Video Bible Lesson - The Angelic Perspective on Easter by Fred Alberti

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

03/25/2020

The Angelic Perspective on Easter
by Fred Alberti

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Colossians 1:15-16
During this time of remembrance of Christ's sacrifice I am prone to wonder about the angels.
I see them standing at attention internally grieving over the suffering of their creator. Jesus was not merely the creator of just mankind. The Bible says that it was by Him that all things were created. This was their creator in the flesh suffering a brutal death.
I imagine more than a few wishing to dispense with the humans who were causing this atrocity. Matthew records Jesus stating, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53). What incredible self-control! What awesome love to bear the punishment of the cross when it could have all ended so easily.
In talking about the prophets, Peter reveals that the angels long to look into this whole business about redemption and the good news of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:12).
They didn't understand why all this was happening. All they knew was their King was being murdered.
Then I hear amongst the mass chaos of the darkness and the rumbling of the earthquake as the Roman Centurion and the witnesses to Jesus death beat their chests proclaiming, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Read Luke 23:47-48 and Matthew 27:54).
It was over. Jesus was dead. Now it was time to bury Him in a borrowed tomb.
Three days later I imagine the angels clamoring to be on the special detail that was posted. Who would get to roll back the stone? Who would get to wait in the empty tomb to deliver the wonderful news?
"He is not here, He has risen" (Matthew 28:6).
Oh, what a glorious pronouncement. I wonder just how the angels rejoiced. Were they slapping each other on the back? Were they shouting in victory? Were they beaming with joy over the news that their King was no longer in the grave?
How will we celebrate that day?

How will we honor the death and resurrection of the creator of the universe?
Intersecting Faith & Life: When you make your Easter eggs this year do one with angel wings on it to remember the angel's words, "He is not here, He has risen."
Further Reading
1 Corinthians 15:3-4

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6).

We all need faith for desperate days. The Bible is full of such days. Its record is made up of them, its songs are inspired by them, its prophecy is concerned with them, and its revelation has come through them. The desperate days are the stepping-stones in the path of light. They seem to have been God's opportunity and man's school of wisdom.

There is a story of an Old Testament love feast in Psalm 107, and in every story of deliverance the point of desperation gave God His chance. The "wit's end" of desperation was the beginning of God's power.

Recall the promise of seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sands of the sea, to a couple as good as dead. Read again the story of the Red Sea and its deliverance, and of Jordan with its ark standing mid-stream. Study once more the prayers of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, when they were sore pressed and knew not what to do. Go over the history of Nehemiah, Daniel, Hosea, and Habakkuk. Stand with awe in the darkness of Gethsemane, and linger by the grave in Joseph's garden through those terrible days. Call the witnesses of the early Church, and ask the apostles the story of their desperate days.

Desperation is better than despair. Faith did not make our desperate days. Its work is to sustain and solve them. The only alternative to a desperate faith is despair, and faith holds on and prevails.

There is no more heroic example of desperate faith than that of the three Hebrew children. The situation was desperate, but they answered bravely, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." I like that, "but if not !"

I have only space to mention Gethsemane. Ponder deeply its "Nevertheless." "If it is possible…nevertheless!" Deep darkness had settled upon the soul of our Lord. Trust meant anguish unto blood and darkness to the descent of hell--Nevertheless! Nevertheless!

Now get your hymn book and sing your favorite hymn of desperate faith.
--Rev. S. Chadwick

When obstacles and trials seem
Like prison walls to be,
I do the little I can do
And leave the rest to Thee.
And when there seems no chance, no change,
From grief can set me free,
Hope finds its strength in helplessness,
And calmly waits for Thee.

Enslaved by Debt.....Dr. Charles Stanley

Enslaved by Debt

Dr. Charles Stanley

Proverbs 22:7

Personal debt has skyrocketed in our Western culture. Easy credit, a desire for material goods, and an unwillingness to save and wait have led many people down the path of financial bondage. The Bible doesn’t forbid borrowing, but it clearly warns us of its negative consequences. Our verse today describes the borrower as the lender’s slave.

Every dollar you borrow costs you a measure of freedom. Your paycheck is no longer entirely yours; a part of it must be set aside to repay your creditor. As the interest adds up, the financial burden may necessitate longer working hours. For Christians, the obligation to repay debt oftentimes hinders the ability to give to
the Lord’s work or help people in need. Instead of getting the first part, God gets leftovers or nothing at all. 

The consequences of accumulating debtreach beyond monetary issues. The burden of mounting bills creates emotional and relational stress. In fact, financial problems are one of the leading causes of divorce. Even our relationship with the Lord is affected when we let our appetite for the world’s goods override our obedience to biblical principles. Although God promises to supply our needs, how often do we jump ahead of Him and provide for ourselves with “easy payment plans.”

The next time you are tempted to charge a purchase that you really can’t afford, stop! Go home and ask the Lord if He wants you to have it. If He does, ask Him to provide it. Then wait. True freedom comes to those who rely on the Lord’s promises instead of their credit cards.

You Are Not the Only One

You Are Not the Only One
CINDY BULTEMA

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (NIV) 

I was talking recently with my friend Jamie after she'd had a long, disappointing Monday.

Despite her best efforts, everything went wrong. Frustrated and discouraged, she lamented that at the end of her day, while baking cookies for a sick friend — and burning half of them — she caved and inhaled a handful of the sweets.

And that’s just the beginning. After eating those cookies, Jamie carried immense guilt and shame on top of everything else that had gone wrong on that horrible, rotten, no-good day.

I have been there. My guess is you have, too.

Once, when my kids were little, I came up with the brilliant idea to invite all the fourth grade moms from my son’s school over for coffee, conversation and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

It seemed like a good idea, but my plan to win friends and influence people through chocolate quickly crumbled. While trying to roll store-bought dough onto cookie sheets and frantically hiding all our clutter — I gave in and ate (more like “sucked down”) four ooey, gooey warm and chewy cookies.

Later that week, I sunk into my therapist’s couch and cried. I was disgusted with myself and filled with self-loathing and shame. Why? Because of the cookies. I was sick of pretending to have it all together when the reality was, I was hanging on by a thread — a thin thread at that.

In my longing for connection and acceptance, I tried to numb my feelings with homemade cookies. And afterward, what did I do? I let the enemy weigh me down with lies, guilt and shame.

My therapist nodded. “Cindy, do you think you are the only woman who has eaten homemade cookies?”

“But I ate four cookies. Not one, not two, but four,” I roared, as if she couldn’t understand the meaning of the number four.

“Cindy, do you think you are the only woman who has eaten FOUR of her homemade cookies?” my therapist replied.

“Um, yeah, probably not.”

So, when I listened to my friend Jamie describe her self-loathing over eating her chocolate chip cookies, I recycled my therapist’s question.

“Jamie, do you think you are the only woman who has eaten homemade cookies? Because, friend, you are not the only one.”

And the words I gave Jamie are the words I want to give you: You are not the only one.

• You are not the only one who deviated from your healthy eating plan.
• You are not the only one who feels disappointed, discouraged or overwhelmed.
• You are not the only one who wonders if you're “enough” compared to airbrushed perfection.

Obviously, we know there are far more serious issues that can cause shame or guilt or lead one to land on a therapist’s couch. (As a former cocaine addict, believe me, I know.) But no matter what sin you’ve committed, you are the one Jesus loves!

Sweet friend, you and I aren’t meant to live under harsh judgment, condemnation and self-loathing.

Thankfully, God's Word speaks Truth to you, me, and cookie-lovers everywhere. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus convicts us, but He never condemns. In Him, we are forgiven and free. No guilt. No shame. No more wallowing in what He has washed clean.

And when we understand God is FOR us and loves us no matter what, we can give the same grace to ourselves that we extend to our friends.

We would never say to a friend who over-indulged on something, “You stink. You have no self-control. You're a disgrace.”

So why do we allow such horrible, garbage thoughts to fill our heads?!

Let’s choose grace over guilt.

Let’s choose kindness over criticism.

Let’s choose Truth over lies.

Let’s choose God's love over self-loathing.

Whether your challenge is cookies, cocktails, credit cards, or cravings for other worldly substitutes, may the God who made you, knows you, and is for you, remind you that you are accepted, enough and loved — cookie crumbs and all!

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your great and lavish love for me through Your Son, Jesus. Please help me to experience Your grace, even when I make mistakes. I want to live in Your freedom and fullness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV)

Psalm 23:6a, “Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life …” (AMP)

A Prayer for God’s Greatness

A Prayer for God’s GreatnessBy: Gwen Smith

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You are our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. - (Isaiah 64:8, NIV)

We don’t have to look far to be amazed by the handiwork of our Creator. David was in constant wonder of Him as he looked at the sky!

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens…. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:1-2-4)

And when a wounded and weary man named Job spoke to God of his frustration and challenged the Almighty on the painful things He had allowed him to endure, God responded out of a mighty storm. (Job 38:1)

Through divine questions, God made it clear that we, the created, will not understand the nature of His workings, and confirmed that by Him all life and nature is brought into existence and sustained. God’s questions left Job with a proper perspective of the power and awesomeness of our Creator.

Job eventually replied, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.” (Job 40:4-5) “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted… My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:2,5)

I shake my head and bend my knees at this in fresh awareness that God is so much greater than I know.

God’s greatness is written in the stars. It’s written in the foundations of the earth. It’s written in the crashing waves… and, by grace, it’s written on my heart.

Let’s Pray

Holy Lord, There is none like You and Your greatness is unsearchable. Thank You for writing Your love on the fabric of humanity and on all that is created by Your hands. Thank You for expressing Your love to me in the intricate, design details of my life. I stand in awe and bless Your great name.

In Jesus’s Name I pray,
 Amen.

God Is...

God Is...
By Mark Jones

“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"“  -Revelation 4:8

We Cannot Know God Fully...

God is spirit, triune, infinite, holy, unchangeable, love. The true and living God is too much for us to handle, to know, to trust, to understand, to worship. The incomprehensible one is simply too much for us.

...Yet We Can Know Him Truly

Yet he reveals himself to us through his Word. And while we may not understand all that the Bible tells us about God, we must aim to believe and communicate as much as we can about him. We must press on to know the Lord, a difficult but rewarding task, because worship without knowledge is idolatry.

...In Christ

To know the attributes of God is to not only know God, but to know what God is like. To know what God is like is to know what God is toward us. More pointedly, to know God is to know Christ. Christ is the stage upon which the attributes of God shine most clearly. Knowing the attributes of God is essential for our everyday living, and they need to be seen in a Christ-centered framework.

Nothing we do can be properly understood apart from what God is.

The Subtle Pride of Achievement

The Subtle Pride of Achievement
by Mike Pohlman

What do you have that you did not receive? - 1 Corinthians 4:7

Pride is crafty. It has a way of bleeding out of us in ways we don't even recognize. This is unfortunate for if we recognized it sooner we just might avoid the fall (cf. Proverbs 16:18).

Jerry Bridges is a great teacher. He uses Scripture like a surgeon uses a scalpel. And he just cut me again.

In his book, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Bridges takes up the subtle sin of pride by looking at the "sin of achievement." He warns us against slipping into a mindset that sees our accomplishments as our own doing. And we do this is subtle ways. For example, it may be the simple telling of a story to a friend or family member that involves a promotion at work, or success on the hoop court, or an academic milestone--but with no mention of God. Subtly, we have projected ourselves as the ones who accomplished something when in fact all the credit should go to God.

Why is this? Why should God get all the glory in our achievements? Bridges, with a little help from the Apostle Paul, explains:

To the proud Corinthians, Paul wrote: "Who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" (1 Cor. 4:7). So what do you have that you did not receive? Nothing. You have nothing that did not come to you as a gift from God. Our intellect, our natural skills and talents, our health, and our opportunities to succeed all come from God. We have nothing that will enable us to achieve success that we did not receive from God.

Bridges continues to cut:

So why do we boast, either in an overtly proud fashion or in a more subtle way in which we want to be proud but don't want to appear to be? In both instances, it is because we have failed to acknowledgethat success came from God. Sure, there was diligent effort involved, but who gave you the ability and the desire to succeed? And who blessed your efforts? Ultimately, all is from God.

Now, I know there is a way to simply "paste" God-talk on our conversations while still inwardly swelling with pride (cf. Matthew 15:1-9). It is not enough to simply say, "Praise God." What Bridges is calling for, in any and all of our achievements, is a sincere recognition of God's grace toward us. We give God all the glory, all the recognition, all the credit "since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything" (Acts 17:25). If we are to boast it is only in the cross (cf. Galatians 6:14).

As the great Protestant Reformer wrote, "We are beggars; this is true." And beggars don't get glory.

Intersecting Faith & Life

In what ways has the pride of achievement shown itself in your life? How can we better deflect attention on us while focusing it on Christ?

Further Reading

The Perils of Pride, C.J. Mahaney
God Glorified in the Nobodies, John MacArthur
Philippians 2:1-11

Daily Hope with Rick Warren

Daily Hope with Rick Warren

“He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love” (Psalm 57:3a TLB).

There’s a myth that says you’ve got to clean up your act before you can come to God: “I’ve got to get it all together. There are a few things I’ve got to get right in my life first, and then I’ll come to God.”

It’s like brushing your teeth before going to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned or washing the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher or picking up the house before the maid gets there! Why do we do this?

The truth is, God doesn’t expect us to clean up our act before we approach him. The death and Resurrection of Jesus is God’s statement on that. Jesus spread out his arms and said, “I love you this much. Now, just come as you are.”

In Psalm 57:3, the Bible says, “He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love” (TLB). That’s what Jesus did on Easter. And that’s why we can bring our messes and failures to God.

There are people you know who think God will never love them because they’ve made such a mess of their lives. But you know God wants them to come as they are. Help them hear the Good News from Jesus. Invite them to come to church with you this Easter. It’s such a simple thing to do, but it can make a difference that will last for eternity.

Talk It Over

• What messes from your past do you have a hard time believing that God can forgive?
• Who do you need to invite to Easter service so that he or she can hear the Good News of God’s love and grace?
• Why do you think people feel like they have to clean up their lives or their appearance before they even walk through the doors of a church?