Decision – Crucify Him

John 19:16  So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,  and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.  There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.  Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”  Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.  So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’”  Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”  When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom,  so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things,  but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Psalms 22:18     they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Acts 13:26  “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.  For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.  And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.  And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.  But God raised him from the dead,  and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.   And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,

1Corinthians 1:20  Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 2:8    None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Many things done by rulers and even us seem right to do.  Are they really the right thing to do?  How do we know?  What is guiding us to the decisions we make?  What do we use as a the foundation to which we build our decision?  Depending on the circumstance some may say if it is good for me or if it is good for others.  If the decision is based on something or someone that hurt us financially, emotionally, or physically, some may use what is allowed by the culture they live in.  The problem is the decision is not based on the word of God and being led by the Holy Spirit in their response.  We have a sinful nature and it wants to believe and act in ways that do not humbly serve, honor, follow, or obey God.  We need to be mindful of this sinful nature.  We need to test each of our thoughts and decisions against the word of God.  His word is able to lead us properly.  His word gives us power and courage to forgive, encourage, help, and make decisions according to His purpose and plans.  Spend time in His word.  Desire to be led by Him. Listen for His whispers of guidance.  Build your foundation for decisions on His word.  Do not trust the first thought that comes to mind, test it against His word and either the conviction or confirmation by the Holy Spirit in your heart.

Let Him hear what the Spirit says

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says“

John 14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Psalms 51:11     Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Acts 1:8     But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 15:8    And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

Acts 2:4    And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

Acts 13:4    So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to

Acts 16:6     And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

Acts 20:28     Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,

Romans 5:5     and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19     Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

2 Corinthians 13:14     The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Psalms 25:8     Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

Isaiah 63:10     But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.

Acts 7:51     “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit.

We are not alone in our walk by faith this side of eternity.  The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe.  The Holy Spirit will guide us, lead us, teach us, bring us to knowledge, instruct us in our knowledge of God, convict us of sin, and bring us joy and peace.  Our christian walk is to be led by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of honoring and glorifying God. It is a humble heart that seeks to hear and be led.  However there is something to be mindful of –  Not listening and resisting this active leading in our life.  Filling your heart and mind with His word is food and fuel for our soul. Live humbly desiring and seeking to be led by God.  Joy, peace, strength, power, hope, and love result from this desire.

We are witnesses

“ how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,”

John 12:12  The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,  “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”  His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written  about him and had been done to him.  The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.  The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.  So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

Psalms 145:6     They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.  They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Acts 5:32    And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Acts 1:8    But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

John 7:39     Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Proverbs 1:23     If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Isaiah 12:3     With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 44:3    For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Joel 2:28     “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem and people were lining the road and waving palm branches saying Hosanna King of Israel the disciples were with Him.  It says they did not understand until after He was glorified (raised from the dead), then they remembered that these things were written of Him.  It is like this in our lives when the Holy Spirit calls to mind scripture and reveals something new to us.  We do well to keep habit of reading scripture and studying it to continue to grow and understand.  We hear these whispers of God when our eyes, ears, heart and mind are open with desire to hear and know.  The Holy Spirit is a promise to all who believe and trust in Jesus Christ.  Yet complacency and neglect are always standing at our door.  To busy, to tire, to much other stuff to do clouds our purpose this side of eternity.  Keep focus on humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him.  Be a witness to His saving grace, mercy, and power.

God raised Him up

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

John 10:18  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Isaiah 53:10    Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Acts 2:32    This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

Acts 3:15     and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

Philippians 2:6    who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Titus 2:14    who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Hebrews 5:6    Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.  And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

Matthew 26:53     Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”  At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.  But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Do you ever wonder in awe, this selfless act of redemption Christ obediently carried out for salvation of those who would believe in Him.  He could have asked for and received the help of 12 legions (50,000 +) of Angels to save Him from the hands of those taking charge of Him.  He could have stopped this from happening but He didn’t because the will of the Father.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Redemption of our soul came at a very high cost and is not to be taken lightly.  “he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” – what does it mean to obey Him?  To obey Him we must have a heart deep desire to humbly serve, honor, and follow Him.  Our heart and mind must choose to actively seek to do His will and purpose.  His word is active.  His word is light unto our soul.  His word is a beacon of hope. His word is a light unto our path.  His word is the beginning of our understanding  of things of God.  His word give us wisdom in things of God.  His word  was given to us to grow in this understanding and knowledge. It is very hard for this to happen unless we spend time in His word.  Choose to spend time in His word.  Choose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey.

You will receive power

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

“Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him”

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

John 7:37  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 14:16     And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:26    But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you

Proverbs 1:23    If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Isaiah 44:3     For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Joel 2:28     “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

Ephesians 1:13    In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

This is the verse that has me thinking; “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.”  If we turn at His reproof – How do we know of His reproof?  How do we understand that we have done something wrong, or are doing something we shouldn’t, or not doing something we should, or thinking something we shouldn’t??????  How do we know we are on the path and in the purpose God has for our life?  First we must have a heart, soul and mind deep desire to know, humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.  Second, we must understand to know Him we must have a mind that trusts in , clings to, and rely on Him.  Third, we must stay in His word.  Fourth, we must want to hear His leading in our life on paths which are in line with His word.  Fifth, we must talk to Him in prayer.  Sixth, we must believe He is able to guide, direct, lead, instruct, protect, and be our refuge, hope, joy, and power.   We do not get His leading through complacent neglect of His word.  It takes faith and commitment and time in His word each day to overcome the dilution affect this culture we live in has on our life.

There is no God but Me

“I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God”

Hosea 13:3
But I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
and besides me there is no savior.
It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
in the land of drought;
but when they had grazed, they became full,
they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
therefore they forgot me.
So I am to them like a lion;
like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;
I will tear open their breast,
and there I will devour them like a lion,
as a wild beast would rip them open.

Isaiah 43:11
I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.
I declared and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you;
and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
Also henceforth I am he;
there is none who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can turn it back?”

Exodus 20:3
“You shall have no other gods before me.”

Isaiah 45:21
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me.

Deuteronomy 8:12
I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God.

Doesn’t this seem to be a reoccurring theme?  Trouble – Seeking God – God saving – Serving God – Blessed by God – Forgetting God – Trouble. How many times do we need to hear this from scripture and are convicted to examine our lives in light of His word?  It seems mankind is content on only serving God after there is an event bringing trials into their lives.  Where does our lives and commitment line up to what God expects in light of “Love me with all your heart, mind, and soul.” “Desire me.” “Serve me.” “Seek me.” “Honor me.” “Glorify me.” “Worship me.” “Love me.” “Praise me.” “Walk humbly before me.” “Pray to me.” “Give to others for me.” “Be kind to others for me.” “Be generous to others for me.” “Be patient with others for me.” “Take care of widows for me.” “Love others for me.” “Take care of orphans for me.” “Encourage others for me.” “Make disciples for me.” “Tell others about me.” “Trust me.” “Rely on me.” “Cling to me.” “Believe in me.” “Seek to know and understand me.” It does not take a quantum theorist to figure this out.  If we choose to spend time in His word with a passion to desire to know and understand Him,  and do all of these and more for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying God with all our heart mind and soul – the world around us will grow very dim as He becomes our everything.

Spirit of God – Lead

“You, therefore, have no excuse”

Judges 6:34
Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.

Numbers 11:25
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it

Haggai 1:14
And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people

Acts 1:6
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them:“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:15
These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below

I doubt we can imagine what it was like to only have moments of having the Holy Spirit dwell within us.  In the gospel of John, Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and that He would then send the Holy Spirit to fill not only them but all who believe.  This indwelling was recorded in Acts.  This indwelling is permanent and is givin so that we have constant leading, joy, love, peace, understanding, wisdom, strength, patience….. However it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit and hinder any outward manifestation in our lives.  This is what I think happens (more from personal experience than observation of others), 1. being complacent to staying in God’s word, 2. which in turn leads to turning our mind and ears away from what God would have us do and how to live, 3. which in turn leads us to accept what the culture deems appropriate, 4. which leads to leading our families with a severe dilution of what christian lives should be, 5. which leads to a generation further away from God.  Nothing good comes from being complacent to God’s word.  Do you want to experience a spirit filled life – stay in His word, learn to hear His voice, obey God’s leading, be a humble servant with a deep desire and purpose to honor and glorify God above all else.

Understanding Instruction

so that the people understood the reading.

Nehemiah 8:7
And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

Leviticus 10:11
and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses

Malachi 2:7
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 2:36
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 7:51
“You stiff- necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

Can you imagine what it was like to live in a time where the Holy Spirit did not indwell you. (this assumes you have repented of sin and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness) There are two points that come to mind today.  We know that Jesus promised to send a helper (the Holy Spirit) to us after His resurrection.  The Holy Spirit will guide and lead us into all truth, convict of sin, and confirm in our heart where God is leading us.  In the time of Nehemiah people did not have this indwelling and required instruction to be explained so that they could understand.  This is much like our understanding of what was being preached/taught prior to being saved.  We could not understand or connect the promises of God to our everyday lives.  However upon receiving the Holy Spirit we are given this gift.  It is not all at once but a life long learning – precept upon precept, line upon line, promise upon promise, application upon life’s journey.  The second point is that the people chose and wanted Nehemiah to teach them.  Since Christ’s death and resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are given great opportunity to grow in our understanding of God, His purpose, and how to live in this world so that we can be used by Him.  It seems our lives get so caught up in everyday stuff that we lose sight of this gift.  And because we do not guard our selves and keep Him first we lose sight of our purpose.  How can the Holy Spirit speak to our heart if we spend no time in God’s word?  How can we know our true purpose if we neglect the source of our leading?  How can we grow if the only food is what we hear in a 30 minute teaching from our pastor?  The answer is we will not grow.  As Paul said “You are infants on milk when you should be eating solid food”.  It is good for us to see people of Nehemiah’s time who chose to be taught as an example – And for us to commit to spending time each day feeding on God’s word with a desire for Him to teach us.