Los Lunas Cornerstone

    The evangelist Paul Washer once said this, “I used to tell young preachers, in order to preach you've got to have the power of God on your life. Now I tell them, in order to tie your shoes you've got to have the power of God on your life.” The Power of God. You need the power of God to do anything as a believer. Why? Because when you gave your life to Jesus, you gave Him your entire life! Whether you realized it or not, when you said “yes” to Jesus, you were signifying that you were no longer going to live life on your own terms, but only by what God’s plan was and what direction He led you in.
    So, when you became a believer, you were stating that from that point on, you were only going to try to live life by the power of God, which is the Holy Spirit given to you and all believers by the Father. You could live life in your own power, but you, believer, really shouldn’t. That’s not what you signed up for! You signed up for a life full of power and that power is the Spirit of God living in you.
    Unfortunately, many Christians, and maybe you find yourself in this group, many Christians don’t rely on the Spirit for anything. Not for tying their shoes and not for anything else either. They don’t rely on Him to make their decisions. They don’t rely on Him to guide them or teach them or change them. In fact, many Christians continue to live life just the same way they did before they came to Christ because they have neglected the Spirit living in them. When you as a believer, neglect the Spirit in your life, you neglect God.
    The next few weeks, I’m going to be preaching a sermon series called “The Forgotten God”. It’s a series about the Holy Spirit, who for many Christians, is the forgotten God. He’s neglected, ignored, and misunderstood in the church in North America, and if we’re to have any hope of continuing to be a church in this country, we need to stop forgetting God the Spirit.
    So let’s talk about the Holy Spirit. In your bulletin, you’ll notice the question near the top that asks, “What is the Holy Spirit?” The first thing I want you to do is to cross out the word “what” and write “who”. This might be the biggest misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not a what, or an it. The Spirit of God is a He. He is a person. He is the third person of the Trinity, the third person of the Godhead.
    This morning, as I preach about the nature of the Spirit, it is my desire that you will see that the Spirit is a person, a being. That might not seem like a big deal, it might not seem like a big distinction, but when it comes to how we relate to God and how we understand His place in our life, it’s very important that what we believe about the Spirit is in line with what God’s Word, the Bible, says about who He is. The Spirit of God is a He, a person, a being, just as important as God the Father and God the Son. To neglect or misunderstand the Spirit, we neglect part of who God is.
    Look at John 14:17 to see the words the Bible uses to speak about the Spirit, “the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.” (NASB) This is just one of many examples throughout the Bible, but anytime when Scripture speaks about the Spirit, it uses terminology that describes a person, not an idea, not a thing, a person!
    He is the Spirit of TRUTH, John says. That means that the Spirit can and will only do what is true and say what is true. The Spirit will never speak something that isn’t true, or do something that isn’t true. He is the very embodiment of truth and truth can only be defined by the Spirit of God. This is also important for us to understand as we seek to understand our relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Bible was inspired by God to be written, so the things contained in it are truth because they are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and He only speaks truth. What He says about Himself is true because He only speaks truth.
    Now, since we know that the Holy Spirit is a person, a being, that means that He is available for a personal relationship with believers, just like the Father and the Son. In fact, John 7:39 assures us that the Holy Spirit is given to every person who believes in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Every person who believes receives the gift of the Spirit to remain in them and be in them. In the next few weeks’ sermons, we’ll explore what the Spirit does in the life of each believer, but quite simply, none of those things happen if we’re not having a personal relationship with Him.
    We can think of our relationship with the Holy Spirit like a marriage, or a very close friendship. Those types of relationships must be carefully and intentionally cultivated and cared for. Those types of relationships require a lot of time spent together. So it is with the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. You can have a personal relationship with Him, one that will undoubtedly change your life, but you must spend time with Him. You must care for that relationship and intentionally grow it.
    2 Corinthians 13:14 says that we can have FELLOWSHIP with the Holy Spirit. Think about the word fellowship. What does it mean to you? I think of friends, especially close friends. I think of my church family, and opportunities that we have to sit and share our common interests with one another in conversation. This is how we’re meant to be with the Spirit. He isn’t meant to be neglected in our lives. We are meant to be in constant fellowship with Him, in friendship, sharing our common interests and learning from Him as He speaks to us what He hears from the Father. Fellowship is part of our personal relationship with the person of the Spirit.
    Romans 8:14, 16-17 says this, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (NASB)
    Having a personal relationship with the person of the Spirit allows us to be sons and daughters of God, heirs of all that He has to give, just as Christ is an heir of all that God has to give. The privileges afforded to the sons and daughters of God become ours when we walk in that personal relationship with the Spirit. The Spirit reveals God the Father to us. It is through the Spirit that we know the Father and know what the Father desires. Without the Spirit, we cannot know the Father or the Son. This is the importance of having a personal relationship with the Spirit.
    John 14:25-26 tells us about another reason to intentionally grow your relationship with the Spirit, “These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” (NASB) Have you ever had one of those moments in Scripture, when you know you’ve read a passage a dozen times before and you understood it just fine, but that one time you read it, it just really grabs you and changes you and you know it’ll be one of those verses that you’ll never forget because of its impact on you? That’s the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. He is the one who teaches you and opens Scripture to you, and reminds you of all that Christ has spoken through the Word of God. This is why a personal relationship with the Spirit is so important. He makes God’s Word alive and active.
    Then we are reminded again of Matthew 28:19, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” (NASB) If you’re not actively walking with the Spirit on a day to day basis, you don’t have the power needed to make disciples. And since this is the one thing Jesus told us to do, it’s of vital importance! We must make disciples. This has to be at the core of how we interact with the world around us, it always must be at the forefront of our minds because it is our purpose! We make disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and the Spirit, because without the Spirit, the work of making disciples is impossible.
    See? Not only is the Holy Spirit available for a personal relationship with believers, but without each believer cultivating a vibrant and active relationship with the Spirit, you miss out on the sweet fellowship you could have with Him, you miss out on closeness with the Father and the Son, you miss out on living in step with God’s Word, and you miss out on the power to do as Christ has commanded you. We need the Spirit, and we need to walk closely in step with Him each and every day. Living a Christ-like life without the Spirit is impossible.
    That’s because the Holy Spirit is GOD, the Spirit. He is the very Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the Father’s Spirit. We must know this, and our theology, what we believe about God, and how we live our lives, but revolve around this knowledge. We have been given an incredible gift, that we should have the very Spirit of God living in each of us who believes. This is amazing! This is something that was completely impossible even to people like King David, or Jeremiah, or Isaiah, or Abraham. They only experienced the Holy Spirit like we do when the Spirit came upon them for a specific time and purpose, but we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us at all times, from the moment we first believe!
    The Spirit is God, He is God the Spirit. Look at these verses in Acts 5:3-4, “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” We can know through the New Testament that the Spirit is God, part of the Godhead, because all throughout the New Testament, the terms “Spirit” and “God” are used interchangeably. Here, we see that Peter has the understanding that lying to the Spirit is lying to God, because they are one.
    Romans 8:9 teaches us that the Spirit is the Spirit of the Father, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (NASB) and Galatians 4:6 teaches us that the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” (NASB) This is one of the foundational teachings of Christianity, that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are all one, all equally God, all equally important. One is not lesser than the others. Yet, we consistently forget the God the Spirit every single day. I believe it is so incredibly important for us to remember that if we forget the Spirit, we forget God.
    Though they can have different roles in the life of the Christian, they are still one. John 16:13-15 shows us how the Spirit and the Father relate to one another as they exist as one, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you.” (NASB) The Spirit speaks for the Father, and speaks only what the Father says. Why? Because the Spirit of God is God, part of God, one with the Father.
    Like 1 John 3:24 says, “The one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (NASB) The Spirit in each of us gives us the assurance that we need to know that we are in God, and that He remains in ME, you, each of us. How can the Spirit give that assurance? Because the Spirit is God. We neglect growing our relationship with Him and walking closely with Him to our own detriment.

Questions to form your quiet times this week:
1. Do you ever fall into the trap of seeing the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force instead of a person? Have you tried to “harness” Him instead of having a relationship with Him?

2. Do you treat the Holy Spirit as God, or do you treat Him as lesser than the other two persons of the Godhead? How can you be sure to treat Him as God?

3. Reflect on what the Nicene Creed says about the Spirit, “And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.” How have you experienced the Spirit giving you new life every day as He works in you and you submit to Him?

    Happy Resurrection Sunday! It’s Easter, of course, but since this is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we also like to call it Resurrection Sunday! We’ve been in a series for the past few weeks about the symbols of Easter. We’ve been talking about different symbols that we usually see around Easter and what they mean, and most importantly, where they come from in the Bible.
    We began by looking at the symbolism of the Lamb. We saw that in Scripture, particularly when it comes to the Passover and Easter, the Lamb is a symbol of sacrifice and the price that Jesus paid for our sins.
    Then we looked at the Cross, the most recognizable of Easter symbols. We can see that even though it was associated with being cursed, Jesus made it a symbol of His VICTORY over sin and death.
    Then we looked at the Crown of Thorns. Though usually a crown is associated with royalty, we saw that for Jesus, it was a sign of His humility, that He was willing to surrender His rights as the Son of God to do what the Father asked of Him. To us, we remember that we are also called to have this humility, to be willing to surrender ourselves to the Lord.
    Two weeks ago we looked at the Bread and Cup, that it demonstrates to us God’s FAITHFULNESS. We saw that God is always faithful to His people, and He always keeps His promises, so we can trust Him with our lives, even when we don’t know the outcome.
    Last week we looked at the Palm Branches that were waved as Jesus entered the city in triumph. They represent Jesus as King, reigning over all, but specifically God’s righteousness, reigning as King over sin and self.
    Today, we’ll talk about Easter Lilies. Have you every wondered why lilies are associated with Easter? I have. When we start to ask that question, an answer is easy to find. Did you know that Easter lilies are actually really difficult to grow. The process is a long, precise process. The bulbs have to be cultivated in fields for at least three years, and during that time they require care, moving, and tending as they move through the growth stages. And they have to groom them and care for them in such a way to make sure they bloom on time for Easter, which is a risk because Easter doesn’t fall on the same day each year. Easter lilies are kind of divas.
    Quite simply, Easter lilies are a symbol of new life. That’s what they represent. Throughout the Old Testament, lilies symbolize youth, life, and beauty. Those who are full of life, healthy and vibrant are said to grow like lilies. Given how difficult and time-consuming it is to grow lilies, it’s no wonder that they were associated with life that is hearty and well-grown.
    But as we look at what today means to all those who have put their faith in Jesus and believed in Him for their salvation, lilies become an important reminder of just what we have as a result of placing our faith in Jesus. For those of us who have embraced Jesus and accepted His forgiveness, lilies remind us of the new life that we have in Jesus. For those who have this new life, you know there is nothing more precious to you than life in Jesus. It’s the sweetest thing because you know what was sacrificed and the price paid to secure that new life.
    But I don’t want any of us to miss the sweetness of new life in Christ. So I ask the question that maybe you’re asking, or have asked before. Why do you need new life? Why should you want to have the new life that Jesus offers? After all, you’re alive aren’t you? Why is new life so important? Why is it different?
    Let’s trace the “why” throughout the Bible. I’ll start in Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (NIV)
    We were created in God’s image. In the image of the Almighty, the Creator of the Universe. This means a lot of things, and has a lot of implications, but one of the things we know about being created in God’s image, is that we were made to be eternal with Him. We were meant to be with Him and live with Him forever. We also know that it means we were created perfectly. We were created exactly as we needed to be. Nothing was missing in our bodies or minds, we were perfect in every way. When God finished creating mankind, He called us, His creation, “good”. To God, this meant that it was perfect, just as it should be. We were perfect, just as we should be. And it had to be that way, because in order for God’s creation to continue to be with Him for all eternity, we had to be perfect as He is perfect. And that wasn’t a problem when we were created.
    Unfortunately, it didn’t stay that way. The first man and the first woman, Adam and Eve, decided they knew better than God, and they did what He told them not to. They messed things up really bad for us, but we really aren’t any better. We continue their legacy of thinking we know better than God and doing the things He’s told us aren’t good for us, and not doing the things that He’s told us are good. We continue to try to go our own way, even when we know better. That’s sin.
    Romans 3:23 says this, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (NIV) This sin problem we all have, made us imperfect. The perfection we were created in and created for was lost through sin. And each of us is a sinner. If you’ve told a lie, even a white lie that didn’t hurt anyone else, that’s sin. If you know that this is true, in your bulletin you can fill in the blank, I am a SINNER. That’s the truth. Each of us is a sinner, and perfection is lost through sin.
    There’s a problem then because if we’re sinners, no longer perfect, then we can’t spend all of eternity with God in perfection. Hebrews 12:14 says this, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (NIV) Without that perfection that we were created in, NO ONE can come to God. We were created perfect, but that perfection was lost through sin, and each of us sins. But without that perfection, we can’t get back to that eternal relationship with God that we were created for.
    Some people, and maybe you find yourself among this group of people, I know I have been tempted by this thought before, some try to do enough good things to be good enough to earn being with God again in that eternal relationship. That’s no good either though. It’s useless. You can’t do enough good things. You could solve world hunger and it wouldn’t be enough to earn perfection back.
    Hebrews 10:1 says this, “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.” (NIV) The law, which was a series of rules and regulations for being “good”, even keeping the whole law wasn’t enough to be perfect again, because the law was just a shadow of what was really needed.
    It didn’t matter how many good things people did, still doesn’t matter how many good things you do, you can’t be perfect again just by being good. It’s not enough. Romans 3:10 also adds this, “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;” (NIV) Our good, isn’t good enough, and keeping the Law won’t make you perfect.
    So then that’s it, right? There’s no way for us to be perfect again, no way for us to get back to that eternal relationship with God again, is there? Seems…hopeless, doesn’t it?
    Well, no. There is hope. What we needed, that the Law couldn’t do because it was just a shadow of what we really needed, which was a human who was perfect who lived perfectly the way God intended us to do, who would pay the price for our sin, so that we didn’t have to. When we looked at the Lamb and the symbolism of the Lamb at Easter, we saw that the price that had to be paid for our sin was death. We needed a perfect human who could die for us, for me, for you.
    Jesus did.
    He paid the price. He lived a perfect life, and took our sins on Him to the cross. He died. But in order to have the final word over sin, in order to defeat sin and death forever for us, He had to come back to life. And that is what we celebrate today. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after He died, and when He did that, He defeated death, He defeated the sin that keeps us from having a relationship with God, just like we were created to have.
    We celebrate this morning because He is alive! And when He rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb, He gave to those who believe new life. Because if you don’t believe, even though you are walking around breathing air and going about this thing that we call life, you’re dead inside! That’s the truth! You’re dead inside because you have not let Jesus’s forgiveness forgive your sin. He wants to, but you have to say, “yes”.
    We celebrate this morning because we have new life in Jesus! I know this beyond a shadow of a doubt because I have experienced it.  There is nothing like it! I have tasted the sweetness of the forgiveness that Jesus offers and it sent me free from guilt, shame, and feeling like I had to earn God’s love. I don’t. He loves me, and you, even when we don’t deserve it.
    Colossians 1:22 shares this truth with us, “But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation—“ (NIV) Through Jesus’s death, God made it possible for you to be perfect. Not because you are perfect, but because Jesus is. How would you like to know that you can be with God and know that you are without blemish and no one can hold anything against you or accuse you of anything wrong. A clean slate. All your wrongs wiped away. Only through faith in Christ is this possible.
    Remember that I told you about how difficult it is to grow Easter lilies? That it takes a lot of care and attention and time, but it’s worth it because they are then really hearty and beautiful! Hosea 14:4-5 says this, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;” (NIV)
    The day that this passage talks about is now, the days after Christ came. God sent His only Son, Christ Jesus, to heal us of our sin, to love us freely, so that we can be planted in God. When we are rooted in God, planted in Him through belief in Christ, we will grow like LILIES, this passage says. Just like lilies, when we start a relationship with God through belief in Christ, that relationship requires a lot of care and attention and time, but it’s worth it because the result is beauty, and new life in us, those who believe.
    Ephesians 4:22-24 says to put off the old life. When we realize what Jesus did for us, that He died to forgive our sins and give us new life, we’re not supposed to keep living the way we did in our old life. Anything that was a part of who you were before Jesus is meant to die, and you’re meant to let it go and walk away from it. Sometimes that’s hard, but just like the lilies, worth it. New life in Christ is worth it.
    So, wherever you find yourself this morning, if you’ve never believed in what Christ did for you and you’ve never placed your faith in Him, if you’ve never accepted new life in Him and the forgiveness of your sins…or if you have and find yourself this morning needing a reminder of what Christ did for you and the new life that you have in Him. Wherever you are this morning, leave behind who you were. Leave behind your old life, and become a new person. Say “yes” to Jesus. Accept the new life that can be found only in Him.

Questions to form your quiet times this week:
1. Have you accepted the free gift of new life in Christ? If so, reflect on how different the new you is from the old you, and give thanks to the Lord. If you haven’t, what reservations do you have about this new life?

2. What does 2 Corinthians 3:18 say happens after we accept new life in Christ?

3. What does Ephesians 2:10 say we were created to do once we have new life in Christ?

    I’m sure I’ve shared this insight before, but just in case you’ve never heard it, here’s a little story I want to share with you. It was a few years ago, before I received my ordination, I was taking classes to prepare for ministry. One of these classes was about the history of the early Christian church. One of my assignments for this class was to visit churches of different Christian traditions. So I went to a Catholic church for Saturday Mass, and the next day, and I had to skip my regular service to do this, but I went to a Greek Orthodox Church.
    It was really cool, actually. There was this sweet lady who met me at the door and invited me to sit with her. We chatted a little before the service started, and she explained to me how things go. They sing a few songs, just like we do, though I didn’t join in the singing because the songs were in Greek. But, I was able to read the English translation as they were singing and they were beautiful songs, and the people were singing them in genuine worship. She explained to me that they would read from their readings taken from Scripture, which are kind of like lectionary readings for us (sections of Scripture read on the same day every year, which gets the congregation through most of the Bible in the course of the year).
    There was a short message based on one of the readings, much like we listen to a sermon. And then, it was time for communion. The lady I was sitting with explained to me that the Greek Orthodox Church took eucharist much more seriously than Protestants. For them, there is a period of preparation that a person must go through in order to be able to take communion that Sunday during service.
    They prepare for communion by first, fasting. They eat or drink nothing except water for the morning, so that the first thing they eat is the body of Christ. They then come to service early to enter into a special time of prayer, with the father and others who want to take communion. They go through a special prayer that is fairly lengthy. The prayer walks them through repentance of sins, asking God to cleanse them of their unrighteousness. They pray through several Psalms, asking God for mercy and forgiveness, that they might dwell with God. They pray through Psalms asking God to hear them and turn His face to them and shine upon them with blessings. They pray through their Doxology, their statement of beliefs of who God is, to remind themselves of the One that they serve and are giving respect and reverence to. They pray to the different persons of the Godhead, Father, Spirit, Son, asking each to work in His special role in their lives. It’s a very extensive prayer time. Then, they are expected to give as part of their preparation for taking communion. And they go through a prayer of forgiveness, to forgive those who they may be holding grudges against.
    See, they don’t just show up and take the bread and the cup. There’s thought and prayer and heart-searching that goes on before they take the bread and cup. I can’t help but wonder. I know we don’t do a lot of these rituals and traditions. We’re not “high” church with a lot of liturgical processes. I get that those things can become legalistic and oppressive even. But as I watched each of those parishioners go down the center of the church to take the body and blood of Christ, they looked joyful. There was excitement, and awe on their faces. There were even small children who went through the process to prepare to take the bread and cup. They didn’t look oppressed, or bored, or like they were just checking boxes. I saw faces of genuine love and worship for God. I can’t help but wonder…if this was what we asked of church goers before communion…who would come?
    I don’t say this to try to make us feel guilty, but I see that sometimes, we are far too comfortable and apathetic when it comes to approaching the Almighty God. I think we take it for granted that we can just approach Him whenever we want, and we’ve become flippant about it. A little more awe and reverence may do us good.
    I think about my experience watching the Greek Orthodox take communion frequently. And it’s relevant, because this morning, as we continue talking about the Symbols of Easter in the Bible, we’re going to talk about the Bread and Cup. We’ve looked at The Lamb, which represents for us, sacrifice, the price paid for the debt of sin. We’ve looked at The Cross, which represents victory over sin and death. We’ve looked at The Crown of Thorns, which represents humility, a willingness to submit self for the Lord.
    Let’s go to Scripture this morning, in Luke 22:7-20. “Now the first day of Unleavened Bread came, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 And so Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” 9 They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” 10 And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him into the house that he enters. 11 And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 And he will show you a large, furnished upstairs room; prepare it there.” 13 And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover. 14 When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15 And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood.” (NASB)
    This was the PASSOVER before the Crucifixion of Christ. It’s a Jewish tradition, one that has roots going all the way back into Genesis. In Genesis 15:13-14 God told the patriarch Abraham this, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. 14 But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.”
    If we just look at these two verses and understand them directly, what we will find is that Abraham’s descendants become enslaved in Egypt. They were there about 400 years. They were greatly oppressed. But then God delivered them, and Egypt was judged, and  Abraham’s descendants came out of Egypt with a lot of possessions and goods. So, this promise God gave to Abraham was an ancient promise of covenant, to watch over Abraham’s descendants, and to deliver them out of oppression.
    But if you look at all that surrounds these verses, you see that this is a very personal promise and covenant to Abraham. He didn’t have any descendants because he had no children. He was old. He was upset that God had made all of these promises to give him an heir, but it hadn’t happened yet. This promise was personal reminder to Abraham of God’s faithful covenant with him. God wasn’t going to let Abraham down. He would do as He promised, even if took longer than Abraham wished. This was personal for Abraham, and God was saying, “Hey, I’m faithful. I’m going to do what I say.”
    And He did. God gave Abraham a son, because God is faithful. And that son had two sons. And one of those twin sons had twelve sons. And they did end up in Egypt, and eventually enslaved and oppressed. And then, because God is faithful, He judged Egypt and delivered His people out of slavery.
    They were told to mark the occasion with a meal. A special meal, on the night that God would pronounce His final judgment on Egypt with a tenth plague, when He would passover His people who had covered their home with the blood of a lamb. And this meal was something they were meant to do to remember, and Exodus 13:8 tells us what they were meant to say year after year: “And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for ME when I came out of Egypt.’” (NASB)
    The passover meal was meant to be a personal time of remembrance and reflection. Each person is meant to remember what God did for them personally, as well as what He had done for all His people. As Jews continue to do this every year and participate in the Passover meal every year, they read through the Haggadah. The Haggadah is a little booklet of readings, that guides the Pesach seder, which is the Jewish name for the Passover meal. The Haggadah guides them through the meal (seder) and reminds the family of all that the Passover means. During this time, they eat the Paschal lamb, the sacrificial lamb, and we know as Christians that Jesus is our Passover lamb. However, the portion in the Haggadah that talks about the lamb is very small. There is much more space in the Haggadah devoted to the bread and the cup. While the blood of the lamb was important, the bread and cup was more important because of what it reminded them of.
    What does the bread and cup remind them of at the Passover meal? It reminded them that yes, they had freedom from slavery. But, it is also a reminder of the brokenness of humanity. God’s people were delivered from slavery, but even His chosen people were subject to oppression. Abraham had a son, yes, because God is faithful, but there was a lot of brokenness and heartache that went into that story as well. The bread, which can be broken, and the cup, which can be poured out, reminds us of the reality of life here and now, even for God’s special people. There is room for suffering in the Passover.
    The same reality exists in the crucifixion and we are reminded of this reality in COMMUNION. Jesus’s death gives us victory over sin and death, and we are redeemed from an empty way of life, delivered from all that oppressed us…but there’s still pain, there’s still hurt, there’s still suffering, even in the church with those who deeply love Christ. The reality is that we have deliverance and freedom, but we are also still human. Jesus did an amazing thing on the cross, but His body had to be broken and His blood had to be poured out to accomplish it.
    Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (NASB) Jesus commanded that we take the bread and cup in remembrance of Him, and Paul tells us that the reason we do this is to proclaim Jesus’s death until He returns. So every time that we take communion, whether it’s on Easter or not, we’re supposed to remember the duality of Jesus’s death and the nature of life in Christ. We proclaim salvation, freedom, but also the death and suffering done to secure that freedom & salvation.
    1 Corinthians 15 echoes this strange idea of remembering the good, while also considering the bad, as believers and disciples of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 says this, “Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NASB)
    We live in the perishable. What we see and these bodies will one day be nothing. They go away and cease to exist. But we were made to inherit what does not pass away, we were made to inherit the Kingdom of God! This passage is a reminder that while we live in the reality of being perishable, we view all of it in light of what is to come, the imperishable. We remember the sting of death while looking forward to that sting no longer being there. We remember that we were not made for DEATH, even though we have to face the reality of death here and now.
    The Bread and the Cup—its a reminder of the brokenness of humanity…but that we frame that brokenness in light of God’s faithful covenant of delivery. God has promised deliverance. He will do as He says, just as He’s always done, just as He did with Abraham. In the meantime, we’re human, and we’re broken, but we cling to His faithful promises.

Questions to form your quiet times this week:

1. Read 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 for further instructions for communion. What do Paul’s words add to your understanding of the attitude the bread and cup should be taken in?

2. Do as Paul asks, examine yourself before Communion Sunday next week. What do you think it would look like to eat the bread or drink the cup in an unworthy way?

3. Find a copy of the Haggadah online. How does this enhance what you know about the bread and cup portion of the Passover meal?

    Last week, as we started our series on the Symbols of Easter, we talked about the Lamb. The Lamb, we discovered through passages in the Old and New Testaments, is a symbol of the blood price paid for the debt of our sins, a debt we all owe. It’s a symbol of sacrifice, a symbol of a debt paid.
    Today, we’ll talk about the Symbol of the Cross, perhaps the most recognizable symbol that we associate with Christianity and Christ. Everyone knows what a cross is and what it looks like. Even people who want nothing to do with Jesus, know what the cross is. It’s one of the most widely recognized symbols worldwide. But it wasn't always associated with Christ, or the sacrifice He made for us to pay the debt for our sins. The cross actually has a very dark history, and was associated with some really terrible things in the past, especially before Jesus.
    Before Jesus, the cross was a symbol of power, AUTHORITY, control, and terror. Why? The Romans used the cross as a way to deter those who disobeyed or posed a threat to them. If you recall the story of the hours leading up to the crucifixion, when Jesus appeared before Pilate, Pilate was pretty insistent that Jesus hadn’t actually done anything against Roman law. He wasn’t a criminal in Roman authority eyes. To the Romans, it was odd that the Jewish religious leaders would want to have Jesus crucified like a criminal if he hadn’t disobeyed Roman law. He did however pose a threat to the peace of the area because His presence and His ministry had caused such a stir that the religious leaders were calling for his death. There was an angry mob, and so ultimately, Pilate agreed to have Jesus crucified.
    But the cross, and specifically crucifixion on a cross, was the Roman’s way of deterring people from committing crimes or doing things to subvert Roman authority. The cross was a symbol of punishment and terror. The cross told the people that they were controllable by the Romans, and that they would answer to Roman authorities.
    The cross had other associations as well. Before it even began to be used as a sign of Roman rule and authority, it was used in pagan nature worship. Before it was used to kill criminals, the cross was placed in places where pagan religions and their practitioners would gather to worship the gods and goddesses of nature, and nature itself. Nature deities were thought to inhabit the wood that they would use to make crosses.
    So, because of the cross’s association with criminals, and because of its history of being used in pagan nature worship, to decent, God-fearing people, the cross was an evil, and vulgar thing. In Galatians 3:13, Paul told us this, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’—“ (NASB) It’s a connection Paul makes between Jesus and what He did when He died on the cross, and an Old Testament passage in Deuteronomy 21:23 that talks about the manner in which criminals should be put to death, “his body is not to be left overnight on the tree, but you shall certainly bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is cursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.” (NASB)
    It was a curse to hang on a cross because of what the cross had come to represent, from as early as Moses’s day when the cross was used in pagan nature worship practices. Paul adds this as well, from 1 Corinthians 1:23, “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness,” (NASB) What is it that is foolishness to the Gentiles and a stumbling block to the Jews? That Christ was crucified on a tree, a cross, that was considered by all to be a cursed way to die, marking that the person had been cursed by God. Why would God let His Messiah die on a tree and be cursed? That’s a stumbling block, that’s foolishness, to so many. It was an offensive way for anyone to die, but especially for God’s chosen One.
    Theologian Roland Barnes said this, “Of all the possible ways in which Jesus could have been executed, He was hung on a tree to demonstrate the covenantal curse that rested upon Him for our sake.” And in so doing, Jesus subverted the symbolism of the cross.
    He does that a lot doesn’t He? He takes the weak and uses them for strong things. He takes the broken and uses them to heal others. He takes the humble and uses them to teach the proud. He takes cultural norms and turns them on their heads. He takes gender roles and rearranges them for His glory. He doesn’t work the way we think He should, and He will always surprise us if we just let Him do what is best. So Jesus subverted the symbol of the cross, and all it was associated with, and the ways of the world!
    Paul said as much in Colossians 2:14-15, “having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (NIV) Everything that the cross once stood for was nailed to the cross when Jesus was crucified, and just like He does with us when we come to Him, He gave the cross a new meaning. So what I want you to do in your bulletins if you’re taking notes, I want you to cross out the first explanation of the cross and what it means as a symbol. Cross it out. It’s not valid, because Jesus gave the cross a new meaning.
    The Lamb is a symbol of the blood price paid for the debt of our sins, a debt we all owe. The Cross, through Jesus’s sacrifice, has become a symbol of VICTORY over the death sin brings; a symbol of resurrection! Because He took on the curse for us, and died, taking sin with Him, and was resurrected on the third day, we can have victory over the death sin brings too!
    Whatever that sin looks like, His death and resurrection can give you victory over it! Even if it’s too terrible to admit to anyone, even hard to admit to yourself, He can give you victory. Hebrews 2:14-15 says this, “Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in a similar manner also shared in the same [physical nature, but without sin], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and [that He] might free all those who through [the haunting] fear of death were held in slavery throughout their lives.” (AMP)
    He defeated the devil, and defeated the power of death and sin so that we could have freedom from the slavery to sin we were held in our entire lives before we said “yes” to Jesus. Jesus gives us victory. That’s what the cross means to us, that’s the power of the cross for those who believe.
    1 Peter 2:24 also adds this, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (NIV) Not only did Jesus give us freedom from sin on the cross, but He also made it possible for us to live righteous lives. It is by His power that this is possible.
    Galatians 6:14 tells us this too, which was Paul’s attitude toward Christ and everything else in the world, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (NIV) The world, and all its ways, all the ways of darkness that John talks about in his books, have been crucified to ME! The world and its ways has been crucified to you! We don’t have to live in slavery and bondage to sin and death. We can be free, and the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross is what gives us our freedom.
    Think about this: in Genesis 3, it is through the fruit of a tree that sin enters into humanity. We had the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and we were tempted to eat the fruit of the tree which we knew would lead to our deaths. Sin=death. In the gospels, it is on a tree that Jesus hung as He took on the sins of the world and defeated the power of sin and death, once and for all. And in Revelation 22:14 we read, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” (NIV) For those that accept the gift Jesus paid for on the cross, the tree, we get the right to the tree of life, the ultimate removal of sin in eternity.
    This is why the cross has become a symbol of Eastertide. May it be a reminder to us all that Jesus defeated the power of sin and death once and for all, for you, for me, for eternity, and through His resurrection we have victory over the power of sin in our own lives! May we remember that Jesus takes the ways of the world, the ways of the culture, the norms, and He subverts them and gives us a new way of living.

Questions to form your quiet times this week:
1. What difference has the cross made to your life? Have you experienced the victory over sins in your life, or are there still sins you struggle with on a regular basis? If Christ has given us victory over the power of sin, why do we still struggle with sin?

2. Martin Luther once wrote, “The cross alone is our theology.” What does that mean to you?

3. Jesus subverted what the cross stood for. How does He still continue to subvert the normal ways of the world? Try to think of specific examples.