jeff warren Posts

He is Risen! – Easter Sunday

31 Mar , 2013 No Comments

“Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.  He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.  Come, see the place where He was lying.”  Matthew 28:5-6

Was it a day like today?  Quiet and early, all of nature stretches to a new day as the sun comes up again.  Or shall I say, “the Son comes up again!”  He is risen!  Everything has changed!  All of history hinges on this day.  Paul said, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”  Take it a step further.  If Christ has not been raised, all of life is useless.  Without the conquering of death we all are destined for hell and a life apart from God.  Praise be to our glorious Savior.  Rejoice today and celebrate your new life in Jesus Christ!  Worship Him today with all your heart.

At the risk of putting a damper on your dancing and your celebration, pause for a moment and ponder this – what’s next?  Consider the response of the disciples.  They celebrated, no doubt, but their response was more than giddiness or mere celebration.  They told others what had happened.  In fact, they couldn’t help but tell what they had seen!  They realized that all of Christ’s hopes for His Church would rise or fall depending on how faithful these eyewitnesses would be for all – including us today – who have not yet seen.  Let us rejoice today, but let us never forget the responsibility we have now that we have experienced the risen Christ!  For He is risen indeed!

“… blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”  John 20:29

Pray:  Jesus, my Lord, I praise You for the resurrected life You have now given me.  I want to crucify sin in my life, live in Your resurrection power, and be a pure vessel of Your love.  I thank You for how I have grown in my walk with You to the cross.  I don’t want to stop here.  I want to continue to live a life of sacrifice and self-denial.  I will continue to devote myself to You in my quiet place.

 

And the Angels were Silent – Saturday

30 Mar , 2013 No Comments

“He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had cut out of rock, and he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb.”  Matthew 27:60

How quiet it is on Saturday before Easter.  How sad it is.  How despairing it must have been for those who had seen their teacher, their friend, and their hope die right before them.  All of creation held its breath to see what would happen next.  All of heaven peered toward earth to see how we would respond.  And God didn’t move.  Not one word; not even a sign.  Have you ever been there?  You had great expectations that God was up to something big, something life changing, and then…nothing.  Have you ever put all of your hopes in a person or in yourself, only to see them come crashing down before you?  Then you know how the disciples must have felt.

They had all run away scared.  They couldn’t believe it.  Their leader, their master was dead.  He was really dead!  It was all over.  No hope, nowhere to turn, no plans.  On Saturday all they could do was run for their lives and hide out hoping no one would find them.  Do you ever think God is silent?  Do you ever pray thinking it doesn’t get past the ceiling?  Let Easter Saturday serve as a lesson for every day of the year.  God may seem to be silent, but in reality, He’s about to bring about His greatest work!  If you ever wonder if He’s at work on your behalf, ponder the difference between Saturday and Sunday.  Remember, God may seem slow, but He’s never late.

Pray:  Lord, I confess I have not trusted You in Your silence. I want You to work in my time and in ways that don’t require a lot of waiting and wondering. I realize that when You are silent is when You will soon show your greatest work.  And when You are silent, I can show my greatest faith and trust in You.

 

The Life of a Servant – Thursday of Holy Week

28 Mar , 2013 No Comments

“After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”  John 13:5

On the night before His death, Jesus would teach the greatest lessons of His ministry to His disciples. The Master-teacher would use object lessons, symbols, and hands-on teaching to make His point. The first lesson was on servanthood; the second was on sacrifice. The first involved the washing of His disciples’ dirty feet – an act performed only by a servant, not a master. When He finished He didn’t say, “Now that I’ve washed your feet, you wash mine”, (as we would have done). Instead He said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). You see, the way we express love to Jesus is by expressing love to one another. The way we serve Him is by serving others.

The second lesson was around the table as He took the well-known elements of the Passover Meal and re-interpreted them as fulfilled by Him. The matzah bread, which was always pierced and always striped, represented His body. The cup of redemption represented His blood shed for them. How unusual it must have been as Jesus brought new meaning to these ancient symbols. How amazing it must have been after His death and resurrection for His disciples to understand, with crystal clarity, what He meant.  And now we know as well.

“The Master will dress Himself to serve and tell the servants to sit at the table, and He will serve them.”  Luke 12:37

Pray:  Lord, thank You for Your amazing act of servanthood and Your example of sacrifice for me. I want to live the life of a servant. I will love someone for free today. In so doing, I will be expressing my love to You. Tonight I will remember the sleepless night You had as You were arrested, tried, beaten, and thrown into prison.

I’m Coming Back For You

27 Mar , 2013 No Comments

“So always be ready, because you don’t the day your Lord will come.”  Matthew 24:42

It’s interesting that on the final week of Jesus’ life He spoke much about His return. It should come as no surprise. The scenario is pretty simple as He explains it in John 14.  “Don’t worry.  I’m leaving for a while, but I’ll be back.  And when I come back, I’ll take you with me.” The return of Christ is certain. His return is final. And when He comes again He will separate those who are with Him from those who are not. Separation can be a sad thing.  Jesus knew a lot about separation. He was about to experience a separation such as He had never known before. When He cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”, He was experiencing the abandonment of His Father. His Holy Father turned His back on His Son as He took on the sin of the world. And He did it all for you.  He did it all so that one day, He could come back and take you home. He did it so you would never be abandoned. He, who had been separated from the Father, was about to be united again. Soon He would experience the warm embrace of His Father once again; the weary traveler from a foreign land would find Himself in the loving arms of His Father.  That’s the same reunion He wants you to know as well. When He comes again, every person who ever lived will be judged on whether or not they had received His forgiveness.  He’s coming back for you. Who will you bring with you?

“So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”  Matthew 24:44

Pray:  Lord, I want to live every day in expectation of Your return. Today I will realize that I have been given but one life and that it is brief at best. I will maximize this day for Your purposes knowing that the Day is coming when I will be united with You.

You’re Invited to a Party – Tuesday

26 Mar , 2013 No Comments

“Come to the wedding feast.”  Matthew 22:4

I once heard Billy Graham say, “Jesus has two verbs in His vocabulary: Come and Go.”  Our God is an inviting God.  He says, “Come.”  “Come let us reason.  Come and drink.  Come to me all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, I will give you rest.  Come and I will make you fishers of men.”  And, “Come to the wedding feast”, He says on the last Tuesday of His life.  His invitation is to life eternal with Him.  His invitation is to come eat at His banquet table.  Who can come?  Whoever wishes.  The invitation is both universal and personal.  But you must decide.

Have you ever had a personal invitation ignored?  If so, then you know a fraction of how Jesus must feel.  It’s amazing that He leaves this choice to us.  You can’t choose the weather, or your parents, or whether you’re born with a little nose or blond hair – or born at all.  But you can choose to attend the wedding feast.  You can choose to “come”, but you can also choose to “go”.  The other side of this story, told with great urgency, is that we have a choice to go as well.  This Holy Week many people are thinking about Christ’s death.  Many more are not and have no idea what Easter is about.  Will you go to them?  Look for opportunities to tell others about the wedding feast.  Invite someone to church this Sunday!

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”  Matthew 22:14

Pray:  Lord, I praise You for putting me on Your guest list for the big wedding feast.  I praise You that You have made a way for me to have eternal life.  This week I’m especially mindful of what it cost You for me to come.  Today I will watch for others I can invite to the party.