D-Day and the Benefits of Jesus’ Victory

This past Sunday I preached on Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4.  The big idea of that sermon was that because of Jesus’ victory over temptation (using the same tools we have available to defeat sin), we can have victory over temptation, too.  My closing illustration went this way:

Almost 3 weeks from now, on June 6, is the 71^st anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. When American and other Allied soldiers came ashore on that day and spread throughout France, they weren’t just fighting to keep their own shores safe. They weren’t just fighting to defeat the crazed ambitions of Hitler and the Nazi regime. They were fighting on behalf of the millions of Jewish, and French, and Belgian, and Dutch, and Polish, and other peoples who had been held in bondage to Nazi rule for years. And when those soldiers won a hard-fought and costly victory, all of the millions of civilians who had been living under Nazi brutality received the benefits of that victory, as well. Those civilians shared in the relief and freedom and renewal, even though most of them had never fired a shot against the Nazis.

 At His birth, Jesus invaded in His own, far greater D-Day. He landed on the shores of a land that had been ruled for millennia by a usurper, through the crazed ambitions of Satan and those who followed him. And millions upon millions of people from every nation had been held in bondage to Satan’s rule and to their own powerlessness to resist temptation. But when Jesus won THE costliest victory ever, all of those throughout history who trust in Him received the benefits of that victory, as well.

We share in relief and freedom and renewal brought about by His victory over temptation, even though we didn’t fire a shot against Satan, even though we could do nothing to resist the power of sin. Trust in Jesus, and His victory will be your victory, as well – in eternal life in heaven, but also TODAY, as you face daily temptations.

C. S. Lewis also uses the invasion motif for the Incarnation on p. 46 of Mere Christianity, at the end of his chapter entitled “The Invasion.”  I focused more on the vicarious benefits of His victory (which was fully completed at the cross) for our ability to defeat sin.

This illustration could also be used for passages like Romans 7 that talk about struggling with sin, or with Hebrews passages about Jesus serving as our great High Priest and sympathizing with our struggles in temptation.  It could also work for Gethsemane or the crucifixion passages, especially Jesus’ “It is finished” statement.

 

Tags: Matthew 4, Matthew 26, Matthew 27, Mark 1, Mark 14, Mark 15, Luke 4, Luke 22, Luke 23, John 19, Romans 7, Hebrews 4, Hebrews 5

Missed a Flight on 9/11

See this online story from a few years ago about 10 famous people who avoided death on September 11, 2001: http://listverse.com/2011/12/12/10-famous-people-who-avoided-death-on-911/

This is a great illustration for Romans 8:28 and God working good out of evil.  It’s also helpful for passages that speak of God’s timing, such as Psalm 31:15, Psalm 90:4, Ecclesiastes 3, Isaiah 40:31, Habakkuk 2:3, or 2 Peter 3:8.

 

Tags: Psalm 31, Psalm 90, Ecclesiastes 3, Isaiah 40, Habakkuk 2, 2 Peter 3, Waiting, Faith, Patience

Living Like You’re at War

The twitter account @HistoricalPics posted this a while ago:

Amazing: Temporary rules posted at Britain's Richmond Golf Club after German bombs hit the course in 1940 http://t.co/7iDNBnbDlR—
Historical Pics (@HistoricalPics) February 02, 2014

Of course, this is a phenomenal example of the courage and resolve displayed by countless Brits to try to live normally, avoid panic, and fight on during the war.  It’s the whole “Keep Calm and Carry On” mindset. But even better, it’s a great illustration of Paul’s point in Ephesians 6.

The rules change when you’re living in a war zone.  For the British, it was undeniable: their golf courses were peppered with craters!  We have plenty of evidence of the spiritual war surrounding us, as well, although we are often fooled into ignoring it.  Since we are living in a spiritual war zone, we should live differently, too.  We put on the armor of God.  We pray at all times in the Spirit.  In Christ’s strength, we resist the devil, who is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5).  In World War II, it was a matter of life-and-death.  In our war, the stakes are far higher.

 

Tags: Romans 7, Romans 13, 1 Corinthians 16,  2 Corinthians 10, Ephesians 6, 2 Timothy 2, 1 Peter 2, 1 Peter 5, Spiritual Warfare

A Different Kind of Royal Baby

I am currently preaching through Matthew, and the timing was perfect last weekend for our message on the arrival of the wise men in chapter 2. That same weekend, the UK was on pins and needles waiting for the next royal baby. There was a hashtag (#greatkatewait), an 80-year-old man camping outside the hospital, and a live blog. All of this, for the second child of William and Kate, who will most likely never make it to the throne. This is how societies normally react to the arrival of important babies – especially royal ones.

That’s why the wise men initially went to Jerusalem in chapter 2 and presented themselves to Herod, assuming that the Baby would be at the palace or, at the very least, that Herod would know where He was. But Jesus was a different kind of royal Baby. This One, although infinitely greater than anyone in the British (or any other) ruling family, came humbly, born in a manger, to a poor carpenter’s family. During His ministry, He lived as a homeless Man. Finally, He endured brutal suffering and died a humiliating and excruciating death. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2). He is the King of Kings, yet He comes in grace and love and humility. And this makes Him all the more worthy of your worship.

Tags: Matthew 2, Philippians 2, Passion narratives

Two More Prayer Guides

As mentioned in the last post, I am going to post the prayer guides we have been using lately at our Wednesday night prayer meetings.  This post will catch up all of them that we have done so far.  The first below is for John 12:23-36.  Again, this is nothing revolutionary, but it may be helpful to some pastors, or perhaps edifying to an individual during personal prayer time.  In our meetings, I’m going to spend a few weeks moving through that section of John where Jesus does a lot of teaching right before His arrest.

The second one below is from Acts 2:41-47.  This passage contains one of the important summary statements made by Luke in the book of Acts.  It comes immediately after Pentecost, and it is a great description of the activities engaged in by a healthy New Testament church.  The passage works really well as something to pray through corporately.

 

John 12, 23-36 – Prayer Meeting 04292015

Acts 2, 41-47 – Prayer Meeting 04222015

 

 

Tags: John 12, Acts 2, Gospels, New Testament, Prayer, Prayer Meeting

Prayer Meeting and a Prayer Guide

In our church’s Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have changed things lately in order to make it more of an actual prayer meeting.  In my experience, many churches call their Wednesday night meetings a prayer meeting but actually do about 75% Bible study and add some prayer request time at the end.  The prayer time ultimately ends up being primarily for the sick (which is important, of course); it doesn’t usually include much time praying for God to work in and through His church in that local context.

So, we’ve tried to change that recently.  We’ve prayed through Acts 2:41-47, John 12:23-36, and John 13:31-35/14:1-6.  I break up the passage into smaller chunks, explain each section for about 3 minutes, and then ask each table to use my suggested prayer points to guide their prayers based on the text.  We’ve received positive feedback from attendees, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed it.

I’m going to post some of these prayer guides for anyone who wants to use them.  They’re nothing revolutionary, but they might save a busy pastor some time.  Feel free to reproduce them.  I also think they would work for personal times of prayer.  Let me know if you find them helpful or how I can improve them.  God bless you!

 

John 13, 31-35 and 14, 1-6 – Prayer Meeting 05062015

 

 

Tags: John 13, John 14, Prayer, Prayer Meeting