Missions Paul

Revelation needs remembering.

Luke 24: 1-8

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”’ ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

 

When we misinterpret the revelation then we are often standing in places where He is not.

He had told them many times that he would rise again.

They probably either believed Jesus was meaning the Jewish thought of an end-time resurrection of all of God’s children. Or perhaps that someone would carry the spirit of Jesus on. Or maybe it was just that they had zero faith.

It is incredible to think that the disciples are not at the tomb waiting for Jesus to rise on the 3^rd day. It is also hard to believe that the women who were there had their spices with them to anoint the dead body. No one was ready for the resurrection. Even though he had told them many times.

If you find yourself absent of the presence of the Lord. Then maybe you need to think again. What are you doing at this point in your life? Go back in your mind. Retrace your steps. Get out the old promises, the ones you marked in your Bible or stuck on your fridge. Remember. You may be standing in the wrong place.

When you lose the vote …

Luke 23: 50-56

“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, ⁵¹ who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵² Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³ Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴ It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. ⁵⁵ The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶ Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”

 

The process of the deterioration of the dead body took some time. The bodies would be laid on ledges inside the tombs and coated with various spices to offset the smell. Once the process had been completed they bones would be placed in a box for the family, the ossuary.

But Jesus’ body was laid in a tomb where there was no one else. His was the only body in that tomb.

Luke is keen to point out that there were eyewitnesses to where Jesus had been placed, there was no confusion. It was Joseph’s tomb. Secondly, the women knew where it was, when they returned with spices after observing the Sabbath, they would not be wondering where it was, they would not get it wrong. Thirdly, something very important. Not all the Religious Council found Jesus guilty and deserving of death.

Someone had said NO. He had not consented. It means he did not vote the way of the majority. There was at least one other. John in his gospel (19:39-40) tells us that a colleague named Nicodemus was also of the same mind as Joseph. He had encountered Jesus during one amazing night some time previously and was now a believer.

But notice something profound.

Saying NO can result in you having to take responsibility for the majorities YES.

Who went courageously to Pilate to ask for the body?

Mark writes that he went boldly, he took the risk. (15:43)

Who had to lower the cross to the floor?

Who had to pull out the horrible nails in the body?

Imagine the sadness of this.

Who then wrapped the body in a linen cloth and carried it to a new tomb?

The women who followed knew.

It was the one who had lost the vote.

When you lose the vote you can be seen to do the most beautiful of acts.

You may not get what you want but you can take care of what is lost.

You can speak well.

You can stand out, take a risk and be courageous.

You can show wonderful attention.

You don’t have to wash your hands you can get them dirty.

Losing the vote can bring the best out of you.

When the sun stops shining

Luke 23: 44-49

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

 

When the sun stops shining it has often let people in fear of what is happening. One famous day known as ‘The Dark Day’ took place on May 19^th 1780 in New England, USA. To this day historians and scientists continue to argue as to why the sun stopped shining on that day. The region was deeply religious and so they believed that it was a fulfilment of an apocalyptic prophecy.

We are people of the light and we know the light shines in the darkness. But there are significant events that take place when the sun has stopped shining.

When the sun stops shining it heralds anew promise from God that He makes with us (Genesis 15:12-17): “As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him… When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.”

When the sun stops shining the lamb is sacrificed for the Passover meal. (Deuteronomy 16:6) “There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.”

When the sun stops shining, judgment falls on those who have not walked with God, (2 Chronicles 18:34) “All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.”

Has the sun stopped shining on you today? Is that how you describe what has just happened to you? Well just wait … it may mark the most significant event of your life.

It could be the start of a new PROMISE from your God.

It could be Christ’s sacrifice is seen clearly in you.

It could be the day of vengeance of your God.

There will come a day again when the sun will stop shining and on that day we will be start our journey home. (Joel 2:31) “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” And (Amos 8: 9) “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.” Why? Because He will make all things new again.

As Jesus breathed his last, committing his spirit to the Father, he had completed the plan of salvation. It was seismic and the sun stopped shining.

Today you may wake and your circumstances are such that God has stopped the sun from shining over your life. If that has happened then your God is doing something seismic. Wait for Him. He hasn’t finished yet. The Son will come.

In your darkest hour … it’s not over.

Luke 23: 35-43

“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” ³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. ³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

 

In your darkest hour people will be watching you. They will stand and stare at your humiliation or they will walk on by, passing their silent judgment. You know what they are thinking. You are guilty. Something must have brought this on. Some peer at your wounds and some turn in disgust.

In your darkest hour some will sneer at you. It usually comes from those who have managed to put you in your place. They have won. They rule. They have taken away your vibrancy and your voice. They are no longer angry with you. They don’t need to be for it has given way to a patronising superiority.

In your darkest hour some will mock you. They will take what people have said about you, words that even you may not have said about yourself and taunt you with them. If you are. If. The enemy launches his doubt over you. As heaven is silent, as the sun leaves the sky, the thoughts are raging, where is He? Where has He gone? Why has He left me?

In your darkest hour some will insult you. Those who curse are in their own dark world. They are in their own pain. They are dealing with their own sin. They have no idea of your story. They just see the headlines over you. They don’t see that your darkest hour came about as you loved and served and gave your life to others.

In your darkest hour you will meet the exploiter, the enemy of your soul.

But that’s not all that is happening.

For in your darkest hour you will see encouraging signs that God is waiting. You may not feel His presence but He has not forgotten you. There will be someone. Maybe the unexpected. There in the darkness, someone who needs you again. God hasn’t stopped using you. Even now, even in these late stages, an opportunity to tell someone about paradise. Heaven is in sight. Our real home. Look around, listen out to the lost, someone is crying, they need you to notice them, to remember them. The mission isn’t over. Dry your eyes. Reach out once more. It’s not over yet.

Simon Whitley

Luke 23: 32-34 “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³ When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

Do you remember where you laid your life down?

We get our word ‘excruciating’ from the Latin word for torture from the crucifixion.

4 words.

‘They crucified him there.’

There is pain today. Incredible pain.

The joy comes in the morning. Incredible joy.

It looked like they killed Jesus. It looked like a terrible defeat.

We know that’s not the truth.

Today I conduct the funeral for one of my Pastors. A young man, vibrant, full of potential.

It looks like his life has been taken from him. It looks like the disease has got the victory.

That’s not the truth.

What happened was the Author of Life called him home.

Simon Whitley surrendered his will to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well done good and faithful servant.

For the Simon’s of this world …

Luke 23: 26-31

As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. ²⁸ Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ³¹ For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

 

Simon set out from his Jewish community in North Africa for the Passover pilgrimage totally unaware that he would return with a story that he would never have imagined.

Luke has constantly been telling his readers that the Jesus’ call is to take up your cross and follow him. It was Simon who modelled this.

I hear the word ‘calling’ so much. I am called to do. I am called to be. I am called to lead. We are not short of making bold claims either. ‘God has called me to …’

All that is good. But let’s talk more of the call to pick up the cross and follow him.

Little did Simon realise that day when the cross beam was placed on his shoulders that 2,000 years later people would still be talking about him.

We don’t know why Jesus could not carry his cross. Of course the Roman flogging and the torture had been a death itself, so he was weakened by that. Perhaps he knew Simon was in the crowd. If he knows where all the fish are and if he knew what people were not only whispering but thinking, then it is not beyond the possibility that he knew Simon had arrived and he would be dragged from the crowd to model something that he had been teaching his disciples many times. The road to the cross is the road of surrendering oneself to the purposes of God even if you had other hopes and plans. Simon modelled the life of humility as he followed behind Jesus.

So here is the picture.

The crowds of people. Many who liked a crucifixion; many who saw another rebel leader and movement coming to an end; many in support of the religious leaders who had brought this to an end.

Amongst the crowd were the women mourning and wailing as one does at a funeral. They are crying over the failure of this leader. He had been so kind and had touched their world but now huge disappointment fell on them, their kind world was over.

Then there is Jesus. He knew that he wasn’t deserving of this death. He wasn’t the dry tree which was ready for destruction. He was a green tree. He had come to bring them the Kingdom. He had come to heal and to help them. If this is what they do to the green tree, what will happen to the genuine dead leaders? How much more will their destruction be?

Where are the 12? We’re not sure exactly where they are. But what we do know is that they are not following Jesus.

Then there is Simon.

The Simon’s of this world model Jesus. They follow Jesus in such a way that they not only carry their own cross but they carry the cross of Christ. Carrying your own cross is to lay down your own hopes and dreams. But to take the cross of Christ is to share in his sufferings. It is to wash feet of those who will betray, deny and desert you. It is to learn silence when every defensive desire wants to rise within. It is knowing when to take the lower ground and risking people thinking you have done wrong when all you are doing is showing humility. “Why isn’t God rescuing him?” It is knowing when to take the higher ground and not dive into the stupid arguments and divisions that so many base their life around.

When you have found such a Simon then you know it is possible for you also.

 

He who shouts loudest doesn’t always have to get their own way.

Luke 23: 20-25

“Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ For the third time he spoke to them: ‘Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.’ But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.”

Three times it looked like Jesus may be released and freed from the threat of death.

But the shout of the enemy prevailed.

Pilate caved in (the Message paints such a great picture at times).

What or who is trying to shout you down today ?

You know the truth. You know who is innocent. But the shouts are louder and louder. They are relentless.

Don’t be tempted to go for an easy life.

Don’t be afraid of the bark.

Stand your ground.

Stand up for the innocent and those who cannot speak. Especially if God has put you in a place of authority.

The loudest don’t have to win.

 

Some people just want your blood

Luke 23:13-19

“Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.’ But the whole crowd shouted, ‘Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!’” (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)”

 

 

Even when there is no proof. Even when the rulers said he was innocent.

Even when you have done nothing wrong. Even when the only proof is that you have been set up. Even when you are going to face some punishment as a token to please others.

Even then there will be some who want more.

You see some people just want blood.

On to centre stage walks a villain. In fact it has been proven he is guilty of some of the things that Jesus was falsely accused of.

The same people who want Jesus blood don’t want the blood of the murderer.

But they don’t understand the reason Jesus came was to take the place of Barabbas anyway.

Not only his place but theirs too.

People like to play being God. They want you removed. Out of position.

However, you belong to God. He has appointed you. Your position is in Him.

Those who want blood are usually blinded to the important detail.

Why do people fall out of relationship?

Luke 23: 8-12

⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. ⁹ He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. ¹² That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

Why is there so much fighting?

Why are there so many arguments?

Why such unkindness?

Why do people walk away from each other slandering their names?

Why do people write complaints?

Why so much hurt and division?

Why is there abuse from those who carry power?

Why do friends break up?

Why do those who used to walk with one another now ignore each other?

Why are there plans to bring one another down?

Why?

This passage shows us the reason.

It is because Jesus is not there.

When Jesus is brought to Herod, sent by Pilate, Luke is keen to remind us of something amazing that happened.

Herod and Pilate hated one another.

The Lord of lords is standing before a lord of this world and in his silence and the journey of the cross something remarkable happens. Luke tells us that two enemies became friends.

Luke will later write of how there is no division in the kingdom between Jew and Gentile. But here he is in his gospel telling everyone that the shadow of the cross has a powerful effect of reconciliation. How much more so for those who bend their knee at the foot of the cross? How much more for those who surrender their lives and allow the power of the cross to change them? How much more for those who truly receive salvation through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross? How much more for the Church? How much more for the family of God? How much more for us?

Under the shadow of the cross it is really difficult to have enemies.

So the answer remains to my many why questions.

It is because Jesus is not there. It is because there is no shadow of the cross because the distance from the cross is too large.

Come near to the cross and miracles of relationship happen.

Liars, lies and being lied to.

Luke 23: 1-7

Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. ² And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” ³ So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. ⁴ Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” ⁵ But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” ⁶ On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. ⁷ When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Whenever we turn on the television or listen to the radio at the moment it seems an interviewer os asking a political figure, ‘But how can the public trust you?’

Is this a lie? It seems to be the big question at the moment.

Well it’s not new is it?

You have many stories I am sure. I recall a man who went to Bible College many years ago for a 12 month course and had his spouse do every single essay for him. He passed, so she did well!

Jesus has been taken into the centre of politics. He is there because of lies.

• Subverting our nation.
• Opposes payment of taxes to Caesar
• Claims to be Messiah, a king
• Stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching.

You can see elements that are true but they are packaged in lies. Distorting the truth. Misrepresenting the accuracy of the situation. It is what the father of lies specialises in. All that needs to happen is to convince others to see just a glimpse of the accusation and then the lie has worked.

It is so difficult when people are speaking lies about you or when they believe things about you that are not true.

Here is what I have come to believe:

• What is spoken against you is not as established as it may look.
• What is spoken to you about someone else is not the evidence of the reality.
• The lie against you can lead you into the destiny God has for you, it can become a servant.
• It takes wisdom to dissect a lie.
• It takes courage to walk through a lie.

I have found the above 5 statements of great comfort to me.

But what does Jesus give us in this passage?

I believe He would say. Let the liars have their day. There are moments when what you say is not as important as what is being said about you. Resist all attempts to defend yourself. You have nothing to hide.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied

That is his reply.

Let the liars speak. We serve the ‘I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life’.