what was happening with Jesus, ‘the light of the world.’ When He died, for a brief time, you might say that His light ceased to shine in this world. He had said previously:

‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world’ (John 9:5). 

For a very short time He would be put out of the world, before shining again in all His brilliant, dazzling glory. Like with a self re-igniting candle, the light was only temporarily blown out, but the divinity of Jesus still burned, ready to explode back into life and light on the third day.

‘We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s light.’ (John 9:4,5: The Message).

But through what looked like tragedy – the extinguishing of the light – the way was opened up to God. Different kinds of people were powerfully impacted. The impact lives on today…and will, for all eternity.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1164: Thursday 16th June 2016: Luke 23:32-43: Right or left?

 Luke 23:32-43: Right or left?(please click for todays passage)

Jesus was ‘numbered with the transgressors’ (Isaiah 53:12). This was particularly evident at His baptism, and when He died on the cross. He was so identified with sinners that, to the outward eye, it looked like He was one, even though He wasn’t.

This is a potent picture. The entire human race is one side or other of the cross of Jesus. Where are you positioned: on the accepting or the rejecting side? We saw in yesterday’s piece that it is a serious matter to turn Jesus away. There is no good Biblical basis to believe that Hell is only temporary, and that those who go there will eventually get a visa to migrate to heaven; that they will be able to move out. Suffused with sentimentality we might like to think that is the case, but it is not what the Bible teaches, as far as I can see.

You might have lived a terrible life. Or, you may have been a decent person. But  whether a criminal or law-abiding, you are a transgressor of God’s moral code. But it only takes a sincere moment before Him to alter your eternal destiny. It doesn’t need to be a long prayer. You don’t have to use technical, theological jargon. You just have to be real. Before death, is the time to make peace with heaven. The Bible does not indicate the possibility of doing so later. One of the criminals in this story did just that.

By the way, do you see the irony of telling Jesus to save Himself? If He had done so, He could not have saved others. It was by dying in our place that He bore our punishment for sin, and so we can go free.

I know which side of the cross I want to be.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1163: Wednesday 15th June 2016: Luke 23:26-31: Cry for yourselves.

Luke 23:26-31: Cry for yourselves.(please click here for todays passage)

The life and death of Jesus were to be dramatised on ITV with Robert Powell in the lead role. It was a heavy duty, big budget production and a large swathe of the population were going to be viewing. ”I’m sure I’ll cry when He dies”, I heard someone say. But unless you are prepared to become a disciple and carry the cross, you should weep for yourself. The reality of judgment should reduce us all to tears. Those who reject Him must recognise the seriousness of their action. It is not enough to simply be moved by the story of His death.

In the story of Simon of Cyrene we have a picture of conversion. Life is going on as normal. It’s another ordinary day. Then suddenly you find yourself carrying the cross. Everything changes. You did not expect to find yourself doing this, but now it is the dominating reality in your life.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1162: Tuesday 14th June 2016: Luke 23:13-25: ‘…their shouts prevailed.’

 Luke 23:13-25: ‘…their shouts prevailed.'(please click here for todays passage)

Pilate heard the voice of conscience and the voice of reason. These voices told him that Jesus was an innocent Man. He did not deserve death. (Pilate’s repeated declarations of Jesus’ innocence should not be missed. Our Lord did not deserve to die.)

But there were louder voices demanding the attention of his ears. These were raging, ravenous, wolverine voices, clamouring for blood. They insisted that Jesus should die. These ‘shouts prevailed’ (23).

Day by day, we too hear the voice of reason and the voice of conscience. We hear the ‘still small voice’ and know what we should too. But there are louder voices. They demand a hearing. They are pushy and determined to have their way. Sadly, we do all too often choose Barabbas over Jesus. We don’t want His reign. At least, we don’t in certain tempting moments. We cast our vote with the inner crowd of passionate voices. We go with them.

But we do know which way we should go.

I can be as bad as Pilate. That is a shocking admission to have to make.

There is irony in the last statement: he ‘surrendered Jesus to their will’ (25).

But the truth is human will did not prevail.

‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him…’ Isaiah 53:10.

Prayer: Thank you so much Heavenly Father for sending your pure, innocent Son to die in my place, for my crimes against you. It takes my breath away to think that it ‘pleased’ you to ‘crush him’ for my sake. I praise you.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1161: Monday 13th June 2016: Luke 23:6-16.

 Luke 23:6-16.(please click here for todays passage)

There are weak leaders, like Pilate. He knew that Jesus was innocent (14, 15 cf.4). He should have released Him. It was his intention to do so. But in order to appease the people he was prepared to punish Jesus first. That in itself was a miscarriage of justice. But before he got to that point, Pilate leapt at an opportunity to pass the buck (6,7). He was a weak leader who was unprepared to grasp the nettle and make the difficult decision. Leadership demands courage. Pilate demonstrated a singular lack of it. When it came down to it, he showed that he cared more about his position and his skin than he did about people.

There are superficial people who want Jesus for the wrong reasons (8). They are attracted to Him and dazzled by Him, but have no intention of following Him. They are interested in Him, but not in discipleship.Why should the Lord reveal Himself to those who are not serious about seeking Him? (9). Jesus did not cast HIS pearls before swine.

There is a glorious reconciliation achieved by Jesus at Calvary (12). Under the shadow of the cross, the great reconciling work was prefigured in this story. Enemies became friends. Through the cross, people at enmity with God are brought back into fellowship with Him. But also, their hands are joined in a community of reconciliation at the foot of the cross (Ephesians 2:16;2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:20-23). Even Pilate and Herod connected because of Jesus.

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