Remember Who You're Asking

Pastor Colin Smith

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Paul moves from teaching to praying. Since all this is true of you-God loves you, chose you, saved you, sanctified you, called you through the gospel, brought you to faith, and destined you to share in Christ's glory-come before him with confidence and receive what you need from him! Pray in the light of the truth, so that you may experience its power.  

Notice the direct, personal involvement of Christ: "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself... comfort your hearts..." (2:17). So, when you pray for comfort and strength, remember who you are asking. This Lord Jesus is the one who gives us "eternal comfort and good hope" (2:16). How did he do that? On the cross and through his resurrection.

Peter and John Run to the Tomb

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.  -- John 20:3,4 By the time the women reached the apostles, they must have sounded very confused! On one hand, they reported that the angels said Jesus was alive from the dead. On the other hand, they were confused and operating in fear, so they exclaimed, "...They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him" (John 20:2). Fear always produces confusion, and these women were so confused that the apostles didn't take what they said seriously. Luke 24:11 says, "And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." The words "idle tales" are from the Greek word leros, which means nonsense, idle talk, babble, or delirium (see April 28). Who did these women think removed Jesus from the tomb? Which story was true? Was He resurrected and alive as the women first told the apostles, or was He stolen away?

Two perspectives on near death experiences

One of the questions we’re often asked is how we explain near-death experiences.

123rf.com/Andriy Solovyov

Josef L., U.S., asks,

Dear CMI,

I’m not really sure how to ask this question, but lately I’ve been thinking of the atheist’s position that when we die, it’s all over.

I’ll confess if there is one thing that sort of makes me doubt my faith, it’s comas or near-death experiences (I do not mean the light at the end of the tunnel type of stuff), such as when people are in a coma or are clinically dead but come back, they often say nothing happened. Also, I think about people who suffer brain trauma and their personalities change. It makes it seem like our consciousness is a function of our physical bodies.

The Long Walk is Part of the Gift

By Jim Liebelt

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

There is a Native American story about a schoolboy who appreciated his teacher and wanted to give her a gift she would enjoy. He knew that his teacher loved seashells. One weekend, the boy walked to the ocean—a twenty-mile distance—found a beautiful shell and walked back home. Monday morning, the boy gave his teacher the shell. She thought it was beautiful. It took a moment, but then it dawned on her what the boy had gone through in order to give her the gift. She asked the boy, “You mean you walked all that way to the ocean and back just to give me this shell?” The boy looked at his teacher, and with a tear in his eye, he said, “The long walk is part of the gift.”

What About Those Who Say Jesus Healed by the Power of Hypnosis?

Luke 17:11–19

Have you ever seen a stage hypnotist give water to someone they’ve put in a trance and then suggest to them that they were drinking wine? They smack their lips, get giddy and start to feel intoxicated, as though they were swigging cheap Bordeaux.

British author Ian Wilson has raised the possibility that Jesus may have been a master hypnotist, which could explain the supposedly supernatural aspects of his life. For instance, hypnosis could account for his healing of lepers, his exorcisms and his transfiguration, during which three of his followers saw his face glow and his garments shine as white as light (see Matthew 17:1–2). As evidence, Wilson cites the modern example of a 16-year-old boy whose serious skin disorder was inexplicably healed through hypnotic suggestion.

Perhaps Lazarus wasn’t really brought back from the dead (see John 11:1–44). Couldn’t he have been in a deathlike trance induced by hypnosis? As for the resurrection, Jesus “could have effectively conditioned [the disciples] to hallucinate his appearances in response to certain pre-arranged cues (the breaking of bread?) for a predetermined period after his death,” according to Wilson.

Was He Really a "Doubting Thomas"?

Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples, had the nickname Doubting Thomas, but I think that is a bit unfair. I have always thought of Thomas as more of a skeptic than a doubter. After all, Thomas did not ask for a special revelation from Jesus. He simply asked for the same proof the other disciples had (see John 20:25). Thomas was the kind of guy who wanted to know for himself. He was his own man. He would not let others do his thinking for him.

What did Jesus do with such a man? He made a special resurrection appearance for him. He condescended to Thomas and his desire to know for himself. What amazes me about this is that Jesus came to Thomas on his level. He didn't rebuke him. He didn't humiliate him. He could see that deep down in Thomas's heart, he really wanted to know God. Jesus came to him and said, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing" (John 20:27).

I like Thomas, because by nature I, too, am a skeptical person. I have never been one to believe something just because someone says it is true.

When Faith Triumphs

Pastor Colin Smith

 

"Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth." 1 Kings 17:24

 

The boy was raised from the dead.  The woman received back her son, and at the end of the story, she says these words of faith to Elijah.

 

If you're a Christian today, then it's true you've begun the journey of faith.  It's also true that your faith is being tested.  And one day you will stand in the presence of Jesus and say, "Now I know."  That's the point of the resurrection.  Faith will be turned to sight.  Every question will be answered, and every tear will be wiped away. 

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Faking Death

by Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S

In addition to studying the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus, we have looked at the “infallible proofs” and other evidences for this event. We have also critiqued many of the skeptical and critical attempts to explain away the historical evidence recorded in the New Testament. Each of these alternative hypotheses can account for portions of the evidence, but they do not come close to explaining all the facts. Unbelievers have posited that Jesus did not exist or was not even crucified, that the disciples were just seeing things, that someone moved the body, or that His body was buried in a family tomb. This article will examine a couple of views that admit Jesus was crucified but claim that He somehow managed to survive for a short time after being taken off the Cross.

The Swoon Theory

Proposed by Heinrich E.G. Paulus in The Life of Jesus (1828), the swoon theory states that Jesus was not actually dead when He was removed from the Cross. Instead, He had fallen into a coma-like state (a swoon) on the Cross and was then buried in a tomb in that condition. He later revived, rolled away the tomb’s stone from the inside, evaded the Roman guards, and escaped. He then appeared to His disciples proclaiming He had conquered death. But rather than making a full recovery, Jesus died soon thereafter due to His numerous injuries.

The Surprise Ending of Resurrection

By Brian Orme 

In some stories, hope is wrapped up in the obvious and tangible elements of the plot, but other times hope is revealed through a surprise ending or a twist — giving new life to the story in foreshadowed glory. The Easter story is a vivid example that things aren't always as they seem. In a way, Easter is a celebration of the greatest story twist in history, one that's so subversive it changes everything for all time.

It's easy to gloss over the Easter story — we've heard it so many times — and forget the surprise and shock of the resurrection. It’s easy to read through the Gospels without that “aha” moment it really delivers. We have the privilege of reading the resurrection into the teachings of Jesus — we know how the story ends — but for the disciples, the moments before the resurrection were steeped in fear, darkness and confusion. For the disciples, the resurrection provided an incredible twist — in Sixth Sense fashion — that made the story come alive in a new way … past experiences began to make clarion sense. It changed everything. 

Eugene Peterson explains it like this in his book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: “The Christian life begins as a community that is gathered at the place of impossibility, the tomb.”

Knee-Deep In Daffodils

Our Daily Bread 

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Luke 24:13-34

The Lord is risen indeed! —Luke 24:34

When the first flowers of spring bloomed in our yard, my 5-year-old son waded into a patch of daffodils. He noticed some debris from plants that had expired months before and remarked, “Mom, when I see something dead, it reminds me of Easter because Jesus died on the cross.” I replied, “When I see something alive—like the daffodils—it reminds me that Jesus came back to life!”

Living Beyond Your Circumstances Through The Resurrection

A little boy named Philip with Down Syndrome attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” — Matthew 28:5-6

On Easter Sunday, the teacher brought egg-shaped pantyhose containers for the students and told the children to go outside, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new life symbols, opening the containers one by one. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table.

Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. When one was opened, revealing nothing inside, the children exclaimed, “That’s not fair! Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”

You may be down on Friday, but Sunday's coming!

...for had they known, they would not have crucified   the Lord of glory. - 1 Corinthians 2:8

Dear Loved One, The Lord has an awesome habit of turning things around. What human hands could never change, He does when He is invited into the equation. And just when it seems flesh and the Devil have had their day, the Lord gives them their comeuppance. "Comeuppance" is a great word for Easter. The consummate comeuppance is what Easter is about: Jesus rising from the dead. And while it is such a brilliant strategy on the part of God, the Scripture says that the rulers of this age didn't know what they were doing in sending Jesus to the Cross. If they had known, they wouldn't have done it. What they thought would be their moment of triumph instead set up the mammoth turnaround of the Resurrection. Jesus, of course, becomes the victor and the manifestation of justice that is restored.

The Emmaus Syndrome

By John A. Wilson

This sermon is based on one of the events that took place between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Its context is Luke 24:13–35, the event of Jesus’ meeting with two men on the road to Emmaus.

The Emmaus story, recorded only in Luke, has great universal appeal. Luke, the physician, seems to be concerned with Jesus’ healing and restoration ministry. In this story Jesus gave hope to two sad men.

The steps I follow in developing a sermon include these:

1. After reading the selected passage a number of times and working to understand the context and any textual problems, I try to develop the proposition which is a short sentence expressing the main point I believe God wants communicated to the people. The proposition should be a complete sentence, including a subject and object. The sermon should be a logical proof of the proposition. I like to think of myself as a trial lawyer working to convince a jury of the truth of the proposition.

The proposition I developed for the Emmaus Syndrome is: “Jesus Christ is the Healer of broken hearts.”

What We Can Learn From God's Silence

SCOTT HAGAN

(© Theodor38 / StockFreeImages)

I recently uncovered the amazing mysteries of tranquility while excavating a lost sermon of Jesus. I’d been overlooking it in my gospel quarry for years. Once I knew where to dig, it became a simple discovery—one I invite you to make for yourself.

Take a few moments with your New Testament and look up every passage detailing the crucifixion. Once you’ve found them all, write out the statements recorded as coming from the lips of Jesus while He hung on the cross. Now, slowly repeat those statements aloud, one after the other. You’ll find they barely fill one minute of spoken conversation when strung together. Seven one-liners!

What was Jesus saying during the rest of His six hours on the cross?

There is much He could have said. He could have ended the opening argument of His extradition with an ear-splitting sermon or offered up a plateful of prophetic thunder as a parting shot for Pilate. He could have unloaded an earful at the elders. He could have undressed with righteous rhetoric the Roman cohorts who stripped His clothes, and then showered condemnation on those who spat upon Him. He could have bellowed out a few shots from Jeremiah’s prophecies to wayward Israel or ordered up a few hungry bears as Elijah did.

Did Jesus Fulfill His Prophecy of How Long He Would Be Entombed?

article by Scott Ashley

Jesus Christ plainly said He would be entombed for three days and three nights. Can this be reconciled with a "Good Friday" crucifixion and burial and an "Easter Sunday" resurrection, which allows for barely a day and a half in the tomb? Or do the Gospels spell out a solution that fits perfectly with what Jesus foretold?

Jesus Christ's body was likely placed in a rolling-stone tomb similar to this one located in Galilee.

Source: Scott Ashley

In Matthew 12:38, some of the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign to prove He was the Messiah. "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you," they told Him (New International Version).

Jesus responded that the only sign He would give was that of the prophet Jonah: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40, NIV).

For The Love Of Life

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me,  

though he may die, he shall live." - John 11:25 

Dear Loved One,

We tend to think of Easter as the commemoration of a great point in history, and that's a worthy reason for celebration. We also rejoice in anticipation of the resurrection unto eternal life ahead of us; a promise to all who open to the love of God in Jesus Christ. But there's also a present reality to be celebrated: Jesus rose from the dead, and He is alive forevermore. He's available right now to bring life to anything in your situation that may be dead or dying.

f Jesus Hasn't Changed, Why Isn't He Moving Like in the Past?

JAMES MALONEY

 

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More than once I’ve led a team of evangelists in a series of crusades in Madras/Chennai, India. The last time I was there, the magnitude of the people’s needs was totally overwhelming. Every kind of sickness and disease imaginable was represented in the vast crowd that thronged to hear the Word of God.

It was amazing to see the response of these precious souls receiving the greatest miracle of all: the born-again experience. However, as I watched, a gnawing question rose up within my spirit. I recognized it as coming from the Lord, and it shook me to the very core of my being.

“When will I be presented to the multitudes today as I was presented yesterday? Have I changed in 2,000 years? Is it not still My desire to heal the sick and set the captives free?”

Under Your Feet

"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool." (Acts 2:34-35)

Even though Satan lost all his authority on this earth the day Jesus rose from the dead, for the past 2,000 years he's been running around as a spiritual outlaw--continuing to kill, steal from, and destroy all who will let him. But, he's not going to be able to do that much longer. 

There's coming a day when he's going to be put out of business completely. There's coming a day when the evil he's done here on earth will be put totally underfoot by the power of God.

New Beginnings

Written by Carol Van Atta

Amazingly, it’s that time. A New Year is approaching right on schedule — again. This is the time of year so many of us start making resolutions to change a certain area, or multiple areas in our lives. Maybe we have some extra pounds to shed. Possibly, we are committed to changing a specific, harmful behavior. Our infamous New Year’s resolutions range from simple desires to seemingly full-proof-plans for extensive life change. What we all have in common is the hope that something will change, and life will be different (and better) in the year ahead.

Do you have a resolution this year? Or are you like so many people who have done away with their hopes for lasting, life change? Every year, people ring in the New Year with goals to live life differently on some level.

Pearl Harbor: The Tale of the Sundays

By Wallace Henley , Special to CP

December 7, 2012|8:39 am

The date President Franklin D. Roosevelt said "will live in infamy" was a Sunday, December 7, 1941.

Captain Mitsuo Fuchida and his Japanese fighters came roaring out of the Pacific vastness at 7:48 that Sunday morning, heading for the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. Like a squadron of giant hornets, they stung a hefty portion of the American Pacific fleet with destruction and death, then winged off into the sunrise.

I was born December 5, 1941, just two days before Fuchida's blast through Pearl Harbor. I came within 48 hours of having to hear my birthday solemnly dubbed for the rest of my life as a "day of infamy."