Yearly Archives: 2014

The sorrowful “I Can’t Believe it?!” comes before the rejoicing “I Can’t Believe it?!”

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Have you ever experienced great sorrow over something only to rejoice sometime later with even more astonishment? It’s the experience that David had when he said, “weeping may tarry for the night but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). It’s the experience that all those in Christ will have when we are made new like Christ. Scripture promises that the level of joy that awaits us will make our present sufferings seem light and momentary (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

For those who followed closely to Christ, this day, the second day of his burial must have evoked a sorrowful expression of disbelief: “I can’t believe it.” Luke records that the disciples, his mother, and several other women were huddled together, “troubled” and filled with “doubts” as they faced a future with seemingly no hope (Luke 24:38). But on the third day Jesus appeared to them and showed them his hands and feet. Their response? “. . . they disbelieved for joy . . . ” (vs. 41). They went from one kind of disbelief to another kind. The first was filled with despair – the second with exhilaration.

Point: If you are crushed and despairing over a lost hope, and it stuns you into the common feeling of disbelief because of shattered expectations, hang on . . . joy comes in the morning! Either in this life and most definitely in the next, whatever unbelief of sorrow you are experiencing for now, there will come a day where a joyful disbelief will sweep you up in gladness of heart. It will be like going through years of financial hardship due to medical procedures that caused you to lose your home, then . . . one day you open your door and there stands the reps for Publishers Clearing House – and a huge placard looking check written to you in bold print: $10,000,000.

Tomorrow we laugh out-loud, cry tears of joy, run around in circles, pinch ourselves, hug one another, take a deep breath, put our hands over our mouths, then over our heads – and say, “I Can’t Believe it?!” This is the promise for now and for the future for all those who love Jesus more than life itself.

 

Why Do I Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

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1. Because I want to live somewhere better, forever, and so do you.

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Like you, I want to live in a place of perfect justice.

Like you, I want to live in a place where there is peace and rest and nothing harmful.

Like you, I want to live in a place where there is endless discovery and stimulation of all of my senses.

Like you, I want to live in a place of endless love and joy.

But I will not trust my future with anyone else other than Jesus – he is risen and reigns over all of heaven and earth – he is not bound by death and gravity and sin like we are – he rose victorious from the grave and will return to give to all who turn to him in faith, repenting of their sins – a better place, forever – with him.

2. Because I can’t explain the fame of Jesus without his Resurrection.

There is no reasonable explanation for Jesus’ popularity except for the resurrection. Every famous person has a reason for their popularity. And regardless of the reason whether good or bad, the reason must be true in order for the world to accept it. Jesus is not famous because he was crucified. The Romans crucified tens of thousands of men all over the known world and scripture records that Jesus was crucified as a common criminal.

Jesus is famous because his followers spread the news that he was alive though they saw him crucified and buried (Acts 1:1-11). His followers did not spread the news that he was a good teacher, or that he was “on a mission from God” in the super-hero sense, but that he rose from the dead as Lord who is fully God in flesh and is coming again.

3. Because I can’t explain the life of Saul/Paul apart from the Resurrection of Jesus.

Acts 9:1 says that Saul was breathing out murder against followers of Jesus Christ, but after seeing the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, 9:22 says that Saul was proving to others that Jesus really was the risen Christ. It makes no sense that Saul would do an about-face like this except for undeniable, “beyond a shadow of a doubt” proof that Jesus was alive.

Paul, as his renaming from Christ would take place, then lived his life in such a way that would be insane and nonsensical if Jesus was still dead. No one in their right mind would suffer so much for preaching a lie – but “Jesus is Alive” was no lie! In Paul’s own words, this is what he was willing to suffer to proclaim that Christ is Risen:

“ . . . with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”       2 Cor. 11:23-27

If Christ was not raised from the dead, Paul would never have subjected himself to such hardship – no one would. There would be nothing to gain if Christ was still dead.

4. Because of the hostility that Jesus stirs up in the world.

Jesus is the most polarizing subject in the world. The identity of Jesus and his claims are attacked at every level of society. He is more vilified in the public square, in movies, books, music, education, art, and religion – than any other religious figure in human history. Why? Because Jesus stands in the way of what mankind wants. Mankind wants to earn and work his way to eternal life. Man wants to believe that he is good enough to achieve god-like existence on his own terms. Man wants to make the rules and determine what is right and wrong in his own eyes. Man wants to make the way to Nirvana – broad and easy – protecting all of his sinful appetites and deny himself nothing. Man wants to keep his life to himself as the highest aim and goal. Man wants to be wealthy, healthy, and famous in his own strength so that he gets all the praise and glory.

But Jesus stands in the way of all of that. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life – so that no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). His way is hard and narrow – and few find it (Matt. 7:13-14), and he calls you to lose your life for his sake so that you may keep it (Matt. 10:34-38). He calls all men everywhere to turn away from your sin with repentance, trusting only in his sinless life and death for your sins and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead – and that he alone is Lord. This is why the Rulers in Jesus’ day hated him so much: Jesus was calling everyone to abandon all allegiance to man and turn to him alone.

5. Because the Bible is honest about our doubts, our questions, and skepticism of Jesus.

I find it more than curious that Scripture is so honest about our doubts regarding what it claims as truth, and for that honesty, I believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. We have doubts and questions and are skeptical to propositions and will not entrust ourselves until there is proof. Though we are liars and fabricate truth and delete facts to shape people’s opinion, we do not want to be lied to, and we do not want misrepresentation. God is aware of this.

Acts 1:3 records that Jesus gave many “proofs” of his resurrection. Throughout Luke’s gospel and his sequel, Acts, he cites dates, names of people, and roads and gates and cities and passage ways, and islands and people groups, quotations that can be verified, names and dates of kings and rulers and court documents, and first-hand eye witnesses, so as no perjury or fraud can be found anywhere in what Luke is saying.

Scripture records that Jesus’ life and his resurrection did not take place in a corner (Acts 26:24-29), hidden out-of-sight. But so that when truth claims are made about Jesus, people’s questions, doubts, and skepticism will be answered. Doubting Thomas does not believe the report of Jesus’ resurrection – he must see for himself: “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). What does Jesus do? He accommodates Thomas’ inquiry (vs. 27).

Some of Jesus’ half-brothers did not believe in him – they doubted his claims and his resurrection (Matthew 28:10, 16) even though he’s standing right in front of them days after he was crucified and buried.

Truth is: We want proof – or we will not believe. The bible does not show Christians as mind-numbed zombies following Jesus. We follow Jesus out of well-reasoned consideration of the facts. But what ultimately persuades the heart is the Holy Spirit, testifying to you, awakening you out of your dark and rebellious dungeon that Jesus is Alive (1 John 5:6-12). Therefore, Jesus himself does not mince his words:

Confess Christ as Savior and Lord or perish. (John 3:16)

“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” – John 10:37-38.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember Psalm 23:4

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“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Today, remember that you are not alone and what you endure is common to all men. The One who leads you into places where you would not choose to go is the Shepherd who reveals himself in deeper measure as he sustains your heart in your sorrows. Jesus is good to us when he causes our hearts to be more satisfied with him than with anything else.

A Walk Through a Cemetery Does the Heart Good

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This cemetery is about a mile down a country road from where Cheryl grew up in southern Indiana on the Ohio River. It’s quietly laid out behind Shiloh Methodist Church, built in 1872. Nearly each time that we visit my father and mother-in-law, Cheryl and I take a long walk and make our way through this graveyard. Why? Because it does the heart good in a way that is better than a mild cardiovascular workout – and you get to see the backside of Jesus and sneak up on him!

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There he is with arms patiently stretched to catch the deceased on Resurrection ‘morn. All the grave stones are facing East because Jesus does not like traveling into the sun – he wants it at his back.

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But these poor souls will not get very far – Jesus has no hands to catch the dearly departed: one Jesus has one hand and the other has none. Poor Jesus has no hands – what good is he then?

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There’s always something sobering about seeing names and dates on a weathered tombstone. This person was born before the Civil War started. I know that an engraving of a deceased person over 100 years ago is nothing compared to the ancient catacombs of Egypt – but still, you simply can’t shrug off the weight of this: enough time has passed that odds are, you are forgotten. They’re gone and so are the stories, the memories, the first-hand accounts of a life . . . gone. That gulp in your throat . . . yes, that one . . . you’re next . . . it’s just a matter of time. And with enough time – almost no one on earth will know that you lived. Unless you were famous – but so what?

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These are Cheryl’s grandparents. I cherish the memories of visiting them . . . the old smoke house . . . flowers and shrubs and rocks collected from various places around the United States – all scattered around the old home place . . . the wooden rocking chairs . . . the screechy screened door on the back porch where we hand-churned homemade ice cream . . . into the kitchen where the old wood stove was situated in the center . . . it smells old, really old . . . into the dining room and then the living room where pictures years-gone-by of family decorate the walls. I can see grandma’s collection of ‘Occupied Japan’ china and vintage pink and green “Depression Glass” ornately stationed in the antique hutch. It’s Sunday afternoon, a delicious meal down the hatchet, whipped up by an 85 year old grandma that had her wits about her until she died at 99 years of age. Grandpa in his gravity shaped to-the-body chair with one leg over the edge – head back . . . mouth opened for catching flies – hear them saws a buzz’n. Sweet dreams! I miss you both very much – we all do.

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I dread this day when the engraving is finished. Like my parents who already have their gravestone partially finished, the bodies of Cheryl’s parents will come to rest here where their names, birth date, and marriage date are etched in stone. Cheryl and I stop talking and just go silent. Ssshhhhhh. Quiet. The air is thick – I feel heavy. Hypnotized. Paralyzed. “I hate death.” Memories flood our souls. We cry. We thank God for our parents – we still have them both. We hear the sweet command: “Honor Your Parents”  – and that we will do with all our hearts, by God’s grace! But then we move on and turn to see the other side:

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I don’t want to see my wife’s name on a gravestone – not even on the backside! But why not? What is it about death that infuriates us? It is because we all know that this is not right. No one is a true Darwinian when they bury a loved one: “The fittest survive – more food for me.” No, we hate this. Which is why I joyfully mock death along with the apostle Paul:

   “Death is swallowed up in victory”                                                                                        O death, where is your victory?                                                                                            O death, where is your sting?                                                                                                The sting of death is sin [sin’s consequence],                                                                and the power of sin is the law                                                                                             [the law says that I must die since I sinned against God]                                                  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ                                             [Jesus lived a perfect sinless life in my place according to the law                     – which is why sin’s punishment, death, could not hold his body down.                               Now all who are in Christ by faith will be raised again like our Lord].                                    1 Corinthians 15:54b-57

“Therefore [because death will not have the last word – my life is hidden in Christ], my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” – vs. 58

Our hearts are strong!

 

Something has to die before there can be victory.

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Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24, 25

Something has to die . . . 

Adam and Eve and their home-made religion.

Sarah and her right to bear a son.

Jonah and his self-righteousness.

Samson and his lust for ungodly women.

Naomi and her bitterness.

Jacob and his deceiving ways.

Saul of Tarsus and his trust in religious works.

The Prostitute of Luke 7 and her hope for the perfect man.

Mary and her hope for a respectable and reputable life.

Nicodemus and his fear of man.

The Church and her love affair with American fame and fortune.

. . . Before there can be Victory in Jesus!

Jesus died to give the Church in America, not fame and fortune, but contentment in the midst of excess and debauchery.

Jesus died to set Nicodemus free from the Pharisees’ rejection of him.

Jesus died to give his mother Mary a reputation of righteousness though nearly all of Jerusalem would view her as an unfaithful woman.

Jesus died to give a prostitute forgiveness of sins and make her feel alive for the first time in her life.

Jesus died to give Saul a new name – Paul, and then show him what he will suffer to magnify the name of Jesus.

Jesus died to outwit Jacob in a wrestling match and give him a true heritage that no man can take away.

Jesus died to give Naomi a great-grandson who would be King in Israel – all her bitterness is gone.

Jesus died to conquer his enemies on their turf, this is why he gave Samson one last humbling sacrifice: he would give his life for God.

Jesus died to subdue Jonah’s self-righteousness. Jonah would then write his own sad story as a confession and find the love of God that he was always looking for.

Jesus died to make Sarah laugh (translated as Isaac) in her old age with an impossible delivery.

Jesus died to give Adam and Eve what they could never achieve in the garden: a covering of righteousness that would last for eternity.

Before there can be victory, something has to die. Jesus died – and rose again victorious.  Something in your life has to die before you know the victory of God: an entitlement, a dream, an ambition, a right, a quest, a luxurious retirement, a safe life, applause and praise of man, a two-car garage with a new truck and a beamer, a trophy wife, . . .  you

The New You in Christ will see that the death was worth it!

 

 

A letter I wrote to our church many years ago. And today, it’s still about Grace!

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Why do children ask “why” to every little statement you make?  Our neighbor’s,  the Arnolds,  have a little girl named Jena who is 4 years old.  Jena and Anna enjoy playing with each other and sometimes Jena rings our door bell to invite Anna to play.  Upon opening the door the following conversation and others like it take place: “Can Anna come out and play?”  I respond politely,  “No,  she has to take a bath,”  which she responds with this long drawn out, “WwwHhhYyy?”  “Because she has to get ready for supper.”  Again,  she asks,  “WwwHhhYyy?”  I say,  “Because she needs her energy for school tomorrow”, “WwwHhhYyy?”,  she says again.  This goes on and on.  She’s so cute.

Adults are no better – and no wonder, we want to know why as well. We want a reason,  a purpose,  a goal that makes sense and compels us to jump on board with something great and awesome. In fact, I believe we were designed to ask, “Why?” This is part of what it means to be made in the image, in the likeness of God’s character. God does nothing without a reason, absolutely nothing without an awesome purpose in mind. And we are like him in this area – both the saved and the lost, all humans are made in the image of God and all of us want to know [Why?].

Like, Why did God create? Why did he allow sin to persist? Why does he allow Satan to exist? Why do we have so many variations of colors, birds, trees, animals, terrain, bugs and fish? Why do we aspire to great things? Why do we even care to aspire to great things? Why do angels exist? Why should I go to work? Why should I love my wife, my husband, my children, my dog? Why am I unemployed? Why do I suffer with physical infirmities? Why did my car break down – today? Why is there gravity, and other laws of creation? Why do we like to play games, grow vegetables, make our lawns and homes look attractive? Why do we as humans love beauty? Why did Jesus die?
Answer:  Everything – to the Praise of the Glory of His Grace!

“. . . to the praise of his glorious grace” (Eph. 1:6), “. . . to the praise of his glory” (vs. 12), “. . . to the praise of his glory” (vs. 14).

Ephesians 2:3 teaches us that we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the sinful desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. As lost men and women, everything we did, we did it to satisfy our quest for meaning and happiness in this life. We lived sinfully to fill our lives with purpose and joy. From sexual immorality to self-gratification and self-envy for doing such a splendid job on a test, a project, a global cause – we lived for ourselves. We lived, played, worked,  and everything else that can be done as a human, to the praise of the strength and wisdom and folly of man. In other words, being made in the image of God we correctly pursued meaning and joy and satisfaction in this life but we pursued it without giving thanks to God and without glorifying Him (Romans 1:21). Everything we did, we did it to derive pleasure and praise from our accomplishments. We did not value the glory of God as praiseworthy (Romans 1:23) so we found our purpose and meaning in life by placing greater value upon everything else but God (Romans 1:24-32).

“But God, being rich in mercy,  because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing;  it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his masterpiece created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them”

(Ephesians 2:4-10).

As an heir of salvation, everything in this life has a purpose and a goal – and it is this:  God’s priceless grace will be seen in everything that he has created and worked through His Son Jesus Christ. Undeserving sinners will be filled with praise and adoration over this grace because as humans, we have groped for purpose in everything we do. This outward praise comes from the joy that we feel in our souls. And why are we happy about this?  Because we know why everything exists and why everything happens the way it does.  We know why there are butterflies and why sin is so unsatisfying. We know why we are here on earth and we know why God sent His Son. We know why we support missionaries and we know why we mow the grass. We know why we sleep and we know why God created sex. We know why suffering is a part of our lives and we know why we die. Everything, absolutely everything will somehow and in some way, cause joyful praise to gush forth throughout the universe over the massive wealth of His Grace that God chose to give us through His Son.

It is because of His Grace that I don’t love my sin or His creation more than Him.                 It is because of His Grace that makes sense out of my existence.

This is the vision,  the horizon and perception that I have as a Christian for all of my life. It is with this vision that I shepherd, to help sheep see what God is up to in His creation and in sending His Son for you. It is with this vision that I encourage you to lay hold of for your life; your sufferings, your delights, your marriage, your singleness, your child-rearing, your work, your play, your emotions, your longing for justice, your growing distaste for sin, your failures, and your craving to be clothed in pure righteousness.

I believe that we at Grace Community Church must have a clear vision for living our lives.  If we don’t, we will struggle with our identity and purpose as a church, we will waste our lives on the temporal, and we will miss out on pursuing a goal for which we can give our lives to. We are to be cause-oriented to something great and meaningful as Christ-followers. We seek a homeland whose builder and maker is God. I want us to see, feel,  taste, smell, and know that everything in this life is going somewhere – it is going to display the majesty and worth of Jesus Christ in all His Holy Wrath and Grace. If our God is immeasurable and infinite in all His being, then you can count on it, everything in your life will in some way, somehow, and someday, cause you to praise the glory of His grace.

For our Eternal and Increasing Joy,
Pastor Ivan