This week is what is known as Holy Week or Passion Week. It is the last week in the life of Christ before His Death, Burial, and Resurrection. It is what we believers would say is the most important week in human history because during this week we see love at its finest, evil at its darkest, and victory over the enemy of death at its greatest.

            On what is known as Good Friday (good for us, but terrible for Jesus) the most innocent, sinless, pure person who has ever lived offered Himself as a sacrifice to satisfy ultimate justice and also a ransom to the powers of darkness for the rest of us to be set free. At the cross, both mercy and grace merge. Mercy, in that, none of us have to receive that which we do deserve, and Grace, in that, we can receive that which we don’t deserve. Our sin debt was addressed and Christ paid it in full. Then, not only did Christ die for us, but on the 3^rd day Christ lived for us again. He came back to life to usher in God’s New World that doesn’t come by force or hype, but comes through the individual transformation of those who follow Him in self-giving love. Christ presently lives in the hearts of His true followers and will one day come again to fully consummate the change that His resurrection accomplished and began. I encourage any skeptic to challenge the evidence of history because there is full support of Christ’s resurrection.

Also, on a personal scale, it is because of the resurrection I personally place my faith in Christ because if Christ did indeed come back to life, again see the evidence, then He and only He is qualified to answer the question of what happens when we die. No other religious leader of history has those credentials if in fact Christ came back to life. Everything hinges on the reality of Christ’s resurrection. It is the corner post of Christian belief in which all other elements of Christian faith depend. 

            As C.S. Lewis once wrote, “If Christianity is true then it is of immanent and infinite importance, if it is not true, then of no importance at all, but the one thing it can never be is moderately important. Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live too.” John 14:

We live in a day and time of unchartered territory. If we realize nothing else in this “Coronavirus scare” we should realize this: What a weak and frail society we are in a sense of panic. No doubt we should take precautionary practices to prohibit the Coronavirus, or any virus for that matter, from spreading, but may we please use our heads about all of this. This has revealed, if nothing else, that we have a lot of work to do as a society in which to be able to think with our minds and less with our feelings when real life happens. We are all under a death sentence every day. If I think about how many times I could face death within the day I would never leave the house, and even there death could find me. We have faced much greater crises in the past, yet, somehow this one has turned the world upside down. Use common sense! Take precaution! But we must take courage that we are not alone! Ultimately God’s got this! Is your panic or anxiety going to cure the corona virus or anything else for that matter? No! If we don’t face this with faith and courage then underlying ramifications as a result to caving to fear may result a far worse dilemma on our society than that of a virus. If a true enemy wanted to paralyze our country I fear they have found the way and know our reactions as a result. We have truly telegraphed our way of existence these last few weeks, and how weak minded we have become. How in only 70 years did we go from the Greatest Generation to ever live standing up to tyrants like Hitler to now becoming scared as rabbits who are toilet paper snatchers? The mind boggles! Take precautions according to the officials and in the meanwhile be grateful for life, loving one another every chance you get (some six foot apartJ) and helping each other who are less fortunate and are facing financial woes. In short, think beyond yourself, truly be a neighbor, and realize we are in this together and by the grace of God we will get through this time quickly. Keep the faith!

Philippians 2:14-15

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.

Arrogant people are hard to deal with and especially to get along with. It takes a lot of patient endurance to deal with someone who thinks more highly of themselves than they should. The truth is we are all arrogant at some level over something. If we are honest within ourselves we all struggle with thinking too much of ourselves or our self-importance. Let me first begin with a few questions for us to ask ourselves:

Am I an open person?

Do I get defensive easily?

Can I take constructive correction?

Are I willing to listen to advice?

Do I ever seek out advice from a trusted friend?

Am I a “know it all” person?  

These are only a few questions, but important questions that may help us become introspective enough to see our own arrogance. Arrogance is a sinful spiritual disease where we try to take over the role of God in our lives. Humility is the crown of honor and no matter how high we are in the eyes of man, we still find ourselves below the nature of God.

For many of us the reason our lives stay in such constant turmoil with others around us is reflective of the pride we may struggle with deep within. We all have to admit that sometime we are simply the problem and the quickest fix to that is seeking humility and apologizing. Owning our own prideful ways and asking God and others that we have impacted by our arrogance to forgive us, and then seek to be under the control of wisdom which is only found in the Lord Himself.

Proverbs 13:10

Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice.

For the believer joy is a fruit of the spirit. To know that our sins are forgiven, our account is cleared, graced bestowed, and hope granted should create an inner celebration for those who have put their faith in Christ Jesus. Therefore, as followers of Christ, our perspective of life should be different than the rest of the world not rooted in the circumstances of life but in the reality of a loving and forgiving God.

My question for us this week: Is your temperament, mood, or attitude towards life rooted in your circumstances or the reality of God’s love for you?  I’ve heard many times the statement, “Well under the circumstances…” For the Christian one must ask, “Why are you under the circumstances?” Your reality in Christ is greater than any circumstance that comes your way in this life. See beyond today through the spectacles of eternity.

Paul writing to the Philippian church from a Roman dungeon clearly is not under the circumstances of his situation where his hope would be minimal and future dreary. No he is rejoicing at the fact that He knows Christ, he has been recognized by the world as a spokesman for Christ, and is willing to be punished and even die as a prisoner for Christ. Paul would tell us that no matter the circumstances you are in, even if death is inevitable on the immediate horizon of your future, as a believer you have reason to rejoice in Jesus. May we as His followers rejoice in God’s love no matter our circumstances.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Recently, as I was going through some of my books, I ran across a book entitled C.S. Lewis, Letters to Children. Lewis had a belief that if anyone wrote to him regarding one of his books that he was obliged to reply. Lewis was most well-known for his Chronicle of Narnia series and many other books on the Christian faith such as Mere Christianity, Miracles, The Problem of Pain, etc. It was his custom throughout his entire life to write back those who took the time to write him. One of the last letters he wrote was to a young girl named Ruth. It was October 26, 1963, the last month of his life (as he died November 22, 1963 the same day as JFK’s assassination), and he gave her some of the best advice an older believer can give to a young believer. This was the legacy of Lewis. He said, “If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so.” Lewis was a man known to academics, skeptics, and to the broader Christian community around the world as one of the biggest Christian minds of the 20^th century, yet in his final days he shared something so simple yet profound to a young girl writing her literary hero. I wished more heroes today lead their followers to Jesus.

May we never forget that it’s not how much we know, but rather who we know. Lewis knew a lot, but his greatest reminder was not how much he knew, but rather that he knew Jesus, and at the end of his life it was in Jesus that he put all his hope and trust in. In a few short days after this letter was written he stepped into the presence of his Lord. I believe out of all of his writings it was this short letter that was some of his greatest content. 

If you desire to change the world you can’t simply complain or remain in secret. You have to step out of the shadows, and you at least have to respect those you disagree with who step out from behind their walls of comfort into the public square to challenge and be challenged. To change anything from the world all the way down to the individual self you cannot play it safe. Safe is not an option. You must be willing to risk everything, starting with your reputation in the public and the need to be liked by everyone. You must then outline intelligently the flaws of the opposing position all the while providing solutions to the problems you see, and be willing to take criticism on the chin for the sake of your cause. This must not be done absent of your character, values and integrity with a sense of passion and authentic purpose. Otherwise, others will not have an idea of who you are in regards to who is the champion of such a change. Jesus is the greatest example of this! It doesn’t mean others will follow, but it does mean you can live with yourself and die knowing you truly lived in your conviction, which is worldview dependent, instead of just surviving in a sense of status quo or even shameful cowardice.

What we need to learn more than just about anything in this country is how to have a civil disagreement and learn the art of debate again. We think too much with our emotions, and truth has become an antique on a shelf somewhere that not many find worth the effort to look for in our society. Yet, truth is the only way to freedom.

Do you ever think that God is mad at you no matter what the Bible says or how many Bible verses you have read to the contrary? God may be upset with our sinful behavior, but God loves us, but sometimes we become so familiar with the idea of God loving us that it loses its impact. We often disconnect from the idea of God’s love experientially. Many times we judge God’s reactions based on how others react to our mistakes, but these are only projections. We must always go back to the one event of human history that clarifies God’s reaction to our sinfulness, and that is the cross of Christ. Others may reject us because of our sins, or abandon us, or never believe in us again because of their lack of forgiveness, but God’s reaction is that He became one of us and took our sins upon Himself. That is how God reacted to your sin and my sin. He didn’t abandon us, He didn’t reject us, and He still believes in who He made us to be, and wants to redeem us to our created value. The only way we can be separated from God and His great love for us is if we reject such a great offer of salvation only found in Jesus.

Romans 8:35-39

Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

This past weekend I gave a talk on the difference between Pharisee and Follower. Sadly, many Christians look more like the ancient Pharisees than the early Followers. This is a sad thing because many are getting the wrong idea of Christianity.

 As a believer we must pause to consider what reflection of Christianity we are putting out into the world. We need to make sure it is an authentic reflection of Jesus. I want to mention one of the characteristics we must be aware of that reflect the Pharisees: Religious folk like works, true believers cling to the grace of God.

We often preach grace in church but many actuality live works. I remember as a child in Sunday School getting a little white envelope that gave me a grade as to how I did this week in being a “Good Christian.” It would give me a percentage if I read my Bible, prayed, shared my faith and gave a tithe which confused me because the preacher preached grace, but practically speaking it was works based everywhere else.  As a believer, I know I am not enough and will never be enough. There is no good in me apart from my Creator’s goodness as I bare His image. If God were to ask me why should I let you into my Heaven, it would be for no other reason than Jesus paid the price, and God has bestowed grace on a sinner.  It would not be on how many times I’ve read the Bible, prayed, shared my faith, etc. These are all wonderful endeavors for the believers, but they can’t be graded because I live now under the grace of Jesus.

There is a disease that everyone of us has, and it’s a struggle to overcome, and unfortunately there is no pill to cure it. It is the disease of pride. Pride is the disease to want to be God instead of letting God be God. The truth is you and I make a very poor “god” but sadly it takes us all awhile to figure that out sometimes. Many never figure it out and die in their attempts to stay in control, but death is the final and complete truth that none of us are in control.

Many of us fight control or have “control issues” because our trust has been broken, and then we project that onto future events. This is a state of pride as well because we believe that the world will not spin properly without us being at the helm of life’s ship.

The Bible says that pride comes before destruction which makes perfect logical sense because if I am not qualified to do God’s job, and I haven’t the ability to control things, then my attempts to do so will only bring futility and failure. Failure is a gift to us because it can be the fertile ground that grows the seeds of humility. It is the only cure for the disease of pride. Pride is not cured by a pill, but by the will. Humility is actually seeing reality as it actually is, not how we desire to be. So again, if we live in an illusion or delusion because of our pride no wonder we find ourselves at the end of our rope, and find our lives falling apart because we aren’t living in God’s reality. Humility sees life as it is, and allows God to be who He is in our life. We can never live right side up until we see life right side up. 

Proverbs 16:18

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Sometimes to learn something new we don’t realize how much there is to unlearn. We have grown up a certain way, say with believing a certain way or doing church a certain way, and that way becomes familiar. So to change our ways to become more Biblical may seem odd at first because the old way is what we are so familiar with.

One of those examples for me is grace. I have struggled with receiving God’s free gift of grace many times in my life. We are taught so much that we have to earn things to deserve them. Well, when it comes to God’s wonderful gift of salvation who could possibly deserve it because none of us has earned the right to receive it except Jesus. How many times in pulpits have I been taught God’s free grace but then in Sunday School were given white envelopes that you put your money in with a grade sheet on the front asking whether or not you read your Bible that week, prayed that week, shared your faith that week, etc., and then at the end you got a percentage grade. If that doesn’t teach works I don’t know what would. You see people put on moral fronts because that is what a “Good Christian” does. It’s hard to believe I don’t have to do anything but put my faith in Christ when all my life I’ve gotten mixed messages from Churches. The truth is I’m not a good Christian, I wreak with sin, and I’m only a “Grace Christian” borrowing totally from Jesus’ account because I realize I am not enough on my own, but He is. 

Ephesians 2:8-9

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.^[1]

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^[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Eph 2:8–9). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.