Holy Week Prayer Guide: Resurrection Sunday

Easter Sunday: Alive

Scripture: Luke 24:1-12, 36-49

Key verse: Luke 24:5-6— “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”

Why is Easter, specifically the resurrection of Jesus, so important to Christians? The church was born and grew on the news of an event: Jesus of Nazareth, great teacher, prophet, and worker of miracles, had been executed by the Romans at the request of the Jewish leaders. He died, but he rose to life again! Hundreds of people saw Jesus alive. Many were killed for their testimony. No one would deny what they had seen, nor would they stop spreading the news.

Many men exalted themselves during the Roman occupation of Judea, gathering a following as the long-awaited Messiah. Many of these messiahs died on crosses, but only Jesus rose from the dead. The resurrection proved that Jesus alone is the Messiah, or Christ. His claim to be the Son of God was blasphemy, unless it was true. And the resurrection proved God’s approval of his claims.

Only Jesus lived a sinless life, defeating Satan and every temptation of the flesh. Only Jesus died a completely innocent death, allowing him to bear sin for us. And only Jesus conquered death, so only Jesus has the power to deliver you from sin in this life, and from death into eternal life.

Only Jesus is great enough to command our worship. Only Jesus has the power to save. And only Jesus loves you enough to pass through hell so that you might never taste the sting of death. You are safe in his hands. Trust him. Love him in return. Worship him.

The Bible says Jesus gave his life so he could have a people who are his very own. This people is called the church. You love Jesus by loving his church. You experience his life by living where he lives, among his people. He invites you to be alive with him. 

Will you accept that invitation?

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for giving your life for me.

I believe that you rose again and are alive today. Please fill me with your life.

My only hope is you, Lord Jesus. I trust you with my life today—past, present and future.

Seal me with your Holy Spirit so that I might live for you from this day on.

Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Holy Week Prayer Guide: Saturday

Saturday: False Defeat

Scripture: Luke 23:44-56

Key verse: Luke 23:48—“When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.”

A profound disciple of Jesus once said, “If you follow Jesus long enough, he’s going to disappoint you.” The ladies who followed him to his tomb found this statement to be true as they prepared his burial spices. You can imagine their feelings all day Saturday as they sat in confusion, grief, and fear. All that they had hoped for in Jesus seemed lost. They were indeed disappointed in Jesus, but only because they didn’t understand the whole story.

Has God ever disappointed you? Have you ever placed your hope in a prayer that went unanswered? Are you stuck in a life situation that seems hopeless while God seems silent? Remember in that time that, like the women who helped bury Jesus, you don’t know the ending to the story.

There’s a t-shirt that says: “Spoiler Alert: The Tomb Is Empty.” Today, we benefit from the knowledge that Jesus did not remain in the grave. Instead, he defeated death, rose to life, and surprised these women with a new hope that surpassed all their previous dreams of what could be.

We know this ending, and yet we still lose heart. But we can trust God today that the ending he has prepared for us is better even than our hopes. Will you choose to trust God with whatever you face today?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you that the tomb was not the end of Jesus’ story.

I believe that the troubles I face right now are not the end of my story, either.

I place my day and my life in your loving hands, trusting that you have good planned for me.

Thank you for the hope of the empty tomb, Father. Amen.

Holy Week Prayer Guide: Good Friday

Friday: Three Crosses

Scripture: Luke 23:13-46

Key verse: Luke 23:42—“Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”.”

Holy Week Prayer Guide: Thursday

Thursday: The Night Before

Scripture: Mark 14:22-42

Key verse: Mark 14:38— “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Holy Week Prayer Guide: Wednesday

Wednesday: Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Scripture: Matthew 26:14-16, Luke 22:1-6

Key verse: Matthew 26:15— “[Judas] asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.”

Holy Week Prayer Guide: Tuesday

Tuesday: Jesus is Anointed at Bethany

Scripture: Mark 14:1-11

Key verse: Mark 14:9— “I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Holy Week Prayer Guide: Monday

Monday: Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Scripture: Mark 11:15-19

Key verse: Mark 11:17— “And as he taught them, he said, ‘Is it not written:

‘“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”?

But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.”’”

Holy Week Prayer Guide: Palm Sunday

Sunday: Jesus Enters Jerusalem in Triumph

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Key verse: Matthew 21:9—“The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’

‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’

‘Hosanna in the highest!’”

Indiana Straw Man

A "straw man" is defined as "a weak or imaginary argument or opponent that is set up to be easily defeated."

It seems like the best concept to introduce when attempting to address the hysteria surrounding Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was signed into law in Indiana last week.

Now, with Arkansas passing a similar law today, we need to take time to see through the absurdities and look at what this is really all about.

It's easy to get people to hate a law when it is characterized as "a license to discriminate" (particularly against homosexuals), and boy do people hate it.  Companies have already announced they are not coming to Indiana, the NCAA has expressed concern about its continued presence there, a liberal church denomination has decided to change the venue of its upcoming convention to a different state, and now the governor of New York is placing some sort of restriction on travel to Indiana for state employees.  #BoycottIndiana has been trending on Twitter for days.

How could anyone stand for such an odious law? 

The answer is that no one can and no one will, because the law as it is being portrayed is a myth.  It does not exist.  It is a straw man.

In a recent post on my personal blog, I expressed concern that the current political/news climate of our country is turning us into a nation of what the Bible calls fools.  In the Bible, fools are people who make no attempt at understanding but will angrily air their own opinions.  This post is an attempt to help us really understand what is going on here.

Halloween and the Cross

From this month's newsletter's "Pastor's corner"...

As I sit here to write this thought, it is Halloween.  When I was little, I enjoyed the innocent activities of Halloween—dressing up as a superhero or ballplayer and going out to get candy in a plastic pumpkin.

 When I got to college, the guys that were into Halloween started to disturb me a little, with a fascination with death, torture and gore.  They liked to make replicas of old torture devices from past centuries and create “decorations” that re-enacted the bloody results of these sadistic contraptions.

It occurred to me the other day that if it weren’t for Jesus, a crucifixion cross would probably be one of the most popular features of these macabre displays. 

It is helpful to realize that even though we coat the cross in gold, Jesus’ cross was coated in His blood.  It was a cruel and gory and ugly way to die.  Jesus endured this death for us.

It’s also an illustration of what Jesus did in His death on the cross and at His resurrection.  Just as the cross itself has been redeemed from a symbol of torture to a symbol of life and hope, Jesus has defeated death and redeemed us to a life free from the fear of death and with the hope of glory.

 

Beyond the cartoonish displays that litter the landscape every October, there are symbols of death all around us, and spiritual darkness seems to abound. But Jesus has already won the victory. Look to the cross and take heart. And be urgent in your call to offer the hope of the cross to the world around you. See you this Sunday.

Victoria Osteen is Both Right and Horribly, Horribly Wrong

Maybe you've seen this video floating around the Internet in the last week.  Victoria Osteen is the wife of Joel Osteen, the megachurch pastor whose church meets in a former NBA arena and whose services are broadcast all over the world.  Why is this clip so viral?  Let's just say it's not because everyone wants to share her message...  so how should we react?



I say Victoria Osteen is right... and she is horribly, horribly wrong.

Ed Stetzer: The State of the Church in America (Hint: It's Not Dying)

I've said it for at least a decade: it's becoming culturally harder to be a Christian, so we will see fewer and fewer nominal Christians. This is a great article that cuts through panic and propaganda and reveals the truth to be that this is just what is happening in in America. 

Ultimately, in my opinion, this is good for the vibrancy of the church... and the number of true believers is even likely to grow.

Ed Stetzer: The State of the Church in America (Hint: It's Not Dying)

Proclamation of a National Fast Day - August 12, 1861

PROCLAMATION OF A NATIONAL FAST DAY - August 12, 1861

"Whereas a joint committee of both Houses of Congress has waited on the President of the United States, and requested him to 'recommend a day of public humiliation, prayer and fasting, to be observed by the people of the United States with religious solemnities, and the offering of fervant supplications to Almighty God'...

"It is fitting and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to his chastisements; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervancy and contrition, for the pardon of their past offences...

"When our own beloved Country, once, by the blessing of God, united, prosperous and happy, is now afflicted with faction and civil war; it is particularly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him, and to pray for His mercy. ...

"Therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do appoint the last Thursday in September next as a day of humiliation, prayer and fasting for all the people of the nation."

Guest Blog Post

Here is a link to a blog post by my friend Richard Foster, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Camden.  His post really gets into much of what we have been talking about the last three weeks as we discussed sexuality, God's plan for marriage, and our responsibility to live as holy people in a profane world.

(It's unusually long for a blog post, so read it when you have some time).

Richard Foster: "Why So Much Confusion About Marriage?"

Wholly Other: What Do I Know of Holy?

We ran into technical difficulties with last Sunday's sermon, causing it not to be recorded.  Here is the video we made to introduce the sermon.

It's Friday... But Sunday is Coming!

St. Patrick's "Breastplate"

St Patrick’s Breastplate
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgment Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., traveling by land]
Christ in the poop. [i.e., traveling by water]

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

hat-tip to Jason Craig

Arkansas Gets an "F" for Protecting Children from Trafficking

One of the least talked-about but most damaging problems in America (and the world) right now is the trafficking of people (usually women and children) for sexual purposes.  These children and women are moved from place to place against their will and used to sell sex, to no profit of their own.  They are modern-day slaves.  Many organizations are waking up to this enormous problem.

Last week, I challenged our church to take time to love our neighbors, redefining "neighbor" to anyone that God shows you has a need.  Today, I was asked via an email campaign by The Defenders movement to write our governor to encourage him to "raise the grade" in our state when it comes to laws that protect children.  I went to this site: http://raiseyourgrade.org to take action.

I was alarmed to find out that Arkansas gets a failing "F" grade for their anti-trafficking laws!  Arkansas is the only Southern state right now with an 'F' grade.  There is much to be done in Arkansas.  This problem is not just something that happens in the slums of Bangkok or something.  These things happen right in our towns in South Arkansas.

I encourage you to go to the website to learn more about this problem and to take action for yourself.  It is a good opportunity to put God's Word from last week's sermon into action!

Questions for Jesus: Where Can You Get This 'Living Water'?

Unlike Matthew and Luke, which are rich with Jesus' sermons and parables, the Gospel of John focuses on Jesus teaching in the context of conversations.  On Sunday mornings, we have looked at his conversations with crowds in chapters 6 and 8, and one Wednesday night we looked at Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in chapter 3.  Today's question comes from chapter 4, when Jesus has a somewhat unlikely encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Samaria.

In Luke 19:44, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, because they have brought judgment on themselves "because [they] did not recognize the time of God's coming to [them]."

The woman begins by seeing and interacting with Jesus as any other Jewish man, but as Jesus reveals his true identity to her in a way that she can grasp, her eyes are open to who is really visiting with her there at the well.

A Prayer

Dear Lord, we acknowledge that our commitment to You is so shallow.  We say we love you, but our actions betray us.

Open our eyes so that we see time and eternity and You see them.  Forgive us for forgetting we are only strangers and pilgrims on earth.

How foolish we are, O Lord, to store up treasures on this earth and fight to save our lives and preserve them, when You tell us we will lose our lives if we try to do that.

We ask You, dear Lord, to forgive us and help us to walk in Your footsteps--forsaking all, denying ourselves, carrying our crosses daily and loving You supremely so Your causes might be furthered in this dark and dying world.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Taken from The Road to Reality by K.P. Yohannan, founder and international director of Gospel for Asia