JESUS SPEAKING       

            “Take heed that you don’t do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Or else you have no reward from you Father in heaven.  Therefore when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly I say to you they have their reward.  But when you do your charitable deed, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.  That your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly” (Mathew 6: 1-4.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Many acts of charity were being done by the religious leaders in the days of Jesus.  Yet the majority of them were doing these works to benefit themselves, rather than to give glory to God.  Jesus identified two types of rewards (motivations) for any good action.  Some were motivated by a desire to please God and be rewarded by Him, and some were motivated by a desire to be acknowledged and rewarded by their peers.  The human heart is a deep and mysterious thing that no man can see in too, and no person can know, except God.  In fact the majority of people don’t completely understand their own motivations for doing good or evil.  God says in scripture, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it.  I the Lord search the heart.” (Jeremiah 17: 9-10.)  Nearly everyone claims to be a ‘good person.’  Only, the majority of people are good because it benefits them in some way.  Some people set out to do something selfless, but before the act is done, they have been corrupted by some selfish motive.  The heart is the battle ground on which worldly and spiritual motives war; symbolized by the left and right hand spoken by Christ in this scripture.  As soon as a pure motive arises within the heart, a selfish motive attempts to corrupt it.  What then is a suggested remedy for this corruption?  Jesus suggests that you make no provision to satisfy your worldly desires, by removing all possible human benefit.  Charity done in secret cannot possibly be rewarded by anyone but God.  Knowing this, it is easy to see why Jesus condemned those who appeared to be the most Godly in His day.  Their actions and their hearts told different stories; that is why they were called hypocrites by Jesus; everything they did was for their own benefit.  Their motives were corrupted [Important to note:  This does not mean that God wants us to do all of our works in secret.  He says in Mathew 5: 16, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  He wants us to always be mindful of our hearts when we do a good work in front of others, and we should always make sure that God gets the credit for that deed.  We must live in this world and God desires us to be constantly doing good works, public and private.]      

            Most churches have teams of talented individuals that lead the congregation in song.  The purpose of a worship team is to direct others in focusing on God.  Sadly, being on stage can lead the pure in heart to begin to desire for themselves, the attention that is God’s.  Many performers shake their hips and dance around on stage; they wear clothing that sparkles and belt out lyrics in a manner that emphasizes their vocal talents rather than God’s worthiness.  The focus is to be placed on God and not a performer.  It is human nature to want to be the center of attention…to receive the admiration of others, but as Christians, we are never to be the center of attention; rather, we are to place all of our attention on God, and attempt to point others toward Him. 

            Christ came to put the focus back on the heart and back on God.  The good action is no longer just the action, but the heart that prompted that action.  How then can we make sure that our hearts are pure?  By practicing.  “How can I practice purity in my heart,” you might ask?  Easy; you make efforts to do things that only God can see.  You take the time to pray when no one is watching; you make giving in secret a new part of your life.  In this way you build your personal relationship with God (free from selfish motives), and that relationship then manifests itself in every area of your life (public as well as private.)

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we pray that You give us a clean heart Lord, free from the selfish motives of our flesh.  Help us Lord to desire Your rewards above all others, and give us opportunities to give, and to be charitable in secret.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we give You thanks, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

            On the next day, which followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while he was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’  So the last deception will be worse than the first.”  Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.”  So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard (Mathew 27: 62-66.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            An ‘empty tomb’ frightened the Jewish leaders, who considered Jesus to be a deceiver.  Jesus had prophesied often concerning the third day of his burial.  He made his resurrection the final proof of his claims about being ‘The Son of God.’  All of the healings, all of the miracles, all of the wise words, all for nothing if he did not rise from the dead as he had proclaimed he would.  The Pharisees (religious leaders) didn’t believe in miracles, or the power of God.  They thought theft was the only means by which his body could go missing.  They faithlessly prepared a defense against earthly forces, not considering the power of a divine adversary.  They petitioned Pilate, the Roman Governor to provide them with battle hardened professional soldiers, capable of repelling even the most aggressive foe.  These leaders received their guard, and made the tomb secure.  Later in scripture we read what happened to these strong soldiers; the earth shook beneath them, and an angel appeared with such glory that they fell to the ground as if dead.  The angel then rolled the stone away from the entrance, and the Lord rose from the dead.

            American’s have made sports a part of their national identity.  One facet of that identity is a desire to see the ‘underdog’ overcome impossible odds and attain victory.  The ‘comeback’ is a term that most of us are familiar with.  In basketball, when we see a team that is losing in the fourth quarter by 16 points, with two minutes remaining, the game is all but over (some even turn off the T.V. or leave the stadium to get ahead of traffic.)  Just occasionally something amazing happens in those two minutes.  The team scores 2 points and steals the ball, they score again quickly, and again they get the ball back.  Each time they score, excitement builds in the hearts and minds of those who stayed to watch.  Finally, the game comes down to one last shot, and if the ‘underdog’ makes it, the game will go down in history; if they miss it, they lose, and all of the excitement and anticipation was for nothing.  No one remembers the ‘almost-miraculous.’  The ministry of Jesus Christ began with the miraculous, finished with the miraculous, and continues with the miraculous today.  Every miracle, every person that he brought to life, every healing, would have been for nothing had he failed to rise from the dead.  Had the body of Jesus been in the tomb, he would not be in the hearts and minds of millions of people today.  There would be no churches, no changed lives, no forgiveness of sins, no Holy Spirit, no meaning and purpose for living, and no hope for a future life with a loving God.  Jesus was victorious over his opponent in one final act.  He was raised to life; he defeated death; and all those who cheered for and hoped in him will eternally share in His victory.

            No one has ever produced the body of Jesus Christ; no tomb raider, no historian, no king, no religious leader; though thousands, if not millions have tried.   The reason they can’t find his body, is because he isn’t dead.  To those who have faith, and know the power of God, we have a hope in eternal life, with an eternal God, in a paradise prepared by Him.  To those who believe his body was stolen, they have no future, and no hope in anything but eternal separation from God.  In every generation, in every human heart, the question, “Did Jesus Christ rise from the dead?” must be answered.  The answer to this question puts you on one of two opposing sides, and only one side has a future with God!  Look to God’s power, and not human understanding, and a miracle will happen in your heart, and in your life now, and the life to come.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You Lord and we thank You for the resurrection.  We ask Lord that You increase our faith, and our hope in You.  Lord help us to minister to those who have not yet found an empty tomb, and a resurrected Lord.  Give us more of Your Holy Spirit, and help us to accept the victory that You have already won for us.  We love You Lord, we thank You, and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

            For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God […] “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him” (John 5: 16-23.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Jesus healed a man on a Holy Day, and instead of rejoicing, the religious leaders condemned him for ‘working on the Sabbath.’  This was a day of rest was for men and not God.  He continued to work when the Jews were at rest.  Jesus proclaimed himself to be God, and as such, was exempt from resting on the Sabbath.  (In this culture, if one was to call God their Father, there was no mistake; this meant the person was making a statement of equality in comparison to God.)  Only God could give life, only God could judge, only God was worthy of honor.  Jesus was claiming to give life, to be able to judge, and was also making himself worthy of the honor.  The Pharisees were seeking desperately to keep Jesus and God separate; they were supposed to be ‘men of God,’ but they hated Jesus because he saw their hearts and their hearts were wicked.  They couldn’t hate God because they professed to love him.  Jesus reminded them that to love God was to love him, and as such, their hatred for him constituted a hatred for God.

            For quite some time I helped feed the homeless in downtown Santa Ana.  I was blessed to be able to serve in the line, and as people would come through, I would engage them in short conversations, often saying, “God bless you.”  There happened to be one particular man who came through the line, who replied to “God bless you” with “Hare Krishna.”  He was a Hindu Hare Krishna (They don’t believe in Jesus Christ or the God of the bible, as I understand.)  The way the man would correct me each week, suggested that he didn’t want to acknowledge Jesus Christ.  It appeared that he was not pleased that Christians were feeding him (and therefore Jesus Christ was feeding him.)  He wanted the food, but he didn’t want the one who was providing it. 

            Today, people still want God, but they refuse to acknowledge Jesus, as if the two can be separated.  Many follow false religions while they sit and receive treatment in hospitals named after Christian saints, run by Presbyterians, or Catholics.   Many have devised spiritual programs based on the bible to overcome some addiction, but to mention church, or Jesus might bring scorn or resentment from others in such programs.  Many people want to teach their children good morals, so they drop their children off at Sunday school but refuse to attend the services themselves.  Today, we as Christians can put Jesus Christ back in to the places where he has been squeezed out; we can accomplish this by doing good works in his name.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of cold water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”  We can give money to a homeless man and say, “This is from Jesus.”  We can do the same whenever we help a friend in need, or give our time to a good cause.  When other people thank us, we can remind them that Jesus Christ is the one who deserves the thanks.  Whenever we lay down our lives for Jesus Christ, we also lift him up, so others see him in our actions, and give him and the Father the credit they so greatly deserve.  Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.”  Let’s make sure he gets the praise and the glory for the good he does through our lives.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask that You give us opportunities to give You and Your Son the credit for any good works that we do.  Help us Lord to be bold in making sure that we lift You up and honor Your Son.  Father, give us more of Your Holy Spirit and help us to continue on our path with You.  We love You Father, we praise You and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.