For the joy that was set before him

 For the joy that was set before him 

Hebrews 12:2

He was God in human flesh, yet he did not operate towards us from that state. 

He humbled himself as a servant 

He had the right to demand (not ask for) worship, praise, adoration, obedience, and more. 

He had the right to demand a palace and royal robes, yet he was born in a stable and raised in a poor area by a poor family. 

He had the power to subdue kingdoms, and the whole world actually. Yet he healed the hurting, reached out to the outcasts, taught the confused. 

Do you honestly believe that he rebuked the Sanhedrin (Pharisees and sadducees) because he despised them?

No

He first tried to teach them on many occasions. He showed miracles to try and get their attention. He rebuked them sharply not out of malice, but as a loving father trying to get his children to change. He whipped their subordinates and ran them out of the temple out of holiness and loving corrective action. 

Was he angry? Yes. But he was still doing what he did out of love and service 

He never once demanded what he deserved of mankind. 

Rather, he lovingly served us. 

Why?

For the joy that was set before him. 

He took the ridicule from his inferiors. He took the abuse from the scoffers. He took the slander from the prideful. 

All because he knew that one day, all the pain he endured, all the doubt he tolerated, all the accusations he ignored, would result in a bride! 

Without spot or wrinkle. 

A people made holy and righteous by his suffering. 

He would be their God. And they would be his people. 

We are supposed to be Christian’s. 

The word means “Christ-like.”

But does he really expect us to humbly serve each other as he did?

Yes! 

Matthew 20: 25-28

That’s the opposite of how we do things. 

We’re focused on our rights. We’re focused on what we think we deserve. We’re zoned in on our own authority. And if our authority isn’t recognized and respected, we get angry!

From CEO’s down to shift managers, everyone is focused on being respected and getting the job done using their company given authority to do it. 

But it doesn’t stop there. 

In churches, people are very title oriented. Bishop this, evangelist that, missionary this, prophet that. 

Why? 

Because having that title they believe makes them a somebody. 

Why?

Because with those titles comes God given authority. 

And humans love to use authority against each other. It makes us feel like we’re better than others or are somehow above them. 

Even in families, most of the marriage problems are really about one spouse trying to take authority over and control the other. “You’re supposed to do things this way.”

Never mind that every home has its own culture. When a couple gets married it’s not about trying to convert their spouse to the culture they grew up in. It’s about becoming one. It’s about learning what works to make your home and lives work well together. it’s supposed to be about blending. 

Both Giving up what the other spouse hates. Both serving each other and trying to find out what works for their relationship and home. 

Most of the problems with children are about exercising authority over each other. “That’s my computer, that’s my room, that’s my toy, that’s my stuff. You have to have my permission to use that and you can only use it the way I say you can and for the length of time I say you can use it.”

At the heart of it all is love! Whether business, church, or home. 

Agape’

It starts with personal submission to God. Letting him have control. Letting him guide us in everything. 

Jesus manifested his love by serving in everything he did. 

His love is supposed to be allowed to manifest in and through us through serving others. 

We focus on authority and control. 

But he focuses on humble submission- to him and to each other. 

The apostles didn’t submit to him because of his great authority and position. 

They submitted because of his incredible love! 

How much smoother would a church run if everything was handled through humble submission to each other and prayer, rather than manipulation and power plays. 

How much more peaceful would our homes be if parents humbly submitted to each other, serving each other and their children in the love of God?

Even when Jesus exercised authority, he was standing on the word of God and acting out of love and humble service for humanity. 

The world says “take what you can get.” 

His says, “give yourself away (within the bounds of the word).”

When we fully understand and realize just what Jesus gave up in order that we might be made new, we will willingly obey his commands because we will fall in love with him. 

And by extension, we will lovingly serve each other because he is living through us and empowering us to do so. 

Mt 16:25

The whole crux of the gospel is almighty God served humanity by becoming the sacrifice for our sins in order that he may empower us to put our wills down and allow his will to operate IN earth (in us) as it is in heaven. 

That’s him having complete authority and wielding it in and through us. 

That’s why he came.

That’s why he died. 

That’s why he arose. 

That’s the only way any of us will ever make heaven. 

Where do you find comfort?

 Life is hard. Whether you’re born again or not. Our whole world is built on people trying to be comforted. Whether with entertainment, food, sex, religion, hobbies, being controlling, social media, being purposely different than others, or whatever. 

Our political system is now looked at by most people as “if I vote these people in, they’ll fix all my problems!”

But One of my favorite sections of scripture is repeated in several places:

“It came to pass….” Luke 2:1

Good times are rolling? 

It’ll pass. 

Bad times are beating you up?

It’ll pass. 

The enemy wants to use our storms to push us deeper into our comfort zones and therefore, away from God. He says to us, “you’ll feel better if you do this.”

All the while knowing that if you give into the temptation, the storm is made stronger and longer! 

God allows good times to give us a chance to unwind, and most importantly, an easy time to pray and praise him. A time to build your relationship with him and your family. So that you are all more prepared for the next storm. Because storms will come. 

God allows bad times (storms) to first allow us to learn to “cast all our cares upon him.” A time for God to shine a light upon our own dross in our own souls. A time to bring us to repentance in those areas of our lives so he can change us into his image. 

So how do we find comfort, biblically. 

The Holy Ghost is the comforter

 

The Holy Ghost is the comforter but God uses people to do his work. 

Comfort ye my people Isaiah 40:1

The prophets and those in leadership are to help lead Gods people out of their sins and comfort them that they’re forgiven. 

Comfort one another with these words 1 thes 4:18 

When things are really rough, we are to remember that the Lord will come and carry the faithful away with him. 

Bear one another’s burdens physically and spiritually-Galatians 6:2 

On the rare occasion that this verse is quoted these days (many churches ignore or say the opposite of it these days), it is referred to as meeting physical needs. Food, clothing, shelter, bills, transportation, etc. These things we should do as God gives us opportunity. 

But the more important side here is the spiritual side. If we are engaged with God in prayer on a regular basis as we should, he will begin to give us burdens to pray for. Could be family, friends, neighbors, a specific area, spiritual warfare against the local principalities, etc. 

This is called intercessory prayer. 

As we are engaged in deep intercession, it actually is killing the flesh , quite literally. That’s why it’s so important to praise and worship the Lord because the joy of the Lord is our strength! It strengthens us. And praying in the hg in tongues renews us. 

But if we get deep into intercession without help from others to help “bear our burden,” then this can allow sickness and disease to happen to us over time. 

But if others are helping to bear the load of the burdens, this will help to prevent much breakdown of our bodies. 

Prayer warriors should not be rare. We are all called to be prayer warriors. Pastors should not carry the burden for the church and community alone. Others should share the burden. The four fold ministry shouldn’t be the only folks involved in intercession. All of us should be involved. 

Let’s all repent of our comfort zones and give Jesus all our cares! Let him fix them how he sees fit! 

Then let’s allow Jesus to give us his burdens, carry them together (like the priests carrying the ark together), and watch him bring down local strongholds, destroy principalities, and bring biblical revival and harvest in Jesus name!

Follow peace

 Follow peace

Hebrews 12:14

Sometimes we find ourselves focusing on one thing, when we should be focusing on another. 

This verse is an example of that. We focus on “holiness without which no man shall see God.”

We do mental gymnastics, we rearrange our entire lives, we change our wardrobes, we make up arbitrary standards that supposedly make us holy. 

But the key to opening holiness in our lives, is when we follow peace. 

Our whole world is built on confrontation and competition. The world’s outcry is “I must defeat you.” The church looks at the divided cultures and says, “ we must win the culture war.” Spouses try to win the argument, control each other, impress their will onto the other’s hearts. Conservatives and liberals seek to defeat the other to win power and win the battle of ideals. 

Pastors and preachers seek dominion over the church. Parishioners seek dominion over the preachers. 

But is this right? 

Jesus told us: Matthew 20:25-28

Jesus says here that we must not seek dominion over others. We must not seek rulership over others. Rather we are to minister to others. We are to serve others. 

We must humble ourselves and serve others. We must place the needs of others above the needs of ourselves. We must actively work to improve other’s situations, not our own. In other words we must be givers and not takers. 

This is not an easy task. 

This flies in the face of our flesh and its natural tendencies.

When our own needs (or what we think are our needs- often there is a major difference between these two categories in Gods eyes) push to the forefront and demand to be met, it causes conflict, confusion, and chaos. 

This is the opposite of Hebrews 12:14. 

Jesus instructs us to “follow peace.”

And says if we gain peace, then we will live holy. 

So how do we follow peace?

The word follow means “to pursue “. 

This isn’t standing in a line behind someone, keeping our place in line, and stepping forward when everyone else ahead of us does. 

No sir!

This is like your young child is running towards danger and you sprint with all of your might to catch that child before they get hurt. 

Pursuing peace requires giving our all!

Philippians 4:5-7

First the pursuit of peace requires keeping our flesh under the control of the spirit (let your moderation be known to all men). It requires living our lives under spiritual control (if we walk after the spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh). 

Secondly, the pursuit of peace requires prayers and supplications to God. We can follow every “holiness standard” contained in the book and many that aren’t, but if we do not bathe our lives in prayer (submission to God) and supplications (praying in earnest for the needs of others and of our own as the Lord leads us to pray), then we will never find peace and never be holy. 

And these prayers and supplications must be mixed with thanksgiving. The old song says “a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down.”

When we get focused on “the lack of things” the lack of revival, the lack of righteousness, the lack of money, the lack of help, the lack of this, the lack of that, it can bring us down. 

But if we remain thankful for the good things we do have, the good we know of, and we express our thanks to God, it makes our supplications for lack 1) easier to handle and less depressing, and 2) more faith filled. After all, we know the Lord has provided these things we’re thankful for, and it gives us faith that he’ll provide for those things we’re requesting. 

John 16:33

If we remain “in Jesus “ we can find and have peace. 

2 Thessalonians 3;16

We must understand that peace only comes from the Lord! 

It doesn’t come from money, jobs, positions, titles, what men think of us, human relationships, status, power, etc. 

Peace comes from one being and one being only: Jesus!

And he gives us peace “by all means.”

If something pleases us and he can use it to give us peace, he will. (Have Della to tell her fish catching story) After the Lord showed her he loves her and does have a plan for her, the stinging words of the adversary don’t have the same bite!

If something causes us grief, but God can use it to ultimately bring us peace in him, he will use it. 

He gives us peace “by all means.”

Isaiah 26:3

If we keep our minds constantly on him, then he will gift us peace! 

Psalms 119:165

Great peace comes from loving Gods word! Nothing shall offend them!

Ephesians 4:3

The only way to be on one mind and one accord (be in unity) is be in the bond of peace. 

Bond comes from 2 root words: one means a union. The other means shackled. In other words peace unites us and shackles us together. 

Romans 5:1

We are justified by faith and that gives us peace with God. We’re not in conflict with him, we’re not fighting and arguing with him. We are submitting to him and obeying his plans and following his ways. We are at peace with God! 

This is how following peace brings true holiness. 

Job 25:2

True dominion is with God almighty. The one we should fear is Jesus! But this all powerful almighty God makes peace in his high places! 

When we seek him with all our heart, he will be found of us. When we surrender and submit our whole hearts in prayer, when we surrender  and submit our thoughts to him, HE will make peace in our lives!

He will turn chaos into quiet! Confusion into understanding! Self righteousness into real righteousness! Selfishness into selflessness! Sinfulness into holiness! 

Pursue the peace of God! Pursue his heart! Chase his ways! Surrender our all and he will give us peace and grant us holiness!