"Beyond Saving"

(Part 3 of 3)

“Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.”

                                                                                                              Mark 16:14

After Jesus’ death, the disciples’ faith began to wane. Even though, there were several eye witness accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, they refused to believe that He was alive. It made me think, at what point did they consider Jesus…”beyond saving”?

Was it at Gethsemane when they came and took him by force?

Was it in the courts of the High Priest where they accused Him of blasphemy?

Was it in the Roman Court when Pilate sentenced Him to death?

Was it at the whipping post where He was beaten to barely recognizable?

Was it along the path to Calvary where He suffered under the weight of the cross?

Was it on Calvary’s Hill where they put nails in his hands and feet?

Was it when He cried, “It is finished!” and gave up His spirit?  Or was it when they laid him in the tomb? Perhaps, it was over one of the three agonizing days they hid themselves away?

In Mark 16 we read how Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body:

“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?”

                                                                                                    Mark 16:1-3

These women were not going to the tomb to see a resurrected Lord. They were heading to the tomb to see the dead body of Jesus! Upon arriving at the tomb, the angel of the Lord told them that if they had come to see a dead body, they were out of luck. You can look at where the dead man was, but He is not there!

Jesus triumphed over death so that you and I would understand that regardless of how hopeless, someone or something may appear…it is not beyond saving!

Wherever you may be physically or spiritually…you are NOT beyond saving!

Whoever you have been trying to reach for years although they have rejected you time and time again...they are NOT beyond saving!

Even if things have gone from bad to worse….they are NOT beyond saving!

Take courage today and place your faith in Jesus Christ! He is the Resurrection and the Life!                  

 Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

"Beyond Saving"

(Part 2 of 3)

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:21

I know this will sound strange when I say it, but isn’t it true that the longer someone is “dead” the more difficult they are to reach. In our stories from last week the widow of Nain’s son had just recently died when Jesus stopped the procession heading out of town. No one questioned Him or tried to dissuade Him from praying for the man. However, when Jesus got to Lazarus the atmosphere was very different. Upon Jesus’ arrival, Mary and Martha, both, had already conceded to Lazarus’s death. They told Jesus, that it was too late. If only He had arrived a few days earlier, when there was still hope, maybe Lazarus would still be alive:

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:32

 Jesus, however, was not deterred. He asked to be taken to the tomb and even as He was commanding the stone be rolled away, they were still trying to convince Him that there was no use:

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:39

Notice that Martha is not described here as Lazarus’s sister, but rather she is described as the sister of the dead man! Why? Because that is how she saw him! Beyond saving! However, Martha and Mary were not alone in their unbelief.

The crowds that followed Mary, Martha and Jesus to the tomb also chimed in saying:

“Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind, have kept this man from dying?”

                                                                                                                                John 11:37

It makes you wonder at what point they determined that Lazarus was beyond saving. Was it when Jesus delayed His coming? Was it when Lazarus breathed his last breath? Was it when the stone was rolled in place? Was it four days later when, as they believed, the soul left the body?  The answer is probably…Yes! Yes! Yes! And Yes! Most likely all along the way people began giving up on Lazarus.

 Jesus, however, unmoved by any of these things, stepped upon the scene and declared:

“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

                                                                                                                                John 11:40

With a short command, Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb just as He did the widow’s son. It was no harder for Jesus to raise a man who had been dead four days as it was to raise a man who had been dead just a few hours!  However, the real test of His resurrection power was about to be displayed!

 Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

Beyond Saving

(Part 1 of 2)

“Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out-the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.”

                                                                                                                                                Luke 7:11-12

Have you ever been in what seemed like a hopeless situation? As I read this story I thought about this poor woman, who being a widow, at some point had went through the agonizing process of losing a husband and now she must relive the heartache with the passing of her son. This, without, taking into consideration the impact this would have on her very livelihood. As I was sympathizing for her and how difficult her situation was, the Lord quickened my spirit and said… “What about him?”

As I sympathized with the plight of this woman I had never stopped to consider the dead man. Is he beyond saving? It got me thinking…Are there people who are just so hopeless that they are beyond saving?  Are there people whose situations, health or spiritual condition is just so bad that the only thing left to do is “carry the body out?” Do we only have hope for an individual if we can “see” how they can be helped in their condition?

In this story, the focus is primarily on the grieving mother and as awful as her situation is there is reason to believe that she can be helped because she is still living! The son, however, had passed a point that everyone assumed put him beyond saving. That is until Jesus came!

“Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.”

                                                                                                                                                Luke 7:14-15

The first thing I noticed was that those carrying the coffin stood still. Sometimes we are too quick to give up and bury those who we feel are beyond saving! Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe God allowed them get to this point for a reason? What you and I consider to be “beyond saving” is often the opportunity God is looking for to demonstrate His Glory:

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This, Mary whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus. “Lord the one you love is sick.” When he heard this Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:1-6

During those two days Lazarus went from bad to worse. He went from sick to being dead! Have you ever known anyone who has gone from bad to worse?

“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.”

                                                                                                                                John 11:17

Unlike the widow’s son, they had already carried him out, wrapped the body, placed him in the tomb and began the days of mourning. The funeral had been over for days by the time Jesus showed up. If there was anyone in their minds that was “beyond saving” it was Lazarus!

Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“Resurrecting the Great Commission”

(Part 2)

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

                                                                                                                                1 Corinthians 1:18

We learned, last week, that God’s chosen method for spreading the Gospel is through preaching. However, before we can take the Good News of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the earth, we have to know what the message is! What is the Gospel message?

On one occasion, after His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples:

“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

The core of the gospel message is centered on Christ! The gospel message includes proclaiming that Jesus suffered and died on Calvary’s cross, explaining that He died a sinner’s death in our place so that we might be forgiven. The Apostle Paul believed in this message so strongly that he wrote in                      1 Corinthians 1:23-24:

“But we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews and a stumbling block to Gentiles, but to those who God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

 The gospel message includes proclaiming that after three days He conquered death, hell and the grave when He victoriously came out of the tomb to give us eternal life. The gospel message includes proclaiming the need for repentance as we were all born into sin, and because of our sinfulness we deserve death. We must repent and turn from our sins. The gospel message, also, includes forgiveness. We must turn to the Lord Jesus Christ confessing our sinfulness and ask Him to forgive us of our sins.

Jesus left His disciples with a very concise message! It is a message that is still desperately needed today. A message that you and I have been called to carry to a world that desperately needs salvation. A message, we have not only heard, but witnessed in our own lives.  I challenge you and leave you with this departing passage of Scripture from Romans 10:14-15:

“How, then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Jesus concludes His ministry on this earth with this statement in Matthew 28:18-20:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

YOU HAVE BEEN SENT!

Pastor Scott Burr

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“Resurrecting the Great Commission

(part 1)

“Later Jesus appearedto the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith andtheir stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”
Mark 16:14-15

I think it is important to recognize that the gospel of Jesus Christ did not end with the resurrection! As we celebrate Passion Week,there is a tremendous amount of attention given to Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, and rightly so! However, as the holiday draws to a close and people start back to work we tend to forget Jesus’ post-resurrection ministry.

After His resurrection, Jesus remained on earth for 40 days and
was seen by all of His disciples and many followers. In fact, 1 Corinthians
15:6 tells us that He was seen by as many as 500 people! These sightings were
not merely to give validation to His resurrection, but rather His presence on
earth was to commission His followers to carry out His kingdom purposes.

According to Luke 19:10, Jesus’ primary purpose in coming to earth was to save the lost:

“For the Son of man came to seek and save what was lost.”

Jesus was concerned about mankind’s eternal condition. He
came to earth to save them from the penalty of sin becoming a ransom for many.
His concern for souls surfaces, once again, in one of His last directives
before ascending into heaven:

“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Mark 16:15-16

This mandate has two important components to remember. First, the phrase-“Go into all the world” indicates that as a body of believers we are never to remain still! The gospel was never intended to be housed within the four walls of a church, but rather proclaimed to the four corners of the earth. As God’s Word is living and active, so must His church be! We cannot reach the lost by simply warming the pews on Sunday morning. We must be mobile! We must embrace Jesus’ imperative to “Go”!

The question then arises…Where do we go? Where do we go to find “lost” people? The answer is simple. Everywhere! Jesus directive to go into “all the world”, indicates that there are lost people everywhere we go! Everywhere could be as close as your next door neighbor or as far away as the jungles of Ecuador.Regardless of where you go, you will not find them standing still!

The second component to remember from Mark 16:15 is this-the method by which we reach them is through preaching! Romans 10:13-14 tells us:

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in. And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

Preaching the good news is God’s chosen method for reaching the lost! Most people assume that the word ‘preach” means to deliver a sermon. However, the word preach is best defined as “to proclaim publically.” You and I have been commissioned by Jesus
Christ to go into all the world and to publically proclaim the good news. This
requires us to understand the gospel message!

Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“The Oil Press of Prayer”

(Part 2)

“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba,Father,” he said, “Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Then he returned to his disciples andfound them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “Are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?”
Mark 14:35-37

Jesus, hours before his crucifixion, prepared himself for the unimaginable trial that was before him by pressing into a time of earnest prayer. Nevertheless, even in the midst of His own pressing, he returned to His disciples!

The first time, He returned to them, we see that He mentioned Peter by name… “Simon, Are you asleep?” Jesus had told Peter, earlier that evening that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat. As Jesus was preparing to face the trials before Him, Peter was sleeping. Perhaps Peter felt that his passion and zeal would be adequate to face Satan’s schemes. However, he would soon discover that passion is no substitute for preparation.

Three times,Jesus would return to his disciples that night and three times he would find them sleeping. Men who had declared they would never fall away. One man, Peter,declared he would even die for Jesus! Yet they could not even muster the fortitude to pray for one hour!

Later that evening, Jesus is arrested and we catch up with Peter in Mark 14:66-72:

“While Peter was below in the courtyard,one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warminghimself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking
about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him
there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”
Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter,
“Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” He began to call down
curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately
the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had
spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.”
And he broke down and wept”

Peter is being pressed! Unfortunately, he is not prepared to face the challenges and
troubles before him. Three times Peter denied Jesus, the same number of times
that Jesus tried to wake him to pray.

Jesus was prepared to face what was ahead of him because he had spent time in the
“oil press”! Peter, however, caved to the pressures because he slept when he
should have been praying.

Do not think you can rely on your passion to carry you through difficult times, it
is the time that we spend in the oil press of prayer that will ultimately carry
us through!

Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

“The Oil Press of Prayer”

(Part 1)

“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today- yes, tonight- before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.”

Mark 14:27-31

As the disciples left the place of the Passover meal to make their way to the Mount of Olives, Jesus stirs the disciples up, once again, when he tells them that according to Zechariah 13:7 that a time is coming when they will all fall away! Zealous Peter can hardly contain himself! At the Passover meal, Jesus had inferred that one of them was going to betray him, now he informs them that in addition to this, all of them were going to fall away! It drove Peter to “insist emphatically” that even if he had to die, he would never disown Jesus.

Peter was about to learn a valuable lesson. One in which he would discover that passion is no substitute for preparation. During the Passover meal Jesus gave Peter this dire warning:

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:31

Peter was about to be pressed! All this transpired on their way to a place on the Mount of Olives called Gethsemane. Gethsemane when translated means “oil press”. It is here that the olives that were grown were placed in a large stone basin with a millstone upon them. Under the crushing, turning weight of the stone the olives were crushed into paste releasing the oil within.

As Jesus approached this place he began to become deeply distressed:

“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them, “Stay here and keep watch.”
Mark 14:32-34

Jesus understood that he was on his way to the cross. Soon he would be facing reproach, torture and death. He would soon feel the weight of the world’s sin poured out on him. He fell to the ground and began to pray fervently:

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
Luke 22:43

Jesus, hours before his crucifixion, prepared himself for the unimaginable trial that was before him by pressing into a time of earnest prayer.

Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/