Suffering and Sacrifice

Friends, In The View from my Study this Monday, I’m inviting you to watch my sermon prep in a little more detail. I began this study the week before Teana and I went to Ireland, which gave me some extra time. For that reason, it not only includes the O, I, C, A thoughts but some extra thinking on my part as well. I’ve explained this process to you before but, on this occasion, I thought I would let you see that Observation, Interpretation, Correlation and Application is not the overall scaffolding for my study, but I use each of those elements in every point of the sermon. So, what I’ve done, is leave my initial O, I, C & A in the sermon outline for you to see. What you see each Thursday is the subpoints of the outline ‘fleshed out;’ each one given substantial thought but without the O, I, C & A scaffolding (although the sermon notes do usually do highlight the APPlication point). PS. You’ll see several APP thoughts for each point. I usually just choose one. I hope this helps you in your daily study of any passage. Just as an FYI, a member recently reminded me that Dr. Howard Hendricks taught this study method for many years. He defined each point as: Observation – See it Interpretation – Understand it Correlation – Relate it Application – Live it That’s a good way of saying it, isn’t it? If you’re interested in knowing more about Dr. Hendrick’s study methodology, I have written a short article illustrating it for you and placed it at after the TRAP devotion The Sound of Silence Luke 23:50–56 The Big Idea: When God seems absent and his plan feels unfinished, faith is often demonstrated in humble obedience to what we do know. (Just do your thing, while God does his). Introduction: In our modern era, we are accustomed to a story moving from tragedy to resolution in as little as 60 minutes. But Luke’s Gospel slows us down at a surprising place, a pivotal place, perhaps the most important and most difficult place, the day between the cross and the resurrection. Of all the possible days to make us pause and wait, this one makes us anxious. Here’s what has happened. Jesus has died. The disciples are scattered. All hope seems buried. Luke tells us that Joseph of Arimathea takes Jesus’ body down and places it in a tomb. The women carefully watch where He is laid. They prepare spices for Jesus’ body and then they go home and keep the Sabbath. It’s that simple. It’s that profound. And then, the story stops. Whaaaaat? There is no resurrection yet. There are no angels in the garden delivering messages of good news. There is just awful, painful, excruciating silence. For the disciples, this moment must have felt like the end of everything they hoped for. The story of Jesus seemed unfinished, but it has come to a screeching, undeniable halt. Yet Luke is teaching us something very important in this text. Our faith doesn’t always have to look dramatic as in healing the sick, perplexing the Pharisees or raising the dead. Sometimes our faith looks like simple obedience and patient trust in God when he seems so very, very silent. What does it look like? Well… this— First: Faith Acts When Others Do Not (v50-51) A) Observation 1) Luke introduces Joseph of Arimathea as “a good and righteous man” (v. 50). 2) He had not consented to the council’s (Sanhedrin) decision to condemn Jesus (v. 51). 3) Luke notes he was “looking for the kingdom of God.” 4) In a moment when most of Jesus’ well-known disciples are absent, Joseph suddenly, yet courageously appears. 2) Interpretation 1) Joseph represents humble, but faithful discipleship. 2) His faith had existed before this moment, but now it becomes visible. 3) Waiting for the kingdom did not make him passive. It prepared him to act. 4) Sometimes the most important exercise of our faith is revealed in private moments and after the crowds disappear. 3) Correlation 1) Hebrews 11:1 - Faith trusts what cannot yet be seen. 2) John 12:42 - Some believed in Jesus but feared public identification. 3) Joseph demonstrates a faith that becomes visible at a crucial moment. 4) Application 1) Faith is often proven in moments no one else sees. Hebrews 6:10 - For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work… My worth is not in skill or name In win or lose, in pride or shame But in the blood of Christ that flowed At the cross (Neither is the value of your labor for Jesus) 2) Loyalty to Christ is sometimes expressed quietly rather than dramatically. 3) The question for us is not simply what we believe privately, but whether we will stand with Christ publicly. This is the real test of faith. Second: Faith Acts When the Future Is Uncertain (v52) A) Observation 1) Joseph goes to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body (v. 52). – (This is a really, really big deal). 2) Roman authorities controlled crucified bodies. 3) Mark records that Joseph “took courage” before making the request (Mark 15:43). (I wonder what that looked like?) B) Interpretation 1) Joseph publicly identifies with a crucified Messiah. 2) This request risks his reputation, influence, and perhaps, most of all, his safety. 3) At the very moment when Jesus and his followers appear defeated and scattered, Joseph steps forward. C) Correlation 1) Matthew 10:32 - Whoever acknowledges Christ before others will be acknowledged by Him. 2) Proverbs 28:1 - “The righteous are bold as a lion.” 3) Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. D) Application “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree today.” - Martin Luther (attributed to him) What does that mean? We should be faithful in the only moment we have which is the present. We should hope in the future God has promised, regardless of circumstances. Our eschatology should shape our ethics. (Our belief should form our behavior) 1) Courage in the Bible often appears when faith looks least reasonable and this act did not look reasonable by any means. 2) Faith does not wait until circumstances look hopeful. That’s what faith is! 3) Christian obedience sometimes requires courage when the outcome is uncertain. 4) We are called to identify with Christ even when culture or circumstance discourages it. Third: Faith Demonstrates Devotion Simply for Jesus (v53-56) A) Observation Joseph takes down the body of Jesus (v. 53). He wraps it in linen and places it in a new tomb cut in stone. (Jesus is the only person in history to ever borrow a tomb). The women follow and observe the location of the tomb (v. 55). They prepare spices and ointments for his burial (v. 56) B) Interpretation From the disciples’ perspective, Jesus is dead and the mission is over. Yet, these actions express reverence for, faith in and love for Jesus. Their devotion is offered without any expectation of resurrection. Wow. Is this what devotion without expectation, just love for and trust in Jesus look like? C) Correlation John 12:7 – This confirms Jesus talk about being anointed for burial. Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. The Bible often portrays devotion to God even when His purposes are not fully understood. (More examples). D) Application Believers are called to honor God even when circumstances confuse us. Faithfulness is about a Person, not a plan. Love for Jesus expresses itself through simple acts of private, daily devotion. Apply that to marriage. Fourth: Faith Obeys What It Knows to Obey (v56b) A) Observation The women prepare burial spices (v. 56a). Yet Luke notes that they then rest on the Sabbath (v 56b). The passage ends with silence and waiting. Our 3-days can be very long. B) Interpretation The women’s grief does not cancel their obedience. Even in sorrow they continue to honor God’s commands. (This is a hard one) Even in confusion, they continue to love Jesus. C) Correlation The book of Esther doesn’t mention God by name, but he is everywhere. - The words God, Lord (YHWH), or prayer do not appear - There is no direct reference to worship, sacrifice, or the temple. - God is never addressed or spoken to. - And yet, there are a series of providential ‘accidents’ (Well glory!) Esther becomes queen at the precise moment the Jewish people are threatened. Mordecai overhears the assassination plot against the king. The king cannot sleep and reads the record of Mordecai’s loyalty. Haman is forced to honor the very man he intended to destroy. The decree against the Jews is ultimately reversed. How did this happen. Well, at one point in the book, Mordecai says, “Relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place…” (Esther 4:14) That other place is Heaven! 2. The Bible repeatedly connects faith with patient waiting. Lamentations 3:25–26 - The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.  Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God. (Bryan recently led us in a study of Psalm 46 during our staff meeting). Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 37:7 - Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him… D) Application We often live between promise and fulfillment, already and not yet. In those moments, faith looks like simple obedience in ordinary things during unsteady or extraordinary times. God is often doing His deepest work when heaven seems silent. Conclusion: I took the title to Paul Simon’s song, “The Sounds of Silence,” for the sermon title. One line in that song reads, The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls And whispered in the sound of silence. Luke records what may be the most silent moment in the whole gospel story. Jesus is in the tomb. The disciples are grieving. Heaven is not only quiet. It may be stymied. Yet the silence is not God’s abandonment. It is the stillness before the great gettin’ up morning of the resurrection. Stop here and think about those moments in your life. I think we can benefit from faith of Joseph and several women whose actions demonstrate - quiet courage, simple devotion, and faithful obedience while waiting for God to finish his great work. And they have no idea what’s about to come.

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Grace that Gives 2 Cor. 8:1-15 Justin Davis

Evangelism Matthew 28:18-20

Mentoring - 2 Timothy 2:1-7

Redefining Service Mark 10:42-45

Let's Learn to Pray - Matthew 6:9-13 Friends, Good Monday morning to you. The sun is shining; the weather is going to get in the 60’s. Spring is in the air!!! But let’s turn our attention for a moment from what’s going on outside, to what’s going on inside…our hearts. This needs to be emphasized and re-emphasized. The difference between living like verses 2-4, as modeled by Janes and Jambres who have “a form of godliness (but deny its power) is Paul’s encouragement to “abide” in the Scripture; to “trace” the life of God that makes us “wise for salvation which is through Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 3). That’s it, friends. To master the word until we are mastered by it. Because the more you know the Bible, the more you will know God, the more in love with him you will be and the more closely you will follow him with your heart, mind, soul and strength. You, the elders and I, as the spiritual leaders of Heritage must live this life, model it and teach our people to thrive in the Bible. Take the doctrine of prayer, our subject matter this Sunday. Had Jesus not taught the disciples how to pray, they would not have known how to pray. Had the Gospel writers not recorded Jesus’ words on prayer, we would not know how to pray. If we do not read, study, memorize, meditate on, and practice Jesus’ words, we are not praying. This text alone teaches us the Christian life cannot be lived separate from the Bible. It is not enough for us to hold the Bible in high esteem, to talk about it or to have innumerable copies of it in our homes, on our phones, etc. We must immerse ourselves in it. We are saved by the Word – 1 Peter 1:23 We are sanctified by the Word – John 15:3 We are told how to live in the Word – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The Bible is literally the answer to everything for us. So, let me encourage you to be a person of the Word, to listen to God’s command to Joshua (1:8) and to sincerely follow it – This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth = The Word must not drift away from your speech or consciousness. but you shall meditate on it day and night = the word “meditate” = to prize the Bible like a lion growling over its prey, its food, its sustenance. so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it = continual meditation on and speaking God’s Word is intended to produce vigilant, comprehensive obedience to everything he has commanded. It’s the only way to “prosper” and have “success” (1:9) in the Christian life, friends. With that in mind, let’s prosper in our prayer lives. Let’s have “good success” in prayer. It begins with knowing what Jesus said about prayer and then living a life of prayer. Here’s a proposed outline for this Sunday – Let’s Learn to Pray Matthew 6:9–13 (cf. Luke 11:1) Big Idea : Jesus teaches us to pray by reshaping who we trust, what we want, and how we live. Introduction: The Request Behind the Prayer (Luke 11:1) - “Lord, teach us to pray.” The disciples had witnessed Jesus’ authority and power, and they traced it to communion with the Father. Prayer was not ornamental in Jesus’ life. It was foundational. When Jesus says, “Pray then like this,” he is not giving a script to recite mechanically, but a pattern to form disciples. IMP: We are never more the Christians our private prayer life and private Bible study reveal us to be. First: Prayer Recognizes a Father (Matthew 6:9a) - “Our Father in heaven…” Prayer is all about a relationship and relating to God. Second: Prayer Reorders Our Priorities - (Matthew 6:9b–10) Before Jesus allows us to ask for bread, he teaches us to long for glory. Third: Prayer Retrains Our Dependence (Matthew 6:11–13) As sinners, we strive for independence, but we are dependent creatures. Until we realize this and live like it, we won’t pray. Nor will we possess the life God intends us to have through prayer. Fourth: The Movement of the Whole Prayer a) Father — Identity b) Glory — Priority c) Kingdom — Mission d) Will — Surrender e) Bread — Dependence f) Forgiveness — Humility g) Protection — Watchfulness Jesus is not merely teaching words. He is forming the lives of disciples. Prayer reshapes: · Who we trust · What we want · How we live Conclusion: When the disciples said, “Teach us to pray,” they were not asking for things. They were asking about a relationship. Jesus answered not by giving them a formula to master, but by giving them a Father to trust, a kingdom to seek, and daily posture to embrace. Prayer begins in a relationship. It moves toward adoration. It ends in surrender. And the more we pray like this, the more our hearts begin to look like Heaven. Here’s this week’s TRAP devotion for you, to help the Scripture fill your mind and heart as you live prayerfully in Jesus and prepare to lead your CG to do the same. Monday - Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1) Think. Before Jesus gives the model prayer in Matthew 6, the disciples ask in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They had seen his miracles. They had heard his teaching. And they traced his life to communion with the Father. Prayer was not ornamental in his life; it was foundational. As such, they did not assume they knew how to pray. They asked to be taught. Prayer must be learned from Scripture. If Jesus had not taught them, they would not have known how to pray. If the Gospel writers had not recorded his words, we would not know how to pray. The Christian life cannot be lived separate from the Bible. Reflect. As a CG leader, learning to pray is a prerequisite to teaching others how to pray. How are you learning to pray? What are you learning to pray? Are you still asking to be taught? Apply. Read Matthew 6:9–13 aloud three times today. Slowly. Do not analyze it yet. Just listen. Let the words shape your thinking about prayer. Pray. Father, teach me to pray. Do not let me teach others what I am not living myself. Tuesday - Prayer Begins with a Father (Matthew 6:9a) Think. Prayer begins with relationship. Not performance. Not technique. Adoption. “Our” reminds us prayer is covenantal. We belong to a people who are being conformed to Jesus’ image. “Father” reminds us we already are reconciled and our approach to God is based on Jesus’ life and works, not ours. “In Heaven” reminds us he reigns over all our requests and should reign in our lives. Your view of God determines your prayer life. If he is distant, you will be formal. If he is harsh, you will be guarded. If he is Father, you will come. Reflect. Do you approach God as Father or as evaluator? Does your prayer life reveal intimacy and reverence? Apply. Before asking for anything today, spend five full minutes addressing God as Father. Thank him for saving you. Rehearse to him and yourself what it means to belong to him. Pray. Our Father in heaven, anchor my life and CG leadership in sonship, not performance. Wednesday - Prayer Reorders Our Priorities (Matthew 6:9b–10) Think. Glory comes before bread. God gave Israel manna in the wilderness to display his glory. God’s priorities shape how he provides for us. Can you trust him with that? In this prayer, Jesus trains our desires before he allows us to request anything. Otherwise, we are wasting our breath. To hallow his name means to treat it as weighty, the priority. To seek his kingdom means to want his reign extended, in us and the world. To pray for his will means surrender to that kingdom. Prayer is not aligning God with our agenda. It is aligning ourselves with his. Reflect. When you pray, what comes first: your crisis or his kingdom? Does your leadership in the CG reflect God-centered priorities? The difference will shape your life. Apply. Write down your current prayer requests under three headings: 1. God’s Name 2. God’s Kingdom 3. God’s Will Let Scripture reshape your prayer list. This will change your life!!! Pray. Father, reorder my loves. Make your glory weightier to me than my comfort. Thursday - Prayer Retrains Our Dependence (Matthew 6:11–13) Think. Daily dependence dismantles self-sufficiency. “Forgive us our debts.” – We all need mercy. “As we forgive…” Unforgiveness suffocates prayer. “Lead us not into temptation…” Prayer assumes our need for God. This prayer retrains the illusion that we are strong, sufficient, and secure on our own. Reflect. Where are you living independently instead of dependently? Is there someone you must forgive before you teach this Sunday? Apply. Confess one specific sin today before God. Name it. Receive forgiveness. Extend forgiveness if needed.  Pray. Lord, keep me humble, dependent, and vigilant. Friday - The Word Forms the Prayer (Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 3) Think. Continual meditation on and speaking God’s Word is intended to produce vigilant, comprehensive obedience to everything he has commanded. We are: · Saved by the Word (1 Peter 1:23) · Sanctified by the Word (John 15:3) · Equipped by the Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17) If we do not read, study, memorize, meditate on, and practice Jesus’ words, we are not praying. The Bible should not be a prop. It is our life. Reflect. Are you holding the Bible in high esteem? Are you daily immersing yourself in it? Are you mastering the Word to be/and being mastered by it? Apply. Work on memorizing Matthew 6:9–13 before Sunday. Speak it aloud. Don’t let it depart from your mouth and heart. This will reshape every day of your life. Pray. Father, make me a person of the Word. Let your Word form my prayer and let prayer shape my life.

The Life the Bible Gives Us

Community Groups at Heritage