It really did happen

  The city of Jerusalem is silent.  The Passover is finished. The throbbing excitement of the past few days is over.  The cruel voices of the mob to crucify Jesus are still now.  The city sleeps.  A bloody period, it seems, has been placed at the end of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

  But, in the midst of the stillness of Jerusalem, there is one who moves restlessly through the city streets and on through the gate of the city.  It is a woman, bent and frail, her hands are clutched as in unutterable grief and there are tears on her face.  It is Mary Magdalene.  What tragedy Christ’s death was to Mary.  He had done so much for her.  She had lived in open sin and shame but by His love, He had lifted her to a new way of life and to self respect.  Now, all of this is gone.  Jesus was dead. He had died before her very eyes.  She came to the tomb, but to her amazement the tomb is empty.  She knows not who took the body nor where the body had been placed.   As Mary stood in the half darkness, suddenly there was a figure standing in the deeper shadows.  She thought he was the gardener and she said,   “They have taken my Lord away…and I don’t know where they have put Him…  Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.”  She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means Teacher).  John 20:15-16  Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord.”  John 20:18   
I can only imagine what Mary must have felt.  But, she knew what she saw.  She saw Jesus resurrected from the dead.  She had to share such good news.

  Christ is alive.  How do you know?  Because He lives in your heart.  That is subjective evidence, very personal.  But, there is objective truth.  The resurrection is a historical fact based on reliable witnesses.  Jesus appeared alive, following His death and burial, to many people.  He appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the women, to two men on the road to Emmaus, to Simon Peter, to ten Apostles, to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee, to over 500 people at once, to James, to the Apostles at the time of His ascension, and to the Apostle Paul at the city gate of Damascus.  Now, these are all matters of historical fact.  What we do with such evidence is a matter of faith.

  I thought of the preacher, William Sangster.  he was dying of cancer. He could get around but couldn’t speak.  He lived with his daughter.  One Easter Sunday, he became very despondent and discouraged. The daughter hardly knew what to say to this preacher. 
Mr. Sangster wrote on a pad, “What a tragedy.  Resurrection Lord’s Day and no voice with which to praise my great Redeemer’s name.”   His daughter could give him no answer. 
Finally, this broken hearted man wrote, “There is only one thing more tragic – to have a voice and fail to praise the great Redeemer’s Name.

  Praise Him who died for our sins, was buried and then rose from the dead. 
                        Because He lives, we can live also.

THE CROSS

    “In Planet in Rebellion,” George Vandeman wrote: It was May 21, 1946.  The place – Los Alamos.  A young and daring scientist was carrying out a necessary experiment in preparation for the atomic test to be conducted in the waters of the South Pacific atoll at Bikini.
    He had successfully performed  such an experiment many times before. In his effort to determine the amount of U-235 necessary for a chain reaction – scientists call it the critical mass – he would push two hemispheres of uranium together.  Then, just as the mass became critical, he would push them apart with his screwdriver, thus instantly stopping the chain reaction. 
    But that day, just as the material became critical, the screwdriver slipped.  The hemispheres of uranium came too close together.  Instantly the room was filled with a dazzling bluish haze.  Young Louis Slotin, instead of ducking and thereby possibly saving himself, tore the two hemispheres apart with his hands and thus interrupted the chain reaction.
    By this instant, self-forgetful daring act, he saved the lives of the seven other persons in the room.  As he waited for the car that was to take them to the hospital, he said quietly to his companion, “You’ll come through all right. But I haven’t the faintest chance myself.”  It was only too true. Nine days later he died in agony.    Nineteen centuries ago the Son of the living God walked directly into sin’s most concentrated radiation, allowed himself to be touched by its curse, and let it take his life.  But, by that act he broke the chain reaction. He broke the power of sin.     Selected Vialo Weis, at  Ardmore, Oklahoma

    I have kept this illustration in my file for a long time.  I find it very powerful in relating it to Jesus in what He did for us.  Read with me I Peter 1:18 – 19: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”  NIV  

    It is beyond my comprehension that Jesus, God’s Son, would come to earth and die for me and for you.  The cross is the plus sign for life.  As we sing such songs as:  “The Way of the Cross Leads Home,”  “In the Cross of Christ I Glory,”  “The Old Rugged Cross,” we know and accept the truth “What can wash away my sins, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.”   The sacrifice of Jesus makes possible my forgiveness of sin, my newness of life, my promise of life eternal with God, my heavenly Father.               All because of the CROSS.

Magnificent Obsession

 What a scene as dignitaries, such as Governor Festus and King Agrippa, seated themselves in all their pomp and royalty waiting for the Apostle Paul to be brought before them.  Paul, a prisoner, is brought before them.  Paul begins his speech, defending not himself but the Christ whom he loved and served.  He uttered a great defense for the Gospel.  This is a gathering not soon forgotten.

  Paul commenced by frankly confessing what he had once been. Paul tells of his past when he sought to eliminate the name of Christ and to blast the Christians out of existence. Paul, then called Saul, a Pharisee, keeper of the Law, believed that he was doing God’s will in ridding the world of the impostor, Jesus.  Everyone knew of Saul’s insane fury against Christianity.  He was on a mission of persecution.  When he could not find more Christians to jail or put to death in Jerusalem, he went to the city of Damascus.  It was as he was entering that city, he had a vision of Jesus.  He was blinded by a bright light and heard a voice speaking to him.  The voice asked Paul, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  Paul responded, “Who are you, Lord?”  (meaning ‘sir’ because Saul did not know him as Lord, meaning master.)  The voice answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”  Acts 26:14-15  Paul is told to go into the city and he would be told what he must do.  This is the shattering of Paul’s life.  His whole world of belief is torn apart.  Paul knows now that he was sincerely wrong in persecuting Jesus.  (When Christians are persecuted, it is the same as persecuting Jesus.) God sends a preacher by the name of Ananias to Paul.  God used this man to heal Paul of his blindness. Then, Ananias told Paul, “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”  Acts 22:16   Paul’s conversion took place at his baptism, not at the city gate of Damascus. The vision of Jesus at the city gate was to enable Paul to be an Apostle, being an eye witness of the risen Christ.  Paul commits himself to be a follower of Jesus.  He is sent forth to preach the good news, especially to the Gentiles.  This was his magnificent obsession to serve Christ, to preach Christ to the whole world.

  The response of the royal company before Paul was one of refusal.  Governor Festus told Paul that he was mad, his mind had become unbalanced due to too much study.  King Agrippa became very uncomfortable and responded to Paul by accusing him of trying to make him a Christian.   Agrippa said, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”  Paul replied, “Short time or long – I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”     Acts 26:28-29   The royal company leaves Paul’s presence not accepting God’s Son, Jesus, for the forgiveness of their sins.  How tragic, when heaven’s door was opened and they refused to enter in.

  Note carefully, the Apostle Paul’s magnificent obsession was to persuade people to be Christian.
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with Me.”  Revelation 3:20   Man is so wonderfully and fearfully made that he may choose his own destiny.  Know that the Bible only makes Christians only.
The thing that will save us is that we be Christian.

  A young black boy stood looking at a giant picture  of George Washington Carver.  He thought of all that that man had done for the Negro race and for humanity.  Finally, he blurted out, “Do it again Lord, do it again.” Look to Jesus, become Christian. Let Jesus be formed in you.

MURPHY’S LAW

Murphy’s law is: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Let me tell you about ‘the day that was’ February 16th, Tuesday.
My first mistake was getting out of bed that morning. I immediately got ready to meet Bob Shannon for a ride to my doctor’s appointment. I started for the elevator on 5h floor and the fire alarm went off. I wondered if the elevator would work. It did. I got out on first floor. I started to go out in the lobby and was told that I couldn’t open that door. We were locked in for the fire drill. I wondered if I was going to miss my ride with Bob. The ‘all clear’ sounded and I met Bob.
He loaded my buggy. I sat down with a load of paper work in my lap. As we rode along, the personal things fall off my lap. My date book and check book slipped under the seat. I could reach my date book but not the check book. When we stopped at the hospital I tried and Bob tried but still unable to reach it. It was too cold to continue trying. It was 27 degrees.
Bob said, let’s leave it for now, I’ll pay the co-pay and you can pay me back later. He parked the car and then we went to 5th floor in the hospital. It did not look right. A nurse asked if she could help us. I told her we had an appointment to see the Pulmonary doctor. She said, he is on the 5th floor but over on the East wing. We were on the West. A long ways apart. She got a wheelchair and a man to push me in it to the East wing. Bob followed pushing my cart.
Everything went well with the nurse and doctor. Bob paid the co-pay. He got the car and we headed for Christian City. It was just too cold to try to reach the check book. Bob said he would find it later.. As I started through the lobby to go to my suite, a wheel fall off the cart.
A little black handle had come loose and was lost. I called the chaplain’s secretary to see if she would go look for it.. She could not find it. I called Bob and he found it in his car. Also, he found the check book and put both in a sack and brought them to the lobby. A worker brought them up to me.

“ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL.”
We may lose lots of battles here in this life time but we need not lose the war for eternal life with God. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people..
Be faithful to Christ. Follow Jesus home.