Sayings of Jesus

The last seven sayings of Jesus put into action everything Jesus taught us about living the Christian life.  This coming sunday at NLCC we will focus on the last hours of Jesus' life and the things he said.  I'm hoping we embrace the teachings of Jesus in a new and deeper way as we witness Jesus living out what he taught us even as he faced crucifixion.  Here's a summary of the seven sayings. 

#1: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." (Lk 23:34)  Jesus often taught about the importance of forgiveness.  Now he was living it out.  It's a lot easier to talk about forgiveness than to offer it to others--that's why we need God's help.  I'm a firm believer that we really can't forgive others until we receive forgiveness from God.  It's certainly more blessed to give than to receive, but we have to receive before we have anything to give.  this principle of forgiveness works in marriage, among friends, and with your enemies.  Only as we receive a large dose of forgiveness form our Father in heaven are we equipped to forgive ourselves and others who harm us.

#2: "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Lk 23:43)  I love the simplicity of the gospel.  Over the centuries both friend and foe of the gospel have tried to complicate the message and turn it into to tradition, ritual, or some complicated religious observance.  In the last moments of Jesus' earthly life, he confirmed the simplicity of his message, offering hope to the criminal who turned to him.  How complicated is your Christianity?  the Christianity which Jesus launched was so simple that even a criminal hanging on a cross could receive the promise of paradise.

#3: "Dear woman, here is your son . . . . Here is your mother." (John 19:25-27)  Love is a centerpiece of life and the Christian message.  Too often we speak of love in emotional, spiritual, or intangible ways.  For Jesus, love was practical and tangible.  Love was taking care of your practical responsibilities.  sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do in life is just taking care of your responsibilities by loving those around you.

#4: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34)  a part of any spiritual journey is spiritual suffering.  Spiritual growth doesn't occur without sacrifice.  Jesus' sacrifice took him face to face with the cup of God's wrath fro the sins of the world.  JEsus was forsaken and he felt the spiritual pain of abandonment.

#5: "I am thirsty" (John 19:28)  Spiritual suffering eventually shows up in the realm of physical suffering.  We are not spirit alone.  We are "dirt and divinity" all mixed up together.  that's why Jesus said to his disciples, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."  It's the same reason today that you feel a desire to pray or grow spiritually, but you still have a battle ahead.  the spirit says go and the flesh says no!

#6: "It is finished" (John 19:30)  Jesus' end was just the beginning.  The obedience of the cross would give way to the victory of the resurrection.  What needs to come to an end in your life so that God can work a victory?  Jesus had accomplished the Father's will by enduring the cross.  Now, he awaited his ultimate victory in the resurrection. 

#7: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)  What helped Jesus get through the shame and pain of the cross?  He trusted the Father.  Jesus lived out Job's cry, "though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." (Job 13:15)  Are you entirely committed to Christ Jesus?  Or have you only trusted him for the good things in life?  The essence of the Christian journey is your willingness to fully trust God, just as Jesus trusted his Father.

The last seven saying of Jesus not only summarize his gospel, but they reveal to us that Jesus was willing to practice what he preached.  In life and death Jesus was committed to forgiveness, love, sacrifice, obedience, victory, and complete trust in God.  If I can commit myself to these truths I know my life will be better for it.  See you Sunday.  Tom Ragsdell 

Failure and your future

Are your failures holding you back from more out of life?  I've been thinking a lot about failure this week as we get ready for Sunday's message "Embracing the Way of the Cross."  I'm sure many in Jesus' day, saw his crucifixion as the end; as a failure of everything he tried to accomplish in three years of public ministry.  But, Jesus saw his demise as a victory, believing it was the fulfillment of prophesy and obedience to God's plan.  Jesus knew something that other didn't -- God specializes in turning our failures into successes.  The cross of Jesus challenges the way we think about success and failure.

 Do you have any failures, set backs, or short comings that could become a great victory with God's intervention?  I think God specializes in turning our failings into our God-directed futures.  There are two characters that stand out in Jesus drama that knew failure.  Both Peter and Judas failed miserably.  Peter denied Jesus three times and wept bitterly, even though he promised the Lord it would never happen.  Judas also was a failure.  He sold out to the religious authorities for 30 pieces of silver.  After Jesus was arrested, Judas went back to the Temple and returned the money, knowing that Jesus was innocent of all charges.  But it was too late, Jesus would be crucified, and Judas could not forgive himself.  Both Peter and Judas were failures, but each faced a different future.  Why?

We all fail at some level in life.  We fail in our character when we give in to temptation or fail to keep our word.  We fail in our professional lives when we launch a new brand or business only too see our goals unrealized.  What business man can't tell you of the number of times they have tried and failed, only to try again and find success?  Or what successful athlete can't tell you the number of times they failed or fell short only to wind up on the top?  Failure is a part of life.  So how will we handle it?

You can't choose when failure will come calling, because much of life is out of our control.  But you can choose how you will handle it.  As a church planter, I can tell you that most of the time you feel like you are "failing forward", not moving forward.  In two years of working to birth a new church in Columbia, most of my "grand" ideas have met with limited success or utter failure.  And yet, we now gather with 50-70 people in our Sunday gatherings and many of them are enjoying church life for the first time ever (after only 1.5 years of meeting publicly).  So we are moving forward, I'm just not always sure how it happened!

When Peter realized he messed up, he went back to fishing.  No doubt he was sorry and ashamed, but Peter still had the chance at redemption.  Judas was also sorry.  But, Judas couldn't forgive himself and after returning the money, he killed himself.  I wonder what would have happened if Judas would have been standing at the feet of Jesus when Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do"?  Would God not have forgave Judas?  For Judas, his failure and unforgiveness stood in the way of his redemption.

Maybe it's better if we just get it out in the open, so it doesn't eat us up on the inside.  We all fail, everyone of us and most of us miserably!  That's why churches exist, because perfect people don't!  Failure is never the final word as long as we are willing to turn to God for help and receive his redemption.  God specializes in "buying us" back from our failures.  How you handle your failures will determine your future.

I'm hoping that you will turn to God with your failure and trust him for a brighter future.  Tom Ragsdell