He Wore the Crown
Notes
Transcript
Pastors are meeting each Monday for prayer an planning. Easter is in those plans.
Passion week/Lenten lunches will still have bible studies Mon-Wed streamed during the noon hour. Of course there will likely not be a gathering for lunch anywhere but...
Collecting school supplies for kids working at home. Drop box outside office door.
Food pantry item is laundry detergent. Can also be dropped outside office door. There will be a packing/prep day Wednesday April 1st to get ready for food pantry day the 2nd. Volunteers for the 5th will direct traffic, load pre-boxed food in cars and pack extra boxes if needed.
Office hours are relatively normal. Calls are still forwarded so they can be responded to. Tithes and offerings can be brought by the office OR you can call your bank and have them make an ACH transaction to the church and they will mail us a physical check.
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
What a fellowship, what a joy divine
Leaning on the everlasting arms
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine
Leaning on the everlasting arms
Leaning, leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning
Leaning on the everlasting arms
What have I to dread, what have I to fear
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near
Leaning on the everlasting arms
Leaning, leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning
Leaning on the everlasting arms
Victory in Jesus
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,"
And somehow Jesus came and bro't
To me the victory.
I heard about a mansion
He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold
Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing,
And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I'll sing up there
The song of victory.
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2:21-25
For to this you have been called… This: endure the difficult times. God will be glorified through your endurance.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
How can enduring tough times point people to God? Because the end result of endurance produces something in us that naturally shows the Jesus in us. HOPE
What Jesus accomplished at the cross, on crucifixion weekend, covered, defeated, planned for what we are experiencing now.
I remember as a kid, learning about Jesus in church and saying over and over “I’m so glad I dont have to go the the cross”. My relief was evident from my words, but my relief was because of a growing understanding of the physical horror of crucifixion. I was glad Jesus took something physical so I took literally the idea I wouldnt meet death on a physical cross.
Of course, some disciples after Jesus went to the cross also went to the cross: Peter and Andrew were likely crucified.
Growing in my faith and working out my salvation with fear and trembling never did diminish my thankfulness and relief at Jesus taking, on my behalf, what was poured out on the cross. But growing faith did let me better understand the cross was much less about the physical act of Jesus hanging there and much more about His willingness and ability to become my sin.
And here’s the thing: The physical and spiritual accomplished together. THEY STILL DO! I’ll show you: in this time of reminding ourselves how to wash our hands I’ve been encouraging people, instead of using some silly song to use the Lord’s Prayer as a time reference to how long to wash their hands. …your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There it is. The physical and spiritual accomplishing God’s will together. The ‘heaven’ part - spiritual and the ‘earth’ part - physical.
is chock full of the imagery of Jesus’ sacrifice. Some of the results of crucifixion weekend are listed as cause and effect:
He was pierced/wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquity. Our intentional sin. Planned, presumptuous sin. Willful trespass. The beatings by the sanhedrin, temple guard and roman soldiers wounded Him. The nails and spear pierced Him through. The physical act accomplished the spiritual healing of our sin-sickness.
The punishment that brought us peace was laid upon Him. Sin requires punishment. When Jesus not only took my sin but BECAME my sin, He also took the punishment for my sin. The incredible, glorious, hallelujah inducing joy that results from this act is peace with God. No longer His enemy, rebelling against our creator, but His child, loved and protected by an infinitely Good Father!
Then peace with God ushers into our hearts the peace of God. That is the peace Philippians ch4 says ‘passes understanding’. The peace we are all seeking right now.
The peace of God is what allows us to face uncertain times with the confidence God is working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
We are in uncertain times: You may be looking at your investments and watching your retirement change. You may be looking at your employment field and watching your ability to go to work change. The peace of God allows us to lift our eyes from those temporary things and fix them on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
The peace of God is what allows us to resist the worry and angst and fret thrown at us by the enemy and come to Jesus, because He will give us rest.
You may be losing sleep over what you see happening. Let’s take a cue from Jesus in this time: When the storm was coming on Galilee He knew it. But what did He do? Went to the bottom of the boat and chilled. Took a nap even! How? Why? Because He had a plan. He knew He would speak peace over nature and into the hearts of the disciples.
In your troubled time keep perspective. Make a plan. Don't try and figure everything out, you don't know tomorrow like He does. But you can know Him who holds tomorrow! And trusting Him lets us hold up the shield of faith with which to extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one. Namely fear and worry.
You see, the peace of God lets you kiss your wife or husband, children or grandchildren goodnight, lay your head on your pillow and go to sleep. If you cant, I’d like you to pray this prayer wherever you are today: Lord, help me stop trying to control my situation and rest in your peace. I trust you. Amen.
‘Peace’
By His stripes we are healed. The scourge from Roman soldiers put the stripes on His back. When Isaiah prophesied this God was having him call Israel to repentance. This verse is in the context of healing a sin-sick Israel. The phrase is echoed, in context, by Peter in
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
53:8 says the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Iniquity is unrepentant, continual transgression. But it is a condition that can be healed! What Jesus did on the way to the cross guarantees it! What He did on the cross guarantees it! The fact He rose, ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father guarantees it!
He wore the crown to bring us peace with God and the peace of God.
He wore the crown to heal us of our sin-sickness.
He wore the crown to make a way for us to be children of God. Are you?
Before we sing our last song today I’d like to ask something of you. Spend some time this week in and 8. Both great chapters to re-center us on Christ in this time. Have a conversation with someone who doesn't live in your house about that reading this week. Let’s allow God to speak to us and let’s speak to each other even though our meeting times are so limited.
Sanctuary