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Daily Archive for April 16 2014

False dreams or daily resurrection? 4/20/14 Resurrection Sunday

False Dreams Or Daily Resurrection ?    4/20/14

 

People are under a lot of stress today. Duh! So much stress that even Christians are losing focus on what really counts. Isolation is normal now, fellowship with other believers is a low priority. A panic and self-preservation mode has set in.

We are told to follow our dreams. But we follow the world’s ideas in considering those dreams. The disappointment is inevitable. What did we think was going to happen if we focused only on ourselves?

We say we believe Christ died for us and rose from the dead, which proved who He was and that He is able to fulfill all His promises He made to us. I do not doubt we are saved, but where are we now that we are saved? What happened to us?

I was listening to a song this morning called, “Your Love.” One line stood out for me which said, “I’m getting older now and I am running out of dreams.” That pretty much says it for many Christians today. Since my plans did not work out; my circumstances are not ideal or always pleasant, then everything is wrong and I must have missed something.

Did it ever occur to you and me that maybe, just maybe, we are pretty much on schedule with God’s plan for our lives? Did it occur to us that it might be the Lord Himself who is making our “self-made” dreams a bit sour so that we can become people  much deeper and richer than we could have ever imagined?

So you might go to church Sunday. You might drift off during the service, and dream, once again, about your broken dreams. You will hear about the greatest thing that has happened; the cross and resurrection. You probably understand the meaning and agree with it wholeheartedly. But like trying to hold water in your hand, in just a few days the message fades away and you wonder what is this truth supposed to do to my everyday life?

The distance between your “everyday” and your own resurrection day seems too far away.

So come Sunday you feel like you cannot grasp and hold the truth of the historic resurrection. You are still searching for that something, but cannot seem to find it. Everybody around you sees that you are pre-occupied with something, but what is it?

I think the gap between the “now” and our resurrection day is too far, if we think that just reflecting on the resurrection event of Christ will be enough. The answer?

 

I Peter 1:3

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

 

Well there it is; a “living” hope. Not a mere reflection on a historic event, but a vital relationship of new life that is daily recharged because of that historic event. Me thinks our “default” position is wrong. Our daily patterns do not reflect our hunger to be often recharged by daily devotion to Christ. We are not hungry for a daily walk like we once were.

You have not even scratched the surface of what you could have in Christ today; because you think you have learned most of it. As if head knowledge alone was transforming knowledge. It is not. It is not and never can be. The Spirit of God makes all things fresh.

II Corinthians 5: 14-15,   17

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all so that they we who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf…

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold, new things have come.”

 

I hope you die to the old dreams, and by now might be smiling about the reality of the truth that God’s plan for you is being fulfilled if you really know Him. Knowing Him daily is the very core of eternal life. John 17: 1-3.

Cause if you are still chasing a temporary dream, and hoping God will just push your self-glorifying and ultimately self-destructive dreams, you will become disillusioned.

There is a plan God has for your life. And this zombie-state you have placed yourself in is not that plan. Your preoccupation, your “comfortably numb” attitude might be because you think your broken dreams were your ultimate failure. Time has passed, you are running out of dreams.

As long as you are looking back you cannot see what God has for you ahead. May you have a blessed resurrection Sunday, but may you also have a great Tuesday of next week, when no one else is around, when you feel little of nothing but daily, ”have-to” stuff. In those moments, when you cry out to God, you may be surprised to find His sweet presence meets you there also. Where is your “living” hope showing up, caused by the historic resurrection?

 

Jim Petty in Post on April 16 2014 » 0 comments

What the ressurection means to you

A REAL, BODILY RESSURECTION    

Jimmy Petty  BA.  M Div.     TeagueBibleChurch

 

    We spoke before that someone may die for something they believe in strongly, but it turns out to be a lie. They are sincere; but sincerely wrong. An example would be all the people who died thinking communism would work, and bring in some kind of political utopia, in this life. That was not true.

    Today the Muslim extremists use violence to try to force people to accept their views and are willing to die for their views, but their cause is wrong.

 

What about the people who follow a “good cause?”

                Remember the Chinese student  who stood in front of a tank at

                    Tiananmen Square to protest communist  ideas a few years back?

                       That was a “good cause.”

 

The apostles felt they were following a “good cause.”

 

The apostles had the same views, that most Jews had, at the time of the beginning of Christ’ public ministry. Even though they learned better, it was still hard for them to rid themselves of their previous misconceptions.

 

QUESTION: Does anybody remember what kind of a Messiah the Jews were

                          looking for when Christ began His ministry?

 

ANSWER: The Messiah would be a ruling, victorious, political king who would stop

                       Roman oppression. It would restore Israel to an independent nation ruling

                         with a son of David on the throne. Basically they looked for a national

                            liberation, with religious overtones.

 

QUESTION:  How did the disciples receive the news on the occasion Jesus told

                            them He would die on the cross?

 

 Let us check out these four verses

 

  Matt. 16: 21-23

    Matt.17: 22-23

       Matt. 20: 17-28

          Luke 18:31-34

 

 

ANSWER:   Matt. 16: 21-23

                        They thought it would be a contradiction for the Messiah to die,

                           since the Scripture said Messiah would reign forever.

                               (The Old Testament also said He would die first,

                                   ( Isaiah 53/ Psalms 22) but they did not get that, at the time.

                                        (We often hear only what we want to hear.)

 

 

  Matt. 17:22-23

      They were sad because they assumed He was Messiah,

         and if He died then they would be mistaken.

 

    Matt. 20:17-28

          Definitely felt it was a political earthly kingdom.

 

         Luke 18: 31-34

 

               They did not understand.

 

 

What happened to the “good cause” the apostles were following?

 

Answer: He died on the cross.

 

What did Jesus predict, and the disciples fulfill, when they realized that He was really going to be killed?

 

 

ANSWER: :  He predicted they would run, and they did.   

 

                         READ   Matt. 26:31, 56.

However, after 3 days He is raised from the dead; 50 days after the crucifixion, in spite of their former doubts, and all the dangers to themselves, the disciples were in Jerusalem proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord, as the Messiah of the Jews, and the Savior of the world.

 

QUESTION: How did a frightened band of followers of Jesus transform into the

                             greatest believers in the real, bodily resurrection of

                                 Jesus in so short a time?

 

 

QUESTION:   What happened to these guys?

 

 READ   I  Corinthians 15:1-8       

 

ANSWER:   They saw Jesus alive; not “we think He rose from the dead”

 

Most of the disciples were called upon to die a martyr’s death.

  None of them denied the resurrection.

 

 Who would die for a lie?

Jim Petty in Post on April 16 2014 » 0 comments

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR APRIL 13, 2014:

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR APRIL 13, 2014:

Cleaning: Week April 13.—Chambers.

Nursery: April 20—Nancy.

Easter Sunrise Service: Sunday, Apr. 20th 8am at TBC. Coffee and donuts provided.

Men’s BBQ: Friday, April 25 6pm @ Jimmy’s house. Sign-up list coming soon.

Citywide Men’s Group: Saturday, April 26 6pm @ Mockingbird Hill. More details as available.

Follow us on Facebook or at teaguebiblechurch.org.

Jason Kerr in Post on April 16 2014 » 0 comments