Lessons from the Disciples

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Yesterday, my pastor preached a sermon on this passage from Matthew 26:30-35. I was really struck by some of the things that he said. I thought that I would share some of my notes from the sermon:

Here the disciples were faced with the decision to deny Christ or be killed. We are all faced with times when we must stand up for Christ or deny Him. Later each one of the disciples died for their boldness in preaching the gospel of Christ. But here, ever single one of them falls away. V. 35—Every one of the disciples defended themselves and reassured themselves that they would never fall. They were genuinely sure that they would never turn away from Christ. They were relying on their own self-sufficiency rather than God. But they were about to fail the test. He was trying to teach them through this.

First of all, He wanted the disciples to see, you are insufficient to handle this trial. He reminded them of their weakness. He wanted them to realize their spiritual poverty, that they didn’t have enough on their own. [1 Cor. 10:12] He wanted them to realize their need of Him. Judas deliberately plotted to betray Christ. The other disciples weren’t deliberately planning to deny Christ, but they had to realize that you cannot be faithful to Christ without utterly depending on Him. Luke 22:31-34—Jesus knew that although His disciples would deny Him, their faith would not fail, because He had prayed for them (as He prays for us all).

Secondly, He wanted them to know that He loved them and would be gracious to them. John 21:4-19—In this passage, Jesus is talking with Peter on the beach, and proving his love for Him. Jesus asks Peter twice, “Do you [agape] love me?” And both times Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, I [pheilo] love You.” Agape is an overwhelming love, more than any other thing. Essentially, Jesus was asking Peter, “Do you love me more than anything else?” But Peter was saying, “Yes, Lord, I love you like a brother.” Finally Jesus asked, “Peter, do you [pheilo] love Me?” And Peter told Him, “You know me and my heart, and You know that I love You like a brother.” Peter was admitting this time that he didn’t have the love for Christ that he needed. He knew that he didn’t have the strength to love Christ like he should, but in that knowledge of his weakness, he was empowered by Christ to stand. Only 40 days later, as recorded in Acts chapter 2, Peter would stand for Christ in front of the very people who had crucified Him, and call for them all to repent.

I think that this passage really impacted me a lot, because I have been realizing the past few weeks just how insignificant and weak I really am. I don't have the strength to do anything on my own. But God has been daily reminding me, that through Him I have all the strength that I need. I just need to trust and rely on Him for that strength rather than trying to do it on my own. Without Him I am nothing. But through Christ, I have the strength to do all things.

Six Years Ago Today

Wow. Was 9/11 really six years ago? It doesn't seem like it could have been that long ago. I still remember sitting horrified in the living room watching the news. When the first tower fell, I remember hugging Mom and crying; all I could say was, "All those people." It still makes me shiver to think about it. When the second tower fell, we turned the TV off. We couldn't watch anymore.

I can't help thinking that I hope that we never has to see anything that horrible again. But I never find anything in the Bible that says that we will have an easy life. Here is what Scripture says:

Romans 8:18, 31-32, 35-39--For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us....What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?....Who shall separate us for the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 18:16-19--He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy. From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 27:1-6--The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

I Corinthinans 15:54-57--So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grasping Eternity

The past few weeks, our pastor has been doing a series of sermons on 1 Timothy 6:11-14. I have been especially convicted through his preaching on verse 12, which says, "...Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called..." For me, eternal life is often just something that I know about, but it really just stays in the back of my mind. I don’t often live in the light of eternity. But what if I were to follow this teaching and really take hold of eternal life? There is so much more to life then just the small trials that we experience each day. We have to look at our lives as God sees them, and understand the big picture. Each moment that He has given us is for us to live for His glory and for His eternal purpose.

I tend to get so bogged down in the little things, and I think I often lose sight of what is really important. God has reminded me so many times this week to think on how things really matter in the light of eternity. How I face the day, the attitude I have, and the way that I go about my tasks are so much more important then the actual tasks that I am completing. This week I have come to realize how important it is to always remind myself of the calling that God has placed on my life. Frequently, I need to re-evaluate whether I have my eyes set on eternity or on the trivial things of life. The little trials seem so much easier to bear when I look at them with the right perspective.

For me, this means not getting caught up in the busyness and stress of my school schedule. Instead, I remind myself why I am doing what I am doing. I feel very strongly that God has called me to be in nursing school. I am very interested in medical missions, and I really think that God is calling me to work (at least short-term) in this area. When I remind myself of this, I find that my schedule it doesn't seem nearly as stressful. I actually spend more time working on building relationships then getting good grades. While grades are important, I feel that my family should come first. College is such a short season of life, but relationships last for a lifetime. Who knows what a difference I may make by taking the time to actually show the people around me how much I care for them?

When I set my eyes on the goal of glorifying God and spreading His Word through my life, I find that my little trials actually seem rewarding. I know that it is all going to be worth it in the end. Whatever He has in store for me, I know that God has a wonderful plan for my life, and that I can trust Him with it.