REPAIRING THE BROKEN

“Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” – Jeremiah 1:10.

In Old Testament times, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon were nations towering in might and strength. These powerful nations were household names, marching back and forth, threatening one another, confident in their power. God picks out an obscure young man named Jeremiah from a tiny town in a small, obscure country, and sends him to uproot, tear down, destroy, and overthrow. But the commission to Jeremiah doesn’t end with destruction. He also says, “Others you must build up and plant.”

The same power with which God brought judgment against the brokenness of Israel is the power with which He promised to eventually rebuild what was broken. Just a few verses later, the Lord says, “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” (Jeremiah 31:33–34)

God promised to rebuild what had been destroyed and to replant what had been uprooted. He proved Himself to be a righteous, powerful, and just judge but He also promised to prove Himself to be an equally patient, compassionate, and merciful Redeemer and Rebuilder. And the rebuild began when He sent His Son.  When God promised to build us up — to give us a new heart and a new covenant — He was promising to tear down His beloved Son. God the Son was uprooted, torn down, overthrown, and destroyed so that He could make us new.

God is a God of restoration. When we look at Romans 5:10, we see that God actually restored our relationship to Him through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ. “For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. We were enemies of God through sin. And through Jesus, God restored our relationship to Him.” God can restore relationships, and restoration is part of His plan.

In this Easter season, look for ways to embrace God’s presence in your life every day. He understands your weaknesses.  You are able to relax and surrender in Him on days when you think we’ve got it all together and when you don’t seem to have anything figured out.  We will still get anxious sometimes. We will experience brokenness in our lives. God is not distant. He wants a relationship with each one of us. He wants to repair or mend what needs to be fixed. He is healing and hope for our brokenness. There is nothing that God can’t repair or rebuild.

Discussion Questions:

  1. God wants to repair/restore/rebuild your relationship with Him: agree or disagree and why?
  2. In what ways could God help you rebuild your life?  

THE DAY TO DAY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

“No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good. Few people seem to realize that the resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone to a worldview that provides the perspective to all of life.” – John Piper.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in the history of the world.  Jesus was not a mere human being. He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, showcasing Him as the one true Messiah: “…he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:4). He told His disciples multiple times before He was crucified that He would die and rise again. There is no other person in history who openly declared that He had the power to rise from the dead and kept His promise. Jesus is the only one who has ever done that and will ever do so.

The resurrection has important consequences for our day-to-day lives. We should never forget that we can apply the resurrection to the mundane minutiae of everyday life. It can seem insignificant, but those little everyday things are where the rubber of theology and faith meets the road  For example, knowing about the resurrection helps us deal with the difficulties of our daily walk with God. When we encounter challenges we don’t quit. There is a reason to keep going when others would suggest that you eat and drink and be merry when things go bad. When push comes to shove, applying the gospel of Jesus to everyday life is one of the most important things we can do.

Start looking at the activities of your daily life through the lens of the gospel and you will be surprised by the enormity of the gospel and how it applies to every moment of every day.

 It is one thing to grasp the substance of the gospel but it is quite another to master its implications for life. We all struggle to explore the mysteries of the gospel on a regular basis, but we should allow its message to influence our lives daily. This is an important part of everyday life for everyday people who follow Jesus. So how do we do that?  How do we learn to do God’s will—to walk with Him—every single day?

If you look at all aspects of life through the lens of the gospel, you will see the need for Jesus every hour. It will draw you to the truth of the gospel when you get upset when somebody cuts you off or you are dealing with an illness in your life. Because of the resurrection, we are to live in a new and different way. Instead of serving the desires of the flesh, we want to serve the Lord, because we will be with Him forever.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think of the gospel on a daily basis? If not why not?
  2. What can we do this week to make the gospel a part of our daily lives? 

THE RESURRECTION OFFERS YOU HOPE

“We need a living hope to get through life and endure suffering. A living hope enables us to have both sorrow and joy. Our living hope is an inheritance achieved for us by Christ.” – Tim Keller.

Someone once said, that “what oxygen is for the lungs, hope is for the meaning of human life.” As living beings, we are wholly dependent on a supply of oxygen, and we are also dependent on its supply of hope. Yet today hope can seem like a rare or short-lived commodity.  Peter, who himself was given to despair during the episode of Calvary, writes in a triumphant note, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” ( 1 Peter 1:3).

As followers of Jesus, we have hope. There is hope that mistakes and sins can be forgiven. There is hope that we can have joy in the midst of all the turmoil around us. There is“the blessed hope” that Jesus will return. Our hope is not in our own ability, in our goodness, or in our physical strength. We have hope because of the resurrection of Christ. Jesus not only came to bring hope. He is our hope. But all too often, we try to put our hope in things that the world offers: programs, steps, outlines, philosophies, etc. The hope found in these things is typically short-lived.

In the Bible, however, we never read of hope in that way. It’s not wishy-washy. Instead, hope is a confident belief and expectation in the truths and promises of God. Hope always has a positive connotation in scripture. The bottom line is if our hope is based on God and what He says, then it is no longer wishful thinking, but a firm expectation.

But placing your hope in Jesus is so different because of who He is. Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Christ, the Messiah, Immanuel, God with us. The living God. Our Savior. Our shepherd. Our counselor. Our comforter. Our healer. Our hope. Our very life. Throughout the Biblical narrative, God also weaves the promise and appearance of a Savior. Jesus came to bring us hope: “And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him” (Romans 15:12). Matthew 12:21 says, “And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

We have hope for the future that we will be redeemed. We have hope for the present that we are not alone, but are loved and have a purpose. And we have hope even over the past that our failures are not greater than God’s power to transform. Our hope is certain. Our hope for forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and a perfect, holy, eternal life, rests on the finished work of Jesus.

The world lacks hope. Human beings are clamoring to fill their empty lives with stuff. Abuse, addiction, illness, and broken relationships surround us. People need to know that Jesus came to bring hope, that He is our hope, and that our hope is alive.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Hope is essential. Agree or disagree and why?
  2. Hope is only found in Jesus Christ. What does that mean for our lives today?

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” – Romans 8:11.

Each Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. People look at the resurrection of Jesus differently. Some have worked hard trying to disprove the resurrection of Jesus. There are Christians who major in apologetics to confirm His resurrection. Others would be happy to ignore the whole thing. They are happy to consider Jesus as a teacher of morality, but not as the Son of God who died for sins and was raised from the dead. But to the believer, the resurrection is everything. 

It is fitting that we pause and reflect on the biblical teaching about the resurrection, especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and its significance. We cannot jump too quickly to the significance of the resurrection before we have embraced the truth of the resurrection itself. Long ago, C. S. Lewis reminded us that there is a tendency in our age “to believe something because it’s good, rather than because it is true.” But if it is not true then ultimately, it does not matter if it seems reasonable or not. We must be convinced of the truth of the resurrection and its positive and beneficial significance for each of us who are followers of Jesus.  

The resurrection of Jesus offers us overcoming power.  There is no greater enemy or obstacle in life than death itself, yet Jesus overcame it. No obstacle is too significant.  The resurrection gives us hope that we can overcome the trials and problems in our lives.

The significance of the resurrection is that our faith is not in vain, and our sins are forgiven. This is huge because we are all sinners. “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own…” (Isaiah 53:6 ) Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” The truth is Jesus has paid for the entire world’s sins. “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” (I John 2:2). His resurrection is a statement that the atoning sacrifice was completed and that our standing with God is not contingent on meeting His standards which we could never do, it is contingent on our receiving Him as Lord and Savior.

God is at work in us. In Ephesians 1:19-20, Paul writes, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” The same power the Father used to raise Jesus from the dead is at work in us. Take a second and let that sink in. This is a strong message from someone chained in a Roman prison while he writes this. Paul assures us that whatever happens in our lives, challenges we meet, and trials we face, God will fulfill all His purposes for us and His promises to us. 

The message of Easter is a message of eternal hope. What we do on this earth is not in vain. There is an eternal future with God waiting for each of us who are followers of Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How should the resurrection impact your life daily?
  2. How much do the evidence and faith play a role in your belief in the resurrection?
  3. What does the resurrection mean for your past, present, and future?

THE SIMPLICITY OF THE CROSS

“It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and it was his love for sinners like me.”― D.A. Carson

A friend described his uncle’s conversion to Christ. He said his uncle knelt in his family room, repented of his sins, and put his trust in Jesus. The friend commented that “I just can’t believe it’s that easy. It can’t be that simple.” He like so many people was having difficulty with the simplicity of the cross.

The believer knows the truth. Sin made our relationship with God complicated. However, God, through His infinite wisdom and love revealed Himself through the simplicity of Christ on the cross.

Christ giving His life on the cross for us changed everything. It was a pivotal point in human history. It’s where God’s immense love for humanity was put on display for all to see as He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. The gift Jesus gave by sacrificing Himself for our sins is unthinkable. It is difficult to grasp how God left the glory of heaven to become a man, and endure hate, ridicule, suffering, and death so that we could join Him in heaven for eternity.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV) says, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Paul is saying that at the heart and center of your life is the “simplicity that is in Christ.”

Living life God’s way is so simple that most of us cannot understand it. Living life God’s way is clear but we go off trying to make it more complicated than it really is. We have thousands of laws, hundreds of customs, and scores of etiquette rules for every facet of life. And they can be complicated. But none of that has anything to do with living God’s way. Living God’s way is simple.   

This is not to say that the Christian life can’t sometimes get complicated and messy. It most assuredly can and will be at times. While Jesus has been very clear and simple in what He expects and demands of us, He never once promised that our obedience in those things would always lead to easy or comfortable places – as a matter of fact, He says more often than not things will get pretty difficult (John 16:33). But the gospel remains simple: Love God and love others. Then do it again tomorrow.

Do not look for thrills. Stay with simple love, complete faith, genuine service, quiet patience. Salvation is as simple as believing in Jesus Christ.

Discussion Questions: 

What is the hardest part of the cross for you to understand? Why?

What can we do this week to better understand and appreciate the simplicity and significance of the cross?

AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS?

“And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.” ―Matthew 27: 55-56.

Who was there when Jesus was crucified? There were soldiers, the chief priests, scribes, and elders, two robbers crucified, one on Jesus’ right and one on His left, some bystanders, and a centurion. Those closest to Jesus in attendance were His mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Mary, (the mother of James and Joseph), and John.

We don’t know for sure where the other disciples were. They could have been melting into the crowd at a safe distance. They could have been in hiding. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times when questioned the night before. Yes, they behaved cowardly but haven’t we at times. Haven’t we tried to blend in rather than stand out for God. The short answer is we have. Fortunately, we can return to the foot of the cross.

The message of the cross is that we don’t have to possess any special qualifications. There are no hoops to jump through. You are invited whether you are rich or poor, young or old, no matter your race, gender, or the sin in your heart. Jesus sacrificed His life for all who would come to Him. Jesus destroyed all barriers so everyone can come to the foot of the cross. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

The foot of the cross is an indescribable place to stand. It is the most significant exhibition of love ever seen. When we come to the cross we find refuge, hope, safety, and joy. The power of the cross allows us to join with Paul and say: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We experience a new life here on earth that does not end in spiritual death, but eternal life. That is the power of the cross.

Is there anything we can offer Jesus as we stand at the cross?  We can offer Him our love and devotion. We can bring praise and worship. We can come to the cross with a renewed appreciation for His incredible love and a renewed commitment to sharing His love and His story with the people we interact with.

There is no better place to be than in the hands of God at the foot of the cross.

Discussion Questions:

  1. The foot of the cross is level – it is for all nations, all people. What does that mean to us in our daily lives?
  2. What tends to distract and pull you away from Jesus? What is the result when you are distracted?

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” – Mark 9:24b (NIV)

The fact that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead stands for all eternity. However, many today find miracles difficult to believe — especially the idea of someone dead suddenly being alive. The miracle of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead has been discussed and debated for centuries. If it is as important as Christians claim it is, then it is critical that believers and non-believers understand what it is and what it means so that they can make a decision whether to believe it’s true.

Luckily, if you are willing to look for it, there is a lot of information at your fingertips that can help you understand more fully. Studies by theologians and atheists alike show that the weight of evidence proving Christ’s resurrection is too great to be denied. Scholars such as Gary Habermas, and others have done an especially good job of detailing that evidence. When we look at the evidence, the truth of the resurrection emerges very clearly as the best explanation. There is no other theory that even comes close to accounting for the evidence. Therefore, there is solid historical ground for the truth that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

First, the tomb in which Jesus was buried was discovered empty by a group of women on the Sunday following the crucifixion.  Secondly, Jesus’ disciples had real experiences with one whom they believed was the risen Christ. And thirdly, as a result of the preaching of these disciples, which had the resurrection at its center, the Christian church was established and grew. Virtually all scholars who deal with the resurrection, whatever their school of thought, acknowledge these three truths. We will see that the resurrection of Christ is the best explanation for each of them individually. But then we will see, even more significantly, that when these facts are taken together we have an even more powerful case for the resurrection. People who are skeptical will not have to explain away just one historical fact, but three. These three truths create a strongly woven, three-chord rope that cannot be broken.

These are three independently established facts. If we deny the resurrection, we are left with at least three inexplicable mysteries. But there is a much, much better explanation than the stolen body, that Jesus swooned, or that the disciples were hallucinating among other theories. As Gary Habermas has said, “Combining these improbable theories will not produce a probable explanation. It will actually increase the degree of improbability. It’s like putting leaking buckets inside each other, hoping each one will help stop up the leaks in the others. All you will get is a watery mess.”

The best explanation is that Christ in fact rose from the dead. Even if we take each fact by itself, we have good enough evidence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. The evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us a solid footing in times of doubt. Agree or disagree and why?
  2. The changed lives of the witnesses substantiate Jesus’ resurrection. How so?

DISILLUSIONED – WHAT TO DO WHEN WE DOUBT

 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” – Matthew 11:3.

Doubt almost seems like a bad word in Christian circles. All too often it is equated with falling away — with losing your faith. We fight against doubt and we encourage those who question to just have faith. The Bible is littered with doubters.

Of course, the number one suspect is Thomas. But it’s not just Thomas who doubted. A whole lot of people did.  Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, Elijah, John the Baptist, and the list goes on. They all were doubters. Fortunately,  God didn’t ask people to pretend and try to manufacture certainty. He accepted them where they were and asked them to be faithful and step forward through the doubt.

Take John the Baptist. John was in jail. Roman authority was in place and political and religious corruption still ruled. In short, everything seemed like it was the same as it had been for generations. John simply didn’t understand everything that was happening (or not happening) around him, so he sends these disciples with this question in Matthew 11:3. “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” That question sprung from some inner doubt. They came from a man who had personally baptized the Son of God and heard the audible voice of God the Father. There was ample evidence in John the Baptist’s life to eliminate doubt. And yet….as John the Baptist sat rotting in a prison cell, isolated with nothing but his own thoughts—he began to doubt.

And the reality is, many of our questions and doubts often spring from these same things. It’s often in the midst of challenging and difficult circumstances when faith is the hardest to come by. Especially when we have been walking with the Lord, faithfully serving and worshiping Him, and tragedy hits.

Jesus didn’t send John’s disciples back with a reprimand for doubting. He didn’t scold John for not having enough faith. Instead, He said, “Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:4-5).

Then Jesus says in verse 6, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me” or as another translation says, “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” (NIV). Jesus is referring to someone who trusts in Him. Amidst difficult situations and unmet expectations, even when it’s not easy and seems contrary to reason and everything you think about the way things should be, Jesus says to trust in Him. Trust in Him, and you will be blessed—that’s a promise. It is clear that God deals tenderly with honest doubters and will meet Him where they are at.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think it is wrong to have doubts about the Christian faith? Is it wrong to doubt God? Why or why not?
  2. In general, do you find yourself mostly doubting others or mostly believing others? Why?
  3. How could doubting something or someone be helpful to you? And at what point could it become unhealthy or even harmful? 

IT’S TIME TO START DOUBTING YOUR DOUBTS

“A faith without some doubts is like a human body with no antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask the hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.” – Tim Keller

For most Christians, the phrase “sometimes I doubt” is an accurate statement as much as it is a true confession. We doubt a lot of things, from insignificant things like I don’t believe a face cream will make me look 20 years younger to more important things like my teenager is not telling me the whole story.  A degree of doubt is certainly normal and healthy, but not if it means doubting our faith. Doubt can be negative, but doubt can also deepen our faith.

If you are having some doubts, think of the Easter story. Think of the early Christians and how their doubts pushed them toward the Lord, rather than away. And think of Paul, the most unlikely convert, who penned these words over 2000 years ago: “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter[a] and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.” (I Corinthians 15:3-8).

Many have tried, unsuccessfully to prove the resurrection is just a myth. Some have tried to prove it scientifically. Others have let their imaginations get the best of them by proposing elaborate theories to explain away the disappearance of Jesus’ body.

Those who are skeptics of Jesus’s resurrection think that religious people are too quick to accept reports about miracles. But was this the case among Jesus’s apostles concerning the resurrection?

The New Testament describes a remarkable and enduring transformation of Jesus’s disciples. These frightened, defeated cowards after Jesus’s crucifixion soon became bold preachers and martyrs. They grew courageous enough to stand against hostile Jews and Romans, and never recanted what they saw even when facing torture and death. Such an amazing transformation cannot be based on myth or a conspiracy. Certainly perpetuating urban myth would not be worth dying over. The disciples attributed the strength of purpose and character to their direct, personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus. In Jesus Christ’s resurrection, the apostles found their reason to live—and die.

If Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead—and there is plenty of good evidence that He did—then all of His followers who know Him as Lord and Savior will also rise to eternal life on the last day.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you consider to be the strongest evidence for Jesus’s resurrection?
  2. How would you order the evidence in making a cumulative case? 

GRIEF IS THE COST OF LOVING SOMEONE

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” – Isaiah 9:2

There was a story in the newspaper about a young couple who lost their baby boy during delivery. The loss of a child is one of the most intense and debilitating events we can experience. The parents were paralyzed and stunned. Just days ago they were laughing and doing everyday things and assuming that their lives stretched before them in spans of many, many years. And then suddenly . . . it all stopped.  Hope seems so far away as they leave the hospital with empty arms and walk by an empty nursery. Then standing at the side of a tiny casket. All the while thinking that it’s not supposed to be this way.

Losing someone you love can cut into your heart so much that it forever redefines who you are and how you think. In the book of Job, we see a man who lost everything — his livestock, servants, and all ten of his children. In one fell swoop, his wealth, security, and family were stripped away. Yet, in response to unfathomable circumstances, “Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:20–21).

Grief can last for some time. We typically won’t walk through the pain or loss in a couple of days. Job certainly didn’t. In fact, we typically don’t feel the full weight of our grief until the shock wears off, the meals stop coming, friends stop calling, and the world seems to move on while we are left with our pain, with the daily reminders of our loss. But it’s in that moment that we can truly experience the depths of God’s love and goodness towards us.

It’s here that we come to know more deeply that Jesus, “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isaiah 53:3), is not unfamiliar and distant in our pain. He has given us His Spirit, who “…helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” (Romans 8:26).

Larry Crabb, in his book Shattered Dreams, says: “Our shattered dreams are never random. They are always a piece in a larger puzzle, a chapter in a larger story. Pain is a tragedy. But it’s never only a tragedy. For the Christian, it’s always a necessary mile on the long journey to joy. The suffering caused by shattered dreams must not be thought of as something to relieve if we can or endure if we must. It’s an opportunity to be embraced, a chance to discover our desire for the highest blessing God wants to give us, an encounter with himself.”

Discussion Questions

  1. Grief is a process: agree or disagree and why?
  2. What do we need to do to help ourselves through the process of grief? What do we need to do to help others through the grief process?