Once, for All.
That was the sermon I heard this morning at Fellowship Church in Knoxville. It included a video montage of many famous films based off of David v. Goliath. It also included many laughs provided by Greg Pinkner who has such a child like sense of humor, which is very similar to mine as we both find many things funny, but is so in love with Him that is in almost impossible to miss. Greg took the story about David v. Goliath and turned it into an Easter story that I had never heard before. Placing Jesus in both David and Goliath's images as Jesus, like Goliath is powerful in every way & couldn't lose a fight. I mean He is Jesus so yes that is true. But then there was David. I sat there and thought how could Greg turn this into Jesus rising from the dead. Then my mind was blown indeed after Greg broke it down. David was a teenager who stepped up among the whole army of Israel and said "I'll fight Goliath". Goliath is also at the time 6'6 which is HUGE compared to normal Israelites who stood at 5'1. The meaning behind it, David defeated Goliath as we know slinging a rock into his forehead that would kill him. David won a battle for ALL of Israel for years and years to come. Jesus did that same thing. Jesus willingly chose to die on a Cross for us ALL. It still is hard to imagine One man saying yes the whole time being persecuted for doing right, and dying because He loves us. He just does.
Jesus died Once, for ALL. Rising from the dead and fulfilling scripture which proved that God knew what He was doing. He loves us so much, and my words cannot grasp the greatness of that extravagant love.
Growing up playing sports all my life, my dad was very involved and would attend the majority of my games. The one that sticks out is playing football in high school. Now don't get me wrong I was an animal...my freshman year because I quit after my sophomore year. I'm not ashamed. My dad always stood in the same spot of that stadium and would point towards his watch and I knew he was saying "It's Time". I for some reason loved it because it would get me fired up, thinking it was my turn to step up and make some noise. But that is also a statement that turns into selfishness. Sometimes I use it to think I have to step up and earn His grace & sometimes I do it to think I must simply do good as if my good and bad actions are on a scoreboard. Both are wrong in every way possible. It is such a hindrance in my walk, but I couldn't be more thankful for the Cross. Couldn't be more thankful for Sunday. Jesus rising from the dead shows that we ALL are forgiven.
I also feel like God took that statement, "It's Time" and used it for His good in my life. Sitting around Saturday I had time to rest just like Jesus had rested in the tomb. It was as if God knew with his loving patience, and perfect timing with everything, He said on Sunday, "It's Time". He raised Jesus from the grave to prove His power on Saturday. If God had raised Jesus 15 min after He died, I don't know if His power would seem so powerful. But the fact God is completely omniscient but yet so close, proves that raising Jesus on Sunday is another reason to know He is all powerful and never lets us go. He knows me so personally and knows every single one of us more than we can grasp.
As I sit here dwelling in His grace, I also feel like Peter when Jesus appears to Him after rising from the dead. Peter has went back to fishing, probably because he felt comfortable there & in his mind that is what he knows best. But Jesus had a different plan in mind. I can picture Jesus with a gentle touch on Peter's shoulder saying, "Peter, it's time. Follow me". The words "Follow Me" are so powerful because they don't need explaining. He just wants us to drop everything again and follow Him. Jesus didn't settle and never stopped like we do a lot. Jesus is different. Jesus is also saying to each one of us individually, "It's Time. Follow Me".
Amen.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Who would have thought.
Who would have thought that the God of the Universe considered us all worth dying for. Who would have thought that we were all individually thought about when Jesus took all 39 lashes, was spat upon, yelled at, cursed at, and crucified for being sinless. Who would have thought that God sees every single one of us and delights in us, because of THIS DAY. The day that Jesus said those words 2000 years ago and that ring around the world till this day. IT IS FINISHED.
If you had talked to me a couple of weeks ago and asked how I was doing, I would've told you that I have been in a rut. A rut that included me wondering why sin was not a big deal to me for some reason. Sin is clearly a massive deal, so why in the world is my heart not breaking at the thought of my own sin? The same sin that drove the spikes through the hands and feet. The sin that yelled out "Crucify Him!" Man, that is hard to think about, but so true at the same time. Again, why would this not make me want to crawl in a hole if anything? I had felt like I was the one looking for God, as if He is hiding from me. Weird huh? God running away from me? That's silly. But I did sadly. Then today came around. I had the opportunity to take part in fasting with some friends of mine here in the Dirty JC, and by golly I'll tell you that it is rough. Mother is yelling at me because she wants me to come eat some jambayala, and I have never fasted before so, yes of course this sucks. Is it worth it? Absolutely. 1) I am a man so my mom can't tell me what to do as I type this. 2) You don't usually turn down your own mother's cooking who comes from an Italian heritage and makes some bomb-shell food. 3) It is giving me such a different picture than I've experienced before and knowing I don't need food. I need Him. The things of this world I put before Him and think I need are so incomparable to Him. Again, hard truth but grateful that there is grace in that.
I have found a new hobby with eBay, thanks to my roommates, and received my first award you could say, that I bidded on. I got a new Nike MachSpeed Black driver for 24.99. Yeah, what a steal. This is a club that would cost easily over 200 dollars today. BUT Big Poppa was the only bidder on it, so in your face golf world. The club came in the mail today, and I had no idea it was coming in. So of course I pulled apart the box and pulled out the new club. I checked it out to see if it was "VERY GOOD" as the description said online, and dag gum this thing basically looked brand new. (Which I've told people, my golf buddies I should say) I started to pull of some of the stickers that were on it and wiped off the stickiness from it. Funny thing was, as I was wiping away the club I couldn't help but think about today and how much I had prayed about not wanting to miss everything leading up to the Cross, so Sunday will be a day that I can get rowdy. Anywho, I started developing this picture of God taking each one of us and polishing our buffs and cracks we created from seeking other "gods" to fill our hearts. I saw God wiping away our sin that has covered us for however long, and making us BRAND NEW. Making us white as snow. It is funny how God can use some of the smallest things to bring me back to Him. I couldn't be more thankful. Am I looking forward to Sunday and getting rowdy? Mos def. But till then, I hope that I don't miss today and why Sunday is so special.
Just like Barabbas, we are free to go. Our sin is paid for in full. The sinless One continues to whisper in my ear whenever my mind starts to wonder away, and says "It is finished". Amen.
P.S
Who would have thought that yes, the man the myth the legend Big Poppa would start blogging. I have had this weird urge to make a blog for a couple of weeks now, and have chatted with some friends about what their views of it were. Not that I needed to be persuaded a lot, because I feel that the Lord has blessed me with not only a mind that thinks deep and wide, but also a heart that loves to share Him. I am grateful for these gifts and wondered how could I use it to continue sharing the Gospel...then I scrolled across this bad boy. It started with reading some of Jim Branch's posts, which mine will never compare to his because...well he is Jim Branch simply put. His posts gave me some inspiration and the thought of "what if?" The thought about starting a blog was scary for a little bit, because I want this blog to have nothing to do with me and glorify myself. My hope is that through this blog and sharing my life, this can be a living testimony about how great God's grace is through His Son and how I am simply a part of His story for something bigger than myself.
There will be many of times where I feel a whole story is needed to be told in exact detail, and times where short and few details are needed. It is just a strange way the Lord has crafted my brain along with having ADD. I am not mad whatsoever about having ADD. If anything I'm glad because I have this thing called adderal. Helps me concentrate. So lets hope that I take my medicine everyday like I'm supposed to and maybe, just maybe, I won't feel the need to always explain everything in full detail.
If you had talked to me a couple of weeks ago and asked how I was doing, I would've told you that I have been in a rut. A rut that included me wondering why sin was not a big deal to me for some reason. Sin is clearly a massive deal, so why in the world is my heart not breaking at the thought of my own sin? The same sin that drove the spikes through the hands and feet. The sin that yelled out "Crucify Him!" Man, that is hard to think about, but so true at the same time. Again, why would this not make me want to crawl in a hole if anything? I had felt like I was the one looking for God, as if He is hiding from me. Weird huh? God running away from me? That's silly. But I did sadly. Then today came around. I had the opportunity to take part in fasting with some friends of mine here in the Dirty JC, and by golly I'll tell you that it is rough. Mother is yelling at me because she wants me to come eat some jambayala, and I have never fasted before so, yes of course this sucks. Is it worth it? Absolutely. 1) I am a man so my mom can't tell me what to do as I type this. 2) You don't usually turn down your own mother's cooking who comes from an Italian heritage and makes some bomb-shell food. 3) It is giving me such a different picture than I've experienced before and knowing I don't need food. I need Him. The things of this world I put before Him and think I need are so incomparable to Him. Again, hard truth but grateful that there is grace in that.
I have found a new hobby with eBay, thanks to my roommates, and received my first award you could say, that I bidded on. I got a new Nike MachSpeed Black driver for 24.99. Yeah, what a steal. This is a club that would cost easily over 200 dollars today. BUT Big Poppa was the only bidder on it, so in your face golf world. The club came in the mail today, and I had no idea it was coming in. So of course I pulled apart the box and pulled out the new club. I checked it out to see if it was "VERY GOOD" as the description said online, and dag gum this thing basically looked brand new. (Which I've told people, my golf buddies I should say) I started to pull of some of the stickers that were on it and wiped off the stickiness from it. Funny thing was, as I was wiping away the club I couldn't help but think about today and how much I had prayed about not wanting to miss everything leading up to the Cross, so Sunday will be a day that I can get rowdy. Anywho, I started developing this picture of God taking each one of us and polishing our buffs and cracks we created from seeking other "gods" to fill our hearts. I saw God wiping away our sin that has covered us for however long, and making us BRAND NEW. Making us white as snow. It is funny how God can use some of the smallest things to bring me back to Him. I couldn't be more thankful. Am I looking forward to Sunday and getting rowdy? Mos def. But till then, I hope that I don't miss today and why Sunday is so special.
Just like Barabbas, we are free to go. Our sin is paid for in full. The sinless One continues to whisper in my ear whenever my mind starts to wonder away, and says "It is finished". Amen.
P.S
Who would have thought that yes, the man the myth the legend Big Poppa would start blogging. I have had this weird urge to make a blog for a couple of weeks now, and have chatted with some friends about what their views of it were. Not that I needed to be persuaded a lot, because I feel that the Lord has blessed me with not only a mind that thinks deep and wide, but also a heart that loves to share Him. I am grateful for these gifts and wondered how could I use it to continue sharing the Gospel...then I scrolled across this bad boy. It started with reading some of Jim Branch's posts, which mine will never compare to his because...well he is Jim Branch simply put. His posts gave me some inspiration and the thought of "what if?" The thought about starting a blog was scary for a little bit, because I want this blog to have nothing to do with me and glorify myself. My hope is that through this blog and sharing my life, this can be a living testimony about how great God's grace is through His Son and how I am simply a part of His story for something bigger than myself.
There will be many of times where I feel a whole story is needed to be told in exact detail, and times where short and few details are needed. It is just a strange way the Lord has crafted my brain along with having ADD. I am not mad whatsoever about having ADD. If anything I'm glad because I have this thing called adderal. Helps me concentrate. So lets hope that I take my medicine everyday like I'm supposed to and maybe, just maybe, I won't feel the need to always explain everything in full detail.
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