The Good Thing About Death – Psalm 116:15

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eternal-life-road-sign“The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight” (Psalm 116:15, HCSB).

While Easter is the time we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection, we are also reminded that just as Jesus died and was resurrected, the only way human beings enter into eternal life is through the death of the physical body.

The Apostle Paul said, “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies” (I Corinthians 15:36).

Now, maybe it sounds morbid to say that death is the way to eternal life, but the fact is, you have to die to live eternally. As human beings, we strive for eternal life and death and resurrection are the means through which we enter into eternal life.

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It’s Personal – Matthew 28:18-20

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Will_You_Make_it_Personal“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV).

In these verses that are known as the Great Commission, Jesus articulates to His disciples their mission just prior to His ascension into heaven.

Jesus simply tasks them with the job of making more disciples. And, to accomplish this task, He said He would be right there with them (and us) to help make more disciples.

The accomplishment of the Great Commission is a process we call evangelism. We develop many strategies and programs for evangelism. But, evangelism is not intended to be as complicated a process as we make it. And, it’s certainly not meant to be done only by ministry professionals such as pastors, evangelists, and youth ministers.

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The Unproductive Disciple – Mark 4:16-19

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The Unproductive Disciple - Mark 4:16-19“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced” (Mark 4:16-19, NLT).

This well-known parable of Jesus has been taught and preached many times over and most of us know its lessons well.

According to Jesus, when the message of the coming of the Kingdom of God is told, there are four categories of people who hear the message.

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I’ve Got a Secret – Mark 4:10-11

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“When He was alone with the Twelve, those who were around Him asked Him about the parables. He answered them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables” (Mark 4:10-11. HCSB).

Jesus made this statement to the twelve apostles after telling the all-familiar parable of the sower.

Now, a secret is usually some knowledge or information that one keeps hidden from others. But sometimes a secret is knowledge or information that is unknown to others but should be revealed.

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The Discerning Christian – Leviticus 10:10

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“You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean” (Leviticus 10:10, NLT).

Moses gave these instructions to Aaron’s sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, on the occasion of the fiery death of their two older brothers, Nadab and Abihu.

As Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu served as priests in the Tabernacle. As priests they were tasked with keeping a fire burning constantly on the bronze altar of the Tabernacle and supplying coals from the altar for burning incense in the Tabernacle.

Perhaps careless from drinking wine, Nadab and Abihu took coals from another source. This violation of God’s instructions resulted in God’s judgment on them and their subsequent deaths.

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Complete Transformation – Mark 2:21-22

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“Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.” (Mark 2:21-22, NLT).

Jesus made these analogies in response to questioning from indignant Pharisees as to why Jesus’s disciples didn’t fast like the disciples of John the Baptist (vs. 18).

Jesus responded that the guests at a wedding celebrate with the groom; they don’t fast with the groom (vs. 19).

Jesus was saying that the customs and traditions of the old covenant are incompatible with the arrival of God’s Kingdom.

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You’ve Got to Go Through It – Psalm 107:6-9

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“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He rescued them from their distress. He led them by the right path to go to a city where they could live. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity. For He has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:6-9, HCSB).Psalm 107 contains a powerful message of God’s lovingkindness and deliverance.

The fundamental message of the Psalm is that when people encounter adversity, if they cry out to God for help, He will rescue them from their troubles.

You’ve heard this message before, many times, but the Psalmist’s proclamation of God’s faithful love, His covenant loyalty, His chesed, in this Psalm is so powerful that it warrants further consideration.

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American Idols – Psalm 106:20-21

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“They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull. They forgot God, their savior, who had done such great things in Egypt” (Psalm 106:20-21, NLT).

This Psalm recounts the sin and rebellion of Israel during the exodus from Egypt.

The Israelites committed a major act of idolatry while Moses was on the mountain receiving God’s law for His chosen people.

What happened to the Israelites in Egypt can happen to Christians today. It’s just that we describe it using different terminology rather than the term “idolatry.”

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Guess How Much I Love You – Psalm 103:10-12, 17-18

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“He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us…But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildren of those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His precepts” (Psalm 103:10-12, 17-18, HCSB).

In a popular children’s bedtime story by Sam McBratney, father and son rabbits use ever-greater exaggerated measures to quantify how much they love each other until the baby rabbit falls asleep.

“I love you right up to the moon–and back,” the father rabbit whispers as the baby rabbit dozes off.

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Examine Yourself – Leviticus 6:18, 7:21

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“Anything that touches the offerings will become holy…If someone touches anything unclean…and eats meat from the Lord’s fellowship sacrifice, that person must be cut off from his people” (Leviticus 6:18, 7:2, HCSB).

Leviticus Chapters 6 and 7 contain descriptions of the five offerings of the ancient Jewish sacrificial system and instructions to the priests in conducting these offerings.

There’s an important principle about holiness revealed in these guidelines that’s particularly important for spiritual development.

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